The mourners cordial against excessive sorrow discovering what grounds of hope Gods people have…

Now this is the nature of Hope, that it is an affection in the exercise whereof we entertain our minds with the grounded expectation of some future good. The object of hope is good; it is one of those affections which carries us after our object, and enables us to embrace it: it is derived from love; and the good which it doth embrace is something future; it hath it not in hand or present possession, the man need not hope for that which he hath; but he sees it at a distance; but yet Hope carries the Soul to the thing, as far off as it is, enableth him to entertain it; and for this reason the ancient Patriarchs are said to see the promise afar off, and yet to embrace it, Hebr. 11.13. and in this respect it makes absent things to be present. The hand wherewith this affection lays hold upon its object, is expectation; it looks for it, the man presumes and promiseth ⟨p. 52⟩himself, that although at present he […] without it, yet he shall in due season enjoy it; that it will undoubtedly come to him, if he can but have patience to tarry for it, until the proper season: he therefore sees it not only absent but future too; that it is coming, and will be present before it be long: and this expectation is not a mere fancy, but is built upon reason; the strength therefore of this hand is the ground upon which the expectation is built, according to the measure of stability there is in that, is this Hope either stronger or weaker.

Now this is the nature of Hope, that it is an affection in the exercise whereof we entertain our minds with the grounded expectation of some future good. The object of hope is good; it is one of those affections which carries us after our object, and enables us to embrace it: it is derived from love; and the good which it doth embrace is something future; it hath it not in hand or present possession, the man need not hope for that which he hath; but he sees it at a distance; but yet Hope carries the Soul to the thing, as far off as it is, enableth him to entertain it; and for this reason the ancient Patriarchs are said to see the promise afar off, and yet to embrace it, Hebr. 11.13. and in this respect it makes absent things to be present. The hand wherewith this affection lays hold upon its object, is expectation; it looks for it, the man presumes and promiseth ⟨p. 52⟩