In hope of eternal life
Or "for the hope of eternal life"; in order to bring souls to the
hope of it. This is another end of the Gospel ministry, as to
bring God's elect to faith in Christ, and to the knowledge and
acknowledgement of the truth, as it is in Jesus, so to the hope
of eternal glory and happiness: in a state of nature, they are
without the grace of hope, or any true ground and foundation of
it; and though it is the gift of God's grace, and is implanted on
the soul by the Spirit of God in regeneration; yet the Gospel is
the means of producing it at first, as well as afterwards
encouraging and increasing it; for in it, Christ the foundation
of hope is proposed, and set forth before awakened and convinced
sinners: the object of this hope is "eternal life"; not anything
now seen and enjoyed, for that is not hope; not anything in this
present life, but something future; a life of perfect bliss and
happiness with Christ to all eternity; which is a hope laid up in
heaven, an inheritance reserved there; a life which is secured in
the hands of Christ, which he has a power to give, and does give
to all his sheep, and is the gift of God through him: and of
which it is further said,
which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world
began;
eternal life is a "promise", and so of free grace, and not by the
works of the law, which is inconsistent with a promise: it is the
promise of God, who is faithful to his word, and "can not lie";
being the God of truth, that can neither deceive, nor be
deceived: this does not contradict his omnipotence, but argues
the perfection of his nature, which cannot admit of anything that
implies weakness and mutation: and this promise was made before
the world was, as early as the choice of God's elect in Christ,
and the gift of grace to them in him; as early as the covenant
was made with him, and he was set up as the Mediator of it; who
was present to receive this promise as their head and
representative for them, and to whom it was made as federally
considered in him, and in whom it was secured for them; see (
2 Timothy
1:1 ) .