A Treatise of Conversion, Chapter 7 · Section 6
SECT. VI.
Hinderance 3. THe next Hinderance of Conversion to be mentioned, is: A gross Ignorance of th…se Truths which should be the Instruments of their conversion: He that turneth to God, must needs know God; and he that turneth from sin, must needs know the evil and danger of sin. No man will make so great a change, and not know why: No man will part with his present contents, and set upon a course that his Nature is against; nor forsake all the world, even that which is dearest to him, till he know that there is a flat necessity of so doing, or know of something better to be had by the change. When we find that even men of knowledge are too often ungodly, and they will not leave sin even when they know the evil of it, and know that everlasting Damnation is threatned against it: how then can they forsake it that know not this? when many that can speak of the vanity of this world, and the glory of the Saints in the Life to come, and the amiableness of God, and his All-sufficiency to make them happy, do yet cleave to this world and neglect God & the glory which they so extol, how then can we expect that they should turn to God, and set their minds to seek his Kingdom that do not know him? All the wickedness in the world is cherrished by ignorance, total or partial. Even those that say they know these things, and yet live ungodly, do not soundly know them, but hold them as an opinion, and not as a point of saving faith. Oh if poor sinners, that set so light by the everlasting Kingdom, did but throughly know what they sleight, they would quickly change their minds and courses: If you knew Heaven as well as you knew your own houses and Lands, and if you saw what the souls do now enjoy that depart in the Faith, as you see what is done in the houses where you dwell, I would not thank the worst of you all to become far more devout and diligent then the best in the Town or Countrey is now: I would not thank the vilest worldling to become heavenly; or the vilest drunkard to become sober; or the scorner of godliness to be the most godly in the Countrey. If you knew Heaven as well as you know Earth, it were no thanks to you if every Family of you were a Society of Saints, but this cannot be expected: God will not have us Live by sight and sense, but by faith: But yet a knowledge of Divine Revelation we may and must have: No man loveth sin but for want of knowing what he Loveth: No man doteth upon this deceitful world, but for want of knowing the worthlesness of it; No man makes light of Eternal glory, but for want of knowing what he makes light of; and no man is against a holy Life, but he that knoweth not what it is, nor what will be the end of it. Oh Sirs, if you knew God, your hearts would be enflamed in Love to him. There are some of you now stand wondering at the Diligence of the godly, and some of you are secretly Reproaching them, and casting forth your ignorant scorns against them; but if you did but know what it is that they are doing, and who it is that setteth them on work, and what it is that they make all this ado for, you would wonder more at your own folly, and would be as forward as they, and would presently take that course which you now Reproach. Alas! Poor sinners durst not sport with sin if they knew what they did: they durst not in crouds to Damnation if they knew what they did. The Kingdom of Satan is a Kingdom of Darkness; and his works are the works of Darkness; and himself the Ruler of the Darkness of this world, and …nder chain… of Darkness is he Reserved to the Judgement of the great Day; and the mist and blackness of Darkness is reserved to him and his servants for ever, Luke 22. 53. John 1. 5▪ & 3. 19. Rom. 13. 12. 2 Cor. 6. 14. Eph 6. 12. Col. 1. 13. 2 Pet 2. 4, 17. Jude 6. 13. Matth. 22. 13. & 25. 20. If the Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost; in whom the God of this worl hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the glorious Gospel of Christ who is the Image of God, should shine unto them. He that walketh in darkness knoweth not whether he goeth, John 12. 35. They that are converted can truly say, we were sometimes darkness, but now we are light in the Lord, Eph. 5. 8. For they are translated from the power of Darkness.