The Works of Jeremiah Burroughs 9-11, Treatise 2 · Chapter 17
CHAP. XVII.
The Third Ground why the Saints Hope makes them purifie themselves: Beeause their Hope is a Scripture Hope.
THe Third thing is this, The Hopes of one that is godly doth purge from sin, because it is a Scripture Hope: the Saints when they Hope in God, they do not hope in a confused way, they build not their Hopes upon the Sand, but they look into the Word of God, and they build their Hopes upon the Scripture; hence then it must needs follow, that therefore their Hopes must be according to the tenure of the Scripture, and if they be so, they must needs be purging Hopes. That they build their Hopes upon the Scripture, is evident in Psal. 119. 41. Let thy mercy come also unto me O Lord, even thy Salvation according to the Word. It's a very notable Scripture if you observe it; as if David should say, Oh Lord, for my part I never expect Mercy nor Salvation, but according to thy Word, I never look for it upon any other terms, but meerly according to thy Word, let me have thy mercy, and thy Salvation according to thy Promise, and no otherwise; if so be that thy Word will not give it me, if I have it not upon the terms of thy Word, Lord, I am content to be without it: I put this to every one of you, and desire you that you would make use of this in your own consciences; see whether you have Davids spirit or no, Lord, I hear out of thy Word such and such things upon such and such terms, thou hast promised mercy to people that are thus and thus, and Lord God, I am content to venture my soul upon that, never to look upon thy face with any expectation of mercy but so as the Word shall bear me out in it, and if thy Word shall not encourage me, let me not have it: In the 81. verse of this Psalm, My soul fainteth for thy Salvation, but I hope in thy Word: still it is the Word that is the ground of the Hopes of the Saints; and in Rom. 15. that known place, which you have for this, in the 4. verse, Whatsoever things were written afore time were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have Hope; so that the Hopes of the Saints are Scripture Hopes; now upon that it must needs be that they are purging Hopes, because that the Scripture doth hold forth no ground of Hope but upon such terms of purging and purifying them. Therefore in Isa. 1. 16. where the ground for the Hopes of mercy is held forth, Wash you, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes, cease to do evil, learn to do well, seek Judgment, relieve the oppressed, judg the fatherless, plead for the widdow; Come now and let us reason together saith the Lord, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool: Observe, God will not so much as parly the case with any sinner for the doing away of their sins till they come to a resolution to wash them and make them clean, and put away the evil of their doings, and cease to do evil, Come now and let us reason together saith God, there's no thought that you should have any hope of any mercy from me till you find your selves willing to put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes.
Certainly though we cannot say that before the soul closes with Gods mercy in Christ, there is an actual sanctification, yet this we may say, that before the soul hath any comfort to ground upon, hath any grounded Hope that ever God should put away his sins, there must be washing, there must be making clean, and putting away the evil of their doings, and ceasing to do evil, and learning to do well; this is the Scripture way of raising of the Hope of the Saints: If we would reason the case with God, we must come with such resolutions; and indeed when the soul doth first beleeve, it comes as well to Christ for washing away of the evil of sin, as for washing away of the guilt of sin, if it be Scripture Hope, it must needs be a purging Hope; and upon this ground those that have this Hope do purge themselves, because grounding their Hopes upon the Scriptures they find that the tenure of the Scripture runs so, that they that will have the blessing of the Covenant of Grace must be sanctified: So in Jer. 31. 33. how doth the tenure of the Covenant of Grace run there? This shall be the Covenant that I will make with the House of Israel after those daies (saith the Lord) I will put my Law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, and will be their God, and they shall be my people: Have you Hope that God will be your God? the terms upon which this goes, and the tenure of this Covenant is this, That God will write his Law in their inward parts: what's that? that is, he will give you a gracious frame of spirit, that there shall be an inward sympathy between your hearts, and whatsoever is written in the Law of God, there shall be a disposition in your hearts sutable to what is written in Gods Law, whensoever God doth enter into Covenant with your souls he doth thus; if your Hopes be according to what is written in the Scripture they must needs be clensing and purifying; the truth is, the Scriptures doth dash the Hopes of the wicked and ungodly: As let them but read such Scriptures as these, as in Rom. 1. 18. For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness: what say you to this Scripture? will your Hopes stand with this Scripture? and in 1 Cor. 6. 9. there you have reckoned up a great many several sorts of sinners, and none of all these shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven: and Rom. 8. 13. For if ye live after the flesh, you shall die; he that seeks to satisfie the flesh, and the lusts of the flesh shall die, shall perish: will your Hopes stand with this Scripture yea or no? And so in Heb. 12. 14. Follow Peace with all men, and Holiness, without which none shall see the Lord: Can your Hopes stand with that Scripture? It's certain the Hopes of the Saints may stand with every Scripture, with every verse in all the Book of God. You will say, some Scriptures speak terribly to me, but others speaks comfortably; but if thy Hopes be right, they may stand▪ with every line and word; there's nothing in all the Book of God that is against thy Hopes; and this again is a certain Truth, That if it shall prove at the day of Judgment, there be but one verse in all the Book of God against thy Hopes, thou art undone for ever; do but consider of this thing and lay it up, If when thy Hopes of Eternal Life comes to be examined at the great Day, there be found but one verse in all the Book of God that is against thy Hopes, thou art a lost and undone man or woman for ever; whatever conceits thou had'st before that all might be well with thee, whatsoever other people did think of thee, yet one Scripture at the great day will cast thee for ever▪ Now thy Hopes must be Scripture Hopes, and must be according to the tenure and way of the Scripture, and therfore purging Hopes.