When a tyrant goes to dispossess a neighboring prince of what is lawfully his own, the men that he employeth at arms to overcome and get the land, fight for half-crowns and the like, and are content with the wages; but the tyrant is for the kingdom, nothing will serve him but the kingdom.  This is the case:  Men, when they persecute, are for the stuff; but the devil is for the soul, nor will any thing less than that satisfy him.  Let him then that is a sufferer, commit the keeping of his soul to God, lest stuff and soul and all be lost at once.

Now, to commit this soul to God, is to carry it to him, to lift it to him upon bended knees, and to pray him for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, to take it into his holy care, and to let it be under his keeping.  Also, that he will please to deliver it from all those snares that are laid for it between this and the next world, and that he will see that it be forthcoming, safe and sound, at the great and terrible judgment, notwithstanding so many have engaged themselves against it.

Faith and hope.

No faith, no hope.  To hope without faith, is to see without eyes, or to expect without grounds; for “faith is the substance of things hoped for,” as well with respect to the grace, as to the doctrine of faith.

Faith has its excellency in this, hope in that, and love in another thing.  Faith will do that which hope cannot do, hope can do that which faith cannot do, and love can do things distinct from both their doings.  Faith goes in the van, hope in the body, and love brings up the rear; and thus now abideth faith, hope, and charity.

Faith is the mother-grace, for hope is born of her, but charity floweth from them both.

Faith comes by hearing, hope by experience.  Faith comes by hearing the word of God, hope by the credit that faith has given to it.  Faith believes the truth of the word, hope waits for the fulfilling of it.  Faith lays hold of that end of the promise that is next to us, to wit, as it is in the Bible; hope lays hold of that end of the promise that is fastened to the mercy-seat.  For the promise is like a mighty cable that is fastened by one end to a ship, and by the other to the anchor.  The soul is the ship where faith is, and to which the hither end of this cable is fastened; but hope is the anchor that is at the other end of this cable, and “which entereth into that within the veil.”

Thus faith and hope getting hold of both ends of the promise, they carry it safely all away.

Faith looks to Christ as dead, buried, and ascended; and hope to his second coming.  Faith looks to him for justification, hope for glory.

Faith fights for doctrine, hope for a reward; faith for what is in the Bible, hope for what is in heaven.

Faith purifies the heart from bad principles, hope from bad manners. 2 Peter, 3:11, 14.

Faith sets hope at work, hope sets patience at work.  Faith says to hope, Look for what is promised; hope says to faith, So I do, and will wait for it too.