our hope is continually to conflict with, and to carry the | whatsoever is most pleasing to me in all this world, even Christian over. Things that are more suitable to an ani- life itself, if that be required and called for upon the same mal life and the sensible nature; they are things that lie terms." under view continually; they are present and obvious; There is a mighty difficulty in this case upon persons they are pleasing and entertaining to the sensitive nature that dwell in human flesh, and that have faculties about that we carry about with us. And yet the soul must be them which do contemper and suit them to this sensible under continual restraint as to whatsoever complacential world in which they live. They have not only the diffirelishes it can ever take in such things. Here lies the dif-culty upon them, that, while they enjoy such things they ficulty; here are things suitable and pleasing to sense, to must enjoy them under a restraint; (as you heard before;) flesh and blood; and in reference to these things the soul but whensoever they are called for, they must part with can exert no desire, no delight; can take no grateful com- them without regret; willingly part with, and forego all. placency in them, but is under continual restraint. The They cannot enjoy them, but under restraint; and they regenerate soul cannot wallow in sensual pleasures; it must part with them, and that without regret, if they be may not do so; it hath a law laid upon it, and a law put called for. As it is not more the commendation than it into it, by which it finds itself to be under a prohibition. was the duty of those of whom the apostle speaks: "They And therefore is this sort of men a wonder to the rest of took joyfully the spoiling of their goods," Heb. x. 34. And the world; they think it strange they do not run with them why did they so? They did it in the power of this same "into the same excess of riot," 1 Pet. iv. 4. They cannot Christian hope, as knowing they had in heaven "a better allow themselves to be sensual with the fleshly, worldly and more enduring substance." It was the hope of that with the worldly, covetous with the covetous. If they do, which made them willingly part with, and forego, all that they call their own state and standing in Christ under they had and enjoyed here. dreadful suspicions. If they can be ambitious, and covetous, and voluptuous, men grossly voluptuous, they draw their state into question. But what is it that restrains them, and composes them to a holy kind of severity in this respect, but the power of divine hope? "Gird up the loins of your minds, be sober, and hope to the end," I Pet. i. 13. Here appears the necessary influence of this hope to preserve a just restraint on the soul through the whole of our course, while our way lies amidst so many sensible things, that are so entertaining and tempting to our natures. We are to "live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, looking for the blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ," Tit. ii. 11, 12.

It must be considered, that regeneration and the participation of the new nature (as I have told you before) did not spoil any man's reason, nor his intellectuals; so, nor doth it spoil his sensitive faculties neither. Such a one you must understand still to have as good senses as other men have, and senses as apt to entertain and please themselves, on proper suitable objects, as other men. Do you think they cannot taste the relishes of meats and drinks, as well as others can, or what else may be pleasing and grateful to the bodily sense? But they may not, they are under a restraint; they must converse shyly and cautiously, and with great circumspection, with all such kind of objects. And what doth enable them to do so? They are enabled to be sober, because they "hope continually,"hope on to the end "for the grace that is to be brought unto them at the revelation of Jesus Christ;" and their "looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ." And in the power of that hope they live, not only righteously and godly, but soberly, in this present world.

Though that is an argument, indeed, of the general languor of Christianity at this day, and particularly of Christian hope, that greater latitudes are commonly taken among those that profess religion, in these our days, than have been heretofore. And it is sad to think it should be so as to meats and drinks, and apparel, and whatsoever borders upon luxury. Truly reformed Christendom is not itself; England is not itself; London is not itself; the families of persons professing godliness are not what they were in these respects. And certain it is, by how much more sensual inclination doth prevail, Christian hope doth proportionably so much the more languish. And,

