A Treatise of Conversion, Chapter 1 · Section 9
SECT. IX.
2. THe second part of the work of Conversion is upon the heart or will, to which this change of the mind or understanding is preparative: and in this change of the heart, there are these several parts observable. 1. The will is brought to like what it disliked, and to dislike what it liked before. 2. It is brought to choose what it refused; and to consent to that which it would not consent to. 3. It is brought to Resolve, where it was, either Resolved on the Contrary; or unresolved. 4. The several affections are changed, of Love and Hatred, Desire and Aversion; Delight and Sorrow; Hope and Despair; Courage and Fear; and Anger with Content and discontent. In all these Respects the Converted is changed, which we must therefore speak of in their Order.
1. The first change that God maketh on the heart or will in the Work of Conversion (after the preparatory works, which we now pass over) is, in the Complacency or Displacency of it: He causeth that to favour or relish as sweet to the will, which before was as bitter the Soul receiveth a New Inclination, It liketh that which before it dishked, not only by a meer Approbation, but by a willing closure of the heart therewith. So that, these two things, a new Inclination, and a New Complacency, do go to make up this first part of the work, Before Conversion the very bene of mans Mind is toward the things below, and his heart is against the things of God: he relisheth the things below as sweet and it pleaseth him to possess-them, or to think of possessing them; but he hath no pleasure in God, nor in thinking or hearing of the life to come: All things please or displease a man, according as they agree or disagree to his Inclination; and as they seem to him either sutable or unsutable. Things do not please or displease according to their own goodness or badness, but according to the Qualification of him that apprehendeth or entertaineth them. (To the hungry hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet, but the full soul loatheth the honey-comb, Prov. 27. 7. What pleasanter life to a Glutton or Drunkard, then to pour in and stuff their panch? and to any sharp stomach, how good is their meat: but when a man is sick, there is scarce a greater Torment then to eat or drink, when the stomach goeth against it. Oh how they loath it, and cannot get it down! They had rather cast the daintiest fare into the channel, then take it into their stomachs; so it is with the sick unrenewed soul: he hath no pleasure in God, nor any holy things: It goeth against his heart to think of them; or seriously to speak or hear much of them: He marvelleth how other men can find so much delight in reading, and hearing, and praying, and the like; for his part he is weary to bear it; though for fashion, or for fear of Gods wrath he comes to Church, or sayeth over a few words of hypocritical, heartless prayer, yet he usually makes no long matter of it; but he longeth till it be done, and he is glad when it is over; therefore the Scripture calleth such, enemies to God, and haters of him: for their hearts are not with him, though with their tongues they may draw neer him, Isa. 29. 13. Mat. 15. 8. I know it is a very common thing with almost all men to profess that God hath more of their hearts then pleasures, profits, or any thing else, but sin hath blinded them so, that they know not themselves: Otherwise it would be a very easie matter for them to perceive that their very hearts are turned away from God. Many poor sinners are even willing to cheat their souls with a lye, when they might know that their hearts have no delight in God; but that the very thoughts of him, and of his word, and service, and Everlasting life, are rather grievous to them; and as the Psalmist saith, God is not in all their thoughts, Psal. 10. 4. The Lord knoweth their thoughts, that they are vain, Psal. 94. 11. Well, this is then the first change that God by his renewing Grace doth make upon the heart; he turneth it to himself, he giveth it a new Inclination and Byaes: He first openeth mens eyes to see: Gods Excellency, and the Excellency of those Glorious things which he hath promised; and thereby draweth their hearts unto them. It is a great and difficult matter to set the heart of man upon heaven; but God can do it, and doth it in this great change. I know the best are still earthly in part, and too much in the dark, and too too backward to the things of God, and God hath not neer that room in their hearts as he deserves, and as they could wish he had, yet a wonderful change is made on them; they that had no savour of God and Glory before, do now savour nothing else so much, they can truly say as David, though perhaps not so feelingly as he, Whom have I in heaven but thee, and there is none on earth that I can desire besides thee, Psal. 73. 