The Revival of Grace, Part 2 · Chapter 5 · Section 2
CAP. V. Sect. 2. Hope Improved on Chriſt Dying a Teſtator.
A Second Grace improvable by our ſerious and meditative remembrance of Chriſt dying a Teſtator, is our hope. Whoſoever doth employ his thoughts on the laſt will of the Lord Jeſus, and duly reflects upon it, will find an addition to his hope, and expectation of that good which is bequeath'd to the believer, by his Lord. Biſhop Reynold's of the Paſſions, cap. 24.Hope is an earneſt and ſtrong expectation of a great good future, poſſible and difficult. Hope is (foreign) an expectation of things that are good, and it ſprings, grows up, and flouriſheth with Faith, being grafted on a branch of the ſame ſtock on which Faith is grafted. The Promiſe which the Lord makes to us (for I ſpeak of a Divine hope) in which Promiſe there is (ratio veri) undoubted truth, and there is (ratio boni) deſirable good. The former St. Paul expreſſeth thus; The Promiſes are Yea and Amen, 2 Cor. 1.20. the lattet St. Peter expreſſeth thus, Exceeding great and precious Promiſes, 2 Pet. 1.4. And the Royal Prophet hath excellently joyned both together, 2 Sam. 7.28. The word of God (which was the Promiſe made to David by the Lord in the mouth of Nathan the Prophet) is true and good. Now as Faith ſprings up and flouriſheth on the truth of the Promiſe; ſo Hope ſprings up and flouriſheth on the goodneſs of the Promiſe; or in the words of the Learned PP. of Saumur.
Indeed Faith embraceth the Promiſe as it appears, Nimirum Fides Promiſſionem amplectitur ſub ratione veri, ſpes verò Promiſſionem conſiderat ſub ratione Boni futuri. Diſp. de Sacram. in Gen. Sect. 47.and is true; but Hope conſidereth the Promiſe as it is, and as it appeareth to be good and future. And this notion of Hope is warranted by the Sciptures. The Apoſtle ſpeaking of Hope, determines it unto good as its proper object, Rom. 8.24. By Hope we are ſaved, ſalvation is a great good, and to this the Chriſtian Hope applyeth it ſelf. It is a Bleſſed Hope, that is a Hope of Bleſſedneſs at the glorious appearing of Chriſt our Saviour, Titus, 2.13. Thus the Apoſtle deſcribeth the object of a believers Hope as it is good, and in both places he includes the futurity of this good, and makes it a condition of good as it is hoped; for Hope that is ſeen is not Hope, Rom. 8.24.ſaith the Apoſtle, &c. So then let the notion of Hope be remembred, that we may ſee the influence of the laſt Will of out Dying Lord giving life, and growth to our Hopes. If our hopes are an expectation, we may expect what Chriſt hath given, if an expectation of great good, Chriſt's gift by will cannot but be a great good: if this great good muſt be future and poſſible, it cannot but be yet to come, for we cannot receive all in this preſent life; but what is future is poſſible, yea ſure, (though unſeen and to be attained with difficulty). Chriſt will inveſt every believer with that which he hath bequeathed to him in his laſt Will. But I paſs from this general diſcourſe unto the particular diſcuſſing of the ſtrength and growth of our Hope when it is acted on Chriſt's laſt Will and Teſtament, in which the conſiderate ſoul obſerveth.
Sect. 1.
1. That there is an exceeding great benefit and advantage offered and propoſed to it. Chriſt hath bequeathed moſt tranſcendent bleſſings to the believing ſoul; the Legacies he hath given are not few, ſmall, dying or fading, but they are many, great and eternal. All which will appear by theſe following conſiderations.
1. The greatneſs of his mind, it is not to be doubted whether Chriſt were of a large and noble heart. He did excel all men in true magnanimity and greatneſs of mind, as much as he excelled all men in holineſs, and freedome from ſin. Now let this be noted, and we ſhall ſee (foreign) as was the man, ſo were his gifts. A great mind accounts ſmall gifts below its grandeur. When a King (I think it was Alezander) gave a gift that was complemented with, becauſe it was too great for him who was to receive it, anſwer was made. It was not too great for a King to give. The Scripture gives us a gheſs at the greatneſs of Araunah's mind by the greatneſs of his gift, foreign2 Sam. 24.24. Indeed they do mutually declare, and ſhew themſelves unto men, ſo that the boons and Gifts of Chriſt unto believers do, (and could not but) bear a proportioned greatneſs and a richneſs commenſurate and ſuited to the greatneſs and largeneſs of his heart.
