A Practical Commentary on the Epistle of Jude

2. Hope▪ now because there is a blind hope, and a good hope, a bastard hope, and a genuine hope, good hope through ⟨p. 527⟩grace, saith the Apostle, 2 Thes. 2. 16. Let me tell you that this looking or expectation is not that blind hope that is found in men ignorant and presumptuous, that regard not what they do, presumption is a child of darkness, the fruit of ignorance and inconsideration, when men are once serious they find it an hard matter to fix an advised hope on things to come; for guilty nature is more inclinable to fear than to hope; this blind hope will certainly fail us, 'tis compared, to a Spiders web, Job 8. 12, 13. The Spider spinneth a web out of his own bowels, which is swept away as soon as the besom cometh, so do carnal men conceive a few rash and ungrounded hopes, but when death cometh or a little trouble of Conscience, these vain conceits are swept away; this hope which I press you to is a serious act arising from grace aiming at its own perfection: again this looking is not some glances upon Heaven, such as are sound in worldly and sensual persons, who now and then have their lucida intervalla, their good moods and sober thoughts, as Balaam, Numb. 23. 10. a taste they may have, Heb. 6. 4. a smatch of the sweetness of Heaven and spiritual comforts; the most wretched worldlings have their wishes and sudden rap•s of Soul, but alas these sudden motions are no• operative, they come but seldom and leave no warmth upon the Soul, as fruit is not ripened that •ath but a g•a•ce of the Sun, and a sudden light rather blindeth a man than showeth him the way. So these sudden indeliberate thoughts vanish and leave men never the better: again 'tis not a loose hope or a probable conjecture; this hath no efficacy upon the Soul; men that are under an anxious doubtful posture of Spirit will be very uneven in their walkings,