will, and obedience to his law, by making it a life of faith in his Son? Am I sober, temperate, moderate, in all things, in my estimates, my desires, my pursuits, my enjoyments, my sorrows? If we are not girding up the loins of our minds, if we are not sober, we are not Christians. We may be calling Christ Lord, Lord; but we are not doing the things which he says to us; and unless a thorough change take place, to us, at last, must be addressed these heart-withering words" Depart from me, I never knew you, ye workers of iniquity."

§3.-Hope a means of Christian Obedience.

We proceed now to observe, that Hope is the third means recommended by the apostle for securing the proper performance of the duty of christian obedience. If you would be "children of obedience," if you would "not fashion yourselves according to your former lusts in your ignorance," if you would "be holy in all manner of conversation," you must "hope to the end; for the grace which is to be brought to you at the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ."

"The grace," or favor, "which is to be brought to Christians at the revelation of Christ Jesus," that is, when Christ Jesus is revealed, is that perfection of holy happiness to which they are to be raised at the close of the present state of things-" the salvation that is ready," prepared, "to be revealed in the last time"-"the inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for them"-" the glory that is to follow" the second coming of the Lord.

For this "grace," this manifestation of his sovereign favor,-for the salvation of Christ from the beginning to the end is of gracethe apostle exhorts Christians to "hope," and to "hope to the end."

He exhorts them to hope for it, to expect it, to consider it as something that is absolutely secure, something that in due season they shall certainly enjoy; and he exhorts them to "hope to the end," that is, either to hope perfectly, to cherish an undoubting confidence, or to persevere in hoping to the very close of life, "not casting away their confidence," but "holding it fast to the end," knowing that "they have need of patience," that is, "the patience of hope;" in other words, knowing that they must persevere in hoping, in order that they may do the will of God, and that "they may obtain the promise," that is, the promised blessing.2

The practical truths here taught by the apostle are these-that it is the duty of Christians to cultivate a persevering, confident hope of final salvation; and that the cultivation of this persevering, confident hope of final salvation, is a necessary and important means of enabling them to perform the duties of christian obedience.

(1.) That it is the duty of Christians, believers of the truth as it is in Jesus, to cherish the hope of eternal happiness, is exceedingly plain. God has distinctly stated, that "whosoever believeth on Christ Jesus shall not perish, but shall have everlasting life;" and surely it must be the duty of the Christian to believe what God says,

1 Τελείως.

'Heb. x. 35, 86.

and to expect what God has promised. For an unbelieving and impenitent person, continuing in unbelief and impenitence, to hope for eternal life is the extreme of presumption. That were to believe something which God has never said that were to expect something which God has never promised. Nay, that were to believe the reverse of what God says-to expect the reverse of what God has declared. His declarations are, "Except ye repent, ye shall perish." "He that believeth not, shall be damned." The unbeliever who is cherishing the hope of "grace to be brought" to him, continuing an unbeliever" at the revelation of Jesus Christ," is trusting to a hope which will make him "ashamed and confounded world without end." For He will be "revealed then in flaming fire, to take vengeance on such as know not God, and obey not the gospel of his Son."

2

But let this impenitent man change his mind; let this unbeliever but credit the testimony of God, counting it a faithful saying, that "God is in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not imputing to men their trespasses; seeing he hath made him who knew no sin to be sin in our room, that we may be made the righteousness of God in him," and immediately that hope which, in his previous state, it would have been absurdity and error, folly and presumption, in him to cherish, naturally grows up in his mind; its enjoyment is one of his highest privileges, and its cultivation one of his most important duties.

When we call on Christians to cultivate hope, we would press upon their attention the importance of three things. First, let them endeavor to obtain clear and ever-extending views of that holy happiness which is the object of their hope, of that "grace which is to be brought to them at the coming of our Lord Jesus." Let them not rest satisfied with some indistinct general notion of it as a state of deliverance from all suffering, and of the enjoyment of every species of blessedness; but let its character as a state of holy happiness be familiar to their minds; a state of endearing and transforming communion with the Holy, Holy, Holy One, a seeing Him as he is, a being like him, a beholding his face in righteousness, a being satisfied with his likeness, a being holy as he is holy, perfect as he is perfect.