2. Let it farther be noted as was the greatneſs of his heart, ſo was the greatneſs of his intereſs eſtate and treaſures. Men ſomtimes have hearts too large for their houſes, and minds over-grown, and exceedingly too large for their meanes, and where this diſcord happens, there ever is a great deal leſs in performance than in purpoſe, farre leſs in execution than in deſign, and intention. But where a great heart poſſeſſeth an eſtate, carryeth an intereſs, and enjoyeth opportunities, large as its ſelf; there are ever great deſigns, rich promiſes, vaſt expectations; and theſe give being to a hope that maketh not aſhamed. The favorites of Kings enlarge their hopes to the greatneſs of thoſe gifts their Princes uſe to give. It were a diſhonour to a Prince if his Friend and favourite ſhould hope for a mean and poor gift, ſuch as every ordinary man beſtows upon his Friend. 1 Sam. 22.7.Saul ſpake more like a King beſtowing gifts, when he talked of olive-yards, and vine-yards, and making them Captains over thouſands. And the ambitious mother meaſured her hope and requeſt for her ſons, by the greatneſs of their maſters ſtate, when ſhe begged that they might ſit the one on the right hand, the other on the left hand of their Lord in his Kingdom. So let our hopes eye the riches and treaſures of our Dying Lord, and grow great as his mind and good will, as his means and ability to enrich us, to ſatisfy us with moſt excellent Legacies, with Royall gifts.
3. As his mind and means were great, ſo was his love and affections toward us. Jonathan's love to David was a love that exceeded the love of women, but fell ſhort of the love of Chriſt to believers. It is hard to find a love that may ſhadow out the love of Chriſt, but it is impoſſible to find out a love that can equal it, or ſet it forth to us in its gaeatneſs. It is greater than the love of a Friend, a Brother, a Father, a wife; greater than all theſe, could we compound them all into one. Now where ſo great love to us, in ſo great eſtate in the hands of ſo great mind, there out hopes cannot but exceed the hopes of a man who hath the largeſt hopes from his Friend, his Brother, or Father. He knows not the heart of Chriſt, nor the riches of Chriſt, nor the love of Chriſt, who contents himſelf with ſmall hopes, or doth not enlarge his heart towards a hope, great as the love of Chriſt. See then what thou mayeſt expect ſhould be thy legacy; think what it likely ſhould be that Chriſt Dying would beſtow upon thee; would he not give the greateſt he could? ſhould you not hope the greateſt you are capable of? do not men (cloſe handed, narrow hearted, and loath to leave what they have), do they not give the moſt they can to thoſe they love moſt at their death? have not they largeſt gifts by will who were greateſt ſharers in their good will? is not this the ſtandard by which waiting, hoping Heirs meaſure their hopes, and expectations from a Dying Friend let it be thine alſo, and at a Sacrament remember thy hope is juſtifiable when exceeding great; for ſo much as it is raiſed upon ſo great love of ſo great a mind in ſo great eſtate and meanes, that none can equall, or juſtify it ſelf in a compariſon with it, none (I ſay) though it were the grandeur of a King, of the greateſt King ever the Sun did ſhine upon, for if more crowns than one are at his diſpoſal yet can he not bequeath a crown to every loyal ſubject, to every faithful councellour, to every dear Friend, to every dutiful child; Chriſt thy King, thy Friend (oh believing ſoul) could alone do this and indeed hath done it by will; Luk. 22.29. foreign.this thou ſhouldeſt remember, and conſider at the Sacrament. The renewed memorial of Chriſt thy Friend Dying a Teſtator, and renewed thoughts of thy Friends greatneſs who is thy hope, will be a renewing of thy hope, and an addition to its greatneſs.
Sect. 2.
