SERMON XXII.

ON HOPE.

1st. CORINTH. CHAP. Xiii. VER. 13.

And now abideth Faith, Hope, Charity, these three; but the greatest of these is Charity.

IN a former discourse I examined the first of these virtues here recommended, endeavouring to explain in what degree, and to what extent our Faith is required to be exercised; I now come to consider the second point, the most pleasing affection, the sweetest cordial of the human breast, whether it arises from the flattering

passion of self-love that animates us in all our endeavours after worldly bliss, or is kindled at the altar of devotion, and encourages us to look forward to the attainment of everlasting happiness.

Faith may be considered as the foundation-Hope, as the pillar of religion; it has this advantage over all other virtues, that it is in its own nature productive of a certain degree of satisfaction; it enables us to endure affliction, pain, and anguish, with more patience, from the prospect of being soon released from them; and therefore, though disappointment should await us at the end, it cannot deprive us of the consolation we have already enjoyed in expectation. We meet with frequent instances in the Old Testament, and refe→ rences made to them by St. Paul, in his Epistle to the Hebrews, of peculiar marks "of confidence placed by individuals in the Supreme Being; which, though they are

ascribed to Faith, should rather be imputed to. Hope, the second virtue mentioned in the text, as arising from their trust in the goodness of God, that he would be inclined to perform what they believed and knew he had the power to

execute.

Thus, to mention a few instances alluded to" By Faith Noah being warned "of God of things not seen as yet, moved "with fear, prepared an ark to the saving "of his house." Noah was a just man, who believed in God, walked in his ways, and found grace in the eyes of the Lord; when God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually, he purposed to destroy the race of man from the face of the earth. To Noah, upon account of his righteousness, he communicated his intention, and instructed him in what manner

to preserve himself and his generation from the general impending ruin.

Noah could never have seen an instance of such an act of destruction, as a flood of waters that should deluge the whole earth, and utterly destroy all flesh wherein was the breath of life; the mode too of his own preservation by a building to float upon the waters was equally new to him, and certainly could never have entered into his imagination; but judging of the invisible works of God, from what he had seen, firm in his belief of an all-powerful Being, and from that faith in his ability, relying upon his inclination to protect him, he trusted in God, and did according to all that was commanded him, and the event fully justified his hope. Again we read, that, "by Faith Abraham, when "he was tried, offered up Isaac, and he "that had received the promises, offered

up his only begotten son, of whom it

"was said, that in Isaac shall thy seed "be called."

The confidence placed in the Almighty, in this act of Abraham's, may certainly with more propriety be attributed to Hope than to Faith; Hope was the acting principle within, that inspired him with courage to offer up the life of the very son in whom it was said that his seed should be called. He wanted not faith to believe that God was able to fulfil his promises, one material part of which was already accomplished in the most wonderful manner, by the birth of Isaac, at a time when his mother was so far advanced in age; he had also hope that by his own endeavours after righteousness, he had in some degree deserved the goodness of God, and that the Almighty had not found reason to repent him of his promise. In that confidence he risked the life of his son, still hoping that the Lord would