And this is the tenor of the Christian law that lies upon them, as you have it from the mouth of our blessed Lord himself: "If any man doth not forsake all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple;" (Luke xiv. 33.) he cannot be a Christian, unless (suppositis supponendis) supposing such things as may be supposed, he doth forsake all, when the particular juncture happens; he doth now discover that he hath not the root of the matter in him, if he be not content to forsake all for my sake. But it is a Christian hope that enables him to do so; because that hope possesseth him with a persuasion that he shall gain by it more than all he loseth. "We have forsaken all and followed thee," say the disciples unto Christ; and you shall be no losers, saith he to them. Take but my word, and you will have ground enough for that hope, that it shall not turn to your final loss. None that forsake houses, or lands, or father, or mother, or brother, or sister, for my sake, and for the Gospel, but shall have in this world a hundred-fold, and hereafter eternal life. And it is the hope of this that makes a Christian willing to say, Then I can be content to let all go; aye, even let all go; he hath not deceived me that hath told me, and he will never deceive me that hath told me, that I shall not be a final loser by it at length. And,

Difficulty 4. There is this further difficulty in it, that he must, in some cases, not only lose all that he enjoys, but he must suffer all that it can be in the power of men to inflict, as to positive miseries and evils, that are of the greatest pungency unto the flesh and the sense that we carry about with us. All must be willingly undergone that is evil to our flesh, as all must be forgone that is good and grateful to it. And what shall enable any to do so, but the power of this hope?

How full is the Scripture and history of these instances! As full as it is of instances of the continual persecutions of Christians and Christianity itself, from age to age, ever since there came to be any such thing obtaining in the world. And it is proportionably full of instances of the power of this hope, carrying them whose hearts it did animate, through whatsoever difficulties they had to encounter in this case. That "cloud of witnesses," (which the apostle sets before our eyes in that 11th chapter of the Hebrews, and that we referred to but now,) so he calls those many witnesses, a cloud, a mighty cloud of such witnesses, all testifying to this one thing, to wit, to the power of that faith, and consequently to that hope, by Difficulty 3. Another difficulty, that the hope of a which these mentioned were carried through such sufferChristian has to contend with, is his foregoing all that he ings, calumnies, as there you read of: "They were tempted, hath in this world for Christ's sake, whensoever he is they were slain with the sword, they were sawn asunder, thereunto called, by the concurrence of Christian precepts they wandered up and down in sheep-skins and goat-skins, with present providences. When those so state his case being destitute, afflicted, tormented;" men "of whom the to him, as that it comes to this present posture; things world was not worthy." And amidst all these things they stand thus with him, and towards him, as they lie under despised deliverance. And why? Because they hoped for his present view in such a juncture. "I must now disobey "a better resurrection." It was that faith which carried Christ, or I must lose and forego what is most desirable them through all, which is described at the first verse, to and delectable to me in this world, it may be, this very be "the substance of the things not seen, and the evidence life itself. So hath the Divine rule, and the Divine pro- of the things hoped for," Heb. xi. 1. The great things we vidence, taken together, stated my case, as to bring matters hope for are made substantial to us; we have that clear to this pinch, this necessity. I must forsake all, abandon | and substantiating representation of them before our eyes.

And therefore, how many thousand deaths can we go through by the power of this hope;-that hope itself being upheld and maintained all along by an immediate Divine power!

man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death!" Rom. vii. 24. It is only deliverance in hope that carries through all this difficulty; “Thanks be to God, who hath given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Cor. xv. 57. I have conquest and victory in Christ, that hath loved me; I am many times in myself overcome, but in him many times I do overcome, and shall finally overcome. And,