2. As the greatneſs of our expectations, ſo in the next place, the goodneſs and real lovelineſs of what we expect either doth add, or might juſtly add to the growth and increaſe of our Hopes. Their Hope may well be a growing Hope which is animated, and quickened by ſuch growing goodneſs. Among many croſs occurrences which may, this often doth leſſen our Hopes, their greatneſs may poſſibly want commenſurate goodneſs; the quality and relliſh of it may not be ſweet enough, though the fruit may be larger then we expected. The maſſy bulk may be too great whilſt the uſefulneſs, and profit of it may be to little. David ſpeaks of ſome who had more than heart could wiſh but this overgrown increaſe, adds to their pride and atheiſm, and proves a ſnare to them, Pſal. 73.4, 5, 6. With the 8. & 9. verſes. Their vices increaſe as do their riches; This a poyſonous quality of all worldly greatneſs, and this venom frequently emb…tters the conſiderate man's Hopes, and this ialwayes empoyſoneth the inconſiderate man's enjoyments. But on the other ſide, the believers Hope, (through the death and Teſtament of Chriſt) hath in it goodneſs as well as greatneſs; goodneſs to ſweeten our Hope, and to ſanctify our enjoyment; the unbelievers Hope and acquiſition, makes the eſtate greater, and the perſon viler; but this of the believer makes his eſtate more great, and his perſon more gracious; it makes him happier in his poſſeſſions, and holier in his affections, and ſo betters both the man and his condition. In this the believers Hope excelleth all other which will, I hope clearly appear, if at a Sacrament we meditate on.
1. Firſt the Moral goodneſs and excellency of thoſe things which Chriſt hath willed to us, they are full of purity, and therefore full of lovelineſs. If Moral vertue were ſo deſirable in the eye of the Philoſopher that he could ſay every one would fall in love with it, if it were, or could be ſet forth in its native beauty to the eye, what then will the Holineſs of Chriſt's Legacies be to a gracious ſoul? what will Moral vertue (whereof Chriſt's Legacies are full) enhaunced, and dignified with the addition of grace (which Chriſt doth adde to his Legacies) Joh. 14.16. I will pray the Father, and he ſhall give you another comforter that he may abide with you for ever, & ver. 16. The ſpirit of truth. Behold here a Legacy which bequeaths all Moral vertues, and all ſanctifying graces at once; in this one gift you have greater and choicer gifts than all the world can give. Here is greatneſs, and riches; here is goodneſs, and righteouſneſs. In one word, the great gifts of dying friends have corrupted many a fair and well tempered nature, but lo! here's a Legacy greater then all thoſe, and which hath rectifyed and beautifyed many a crooked and vitiated nature. I pray not that thou ſhouldeſt take them out of the world, but that thou ſhouldeſt keep them fom the evill, Joh. 17.15.
Now as he praies it may be ſo with them, he powerfully worketh upon them, and it is ſo with them, they are kept from the evil: For he imparteth thoſe internal operative excellencies to his living Friends which firſt filled his pure ſoul; of him we receive grace for grace; And he becomes a quickening ſpirit. and as he took upon him our Nature that he might ſuffer for us, ſo he imparteth his Holy Spirit, maketh us partakers of the Divine Nature, that we might reign with him; and in all this he excelleth: for only Chriſt can by Will and Teſtament make over, and impart the endowments which adorn the mind. Thy learned Friend may bequeath to thee his eſtate, his bookes, but he cannot give thee his learning; thy Chriſtian parent may diſpoſe an ample eſtate to thee, but he cannot be priviledged to diſpoſe a drachm of his grace unto thee. But here is ſuch a Friend who might warrantably, and who hath graciouſly ſaid, Becauſe I live, ye ſhall live alſo, Joh. 14.16. For he can give a ſpiritual life in holineſs, and grace, and he can preſerve and finiſh it; he can at laſt alſo give an eternal life in glory and happineſs; this he giveth to all who are given to him by the Father, Joh. 17.2. This is the Moral ſpiritual goodneſs of his gift which renders not onelyonly the condition of the perſon, but the diſpoſition of the mind better, and which excels no leſs than vertue excels wealth, no leſs than the mind excels the body, or grace and Heaven, excel gold and earth.
