A little cabinet richly stored with all sorts of heavenly varieties, and soul-reviving influences.: Wherein there is a remedy for every malady, viz. milk for babes, and meat for strong men, and the ready way for both to obtain and retain assurance of salvation: being an abridgement of the sum and substance of the true Christian religion; wherein the cause of our salvation, the way, the guide, the rule, the evidence, the seals, &c. and the connection of these points together, and dependancy of them one upon another: this I have endeavoured to do orderly, exactly, methodically, with much plainness and clearness. / By Robert Purnell.

Of the distinguishing Characters between a well grounded, and a presumptuous hope.

1. FIrst, the hopes of a regenerate man, it is gotten by, and grounded upon the word of God, and therefore it is called the hope of the Gos∣pel, Col. 1. 23. Rom. 15. 4. But now the hopes of wicked men, as they are gotten they know not how, so neither do they know upon what they are ground∣ed, &c.

2. True hope is bottomed upon the mercies of God, and the merits of Christ: and hence it is that Christ is called our hope, 1 Tim. 1. 1. Because he is the foundation, upon which believers do build all their hopes. But now the false and presumptuous hopes of the wicked, are built upon their own du∣ties, what they have done for themselves, Mich. 3. 11.

3. True hope doth as well act for heaven, as hope for heaven, Psal. 37. 3. Trust in the Lord and do good; here is trusting and doing put together; true hope doth act for heaven, as well as hope for heaven.

But a presumptuous hope, that hopes for heaven, as its end, but never acts holiness, as its way to heaven: in a word, false hope doth hope much and act little. Wicked men will hope for salvation, but not work out their salvation, &c.

4. He that hath true hope, doth make conscience to keep his heart pure and free, both from the love of sin, and the dominion of sin, 1 John 3. 3. He that hath this hope in him, purifieth himself, as he is pure: that is, he doth endeavour so to do at least.

But now a false hope will hope for heaven, though he walk on after the imaginations of his own heart, as in Isaiah 51. 10. Thou hast walked in the great∣ness of thy wicked waies, yet sayest thou not, there is no hope: though they had great sins, yet they had great hopes for heaven, but this hope is only a pre∣sumptuous hope.

5. True hope flows from a long, and well ground∣ed experience in the waies of God, and from an ex∣perience of the grace, and beauty, and love of God to him, and from experience of the goodness and mercy, and promises of God, and also from an ex∣perience from his own heart, which in some measure is enabled by Christ to withstand temptations, sub∣due corruptions. Such experiences as these are inlets to a well grounded hope. But now, the hopes of wicked men and women, are only the results of

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ignorance, deluding and presumptuous hopes, with∣out any former experience of the ways of God, sure∣ly such hopes are vain and empty hopes, that will end in miserv, Prov. 11. 7. The hope of the wicked shall be cut off, and when he dies his expectation shall pe∣rish. See Job 8. 14. Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spiders Web. See Job 11. 20. Their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost, there∣fore let us take heed that we do not fancie to our selves false hopes of heaven on the one hand, and have as much care on the other hand; that you do not cast off grounded hopes, and say, there is no hope, and have as much care that you do not harbour in your hearts, common and ordinary conceits of this grace of hope: for there is the same certainty, the same excellency, and the same efficacy in this grace of hope, as there is in Faith and love. First, there is the same certainty in it, Heb. 6. 11. It is called the full assurance of hope. Secondly, there is the same excellency in it. Tit. 2. 13. It is called a blessed hope, and there is also the same efficacy in it: for as faith is said to purifie the heart, Act. 15. 9. So likewise doth hope, 1 John 3. 3. Every man that hath this hope in him, doth purifie himself, as he is pure. Again, there is the same difficulty in getting hope, as there is in getting Faith; for as it is gotten by the word preached, so is hope too, Col. 1. 23. And if Faith be wrought in us by the power of God, as Heb. 12. 2. So is hope likewise wrought in us by the power of the Holy Ghost, Rom. 15. 13. That ye may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost, let our faith and hope then ••e in God, 1 Pet. 1. 21. and let us not be moved away from the hope of the Gospel. Col. 1. 23.

The great Pillar of Marble that must bear up our hope, is the promises of God in Christ; he that builds his hopes for heaven only upon his own per∣formances and good duties, his hope is in vain; for this is not the pillar and ground of our hope, for when we have done all that we can, we must lie down at the feet of Christ, and conclude, that our best righteousness is but silthy rags; and when we have done all that we can, we are but unprofitable ser∣vants, Isa 64. 6. Luke 17. 10.