The Second Question

Why or from where is it that many men go so far as that they come to be almost Christians?

First, It may be to answer the call of conscience, though few men have grace, yet all men have conscience.

Now do but observe, and you shall see how far conscience may go in this work.

1. Conscience owns a God, and that this God must be worshipped and served by the creature, Atheists in practice we have many, such as the Apostle speaks of (Titus 1:16). They profess they know God, but in works they deny him.

But Atheists in judgment none can be, Tully a Heathen could say, nulla gens tam barbara, et cetera.

Now there being such a light in conscience as to discover that there is a God, and that he must be worshipped; by the help of further light, the light of the word, a man may be enabled to do much in the ways of God, and yet his heart without a dram of grace.

2. Know this, that natural conscience is capable of great improvements from the means of grace; sitting under the ordinances, may exceedingly heighten the endowments of conscience; though they do not sanctify conscience, it may be much regulated; though it be not at all renewed, it may be enlightened; convinced, and yet never savingly converted and changed.

You read in Hebrews 6:4 of some that were once enlightened, and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost. What work shall we call this? It could not be a saving work, a true change and conversion of state, for notwithstanding this enlightening, and tasting, and partaking, yet they are here said to fall away, verse 6.

Had it been a true work of grace, they could never have fallen away from that, a believer may fall, but he cannot fall away; he may fall foully, but he can never fall finally, for underneath are the everlasting arms; his faith is established in the strength of that prayer of Christ, that our faith fail not, in fact he tells us expressly, that it is eternal life which he gives, from which we shall never perish (John 10:28).

This work then here spoken of cannot be any saving work, because it is not an abiding work, for they that are under it, are said to fall away from it; but though it be not a saving work, yet it is a supernatural work, it is an improvement made by the word upon the consciences of men through the power of the Spirit; and therefore they are said to taste the good word of God, and to be made partakers of the Holy Ghost, they have not the spirit abiding in them savingly, but striving with them, and working upon them convincingly, to the awakening and setting conscience on work. And conscience thus stirred may carry a man very far in Religion, and in the duties of the Gospel, and yet be but a natural conscience.

A common work of the spirit may stead a man very much in the duties of Religion, though it must be a special work of the spirit that steads a man to salvation, a man may have the assisting presence of the spirit enabling him to preach and pray, and yet he may perish for want of the renewing presence of the spirit, enabling him to believe, Judas had the former, and yet perished for want of the latter, he had the spirit assisting him to cast out devils, but yet he had not the spirit renewing him, for he was cast out himself.

Thus a man may have an improved conscience, and yet be a stranger to a renewed conscience; and conscience thus improved, may put a man very much upon duty.

I pray God none of us mistake a conscience thus improved by the word, for a conscience renewed by the spirit, the mistake is very easy, especially when a life of duties is the fruit of it.

3. The conscience of a natural man is subject to distress and trouble, though a natural conscience is not sanctified with grace, yet it is often troubled at sin, trouble of conscience is not incident to believers only, but sometimes to unbelievers also. A believer's conscience, is sometimes troubled when his sin is truly pardoned, and a natural man's conscience is troubled for sin, though it is never freed from sin. God sometimes sets the word home upon the sinner's conscience and applies the terrors of the law to it, and this fills the soul with fear and horror, of death, and hell, now in this case the soul usually betakes itself to a life of duties, merely to fence trouble out of conscience.

When Absalom sets fire on Joab's corn fields, then he runs to him, though he refused before, so when God lets a spark of Hell (as it were) fall upon the sinner's conscience in applying the terrors of the word, this drives the sinner to a life of duties, which he never minded before; The ground of many a man's engaging in Religion, is the trouble of his conscience, and the end of his continuing in Religion is the quieting of conscience; if conscience would never check him, God should never from him.