And therefore is it that we read of such joy, and triumph, and exultation, in the midst of all these sufferings, which it was possible for human wit to invent, and human power to execute. It was not yet more than what they have been enabled to bear, and bear with a great deal of triumph Difficulty. Divine desertions; when all these happen many times; so as that it appeared that they had all under to meet together upon a poor creature, and God is withtheir feet; they could trample upon dangers and deaths, drawn over and besides,-what a difficulty is here! The and were superior to them; they could not fasten upon withdrawing of such a presence as even that wicked Saul them, they could take no hold of their spirits. If one was capable of, how distressing was it to him when he was should lead you through the sufferings of Christians in the sensible of it! There was a presence of God, whereof he ten persecutions by pagans; their sufferings afterward by had experience; but far beneath the excellency and delecthe Arians, who were not less bloody and cruel than the tableness of that gracious divine presence that he affords former; their sufferings more lately by the papists, which to his own, those that are peculiar to him; yet when Saul after followed, from age to age, for twelve hundred years had lost that more exterior divine presence, saith he to together; sufferings in this kind in this land, and suffer- Samuel, (when he had procured him to be raised from the ings in several adjoining countries. How numerous in-dead, as that text doth please to express,) "I am greatly stances have we of the power of this hope in carrying the distressed; the Philistines make war upon me, and God is poor sufferers through, so as that not only have they not departed from me," 1 Sam. xxviii. 15. been removed from their Christian profession by all that they have suffered and endured; but not from their alacrity and cheerfulness of spirit: yea, that hath not only continued, but increased, and grown higher, more and more vigorous and glorious in them, by how much the more the approaches of trouble and danger were nearer. The speeches that have been uttered by many of them, even in the midst of their sufferings, have shown a triumphant glorying joy in their hearts, which is the continual issue of this hope: "We rejoice in hope of the glory of God;" and thereupon we glory in tribulation," Rom. v. 3, 4. They gloried in tribulation, because they did rejoice in hope of the divine glory.

And therefore have they been enabled to brow-beat their enemies, their tormentors, the executioners of all those tragical things upon them which they suffered; as when one should be able to tell the tyrant, after he had received so many wounds in his body, I thank thee, (oh tyrant,) that thou hast made me so many mouths wherewith to preach Christ; for I take every wound thou hast given me to be a new mouth wherewith to utter the divine praises, and wherewith to preach and magnify my Redeemer. With multitudes of instances that one might give of the like kind; which show that the hope that lived in their souls, whilst they were even dying, did not only keep them from denying Christ,-did not only maintain religion, and keep that alive in them; but made it triumph in a high degree of liveliness, vigour, and joy, that showed itself more exalted amidst those exercises, than when there were no trials, no danger in view. And again,

Difficulty 5. The many temptations and buffetings in their spirits, which Christians do more ordinarily experience in their course through the world. Nothing could carry through the vexation of this, (which cometh nearer, a great deal nearer, than what men can do when they only torture the outward man,) but only this hope; "God shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly." Though we be vexed with his suggestions, and very vexatious ones sometimes they are, when blasphemous thoughts are injected and cast in; there is an endeavour to fence against them, but they cannot keep them off; the tempter indeed cannot make the soul close or comply with the design of his temptations, but he doth vex by tempting; and that temptation cannot but be vexing, when the soul is solicited to think all the evil thoughts that the wicked one can be author or parent of to him, concerning God, and Christ, and religion, and many false ones concerning himself. All the continual vexing temptations that the soul is followed with from day to day, it is only the hope of final victory that carries it through. I hope it will not be so always; I hope God will give me a complete victory at last; he will bruise Satan under my feet ere long. And,

Difficulty 6. The complication of bodily and spiritual distempers together, so incident even to the generality of Christians; a great deal of lassitude and dulness upon the outward man; the prevalence of melancholy fumes and vapours, which fall in with a dark mind and dead heart; and for those continual outeries "Oh, wretched

And it is so with a poor Christian; many times men are let loose upon him; the devil is let loose upon him; there is a great deal of distemperature and deadness within; and at the same time God is gone and withdrawn from him; in his sense and apprehension gone; to appearance gone. And in that case, as to actual comfort, idem est esse el apparere; idem non esse, et non apparere; to seem and to be, as to comfort in such a case. Here is nothing to bear up now but hope. I hope all this darkness will be over; ail these clouds will vanish and flee away; "I will hope in God, that I shall yet praise him; for he is the health of my countenar ce, and my God;-why art thou cast down, Ó my soul? Trust in God, for I shall yet praise him,” (Psalm xlii. and xliii.) I shall yet see a morning after so black and tempestuous a night. And,

