The Almost Christian Discovered, Sermon · Question 3
The third Queſtion propounded is this.
Third, Whence is it that many are but almoſt Chriſtians, when they have gone thus far? what is the cauſe of this.
I might multiply anſwers to this queſtion, but I ſhall inſtance in two onelyonly, which I judge the moſt material.
Firſt, It is for want of right and ſound convictions, if a man be not throughly convinced of ſin, and his heart truely broken, whatever his profeſſion of godlineſs may be, yet he will be ſure to miſcarry; every work of conviction is not a through work; There are convictions that are onelyonly natural and rational, but not from the powerful work of the ſpirit of God.
Rational conviction what?Rational conviction, is that which proceeds from the working of a natural conſcience, charging guilt from the light of nature, by the help of thoſe foreign thoſe common principles of reaſon that are in all men; This is the conviction you read of, Rom. 2.14, 15. It is ſaid that the Gentiles who had not the law, yet had their conſciences bearing witneſs, and accuſing or excuſing one another; though they had not the light of Scripture, yet they had convictions from the light of nature; now by the help of the Goſpel light, theſe convictions may be much improved, and yet the heart not renewed.
Spiritual conviction what?But then there is a ſpiritual conviction, and this is that work of the ſpirit of God, upon the ſinners heart by the word, whereby the guilt and filth of ſin is fully diſcovered, and the wo and miſery of a natural ſtate diſtinctly ſet home upon the conſcience, to the dread and terrour of the ſinner, whilſt he abides in that ſtate and condition.
And this is the conviction that is a ſound and through work; many have their convictions, but not this ſpiritual conviction.
QuereNow you'l ſay ſuppoſe I am at any time under conviction, how ſhall I know whither my conviction be onelyonly from a natural conſcience, or whether they be from the ſpirit of God?
I ſhould digreſs too much to draw out the ſolution of this queſtion, to its juſt length, I ſhall therefore in five things onelyonly lay down, the moſt conſiderable difference between the one and the other.
1. Natural convictions reach cheifly to open and ſcandalous ſins, ſins againſt the light of nature, for natural conviction can reach no farther then natural light.
But Spiritual conviction, reaches to ſecret, inward, and undiſcerned ſins, ſuch as Hypocriſie, Formality, Lukewarmneſs, deadneſs and hardneſs of heart, &c.
Obſerve then, whether your trouble for ſin, looks inward as well as outward, and reaches not onelyonly to open ſins, but to ſecret luſts, to inward and ſpiritual ſins, and if ſo, this is a ſure ſign of the work of the ſpirit, becauſe the trouble occaſioned by theſe ſins bears a more immediate relation to the Holineſs of God, who onelyonly is offended by them, they being ſuch as none elſe can ſee or know.
2. Natural convictions deal onelyonly with a mans converſation, not with his ſtate and condition, with ſins actual, not original; But ſpiritual convictions, reach to all ſins, to ſins of heart as well as ſins of life, to the ſin of our nature, as well as the ſins of practiſe; to the ſin that is born in us, as well as the ſin that is done by us.
Where the ſpirit of the Lord commeth to work effectually in any ſoul, he holdeth the glaſs of the law before the ſinners eyes, and openeth his eyes to look into the glaſs, and to ſee all that deformity and filthineſs that is in his heart and nature.
Ro. 2.14.The Apoſtle Paul ſaith, I had not known ſin, but by the Law, Rom. 7.7. How can this be true? that he had not known ſin but by the law, when as the light of nature diſcovers ſin? It is ſaid of the Gentiles, That having not the law, they are a law unto themſelves.
This ſin therefore that the Apoſtle ſpeaks of, is not to be underſtood of ſin actual, but of ſin original; I had not known the pollution of nature, that fountain of ſin that is within, this I had not known but by the law, and indeed this is a diſcovery that natural light cannot make; it is true the Philoſopher could ſay foreign, that luſt is the firſt and cheif of all ſins;Timon apud Laertium. but I cannot think he meant it of original ſin, but of the inordinacy of appetite, and deſire at moſt; for I find that the wiſeſt of the Philoſophers underſtood nothing of original ſin, hear Seneca, Erras ſi tecum vitia naſci putas, ſupervenerunt, ingeſta ſunt, ſin is not born with thee but brought in ſince. Tam fine vitio quam ſine virtute naſcimur.
