3. Hope will use our calling to support the soul and help it, by that, to exercise itself in a way of expectation of good from God. Hence, the apostle prays for the Ephesians, that they may be made to see what is 'the hope of their calling'; that is, what good that is which by their calling they have ground to hope is laid up in heaven, and to be brought unto them at the appearance of Jesus Christ (Eph 1:17,18). For thus the soul, by this grace of hope, will reason about this matter: God has called me; surely it is to a feast. God has called me to the fellowship of his Son, and indeed, I may be with him in the next world. God has given me the spirit of faith and prayer; I might hope for what I believe and wait for what I pray for. God has given me some tastes already; indeed, it is to encourage me to hope that he purposeth brings me into the rich fruition of the whole.
4. Hope will exercise itself upon God by those breakings wherewith he breaketh his people for their sins. 'The valley of Achor' must be given 'for a door of hope' (Hosea 2:15). What is The valley of Achor? Why, the place where Achan was stoned for his wickedness and where all Israel was afflicted for the same (Josh 7). I say hope can gather by this, that God has a love for the soul; for when God hateth a man, he chastised him not for his trespasses. 'If ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons' (Heb 12:8). Hence Moses tells Israel that when the hand of God was upon them for their sins, they should consider in their heart, 'that as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee' (Deut 8:5). And why thus consider, but that a door might be opened for hope to exercise itself upon God by this? This is also what is intended in Paul to the Corinthians, 'When we are judged we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world' (1 Cor 11:32). Is not here a door of hope? And why a door of hope, but that by it, God's people, when afflicted, should go out from despair by hope?
[Second.] But it is to be inferred, secondly, that the exercise of hope upon God is delightful to him: otherwise, he would not have commanded and granted us liberty to hope and have snibbed those that would hinder. 'Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him; upon them that hope in his mercy; to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine' (Psa 33:18,19). That God is much delighted in the exercise of this grace is evident because of the preparation that he has made for this grace, wherewith to exercise itself. 'For whatsoever things were writ aforetime, were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope' (Rom 15:4). Mark, the whole history of the Bible, with the relation of the wonderful works of God with his people from the beginning of the world, are written for this very purpose, that we, by considering and comparing, by patience and comfort of them, might have hope. The Bible is the scaffold or stage that God has built for hope to play his part in this world. It is, therefore, very delightful to God to see hope rightly given its color before him; hence he is said 'to laugh at the trial of the innocent' (Job 9:23). Why at his trial? Because his trial puts him upon the exercise of hope: for then indeed there is work for hope, when trials are sharp upon us. But why is God so delighted in the exercise of this grace of hope?
1. Because hope is a head-grace and governing. Several lusts in the soul cannot be mastered if hope is not in exercise, especially if the soul is in excellent and sore trials. There is peevishness and impatience, there is fear and despair, there is doubting and misconstruing of God's present hand, and all these become masters if hope is not stirring, nor can any grace besides put a stop to their tumultuous raging in the soul. But now hope in God makes them all hush, takes away the occasion of their working, and lays the soul at the foot of God. 'Surely,' saith the Psalmist, 'I have behaved and quieted myself as a child that is weaned of his mother. My soul is even as a weaned child.' But how came he to bring his soul into so good a temper? Why, that is gathered by the exhortation following, 'Let Israel hope in the Lord from henceforth and forever' (Psa 131:2,3). By hoping in the Lord, he quieted his soul and all its unruly sinful passions.
2. As hope quashed and quieteth sinful passions, so it putteth into order some graces that cannot be put into order without it: as patience, meekness, silence, long-suffering, and the like. These are all in a day of the trial out of place, order, and exercise, where hope forbears to work. I never saw a distrusting man, a patient man, a quiet man, a silent man, and a meek man under the hand of God, except he was 'dead in sin' at the time. But we are not now talking of such. But now let a man hope in the Lord. He presently concludes this affliction is for my good, a sign God loves me, and that which will work out for me a far more and exceeding and eternal weight of glory; and so it puts the graces of the soul into order (Luke 21:19). Wherefore patience, by which a man is bid to possess or keep his soul under the cross, is called 'the patience of hope' (1 Thess 1:3). So in another place, when he would have the church patient in tribulation, and continue instant in prayer, he bids them 'rejoice in hope,' knowing that the other could not be done without it (Rom 12:12).
