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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03339	The doctrine of fasting and praier, and humiliation for sinne Delivered in sundry sermons at the fast appointed by publique authority, in the yeere 1625. By that late faithfull and worthy minister of Iesus Christ. Arth. Hildersam.	Hildersam, Arthur, 1563-1632.; Hildersam, Samuel, 1593 or 4-1674.	1633 (1633)	STC 13459; ESTC S104100	106,897	227

Philistines 1 Sam. 7. 10. The Lord thundred with a great thunder upon the Philistines on that day the people wept so aboundantly that they are said verse 6. to have drawne water as by bucket fuls and to have powred it out before the Lord. Neither hath this beene found true at fasts onely but at all times the more the heart of him that prayeth is humbled the more power shall his prayer have with God See this in foure notable examples 1. It was a powerfull prayer that Iacob made when hee had power over the Angel and prevailed Hos. 12. 4. But marke the story and you shall find he was marvellously humbled when hee did so marvellously prevaile Christ wrastled with him and smote his thigh out of joint Gen. 32. 25. and Hos. 12. 4. it is said he wept and prayed 2. It was a powerfull prayer that Hannah the mother of Samuel made when shee that was barren by nature obtained a sonne by it but Anna was greatly humbled and afflicted in soule when shee made that prayer 1 Sam. 1. 10. She was in bitternesse of soule and prayed to the Lord and wept sore 3. It was a powerfull prayer that Hezekiah made in his sicknesse which reversed the sentence that God had given him notice of by his Prophet and procured fifteene yeeres more to bee added to his life 2 King 20. But what was it that made it so powerfull Surely it was the sorrow and humiliation of his heart For so the Lord bids the Prophet tell him 2 King 20. 5. I have heard thy prayer and have seene thy teares 4. Lastly It was a most powerfull prayer whereby Manasseh one of the horriblest sinners that ever lived prevailed so farre that God was entreated of him and heard his supplication 2 Chron. 33. 13. But when made hee that prayer See verse 12. When he had humbled himselfe greatly before the Lord. Therefore it is noted by the Prophet to bee the ordinary course of the afflicted soule that hee may prevaile in his prayer Lam. 3. 29. Hee putteth his mouth in the dust if so bee there may bee hope To breed hope in himselfe that God will regard and shew respect to his prayer he abaseth and humbleth himselfe in the lowest manner that hee can In so much as upon these manifold experiments Gods people have growne wonderfully confident in this that when they could bring their hearts to this humiliation and sorrow their prayers then should certainly prevaile with God See therefore how they have pleaded teares even before God Psal. 39. 12. Heare my prayer O Lord give care to my cry hold not thy peace at my teares Psal. 6. 6. All the night long I make my bed to swimme I water my couch with my teares verse 8. The Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping As if he should have said My teares cryed louder then my tongue could doe and the Lord had more respect to my teares then to my words The Lord I tell you makes precious account of the teares of his people Psalm 56. 8. Put thou my teares in thy bottle are they not in thy booke The reasons and grounds of this Doctrine are worthy to bee inquired into and the reason of two things must bee inquired of 1. What have beene the causes of that sorrow and humiliation that Gods people have beene wont to afflict their soules with and which God hath had so much respect unto 2. What are the reasons why God hath had such delight in this to see his people thus humbled and afflicted in their soules For the first we shall find that the reason ground of the sorrow of Gods children that God hath beene so much delighted in hath beene no wordly thing I deny not but they have also their worldly sorrowes but those make them never a whit the more acceptable to God Wee read of diverse that have had their hearts afflicted and humbled in great measure and yet their sorrow pleased God never a whit nor made their prayers ever a whit the more powerfull with him Nabals heart was heavy and sorrowfull enough 1 Sam. 25. 37. It dyed within him for griefe and feare and became as a stone and so was Iudas his heart heavy enough Mat. 27. 34. And when Esau had lost the blessing and birth-right irrecoverably Gen. 27. 34. He cryed out with a great and exceeding bitter cry Yea even at fasts many have afflicted their soules with sorrow and pleased God never a whit nor prayed ever a whit the better Esa. 58. 3. Wherefore have wee afflicted our soule and thou takest no knowledge Zach. 7. 3. Should I weep in the fift month separating my selfe as I have done these so many yeeres The Lord denies not that they afflicted their soules and wept in their fasts but saith Zach. 7. 