4. Yea, that all ground of doubt and scruple as to this might be removed out of the way, when Christ, who as to what was last said, is our hope (1 Tim 1:1), shall come, he shall bring that grace and mercy with him that shall even from before his judgment-seat remove all those things that might have any tendency in them to deprive us of our hope, or of the thing hoped for by us. Hence, Peter bids us, 'Be sober and hope to the end, for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ' (1 Peter 1:13). Also, as to this, Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, joins with him, saying, 'Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life' (Jude 21). Here, then, you see that there is grace and mercy still for us in reversion; grace and mercy to be brought unto us at the revelation, or second coming of Jesus Christ. How, then, can we be hindered by our hope? Transporting mercy will then be busy for them, who indeed have the hope of eternal life here. 'And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him' (Mal 3:17). None knows the mystery of God's will in all things revealed in his Word. Therefore, many texts are looked over, or laid by, as those whose key doth go too hard; nor will I boast of any singular knowledge in any particular thing. Yet methinks since grace and mercy were not only brought by Christ when he came into the world but shall be brought again with him when he comes in his Father's glory, it signifies that as the first brought the beginning of eternal life to us. At the same time, we were enemies; this second will bring us full enjoyment while we are saints, attended to by also be spared many imperfections. And that as by the first grace of all unworthiness was pardoned and passed by; so by this second grace, the grace that is to be brought unto us at the revelation of Jesus Christ, all shortness in duties, and failings in performances, shall be spared also; and we made possessors by this grace and mercy of the blessings hoped for, to wit, the blessings of eternal life. But thus much for the duty contained in the exhortation, to wit, of hoping.
Second. A direction to the well managing of the duty of hope.
I shall, therefore, come, in the next place, to treat the good managing of this duty with reference to this primary object, which is the Lord himself. 'Let Israel hope in the Lord.' There is a general object of hope, and there is a particular object; there is a common object, and there is a special one. Of the general and common object, to wit, of heaven and happiness, I have said something already; wherefore it remains that now we come and treat this particular and unique object of our hope: 'Let Israel hope in the Lord.' The Lord, therefore, is to be the particular and unique object of our hope: 'Let Israel hope in the Lord.' Now, in that there is not only a duty here exhorted to but a direction for the better management of that duty, to the particular and special object upon which this duty should be exercised, it suggested how apt good men are, especially in times of trouble, the case of Israel now, to fix their hopes in other things than on the Lord. We have seen a great deal of this in our days; our days indeed have been days of trouble, especially since the discovery of the Popish plot, for then we began to fear cutting of throats, of being burned in our beds, and of seeing our children dashed in pieces before our faces. But looking about us, we found we had a gracious king, brave parliaments, a stout city, good lord-mayors, honest sheriffs, substantial laws against them, and these we made the object of our hope, quite forgetting the direction in this exhortation, 'Let Israel hope in the Lord.' For indeed,entirely the Lord ought to be our hope in temporals, as well as in spirituals and eternals. Wherefore Israel of old were checked, under a supposition of placing their hope for temporals in men; 'It is better to trust in the Lord, than to put confidence in man. Trusting the Lord is better than puttinunique confidence in princes' (Psa 118:8,9). And again, 'Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help' (Psa 146:3). This implies that there is in us an incident means that there is in us an incident to forget God, our hope to forget God our hope, and to put confidence in something else. And to be sure, we shall find it the more difficult to make the Lord our hope only when things that are here, though deceitfully, proffer us their help.[12] But my design is not to treat the object of hope but with reference to the next world. And as to that,was checked, under a supposition of placing their hope for temporals in men; 'It is better to trust in the Lord we must take heed that we set our hope in God, in God in the first place, and in nothing below or beside himself. To this end it is that he has given us his word, and appointed a law to Israel.
I. Because of his own grace, it is that he has given us his word, he is become the unique object of hope, designating himself in the most remarkable sense to be the portion of his people (Psa 78:5-7)—' The Lord is my portion, saith my soul, therefore will I hope in him' (Lam 2:24). Wherefore this we must look well to, and take heed that we miss not of this object (Psa 146:5). This is the unique object, the ultimate object, the object that we cannot be without; and that, short of which, we cannot be happy as God willing, shall be shown more anon (Jer 50:7). God is not only happiness in himself, but the life of the soul, and he that puts goodness into everything in the next world, in which goodness shall be found (Jer 17:13). And this our Lord Jesus Christ himself affirmeth, when he saith, 'I am the way,' to wit, the way to life and happiness. And yet he saith, 'I am the way to the Father,' for HE is the fountain and ocean of joy and bliss.