Secondly, let them never forget that the holy ground on which their hope of obtaining this blessedness rests, is the sovereign mercy of Him whose nature as well as name is love, exercised in perfect consistency with, in glorious illustration of, his righteousness, through the obedience to death of his only begotten Son, made known to them in the word of the truth of the gospel. That appeared to them the only ground of hope, when, in the hour of conviction, every refuge of lies was swept away, and they were made to see that, so far as depended on themselves, so far as depended on the universe of creatures, there was no hope for them. They were then absolutely "without hope" till "the hope set before them in the gospel" was disclosed to their mind. There is no other ground of hope. Never, Christians, shift from this foundation-never attempt to add to this foundation. Hold fast the beginning of your confidence, steadfast

1 John iii. 16.
2 2 Thess. i. 7, 8.

* Luke xiii. 3, 5. Mark xvi. 16.

4 2 Cor. v. 19-21.

to the end." Let your hope of eternal life be that of a sinner who knows that eternal death is his merited portion, but who, believing, because God has said it, that "eternal life is the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord," gladly and gratefully receives what is freely given him of God, and setting to his seal that God is true, confidently trusts, humbly expects, that God will do as he has said.

Thirdly, in hoping for this holy happiness entirely on the ground of sovereign mercy, let Christians expect to obtain it only in the way in which God has promised to bestow it on them. To expect eternal life in a course of thoughtlessness and sin, is to expect what God has never promised. It is "through faith and patience" that the promised blessing is to be inherited. It is "in a patient continuance in well-doing," that "glory, honor, and immortality" are to be expected. It is "after doing the will of God that we are to receive the promise." Let Christians, keeping these three things in view, expect only what God has promised-expect this only on the ground that He who is infinite in kindness, and wisdom, and power, and faithfulness, has promised it-and expect it only in the way and by the means which he has appointed for obtaining it; and it is impossible for them to be too confident in that "hope for the grace which is to be brought to them at the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ."

1

(2.) This confident, persevering hope of final salvation, is one of the most necessary and important means for enabling a Christian to perform the duties of christian obedience. There are some theologians who would represent the performance of the duties of christian obedience as the ground of the hope of eternal life. These are not wise builders. They turn things upside down, and place the superstructure in the room of the foundation. Till a man has, through the faith of the gospel, obtained the hope of eternal life, he will never take a step in that path of filial obedience which is the only road to heaven, and the more he has of a well-grounded hope of eternal life, the more rapidly will he run along that road, the more easily will he master the difficulties, and surmount the obstacles which threaten to prevent his progress. When by a lively hope the Christian is enabled to feast on the clusters of the grapes of the promised land, which faith has furnished him with in the wilderness, he is disposed to say with Caleb, 'It must be a good land; and, seeing it is a good land, let us go up and possess it. What though hosts of spiritual enemies oppose our progress; what though the Jordan of death, that river over which there is no bridge, roll his waters deep and dark between us and the Canaan above, He who is infinite in power and in faithfulness, hath promised to make us "more than conquerors," and to. bring us to, and make us reside forever in, that good land.'

"It is," to borrow, the well-considered language of Leighton, "a foolish misgrounded fear, and such as argues inexperience of the nature and workings of divine grace, to imagine that the assured hope of salvation will beget unholiness and presumptuous boldness in sin. Our apostle is not so sharp-sighted as these men think themselves : he apprehends no such matter: he, indeed, supposes the contrary as unquestionable: he takes not assured hope and holiness as enemies, 1 Rom. ii. 7. Heb. vi. 12; x. 36.

but joins them as near friends. Hope perfectly, in order to your being holy in all manner of conversation. The more assurance of salvation, the more holiness-the more delight in it, the more study of it, as the only way to that end; and as labor is then most pleasant when we are made surest that it shall not be lost, nothing doth make the soul so nimble and active in obedience as this oil of gladness, this assured hope of glory." Accordingly, the apostle John says, "It doth not yet appear what we shall be; but when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.' In perfect accordance with these two apostles, their beloved brother Paul, in his Epistle to the Hebrews, declares his desire "that every one of them would give all diligence to the full assurance of hope to the end;" would sedulously cultivate an unshaken, confident, persevering hope of eternal life, in order that they might not be "slothful, but followers of them who, through faith, and patience, are now inheriting the promises." 1

This is, I am persuaded, the only way of securing habitual christian obedience. Let Christians, then, learn to say with the Psalmist," But I will hope continually; and I will go in the strength of the Lord, making mention of his righteousness, even of his only.'

