The same may be said of Desperation, which is a Privation of Hope: When we have Believed the Truth of the Gospel, and Accepted Christ offered, we are then bound to Hope that God will give us the Benefits promised: So hope is nothing but A Desirous expectation of the good so promised and believed. Now if you begin to Distrust whether God will make good this promise or no, either thinking that it is not True, or he is not able, or hath changed his mind since the making of it, and on these grounds you let go your Hopes, this is Despair. If because that Christ seems to Delay his coming, we should say, I have waited in Hope till now, but now I am out of Hope that ever Christ will come to Judge the world and Glorify Believers, I will expect it no longer: this is Despair. And it hath its several Degrees more or less, as unbelief hath. ⟨p. 196⟩Indeed the Schoolmen say that Affiance is nothing but strengthened Hope. Affiance in the properest sense is the same in substance with Hope; only it more expresseth a Respect to the Promise and Promiser, and indeed is Faith and Hope expressed both together in one word. So that what I said before of Distrust, is true of Despair. If you do continue to Believe the Truth of the Gospel, and particularly of Christs coming and glorifying his Saints, and yet you think he will not glorify you because you think that you are not a true Believer or Saint; This is not Desperation in the proper sense. For Desperation is the privation of Hope, where the formal cause, the heart and life of it is wanting. But you have here Hope in the Habit, and Virtually do Hope in Christ: but the Act of it as to your own particular salvation is hindered, upon an accidental mistake. In the forementioned example, If your friend Promise to give you a hundred pound on condition of your thankful Acceptance, and promiseth to come at such an hour and bring it you: If now you stay till the hour be almost come, and then say, I •m out of Hope of his coming now; he ⟨p. 197⟩hath broke his word; this is properly a Despair in your friend. But if you only think that you have overstaid the time, and that it is past, and therefore you shall not have the gift, this may be called a Despair of the event, and a Despair of your self; but not properly a Despair in your friend; only the Act of Hoping in God is hindered as is said. So it is in our present case.
The same may be said of Desperation, which is a Privation of Hope: When we have Believed the Truth of the Gospel, and Accepted Christ offered, we are then bound to Hope that God will give us the Benefits promised: So hope is nothing but A Desirous expectation of the good so promised and believed. Now if you begin to Distrust whether God will make good this promise or no, either thinking that it is not True, or he is not able, or hath changed his minde since the making of it, and on these grounds you let go your Hopes, this is Despair. If because that Christ seems to Delay his coming, we should say, I have waited in Hope till now, but now I am out of Hope that ever Christ will come to Judge the world and Glorifie Believers, I will expect it no longer: this is Despair. And it hath its several Degrees more or less, as unbelief hath. ⟨p. 196⟩Indeed the Schoolmen say that Affiance is nothing but strengthened Hope. Affiance in the properest sense is the same in substance with Hope; only it more expresseth a Respect to the Promise and Promiser, and indeed is Faith and Hope exprest both together in one word. So that what I said before of Distrust, is true of Despair. If you do continue to Believe the Truth of the Gospel, and particularly of Christs coming and glorifying his Saints, and yet you think he will not glorifie you because you think that you are not a true Believer or Saint; This is not Desperation in the proper sense. For Desperation is the privation of Hope, where the formal cause, the heart and life of it is wanting. But you have here Hope in the Habit, and Virtually do Hope in Christ: but the Act of it as to your own particular salvation is hindered, upon an accidentall mistake. In the forementioned example, If your friend Promise to give you a hundred pound on condition of your thankfull Acceptance, and promiseth to come at such an hour and bring it you: If now you stay till the hour be almost come, and then say, I •m out of Hope of his coming now; he ⟨p. 197⟩hath broke his word; this is properly a Despair in your friend. But if you only think that you have overstaid the time, and that it is past, and therefore you shall not have the gift, this may be called a Despair of the event, and a Despair of your self; but not properly a Despair in your friend; only the Act of Hoping in God is hindered as is said. So it is in our present case.