Difficully 8. The wearisomeness of duty and exercises of religion, in the midst of all this, is yet a further diffi culty to a poor awakened soul. That is, he finds this to be the state of his case, that, in all the mentioned respects, let it be as ill with him as it can be supposed, yet he must not turn aside from following the Lord. I am in the way wherein I must persist; I must pray still, and hear still, and approach his table still. To go on in such a course of duty as this, when the mind is dark, and the heart is dead, and there is a great weight and pressure lying upon the soul, and God is withdrawn, and I come to one duty after another, and one ordinance after another, and get nothing; this is hard and heavy work; still to be (as the case is represented with the disciples) fishing all the night, and nothing taken. Now it is nothing but hope that can support and bear up in this case; this is the way of the Lord in which I am, and this way I hope will have a good end. Though I walk heavily, and the chariot wheels seem to be taken off; though my soul is not the chariot of a willing people, as sometimes it hath been; yet I must hold on my course; I must persist in it. There is that in him all this while, that will not let him desist, will not let him give over; no, by no means; he hath that sense of duty, that conscience towards God, that light concerning the equity and reasonableness of the thing, that keeps him to it. God must have his homage, however it is with me, whether it be better or worse; I must not defraud God; I must do such and such acts, as acts of duty and obedience to the Lord of my life and being, whatever becomes of me. He hath a secret hope, that all will issue well; and therefore holds on in his course. Fear will not let him go back; and hope draws him forward; for we are not to suppose that the asserting the necessity of the one of these is a diminution of, or detraction from, the necessary influence of the other. We need all God's means and methods to help and urge us on in our way and course. And I might add to all this,

Difficulty 9. The continual view of prevailing wickedness; a most afflicting and discouraging thing! When a Christian's way towards the end God hath set in view before him lies in a world overrun with wickedness, and wherein they that curse God are secure; he can turn his eye no way but he sees a world full of atheism, full of in

fidelity, full of contempt of God, and full of rebellion | part in the triumphs of that day carries us through; and against him. I hope (saith he) truth, and righteousness, and religion, and the love and fear of God, will triumph over all this at last. And because he so hopes, he persists and goes on in his well-chosen way. And in the last place, which I will close with,

Difficulty 10. The slow progress of the Christian interest, and the diffusion of the knowledge of Christ in the world; a most afflictive discouraging thing to all that are lovers of "our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity." Indeed, it is that which would have a more particular aspect upon the condition of the faithful ministers of the Gospel to sce that the most part of their labours is labour in vain.

And you know how far the temptation as to this hath prevailed; I said, I will speak no more in his name, (saith the prophet,) "but thy word was as fire in my bones," (Jer. xx. 9.) that was not to be restrained. It is a very uncomfortable thing to labour in this kind, with the souls of men, which we apply ourselves to as reasonable, as intelligent, as capable of understanding us, and understanding the value of souls, and the differences of time and eternity, of present and everlasting things; to deal with such upon agreed principles between them and us; so as that they say, whatsoever we speak to them in the name of the Lord, it is all true. They grant as much as we would have them grant, and acknowledge whatsoever, as to every thing we propound to them, especially in the greatest and most important things, which are also things of the greatest evidence and clearness, so as to force an acknowledgment; and so as that, when we deal with men about these things, (as you heard from that scripture lately,) we have nothing to do but to commend ourselves to the consciences of men in the sight of God. We appeal to you, whether these things be not true that we say to you, in the name of the Lord, yea or no. And they are generally acknowledged to be so. It is acknowledged that there is a world to come; that there is a state of retribution; that there is a judgment day, when men are to receive "the things done in the body, whether they be good or evil;" and wherein only a spiritual holy life, begun here in this world, will end in eternal life; and prevailing wickedness, continued in, will end in eternal death.

