Obedience, fince his Obedience will lead him, firft, into the Comfortable and Certain Expectation of Eternal Blifs, and afterwards into the Enjoyment of it. The fame thing is obfervable of Hope, in respect of its Secundary Object, the Influences of the Holy Spirit, enabling men to work out their Salvation. For though the Constant Aids of the Spirit are not otherwise to be Hoped for, than upon Condition, that they be duly Applied and Used; yet every Faithful Servant of God, having already Anfwer'd that condition, may, under his Prefent State, depend Abfolutely upon them: And fuch a Dependence is in him a Neceffary Duty. But the Hope of fuch measures of Grace, as are Sufficient to the Accomplishment of the Spiritual Life, can no otherwise appertain to an Impenitent Sinner, who hath all along Refifted the Holy Spirit, than in a way strictly Conditional: He cannot Juftly take up a Firm Expectation of fuch Full and Effectual measures of Grace, without Suppofing himself to become Sincere and Faithful in a Future Ufe and Improve ment ment of those means, which he hath hitherto Neglected and Abused. And even This Hope, Remote as it is, must needs be a Weighty and Forcible Inducement to Repentance and a Holy Life: For what man, in his Sound mind, would not fincerely endeavour to become Holy and Happy, when the Sincerity of his Endeavours is the Only thing required, on His Part, in order to the Sufficiency and Success of them? Those who are Faithful in the Use of their Talents, the Abilities which God gives them, whatever those Abilities are, may Juftly Hope, that the Holy Spirit will Abundantly support them under all the Difficulties of Duty: But whilst that Fidelity is wanting, an Abfolute and Firm Expectation of Effectual aids from the Spirit, is not Hope, but Prefumption, as properly, as the charge of Prefumption falls upon Those alfo, who flatter themselves with the Hopes of Heaven, whilft they are under the Dominion of Sin. They may poffibly Defire Happiness; but Hope implies Juft Expectation, as well as Defire; and That is Peculiar to the SinM 3 cere cere and Obedient Servants of God. And in Perfons Thus qualified for Hope, the Want of it, so far as it relates to the Mind, and is not Occafion'd by any Indifpofition in the Body, is owing to the Want of Just thoughts concerning God, and involves men in the Sin of Def pair. But there is perhaps Lefs occafion of inlarging upon the Neceflity of Hope, than of fome Other virtues, because men are Ufually more apt to Exceed, than to be Defective in it. Some few Phlegmatick tempers there are, where Hope does not eafily find Admission: But Generally mens Difpofitions are of the Sanguine kind, and Apt to carry their Expectations, at least as Far as they fhould go. We are Commonly as Little moved by those Arguments, which are offer'd for a Proper Restraint of Hope, as by those which are urged for the proper Extent of Charity; which is, 3. The Third Chriftian Grace to be confider'd, and which muft needs be thought very Extensive, fince this One word includes the Two great Command ments, ments, on which hang all the Law and the Prophets. For Charity denotes the Love of God, and of our Neighbours alfo, for His fake, and, fo far as our Love of Them is grounded upon, and Confiftent with the Love of Him. And the Scripture represents Both these branches of Love, under fuch Terms of Warmth and Intenseness, that Cold and Languid affections do fcarce bear the leaft Refemblance of Either. We are Commanded to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our mind, and with all our ftrength; Which Implies, That we should very frequently Contemplate the High Perfections, which are in God, in order to Raise and Preserve the Highest Admiration of them within our Selves: That this Admiration fhould not affect our Understandings alone, but defcend upon our Hearts, and move Full Complacency There: That we fhould be Exceedingly Delighted with the Thoughts of him, who hath given us our very Power of Thinking: That we fhould above all things rejoyce in the fole Author of all our Joys: That his Gracious M 4 Forbear Forbearance and Loving Kindness towards Us, after all our Trefpaffes and Provocations, fhould Endear us to the Utmoft, and draw our Warmest Affections toward Him: That our Love of Him, whofe Goodness to us is Boundlefs, fhould rife to the Highest, and admit of no Bounds but its own Incapacity of rifing Higher: That the Enjoyment of Him, in whofe Pleafure is Life, fhould fill up the measure of our Wishes and Defires, and that every Other Enjoyment, which stands in Opposition to it, or Competition with it, fhould at once be Neglected and Disdain'd: That our Love of God should be so Delightful to us, as to render us earnestly Defirous of Loving him ftill more, and Earneft in Praying, that we may be filled with the love of God Shed abroad in our hearts, by the Holy Ghost given unto us; and, That we should prove the Sincerity and Fervency of our Love, by the Sincerity and Conftancy of our Obedience: For this is the love of God, the Proper and Neceffary Evidence and Effect of Divine love, that we keep his Commandments, and |