Natural conscience has a voice, and speaks aloud many times in the sinner's ears, and tells him, this ought not to be done, God must not be forgotten, the commands of God ought not to be slighted, living in sin will be the ruin of the soul, and hence it is that a natural man runs to duties, and takes up a lifeless and graceless profession that he may thereby silence conscience.

As a man sick in his stomach, whatever sweet morsel he has eaten, he brings up all; and although it was sweet in the eating, yet it is bitter in the rising.

So it fares with the sinner, when he is Sermon-sick, or Conscience-sick, though his sin was sweet in the practice, yet the thought of it rises bitter upon the conscience, and then his profession of religion is the pill he rolls about in his mouth, to take away the bitterness of sin's taste.

Natural conscience enlightened by the word may discover to a man much of the misery of a natural state, though not effectually to bring him out of it, yet so as to make him restless and weary in it; it may show a sinner his nakedness, and upon this the soul runs to a life of duties, thinking thereby to remedy the misery of his case, and to make a covering for his nakedness. It is said (Genesis 3:7) that when Adam and Eve saw they were naked, they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves a covering. So when once the sinner sees his nakedness and vileness by reason of sin, whereas he should run to Christ, and close with him, and beg his righteousness for a covering, that the shame of his nakedness does not appear (Revelation 3:18), he rather runs to a life of duties and performances, and thus makes himself a covering with the fig-leaves of a profession without Christ truly embraced, and conscience at all renewed.

The natural man would gladly be his own Savior, and supposes a change of state to be a thing within his own power, and that the true work of grace lies in leaving off the practice of sin, and taking up a life of duties, and therefore upon this principle does many a graceless professor outstrip a sound believer, for he rests in his own performances, and hopes these will commend him to God.

If a natural conscience may go thus far, then what difference is there between this natural conscience in hypocrites and sinners, and a renewed conscience in believers? Or how may I know whether the workings of my conscience be the workings of nature only, or else of grace wrought in it?

I grant that it is difficult to distinguish between the one and the other, and the difficulty has a twofold rise.

1. It arises from that hypocrisy that is in the best saints: the weakest believer is no hypocrite, but yet there is some hypocrisy in the strongest believer; where there is most grace, there is some sin, and where there is most sincerity, yet there is some hypocrisy.

Now it is very incident to a tender conscience, to misgive and mistrust its state, upon the sight of any sin; when he sees hypocrisy break out in any duty or performance, then he complains, "Surely my aims are not sincere, my conscience is not renewed, it is but natural conscience enlightened, not by grace purged and changed."

2. It arises from that resemblance there is between grace and hypocrisy, for hypocrisy is a resemblance of grace without substance, the likeness of grace, without the life of grace. There is no grace but a hypocrite may have something like it, and there is no duty done by a Christian, but a hypocrite may outstrip him in it. Now when one that has not true grace shall go farther than one that has, this may well make the believer question whether his grace be true or not; or whether the workings of his conscience be not the workings of nature only rather than of grace wrought in it.

But to answer the question, you may make a judgment of this in these seven particulars.

1. If a natural man's conscience puts him upon duty, he does usually bound himself in the work of God: his duties are limited, his obedience is a limited obedience, he does one duty and neglects another, he picks and chooses among the commands of God, obeys one and slights another. "Thus much is enough, what need any more, if I do thus and thus, I shall go to heaven at last."

But now where conscience is renewed by grace, there it is otherwise; though there may be many weaknesses which accompany its duties, yet that soul never bounds itself in working after God, it never loves God so much but still it would love him more, nor seeks him so much, but still it would seek him more, nor does it serve God so well at any time, but still it makes conscience of serving him better. A renewed conscience is a spring of universal obedience (Psalm 119:128), for it sees an infinite excellency, and goodness, and holiness in God, and therefore would gladly have its service rise up towards some proportionableness to the object; a God of infinite excellency and goodness should have infinite love, says conscience, a holy God should have service from a holy heart, says conscience.