25. He that scarce thought of God before, now his mind runs upon him; now his thoughts are, whether God be Reconciled to him, or not: and how God approveth of him, and his wayes: Where he sure of his favour he would think himself happy; could he but know him, and enjoy him more, he had the very desire of his heart. It is his greatest trouble that he is no neerer him, and no more fit to please and honour him; and God hath no more room in his heart. Unfeignedly he grudgeth at the Remnants of sin, that they should so weary and grieve the Spirit of God, and hinder his more sensible enjoyment of his Love: It grieveth him that any of that room in his heart should be taken up by fleshly and wordly vanities, which he knoweth doth of right belong to Christ. It is his care to give him yet better entertainment, and to get out those remnants of sin and vanity, that God at last may have it all to himself. It is his daily business to sweep out this dung, and dress up his disordered heart for Christ; and glad he is when he can but find any signs of his presence, and feeleth any stirring of his Grace; and when he can but move towards him more swiftly by a stronger Love; this is the true condition and temper of a converted soul: All other men do but talk of God, but it is only these that give him their heart. Sirs, I would fain make this as plain as I can to you, and I would fain have you try as we go along, whether this change have been made in your own hearts, or not. You know that there is something or other that every man is most pleased in, and his mind is most towards; and this Complacency and bent of the mind, is the very spring of almost all his Conversation; but if he have no pleasure in it, nor mind to it, he will neglect it, whatsoever you can say or do. Here is the true root of the Difference between the hearts of the Carnal, and of the Spiritual: Before a man is Converted, his mind is not towards God, but upon other things: but afterwards nothing is so near and dear to him. Mark the discovery of both these states, Rom. 8. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is …ty against God, for it is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can be; so then, they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. Here you see in the very Words of the holy Ghost a plain Description of these two different conditions of men: till a man be Converted, his mind is more on his fleshly pleasure or commodity, or credit in the world, then in God or the happiness of the world to come. Whatsoever he may say or pretend to the Love of God, yet God knoweth that his mind is another way: but when converting Grace comes, it taketh off the old byas, and setteth on a New one; and now the man that was carnally minded is become spiritually minded. Sinners, if you would but enter into your own hearts, and ask them what it is that seemeth best to you in all the world; what it is that most pleaseth you; what you would have if you might have your choice; by this you might know the bent of your mind; and so know whether you are indeed converted, or not. You think it may be, that you may have worldly and fleshly minds, and yet have Grace too: and that you may set your hearts most upon your fleshly and wordly pleasures, and yet be the children of God; but deceive not your selves, it cannot be: Believe it, it cannot be. Oh that those men did think of this, that drown their hearts in the cares of this life; or wilfully run on in gluttony, drunkenness, or other fleshly delights. If ever you escape the Torments you have deserved, if ever you will see the face of God in peace, those hearts must be turned quite another way; those delights must grow bitter to you: you must be ashamed of your present pleasure, Rom. 6. 21. and your souls must abhorr them in Comparison of Christ, and even abhorr your selves for all your abominations, Ezek. 36. 21. And cast them all away as dross and dung, and account all as loss for the winning of Christ, which now you think your greatest gain, Phil. 3. 8, 9. Oh sinners how low will all these things be then in your hearts? when you look upon all the glory of this world, it will be no more Lovely then a dead Carcass in your eyes: For you will be crucified to the World, and the World to you, Gal. 6. 14. If a man would then offer you all the Kingdoms and Glory of the earth, it would be but as a chip to you, it would stink in your thoughts if it tended to deprive you of everlasting Glory. Many Infirmities may stand with Grace, but a carnal or wordly mind in … prevailing sense cannot. Love not the World, nor the things of …e World, for if any man Love the World, the Love of the Father is not … him, 1 Joh. 2. 15. I know there are few men so foolish and ungodly, but will say with their tongues, that God is better then the Creature, and heaven then earth, and would give it as their Judgement under their hand, and confirm it with an Oath, that they do not dissemble: yea but the Question is of the Inclination and Complacency of their hearts; which do these men love better, and which do they mind as the most sutable Good? Never tell me that their Estimation of God is sincere, unless it affect the heart with an Answerable Complacency and Inclination to him: They may Apprehend it as Truth, that God is the chief Good, but they do not truly, that is, throughly Apprehend it.