we go on, notwithstanding this great difficulty; a principal difficulty it is to us. But it is a common difliculty to all that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity;" according as it is the common desire to have the Christian religion, in the power, life, and vigour of it, spread; and that more souls may be proselyted and brought in: all that love Christ, and all that love the souls of men, cannot but have this desire; and accordingly the difficulty and trouble is great that they have continually to conflict with, that so little is done in this case, and that they see so little done in their day. But the hope of a glorious issue must carry you through all these difficulties. This will have a glorious end at last.

SERMON XXI."

Rom. viii. 24.

We are saved by hope

WE have insisted largely in opening to you the great important truth contained in these words; and now, our yet remaining business is to make some use of it, which will be, Use 1. In divers instructive inferences that this truth will afford us. As,

Inference 1. If we are saved by hope, then we are lost by despair; no inference can be more plain.

If the souls of men are to be saved by hope, they are liable to be lost by despair. And it hath been my great design, from this and some other texts, to do what in me should lie to keep you from that horrid gulf. But I must in faithfulness tell you, that there is, as to this, most danger where there is least apprehension or suspicion of it. There is a raging despair, and there is a silent dead despair. This latter is the fullest of danger, according as it is less obvious unto observation, and lies as a mortal disease in wrapping the hearts of them who suspect nothing less than that they should be despairing creatures. But when we are told that we are saved by hope, it cannot be understood by any hope whatsoever; for there is a hope that will undo, that will destroy; and so you may, ere long, have opportunity to know too, that there is a despair which is as necessary, as there is a hope that is mortal and destructive; but there is with all a deadly despair, that kills and destroys when it is never felt.

These things we represent and lay before men in the name of the Lord, and they say it is all true. And yet they are the same men, Non persuadebis etiamsi persuaseris; | though we have convinced men, we have not conquered them; we have persuaded, and all signifies nothing; and it is because they have no hope. It is an observable expression, that, in the 18th of Jeremiah, (I have formerly told you of another like it, chap. ii. 25. and it is worth our notice,)" Return ye, now, every one from his evil ways, When we say we are saved by hope, it must be meant and make your ways and your doings good," Jer. xviii. 11, by the truly Christian hope; that hope that is vital, lively; 12. So God bespeaks them by the prophet, or the prophet the terminus productus in regeneration: "Blessed be the bespeaks them in the name of God: "But they said there God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which, accordis no hope, but we will walk after our own devices, and ing to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us again unto a will every one do the imagination of his evil heart." Be-lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the cause there is no hope; we have no hope that ever we dead," 1 Pet. i. 3. We are begotten to a lively hope, a shall be able to alter our course, or that ever we shall be hope that lives. The want of this hope is the despair I able to do good of it in an attempt of reformation; and mean; and it would not be despair in every subject; but therefore, we will go on as we have done. in such a subject as is capable of that hope, and where Truly then, this is the sense and posture of them that that hope ought to be, it is despair. As the want of life is we have to deal with in the name of the Lord; they will death in a man, but not in a stone; when there is not a not turn, because there is no hope; the case would be the lively hope terminating upon God, and upon a blessed same with us now, who so deal with men; that is, we eternity, and an unseen glory; when there is not such a should give over treating with them if we had no hope; hope, where that hope hath not its proper place, there lies we would speak to them no more in that name, nor open and lurks this deadly despair. A vacancy of hope towards a Bible in our solemn assemblies, if we had no hope; but, God and the blessedness of the other state, where it ought because we have this hope, we use great freedom of speech, to be, and which indeed doth carry much of the essence we hope we shall prevail at length; and we hope, how-in it (as we shall have further occasion to note) of the new ever, that our blessed Lord Jesus shall have a glorious creature; and it is the very perfection of human nature body out of this world before he hath done; a glorious itself; to wit, to have a soul directed towards God by the community, that shall be associated to "the general as-power of a vital hope, continually expecting felicity and sembly and church of the first-born, written in heaven; the innumerable company of angels, and the spirits of just men made perfect;" whether men we speak to now in his name do hear or forbear, he shall have a glorious assembly above. "He will be glorified in all them that believe," | because the Gospel testimony was received. That will be a triumphant day; and our hope of bearing a share and

