[4.] Fourthly, The Lord's supper is a sealing ordinance, and was ordained, instituted, and appointed for that very purpose and to that very end, viz., to seal up the believer's propriety in God, and to assure him of his interest in God, in Christ, in the everlasting covenant, and in all the benefits of Christ's death, to wit, the favour of God, reconci- liation, redemption, and the remission of sins.^ Now, how can it pos- sibly be imagined, that so glorious an ordinance should be instituted to so great and so glorious an end as to assure believers of their interest and propriety in God, and yet this end should never be effected in them all their days, for whose sake the ordinance was instituted and appointed? Certainly God never appointed any ordinance to accomplish any end, but first or last that ordinance did accomplish that end for which it was appointed and instituted, Isa. Iv. 10, 11, and xlv. 23. Cyprian shews how the martyrs in the primitive church, when they were to appear before the cruel persecuting tyrants, were wont to receive the Lord's supper, and thereby they were so assured of their interest and pro- priety in God, and so fired with zeal and fervour, and filled with faith and fortitude, &c., that they made nothing of the greatest torments » Mat. xxvi. 26-28 ; 1 Cor. xi. 23, 24 : Rom. iv. 11.
134j an aek for all god's noahs. [Lam. III. 24.
that those bloody tyrants could inflict upon them.^ And saith Chry- sostom, by the sacrament of the Lord's supper we are so armed against Satan's temptations, that he fleeth from us, as if we were so many lions that spat fire.
The Jews in the celebration of the passover did sing the 113th Psalm, with the five following Psalms, which they called the great Hallelujah, and it was always after that cup of wine, which they called the cup of praise ; and thus it should be with the saints. At all times, upon all occasions, in all places, they should sing Hallelujahs to God. Oh, but when they are at the Lord's supper, then they should sing the great Hallelujah ; but how they will be ever able to sing this great Hallelujah, except first or last, more or less, God gives them some assurance of their interest and propriety in himself, I cannot for my life discern. But,
[5.] Fifthly, There is in all believers the choice and precious springs of assurance^ as
(1.) Union and communion with the FatJier and Son : 1 John i. 3, * That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us : and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.' Now, that union that is be- tween the foundation and the building, the head and the members, the husband and the wife, the father and the child, the subject and the prince, the body and the soul, is nothing so near an union as that which is between a believer and God. Besides, that union that a Christian hath with God is an honourable union, and it is an insepar- able union, it is an invincible union, and it is an everlasting union, 1 Cor. vi. 16, 17. Now, how is it possible for a man to have such a near and such a glorious union and fellowship with God from the day of his conversion to the day of his dissolution, and yet never come to any assurance of his interest and propriety in God, is a thing not easily imaginable.
(2.) Precious faith is another spring of assurance: 1 Peter i. 8, 'Whom having not seen, ye love ; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory.' Now, this spring is in all the saints, 2 Peter i. 1. The faith of expectance will in time rise up into a faith of reliance, and the faith of reliance will in time advance itself into a faith of assurance.
(3.) Hope is another spring. of assurance : Col. i. 27, ' Christ in you, the hope of glory ;' Heb. vi. 1 9, ' Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil.'
(4.) A good conscience is another spring of assurance, 2 Cor. i. 12.
(5.) Real love to the saints is another spring of assurance, 1 John iii. 14.
(6.) And lastly, the Spirit of God is another spring of assurance, Rom. chap. 8th. Now, that a Christian should have all these choice springs of assurance in his soul, from his new birth to the day of his death, and yet in all that time never come to assurance of his interest and propriety in God, is a thing, I had almost said, beyond all belief. But,
^ Cyprian, lib. iv. £p. vi. The same Augustine reports. — At^. in John tract 27.
Lam. III. 24] an ark for all god's noahs. 135
[6.] Sixthly, There is nothing in all the world that the hearts of the saints are more frequently, more fervently, and more abundantly cari'ied out after, in all their prayers and supplications, than this, that God would tell them that he is their portion, and that he would clear up their interest and propriety in himself, Ps. iv. 6, 7. The con- stant language of their souls is this : Lord, do but tell us that thou art our portion, and then bestow earthly portions upon whom thou pleasest ; do but clear up our interest and propriety in thyself, and then we shall say, ' Our lot is fallen in a pleasant place, and verily we have a goodly heritage,' Ps. xvi. 5, 6. Believers know that assurance that God is their portion, and that they have an interest and propriety in him, will ease them of all their sinful cares, fears, terrors, horrors, jealousies, suspicions, and sad apprehensions, which makes their lives a very hell. They know that assurance of their interest and propriety in God will make ever bitter sweet, and every sweet more sweet; it will turn a wilderness into a paradise, an Egypt into a Canaan. They know that assurance that God is theirs will raise the truest comforts, the purest comforts, the greatest comforts, the surest comforts, the strongest comforts, the rarest comforts, the sweetest comforts, and the most lasting comforts in their souls, Isa. xl. 1, 2. They know that assurance of their interest in God will fit them for the highest duties in Christianity, and for the hardest duties in Christianity, and for the costliest duties in Christianity, and for the most neglected, scorned, and despised duties in Christianity. They know that assurance of their propriety in God will most quicken their graces, and act their graces, and raise their graces, and strengthen their graces, and brighten their graces, and put a lustre and a beauty upon their graces. They know that assurance of their interest in God will wonderfully weaken sin, and effectually crucify their hearts to the world, and sweetly moderate their affections to their nearest and dearest relations, and powerfully arm them both against the world's oppositions and Satan's temptations.