It may be proper, before leaving this part of the subject, to remark, that as the hope of eternal life has a powerful influence on christian obedience, so christian obedience has a powerful influence on the hope of eternal life. We have seen that christian obedience is not the ground of the hope of eternal life, but it is its evidence. It is in the nature of things impossible that a Christian, while negligent about the duty of obedience, should enjoy in any high degree the privilege of hope. It is the same truth which inspires hope and stimulates to obedience; and if it is not present to the mind doing the latter, it cannot be present doing the former. It has been finely said, "The greatest affliction does not damp the hope of eternal life, so much as the smallest sin; affliction often renders hope more vigorous, sin uniformly weakens it." If Christians would be "obedient children," they must "hope to the end;" and if they would "hope to the end,” they must be "obedient children." These two things are linked together by divine appointment; and "what God has thus joined, let no man attempt to put asunder."

§ 4.-Fear a means of Christian Obedience.

Fear is the fourth and last instrumental means which the apostle prescribes for securing the performance of the duties of christian obedience. If we would be "children of obedience," if we would not "fashion ourselves according to the former lusts in our ignorance, if we would "be holy in all manner of conversation," then must we "pass the time of our sojourning here in fear."

This injunction may not at first view appear to harmonize well with that which we have just been illustrating. It may be said,

1 1 John iii. 2, 3. Heb. vi. 11, 12.

3 Leighton.

2 Psal. lxxi. 14-16.

"does not perfect love cast out fear?" and must not "the full assurance of hope," which the apostle has been recommending, cast it out also? The discrepancy is apparent only, not real. The fear which the apostle recommends, so far from being inconsistent with love and hope, and destructive of that comfort and happiness to which they give origin, naturally grows out of those views of the divine character which excite love and hope, and acts the part of guardian to the comfort and happiness which they produce in the mind.

The fear recommended by the apostle is beyond doubt the fear of offending God, and of the consequences of offending God. Such a fear is not only consistent with love and hope, but is their inseparable companion. The more highly I value the favor of God, the more must I fear that which, in the degree in which it prevails, deprives me of the sense of this favor. The more I delight in the anticipation of the holy happiness of heaven, the more must I be afraid of that, the direct and certain effect of which is to deprive me of this delight. The happiness of Christians is in the love of God, and the light of his countenance is the life of their life. It matters little to them that the world frowns on them, if he smiles; and it matters little to them that the world smiles, if he frowns. Nothing in the world can deprive them of the tokens of their Father's love but sin; and, therefore, they consider it as of all things the most terrible. "By this fear of the Lord they are made to depart from evil." It is implanted in their hearts by God for this express purpose, "I will put my fear in their hearts, and they shall not depart from me." It naturally leads them to keep at a distance from sin; to guard against temptation, to beware of what may lead to the interruption of their delightful communion with their reconciled Father; and involve in clouds of perplexity and doubt the prospect of future blessedness. "Happy is the man who thus feareth always." When a Christian believer thinks of the remains of corrupt principle within, and the number and force of temptations without; when he sees how many fall before these temptations, and make shipwreck of faith and a good conscience, surely it must be good for him to "be not high-minded, but fear."

2

There is a system which passes with many for a peculiarly pure Christianity, the object of which seems to be to set believers free from every species of fear as inconsistent with faith, which, according to them, consists in believing that, at all events, the individual shall be saved. Every species of fear is run down under the name of unbelief. Now, it is quite plain the apostles had a very different view of the subject, since Paul exhorts the Hebrew Christians to " fear, lest, a promise of entering into God's rest being left to them, any of them should seem to come short of it," and since Peter, in the words of our text, exhorts Christians to "pass the time of their sojourning here in fear." They inculcate fear as a means of preventing unbelief and its consequences.

It is justly remarked by a judicious divine, that both "believers

1 John iv. 18.

2 Prov. xvi. 6. Jer. xxxii. 40.
"Heb. iv. 1.

Prov. xxviii. 14.

Rom. xi. 20. The late Archibald M'Lean, from whose writings I have derived much advantage. It may be worth stating, that when introduced to the late Robert Hall, one of the first