A Grain of Mustard Seed, Conclusion 2
II. Conclusion.
The first materiall beginnings of the conuersion of a sinner, ar the smallest measure ofrenewing grace, hauehave the promises of this life, and the life to come.
The Exposition.
THe beginnings of conuersion must be distinguished. Some are beginnings of preparation, some beginnings of composition. Beginnings of preparation are such as bring vnderunder, tame, & subdue the stubbernes of mans nature: without making any change at all: of this sort are the accusations of the conscience by the ministerie of the law, feares and terrours arising thence, compunction of heart, which is the apprehension of Gods anger against sinne. Nowe these and the like, I exclude in the conclusion; for though they goe before to prepare a sinner to his conuersion following, yet are they no graces of God, but fruits both of the law, being the ministery of death, as also of an accusing conscience. Beginnings of composition I tearme all those inward motions and inclinations of Gods spirit, that follow after the worke of the law vponupon the conscience, and rise vponupon the meditation of the Gospell, that promiseth righteousnes and life euerlasting by Christ: out of which motions the conuersion of a sinner ariseth, and of which it consisteth: what these are, it shall afterward appeare. Againe, grace must be distinguished: it is two-fold; restraining grace, or renuing grace. Restraining grace, I tearme certaine common gifts, of God, seruing onelyonly to order and frame the outward conuersation of men to the Law of God, or seruing to bereaue men of excuse in the day of iudgement. By this kind of grace, heathen men hauehave bin liberall, iust, sober, valiant, & mercifull. By it men liuing in the Church of God, hauehave beene inlightned, and hauing tasted of the good word of God, hauehave reioyced therein, and for a time outwardly conformed themselues therto. Renewing grace is not common to al men, but proper to the elect, & it is a gift of Gods spirit, whereby the corruption of a sinner is not only restrained, but also mortified, and the decaied image of God restored in righteousnes and true holines. Now then the conclusiō must only be vnderstoode of the second, and not of the first: for though a man hauehave neuer so much of this restraining grace, yet vnlesse he hauehave the spirit of Christ to create faith in the heart, and to sanctifie him, he is as farre from saluation as another. Thus then the sense and meaning of the conclusion is, that the verie lest measure of sauing grace, and the verie beginning or seedes of regeneration doe declare, and after a sort giuegive title to men, of all the mercifull promises of God, whether they concern this life or the life to come: & are therefore approoued of God, if they be in truth; and accepted as greater measures of grace. That which our Sauiour Christ saith of the worke of miracles, Math. 17. 20. If ye hauehave faith as a graine of Musterd-seede, ye shall say vntounto this mountaine, remooue hence to yonder place, and it shall remooue, must by the law of equall proportion be applied to sauing faith, repentance, the feare of God, and all other graces? if they be truly wrought in the heart, though they be but as smal as one little graine of Musterd-seede, they shall be sufficiently effectuall to bring forth good workes, for which they are ordained. The prophet Esay 42. 3. saith, that Christ shall not quench the smoking flaxe, nor breake the bruised reede, Let the comparison be marked: fire in flaxe must be both little and weake in quā titie as a sparke or twain, that cannot cause a flame, but only a smoke, specially in a matter so easie to burne. Here thē is signified, that the gifts and graces of Gods spirit, that are both for measure & strength as a sparke or twaine of fire, shal not be neglected, but rather accepted and cherished by Christ. When our Sauiour Christ heard the young man make a confession of a practise but of outward and ciuill righteousnesse, he looked vponupon him and loued him: Mark. 10. 21. and when he heard the scribe to speake discreetely but one good speech, that to louelove god with all the heart is aboue all sacrifices, he said vntounto him. That he was not for from the kingdome of heauen. Therefore no doubt, he will louelove with a more speciall louelove, and accept as the good subiects of his kingdome, those that hauehave receiued a further merciemercy of God, to be borne a new of water and the spirit.