Now then, if I set bounds to my love to God, or to my service to God, if I limit myself in my obedience to the holy God, love one command and slight another, obey in one point, and yet lie cross in another, then is all I do but the working of a natural conscience. But on the other hand, if I love the Lord with my whole heart, and whole soul, and serve him with all my might, and strength, if I esteem all God's precepts concerning all things to be right, and have respect to all the commands (Matthew 22:37; Mark 17:33), then is my love and service from a renewed conscience.

2. If a natural man's conscience checks or accuses for sin, then he seeks to stop the mouth of it, but not to satisfy it; most of the natural man's duties are to still and stifle conscience.

But now the believer chooses rather to let conscience cry, than to stop the mouth of it, until he can do it upon good terms, until he can fetch in satisfaction to it, from the blood of Jesus Christ, by fresh acts of faith, apprehended and applied.

The natural man seeks to still the noise of conscience, rather than to remove the guilt; the believer seeks the removal of guilt, by the application of Christ's blood, and then conscience is quiet of itself. As a foolish man, having a mote fallen into his eye, and making it water, he wipes away the water, and labors to keep it dry, but never searches his eye to get out the mote; but a wise man minds not so much the wiping as the searching his eye, something is got in, and that causes the watering, and therefore the cause must be removed.

Now then if when conscience accuses for sin, I take up a life of duties, a form of godliness to stop the mouth of conscience, and if upon that conscience is still and quiet, then is this but a natural conscience; but if when conscience checks, it will not be satisfied with anything but the blood of Christ, and therefore I use duties to bring me to Christ, and if I beg the sprinkling of his blood upon conscience, and labor not so much to stop the mouth of it, as to remove guilt from it, then is this a renewed conscience.

3. There is no natural man let him go never so far, let him do never so much in matters of religion, but still he has his Delilah, his bosom lust. Judas went far, but he carried his covetousness along with him. Herod went far, he did many things under the force of John's ministry, but yet there was one thing he did not — he did not put away his brother's wife, his Herodias lay in his bosom still. No, commonly all the natural man's duties are to hide some sin, his profession is only made use of for a cover-shame.

But now the renewed conscience hates all sin, as David did: "I hate every false way"; he regards no iniquity in his heart, he uses duties not to cover sin, but to help work down, and work out sin.

Now then, if I profess religion, if I make mention of the name of the Lord, and make my boast of the law, and yet through breaking the law dishonor God, if I live in the love of any sin, and make use of my profession to cover it, then am I a hypocrite, and my duties flow but from a natural conscience. But on the other hand, if I name the name of the Lord Jesus, and withal depart from iniquity, if I use duties not to cover, but to discover and mortify sin, then am I upright before God, and my duties flow from a renewed conscience.

4. A natural man prides himself in his duties; if he be much in duty, then he is much lifted up under duty. So did the Pharisee (Luke 18): "God I thank you that I am not as other men are" — and why? Where lay the difference? "I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all," etc.

But now take a gracious heart, a renewed conscience, and when his duties are at highest, then is his heart at lowest. Thus it was with the Apostle Paul: he was much in service, in season and out of season, preaching up the Lord Jesus with all boldness and earnestness, and yet very humble in a sense of his own unworthiness under all: "I am not worthy to be called an Apostle" (1 Corinthians 15:9). "To me who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ" (Ephesians 3:8). And again in (1 Timothy 1:15): "of sinners I am chief." Thus a believer, when he is highest in duties, then is he lowest in humility. Duty puffs up the hypocrite, but a believer comes away humbled. And why? Because the hypocrite has had no visions of God, he has seen only his own gifts and parts, and this exalts him. But the believer has seen God, and enjoyed communion with God, and this humbles him. Communion with God, though it be very refreshing, yet it is also very abasing and humbling to the creature. Jerome observes on Zephaniah (1:1), where it is said that Cushi was the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, that Amariah signifies the Word of the Lord, Gedaliah signifies the greatness of the Lord, and Cushi is interpreted humility, or my Ethiopian.

