o
enable the heart to see and understand what had hitherto been dark and
difficult. This illuminated heart is one of the choicest blessings of the
spiritual life and one of the greatest safeguards against spiritual error.
"Ye have an unction ... and ye know" (1 John ii. 20). "The Son of God hath
come, and hath given us an understanding" (1 John v. 20). Many of the
problems affecting the spiritual life are solved only in this way.
Criticism, scholarship, intellectual power may be brought to bear upon
them, but they will not yield to this treatment. The illuminated heart of
the babe in Christ is often enabled to understand secrets which are hid
from the wise and prudent.

(4) The outcome is a permanent spiritual experience. "That ye may know,"
_i.e._ possess an immediate, instinctive, direct knowledge (eidenai).
Three great realities are thereupon mentioned as the objects and
substance of our spiritual knowledge.

(_a_) The first is "What is the hope of His calling." "His calling" is the
appeal and offer of the Gospel with all its Divine meaning and purpose,
and "the hope of His calling" is that which is intended by and included in
the offer of God. This "hope" is either that _to_ which God calls us, or
_by_ which He calls; either objective or subjective; either the substance
or the feeling. Hope when regarded as objective, as the substance of our
experience, is full of promise, on which the believer fixes his faith.
Hope when regarded as subjective, as the possession of the soul, is full
of inspiration, as it encourages and confirms belief that "He is faithful
that promised." Hope as an objective reality is fixed on Christ, and since
God has a purpose in calling us, we can exercise hope. Hope as a
subjective realisation is based on the fact of experience. God calls us
by the Gospel, and therefore hope becomes possible. Hope is the top-stone
of life and follows faith and love (cf. ver. 15). Faith draws the curtain
aside; hope gazes into the future; while love rejoices in the present
possession of Christ. Faith accepts; hope expects. Faith appropriates;
hope anticipates. Faith is concerned with the person who promises; hope
with the thing that the person promises. Faith is concerned with the past
and present; hope with the future alone. Hope is invariably fixed on the
future and is never to be regarded as merely a matter of natural
temperament. It is specifically connected with the Lord's Coming, and we
are thus reminded