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commandeth them to ask for the forgiveness of their sins. These two things are quite contrary; to wit, that a Christian is righteous and beloved of God, and yet, notwithstanding, he is a sinner. For God cannot deny his own nature; that is, he must needs hate sin, and sinners; and this he doth of necessity, for otherwise, he should be unrighteous and love sin. How then can these two contradictions stand together? I am a sinner and most worthy of God's wrath and indignation; and yet, the Father loveth me? Here nothing cometh between, but only Christ the Mediator. The Father (saith he) doth not therefore love you, because ye are worthy of love, but because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from him.

Thus a Christian man abideth in true humility, feeling sin in him effectually, and confessing himself to be worthy of wrath, of the judgment of God, and of everlasting death for the same, that he may be humbled in this life. And yet, notwithstanding, he continueth still in his pride, in the which he turneth unto Christ, and in him, he lifteth up himself against this feeling of God's wrath and judgment, and believeth, that not only the remnants of sin are not imputed unto him, but that also he is loved of the Father, not for his own sake, but for Christ's sake whom the Father loveth.

Hereby now we may see, how faith justifieth without works; and yet, notwithstanding, how imputation of righteousness is also necessary. Sins do remain in us which God utterly hateth. Therefore, it is necessary that we should have imputation of righteousness, which we obtain through Christ, and for his sake who is given unto us and received of us by faith. In the mean time, as long as we live here, we are carried and nourished in the bosom of the mercy and long-sufferance of God, until the body of sin be abolished, and we raised up as new creatures in that great day. Then shall there be new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness shall dwell. In the mean while, under this heaven, sin and wicked men do dwell, and the godly also have sin

dwelling in them. For this cause, (Paul, Rom. vii.,) complaineth of sin which remaineth in the saints; yet, notwithstanding, he saith afterwards in the eighth chapter, "That there is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesu." Now, how shall these things, so contrary and repugnant, be reconciled together;-that sin in us, is no sin? that he which is damnable, shall not be condemned that he which is rejected, shall not be rejected? that he which is worthy of the wrath of God and everlasting damnation, shall not be punished? The only reconciler hereof is the Mediator between God and man, even Jesus Christ; as Paul saith, "There is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesu."

NATURE AND EXPECTATION OF FAITH AND HOPE, AND THEIR DIFFERENCE.

GALATIANS V. 5.

For we in spirit wait for the hope of righteousness through faith.

Paul here knitteth up the matter with a notable conclusion; saying, Ye will be justified by the law, by circumcision, and by works; but we seek not to be justified by this means, lest Christ should be made utterly unprofitable unto us, and we become debtors to perform the whole law, and so finally fall away from grace; "but we wait in spirit through faith for the hope of righteousness." Every word is here diligently to be noted, for they are pithy and full of power. He doth not only say, as he is wont, we are justified by faith, or in spirit by faith, but moreover addeth, "we wait for the hope of righteousness," including hope also that he may comprehend the whole matter of faith.

Hope, after the manner of the scriptures, is taken two ways; namely, for the thing that is hoped for, and for the affection of him that hopeth. For the thing that is hoped for, it is taken in the first chapter to the Colossians, "For the hope's sake which is laid up for

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you in heaven: that is to say, the thing which ye hope for. For the affection of him that hopeth, it is taken in the eighth chapter to the Romans, "For we are saved by hope." So, hope in this place also may be taken two ways, and so it yieldeth a double sense. The first is, we wait in Spirit through faith for the hope of righteousness; that is to say, the righteousness hoped for; which shall be certainly revealed in such time as it pleaseth the Lord to give it. The second, we wait in Spirit by faith for righteousness with hope and desire; that is to say, we are righteous; howbeit our righteousness is not yet revealed, but hangeth yet in hope. For as long as we live here, sin remaineth in our flesh; there is also a law in our flesh and members rebelling against the law of our mind, and leading us captives unto the service of sin. Now when these affections of the flesh do rage and reign, and we on the other side do through the Spirit wrestle against the same, then is there place for hope. Indeed, we have begun to be justified through faith. Whereby also we have received the first-fruits of the Spirit and the mortification of the flesh is begun in us, but we be not yet perfectly righteous. It remaineth then that we be perfectly justified, and this is it which we hope for. So, our righteousness is not yet in actual possession, but lieth under hope.

