The Works of Jeremiah Burroughs 9-11, Treatise 2 · Chapter 4
CHAP. IV.
Of the Object of Hope, Is, 1. Some good. 2. Some future good. 3. A supernatural good. 4. The Object of Hope is a difficult good; and therefore compared to an Helmet, and to an Anchor.
THe Object of Hope, is all the good, future good promised in the Covenant of Grace, and yet not fulfilled, but hath many difficulties to hinder the fulfilling of it.
First, The Object of it is that which is good; for if it be that which is evil, then we fear it, we do not hope for it.
Secondly, It's a future good thing; so the Apostle saith in Rom. 8. if we see a thing we do not hope for it, but that which we do not see, that we hope for: It's a future good thing.
Thirdly, The Object of the Hopes of the Saints is a Supernatural Good: Objects do distinguish Vertues, both Moral vertues and Theological too; here the Object is a Supernatural Good, it doth distinguish it from all the Hopes of the World, from those that make the Creature their Hopes; but the Hopes of the Saints is the fulfilling of all the good that is promised in the Covenant of Grace that yet is not fulfilled, all mercies that the soul or body stands in need of for this World, and for the World to come: but the special Object of this Hope, is the glorious things that God hath promised in his blessed Covenant to be fulfilled in the world to come; those things that are the most above Sence, and above mans Reason, are the Object of this Hope; that is the appearing of Jesus Christ, and seeing him, and being made like him, and enjoying eternal communion with him.
Fourthly, This Object is an Object of Hope that hath a difficulty, for so those that speak of the Nature of Hope they make it to be, not only Bonum, and Futurum, and Possibile, a good thing, a future good thing, and possible, but there is another thing, and that is a difficult thing; for a man doth not hope for that which will come easily: As for instance, When we go to bed, we do not hope that the Sun will rise in the morning; or when we put a thing on the fire, we do not hope it will grow hot because it hath no difficulty in it; but when a thing hath a difficulty that many things will hinder the accomplishment of it, then we say, we hope; as when you send your Ships to Sea, you hope for a good return, there may be a great many difficulties in the way, but you look beyond those difficulties, and you hope for a good Voyage, so that the Object of Hope is a good that have some kind of difficulty in it: The Saints, they hope for Salvation, and Mercy, and Life, and Glory; but if they look into themselves, they see abundance of things that might cross the good that they hope for; when they look upon the abundance of sin that there is in their hearts that makes such a distance between God and them, that is so opposite unto God; when they consider the little service that they do to God, and the great dishonor that God hath from them; when they consider how the Promises are deferred that God hath made, yea, when things seem to work contrary to the Promises that are made, that is the usual way of God, that in his outward Dispensations towards his people, he doth seem to go quite contrary to what he hath promised; now this would tempt the soul to despair, and think certainly whatsoever God hath promised, can it be fulfilled, when things go so cross and contrary? so that Reason saith it will not be, Sence saith it cannot be; I but Hope wil then wait, Hope wil break through a great many difficulties, and yet wait notwithstanding the things are not accomplished; saith Reason and Sence, how is it possible that such a lump of filth and sin should stand before the face of the infinite God with joy, whenas Jesus Christ shall appear with his holy Angels, and God shall appear in the infinitness of his Holiness and Justice, that such a poor wretch as I am should stand before Jesus Christ, and his holy Angels, and look upon his face with joy, and that this body of mine that hath been such an instrument of sin should be made like the Body of Jesus Christ, and that this poor soul of mine so full of darkness and sinfulness, that it should enjoy eternal communion, with Father, Son, and holy Spirit, how can these things be? Now the Grace of Hope carries through all these difficulties; though I find Gods waies towards me as if he were an Enemy, yea, I pray to him and he doth not hear me, and I am still in the dark, and the terrors of the Almighty stick in my soul, and yet shall I ever come to enjoy his presence, and be partaker of all those glorious things that I have heard that the Saints shall be partakers of in Heaven? These things doth make the Object that the Saints Hope doth work upon, to be a very hard, and a very difficult thing; and here's the use of Hope, that when things appear to be very difficult, yet then Hope, that will wait, and that will hold still; And therefore you find in the Scripture, that Hope is compared to two things, To an Helmet, and to an Anchor: To an Helmet, that you have in Ephes. 