fear the Lord "." By this we may know that we are passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren; he that loveth not his brother abideth in death "." They hated the light before, because it was against their deeds, but now they love it, and come to it P. The very evil actions that they do, they now hate. Yea, they hate even the garments spotted of the flesh. All that beareth the mark of a fleshly sensual course ". Sirs, if you be truly converted, this change will be upon your affections.

(2.) The second pair of affections that shew themselves in this change, are, desire and aversion. These are so near akin to love and hatred, that I need to say the less of them. The unconverted man's desires are after the fleshly pleasures which he loveth; of these they think they can never have enough, but cry as the horse-leech, give, give. When do you hear the covetous man say he hath enough? or the ambitious man say, I would be no higher? or the sensual man say, my appetite and lust are now satisfied, I would have no more? Their very life is a thirsting after provision for the flesh; and the fulfilling its desires. And sometimes God giveth them much of that they do desire for a time, but it is in judgment, and a curse to them through their sin". But as for God and Christ, and the Spirit, and holiness, to these they have no appetite, but naturally loathe them, and at the best have but cold and heartless wishes after them. Hence it is, that they refuse so many motions for their own good. Move them to spiritual things, and there is somewhat within them that is against the motion, so that they will not hear us, or be persuaded by us. O how backward is an unconverted soul to spiritual good! They will go no further than they are drawn, and they will not be drawn to give up themselves to it. Hence it is, that our ministerial labours are so much lost. We persuade sick men to their meat, that have no appetite to it. Nay, whose stomachs rise against it and loathe it. It goeth against their carnal natures, against their former customs, against their ease, and profit, and pleasure, and therefore it will not down with them, they cannot away with it. We

n Psal. xv. 4.
q Rom. vii. 15.
Eph. ii. 3.

• 1 John iii. 14.

r Judè 23.

u Psal. lxxviii. 29.

P John iii. 19, 20.
Rom. xiii. 12.
x Job. xxi. 14.

heave a stone that will stir no further than main force doth move it. O had they but desire after Christ and grace, as they have after worldly, fleshly vanity, how happy might they be.

But when converting grace comes, it changeth their desire. God calls to them then effectually by his word and Spirit." Ho, every one that thirsteth, come and drink of the water of life freely." As if he should say, • What mean you to desire that which will do so little good, and to lay out your labour for that which will not profit you, and follow my direction, and I will give you that which is worthy your desire.' When God hath once effectually touched the heart with converting grace, it leaves a secret thirsting after him in the soul. As when he called Peter and the other apostles, and said unto them, follow me, they presently left all and followed him. Then they cry out with David, "My soul thirsteth after thee as the thirsty land "." "The desire of their soul is to his name, and to the remembrance of him "." Now they see that excellency in God's word, and ways, and graces, that all things that may be desired, are not to be compared with ita. They are more to be desired than gold, yea than fine gold "." Before they desired many things, and nothing would satisfy them; now give them but one thing and they will be satisfied to the full. Before their desires were only after vanity; but now, so far as they are renewed, they are only after good. And that God that gave them these desires, will fulfil them. He that caused them to hunger and thirst after righteousness, will satisfy them. And he that turned their minds from this world, and gave them to desire after a better country 8, will give them that promised land which they desire.

(3.) The next affections, whose change is discovered in the work of conversion, are their delight and sorrow. This is the next pair. An unconverted man doth naturally find no pleasure in God or spiritual things: for a fool hath no delight in understanding". It is fleshly lust and pleasure that they desire. And the "pleasure of sin for a season," for

which they part with the highest delight." They live in pleasures on earth, and fat themselves as for a day of slaughter." They account it pleasure to riot in the daylight of the gospel, in that day that is given for other kinds of works ". They not only do evil, but have "pleasure in them that do it "." These "fools hate knowledge, and scorners delight in scorning." And if they have any delight in better things through a common work of grace, it is but a superficial fading delight P. "A rejoicing in the light for a season." But no sound well-grounded delight. But when converting grace comes, it giveth a man those new delights which he knew not of before. Then the things that he before saw not, nor well believed, the things which he distasted and loathed, are in his delight. God himself is his delight'. The doing of his will is their delight. His law, his word, his statutes, are their delight. On the Lord's day they delight in him ". In the multitude of troubling, perplexing thoughts, his comforts delight their souls *. Their delight is in the saints on earth, and those that excel in virtue. It is their meat and drink to draw nigh to God. It doth them good at the heart, when they can but be enlarged towards him, and have more light and life than before they had. These are the new delights of a converted soul. He doth not part with all delight at his conversion; he doth but change a brutish and sensual delight, for such as are fit for a man and a Christian. The wicked think they shall never have a merry day again, if they should be thus changed; but he meets with more truly comfortable days than ever he did before: Nay, he never knew what true comfort was till now. I know every poor Christian hath not that measure of these delights as some have. Some are clouded with darkness, and infirmities, and live much more sadly than others do, but yet the delight which they have in these things, is more than in the things which they before delighted in. It glads them when they can but see a beam of

heavenly light from the face of God. They have so much as sheweth the change that is made upon their souls.

