Exposition of Romans 8-11, Chapter 8 · Verses 24-25
VERSE 24. For we are ſaued by Hope: but Hope that is ſeene is not Hope: for what a man ſeeth, why doth hee yet hope for?
25. But if we hope for that we ſee not, then doe wee with Patience wait for it.
FRom the occaſion of the waiting ſpoken of in the Verſe before, he brings another Argument, to perſwade to Patience, taken from the nature of Hope which breeds Patience: for if we hope for life hereafter, wee muſt be patient till we poſſeſſe it.
In theſe Verſes are two things; firſt, a declaration of our Tenure concerning eternall life. 2. An Inference, wherein is couched an exhortation to patient waiting.
The Declaration hath two branches. In the firſt is our ſtate to eternall life. Wee are ſaued by Hope: In the ſecond is the ſtate of Eternall life to vsus. Hope that is ſeene, is not hope.
Hope is a Grace of God, whereby wee expect good to come, patiently abiding till it come: I call this Hope whereby we are ſaued, A grace of God: becauſe God is the Giuer of it: who is therefore called, the God of Hope. Rom. 15.13Not onelyonly obiectiuely, that which we hope for: but effectiuely, which worketh it in vsus. It is no naturall affection in men, nor morall vertue, but Theologicall, not attained by cuſtome and frequent actions, but by the gift of God, whereby wee expect good to come patiently: I ſay, Good: for Euill is not hoped for, but feared. To come: becauſe wee hauehave it not. With Patience: in regard of the Interim betweene Hope and Poſſeſſion.
We are ſaued by Hope: So are we ſaued by Faith; yet theſe are not all one. Among many differences, this one is for our preſent purpoſe: Faith lookes to the Promiſe, Hope to the thing promiſed. Faith conſiders the thing promiſed with a Spirituall eye, as preſent: Hope lookes for it indeede for to come. Auguſtine likens Hope to an Egge, which ſaith hee is ſomewhat, but not a Bird: So Hope is ſomewhat, yea, a great matter, but not the enioying of the thing it ſelfe. We are as an Heire trauelling to take poſſeſſion of his inheritance. We hauehave it not in poſſeſsion, but wee ſhall hauehave it ſo ſoone as we get home.
Hope that is ſeene is not hope. Hope is not here taken for the Affection or Vertue, but for the Obiect, for the thing hoped for. So is Faith taken in that place of Paul. Gal. 3.25.After that Faith is come, &c. that is, Chriſt the thing beleeued. The meaning then is: that, Spes impertat motum animae in aliquod non habitum tendentem; Aquin. in loc.The thing hoped for, when it is ſeene, that is, poſſeſſed, ceaſes to be hoped for. For how can a man hope for that which hee ſeeth? We hold Saluation by Hope, therefore it is not preſent, but to come. For hope imparteth a motion of the minde, vntounto a thing which we hauehave not.
From theſe is the Inference; containing an Exhortation Verſe 25. If we hope, &c. then doe we, that is, we ought with patience to wait for it. We Hope for Saluation: It is abſent: It is therefore patiently to be expected, and all things to bee borne, which in the meane time ſhall fall out by the appointment of God.
Here then we hauehave foure things of Hope. 1. The Obiect of it: Things not ſeene. 2. The Effect of it: Saluation. 3. The Aſſurance of it: Wee are ſaued. 4. The Adiunct of it: Patience, which is the gift of God, whereby, with a holy, contented, and pleaſed minde we beare affliction, that wee may not loſe the thing hoped for.
doctrine The Doctrine. Containing a deſcription of Chriſtian Hope. Hope is a certaine expectation of Eternall life, with Patience. Expectation, becauſe it is of that which is to come. Certaine; becauſe it maketh not aſhamed, Rom. 5.5. with patience, Pſal. 37.7. Heb. 6.11,12.
Ʋſe 1.The Philoſophers excluded hope out of their Catalogue of Vertues, numbring it among the Perturbations: but that which their blinde conceit made no account of, wee are taught by God highly to prize; for we are ſaued by Hope.
Vſe 2.As thou prayeſt for Saluation, ſo labour for Hope: which is a ſpeciall part of the worſhip Spirituall required in the firſt Commandement. Yea, this Scripture hath the nature of a Precept: and therefore deſperation to be auoided, not only as a thing terrible to vsus, being the Murderer of the Soule: but as a moſt hainous ſin againſt God. Hope therefore. But thou wilt ſay; Alas! my Euilneſſe bids me deſpaire. Yea, but if thou beleeueſt, and repenteſt, God bids thee Hope: Be of good Comfort therefore, and hauing Gods Commandement to Hope, and his promiſe, not to be confounded, though thou ſeeſt nothing in thy ſelfe to make thee hope, yet hope aboue hope.
Ʋſe 3.The Papiſts ſay, wee cannot be certaine of Saluation, becauſe we hope for it: but God ſaith, becauſe we hope we are certaine. For we are ſaued by Hope.
Ʋſe 4.The complete and perfect ſtate of Gods Children here, is not in re, but in ſpe: As Chriſts Kingdome is not of this world: Ioh. 18.36.ſo is not our Hope. The worldlings motto is, A Bird in the hand. GiueGive mee to day, ſay they, and take to morrow whoſo will. But the word of Beleeuers is, Spero meliora. My hopes are better then my preſent poſſeſsions: Therefore we deſpiſe the preſent things of the world, in the hope of things to come, vſing the world, as though wee vſed it not: as a Merchant hoping to fraught himſelfe with Gold, neglecteth baſer commodities.
