Chap. 19. e.4'n Expofzticra upon the 'Bock of j o a. d'e f to. 213 Rgaine, and that the tender brandies thereofwill not eeitle, shoo; b the rocte thereof wax old. Therehe fpa' ofa hopeful! Tree, but here he fpeakes of a Tree that hate no hope, or of a Tree of which there is nohope ; c)Wy hope o removed as aTree; that is, as a Tree of which there is no hope that ever it fhould fprout. againe; For though a Tree that is cut dowse may fprout a- game, 'the rodre being left in the ground ; yet when a Tree is pulled up by the rootes, there is no hope that it 4bould ever grow a;acne. Indeed a Tree that is pulled out of one ground' by the rootes, may yeeldhopes Of growing, if it be planted in another ground ; And thus Trees are fometimes removed out of the ground, not to the fire, but to a fitter foyie, And thus (though I doe give it for the meaning of the Text) lob's hope was indeed removed as aTree, it was removed from earth tohea- ven, from things feene and temporali, to things which are not. fees but are eternal!. c.M y hope haft thou removed ers a Tree. I have ( upon other Texts of this Sooke) fpoken of the nature of hope in generali ,. and of hope about worldly things, and therefore I paffe -it here ; onely take this ()bier- vation, That worldly hopes are Peri(i.irg and looleable. TheApoftle afcribes aneternity to fpirituall hope, ( Co-.1 3 .. 3. ) 2av abidethfaith; hope, and charity, theft three; Spiri- tuall graces continue, but fpirituall gifts are fubleff, not onely to declining, but to vanifbing. Charity never faileth '( verf. 8. ) 3sat whether there be Prophecies they Jliall feriae, whether there be tongues theyfhall ceafe, whether there be ketowledfe, it Jhall va- ri fb away : But faith, hope, and charity , are baking grace, there is no corruptibility in them. Inheaven we fhall be above hope, being taken up to the fruitionof that which we hoped for ; yet we cannot fay, that then our hope íhail be removed, bet but then we {hall move in a fpheare beyond 'hope. Hope is not: deftroyed, but perfected by fruition, as faith is perfefted by vifl-- on.' Saints 'niayhave'théir hopes of earthlythings removed, but themfelves remove iritdtheffe'heavenly things-which they hoped for. The Treeof this hdpe fhall"Band and flourifhfor"ever ; but of their other hope, they may fay as rob; He hash removed it as a Tree.. \erf.I I,.
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