A Treatise of Conversion, Chapter 1 · Section 26
SECT. XXVI.
2. VVHen the Sinner is thus engaged in Covenant to God: the next thing that he doth, is, Actually to forsake that sin which he hath renounced, and make good the Covenant that even now he made. For it is not a false dissembling promise, that converted sinners make to God. Thre is no hold to take of another mans word: Before Conversion, all promises come from so low a principle that they quickly vanish, and the heart of such a man is as changeable as the Moon: But when they are converted, you shall see that they are men of their word, and did mean as they said, and were in good sadness with God, and that they are indeed faln out with sin: they do now not think to put off the Righteous God with words, and keep that sin which in their covenant they did Renounce: No, they know that that would but bring greater wrath upon them, and cause God to deal with them as perjur'd Covenant-breakers, besides all the rest of their sins; and therefore the same Grace that caused them to promise, causeth them to perform. Oh, what a sudden change doth appear in the lives of such as these, when God hath throughly done his work! I know the work on the heart is the greatest work, but that is not seen so much by men, and therefore not so much admired. But the life is seen by others, and therefore it is a wonder in the eyes of the world many times, to see the change of a converted sinner: when they see, that he that lived in fleshly pleasures, doth now despise them, and hath no such mind of his former sports and delights! They marvel what aileth the man that he is so changed: when they hear him that was wont to curse and swear, and deride those that feared God, to lament now his wickednesses, to reprove others that do as he was wont to do, and warn them to take heed of going that way; people will marvel what hath befallen the man that hath made this alteration: They do not see what he hath seen, nor know the workings of the Spirit of God upon his soul: They know not how God hath been hammering his hard heart, and melting it, and forming it to this: They were not witnesses of the strivings and conflict in his spirit, which was between Christ and the flesh: and therefore, when they see not the cause within, the change without will seem the stranger to them. And indeed it is a kind of miracle to see the effects of the power of Christ, and how suddenly oftentimes the change is made, that would never have been made by any other means. Take a man that hath onelyonly some light convictions, and a half-Repentance, and how long is he in making a half-Reformation. If he were wont to swear or curse, or frequent Ale-houses and vain company, he cannot suddenly leave it, but sometimes he restrains it a little, as if he were reformed, and sometimes he fals to it again, because he is not truly changed. But when he is converted indeed, you shall see him ordinarily leave all these sins, even on a sudden: He that was wont to swear or curse, you shall never hear him do it again; he will flee from the places that before he delighted in: He is moved by a more effectual principle, and therefore will not stand trifling in the business. Grace makes a man know, that sin, and Satan, and the flesh are his deadly enemies, that seek the everlasting damnation of his soul, and therefore it is the less marvel, if he use them as enemies. If friends have weapons in their hands, they will but play with them, but deadly enemies will seek the blood of one another. There is difference between fencing and fighting for life. Though a man that knoweth nothing of their meaning▪ might think a Fencer is fighting in good sadness, seeing he seemeth to make as great a stir as if it were so indeed: yet the issue will shew you, that it is otherwise, because you see that there is no blood shed, nor men killed. So is it with an Hypocrite in his seeming Reformation, when he makes the greatest stir against his sin, in confessing, and prayer, and other means, yet he will not Resolvedly cast it away, but he secretly useth it as his friend, while he openly abuseth it as his enemy; and he puts it into his bosome; while he cals it all to naught. He will not be brought unfeignedly to Renounce it, and give it a bill of divorce, and cast it out as a man doth his vomit, with Resolution never to take it in more: Oh how sweetly doth he roul it in his thoughts in secret, when he frowneth upon it with the severest countenance! How easily is he drawn to it again and again, when he takes on him to repent of it and abhor it! But it is clean contrary with a man that is converted: Though the Remnants of sin will remain in him while he liveth, yet as to the Reign of it, he presently casteth it off, and bideth defiance to it: He fighteth against it in good earnest, as knowing that either he or it must die: He casteth it up as a loathsome vomit, which he will not take into his stomack again: you shall quickly see by the course of his life, that his heart is changed. Before true Conversion comes, what a stir have we with wretched sinners to leave a base lust? to forsake their drunkenness, or covetousness, or uncleanness, to leave their swearing and cursed speaking, and yet we cannot prevail with them, sometime they will, and then again they will not: sometime a flash of conviction flieth in their faces, and they are a little affrightned, and then they will presently repent and mend: But when the fit is over, you shall see that it is not a change of his Disposition or Nature: it was but a little falling out with their sin, which leaveth them faster friends, when they are Reconciled: But Conversion maketh an unreconcilable enmity. Away goes former sinful customs and courses; away goes covetous practices, and wicked speeches, and proud fashions, and courses. As Sarah thrust out Hagar and Ishmael out of her house, and would Receive them no more. If you have deadly enemies in your house, you will thrust out them and all that they have. If a man should sit in a dark room among Snakes and Toads, and think verily that there were no such matter, but he were in his bed-chamber: you might perswade him long enough to come away, and tell him of the danger: but he will not stir, but laugh at you, because he doth not believe you. But if you come into the room with a light, and he see them crawling all about him, and making at him, then you need not another word to bid him be gone; he is quickly up, and leaveth them with abhorrency. We tell unconverted sinners of the hatefulness of sin, and the danger that they are in, and pray them to leave it, but they believe us not, and do but laugh at it, but when the Spirit of God bringeth in the light, and they see all this with their own eyes, that it is even worse then ever we made it; then away goes their sins, without any more ado. Like a child that hath a fine yellow Crab, which he taketh for a… Apple, he will not part with it, nor let you take it from him: but when he hath set his teeth in it once, and tasted it, he will throw it away without any more ado. If such a foolish child be playing with a Nettle, while he taketh it for a common Herb, he is bold with it, but when he feels the sting, he throweth it away: Or if he be playing about a nest of Wasps or Bees, while he takes them to be but harmless flies, you cannot call him away, but when once they hav stung him, he cries and runs away of himself, without another word. Even so is it with a poor sinner about his sins, before Conversion. We pray him to come, come away, and tell him that sin hath a sting, and a deadly sting, and assure him from the Word of God, that it will be bitterness in the latter end, and he makes no great matter of our words, but can hear us, as if we came in the Pulpit to tell him a tale, and not to save his soul from Hell: and therefore he can go on in his old way for all this, and take his cups, or follow the world and his fleshly lusts, and give the Preacher leave to talk. But when converting Grace comes, it makes them taste the bitterness and sourness of sin, and then they quickly spit it out. It makes them feel the sting and smart, and then they cry to God for help, and wish they had never known it, and run away from it with detestation. Grace bringeth in that light from God, which shews them that which they did not see before. How that all this while they have had a multitude of crawling Serpents in their bosome, and they have been playing even at the brink of Hell: And when they se this with their own eyes, its time for them to take another course.
