The Works of Jeremiah Burroughs 9-11, Treatise 2 · Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII.
Fourthly, The Hope of the Saints must needs be a purifying Hope, Because it's a lively Hope. Fiftly, The Hope of the Saints must be purifying because they are pitcht upon God and Jesus Christ.
FOurthly, The Hopes of the Saints must needs he purging, because they are lively Hopes: that known place that we made use of divers times, in 1 Pet. 1. 3. We are begotten to a lively Hope; it is alwaies living, and therefore working, and how doth the liveliness of the Hopes of the Saints appear but by working out corruptions? as the living Fountain, how doth it appear to be living but by continual working? in the high way as you come along, there the water▪ lies together with the dirt; but if there were a spring that had so much dirt in it, if you stay but an hour, you shall have it run as cleer as it was before: Nothing doth more lively express the difference between the sins of the Saints, and the sins of wicked men, as dirt in water in the high way, and dirt cast into a living spring: So the Hopes of the Saints are lively, and not only living, but lively; a man may be a living man, but yet not lively; but now the Hopes of the Saints, they are both living Hopes, and lively Hopes; living Hopes, they are part of the new Nature, of the spirit of Life that God doth put into the soul, that is in Scripture call'd the Life of God, and therefore very active and stirring, and so they are not only part of that life, but lively Hopes that have continual matter for to quicken and feed them, and it's the care of the Saints to be feeding their Hopes, and to keep them in a lively plight, because the very joy of their lives depends upon their Hopes: Continual action and stirring keeps from corruption; the Hopes of the Saints are lively, but the Hopes of the wicked are dead, dull kind of Hopes, and therefore may stand with their corruptions.
In the fift place, The Hopes of the Saints must be purifying Hopes because they are pitcht upon God, and upon Jesus Christ: I might give you many Scriptures for that, upon their pitching upon God, that former 78. Psalm, 7, and 8. verses, and in 1 Pet. 1. 21, 22. I shall not need to name the words, but their Hopes are pitch'd upon God; and in 1 Tim. 1. beginning, Christ our Hope; pitcht upon Jesus Christ; observe, how these must needs purifie; those Hopes that are pitch't upon God whereby the soul converses much with God and Jesus Christ, they must needs purifie. The more any heart acts upon God, and upon Christ, and converses with them, they must needs have their hearts very pure; you complain of your corruptions, and a great deal of filthines abides stil in you; would you know the way to purge your hearts? Oh let your spirits be much exercised with God, and with Jesus Christ: When a gracious heart hath been between God and it in meditation in any holy duty, and hath found the ability to raise the heart to have any communion with God and Jesus Christ, Oh it can come from those duties with mighty strong resolutions against sin, and can come wonderfully clensed from the dross…ness of their spirits that they had before they did so converse with God and Christ. As Moses when he was in the Mountain and conversed with God, he came down with his face shining, why? because he had been conversing much with God: So those that converse much with God they have shining hearts, and shining conversations: The reason of the dulness and drousiness of your hearts and conversations, it is, because you converse much with the world; but conversing with God and with Christ the holy one of God, it will clense and purifie your hearts. In Job, 11. 14, and 15. verses, If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy Tabernacles, for then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot: Thou canst not lift up thy face without spot, and fear and trembling, except iniquity being in thine hand thou put it away far from thee; that man that would with a free heart converse with God, which would lift up his face to God with joy, and would have a steadfast heart without fear, that man if he hath iniquity in his hand he must put it away, and let not wickedness dwell in his Tabernacle, it cannot stand together; if there be any wickedness in thy house, in thy Tabernacle; if thou wilt not lose thy freedom in thy converse with God, put it away, for certainly it cannot stand both together. Now the Hopes of the Saints doth purge out wickedness, because by their Hopes they converse so much with God and Christ, and are acting so much upon them: Hence it is that they do purge and clense their hearts.
Further, The Hopes of the Saints they are Hopes in the Holy Ghost; as in Romans, 15. 13, 14 By the power of the Holy Ghost.
Again, You heard before, they were grounded upon Faith, and Faith purifies the heart; Hope is the daughter of Faith, and therefore hath the efficacy of Faith in it, those things were before, but these things shew where the influence of this purifying quality of Hope is, because it is wrought by the power of the Holy Ghost, and hath the ground of it by Faith: I shall give you but only these two Arguments more, and then come to the Application.