5. they did it not unto him they respected not the Lord but themselves in their sorrow it was not a sorrow according to God Marke therefore the difference of this sorrow of the godly from the other in foure grounds and reasons of their sorrow First The godly have afflicted their soules with sorrow for the afflictions of others out of a compassion and fellow f●eling they have had of their miseries So did David heere This pleaseth God well as wee may see in the comfort that Iob tooke in it Iob 30. 25. Did not I weep for him that was in trouble was not my soule grieved for the poore So Ier. 13. 17. Mine eye shall weep sore and runne downe with teares because the Lords flock is carried away captive This would please God well if we could afflict our selves 1. For that fearefull sicknesse whereby God sweeps away so many of our brethren in so uncomfortable a manner they dye in our high wayes and in our fields without all meanes of comfort 2. For the poverty this brings on them that escape 3. For the captivity of the Lords flock in Bohemia and the Palatinate Secondly The godly have afflicted their soules with sorrow when the Lord hath shewed himselfe to be angry with them either by threatning them by his Word and Prophets or by executing his judgements upon them For the first see two notable examples The one Iudg. 2. 2 5. When the Lord by his messenger had chidden Israel for making a league with the Cananites and not throwing down their altars and threatned that therefore he would not drive them out of their land but they should bee as thornes in their sides and their Gods should be a snare to them they lift up their voice and wept and there was such weeping there as the name of that place was called Bochim The other example is Iosia hee was humbled in his soule and wept when he but heard the Lords threats against Iuda read out of the booke of the Law 2 Chron. 34. 27. Because thine heart was tender and thou didst humble thy selfe before the Lord thy God when thou heardst his words against this place

hee sent Shemaj●h the Prophet unto them to declare unto them the true cause of that judgement and to bring them to an effectuall sight and sense of their sinne and then not before they humbled themselves and confessed that the Lord was righteous Gods judgements and corrections without the word vse not to worke savingly Indeed they serve 1. to prepare and make the heart fitter to receive and profite by the word 2. to stirre up those sparks and make them to burne which the word had before cast into the heart and were covered as with ashes but without the word they use not to worke savingly But the word even without affliction hath done mighty things this way Ier. 23. 29. Is not my Word like as a fire saith the Lord and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces Wouldst thou then have thy heart softned Bring it to this fire if it be as hard as iron it will soften it and make it plyable bring it to this anvile where the hammer smiteth and it wil breake it For first this is ordained and sanctified of God to bee a glasse that will cleerly and evidently discover to us all our spots and deformities as the Apostle teacheth us Iam. 1. 23. Secondly God hath promised to accompany this ordinance of his with the divine power and efficacy of his holy Spirit I will be with you saith our Saviour Mat. 28. 20. unto the end of the world And therefore it is no marvell though it be so mighty this way A likely matter will you say for where have you harder and profaner hearts then such as are daily beaten upon by this hammer I answer First That the hardned and reprobate heart is made the harder by the strokes of this hāmer specially such hearts as once were softned and are growne hard againe even as the Smiths iron is To 〈◊〉 the word is a savour of death unto death 2 Cor. 〈…〉 Secondly The true cause why so many heare us daily and their hearts are never a whit mollified by it is this in many of our hearers the Lord works not with us no alas in these dayes the Lord works with us but in few and if he be not with us if hee worke not with us we can doe nothing When God bad Moses take his rod and smite the rock in Horeb he told him he would stand before him on the rock and then when God stood upon the rock Moses smote the rock and water gushed out of it aboundantly Exod. 17. 5 6. If God had not beene there Moses smiting the rock would have done nothing so is it in this case Thirdly This I say that such as God hath in mercy ordained to give a soft heart unto shall feele their hearts mollified more by this then by any other meanes And if this will not soften thy heart I assure thee nothing will doe it This being so Oh that we who are Gods ministers would more diligently carefully apply our selves to this worke and stir up our selves in our ministry not onely to reprove sinne but to doe it feelingly and conscionably so as may be most effectuall to bring Gods people to sound humiliation for sinne If we would bring them to lament for sinne we must mourne to them our selves as our saviour speaketh Mat. 11. 