But when Converting Grace comes, it doth this work. I know, when the best Christians have reached to the greatest knowledge of God and sence of his Love, which in this life they may expect, they will still be looking higher after more; and the apprehension of that which they yet come short of, will much darken the apprehension of their present Attainment; Infiniteness will quite Overmatch both our Apprehensions and our Affections; but though we are ready to call our present glimpse and taste of God, a very Nothing, when we compare our knowledge of him with our Ignorance, and our Enjoyments with our wants; yet when we compare these small things with all the pleasures or profits of this world, we see that we have chosent the better part. Alas, the Poor Converted soul hath quickly a taste of the vanity of this world, in the very first heart-breaking and humbling that he was brought into: when his sin is set in Order before him, and the voice of the Law doth make his heart to tremble, and an angry God doth look him into terrours, what then can all the World do for his relief? How sensibly then doth he say? Oh silly comforters! what should I do if I had no better hopes? Oh what contemptuous thoughts and speeches then hath he of all these things that he once so much valued… he thinketh he can scarce find Words that are base enough for them. If he could find worse then Pauls loss, and dross, and dung, and dogs meat, he would do it. Oh that men would now in the day of their Prosperity bethink themselves of this, which all shall know at last. It is a most doleful sight to any man of wisdom and compassion, to see men that have wounded and loaden Consciences, to run up and down, after pleasure and profit, as if these would heal them which have made their wounds: Men that are even undone for want of healing, and are within a step of hell, and will certainly and very speedily be there, if Christ by saving, renewing Grace do not Recover them, do quite forget the Nature of their distress, and the thing they want, and mind the toyes of worldly things, as if they would save them. What still is sin sweet to you, when it hath made such work against your souls? Still is this world so lovely in your eyes, when it hath inticed you already to the very brink of Hell? Oh poor bewitched souls, that will dote upon that which you confess deceiveth you! that will dig your own graves with such excessive pains, and purchase a room in Everlasting Torments at so dear a rate! well, if ever God will have mercy on your souls, he will shew you another kind of pleasure and felicity; he will acquaint you with that which shall be worth your labour; he will bring those sick distempered souls to another Rellish then now they have: He will make you spit out this dirt and dung, and thirst for the living water that shall spring up in you to everlasting life, Ioh. 41. 14. and instead of your oveleager seeking the food that perisheth, he will make you hunger after the bread of life, Ioh. 6. 17. what the unsanctified man doth most love, we may see by experience; we see what he seeks after, partly by his life; And will you see out of Scripture yet more fully which way the heart of the sanctified is inclined? Rom. 5. 5. The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, Rom. 8. 39. they are confident that nothing can separate them from this love, neither height, nor breadth, &c. They can sometimes appeal to Christ himself with Peter; Lord then knowest that I love thee, Ioh. 21. 15. Oh how I love thy Law! saith David, It is my meditation day and night, yea I love them exceedingly saith he, ver. 167. aboue Gold, ver. 127. above your Appointed or necessary food, saith Iob 23. 12. Thy Word was the joy, and rejoycing of my heart, saith Jerem. 15. 16. So vehement was Paul against those men that could not love the Lord of Love, that he pronunceth them accursed with the greatest curse, 1 Cor. 16. 22. Thy Law, saith David, is within my heart, Psal. 40. 8. and 84. 1, 2. How amiable are thy Tabernacles, Oh Lord, my soul longeth, yea, ever fainteth for the Courts of the Lord, my heart and my flesh cryeth out for the living God; Blessed are they that dwell in thy House; blessed is the man whose strength is in thee, in whose hearts are the ways of them. My soul breaketh for the longing it hath to thy Judgements at all times, Psal. 119. 20. and Psal. 63. 1, 2, 3. Thou art my God, early will I seek thee; my soul thirsteeh for thee, my flesh longeth for thee, to see thy power and thy glory as I have seen thee in the Sanctuary, because thy loving kindness is better then life, my lips shall praise thee: thus will I bless thee while I live, I will lift up my heart in thy Name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips, when I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night season.