this helmet is the hope of salvation; but, when the soul is saved from all evil, and the body saved from the grave and from the bondage of corruption, and both are brought into the glorious liberty of the children of God; this is called returning to Zion with songs, and everlasting joy upon our heads. And surely heads crowned and anointed with everlasting joy will need no helmet, unless it be to keep these joys off.

13. Hope is called an anchor, an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, Heb. vi. 19. But then landsmen never want this; and in heaven there is no sea, and of course no sailors.

An anchor is of great use to the vessel of mercy while upon the waves of a sin-disordered world, and serves to counteract despair, and is a safeguard against drowning in destruction and perdition. But when the desired haven is gained, when the voyage is finished, and when the whole crew is wafted into a boundless country that has neither seas nor wars, winds nor storms, in it; then to load the mariner with his anchor and cable, and such useless tackling, would make his life more bitter than it was even in the Bay of Biscay. The wonderful discoveries of Onesimus will not stand the test either of scripture or experience, of reason or of com

mon sense.

14. Hope in scripture has different significations. Sometimes it signifies the object of hope: "The Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel," Joel iii. 16.

Sometimes it signifies the gospel, which is the ground of hope, and which testifies of Christ, the object hoped in; and is the means of raising souls to hope: "Be not moved away from the hope of the gospel." Sometimes, by a metonomy, it signifies glory, which is the reward hoped for. Paul tells the Colossians that there is a hope laid up for them. in heaven, Col. i. 5. But hope generally signifies a grace of the holy Spirit, called a good hope through grace, which is accompanied with faith and love, and is to be exercised as long as we live, but no longer. "Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end, for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ," 1 Peter i. 13. Paul tells us, that in the ages to come, God will shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness towards us through Christ Jesus, Eph. ii. 7.; which is glorifying grace; and this grace, Peter tells us, is to be brought unto us at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and this Peter calls the end; and we are to hope till then. We see here that the doctrine of the apostles differs widely from the whims of Onesimus, and that his lies have no connexion with gospel truths; for his faith and hope have no end; but Peter finds an end both to faith and to hope: "Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls," 1 Peter i. 9. And he tells us that hope ends where faith does; that is, at the revelation of Jesus Christ; for whom and his glorious grace we are to hope; "Be sober and hope to

the end," 1 Peter i. 13. Hence it appears, that the last kind acts, or actings, of faith and hope, are in, or at, the death of the saints: "These all died in faith," Heb. xi. 13. And, as faith attends them when dying, so also does hope: "The righteous hath hope in his death," Prov. xiv. 32.

But it may be objected, Do we not read of faithful services beyond the grave; yea, even at the day of judgment, when death is no more, being swallowed up in victory? "Well done, thou good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord," Matt. xxv. 21. Is not here faith, and the services of faith, even beyond the grave? Yes. But we have a saying, that there are two sorts of bad paymasters, one that pays before the work is done, and the other that never pays at all; but Christ always begins to pay (that is, he pays the soul) just before the night of death comes on, in which no man can work; and the body and soul are both paid at the day of judgment: though not for future, but for past services, is this reward given; Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful, faithful over a few things. But now he is to be a ruler, not a servant? and, the services of faith being

into the joy of his Lord. one that served, and was

over, he is to enter Before this he was as faithful over the few

things that were committed to his trust; but now he is to be a ruler over many things; and he

is to enter into the fulness of joy, which is the joy of his Lord; and which differs much from that which is called joy and peace in believing, Rom. xv. 13. Hence it is plain that all the inspired penmen trace faith and hope to the death of the saint; there they leave it, that such as our Onesimus may perfect what they have only begun.

We have the end of faith and hope not only by Peter, but by the great apostle of the Gentiles also, who tells us the same things: "But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of hope firm unto the end," Heb. iii. 6. The apostle must certainly have misled us when he exhorts to hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of hope firm unto the end, if there is to be no end either of faith or of hope. But Onesimus stands or sticks at nothing. The holy scriptures, the prophets, and apostles, are all wrong, all short-sighted; none have gone on unto perfection, till our Onesimus appeared.

However, Paul is so confident that he repeat it again: "Hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of hope firm unto the end;" and, lest we should mistake him, he brings it in again in other words; so that we have it line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; to shew the ignorance of this Onesimus, and to make his speech nothing worth. "We desire," says Paul," that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the

end," Heb. vi. 11. According to these inspired writers the exercising of faith and hope will have an end; unless Onesimus can prove that this end signifies endless eternity, or eternity without end. And I am so far from believing that his faith and hope are eternal, that I rather believe both to be no more than temporary; and it is not unlikely that they will end in desperation, or a mad-house; but, should both continue even till death, "Confidence in an unfaithful man is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint," Prov. xxv. 19: and, as for the hope of the hypocrite, it shall perish, and his trust shall be a spider's web: so that even his own faith and hope are no more eternal than ours, Onesimus proceeds without book, without warrant, without proof, and without precedent. And I assert also that he writes without light, without knowledge, without grace, and without truth; without reason, and without common sense. For, as no inspired person ever traced faith or hope beyond the death of the saints; so also there is not one text in scripture that will even countenance, much less support, these whims of Onesi

mus.

But it may be asked, Are not faith and hope the gifts of God, and are they not fruits or graces of the Holy Spirit? I answer, Yes, they are; and so are repentance, patience, and meekness; two of which graces were exercised by Christ himself, as we read of the patience and meekness of Christ, And yet Onesimus does not pretend to take these