The like we may say also of the sorrow of the unconverted. It is not the same that it was before. Before it went nearer their hearts to lose any pleasure or commodity in the world, or to be wronged, or suffer any disgrace from men, or to suffer any want in their estates, or any pain in their bodies, than it did to lie under the wrath of God, and live as without him, and his favour in the world. They were truly such as satan fully reported Job to be; had you but touched them in their estates or bodies, they would have quickly shewed you what was next their hearts. But all the misery of their soul was no great trouble to them. A man would marvel, that knoweth what a miserable state that of sinful nature is, that so many thousands in the world can be void of God's image, strangers to the Spirit, and know no more of Christ but the very name, and yet be no more troubled at it. That they can bear such a weight of unpardoned sins as they do every day, and feel it no more. That they can live under the curse of God's righteous law, and remain in daily danger of damnation, so that if they should die before conversion, they are lost for ever, and yet be no more troubled at it. But alas, they are blind, and see not the case that they are in; they are dead and stupid, and therefore feel it not. It is the nature of their miserable condition to make them so; they are more troubled for a worldly trifle, than for all these things of everlasting consequence. But it is far otherwise with the converted soul; one doubt of the love of God is more grievous to them, than to doubt of their worldly happiness; the remnant of their mortified sins is heavier on their soul, than the mountains of unmortified sin was to them before; they send out more groans and cries to God, because of their daily failings and infirmities, than they did before for all their iniquity; the utter gracelessness of their hearts was then not so grievous to them as the weakness of their graces nów. He never before knew what it was to have the least spiritual communion with God, and yet he bare it lightly; now the miss of it one day and in one duty, is more grievous to him. What need we prove this to you, when every gracious soul doth feel it, and the world about

them may see it, that their sorrows are of another nature than they were before? Were they wont to lie in tears for sin, and mourn for God's absence as now they do? Before they were sorrowful, that they might not come to heaven without such a course as would impoverish them in the world; but now they are sorrowful that they can shake off the world and sin no better, and get ground of their corruptions no faster than they do. Object. Perhaps you will say, if conversion bring so much sorrow, is it not better to be without it? Answ. No, for it is a willing sorrow, a necessary healing sorrow, that worketh repentance to salvation, not to be repented of; and not the sorrow of the world that caused death 2. See there the blessed effects of it at large. It is a sorrow mixed with greater joy; for we are as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing b. It is a very short sorrow that will quickly be forgotten; for God hath promised himself to wipe away all tears from our eyes ©. It is a sorrow of God's own giving, and therefore it cannot choose but be good, for God giveth not evil: it is a sorrow preparing for everlasting joy; and he that hath called us to it, hath foretold us, that we shall be sorrowful, but our sorrow shall be turned into joy, which none shall take from us. We shall weep and lament, and the world shall rejoiced," but mark the end, who it is that will be sorrowful, or joyful then." Mark the upright man, and behold the just, for the end of that man is peace." What wise man will refuse so short a sorrow for so long a joy? Who that is well in his wits, will choose rather to die of his sore, than to endure the smart of the lancet to open it? Nay, there is an ingenuity in a converted soul, which makes it in a kind of holy revenge even be willing to taste somewhat of the smart of his own folly. He sees that it was himself that caused it, and brought all this upon himself, and the desert of a thousand times more, and therefore he even chooseth in some measure to afflict his soul, and doth not thrust away sorrow from him, as before he was wont to do.

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(4.) The next pair of affections that shew their change, are, hope and despair. Before conversion, the soul of sin

y Matt. xix. 22. Luke xviii. 23.

b 2 Cor. vi. 10.

e Psal. xxxvii. 37.

z 2 Cor. vii. 10.

c Rev. vii. 17. xxi. 4.

a 2 Cor. vii. 9, 10. d John xvi. 20.