So that, says he, from the Word of the Lord comes a sight of the greatness of the Lord, and from a sight of the greatness of the Lord comes humility.

Now then if I pride myself in any duty, and am puffed up under my performances, then have I not seen nor met with God in any duty.

But on the other hand, if when my gifts are at highest, my heart is at lowest, if when my spirit is most raised, my heart is then most humbled, if in the midst of all my services I can maintain a sense of my own unworthiness, if Cushi be the son of Gedaliah, then have I seen and had communion with God in duty, and my performances are from a renewed conscience.

5. Look at what the heart does secretly render the glory of a duty, and that is the principle of the duty. In Habakkuk 1:16 you read of them that sacrifice to their net, and burn incense to their drag, where the glory of an action is rendered to a man's self — the principle of that action is self. All rivers run into the sea — that is an argument they came from the sea. So when all a man's duties terminate in self, then is self the principle of all.

Now all the natural man's [reconstructed: duties] run into himself; he was never by a thorough work of grace truly cast out of himself, and brought to deny himself, and therefore he can rise no higher than himself in all he does. He was never brought to be poor in spirit, and so to live upon another, to be carried out of all duties to Jesus Christ.

But the believer gives the glory of all his services to God; whatever strength or life there is in duty, God has all the glory, for he is by grace cast out of himself, and therefore sees no excellency or worthiness in self.

"I labored more abundantly than they all," says the Apostle, but to whom does he ascribe the glory of this? To self? No — "yet not I," says he, "but the grace of God which was with me" (1 Corinthians 15:10). Whenever the grace of Christ is wrought in the heart as a principle of duty, you shall find the soul, when it is most carried out, with a "yet not I" in the mouth of it: "I live, yet not I"; "I labored more abundantly than all, yet not I" — self is disclaimed, and Christ most advanced when it is from grace that the heart is quickened. The twenty-four Elders cast their crowns at Christ's feet (Revelation 4:10).

There are two things very hard: one is to take the shame of our sins to ourselves, the other is to give the glory of our services to Christ.

Now then, if I sacrifice to my own net, if I aim at my own credit or profit, and give the glory of all I do to self, then do I sow to the flesh, and was never yet cast out of self, but act only from a natural conscience. But if I give the glory of all my strength and life in duty only to God, if I magnify grace in all, and can truly say in all I do, "yet not I," then am I truly cast out of self, and do what I do with a renewed conscience.

6. Though a natural conscience may put a man much upon service, yet it never presseth to the attainment of holiness, so that he carries an unsanctified heart under all. How long was Judas a professor, and yet not one dram of grace that he had got, the foolish virgins (you know) took their lamps, but took no oil in their vessels (Matthew 25:3), that is, they looked more after a profession than after sanctification.

But now when a renewed conscience puts a man upon duty, it is [reconstructed: attended with] the growth of holiness; as grace helps to the doing of duty, so duty helps to the growing of grace, a believer is the more holy and the more heavenly by his being much in duties.

Now then if I am much in a life of duties, and yet a stranger to a life of holiness, if I maintain a high profession, and yet have not a true work of sanctification, if (like children in the Rickets) I grow big in the head, but weak in the feet, then have I gifts and parts but no grace: and though I am much in service, yet have I but a natural conscience; but on the other hand, if the holiness of my conversation carries a proportion to my profession, if I am not a hearer of the word only, but a doer of it, if grace grows in seasons of duty, then do I act in the things of God from a renewed conscience.

7. And lastly, if a natural conscience be the spring of duty, why then this spring runs fastest at first, and so abates, and at last dries up, but if a renewed conscience, a sanctified heart be the spring of duty, then this spring will never dry up, it will run always, from first to last, and run quicker at last than at first. I know your works, and the last to be more than the first (Revelation 2:19). The righteous shall hold on his way, and he that has clean hands shall be stronger and stronger (Job 17:9).