17. and not by our Epicurisme and riotous lives proclaime unto them that we are far from having humbled soules in our selves for our owne sinnes And O that you that are Gods people would seek for and desire this helpe from us in our ministry to soften your hearts and further you in this worke of humiliation of foule for sinne Certainly you should desire and seek for all good helpes this way When God denounced against his people the heavy judgement of the Babilonish captivity and provokes them to humiliation and repentance for the preventing of it Consider yee saith he ler. 9. 17 18. and call for the mourning women that they may come and send for cunning women that they may come and let them make hast and take up a wailing for us that our eyes may runne down with teares and our eyelids gush out with waters He alludes to the custome they had in funerals and such occasions of mourning to hire certain women that by their skill in singing dolefull songs might increase their heavinesse and make them more apt to mourn But his meaning is to teach them that in such a time as that was wherein they had also just cause to mourne and humble themselves they should use all the best helps they could to provoke themselves unto sorrow And surely we should all learne to doe so in this case seeing humiliation for sinne is so necessary and the ministry of the word is a singular meanes to worke our hearts to it we should therefore desire so far as the good order that God hath established in his Church will permit to heare such as whose ministry is most powerfull and effectuall for the softning of a hard heart The second meane wherein we must use the help of others is the benefit of private admonition and reproofe They that would have their hearts softned to be able to mourne and weepe for sin must not bee unwilling to be admonished and reproved for sin in private by some faithfull friend either Minister or other but count it a great benefit and desire it rather First certainly God hath given authority and a straight charge to all his people to watch one over another and to call upon and admonish and reprove one another Heb. 10. 24. Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works 2 Thes. 3. 15. Yet count him not as an enemy but admonish him as a brother Levit. 19. 17. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour and not suffer sinne upon him Secondly God hath sanctified and ordained this for a meanes to reclaime poore sinners to bring them to a saving sight and sense of their sinne and keepe them from hardning their hearts in it Matth. 18. 15. If thy brother shall trespasse against thee go and tell him his fault betweene thee and him alone if he shall heare thee thou hast gained thy brother but if not then Verse 16. 17. take with thee one or two more that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established And if he shall neglect to heare them tell it unto the Church but if he neglect to heare the Church let him be to thee as a Heathen man and a Publicane As if he had said count not his case desperate till this course have been taken with him Thirdly God hath oft blessed this course wonderfully Mel. 3. 16. Then they that feared the Lord spake oft one to another and the Lord hearkned and heard it and a booke of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and that thought

upon his name This was the meane whereby Gods people were kept from the prophanenesse and security of those times and God was wonderfully pleased with it Yea many a heart hath been mollified this way which the publique Ministry could not soften Nathans private dealing with David prevailed more with him than all the publique meanes he had enjoyed in a whole yeare 2 Sam. 12. 7. 13. Fourthly Count it therefore a great blessing of God to thee to have such a friend or such a Minister as will watch over thee and deale thus privately and plainely with thee yea seeke for such friends It is said of Ion●than 1 Sam. 20. 8. that he had brought David into a covenant of the Lord with him We should labour to get such friends as we might make this covenant with Yea we should beg of God to give us such a friend Psal. 141. 5. Let the righteous smite me it shal be a kindnesse and let him reprove me it shal be an excellent oyle that shall not breake my head And we have all great need of it for selfe● love so blinds us as we cannot see that that is amisse in our selves In these last times especially men shal be lovers of themselves as the Apostle teacheth us 2 Tim. 3. 2. And what marvell then if there be now adayes so much security and hardnesse of heart among Christians No man holds himselfe bound to watch over his brother to admonish or reprove him but every man saith in his heart as Cain Gen. 4. 