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v. 16, let thy lamp burn; let thy fruits be good, and many, and in season, Psa. i. 3, let all thy designs fall in with God's, that he may be magnified in thee, Phil. i. 20. Why should God repent that he hath made thee a Christian, as in the time of the old world, that he made them men? Gen. vi. 6. Why shouldst thou be an eye-sore in his orchard, Luke xiii. by thy unfruitfulness? or a son that causeth shame, as it were, a grief to thy father, and a bitterness to her that bare thee? Prov. xvii. 25, and x. 5. O let the womb bless thee that bare thee, Prov. xvii. 21. He that begets a fool doth it to his sorrow; and the father of a fool hath no joy.

5. The subject is the elect sinner, and that in all his parts and powers, members and mind. Whom God predestinates them only be calls, Rom. viii. 30. None are drawn to Christ by their calling, nor come to him by believing, but his sheep, those whom the Father hath given him, John vi. 37, 44. Effectual calling runs parallel with eternal election, 2 Pet. i. 10.

Thou beginnest at the wrong end, if thou disputest first about thine election. Prove thy conversion, and then never doubt of thine election; or canst thou not yet prove it? set upon a present and thorough turning. Whatever God's purposes be, (which are secret) I am sure his promises are plain. How desperately do rebels argue, If I am elected, I shall be saved, do what I will; if not, I shall be damned, do what I can. Perverse sinner, wilt thou begin where thou shouldst end? Is not

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the word before thee? What saith it? Repent and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, Acts iii. 19. If you mortify the deeds of the body you shall live, Rom. viii. 13. Believe and be saved, Aets xvi. 31. What can be plainer? Do not stand still disputing about thine election, but set to repenting and be lieving. Cry to God for converting grace.Revealed things belong to thee; in these busy thyself. 'Tis just (as one well said) that they that will not feed on the plain food of the word, should be choked with the bones.Whatever God's purposes be, I am sure his promises be true. Whatever the decrees of heaven be, I am sure, that if I repent and believe, I shall be saved; and that if I repent not, I shall be damned. Is not here plain ground for thee? and wilt thou yet run upon the rocks?

More particularly, this change of conversion passes throughout the whole subject. A carnal person may have some shreds of good morality, a little near the list; but he is never good throughout the whole cloth, the whole body of holiness and Christianity: feel him a little further near the ridge, and you shall sec him to be but a deceitful piece. Conversion is no repairing of the old building, but it takes all down, and erects a new structure: it is not the putting in a patch, or sewing on a list of holiness; but, with the true convert, holiness is woven into all his powers, principles, and practice. The sincere Christian is quite a new fabrick, from the foundation to the topstone, all fire-new. He is a new man, Eph.

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iv. 24, a new creature. All things are become new, 2 Cor. v. 17. Conversion is a deep work, a heart work, Acts ii. 37, and vi. 14, it turns all upside down, and makes a man be in a new world. It goes throughout with men, throughout the mind, throughout the members, throughout the motions of the whole life.

1. Throughout the mind. It makes an universal change within. First, It turns the balance of the judgment, so that God and his glory do weigh down all carnal and worldly interest, Acts xx. 24, Phil. i. 20, Psa. lxxiii. 25. It It opens the eye of the mind, and makes the scales of its native ignorance to fall off, and turns men from darkness to light, Acts xxvi. 18, Eph. v. 8, 1 Pet. ii. 9. The man that before saw no danger in his condition, now concludes himself lost, and forever undone, Acts ii. 87, except renewed by the power of grace. He that formerly thought there was little hurt in sin, now comes to see it to be the chief of evils; he sees the unreasonableness, the unrighteousness, the deformity and filthiness that is in sin; so that he is affrighted with it, loathes it, dreads it, flies it, and even abhors himself for it, Rom. vii. 15, Job xlii. 6, Ezek. xxxvi. 31. He that could see little sin in himself, and could find no matter for confession, (as it was said of that learned Ignoramus, Bellarmine, who, it seems, while he knew so much abroad, was a miserable stranger to himself, that when he was to be confessed by the priest, he could not remember any thing to confess, but was fain to run back to the sins

of his youth) I say, he that could not find matter for confession, unless it were some few gross and staring evils, now sin reviveth with him, Rom. vii. 9, he sees the rottenness of his heart, and desperate and deep pollation of his whole nature he cries, Unclean, unclean, Lev. xiii. 45. Lord, purge me with hyssop, wash me thoroughly, create in me a new heart, Psa. li. 2, 7, 10. He sees himself altogether become filthy, Psa. xiv. 3, corrupt, both root and tree, Matt. vii. 17, 18.He writes unclean upon all his parts, and powers, and performances, Isa. Ixiv. 6, Rom. vii. 18. He discovers the nasty corners that he was never aware of, and sees the blasphemy and theft, and murder, and adultery that is in his heart, which before he was ignorant of. Heretofore he saw no form nor comeliness in Christ, nor beauty, that he should desire him; but now he finds the hid treasure, and will sell all to buy this field. Christ is the pearl he seeks, sin the puddle he loathes.

Now, according to this new light, the man is of another mind, another judgment, than before he was. Now God is all with him, he hath none in heaven nor in earth, like him, Psa. lxxiii. 25. He prefers him truly before all the world: his favour is his life; the light of his countenance is more than corn, or wine, and oil, (the good that formerly he enquired after, and set his heart upon, Psa. iv. 6, 7.) Now, let all the world be set on one side, and God alone on the other; let the harlot put on her paint and gallantry, and present herself to the soul, (as when Satan would have tempt

ed our Saviour with her) in all the glory of her kingdoms, yet the soul will not fall down and worship her, but will prefer a naked, yea, a crucified, persecuted Christ before her, Phil. iii. 8,1 Cor. ii. 2. Not but that a hypocrite may come to yield a general assent to this, that God is the chief good; yea, the wiser heathens (some few of them) have at last stumbled upon this: but there is a difference. between the absolute, and comparative judgment of the understanding. No hypocrite come so far, as to look upon God as the most desirable and suitable good to him, and thereupon to acquiesce in him. This was the convert's voice, The Lord is my portion, saith my soul: Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee. God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever, Psa. lxxiii. 26, Lam.

iii. 24.

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Secondly, It turns the bias of the will, both as to means and ends. (1.) The intention of the will is altered, Ezek. xxxvi. 26, Jer. xxxi. 23, Isa. xxvi. 8, 9. Now the man hath new ends and designs: now he intends God above all, and desires and designs nothing in all the world so much as that Christ may be magnidied in him, Phil. i. 20. He accounts himself more happy in this than in all that the earth could yield, that he may be serviceable to Christ, and bring him glory in his generation. This is the mark he aims at, that the name of Jesus may be great in the world, and that all the sheaves of his brethren may bow to this sheaf.

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