6. The Helmet of Salvation; that is, the Hope of Salvation, that's the meaning; the Helmet of Salvation, that is, the Hope that you have of Salvation, that is to be your Helmet: now what's the use of an Helmet, but to defend the head when we are in the midst of our enemies clashing the Swords about our ears, then to hold up the Helmet, and keep the head? So when a child of God is in the world, and meets with a great deal of oppo…tion, and much evil that would discourage his heart, that would strike him at the very head, then he doth hold forth the Hope of Salvation as an Helmet, and that will serve him, that secures his head; it may be his legs, or some other parts may be touched, but that will secure his head, and keep him alive: Thus when we meet with opposition at Land. But there are dangers at Sea as well as by Land; and that you have in Heb. 6. 19. there Hope is compared to an Anchor, Which Hope we have as an Anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entreth into that which is within the vail: this is a most elegant similitude for the expression of the Hope of the people of God, by which (those that are Sea-men especially) may learn very much, and especially the holy Spirit speaking by their own Art and Skil; they know what the use of an Anchor is when they are at Sea, if they should not have a good strong Anchor, what would they do? they have not so much need of it in calm weather, they care not so much for a fair painted Anchor; if they cast their Anchor when the winds and tempests come, and the Rocks are hard by them, so that if the Anchor fail them they are split upon the Rocks, or run into the Sands, then Oh how do they esteem of a good Anchor at such a time, & see cause to bless God for the use of it: Thus Christians should expect, for they are Marriners, all Christians are in the World as the Marriners in the Sea; though they have calms somtimes, yet they are to expect tempests and storms that will be ready, so temptations and oppositions that will be ready to split their souls upon the Rocks, or run them upon the Sands: Now in times of greatest opposition, and of the greatest temptations, there a Christian casts his Anchor, the Anchor of his Hope, and there he sticks, there the soul is kept from being hurried up and down, and carried away to split upon the Rock of such a temptation, his Hope that holds him fast, and keeps him safe till the tempests or storms be passed over. We do not know what tempests and storms the Lord hath yet reserved us unto, such, as if there be not this true Hope in the Text as an Anchor to cast, we are likely to be split upon some rock or other: time may come ere long that the former Grace that hath been opened to you so precious, will appear precious indeed, and so this Grace of Hope will appear to be of some use, as it is in the hearts of most people it lies as a dead thing that is of no use at all; but if times should prove to be yet more perillous as they may be, then it will appear of use: how many thousand people are split upon the rocks and sands of the world meerly for want of this true Hope; therfore when they come to suffer any thing in the cause of Christ, they are blown by the temptation to shift in such a sinful way, they have no Anchor at all to hold them, but the temptation drives them this way and that way according as they please, when you have your Anchor, and it is cast, your Ship will toss up and down, I but the wind cannot carry▪ it to the sands and rocks, a Christians heart in times of trouble and persecution may stir up and down, and may have some troubles, and fears, and doubts in it, but there is somwhat within, there is this Hope as an Anchor that holds the heart that it shall not be driven upon the Rocks, nor upon the sands, it is as an Anchor, and if ever you saw use of an Anchor in your lives, then know there is a great use of this Grace of Hope. And by the way as we go, you may be convinc'd that the Hopes that most men in the world have (and it may be your selves) is but an idle dream, have I known what it was to make use of Hope as an Anchor to my soul, it's impossible but some times or other you must meet with tempests and storms, strength of temptations: Now if you be acquainted with any temptations in your own hearts, you know what the use of Hope as an Anchor is; it were happy for Christians so soon as ever the temptation comes, to cast Anchor presently, not to be strugling and striving to resist temptations by their own strength, but to cast Anchor: so that Hope is a good, and future good, and hath some kind of difficulty in it; it is that which keeps the soul from sinking as the Cork in the Net; the Lead, that sinks down the Net, but the Cork, that keeps up the Net: so in the hearts of Christians there are many distempers, and they keep down their hearts, yet they have Hope, and that keeps up their hearts. That's for the Object of it. There's the Efficient of it, and the Object.