2. A goodneſs of reſt, peace and Satisfaction attends the greatneſs of this Legacy. (I do wittingly change the terms which the ſchoolmen would here have uſed, and do rather chuſe to call it as I have done, a goodneſs of reſt, or peace, or ſatisfaction.) 1. The poſſibility that our great hopes may be attended with great anxieties and dangers. 2. The danger leſt they ſhould turn to troubles and diſquietudes as great as our Hopes. 3. The uncertainty which will be moſt, our happineſs that we meet with, or our unhappineſs that we miſs of, our great worldly expectations and Hopes. 4. Finally the moſt undoubted certainty that our great worldly Hopes ſhall not, and that indeed they cannot, afford us a commenſurate reſt, and that our largeſt expectations ſhall (like rivell'd half withered fruit) give the lye to the fair bloſſom, and ripen into a ſowre, and ungrateful fruit, and ſet the teeth of him who feedeth upon it (like ſwore Grapes) on edge; Miſerrimum eſt fuiſſe felicem.and make the man for ever moſt miſerable, becauſe he was once moſt miſtakenly accounted happy. Theſe four attendants of our worldly Hopes, like the four winds, do interchangeably toſs us, and at laſt, daſh us on thoſe rocks which have wrackt others. Now the believers Hopes are of a contrary Nature, and do give great reſt whileſt they are expected, and greateſt ſatisfaction when they are attained. There is nothing in the greatneſs of a believers Hope to abate the goodneſs of it; for it is a Hope which at laſt will give an everlaſting reſt. It ſhall never make aſhamed. It is bequeathed to us in thoſe words of our Lord; Theſe things have I ſpoken to you that in me ye might have peace, Joh. 16.33. Oh deſireable gift! peace in Chriſt! were it no more than peace, yet would it be more than our richeſt, mightieſt, wiſeſt Friends could give us: their Legacies are often an occaſion of trouble, jarrs, and bitter contention, ſeldom a cauſe of peace to us in our outward affairs; never a cauſe of peace to us in our ſoul. The peace of ſoul muſt be ſought in Chriſt, and behold here it is bequeathed to us! farther yet, it is a peace or reſt with Chriſt in glory, Joh. 17.24. Father, I will that they alſo whom thou haſt given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory. Where we ſhall be like him both in his reſt, and in his glory into which he is entred to take poſſeſſion for himſelf, and for believers. Bleſſed they who have ſuch great, who have ſuch good things to Hope for! look then upon the greatneſs and goodneſs of thy Hope and expectation from ſuch a Teſtator, from ſuch a Friend whoſe laſt Will thou doſt, or ſhouldeſt conſider at a Sacrament, there thou wilt ſee that thine are, or might be, the beſt and greateſt Hopes which are,
Sect. 3.
3. Thirdly and Laſtly, Enhaunced and raiſed yet higher by the certainty and aſſurance of poſſeſſing, enjoying and living upon them at laſt after we have conquered the difficulties which lye in our way. As the greatneſs, and goodneſs of our Hope ſo the aſſured certain, future poſſeſſing, and enjoying the great good we Hope for, ſublimateth our Hopes. This certainty of our future poſſeſſing them is like the root of a faire and ſpreading Tree on which all the branches, leaves and fruit depend for ſap and beauty, with growth and life; Great Hopes without this root are but great preſumptions. And expectations of good without this future certainty, are but waking dreams, and ſelf-abuſing flatteries: ſuch Hopes ſhall no more grow and flouriſh than the ſtock and branches of a Tree whoſe root is cut off from the body; ſuch is the Dying Hope of hypocrites; but the Hope of a hungring, meditating, believing, communicant is a living Hope; a Hope that hath a good, vigorous and juicy root, which though it ſpread among difficulties, yet taketh the faſter hold, and ſtandeth (like Trees on rocky grounds much more firm. It is this future certainty which gives both the being and the name to Hope which maketh not aſhamed; a wiſe man will be aſhamed of a Hope that hath little or no probability, and the confident ſelf flatterer ſhall be aſhamed of a Hope that hath no truth in it. The wiſe man lays ſuch Hopes aſide among unexpected poſſibilities, Si rueret Caelum, &c.looking not for them before the sky falls, a net to catch larks; only the raſh and inconſiderate accounts them promiſing Hopes until they prove lying vanities; of this kind are almoſt all our Hopes of great ſucceſs and proſperities in worldly affairs; they are very uncertain, or not very probable, or elſe very unprobable, and next to impoſſible. But that