June 23

And good hope through grace. - 2 Thessalonians 2:16.

AND what is not of grace? Is it election? “There is a remnant according to the election of grace.” Is it salvation? “By grace are ye saved.” Is it justification? “Being justified freely by his grace.” Is it vocation? “He called me by his grace.” Is it faith? “They who have believed through grace.” Is it hope? “He has given you everlasting consolation, and good hope through grace.” But what is grace? We answer, grace is the chosen term of inspiration. It is the darling word of every awakened sinner and of every humble believer. We often sing,-

“Grace! ‘tis a sweet, a charming theme.”

and

“Grace! how exceeding sweet to those

Who feel they sinners are!”

Grace is a word for which no other term can be found fully equivalent. It is goodness, but it is more. It is kindness, but it is more. It is favour, but it is more. It is all these,-free, absolutely free; free as opposed to purchase; free as opposed to worthiness and to works. It is in some respects distinguishable from mercy. Mercy regards the miserable; grace regards the guilty. But what is hope? It is not necessary to have recourse to a dictionary for an explanation. All Christians know enough of hope to know that it is an expectation of something desirable, future, and attainable; and these three things enter into the definition of hope. First, The desirableness of the thing expected. We may forebode evil, we may expect evil, but we cannot hope for it; we can only hope for good.

Secondly, As to the futurity of the thing. If we possess good, we may rejoice in it, and glory in it, but we cannot hope for it. “That which is seen is not hope; for what a man seeth why doth he yet hope for?”

Thirdly, The attainableness of the thing. We may hope for what is difficult; we cannot hope for what is impossible. There are degrees in the expectation itself. It may appear to the mind of a man more or less possible,-more or less probable,- more or less certain; but it is not in our power to hope for what we deem entirely impossible and unattainable. We hope to live many days, that we may see good. But we cannot hope to live here always:-“For the living know that they shall die;” they know that life is short as well as full of evil.