other respects, of the faith from which it arises. This is clear and simple. There is no mysticism in it-no difficulty, even to the weakest mind, in comprehending it. The same faith which imparts hope, is described as "purifying the heart," Acts xv. 9; as "working by love," Gal. v. 6;-as "the victory that overcometh the world," 1 John v. 4, 5. If these, then, according to scripture, are concomitant effects of the faith of the Gospel; if they are uniformly such, wherever that faith exists:-does it not unavoidably follow, that the hope is not genuine, but spurious and delusive, which is not accompanied by them? The faith itself enters not, nor do any of these effects of it, the love, the purity, the victory over the world, enter, in any degree whatever, into the ground of the hope; but the soundness of the hope is ascertained, first by the scriptural simplicity of the ground on which it professes to rest, and then by the evidence that such is its ground, arising from the appearance along with it of these concomitant effects.

Let us take one or two scriptural illustrations of this position. "Beloved, now are we the sons of God; and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know, that when he shall appear we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him" (in CHRIST - aura) "purifieth himself even as he is pure."* -In these words, we have the object of hope, the ground of hope, and the influence of hope.-Does not the passage, then, which is so very pointed and explicit in stating the uniformity of the influence"Every man that has this hope in Christ purifies himself as Christ is pure"-does it not, I say, warrant, and even necessitate, the conclusion, that

1 John iii. 2.3.

where the influence does not appear,-where he who professes to entertain the hope is not so purifying himself,—there must be some mistake, as to the object, or the ground, or both-some hypocritical profession, or some self-delusion? The affirmation is not, that every man who has this hope in Christ must be pure as Christ is pure,—that is, must be free from all sin :-it is only that he "purifieth himself even as Christ is pure.' This is his desire, this his exercise. His heart is set upon conformity to Jesus, as the highest point of his holy ambition; and by prayer, and all the instituted means of spiritual improvement, he seeks the attainment of this progressive conformity in holiness. He who is not doing this, shows that he is not really possessed of the hope described: for he is not under its influence. Consider the very nature of the hope. What is it? It is the hope of being like Christ, and of deriving our perfected happiness from the perfection of this conformity. Now, do we ever hope for any thing which we do not desire? No: the very idea of hope implies that the object of it is agreeable to us. And do we ever in earnest desire any thing, which, when actually set before us, and placed within reach of attainment, we leave unheeded, without pursuing or making any effort to acquire it? No: while every object of hope is an object of desire; whatever is the object of desire we seek to obtain. If, therefore, we are really hoping for likeness to Christ, we must be desiring likeness to Christ; and if we be sincerely and earnestly desiring it, we must be seeking its attainment. It is on this simple principle that John argues; for his words are not merely a declaration, but an argument. We cannot live in sin, if we are hoping for and desiring holiness :-we cannot be happy in sin, if we are really expecting to derive our future felicity from holiness. "Eternal life" is a life of

perfect happiness springing from perfect holiness. If we indeed have this in hope, we must of necessity be now seeking to be holy. Holiness and happiness must be associated in our minds; and the association will not regard the future only, but the present; for if holiness be fitted to give happiness hereafter, it must be fitted to give happiness now; and if we are expecting our happiness from it hereafter, we must be seeking our happiness from it now. Our hope will thus give the tone to our life. We shall purify ourselves as Christ is pure;" or, in the words of another Apostle, we shall "follow holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord." And if this be true, does it not follow as an unavoidable sequence, that no man who has not holiness has any well-founded hope of "seeing the Lord," which is the same thing as any wellfounded hope of "eternal life?"

2 Cor. v. 1-6. "For we know, that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: if so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now, he that hath wrought us for the self-same thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident," &c.— In these interesting verses, in the explanation of which I cannot enlarge-we have, 1. The object of hope, the restoration of the "earthly house of this tabernacle," (our bodily frame, the soul's temporary lodging,) at the "resurrection of the just," in a new state of glory, and purity, and incorruption, to be the permanent residence of its divinely

sanctified inhabitant:-2. The earnest of its attainment, consisting in the present possession of the Holy Spirit,-a possession of which the appropriate manifestation is "the fruits of the Spirit :"and, 3. This possession of the Spirit imparting confidence to hope:-"Who hath also given us the earnest of the Spirit. THEREFORE we are always confident."-These things being so, is it not right, —is it not indispensable,—do not both scripture and reason require it,-that, in considering how we are to know that we have eternal life" as the object of well-authorized hope, we make it a part of our inquiry whether we have the earnest,-the present earnest of future possession. And in what other way is it possible to find an answer to such an inquiry, than by examining whether the fruits of the Spirit be produced by us? "Hereby we do know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us:** Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit,"

66

A distinction has been made by some writers, between the "full assurance of faith" and the "full assurance of hope;" which has by many been adopted, I cannot but think, without due deliberation. They are both, it is true, scriptural phrases: "Let us draw near with true hearts, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water:"-" And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence, to the full" assurance of hope unto the end."-In entering on the consideration of this distinction, which is important, and intimately connected with the present branch of

*1 John iii. 24. Chap. iv. 13. Heb. x. 22. § Heb. vi. 11.

ay subject, I must be allowed to premise an observation or two respecting the meaning and apostolic use of the word in Greek which our translators render assurance and full assurance. I have often thought that this word (angogia) has had at times more definiteness and precision of meaning attached to it, than really belongs to it as used by Paul. I refer to the systems of those who found upon his expressions what they formally denominate the doctrine of assurance, the doctrine of the assurance of faith. In such systems it signifies (although, as we shall see, those who so use it are not always consistent with themselves) absolute undoubting certainty. Now it is at once admitted, that with such certainty the divine testimony is entitled to be believed. It is the duty of every intelligent creature to yield an undoubting credence to whatever is ascertained to have come from Him "with whom it is impossible to lie." It is in this respect-the immutable veracity of the testifier-that "the testimony of God is greater than that of men."* Those, therefore, who hold (as some, we have shown, do) that their own personal salvation is as really a part of the divine record as the fact of Christ's resurrection, or the satisfaction of God in the work of his Son, are doubtless (were this view at all correct) consistent with themselves in maintaining assurance in this sense. Were it indeed as they say -to entertain a single doubt of their salvation would be to doubt the divine veracity, and to "make God a liar." And the same thing might be said of those, too, who hold that the sinner, when called to believe the gospel, is called to believe, as a part of the divine testimony, that Christ is his.“ If this

* 1 John v. 9.