*Preached July 19th, 1891.

blessedness from him; I say, the vacancy of it is despair. But that perfection of our nature, regeneration brings in and supplies. "We are begotten again to a lively hope;" as the degeneration, deformity, and depravedness of human nature expels and keeps it out. But it so much belongs to a man as a man, that, as Philo Judæus (who speaks but as such a one) doth fitly enough sav, Hope in God is so

Inference 4. We may infer that hope is the life of all true | lively hope. If he have a living hope in him of a final and serious religion. If there be any such thing as living felicity in God, that will continually prompt him to design, Christianity among us, hope is the life of it. You will and to prosecute his design with strength and vigour, for easily apprehend that religion is the way to felicity, the a blessed and a glorious eternity. And I pray let us make means to the blessed end. But what kind of religion must our reflection seriously upon this, as in the sight and preit be? Not dead religion, but living; and there can be no sence of God. Do we carry it from day to day as those living religion but what is animated by hope, and by the that are striving a design for salvation and eternal glory? hope of that very end, to which it is itself in a tendency. as those that are going to heaven? as candidates of eterThe religion of the present state is nothing else but in-nal heavenly felicity? Do we live like such? Then should choate felicity; it is heaven begun; it is a coming to God, we be every day on the wing, reaching forth (as it is the and tending towards him. It is one and the same principle nature of hope to do) with fervent, raised aspirings towards by which any thing doth move and rest. The same nature the heavenly state. We that have the first-fruits of the which is the principle of motion and of rest. If religion Spirit, groan within ourselves, (as it is spoken in the imbe a principle of motion to carry us unto God, it will be mediate foregoing verse in this context,) waiting for the a principle of rest, to give us the actual repose and satisfac- adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body; for we are tion and solace of soul, that being in him consists in. But saved by hope, so the words are connected. We are saved this must be living religion, and not dead. And there can by the hope of that very state, wherein we are to be owned be no life in it, but as it is continually inspired by hope. openly of God, as his children; which is here called the Religion being an aiming at God, a tendency towards adoption. God, to wit, the religion of the way; the religion of the present state; it must continually be influenced by such an apprehension as this, that he is willing to be a "rewarder of them that diligently seek him," "He that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Heb. xi. 6. And it is this faith that is the immediate foundation of hope. I hope I shall find him the rewarder of my soul. I hope my labour in the Lord will not be in vain. This is that that doth inspirit religion, and make it a living thing. There is indeed a religion in the world that hath no life in it, that lies all in empty show, and form, and external appearance. But, if there be life in it, hope is the life of it. I hope I shall reach a blessed end at last in this way. The business of religion is to seek God; in seeking him I hope that I shall find him; I find life, and satisfaction, and felicity, and eternal blessedness in him. This hope is the soul of religion, and the very life of it.