Quintilian ſaith, it is more marvel that any one man ſins, then that all men ſhould live honeſtly, ſin is ſo againſt the nature of men; how blind were they in this point, and ſo was Paul, till the ſpirit of the Lord diſcovered it to him by the word. And indeed this is a diſcovery proper to the ſpirit.
It is he that makes the ſinner ſee all the deformity and filthineſs that is within, it is he that pulleth off all the ſinners rags and makes him ſee his naked and wretched condition, it is he that ſhews us the blindneſs of the mind, the ſtubborneſs of the will, the diſorderedneſs of the affections, the ſearedneſs of the conſcience, the plague of our hearts, and the ſin of our natures, and therein the deſperateneſs of our ſtate.
3. Natural convictions carry the Soul out to look more on the evil that comes by ſin, then on the evil that is in ſin; ſo that the ſoul under this conviction is more troubled at the dread of Hell and wrath, and damnation, then at the vileneſs and heinous nature of ſin.
But now Spiritual convictions, work the ſoul into a greater ſenſibleneſs of the evil that is in ſin, then of the evil that comes by ſin, the diſhonour done to God by walking contrary to his will, the wounds that are made in the heart of Chriſt, the greif that the holy Spirit of God is put to, this wounds the ſoul more then a thouſand Hells.
4. Natural convictions are not durable, they are quickly worn out, they are like a ſlight cut in the skin, that bleeds a little, and is ſoar for the preſent, but is healed again, and in a few days not ſo much as a Scar to be ſeen.
But Spiritual convictions are durable, they cannot be worn out, they abide in the ſoul till they have reached their end (which is the change of the ſinner)
The convictions of the ſpirit are like a deep wound in the fleſh, that goes to the bone, and ſeems to indanger the life of the Patient, and is not healed but with great skill; and when it is healed, leaves a Scar behinde it, that when the Patient is well, yet he can ſay, here is the mark of my wound, which will never wear out.
Vna eademque manus pulnus opemque tulit.So a ſoul that is under Spiritual conviction, his wound is deep, and not to be healed, but by the great skill of the Heavenly Phyſitian, and when it is healed, there are the tokens of it remaining in the ſoul that can never be worn out, ſo that the ſoul may ſay here are the markes and ſignes of my conviction ſtill in my ſoul.
5. Natural convictions make the Soul ſhy of God, guilt works fear, and fear cauſes eſtrangedneſs; thus it was with Adam, Gen. 3.8.when he ſaw his nakedneſs, he ran away and hid himſelf from God.
Ier. 31.18Now ſpiritual convictions drive not the ſoul from God, but unto God; Ephraims conviction was ſpiritual, and he runs to God, Turn thou me, and I ſhall be turned. So that there is you ſee, a great difference between conviction and conviction, between that which is natural, and that which is ſpiritual, that which is Common, and that which is Saving.
Yea ſuch is the difference, that though a man hath never ſo much of the former, yet if he be without the latter, he is but almoſt a Chriſtian, and therefore we have great reaſon to inquire more after this ſpiritual conviction. For,
1. Spiritual conviction is an eſſential part of ſound converſion, converſion begins here, true converſion begins in convictions, and true convictions end in converſion.
Till the ſinner be convinced of ſin, he can never be converted from ſin, Chriſts coming was as a Saviour, to dye for ſinners, and the ſpirits comming is to convince us as ſinners, that we may cloſe with Chriſt as a Saviour; till ſin be throughly diſcovered to us, intereſt in the blood of Chriſt, cannot rightly be claimed by us, nay ſo long as ſin is unſeen, Chriſt will be unſought. They that be whole needs not the Phyſitian, but they that are ſick. Mat. 9.12.
2. Slight and common convictions, (when they are but skin deep) are the cauſe of much Hypocriſie; Slight convictions may bring the ſoul to clasp about Chriſt, but not to cloſe with Chriſt, and this is the guiſe of a Hypocrite; I know no other riſe and ſpring of Hypocriſie like this of ſlight convictions, this hath filled the Church of Chriſt with Hypocrites.