But you will say, why does that man abate and languish in his duties, that does them from a natural conscience, more than he that does them from a renewed conscience?

The reason is because they grow upon a fallible root, a decaying root, and that is nature; nature is a fading root, and so are all its fruits fading; but the duties done by a renewed conscience, are fruits that grow upon a lasting root, and that is Christ, gifts have their root in nature, but grace has its root in Christ, and therefore the weakest grace, shall out-live the greatest gifts and parts, because there is life in the root of one, and not in the root of the other: gifts and grace differ like the leather of your shoe and the skin of your foot, take a pair of shoes that have the thickest soles, and if you go much in them the leather wears out, and in a little time a man's foot comes to the ground, but now a man that goes bare-foot all his days, the skin of his feet does not wear out, why should not the sole of his foot, sooner wear out, than the sole of his shoe, for the leather is much thicker than the skin? The reason is, because there is life in the one, and not in the other, there is life in the skin of the foot, and therefore that holds out, and grows thicker and thicker, harder and harder, but there is no life in the sole of his shoe, and therefore that wears out, and grows thinner and thinner, so it is with gifts and grace.

Now then, if I decay and abate and grow weary of a profession, and fall away at last, if I begin in the spirit and end in the flesh, then was all I did from a natural conscience; but if I grow and hold out, if I persevere to the end, and my last works be more than my first, then do I act from a renewed conscience.

And thus I have in seven things answered that question, namely, if conscience may go thus far in putting a man upon duties, then what difference is there between this natural conscience in hypocrites and sinners, and renewed conscience in believers.

And that is the first answer to the main query, namely, from where it is that many men go so far as that they come to be almost Christians.

It is to answer the call of conscience.

Secondly, It is from the power of the word under which they live, though the word does not work effectually upon all, yet it has a great power upon the hearts of sinners, to reform them, though not to renew them.

1. It has vim discriminationis, a discerning, discovering power (Hebrews 4:12), the Word of God is quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

This is the glass where every man may see what manner of man he is, as the light of the sun discovers the little moths, so the light of the Word shining into conscience, discovers little sins (James 1:23).

2. The Word has vim legislativam, the power of a law, it gives law to the whole soul, binds conscience, it is therefore frequently called the law, in Scripture, unless your law had been my delight, etc. To the law and to the testimony, this is spoken of the whole Word of God, which is therefore called a law, because of its binding power upon the conscience (Psalm 119:92; Isaiah 8:20).

3. It has vim judicativam, a judging power (John 12:48). The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him at the last day, the sentence that God will pass upon sinners hereafter, is no other than what the word passes upon them here, the judgment of God, is not a day wherein God will pass any new sentence, but it is such a day wherein God will make a solemn public ratification of the judgment passed by the ministry of the word upon souls here, this I gather clearly from Matthew 18:18. Whatever you shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven, so that by bringing a man's heart to the word, and trying it by that, he may quickly know what that sentence is that God will pass upon his soul in the last day; for as the judgment of the word is now, such will the judgment of God be, concerning him in the last day.

Indeed there is a twofold power, further than this, in the word, Vim plasticam Et vim salvificam,

A begetting and saving power, but this is put forth only upon some.

But the other is more extensive, and has a great causality upon a profession of godliness, even among them that have no grace.

A man that is under this threefold power, of discerning, law and judgment, that has his heart ransacked and discovered, his conscience bound and awed, his state and sinful condition judged and condemned, may take up resolution of a new life, and convert himself to a great profession of religion.

Thirdly, a man may go far in this course of profession, from affectation of applause and credit, and to get a name in the world, as it is said of the Pharisees, they love to pray in the market places, and in the corners of the streets, to be seen of men (Matthew 6:5).

Many are of Machiavel's principle, that the appearance of virtue is to be sought, because though the use of it is a trouble, yet the credit of it is a help.

