Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/d_500.lzh/D_551.TXT

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CHAP. VIII.                                       OF THE GRACE OF HOPE.

hope, particularly' with respect to the resurrection of
their bodies; as the flesh of Christ, by a figure, is said
to rest in hope of its resurrection, that is, his soul rested
or waited in hope of the resurrection of his body,
whilst in the grave, being confident of it, Psalm xvi.
9. so the souls of the saints, whilst iu a separate state
in heaven, and during the abode of their bodies in the
grave, rest, wait, and hope for the resurrection of them;
and this may be what Job has a reference to when he
says, lf a man die shall he live again ? He shall, in the
resurrection-morn; All the days of my ap:oointed time
of lying in the grave, will I wait till my change come,
until Christ. changes the vile bodies of his people, and
makes them like his glorious one, Job xiv. 14. and
something of this kind may be observed in the answer
to the souls under the altar, crying, How long, 0 Lord,
&c. to whom it was sai:t, that they should restyet for a
little season, be still and quiet, hope and wait, until
their fellow servants and brethren, that should be killed
as theft were, should be fulfilled, Rev. vi. 9, 10, 11.
IlI. The causes of the grace of hope, or from whence
it springs; and the rather this should be inquired into,
because all men in a state of nature are without it.
1. The efficient cause of it is God; hence he is called,
the God of hope, Rom. xv. 13. not only because he is
the object of it, but because he is the author of it;
even God, Father, Son, and Spirit, It is the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who begets men again
to a lively hope of a glorious inheritance; and this is
owing to the virtue of the resnrrection of Christ front
the dead, I Pet. i. 3. and indeed it is the gift both ot'
the Father and of Christ; now our Lord Jesus Christ
himself, and God, even our Father, who hath given us
good hope through grace, 2 Thess. ii. 16. and as it is
through the power of the Holy Ghost that saints abound
in hope, in the exercise of the grace of hope; it may
well be thought that it is by this same power that it is
first produced in them, Rom. xv. 13..    2. The mov-
ing cause of it is the grace and mercy of God; hence
it is called, good hope through grace: it is not of na-
ture; for it is not naturally in men; but is owing to
the grace of God, it is not through the merits of men,
nor any motives in them; but entirely through the
grace of God, it is given; it is a gift of free grace, and
is sometimes ascribed to the abundant mercy of God,
as the spring of it, 1 Pet. i. 3. it is owing to mercy,
and to the aboundings of mercy.----3. The gospel
is the means of it, by which it is wrought, encouraged,
and confirmed, and therefore called, the hope of the
gospel, Col. i. 23. the doctrines of it greatly animate
to it, the good news and glad tidings the gospel brings
of free and complete salvation by Christ, of fifil pardon
of sin by his blood, of peace, reconciliation, and atone-
ment by his sacrifice, and of the fulness of grace that
is in him, give great encouragement to hope in the
Lord, as do the many exceeding great and precious
promises in it; by means of which the heirs of promise
have strong consolation, Heb. vi. 18. these are that on
which God causes his people to hope, what are the ground
and foundation of it, support it, and encourage to the
exercise of it, Psalm cxix. 49 ----4. There are many
things which serve to promote and increase it; the

whole scripture has a tendency thereunto, which is
written that men, through patience and comfort of the
scripture might have hope, Rom. xv. 4. particularly the
promises contained in it; and the goodness, power,
and faithfulness of' God displayed both in making and
tifffilling them; and especially when opened and ap-
plied by the holy Spirit of promise, serve greatly to
cherish the grace of hope; the things said concerning
the person, offices, and grace of Christ, his resurrec-
tion from the dead, ascension to heaven, session at the
right-hand of God, intercession for his people, and the
glorification of him in heaven, are all subservient to
this end, that our faith and hope might be in God,
I Pet. i. ol. the experience of the saints in all ages, of
th.e grace, goodness, &e. of God, and particularly the
saints own experience of the same in times past, greatly
strengthen the grace of hope, and encourage to the
exercise of it; experience, hope; that is, works it, ex-
ercises it, and tends to increase it, Rom. v. 4.
IV. The effects of hope; which are produced through
it, and follow upon it.
I. It is said of it, that it maketh not ashamed, Rom.
v. 5. the reason given of which is, because the love of
God is sited abroad in the hearts of such who have k,
which supports it and gives it life and rigour; so that
a soul possessed of it is not ashamed to appear before
God and men; is not ashamed in his present circum-
stances; nor will be ashamed at the coming of Christ:
this grace makes not ashamed, because it does not dis-
appoint those that have it, who will most certainly
enjoy the things that are hoped for: and as this grace
makes not ashamed, those who have it need not be
ashamed of it; as David prays, Let me not be ashamed
o/myhope, Psalm cxix. 116. when hope is a good one,
he that has it. has no reason to be ashamed of it; nor
will he.      2. Itweansfromtheworld, and the things of
it, and makes a man sit loose unto them, when he knows
that he has in heaven a better and a more enduring
substance, and can rejoice in hope of the glory of God;
when he seeks those things that are above, and has
hope of enjoying them, his affeetions are drawn off of
things on earth, and are set on things in heaven; and
he longs to be unclothed, that he might be clothed
upon with his house from heaven, and chooses rather
to be absent from the body that he might be present
with the Lord...- -3. It carries cheerfully through all
the difficulties of this life, and makes hard things sit
easy; whereas, if in this life only saints had hope, they
would be of all men the 'most miserable; but hope of a
future state of happiness beyond the grave bears them
up under all the troubles of the present state, and car-
ries thetn comfortably through them, so that they glory
in tribulations, Rom. v. 3, 4, 5. . +. It yields support
in death; for the r&hteous hath hope in his death, Prov.
xiv. 32. not founded on his own righteousness, but on
the righteousness of Christ; a hope of being with Christ
for ever, and of enjoying eternal life and happiness with
him; and which gives him peace and joy in his last
moments, and causes hitn to exult in the view of death
and the grave. There are many other fruits and effects
of a good hope; some of which may be gathered from
what follows under the next head.