Hope which a believer buildeth upon the Death of Chriſt dying, and making his Will, is not clog'd with impoſſibility, or with improbability nor with uncertainty. The difficulty which lieth in our way of attaining our hope, is intended and proportioned to whet and ſet a ſharper edge on our deſires and diligence. We may conquer thoſe difficulties, and if we conquer we ſhall aſſuredly enjoy our Hopes. Nay the enjoyment and living on our Hopes, are not more certain than the conquering of the difficulties which kept us at diſtance from our Hopes; we ſhall overcome thoſe difficulties, & conquer thoſe enemies of our reſt, and at laſt enjoy our victory in our reſt. And I pray who can ſay half ſo much for his worldly hopes? if theſe are great, are they not uncertain? doth not their uncertainty grow as doth their greatneſs? of all men he is moſt doubtful, & uncertain who fixeth his thoughts upon hopes that are moſt lofty and ambitious. Not ſo in theſe hopes of the Believer, whoſe greateſt hopes are commended to him by their certainty. A Believer is more certain of a Crown and a Kingdom, than he is of his Friends, Eſtate or Honours on Earth. Vid. ſupra this ſtability, the ground of a Chriſtians Faith, c. 5. ſect. 1. &c.Now this certainty lyeth upon the ſtability and firmneſs of the Teſtament of Chriſt the Teſtator, who died to give validity and confirmation to the Teſtament, and who liveth to give out the Legacies which he hath bequeathed. Thus the Teſtament is become of force by the death of the Teſtator, and the gifts become ſure by the life of the Teſtator, who ever liveth to bring us into the poſſeſſion, and to continue us in the Poſſeſſion of thoſe great and good things which we hope for by vertue of his bequeſt and gift. In few words, look over the (Bona legata) good things bequeathed, Pooro bona legata—ſunt illa, vita aeterna, remiſſio peccatorum, dona Spiritûs Sancti, &c. Ben. Aret. Prolegom. in Matth.Life Eternal, Remiſſion of ſins, gifts of the Holy Ghoſt, &c. Examine the Will of Chriſt, which is yet to be read in the Scriptures of the New Teſtament, eſpecially ſearch the ſeveral Promiſes; ſee what they contain, and then ſay of them, All theſe are the legacies my bleſſed Lord hath given me by his laſt Will; All theſe Promiſes are now Yea and Amen. Were they only the Will of a man, yet no man ſhould add to them, or diſannul them; they are ſacred, and muſt not be violated: how much more inviolable ſhould the Teſtament of Chriſt be kept. The Teſtament of the true and faithful Witneſs, is faithfulneſs it ſelf. Until Faithfulneſs degenerate into Perfidiouſneſs, until Truth turn into a Lye, or until Darkneſs be Light, not ſooner, nor more unexpectedly ſhall the Believers intereſſe in the laſt Will of Chriſt deceive and fail his expectations. Oh glorious Hope, whoſe bright beam may well turn the illuſtrious hopes of the worldling into a darkſome and undeſired anxiety or deſpair! Oh bleſſed ſoul! which can deſpiſe the promiſing confidences of worldly hopes, and caſt them off as unqueſtionable uncertainties (ſuch they are) and inſtead of theſe can pitch upon, perſue after, and long for thoſe ſure Promiſes, the rich Legacies, the lively Hopes, and heavenly Treaſures, which Chriſt maketh the firm, valid, and unchangeable Intereſs and Eſtate of every Believer.
Before thou come to a Sacrament (oh my ſoul!) look better to thy hopes, ſurvey their Greatneſs, weigh their Goodneſs, and duly conſider their certainty; and diſcern whether any hopes are comparable with them in either Greatneſs, Goodneſs or Certainty; or in any thing that is a part of the beſt and trueſt hope; and when thou haſt viewed the precellence and matchleſs worth of thy hopes, I dare warrant thine increaſe and growth in this grace ſhall bear a proportion to thy conſideration, and weighing of thoſe forementioned excellencies. Remember, I confine not thy thoughts to theſe particulars, I mention them as thoſe which did firſt and eaſieſt offer themſelves to mine own thoughts; if thou who readeſt with better judgment pitcheſt upon more quickening and improving meditations and arguments, bleſs God who gave, and pray for me and others who would deſire as lively and awakening arguments, and help us in our need. In the mean time, this certainty of theſe great and good things, doth according to the meaſure of their clearneſs and ſtrength in my ſerious meditations raiſe in me, and improve a longing deſire of an aſſured intereſs in him who hath given theſe things by Will, of which Deſire and the Improvement thereof I purpoſe to treat in the next Section.