Jerome in his Epistle to Julian, calls such popularis aurae vilia mancipia, the base bond slaves of common fame. Many a man does that for credit, that he will not do for conscience, and owns religion more for the sake of a lust, than for the sake of Christ, thus making God's stream, to turn the Devil's mill.

Fourthly, it is from a desire of salvation, there is in all men a desire of salvation, it is natural to every being, to love and seek its own preservation, who will show us any good? (Psalm 4:6).

This is the language of nature seeking happiness to itself.

Many a man may be carried so far out in the desires of salvation, as to do many things to obtain it.

So did the young man, good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may inherit eternal life? (Matthew 19:16). He went far and did much, obeyed many commands, and all out of a desire of salvation: so then put these together, and there is an answer to that question. The call of conscience, the power of the word, the affectation of credit, and the desire of salvation.

These may carry a man so far as to be almost a Christian.

The third question propounded is this.

Third, where is it that many are but almost Christians, when they have gone thus far? What is the cause of this.

I might multiply answers to this question, but I shall instance in two only, which I judge the most material.

First, it is for want of right and sound convictions, if a man be not thoroughly convinced of sin, and his heart truly broken, whatever his profession of godliness may be, yet he will be sure to miscarry; every work of conviction is not a thorough work. There are convictions that are only natural and rational, but not from the powerful work of the spirit of God.

Rational conviction, is that which proceeds from the working of a natural conscience, charging guilt from the light of nature, by the help of those [illegible] those common principles of reason that are in all men. This is the conviction you read of (Romans 2:14-15). It is said that the Gentiles who had not the law, yet had their consciences bearing witness, and accusing or excusing one another; though they had not the light of Scripture, yet they had convictions from the light of nature; now by the help of the Gospel light, these convictions may be much improved, and yet the heart not renewed.

But then there is a spiritual conviction, and this is that work of the spirit of God, upon the sinner's heart by the word, whereby the guilt and filth of sin is fully discovered, and the woe and misery of a natural state distinctly set home upon the conscience, to the dread and terror of the sinner, while he abides in that state and condition.

And this is the conviction that is a sound and thorough work; many have their convictions, but not this spiritual conviction.

Now you'll say suppose I am at any time under conviction, how shall I know whether my conviction be only from a natural conscience, or whether they be from the spirit of God?

I should digress too much to draw out the solution of this question, to its just length, I shall therefore in five things only lay down, the most considerable difference between the one and the other.

1. Natural convictions reach chiefly to open and scandalous sins, sins against the light of nature, for natural conviction can reach no farther than natural light.

But spiritual conviction, reaches to secret, inward, and undiscerned sins, such as hypocrisy, formality, lukewarmness, deadness and hardness of heart, etc.

Observe then, whether your trouble for sin, looks inward as well as outward, and reaches not only to open sins, but to secret lusts, to inward and spiritual sins, and if so, this is a sure sign of the work of the spirit, because the trouble occasioned by these sins bears a more immediate relation to the holiness of God, who only is offended by them, they being such as none else can see or know.

2. Natural convictions deal only with a man's conversation, not with his state and condition, with sins actual, not original; but spiritual convictions, reach to all sins, to sins of heart as well as sins of life, to the sin of our nature, as well as the sins of practice; to the sin that is born in us, as well as the sin that is done by us.

Where the spirit of the Lord comes to work effectually in any soul, he holds the glass of the law before the sinner's eyes, and opens his eyes to look into the glass, and to see all that deformity and filthiness that is in his heart and nature.

The Apostle Paul says, I had not known sin, but by the law (Romans 7:7). How can this be true? That he had not known sin but by the law, when as the light of nature discovers sin? It is said of the Gentiles, that having not the law, they are a law to themselves (Romans 2:14).

