and works; and the illuminating and exciting the ordinary ministers of the Gospel; and so enabling them, and helping them to publish that word, and by the same word illuminating and converting the souls of men. So that as you could not have been reasonable creatures, if the Father had not created you; nor have had any access to God, if the Son had not redeemed you; so neither can you have a part in Christ, or be saved, except the Holy Ghost do sanctify you. So that by this time you may see the several causes of this work. The Father sendeth the Son; the Son redeemeth us, and maketh the promise of grace; the Holy Ghost inditeth and sealeth this Gospel; the apostles are the secretaries of the Spirit, to write it; the preachers of the Gospel to proclaim, and persuade men to obey it; and the Holy Ghost doth make their preaching effectual, by opening the hearts of men to entertain it. And all this to repair the image of God upon the soul, and to set the heart upon God again, and take it off the creature, and carnal self, to which it is revolted, and so turn the current of this life into a heavenly course, which before was earthly; and all this by the entertainment of Christ by faith, who is the physician of the soul. By this which I have said, you may see what it is to be wicked, and what it is to be unconverted. Which I think, will be yet plainer to you, if I describe them, as consisting of their several parts: and for the first, A wicked man may be known by these three things: First, He is one that placeth his chief content on earth; and loveth the creature more than God; and his fleshly prosperity, above the heavenly felicity; he savoureth the things of the flesh, but neither discerneth nor savoureth the things of the Spirit: though he will say, that heaven is better than earth, yet doth he not really so esteem it to himself. If he might be sure of earth, he would let go heaven, and had rather stay here than be removed thither. A life of perfect holiness, in the sight of God, and in his love, and praises for ever in heaven, doth not find such liking with his heart as a life of health, and wealth, and honour here upon earth. And though he falsely profess that he loveth God above all, yet indeed he never felt the power of divine love within him, but his mind is more set on the world, or fleshly pleasures, than on God. In a word, whoever loveth earth above heaven, and fleshly prosperity more than God, is a wicked, unconverted man. He On the other side, a converted man is illuminated to discern the loveliness of God; and so far believeth the glory that is to be had with God, that his heart is taken up to it, and set more upon it than on any thing in this world. had rather see the face of God, and live in his everlasting love and praises, than have all the wealth or pleasure of the world. He seeth that all things else are vanity, and nothing but God can fill the soul: and therefore let the world go which way it will, he layeth up his treasures and hopes in heaven; and for that he is resolved to let go all. As the fire doth mount upward, and the needle that is touched with the loadstone, still turneth to the north, so the converted soul is inclined unto God. Nothing else can satisfy him: nor can he find any content and rest but in his love. word, all that are converted do esteem and love God better than all the world, and the heavenly felicity is dearer to them than their fleshly prosperity The proof of what I have said, you may find in these places of Scripture, Phil. iii. 18. 21. Matt. vi. 19-21. Col. iii. 1-4. Rom. viii. 3.6-9.18. 23. Psal. lxxiii. 25, 26. In a Secondly, A wicked man is one that maketh it the principal business of his life to prosper in the world, and attain his fleshly ends. And though he may read and hear, and do much in the outward duties of religion, and forbear disgraceful sins; yet this is all but upon the bye, and he never makes it the trade and principal business of his life to please God, and attain everlasting glory, but puts off God with the leavings of the world, and gives him no more service than the flesh can spare; for he will not part with all for heaven. On the contrary, a converted man is one that makes it the principal care and business of his life to please God, and to be saved; and takes all the blessings of this life, but as accommodations in his journey towards another life, and useth the creature in subordination unto God, he loveth a holy life, and longeth to be more holy; he hath no sin but what he hateth, and longeth, and prayeth, and striveth to be rid of. The drift and bent of his life is for God; and if he sin, it is contrary to the very bent of his heart and life, and lamenteth it, and dare not wilThere is nothing in this world it up to God, and forsake it All this you may see in Col. Luke xviii. 22, 23. 29. xiv. Gal. v. 24. Luke xii. 21., &c. therefore he rises again, and Thirdly, the soul of a wicked man did never truly discern and relish the mystery of redemption, nor thankfully entertain an offered Saviour, nor is he taken up with the love of the Redeemer, nor willing to be ruled by him, as the physician of his soul, that he may be saved from the guilt and power of his sins, and recovered unto God; but his heart is insensible of this unspeakable benefit, and is quite against the healing means by which he should be recovered. Though he may be willing to be carnally religious, yet he never resigned up his soul to Christ, and to the motions and conduct of his word and Spirit. On the contrary, the converted soul having felt himself undone by sin; and perceiving that he hath lost his peace with God, and hopes of heaven, and is in danger of everlasting misery, doth thankfully entertain the tidings of redemption, and believing in the Lord Jesus as his only Saviour, resigneth up himself to him for wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. He taketh Christ as the life of his soul, and liveth by him, and useth him as a salve for every sore, admiring the wisdom and love of God in his wonderful work of man's redemption. In a word, Christ doth even dwell in his heart by faith, and the life that he now liveth is by the faith of the Son of God, that hath loved him, and gave himself for him. liveth, as Christ in him 19, 20. Rom. viii. 9. Yea, it is not so much he that for these, see John i. 11, 12. iii. Phil. iii. 7-10. Gal. ii. 20. John xv. 2-4. 