The saints anchor-hold, in all storms and tempests preached in sundry sermons, and published…

Doct. They that hope in God a right, have their hope in him raised, and strengthened by good and strong reasons. Reasons fetched from God, and from the souls knowing its interest in him, as his portion▪ are good and strong reasons, for our hoping in him; and such are the reasons which the Church, in my Text, gives of their hoping in God. They considered Gods All-sufficiency, in himself, and to every one that hath him for his portion, and what interest themselves had in him, through faith in Christ, and thereupon conclude; therefore will I hope in him. So may all believers.

R. 1. From the inseparable connection of hope with faith: Faith believes ⟨p. 51⟩in Christ, and in God through Christ, upon Gods authority in his word, and what faith believes, hope expects. The reasons for a believers hoping in God, are as good and strong, as for his believing in him. For, as, naturally, beams come from the Sun, and branches from the root; so, by spiritual discourse, one truth issueth from another; and, as the Sun and its beams, the roots and branches, are all of one nature; so the grounds of comfortable truths, and reasons taken from those grounds, are both of the same divine authority in themselves. Though in us, discourse is apt to be so troubled, in times of Temptation, that we cannot see how one truth ariseth upon another; yet so far as faith sees God to be our portion▪ the soul sees good and strong reason for our hoping in him for all good, that may suit all our needs, in the best season.

R. 2. From the convincing light, which the spirit of God bringeth into the soul, when he worketh faith and hope in it. It is the office and work ⟨p. 52⟩