Of Hope. Its foundation, its Distinction from Faith, its Extents and Dimensions, its Life Sand Vigor, its Several Kinds, its Sweetness and Excellency.

JANUS with his two Faces, looking backward and forward, seems to be a fit Emblem of the Soul, which is able to look on all Objects in the Eternity past, and in all Objects before, in Eternity to come. Faith and Hope are the two Faces of this Soul. By its Faith it beholdeth Things that are past, and by its Hope regardeth Things that are to come. Or if you please to take Faith in a more large and Comprehensive Sence, Faith hath both these Faces, being that Vertue by which we give Credit to all Testimonies which we believe to be true concerning Things past, present and to come: Hope is a Vertue mixt of Belief and Desire, by which we conceive the Possibility of attaining the Ends we would enjoy, and are stirred up to endeavour after them. Faith respects the Credibility of Things believed to be True; Hope, the Possibility and Goodness of their Enjoyment. The Simple Reality of Things believed is the Object of the one, the facility of their attainment, and our Interest united are the Object of the other.

HOPE presupposes a Belief of the Certainty of what we desire. It is an Affection of the Soul of very general Importance. Which forasmuch as it is founded on Faith, and derives its strength from the Sure Belief of what we hope to attain, and there can be no fruition of that which is not really existent, to lay the foundation of our Hope more firmly, we will again consider the Objects of Faith in the best Light wherein their apparent certainty may be discerned.

THE Objects of Divine Faith revealed in the holy Scripture may fitly be ranked into three Orders. For the Matter of the Bible being partly Historical, and partly Prophetical, and partly Doctrinal, the Objects of Divine Faith fall under these three Heads, of Doctrine, History, and Prophesie.

THE Doctrine of the Scripture is of two sorts: for some Doctrines are Natural, some are Supernatural. The Natural are again divided into two.