The soukseJeEtualdcalling toChrift. III hope* a vainehope, an idle hope ; as the wicked mens they hope for grace, they hope for mercy, butthey have no ground to beare them up, but the hopeoffuchmenwill perifh : but thishope is upon goodground; theLord calleth the foule to wait upon him, toexpect him; this is hope which willnot make aman a/hamed, Rom. 5. 5. Wé have a hopeas an anchor of the foulemore fure and fledfaJt Hebr.6. 19. this is the natureofhope to ftandhill and wait for mercy and falvation of God, and to looke when the Lord will have mercy upon the foule, and this grounded hope the fpirit ofGod muft flirre and worke, orelfe there will never be any hope: theproofe ofthepoint, Lament. 3.24. The Lordu myportion, faith myfoule, that isall the good, and all the comfort I have in heaven and earth;he is myportion; lifegone,and healthOne,' and friends gone, yet the Lord is myportion for ever and ever;therefore will I hope in him,there fore the foule expeð that mercy, looketh of ter it, waiteth for it, Hof. 2. 5.)11 will allure her in the witdernefe,and#eake comfortablyu irai e'r,and give her the valley of ,ichor for the doore of hope therefore the Lordwill allure her in theworkeof humiliation,and did fpeakecomfortablyuntoher invocation; thou wanteft mercy, mercy is pre- pared for thee;thouwanteft'grace, grace is pro- vided for thee ; that staggering foule of thine (hall be ftrengthned, thattroubled foule ofthine íhall bepacified ; and then thefoule commeth to hope, when'the heart, is thròughlyhumbled and abafed, then followeth hope. Nowfor the fur- P 2 ther
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