Mat. 13.5, 6.Nay it is not onelyonly the ſpring of Hypooriſie, but it is alſo the ſpring of Apoſtacy, what was the cauſe that the Seed was ſaid to Wither away, Mat. 13.5, 6. is was becauſe it had no deepneſs of earth. Where there is a through conviction, there is a depth of earth in the heart, and there the Seed of the Word grows, but where convictions are ſlight and common, there the ſeed withers for want of depth, ſo that you ſee clearly in this one inſtance, whence it is, that many are but almoſt Chriſtians, when they have gone ſo far in Religion, viz. for want of ſound convictions.
Mat. 13.20, 21.Secondly, (And this hath a neer Relation to the former) It is for want of a through work of grace firſt wrought in the heart, where this is not, all a mans following profeſſion comes to nothing; that Scholar is never like to read well, that will needs be in his Grammer, before he is out of his Primmer; Cloath that is not wrought well in the Loom, will neither wear well, nor wear long, it will do little ſervice, ſo that Chriſtian that doth not come well off the Loom, that hath not a through work of grace in his heart, will never wear well, he will ſhrink in the wetting, and never do much ſervice for God; it is not the pruning of a bad tree, will make it bring forth good fruit, but the tree muſt be made good, before the fruit can be good, Mat. 12.33.
He that takes up a profeſſion of Religion with an unbroken heart, will never ſerve Chriſt in that profeſſion with his whole heart.
If there be not a true change in that mans heart, that yet goes far and doth much in the ways of God, to be ſure he will either dye an Hypocrite or an Apoſtate.
Look as in nature, if a man be not well born but prove crooked or miſhapen in the birth, why he will be crooked as long as he lives, you may boulſter or ſtuff out his clothes to conceal it, but the crookedneſs, the deformity remains ſtill, you may hide it, but you cannot help it, it may be covered, but it cannot be cured.
Iohn 3.5.So it is in this caſe, if a man come into a profeſſion of Religion, but be not right born, if he be not begotten of God, and born of the Spirit, if there be not a through work of grace in his heart, all his profeſſion of Religion will never mend him, he may be boulſterd out by a life of duties, but he will be but a Hypocrite at laſt, for want of a through work at firſt, a forme of godlineſs may cover his crookedneſs, but will never cure it.
A man can never be a true Chriſtian nor accepted of God though in the higheſt profeſſion of Religion, without a work of grace in the heart. For,
1. There muſt be an anſwerableneſs in the frame of that mans heart (that would be accepted of God) to the duties done by him, his ſpirit and affections within muſt carry a proportion to his profeſſion without; Prayer without faith, obedience to the law given, without fear and holy reverence of the Law giver, God abhors: acts of internal worſhip, muſt anſwer the duties of external worſhip.
Now where there is not grace wrought in the heart, there can never be any proportion or anſwerableneſs in the frame of that mans heart, to the duties done by him.
2. Thoſe duties that find acceptance with God, muſt be done in ſincerity, God doth not take our duties by tale, nor judge of us according to the frequency of our performances, but according to the ſincerity of our hearts in the performance. It is this that commends both the doer and the duty to God; with ſincerity, God accepts the leaſt we do, without ſincerity God rejects the moſt we do or can do; This is that temper of ſpirit which God highly delights in, Prov. 11.20. They that are of a froward heart, 1 Chron. 19 17.are an abomination to the Lord, but ſuch as are upright in their way are his delight.
We read it Godly ſincerity.The Apoſtle gives it a great Epithete, he calls it in 2 Cor. 1.12. foreign, the ſincerity of God, that is ſuch a ſincerity as is his ſpecial work upon the ſoul, ſetting the heart right and upright before him in all his ways.
This is the Crown of all our graces, and the commendation of all our duties, thouſands periſh and go to Hell in the midſt of all their performances and duties, meerly for want of a little ſincerity of heart to God.
Jer. 17.9.Now where there is not a change of ſtate, a work of grace in the heart, there can be no ſincerity to God-ward, for this is not quid proveniens a natura, it is not an herb that grows in natures garden, the heart of man is naturally deceitful, and deſperately wicked, more oppoſite to ſincerity then to any thing: as things corrupted carry a greater diſſimilitude to what they were, then to any thing elſe which they never were.
God made man upright, now man voluntarily loſing this, is become more diſlike to himſelf then to any thing below himſelf, he is more like a Lyon, a Wolf, a Bear, a Serpent, a Toad, then to man in innocency.
So that it is impoſſible to find ſincerity in any ſoul, till there be a work of grace wrought there by the ſpirit of God; and hence it is that a man is but almoſt a Chriſtian when he hath done all.