"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down
from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting
shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth." James 1:17-18
This is true of every temporal benefit. God is the
fountain of all good, even of that which has reference to the body. All
mercies must be traced to him as their true source. This is especially the
case of all spiritual blessings. Their springs are all in heaven. The
whole work of grace in the soul is God's doing. Regeneration contains
enfolded in itself all the graces of the Spirit, just as all the parts of
the ripe corn in the ear are all comprehended in the kernel that is sown in
the earth. But, as in the latter case, the fostering influence of the soil
and the elements are necessary to bring out the blade and the ear—so God's
grace, in the conversion of the soul, which has given the living principle
of all its various developments in sanctification, still carries on the
process of the new creation.
Each manifestation of spiritual life requires a separate
and specific operation of divine power. We must look to God for each—and
expect each from him. Faith is one gift of his hand, hope is another, love
is another—and so of all the exercises that go to make up the Christian
character. We find that this accords exactly with our own experience. We do
not in prayer merely ask for grace for the Christian life as a whole—but for
grace in each part. We often feel our need of one virtue more strongly at
one time, and in particular circumstances, than another—and our errand to
the throne is for special help with regard to that one grace.
This applies to the grace we are now considering, I mean
hope, of which God is the author. It is worthy of remark, that we know God
more by what he is to us, than what he is in himself—more by his works than
by his abstract nature—more, in short, by what he does, than by what he is.
In himself he is not only an eternal truth—but an infinite mystery. Who, by
searching, can find out God? How can the finite grasp the infinite? And is
it not an approach of God, one step nearer to our conceptions of him, when
he is revealed to us by his special operation in the production of
individual Christian virtues? Thus he is called "the God of peace," "the God
of all consolation," and "the God of hope." This cannot relate to what he is
in his own nature—but what he is to us.
He is the God of hope in every aspect of the case. He
commands it, approves it, and is indeed the object of it—but the true
meaning is, that he is Author of it. The exercise of it in the soul of the
believer is the work of his own Spirit, Not only is the principle of it
implanted in the soul but every exercise of it is called out by his grace.
It is a part of his own working in us "to will and to do." Christian hope,
in its true meaning, is a great, a difficult, and therefore, a
rare thing. There is really very little of it in the world. If it
meant nothing more than loose, vague, cold, careless, and uninfluential
expectation of some kind of happiness somewhere in a place called heaven,
which most men, however worldly or wicked, indulge—there is plenty of this
false hope—and which needs no act of divine power to produce it. This is
easy enough and common enough.
But such a desire and expectation of the eternal world as
is set forth in the Scriptures, which shall give a present kind of reality
to it, which shall keep the soul diligent in all Christian duties, patient
under all trials, and holy amid temptations; such a hope as subordinates
earthly things to heavenly ones, and temporal matters to eternal ones; this
is a state of mind too rarely found on earth—and wherever it is found, is
always the work of divine grace. A man can no more rise to this exaltation
without divine aid, than he can, by his own strength and effort, fly up to
the clouds. The object of hope, when rightly understood, is so vast, so
wonderful, so transcending all our conceptions, being immense, infinite, and
eternal—we ourselves are so utterly unworthy of it, all our circumstances in
this world of visibilities tend so entirely to draw away our attention from
it, on account of its being altogether invisible and unattainable—as many
things here demand and deserve our attention—so many appearances, if we were
to judge only by sense, seem to render it probable that death is the end of
us all, and so many believe it to be so—that really when we come to consider
the matter deliberately and intelligently, we must at once be convinced that
a settled practical hope of eternal life beyond the grave is not within the
compass of man's unaided powers.
To lift the soul above the predominant influence of
things seen and temporal, and bring it within the attraction of things
unseen and eternal, is the work of Omnipotence alone! Hence it is said,
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to
his abundant mercy, has begotten us, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead, to a living hope." And he who begins the work of hope must
carry it on. God, in conversion, gives no stock of grace that renders us
independent of him for sanctification, nor in giving us any particular
religious principle, gives us a sufficiency of strength for all its future
exercises. There is no clockwork mechanism in true religion, which, being
wound up and set a going, may be left to itself to work on. Whatever of
general laws there may be in either the natural or spiritual world, it is
still true of both, that in him we not only live—but move, and have our
being.
This is full of instruction, admonition, and consolation
to the real Christian. It teaches him his dependence upon God for this, as
well as for every other part of the Christian character. It shows him when
to look, and when to go, and what to do—in order to maintain this delightful
state of soul. It is well to become most intimately acquainted with all that
is connected both with our safety and comfort in the divine life. Let the
believer who is anxious, not only to maintain—but to strengthen his desires
and expectations of eternal glory, never forget that in this, as in every
other respect, he is just what divine grace makes him. Let him beware of
thinking he is equal to this, or to anything else that is good of himself.
It is a dangerous thing to suppose that anything spiritual is easy, and to
lose sight for a moment of our need of divine help.
But this is not only instructive—but admonitory. If every
exercise of hope be performed by a divine power working in us, how constant,
earnest, and believing should be our prayers for divine grace to assist us.
What a subject for prayer! Christian hope! How necessary for our
sanctification and consolation. What a motive this to prayer. Let us make
this a special subject of believing supplication. Have we done this? Are we
doing it? Are we not too general in our petitions at the throne of grace? Do
we analyze the one generic subject of true religion, and resolve it into its
specific and various parts of faith, hope, loves, and make each by itself a
separate object of desire and subject of prayer? Do we at one time dwell
specially upon belief, and, with enlargement of soul, pray, "Lord, increase
my faith?" Do we at another dwell upon hope, and pray that we may "abound in
this grace also?" Do, we, at a third time, expatiate in our supplications
upon love, and entreat that we may "increase more and more in this, in
knowledge and in all judgment?"
If we observe the apostle's order and method of prayer
for the churches, this was his way of procedure. Did he not pray, in
reference to the graces we are now considering, that the believing Romans
may abound in hope? Were we as much in earnest as we should be, we would, in
regard to our soul's concerns, be far more particular than we are; we would
descend more to detail, and attend more to the several parts of true
religion; we would exercise our care for our souls as we do for our bodies.
In reference to the latter, we do not think it enough to attend to the
general state of our health, will keep up the tone of our constitution,
though this is very important—but we descend to a minute inspection and care
of every part of every limb, every organ, every function; we consider which
is weak and needs strengthening, which is diseased and requires remedy. Let
us then be much in prayer to God for an increase of hope.
And then, how consolatory is it to know that God is both
able and willing to bestow it upon us. Why is he called "the God of hope,"
but to encourage our prayers? It is a sweet invitation, a blessed
attraction, a kind of motive power, that he is thus set before us. Why,
believer, he is "the God of hope." It is one of his very titles. He is
"waiting to be gracious," He is glorified in bestowing this grace. He can,
and will, if you ask him, fill you with hope even to the full assurance. It
is your own fault if you are not "rejoicing in hope." There is no obstacle
but your own unbelief. You are straitened in yourselves, not in him. He can
"do above all you ask or think." Try him. You have never yet done this as
you should. You have not, perhaps desired to abound in this grace; you are
contented with the scanty measure you have; or you are in doubt and
unbelief, and are ready to imagine you can never rise above your present low
level. Cast away such unworthy ideas, and go to God strong in faith to be
made more earnest in desire, more confident in expectation, and you shall be
astonished at your success.