This sin therefore that the Apostle speaks of, is not to be understood of sin actual, but of sin original; I had not known the pollution of nature, that fountain of sin that is within, this I had not known but by the law, and indeed this is a discovery that natural light cannot make. It is true the philosopher could say [illegible], that lust is the first and chief of all sins; but I cannot think he meant it of original sin, but of the inordinacy of appetite, and desire at most; for I find that the wisest of the philosophers understood nothing of original sin, hear Seneca, Erras si tecum vitia nasci putas, supervenerunt, ingesta sunt, sin is not born with you but brought in since. Tam fine vitio quam sine virtute nascimur.

Quintilian says, it is more marvel that any one man sins, than that all men should live honestly, sin is so against the nature of men; how blind were they in this point, and so was Paul, till the Spirit of the Lord discovered it to him by the word. And indeed this is a discovery proper to the Spirit.

It is he that makes the sinner see all the deformity and filthiness that is within, it is he that pulls off all the sinner's rags and makes him see his naked and wretched condition, it is he that shows us the blindness of the mind, the stubbornness of the will, the disorderedness of the affections, the searedness of the conscience, the plague of our hearts, and the sin of our natures, and therein the desperateness of our state.

Natural convictions carry the soul out to look more on the evil that comes by sin, than on the evil that is in sin; so that the soul under this conviction is more troubled at the dread of hell and wrath, and damnation, than at the vileness and heinous nature of sin.

But now spiritual convictions work the soul into a greater sensibleness of the evil that is in sin, than of the evil that comes by sin, the dishonor done to God by walking contrary to his will, the wounds that are made in the heart of Christ, the grief that the Holy Spirit of God is put to — this wounds the soul more than a thousand hells.

Natural convictions are not durable, they are quickly worn out, they are like a slight cut in the skin, that bleeds a little, and is sore for the present, but is healed again, and in a few days not so much as a scar to be seen.

But spiritual convictions are durable, they cannot be worn out, they abide in the soul till they have reached their end (which is the change of the sinner).

The convictions of the Spirit are like a deep wound in the flesh, that goes to the bone, and seems to endanger the life of the patient, and is not healed but with great skill; and when it is healed, leaves a scar behind it, that when the patient is well, yet he can say, here is the mark of my wound, which will never wear out.

So a soul that is under spiritual conviction, his wound is deep, and not to be healed, but by the great skill of the heavenly Physician, and when it is healed, there are the tokens of it remaining in the soul that can never be worn out, so that the soul may say here are the marks and signs of my conviction still in my soul.

Natural convictions make the soul shy of God, guilt works fear, and fear causes estrangedness; thus it was with Adam, when he saw his nakedness, he ran away and hid himself from God (Genesis 3:8).

Now spiritual convictions drive not the soul from God, but to God; Ephraim's conviction was spiritual, and he runs to God, "Turn me, and I shall be turned." So that there is, you see, a great difference between conviction and conviction, between that which is natural, and that which is spiritual, that which is common, and that which is saving (Jeremiah 31:18).

Indeed such is the difference, that though a man has never so much of the former, yet if he be without the latter, he is but almost a Christian, and therefore we have great reason to inquire more after this spiritual conviction. For,

Spiritual conviction is an essential part of sound conversion, conversion begins here, true conversion begins in convictions, and true convictions end in conversion.

Till the sinner be convinced of sin, he can never be converted from sin, Christ's coming was as a Savior, to die for sinners, and the Spirit's coming is to convince us as sinners, that we may close with Christ as a Savior; till sin be thoroughly discovered to us, interest in the blood of Christ cannot rightly be claimed by us, in fact so long as sin is unseen, Christ will be unsought. Those that are well have no need of the Physician, but those that are sick (Matthew 9:12).

Slight and common convictions (when they are but skin deep) are the cause of much hypocrisy; slight convictions may bring the soul to clasp about Christ, but not to close with Christ, and this is the guise of a hypocrite; I know no other rise and spring of hypocrisy like this of slight convictions, this has filled the Church of Christ with hypocrites.

