1. It must be supposed that every real Christian is able to comply with this direction, and can give the reason of his hope, when properly inquired of and asked. If this were not true, the command, which extends to all Chrif tians, would be indeed unreasonable and nugatory. It is therefore reasonable to fuppofe and be certain that every Christian has good reafon for the hope that is in him, and can give it when there is a call for it. This is a fubject which he thinks upon and ftudies more than any other. He certainly does meditate upon it night and day. He confiders and examines over and over again the evidence he has of the truth and divinity of Christianity. The theme is familiar to his mind, and the evidence of the truth increases, in his view, in ftrength and clearnefs; and, of course, he is conftantly, and with folemn concern, confidering the evidence he has of his being a real Chriftian. He muft therefore be always ready to give the reafon of this hope that is in him. And it is reafonable and important that Chrif tians should do this, when asked, because,

2. It is greatly for the advantage and benefit of Chriftians to be prepared and ready to give the reafon of their hope, and actually to do it, when they are asked in a proper manner.

This has a greater tendency to keep their minds awake to thefe fubjects than mere private meditation; to increase their knowledge in these things, and to strengthen and invigorate their exercifes, and eftablish their own hearts in the ground and reafon of their hope. Free and ferious converfation upon interefting fubjects of religion is attended with advantages to Chrif tians, which could not be enjoyed if every one kept all his religious thoughts and exercifes wholly to himfelf. This is confirmed by reafon and the experience of Chriftians. And many, if not all, have found, by communicating to others the reafons of their belief in Chriftianity, and of their hope that they themselves were Chriftians, their hearts more established in the truth and importance of the Bible, and their hope of falva

tion by Chrift become more clear and strong, by being quickened in their religious exercises.

3. A compliance with this command tends, many ways, to the good of others. It tends greatly to the benefit of Chriftians to converfe with each other freely on thefe fubjects; to communicate to one another their reafons for believing the gofpel, and how, and in what way, they were brought to a clear conviction and affurance of the truth and divinity of it; and what have been their views and exercifes, on which they ground their hope that they do cordially embrace the gospel, and are the real friends of Chrift. By this they become particularly acquainted with each other, and obtain the knowledge of the difcerning, views and exercises of their hearts, which could not be fo well and fully obtained in any other way. This lays a foundation for an intimacy, love and friendship, which are fweet, edifying, lafting, and peculiar to Chriftians. This tends to increase the knowledge of Chriftians, and establish their hearts in the belief of the truth, and excite and quicken their Chriftian affections, while they hear others give the reafon of the hope that is in them. And this appears to be an important part of Christian communion, while they drink into the fame Spirit, and mutually partake of the comfort and bleffings of the gofpel.

This also has a tendency to promote the best good of unbelievers. If Chriftians have nothing to fay for themselves, and are filent, when they who are not Christians, with apparent ferious defire to know, afk them to give the reafon of their hope, this will greatly tend to prejudice them againft Chriftianity and profef fed Chriftians, and lead them to think that the gofpel is unreasonable, and cannot be fupported. But when they find Chriftians able and ready to give the reason of their hope, when asked, and they have it laid before them, they have matter of conviction that Chriftians can fpeak for themselves, and that Chriftianity is founded in reafon and truth; and it may by divine influence reach

reach their hearts, as the means of their falvation. And doubtlefs this has been the means of the falvation of many. But if this fhould not be the happy confequence, and the unbeliever perfift in rejecting the gofpel to his own deftruction, the Chriftian has done his duty; and his labour shall not be in vain in the Lord, but anfwer fome important end.

4. In this way Christians honour Chrift and his cause, They who are not able, or are not difpofed, to give the reafon of their Chriftian hope when properly asked to do it, must be numbered among those who are afhamed of Chrift and of his words. Öf such, he says, fhall the Son of Man be afhamed, when he cometh in the glory of the Father, with the holy angels. He will confider and treat them as a difgrace and dishonour to him, fhould he own them to be his difciples and friends. But, on the contrary, he fays, "Whofoever fhall confefs me before men, him will I confefs also before my Father who is in heaven, and before the angels of God." As thefe, by confeffing him before men, honour him, he will honour them before the universe, in his state of the highest exaltation and glory. They who are able and ready to give the reason of their Chriftian hope to those who ask them, to whatever shame and fufferings they may expofe themfelves by this, do hereby confefs and honour Chrift before men, which they cannot do effectually in any other way, if this be refufed or neglected. And this is one important way for Chriftians to exhibit their true cha racter, and fhow their zeal and courage in the cause of Christ, and honour and promote it in the world. How reasonable then and important is this injunction of the Apostle!

IMPROVEMENT.

1. FROM this text, and the subject, we have warrant to conclude, that they who are not able to give a reason for their hope in the fenfe explained, or they who refufe to do it to any one, at any time, are not real Chriftians, whatever they may pretend.

1

There

There are too many, who would pass for Chriftians, who can give no good reason why they believe Chriftianity to be true and divine, or why they hope to be faved by it. They can give no account of any particular, fenfible impreffions made on their hearts by any of the truths of the gofpel, or of any view or exercife which indicates a real change of heart. There are others to whom the general arguments for the truth of the gospel are familiar, and they can talk well and readily upon fome of them; but if they be asked what their own inward exercifes are with refpect to the gofpel, and what is the ground of their hope that they are Chriftians, their mouths are immediately fhut, and they have nothing to fay, unless it be to object against the propriety of afking or anfwering fuch a queftion, as no one has any business to inquire, or right to know, what are their inward exercifes; every one ought to keep these to himself, &c. Others will inveigh against Chriftians telling their experiences, as it is called, and infift it is nothing but mere enthusiasm. All these may be juftly confidered as having no good reason for hoping themfelves to be Chriftians.

There are others who are forward enough, and even too forward, to tell of their religious experiences, and give a narrative of their converfion, which they seem to think to be extraordinary and excellent. And they do it when there does not appear any particular call to do it. They appear to be proud of their religious experiences, and often fpeak of them in a light and oftentatious manner, directly contrary to meeknefs and fear. Thefe are fo far from obeying the Apostle's direction, that they abuse and pervert it, and do not appear to be real Chriftians.

II. It hence appears how reasonable and important it is that Chriftians fhould give the reafon of their hope, when they join to a church, and make a Chriftian profeffion; and that they should be afked concerning their doctrinal knowledge, and experience of the power of divine truths on their hearts. Churches have a right to know of fuch the reafon of their hope, and with what

views, exercises and motives they defire to join them. And by this means they get acquainted with them as they could not in any other way, and a foundation is laid for future intimacy and Chriftian communion. They therefore must be blameable, and give reason to fear they are not Christians, who refuse to join a church be cause they cannot be admitted unless they will give the reafon of their hope, as above explained. And those churches are guilty of great and criminal neglect who admit members without any examination of them refpecting their doctrinal and experimental knowledge of religion, or asking them to give the reafon of their hope. The confequence generally is, that the members of fuch churches have no particular intimacy or acquaintance with each other, not fo much as they have with the men of the world, or those who make no profeffion of religion; and know little or nothing of each other, and are in no refpect diftinguished from non-profeffors, but merely by having made a profeffion, and meeting together at the Lord's table.

III. This fubject is fuited to awaken Chriftians to a concern to be ready, and more ready than Chriftians in general have been and are, to give an anfwer to thofe who ask them the reafon of the hope that is in them. They ought to ftrive to be yet better able to offer the moft clear and convincing evidence of the truth, authenticity and excellence of Christianity, and to increase in the ftrength and conftancy of every Christian grace; that they may have increafing evidence in their own minds that their hope is well founded, and be able to give more fatisfying and ftriking evidence to others that they are Chriftians indeed; and fo fhinë as lights in the world, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation.

Christians have no reason to be ashamed of their hope and the gospel, let who will fpeak against and ridicule it. It has and will stand the teft of the moft fevere rational trial and examination. The more it is examined by unprejudiced reafon, the brighter its truth and divine excellency fhine; and it will stand and prevail, until the light

of