9. Am I my brothers keeper The Papists shall rise up in judgement against us in this for they take all opportunities to gaine others to Antichrist They like the Scribes and Pharises of whom our Saviour speaketh Mat. 23. 15. do compasse sea and land to make one proselyte but we have no care at all to gaine any unto Christ. And on the other side all men are unwilling to be admonished and plainly dealt with in private even by the Minister of God but are apt to say to any that would admonish them as the Sodomites did to Lot Gen. 19. 9. Stand backe this fellow will needs be a Iudge But know for a certainty that thou that art so unwilling to heare of thy sinne and to be plainly dealt with about it art in love with thy sinne and hast no desire to bring thy heart to godly griefe and sorrow for it SERMON VII Decemb. 7. 1625. IT followeth now that we come to those meanes wherein we are to be principall agents our selves For though this to speake properly be the mighty work of God to humble and mollifie the heart of man and make it able to mourne for sinne according to that promise Ezek. 11. 19. I will take the stony heart out of their flesh and I will give them an heart of flesh yet may we after we are once regenerated do much to further this great worke of God in our selves Therefore we see David professeth here that he afflicted his owne soule and Psal. 69. 10. that he chastned his soule And of Iosi●h it is said that he did humble himselfe before God 2 Chron. 34. 27. and of Manasses 2 Chron. 33. 12. that he humbled himselfe greatly before the God of his fathers Yea Gods people are commanded in the day of their fast Levit. 23. 27. to afflict their owne soules and Ioel 2. 13. to rent their hearts And I●● 4. 3 4. to breake up their fallow ground and to circumcise and take away the foreskin of their owne hearts By all which places it appeareth we may our selves do much in this worke yea that we must be doers in it our selves or els it will never be well done And certainly if we would do what we might our hearts would be much softer and better able to mourne for our sinnes than they are If any of you shall aske me Why what can we do or what should we do to worke our hearts to this godly sorrow I answer There are foure principall things that we may doe and that we must do if we would get broken and humbled hearts For 1. We must make choice of a fit time 2. Of a fit place 3. When we have so done we must examine our hearts seriously and impar●ially 4. We must pray to God for his assistance in this businesse First We must take a fit time to go about this worke For though this be but a matter of circumstance yet have Gods people found much helpe unto spirituall duties even in this Daniel for his private prayer made choice of the time that God had appointed for the evening sacrifice Dan. 9. 21. And so did Cornelius as will appeare if you compare Act. 10. 30. and 31. together Our blessed Saviour made choice of the evening for this purpose sometimes Mat. 14. 23. and sometimes of the morning early before day Mar. 1. 35. And as all our time is not to be spent in mourning so are there some times and seasons fitter for this purpose and such as will yeeld us more helpe in this worke than other-some will do Eccles. 3. 4. There is a time to weepe and a time to laugh a time to mourne and a time to dance And it is the wisdome of a Christian to discerne and take the fittest time for this purpose Eccles. 8. 5. A wise mans heart discerneth both time and judgement saith Salomon Eph. 5. 15 16. Walke not as fooles but as wise men redeeming the time The wisdome of a man you see consisteth much in the husbanding of his time well and making choice of the fittest time fore every purpose and action that he takes in hand And what times are the fittest may you say for this purpose I answer it is profitable for a man every day to be doing somewhat in this worke by observing his owne wayes and calling himselfe to an account for them For First The Apostle tels us we are in danger to be hardned through the deceitfulnesse of sinne if we do not exhort or stirre up our selves daily Heb. 3. 13. Secondly The time of our death is very uncertaine and such servants we know as have great dealings for their master and looke to be called to a strict account they know not how soone will looke every day into their accounts and have them in areadinesse continually And surely this is our case we know not how soone our accounts will be called for Mar. 13. 35 36. Watch ye therefore for ye know not when the master of the house will come least comming suddenly he find you sleeping Thirdly This would helpe us greatly in our daily prayers unto God The more sense and sorrow for sinne we have when we pray the more acceptable certainly would our prayers be unto God Psal. 34. When David had said Vers. 17. The righteous cry and the Lord heareth them he tels us Verse 18. what cries and prayers of the righteous they be that the Lord hath such respect unto The