3. Hope assures our interest in the good things of the World to come: And here two things are to be noted; the one is this, Hope in its initial Existence assures our interest in them fundamentally; he that hath a true lively hope of them, hath a real interest in them; every right Grace touches upon Heaven, and gives a right to it; but Hope doth it in a kind of peculiar way; it enters in within the Veil, and in a sort takes possession of the other World: As the ship is at Land in its Anchor, so the Soul is in Heaven in its Hope; and he that hath a true interest there, will not part with it in a time of suffering: The Anchor, being in Heaven, and fastened in the unmoveable felicity there, will hold out in a Storm: Such an one will reckon, as St. Paul did, that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us, Rom. 8.18. Or, if a comparison be made, the sufferings in respect of the Glory, will be but as a drop of wormwood, to a vast Sea of infinite Sweetness. The other thing is this; Hope in its full stature assures our interest in the good things to come sensibly; he that hath a plerophory of Hope, certainly knows that he hath an interest in them; We know that we have passed from death ⟨p. 84⟩to Life, saith Sr. John, 1, Joh. 3.14. As if the Apostle had said, we are in the borders of Heaven, and we know it as it were sensibly, as we do our passage from one place to another. Holy Job saith, I know that my Redeemer liveth; and, maugre all the Worms, in my Flesh I shall see God, Job. 19.25, 26. He was sure of the bliss making Vision, and could look through the dust to Immortality: Such a full hope ushers in a kind of Paradise into the Soul, and admirably fits it to bear sufferings; the internal Suavity is able to sweeten any outward Condition. The Learned Rivet, at his dying hour, brake forth into these words, Expecto, credo, persevero, dimoveri nequeo, Dei Spiritus meo Spiritui testatur, me esse ex Filiis suis, O amorem ineffabilem! I expect, believe, persevere, cannot be moved; Gods Spirit witnesses to mine, that I am one of his Children; O! ineffable Love! Let us Labour to have, not only a lively hope, that we may have a title to Heaven, but a full hope, that we may know our title to it:
3. Hope assures our interest in the good things of the World to come: And here two things are to be noted; the one is this, Hope in its initial Existence assures our interest in them fundamentally; he that hath a true lively hope of them, hath a real interest in them; every right Grace touches upon Heaven, and gives a right to it; but Hope doth it in a kind of peculiar way; it enters in within the Vail, and in a sort takes possession of the other World: As the ship is at Land in its Anchor, so the Soul is in Heaven in its Hope; and he that hath a true interest there, will not part with it in a time of suffering: The Anchor, being in Heaven, and fastned in the unmoveable felicity there, will hold out in a Storm: Such an one will reckon, as St. Paul did, that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us, Rom. 8.18. Or, if a comparison be made, the sufferings in respect of the Glory, will be but as a drop of wormwood, to a vast Sea of infinite Sweetness. The other thing is this; Hope in its full stature assures our interest in the good things to come sensibly; he that hath a plerophory of Hope, certainly knows that he hath an interest in them; We know that we have passed from death ⟨p. 84⟩to Life, saith Sr. John, 1, Joh. 3.14. As if the Apostle had said, we are in the borders of Heaven, and we know it as it were sensibly, as we do our passage from one place to another. Holy Job saith, I know that my Redeemer liveth; and, maugre all the Worms, in my Flesh I shall see God, Job. 19.25, 26. He was sure of the blissmaking Vision, and could look through the dust to Immortality: Such a full hope ushers in a kind of Paradise into the Soul, and admirably fits it to bear sufferings; the internal Suavity is able to sweeten any outward Condition. The Learned Rivet, at his dying hour, brake forth into these words, Expecto, credo, persevero, dimoveri nequeo, Dei Spiritus meo Spiritui testatur, me esse ex Filiis suis, O amorem ineffabilem! I expect, believe, persevere, cannot be moved; Gods Spirit witnesses to mine, that I am one of his Children; O! ineffable Love! Let us Labor to have, not only a lively hope, that we may have a title to Heaven, but a full hope, that we may know our title to it:
