CLII lectures vpon Psalme LI preached at Ashby-Delazouch in Leicester-shire / by that late faithfull and worthy minister of Iesus Christ, Mr. Arthur Hildersam.

Lecture LXXXII. On Psalme 51.6. February 26. 1627.

NOw then there be five things, principally to be done by them, that would get, and preserve in themselves this assurance of Gods favour.

* 1.1First, If thou desire to get assurance of Gods speciall love to thee in Christ, assurance that Christ is thine, assurance of thy salvation, thou must first settle this perswasion in thy heart, that it is possible to be attained. By harbouring this conceit in thy heart, that it is presumption for any man, to say he is sure of his salvation, I hope well, but it is not possible for me or any man to be sure of this, thou makest thy selfe uncapable of this comfortable assurance. Know therefore that though 1. It be a very difficult thing to get, and keepe this assu∣rance; 2. Few attaine unto it; 3. Though this assurance be not perfect in any while they live here, but they that have it best, have it with some mixture of doubting and unbeliefe; 4. They that have had it in the greatest measure have not had it at all times; Yet every true beleever may attaine unto it, if the fault be not in himselfe. ••or 1. God hath commanded the faithfull to make their calling and election sure, 2 Pet. 1.10. 2. God hath promised that he will cer∣tifie and assure his people of this, Ezek. 34.30. They shall know that I the Lord their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord God. 3. God hath given his people in all ages experience of the truth of this his promise in themselves, Rom. 8.15, 16. Ye have not received the spirit of bondage againe to feare (as if he should say once ye had it) but yee have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba father. This could not be without assurance of Gods favour; and this he saith not of himselfe one∣ly but of all the faithfull; of all Gods children, Gal. 4.6. Because ye are sonnes, God hat•• sent forth the spirit of his sonne into your hearts. This spirit witnesseth with our spirit•• (saith the Apostle, Rom. 8.16) that wee are the sonnes of God. We know (saith the Apostle, 1 Iohn 3.2. not of himselfe but of all Gods chil∣dren) that when Christ shall appeare we shall be like him. And againe, verse 14. We know we are translated from death to life. And againe, Chap 4.16. We have knowne and beleeved, the love that God hath to us. Nay I say more, It is not onely possible for thee if thou be Gods child to have this assurance of Gods love in some measure, but it is in some manner necessary thou shouldst have it, thou must get it, & the hope thou talkest of is to little purpose without it. Know ye not your owne selves (saith the Apostle, 2 Cor. 13.5.) how that Iesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? that is, except ye be unsound and counterfait in the profession of the faith. His house we are (Heb. 3.6.) if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoycing of the hope firme unto the end. That hope that hath no confidence nor rejoycing in it is little worth. Hope must bee as an anker of the soule both sure, and stedfast; as the Apostle speaketh, Heb. 6.19. Well then, seeing we both may and must get this assurance it standeth us upon to enquire how and by what meanes we may get it. What is then next to bee done?

* 1.2I answer, Secondly, We must bind our selves to a diligent, and consciona∣ble use of Gods ordinances, which he hath sanctified to be the meanes where∣by he will worke and increase all saving grace, and consequently this, in our hearts. I will instance but in three and that briefly too.

[ 1] First, There is great force in the Word to worke in our hearts not onely faith, Rom. 10.17. Faith commeth by hearing; but this blessed fruit of faith also, the assurance of Gods favour. The Scriptures were written to this end, to breed in us this assurance. These things have I written to you (1 Iohn 5.12.) that ye may know, that ye have eternall life. And 1.4. These things write we unto you, that your joy may be full, that you may have sound consolation in this assu∣rance.

And this is the maine end, that God ordained preaching for. So Za∣chary saith that Iohn the Baptist, was sent to that end, Luke 1.77. To give knowledge of salvation to his people, by the remission of their sinnes. When God had promised Esa. 57.18▪ that he would restore comfort to his Israel and to his mourners; he telleth us in the next words, verse 19. the meanes whereby he will doe it, I create the fruit of the lips; (my word in the speech and ministery of my servants, Mal. 2.7. The priests lips should keepe knowledge, and they should seeke the law at his mouth) peace, peace, to him that is farre off, and to him that is neere, saith the Lord, and I will heale him. God hath promised to worke by the ministery of his servants in the hearts of his people abundance of peace and comfort (which cannot be without assurance of his favour) and to heale them of all that anguish of heart, which the doubting of his favour did breed in them. And no maruell though the Word have this force to breed this assu∣rance, for therein are all the promises of God to be found, which are the ground and evidence upon which all true assurance of Gods favour is built. In God will I praise his word (saith David, Psal. 56.4.) in God have I put my trust, I will not feare what flesh can doe unto mee. All his comfort, all his assurance and confidence was grounded upon the Word.

The second ordinance of God that hath great force in it to breed in our [ 2] hearts this assurance of Gods favour and to preserve it in us, and to recover it when it is lost; is the conscionable use of the holy Sacrament. We reade of Gods people that had received the Passeover with good hearts, that had pre∣pared their hearts to seeke the Lord in that his ordinance (as Hez••kiah speaketh of them, 2 Chron. 30.19.) that they found marvellous comfort in it, verse 21. They kept the feast with great gladnesse. And verse 26. There was great joy in Ierusalem. And that Sacrament we know, was the same in substance with our Lords Supper. Certainely there is not more vertue in any ordinance of God, to confirme us in the comfortable assurance of Gods favour, then in this, if it be worthily received. For 1 Christ is no where so particularly offered and ap∣plied to us as in it, 1 Cor. 11.24. Take, eate, this is my body which was broken for you. 2 He is offered to us as meat and drinke to feede upon; and what is so neerely applyed to us and made ours, as our food, which is turned into our very substance and made one with us. 3 He is offered to us as bread and wine, which of all food hath most force to strengthen, and make glad our hearts, Psa. 104.15. 4 The Sacraments are ordained to be his seales to assure and con∣firme his covenant unto us; they are seales of the righteousnesse which is by faith, as the Apostle speaketh, Rom. 4.11.

The third and last ordinance of God, that hath great force to breed and pre∣serve [ 3] this assurance of Gods favour in our hearts, & to recover it when we have lost it, is prayer. Aske, and you shall receive, (saith our Saviour, Iohn 16.14.) that your joy may be full. This is one of the principall fruits of prayer, it bree∣deth full and sound joy in the heart; which necessarily presupposeth assurance of Gods favour. This course David oft tooke to recover his assurance and comfort and found great successe in it. When he made that prayer that is set downe, Psal. 6. he was in great anguish of minde, through the losse of the assurance of Gods favour, as appeareth verse 1—4. to recover his assurance he falleth to fervent prayer; and before he had ended his prayer, he was so filled with the assurance of Gods favour, that he bursteth forth into these patheticall expressions of his joy, verse 8, 9. The Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping, the Lord hath heard my supplications, the Lord will receive my prayer. And Psal. 31. when he had lost his assurance so farre that he said in his hast (verse 22.) hee was cast out of Gods sight; to recover it he betooke himselfe to prayer and prevailed so thereby, that he cryeth out, verse 21. Blessed be the Lord for he hath shewed me his marvellous kindnesse. As though hee had said, The Lord

hath given mee againe, a sweet and comfortable assurance of his favour. I do not deny but many (yea many of Gods owne children) may use all these three ordinances of God, that I have named unto you, and use them often too, read, and heare, and receive, and pray, and yet never attaine to this assurance of Gods fa∣vour by them. Alas; this will never be obtained without great diligence in the use of all meanes that God hath appointed. Give diligence (saith the A∣postle. 2 Pet. 1.10.) to make your calling and election sure; Yea verse 5. Give even all diligence thereunto. Alas; we do not in our hearing, receiving, pray∣ing, seeke or aime at this, to get assurance thereby, that wee are in Gods favour; or if we doe seeke it, yet use we no diligence in the use of these meanes, that we might obtaine that which we seeke in them.

But if wee cannot obtaine it by these meanes, there is a third thing to bee done.* 1.3 Seeke to bee more humbled in thy selfe, in the apprehension of thine owne wretchednes. Seeke the Lord and his favour, with an humbled soule. When Ieremy prophesieth of the comfort that Gods people should find, upon their earnest seeking of his favour, before the end of their captivitie, he speaketh thus of them, Ieremy 50.4. Going, and weeping, they shall goe and seeke the Lord their God. When we can lament after the Lord, as Israell did, 1 Sam. 7.2. mourne for the losse of his favour, and goe weeping to him to seeke the recovery of it, wee need not doubt of prevailing with him. God resisteth the proud (saith the Apostle Iames 4.6.) but hee giveth grace to the humble. Specially this grace of a comfortable assurance of his favour, hee useth not to give unto any, but unto the humbled soule. And thereupon the Apostle in∣ferreth verse 10. Humble your selves in the sight of the Lord, and hee shall lift you up. The want of sound humiliation, is the chiefe cause wee cannot attaine unto sound assurance of Gods favour. Never did any attaine unto any great measure of assurance of Gods favour, that had not first bin deeply humbled in themselves. Neither doth God use to give the spirit of adoption to his people, till hee have first given them the spirit of bondage, Rom. 8.15. God comforteth those that are cast downe, saith the Apostle, 2 Cor. 7.6. Therefore the day of humiliation, wherein Gods people did afflict their soules, is called the day of atonement, betweene God and them, Levit. 23.27, 28. Such God hath bound himselfe by promise, to speake peace unto. Blessed are they that mourne (saith our Saviour, Matth. 5.4) for they shall bee comforted. I will dwell with him (saith the Lord, Esay▪ 57.15.) that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. For 1. then, and never till then, wee will in our judgements value and prize Gods favour in Christ, above all things in the world, and say with Da∣vid, Psal. 63.3. Thy loving kindnesse is better then life. Shew us the father (saith Philip to Christ, Iohn 14.8) and it sufficeth us. This hee spake indeed out of ignorance and curiositie, but thus speaketh the humbled soule advisedly. Let mee but see my heavenly father reconciled to mee in Christ, and the light of his countenance shining upon me, and I have enough, though I had nothing else in the world. And on the other side, the humbled soule doth say, that without this, though hee had all the world he hath nothing; but is ready to say with Paul, Phil. 3.8. I count all but as dung without Christ. ••. Then when we are soundly humbled, and never till then, wee will hunger and thirst after Christ, and desire Gods favour in him more earnestly and eagerly, then any thing in the world. It was the voice of an humbled soule that wee read, Psal. 42.1, ••. As the Hart panteth after the water brookes, so panteth my soule after thee, ô God, my soule thirsteth for God. And they that can thus thirst after Gods favour, shall be sure to obtaine the assurance of it. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousnesse (saith our Saviour, Matth. 5.6.) for they shall bee satisfied.

And what marvaile is it then, that there bee so few that attaine to this assurance, (alas) there bee few that prize it as they ought, few that thirst after it, because few that are soundly humbled in themselves for their sinnes.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Mean. 1
• * 1.2

  Mean. 2.
• * 1.3

  Means. 3