1 Cor. i. 20. ii. 2. You see now in plain terms, from the word of God, who are the wicked, and who are the converted. Ignorant people think, that if a man be no swearer, nor curser, nor railer, nor drunkard, nor fornicator, nor extortioner, nor wrong any body in their dealings, and if they come to church, and say their prayers, these cannot be wicked men. Or if a man that hath been guilty of drunkenness, swearing, gaming, or the like vices, do but forbear them for the time to come, they think that this is a converted man. Others think, that if a man that hath been an enemy, and a scorner of godliness, do but approve it, and join himself with those that are godly, and be hated for it by the wicked, as the godly are, that this needs must be a converted man. And some are so foolish as to think they are converted, by taking up some new and false opinion; and falling into some dividing party as Baptists, Quakers, Papists, or such like. And some think, if they have but been affrighted by the fears of hell, and had convictions, and gripes of conscience, and thereupon have purposed, and promised, amendment, and taken up a life of civil behaviour, and outward religion, that this must needs be true conversion. And these are the poor deluded souls that are like to lose the benefit of all our persuasions. And when they hear that the wicked must Turn or Die, they think that this is not spoken of them; for they are not wicked, but are Turned already. And therefore it is, that Christ told some of the rulers of the Jews, who were more grave and civil than the common people, that "Publicans and harlots do go into the kingdom of God before them "." Not that a harlot or gross sinner can be saved without conversion, but because it was easier to make those gross sinners perceive their sin and misery, and the necessity of a change, when the more civil sort do delude themselves by thinking that they are converted already when they be not. O sirs, conversion is another kind of work than most are aware of. It is not a small matter to bring an earthly mind to heaven, and to shew man the amiable excellencies of God, till he be taken up in such love to him, that can never be quenched, to break the heart for sin, and make him fly for refuge unto Christ, and thankfully embrace him as the life of his soul, to have the very drift and bent of the heart and life to be changed; so that a man renounceth that which he took for his felicity; and placeth his felicity where he never did before, and liveth not to the same end, and driveth not on the same design in the world as formerly he did: in a word, he that is in Christ, "is a new creature; old things are passed away, behold all things are become new ." He hath a new understanding, a new will and resolution, new sorrows, and desires, and love and delight; new thoughts, P Matt. xxi. 31. 4 2 Cor. v. 17. new speeches, new company, (if possible) and a new conversation. Sin that before was a jesting matter with him, is now so odious and terrible to him, that he flies from it as from death. The world that was so lovely in his eyes, doth now appear but as vanity and vexation; God that was before neglected, is now the only happiness of his soul; before he was forgotten and every lust preferred before him; but now he is set next the heart, and all things must give place to him; and the heart is taken up in the attendance, and observance, of him, and is grieved when he hides his face, and never thinks itself well without him. Christ himself, that was wont to be slightly thought of, is now his only hope and refuge, and he lives upon him, as on his daily bread, he cannot pray without him, nor rejoice without him, nor think, nor speak, nor live, without him. Heaven itself, that before was looked upon but as a tolerable reserve, which he hoped might serve turn better than hell, when he could not stay any longer in the world, is now taken for his home, the place of his only hope and rest, where he shall see, and love, and praise that God that hath his heart already. Hell, that did seem before but as a bugbear to frighten men from sin, doth now appear to be a real misery, that is not to be ventured on or jested with. The works of holiness, which before he was weary of, and seemed to be more ado than needs, are now both his recreation, and his business, and the trade he lives upon. The Bible, which was before to him but almost as a common book, is now as the law of God, as a letter written to him from heaven, and subscribed with the name of the Eternal Majesty; it is the rule of his thoughts, and words, and deeds; the commands are binding, the threats are dreadful and the promises of it speak life to his soul. The godly that seemed to him but like other men, are now the most excellent and happiest on earth. And the wicked, that were his playfellows, are now his grief; and he that could laugh at their sins, is more ready now to weep for their sin and misery'. In short, he hath a new end in his thoughts, and a new way in his endeavours, and therefore his heart and life are new. Before, his carnal self was his end; and his pleasure, and worldly profits and credits were his way. And now, God and everlasting glory are his end; and Christ, Psalm xv. 4. xvi. 3. Phil. iii. 18. |