In fact it is not only the spring of hypocrisy, but it is also the spring of apostasy; what was the cause that the seed was said to wither away (Matthew 13:5-6)? It was because it had no deepness of earth. Where there is a thorough conviction, there is a depth of earth in the heart, and there the seed of the Word grows, but where convictions are slight and common, there the seed withers for want of depth, so that you see clearly in this one instance, where it is that many are but almost Christians, when they have gone so far in religion, namely for want of sound convictions.

Secondly (and this has a near relation to the former), it is for want of a thorough work of grace first wrought in the heart; where this is not, all a man's following profession comes to nothing. That scholar is never like to read well, that will needs be in his Grammar before he is out of his Primer. Cloth that is not wrought well in the loom will neither wear well, nor wear long, it will do little service, so that Christian that does not come well off the loom, that has not a thorough work of grace in his heart, will never wear well, he will shrink in the wetting, and never do much service for God; it is not the pruning of a bad tree that will make it bring forth good fruit, but the tree must be made good before the fruit can be good (Matthew 12:33).

He that takes up a profession of religion with an unbroken heart will never serve Christ in that profession with his whole heart.

If there be not a true change in that man's heart, that yet goes far and does much in the ways of God, to be sure he will either die a hypocrite or an apostate.

Look as in nature, if a man be not well born but prove crooked or misshapen in the birth, why he will be crooked as long as he lives, you may bolster or stuff out his clothes to conceal it, but the crookedness, the deformity remains still, you may hide it, but you cannot help it, it may be covered, but it cannot be cured.

So it is in this case, if a man comes into a profession of religion, but is not rightly born, if he is not begotten of God, and born of the Spirit, if there is not a thorough work of grace in his heart, all his profession of religion will never mend him, he may be bolstered out by a life of duties, but he will be but a hypocrite at last, for want of a thorough work at first, a form of godliness may cover his crookedness, but will never cure it (John 3:5).

A man can never be a true Christian nor accepted of God though in the highest profession of religion, without a work of grace in the heart. For,

1. There must be an answerableness in the frame of that man's heart (that would be accepted of God) to the duties done by him, his spirit and affections within must carry a proportion to his profession without; prayer without faith, obedience to the law given, without fear and holy reverence of the lawgiver, God abhors: acts of internal worship, must answer the duties of external worship.

Now where there is not grace wrought in the heart, there can never be any proportion or answerableness in the frame of that man's heart, to the duties done by him.

2. Those duties that find acceptance with God, must be done in sincerity, God does not take our duties by count, nor judge of us according to the frequency of our performances, but according to the sincerity of our hearts in the performance. It is this that commends both the doer and the duty to God; with sincerity, God accepts the least we do, without sincerity God rejects the most we do or can do; this is that temper of spirit which God highly delights in (Proverbs 11:20). They that are of a perverse heart are an abomination to the Lord, but such as are upright in their way are his delight (1 Chronicles 19:17).

The Apostle gives it a great epithet, he calls it in (2 Corinthians 1:12) [illegible], the sincerity of God, that is such a sincerity as is his special work upon the soul, setting the heart right and upright before him in all his ways. We read it godly sincerity.

This is the crown of all our graces, and the commendation of all our duties, thousands perish and go to hell in the midst of all their performances and duties, merely for want of a little sincerity of heart to God.

Now where there is not a change of state, a work of grace in the heart, there can be no sincerity to God-ward, for this is not quid proveniens a natura, it is not an herb that grows in nature's garden, the heart of man is naturally deceitful, and desperately wicked, more opposite to sincerity than to anything: as things corrupted carry a greater dissimilitude to what they were, than to anything else which they never were (Jeremiah 17:9).

God made man upright, now man voluntarily losing this, is become more unlike himself than to anything below himself, he is more like a lion, a wolf, a bear, a serpent, a toad, than to man in innocence.

So that it is impossible to find sincerity in any soul, till there is a work of grace wrought there by the Spirit of God; and hence it is that a man is but almost a Christian when he has done all.