If you doubt of all this that I say, whether Conversion doth make a man thus cast away his sin, while the Hypocrite stands dallying with it, and cannot leave it; Look into the example of all true Converts. Or if that do not satisfie you, look into the Infallible Word of God. How eagerly was Saul going on in his persecution, till the light from Heaven did stop his course; and the voice and Grace of Christ did change his mind! Act. 9. But do you read that ever Paul did persecute any more? or doth he delay and take time to consider of the matter before he would leave his former sin? No, but he presently forbears, and betakes himself to another course. And Tit. 3. 3, 4, 5. When he confessed the former sinful course of himself and others, he telleth you now how the matter is mended. And no marvel, for the man that liveth in his former sinful way, can never be saved, whatever change of the heart he may pretend, 1 Cor. 6. 9, 10, 11. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God? Be not deceived, neither Fornicators, nor Idolaters, nor Adulterers, nor Effeminate, nor Abusers of themselves with mankind, nor Thievs, nor Covetous, nor Drunkards, nor Revellers, nor Extortioners shall inherit the Kingdom of God. And such were some of you, but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. Now you see that Conversion makes an effectual change of the life: ye were such, but now it is not so, ye are washed, ye are sanctified by the Spirit of God. And Isa. 30. 22. When God mentioneth the conversion of these people, he saith concerning their former sins: Thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth, thou shalt say to it, got thee hence. With what detestation will a converted sinner, say to his former sin [Get thee hence! It is by thee that I have suffered, and had like to have been undone for ever. It is by thee that I have so much wronged God, and therefore away with thee; get thee hence.] So in Isa. 31. 6, 7. Turn ye unto him, from wh…m the children of Israel have deeply Revolted; For in that day every man shall cast away his Idols of silver, and his Idols of Gold, which your own hands have made you for a sin. And the Description of Conversion runs thus, Ezek. 18. 31. Cast away from you all your Transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed against me, and make you a new heart, and a new spirit: for why will you die, Oh ye house of Israel? And Ezek. 20. 7. God commandeth them: Cast ye away every man the Abomination of his eyes, and vers. 8. They rebelled, and did not cast away every man the abomination of his eyes: Rom. 13. 12. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the Armour of light, let us walk honestly, as in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. Isa. 1. 16, 17. Wash ye, make ye clean, put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes: Cease to do evil, learn to do well. Isa. 55. 6, 7. Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is neer. Let the wicked forsake his waies, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return again to the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon, Jer. 26. 13. Amend your wayes and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God, and he will repent him of the evil. An hundred more such passages might be cited: wherein it is most Evident, that there is no true conversion of the heart, if the sin of the life be not also cast away.
If any will here desire to be curious, and to know just how much Conquest the least degree of Grace doth make, and how much actual sins may stand with sincerity of Grace? Or if any will imagine, that because there is yet actual sin in the Converted: that therefore there is no discernable difference between their reformation and other mens. I answer them as followeth. 1. A strong Degree of Grace is easily known by him that hath it, by the through Reformation both of heart and life. 2. The weakest Degree of Grace is not ordinarily known, and therefore you cannot expect that I should make it known, For he that hath so little Grace as to sin as much as will stand with true Grace, shall scarce ever know that he hath any true Grace at all in that condition: he is not fit for such a condition, nor would it do him good till he were fitter for it. 3. There is no change of the life that will discover sincerity certainly to others, nor to themselves considered alone, without the change of the heart, but there is a wickedness of the life that will prove a wickedness of the heart even unto others: much more to men themselves, who may know both immediately. 4. By this one mark you may know whether the sins of your lives, be they great or small, are certain proofs of an unconverted graceless heart or not. In every true converted man, the main bent of his heart and life is against sin, and his chief desire and endeavour is to destroy it: But in others it is not so. Whatsoever kind of sinning therefore will not stand with such a bent of heart and life; with such a desire and endeavour, will prove that man to be graceless or unconverted that doth commit it. Now how far a mans sin is with, or against the main predominant bent of his own heart and life, he may discern himself by diligent observation.