This is a sweet and sound consolation, whereby afflicted and troubled consciences, feeling their sin, and terrified with every fiery dart of the devil, may be marvellously comforted. For the feeling of sin, the wrath of God, death, hell, and other terrors, are wonderfully strong in the conflict of conscience: as I myself, being taught by experience, do know. Then counsel must be given to the poor afflicted in this way. Brother, thou desirest to have a sensible feeling of thy justification; that is, thou wouldest have such a feeling of God's favour as thou hast of thine own sin, but that will not be. But thy righteousness ought to surmount all feeling of sin; that is to say, thy righteousness or justification whereupon thou holdest, standeth not upon thine own feeling, but upon the hoping that it shall be revealed unto thee when

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it pleaseth the Lord. Wherefore, thou must not judge according to the feeling of sin which troubleth and terrifieth thee, but according to the promise and doctrine of faith, whereby Christ is promised unto thee, who is thy perfect and everlasting righteousness. Thus the hope of the afflicted, consisting in the inward affection, is stirred up by faith, in the midst of all terrors and feeling of sin, to hope that he is righteous. Moreover, if hope be here taken for the thing which is hoped for, it is thus to be understood:-that, that which a man now seeth not, he hopeth, in time, shall be made perfect and clearly manifest.

Either sense may well stand; but the first, touching the inward desires and affections of hoping, bringeth more plentiful consolation. For my righteousness is not yet perfect, it cannot yet be felt; yet I do not despair; for faith, sheweth unto me Christ in whom I trust, and when I have laid hold of him by faith, I wrestle against the fiery darts of the devil, and I take a good heart through hope against the feeling of sin; assuring myself, that I have a perfect righteousness prepared for me in heaven. So both these sayings are true:--that I am made righteous already by that righteousness which is begun in me; and also, I am raised up in the same hope against sin, and wait for the full consummation of perfect righteousness in heaven. These things are not rightly understood, but when they are put in practice.

WHAT DIFFERENCE THERE IS BETWEEN FAITH AND HOPE.

Here ariseth a question, what difference there is between Faith and Hope. The sophisters and schoolmen have laboured very much in this matter, but they could never show any certainty. Yea to us which travel in the holy scriptures with much diligence, and also with more fulness and power of spirit, (be it spoken without any brag,) it is hard to find any difference. For there is so great affinity between Faith and Hope, that the one cannot be separate from the other. Notwithstanding,

there is a difference between them, which is gathered of their several offices, diversity of working, and of their ends.

First: They differ in respect of their subject; that is, of the ground wherein they rest. For faith resteth in the understanding, and hope resteth in the will. But in very deed they cannot be separated, the one having respect to the other, as the two cherubim of the mercyseat which could not be divided...

Secondly: They differ in respect of their office; that is, of their working. For faith telleth what is to be done; it teacheth, prescribeth, and directeth; and it is a knowledge. Hope is an exhortation which stirreth up the mind that it may be strong, bold, and courageous, that it may suffer and endure adversity, and in the midst thereof wait for better things.

Thirdly: They differ as touching their object; that is, the special matter whereunto they look. For faith hath for her object the truth; teaching us to cleave surely thereunto, and looketh upon the word and promise of the thing that is promised. Hope hath for her object the goodness of God, and looketh upon the thing that is promised in the word; that is, upon such matters as faith teaches us to be hoped for.

Fourthly: They differ in their order:› for faith is the beginning of life before all tribulation, Heb. xi.: but hope cometh afterwards, proceeding of tribulation, Rom. v.

Fifthly: They differ by the diversity of working: for faith is a teacher and a judge, fighting against errors and heresies, and judging spirits and doctrines: but hope is, as it were, the general or captain of the field, fighting against tribulation, the cross, impatiency, heaviness of spirit, weakness, desperation, and blasphemy: and it waiteth for good things even in the midst of evils.

Therefore when I am instructed by faith in the word of God, and lay hold of Christ, believing in him with the whole heart, then am I righteous by this knowledge. When I am so justified by faith, or by this knowledge, by-and-by cometh the devil, the father of lies, and laboureth to extinguish my faith by wiles and subtleties;

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