624 Book VI. , 1£.ooktng unto jJeftts. Chap. t. Secl:. 4 . the obje\'l: of hope is difficult to o~raio, a~d ' therei.n it differs from defire; for delire. looks at futu~e good w1rjlO~t any appre_henlton of d1fficulty, bur hope refpeds the fu– ture good as 11 is gotten With d1fficulty. Lazy hopes that will not be in ·ufe !lf m\ans, though difficult, are not true hop<s, wef~e many defirable things fet before us, of lfllich we may fay, Oh that n;e had our part and portion of them~ bu~ fi~all we go on, and fearch and find out the rrutb, y;herhcnye have anypart or poruon m them? or any whether we have any hopes of any fuch thing? oh rhis is,worthy our pains! come then, !'er u~ yet make a further progrefs, let Us np[ onel,y deftrerhat it may be thus andfo; bur let us John 14. 3· fay, oo fomefure and certain grounds, we ~ope iriuh~<s.:mdfo; ·we h•pe Chriff will come Rgain'· andre<e~W UstO hi'!'f~/f, tha.t where~e i,, fhere We may be a!fo. , Heb. 9· .,; .Indeed £herc_1s ~he Chn!1i1ans llay an~ c~fort; 'fuc~ arr hope 1s afure Anchor, that wdJ.hottl>theShtp ma·!\orm; onelybecaufeour'(oulslteupon it, we had need to look to it that our hopes be tru'e -; rh' w~rft earl fay, They iJopeto be[Avrd .u well as the brff but I ,fert th\hopes·of many ":"il~be lamenra~ly fru!\rated. Our S~viour br!ngs in marry pR'a.dtng wtttl confidence at' rl\e lait day {or ltfc, who !hall be reJeCted wzrh miferable difappoinrmcnt; Many {hallfaytp meatthatday,Lord, Lord, &c. and I will confefs ~<nto them, -I never k_new rnew,, dryt~rt from fife. Now to clear this point, that our hopes, areof the right ftamp, and· nor counterfeit bopes,I fizalllay down fome figns w~ereby we may know that Chrifi's ·corrlihg is for us, and for our good, and for' the grace that is to be given us at the revelation of Jeftjs Chril!. Il'et, 1. 3, 4. r. lf':"e are born again, the~ will his glorious coming be to glorifie us; JJiefJed be the Gad'and;Father of our £ord ftfuJ Chrzff, who accordmg to hi< ab1mdant mercy h"th be- , g•tt.tli-Yls a:gamumo a lwely hopt,' tl an znheritance incorrupt<ble. "Vho-foe\l'er hathrhc John 3· 3· true- h6~· of Heaven, he is-one thar is begotten again; fo our Saviour, Except" man be bortt:ir;ga'sn, he cannotf~e tpe,:{(ingdom of God. Many things may be done, as Herod heard Jphn ihe~/;vrijl, and did mltny things, but except a man be born again, thofe many things are1n' (<}od'S acCOU!Jt as I!Othing. When Pewhad told, Ctirill, that he aod his fellowMatth. 19. 28. difdplfs;Iiad ' forfaken;all; and followe_d ltjrn; 7hm Yrf'fs.faid, verily 1 fay unto you, thar-ye which have fo!fowd me •n ihe regeneratiOn, when the_ Son of Man ]hall ftt in the 'T/1rone of hu glory, ye (hall alfo ftt upol' twelve Thrones, Jlldging the twelve Tribes cf Jfrael. q. d. Petet, youbave forfaken all~' and. followed me, but know that bJre for– f2king·li.l,'iot enough, but you wbo llave feli' the worli: of God regenerating your fouls, U.Pbff-w!1it!l ye havefollowed 'lJe, y_e fi~all fit upon twelve Thrones. In rhofe who are alive_a? thf lalt day thereJv.ltl! be a change,_apd this change will be to them inftead of 1 Cor. I). 51. death t' Eeifo(d I Jh•w you a.mj/tery; we jha/1;110t all Jleep, but we ]hail all be changed, Certainly in rhofe who althe l~day fitall'!it Qri Thrones with Chrift, there mu!1 be a cha~ge iikewife in rhis,life.;' (i.t. ) a new fpirir: and a new life mufl be pur into them: ()h what~ change is this! 'fuppofe ara~on~l foul were put into a beaft, whara change would·be m that creature l fuppofe an apgehcal nature were pur upon us,what achange would therebe inns? oh bur what achange is this when a man is born again of water and of r)1e fpirit ; I mu~ reil you th~r the highell degree of glory in Heaven is ~orfo different·from the !owe~ degr~e· of grace hefc, as the lowefl degree of grace here IS dif– ferent from the highefl: ex'cdlency of nature here ; becaufe the difference betwixt the higheft degree of the glory of Heaven, and the Iowe!! degree of grace is onelr. gra– dual, bur the difference that is betwixt the lowell degree of grace and d)e higheft excel– lency of nature is a fpecifical difference. Oh there's amighty work of God in pre– paring fou1sfor glory by grace, and this change muft they have that mu(\ fir on Thrones. Come then, you that hope .for glory, try your fdves by rhis; is there achange in your hearts, words, and lives? is there a mighty-work of grace upon your fpirits? are you elCperienc'd in the great my!\ery of regeneration? why, here's your evidence that your hopes are found, and that you lhaU lit upon Thrones to judge rhe world. . Heb. 9 . 2 8. 2. If we long for his coming, then will he come to farisfie our longin;;s. JJiefJed are they that hunger and thirfl,for theyjha/1 be fatufied; how farisfied. but in being fa– ved? Chriffwa& offered tobe,rtheftniof many, andmlto them that look.for him ]hall he appear thefccond time withoutftn tofalvation; unto them that look for him, or long for him, {ha'I he appear the fecond time u~to falvatiop; It is very obfervable, how this looking for Chriff, is in Scripture a frequent defcription of a true believer in Chrift. Who are true, fincerc, and found Chriftians, but fuch as live in a phperual defire and • Po~ ~· 12. hope of Chrift's blelfed coming? they are ever looking for, and hajfing unto the coming of {be d.·•Y of God. Here are 'rwo lfi(ns irr orie vcrfe, lookjngfor, and haj/ing 1mto ;, true ' be!Jevers
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