Worldly men laugh at Beleeuers, for contemning earthly things, and Beleeuers which hope, laugh at worldly men for contemning heauenly things.
We are not without ioy in this world; but it is ſuch as the world knowes not. The Ioyes of the world are nothing to that wee hauehave: as that we hauehave, is nothing to that we ſhall hauehave.
What ioy and happineſſe is in enioying, when the very hope is ſo happy and glorious? If God be ſo ſweet to them which hope for him, what is he to them which hauehave him? The Children of God are accounted fooles for letting ſlip a good bargaine; for going to a Sermon, when others goe to profit and pleaſure; but herein they are moſt wiſe; as he is, which contemneth droſſe for Gold, ſhels for Kernels.
Vſe 5.Hope breeds Patience. Vnderſtand it thus. Betweene Hope and Hauing there is a want of the thing deſired. This delay is troubleſome; for the hope that is deferred, Pro. 13.12.is the fainting of the heart, but when it comes, it is as a Tree of Life: and the greater is the fainting, as the thing hoped for is greater. Now for this want, delay, and fainting, Patience is neceſſary, that we ſhould not thinke the time long, nor faint vnderunder the troubles, which in the meane time doe occurre.
Dauid was promiſed a Kingdome, and in the end had it; but in the meane time he waited, deuouring many troubles through patience. So, we hauehave a Kingdome promiſed, but we muſt enter into it, through many tribulations, and wait the Lords leiſure; Therefore Patience is needfull, that after wee hauehave done (and ſuffred) the will of God, Heb. 10.35. Eph. 6.17.we may inherite the Promiſe. Needfull indeed, as a Helmet, for ſo is hope called; becauſe by Patience it beares off many a knocke, with the which otherwiſe wee ſhould bee ſoone ſtriken downe into deſpaire. Pray for hope, that thou maiſt with patience beare the many troubles muſt be endured. The Patience of the Martyrs to endure the fire, was bred by hope, as their hope was bred by Faith.
True is the Prouerbe, If it were not for hope, heart would burſt; and therefore to be out of hope, is to bee moſt miſerable. As the Philoſopher ſaid, Take away the heauens, and I ſhall be no body: Tolle Coelum, nullus ero. Empedo.ſo take away the hope of heauen, and wee are the moſt miſerable which beleeue.
As is the Corke to the Net, ſo is hope to vsus: the Lead at the bottome would ſinke the Net, if it were not vpholden by the Corke: ſo would troubles vsus, if hope by patience did not ſuſtaine vsus. Perer. comment. in Geneſin. to. 1. lib. 1. num. 159.One compares hope to the Moone, which God hath appointed by her light, which is patience, to gouerne the Night of our afflictions. Paul excellently compares it to an Anchor; for as the Anchor holds the Ship in a tempeſt, ſo doth hope through Patience, keepe vsus in troubles from the ſhipwracke of our ſoules. As the Husbandman waites patiently for the precious fruit, ſo muſt we: for thoſe which ſow in hope, ſhall reape in ſaluatihn.
Vſe 6.Many ſay they hauehave this hope, when they hauehave it not: Thou ſhalt know by three things whether thou haſt it, or no: 1. By the mother of it, which is Faith: 2. By the Daughter of it, which is Patience: 3. By the Companion of it, which is LoueLove.
1. He which hopeth, beleeueth: and ſo much Faith, ſo much Hope: for Faith is the ground of things hoped for: and the ſtrength of hope is confidence. Heb. 12. Robur fidei confidentia: Ambr.Therefore the Ignorant, as they hauehave no Faith for want of Knowledge, ſo no Hope for want of Faith.
2. Hope hath Patience. The Merchant, in hope of gaine, endures the water: The Martyrs in hope of the Recompence endure the fire. Doeſt thou in trouble ſeeke to Wizards, Diuels? Then no Patience, and ſo no hope.
3. LoueLove is hopes Companion inſeparable: Gal. 5.5.and therefore hope is called the hope of righteouſneſſe, and hee that hath this hope, 1. Ioh. 3.3.purgeth himſelfe. If thy life be holy, then haſt thou hope, becauſe the promiſe is made to ſuch as lead a holy life. God threatneth damnation to them which liue vnholily, in blaſphemy, breaking of the Sabbath, diſobedience to Parents, Malice, Pride, Drunkenneſſe, Vncleanneſſe, &c. If Thou liueſt in theſe ſinnes, how dareſt thou ſay thou hopeſt to bee ſaued, when thou haſt no promiſe? No, no, Thy hope is preſumption; and the hope of the wicked ſhall periſh, and his hope ſhall be as a Spiders webbe, of which if a man lay hold, it ſtayeth him not. Iob. 8.13. Iob. 11.20.Thy hope ſhall be ſorrow of minde. This is thy hope, thou profane wretch. Dauid hoped in the Lord and was comforted, and the Fathers truſted in God, and were not confounded: but if Dauid or the Fathers had liued, as thou doſt which art profane, they had miſſed of their hope. If then thou wouldeſt hauehave the true and liuely hope of ſaluation, remember to increaſe in Faith, Patience, and LoueLove, which is the fulfilling of the Law.