There was among the Romans a double adoption; there was a private adoption; that is, the foundations were laid by some private act. But afterwards it came to be declared in foro, and to be enrolled, that such a one did adopt such a one to be his son. And it is in reference to this latter sort of adoption, or the complement and solemnization of it, that we are said to wait for the adoption; that is, the children of God, they that were adopted before fundamentally; they yet wait for the solemnization of that adoption, when the manifestation shall be of the sons of God, when it shall be declared before angels and men, as it will, in the judgment of the great day, These I take for my sons and adopted ones; and it is by the hope of this we are saved, for we are saved by hope, as immediately there followeth. And I say, that this hope can no otherwise save them, than as it doth continually influence a design of that salvation. But if our great business here in this world be from day to day nothing else but to feed upon the dust of the earth, and to please and indulge self and the flesh; if this be the design we are daily striving, we have none of this hope that saves souls; where that hope is, a correspondent design cannot but be. The religion of such involves and carries in it a continual design for the blessed

incongruous and absurd, than to keep up a show and face of religion, while yet the hearts of men, if they will but reflect, are conscious to themselves of no such design: they are not aiming at God, or at blessedness in God; the possessing of a future felicity and glory in him, and with him. They cannot justly and truly pretend to such a thing. Then (I say) is a course of religion the greatest absurdity in the world; to do in a continued course those actions that have only reference unto such an end, and never to refer to that end. To be religious without design, to wit, the proper design of religion, (which is felicity,) nothing can be more absurd.

And you ought to consider it so; that accordingly, the several parts of your religion may be animated and influenced by it. Those are dull duties, that are not considered as your way to your end. Every such duty as we are now engaged in at this time should be considered thus: this is part of my way to heaven, part of my way to a bless-ness of the heavenly state; therefore nothing can be more ed eternity; we are now met here with an expectation and hope, that we shall, ere long, be taken up to the "general assembly and church of the first-born; to an innumerable company of angels, and the spirits of just men made perfect." Heb. xii. 23. This would make the duties and ordinances of every Lord's day lively things with us, when we are all aiming to take hold, in every such duty, of "the end of our faith, even the salvation of our souls." But if we come together here only to see one another's faces, or to hear the sound of a few empty words, without knowing whither they tend, without minding to what end they serve, or what they aim at, or because we know not how else to spend so many hours of a day that is not allowed for our common labour; we shall make but a flat thing of our religion. But if our religion be a living thing, hope is the end of it, I hope my way will end in eternal felicity at length; this is my way to God and glory, and to a blessed eternity. And,

Inference 5. You may further learn that all serious religion doth involve and carry in it a design for salvation and eternal blessedness: for we are saved by the hope of this, and there can be no hope of it without the design of it; what we hope for we design for, otherwise our hope is altogether a useless, inactive thing in us. We are only saved by hope, as by hope we are prompted to design salvation, and are made lively and vigorous in the prosecution of that design; which way else should hope save us, but as it engageth to lay a design for salvation, and as it enables us with life and vigour to prosecute that design, as a compassable thing, as a thing that may be brought about, and, by God's gracious vouchsafement, will and shall?

And it is therefore deeply to be considered, that our hope of being saved, and our design for salvation, must measure one another; he that drives no such design through the whole of his abode in this world, he must be looked upon as one of those (of whom I have told you before) that hath no hope in him; no living hope; was never begotten to a

Objection. But it may be said, how is it possible that a man should be religious without design? A man doth not act in religion, but it must be done voluntarily; and if it be done voluntarily, it must be done for an end, so there can be no such thing (you will say) as keeping up a course of religion without a design.

Answer. Very true, indeed, there could be no such thing as keeping up a course of religion without a design; but that is not the matter I speak of, a design in general. A man cannot do a series of merely human actions without some design or other, or simply without any design; but when the actions that make up a course of religion are done, we cut this design for the proper end of religion. Here lies the absurdity and incongruity that I now state, to tear a series and course of actions from their proper end, and not refer them to that end, this is most irrational trifling. As if, when all the other actions of a man's life are done for a certain determinate end only in the great business of religion, he plays the fool, he doth the thing, but never minds the end; keeps such days as these; comes to church; attends upon the public solemnities of God's worship; but never thinks of heaven, never minds eternal glory, as the thing in this way to be designed for. And so his religion, and the duties of it, bear no proportion to his end, to that end that they were made for. There is a two-fold design driven by religion, or by carrying on a