188 THE .PRIVILEGE OF THE [SEAM.. XL. assured of the full performánce, merely because his bath spoken it. .Then we give honour to God, such as the souls in heaven cannot give him, when under the renewed exer- cise of faith and repentance we maintain a humble hope of the pardon of sin through the promises of his gospel, even though our iniquities have been exceeding great, and though sin is every day working and striving against our best purposes, and too often bringing us under fresh guilt. Then we glorify our blessed Redeemer so as the saints in heaven cannot glorify him, when we feel our consci- ences burdened with sin, and yet maintain faith and hope of acceptance with a great and holy God, through the death, righteousness, and intercession Of a person whom we never saw. This is an illustrious honour done to the name, and sacrifice, and mediation of the Son of God. . Then we give glory to the blessed Spirit our enlight- ener, and our sanctifier, when in the midst of our own errors and darknesses, and in the midst of difficulties and cavils raised by men, we trust in his promised guid- ance into all necessary truth; when we walk on in the midst of temptations, waiting and hoping for fresh sanc- tifying influences, while we feel and groan over the de- ceitfulness and the weakness of our own hearts, that are too ready to start aside from God like a broken bow. Then we honour God and his gospel indeed, when we hope for our own final salvation through the blood of the everlasting covenant, having fled for refuge to the hope that is set before us, though by the wiles of the devil, wehave been under strong temptations to despair, and sometimes have seemed to be forsaken of God, as Christ Jesus was when hanging on the cross: It was then that he glorified his Father and his God, by the con- stancy and courage of his hope, in such a manner as he was never capable of doing after that great and dreadful day; and herein his poor tempted followers have been noble imitators of their Saviour and their Lord, and have held fast their confidence in divine mercy in the midst ofsore temptations, and given great glory to their God and Father. Nor is this hope a vain, presuming confidence, or a bold fit of enthusiasm, for it evidences its own heavenly
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