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they that know man's constitution, and the nature of the human soul's operation, cannot but know that the understanding having the empire in the soul, he that will go rationally to work, must labour to let in the light here. Now that I may cure the mistakes of some, who think they are converted when they are not, as well as remove the troubles and fears of others, that think they are not converted when they are; I shall show you the nature of conversion, both negatively, or what it is not; and positively, what it is.

We will begin with the Negative.

1. "Is it not taking upon us the profession of Christianity." Doubtless Christianity is more than a name. If we will hear Paul, it lies not in word, but in power.* If to cease to be Jews and Pagans and to put on the Christian profession, had been true conversion, who better Christians than they of Sardis and Laodicea? These were all Christians by profession, and had a name to live; but because they had but a name, are condemned by Christ, and threatened to be spewed out.t Are there not many that mention the name of the Lord Jesus, and yet depart not from iniquity? and "profess they know God, but in works they deny him?" And will God receive these for true converts, because

*

ii. 19.

1 Cor. iv. 20. + Rev. iii. 1, 16. ‡ 2 Tim. Titus i. 16.

turned to the Christian religion? What! converts from sin, when yet they do live in sin? it is a visible contradiction. Surely if the lamp of profession would have served the turn, the foolish virgins had never been shut out.* We find not only professors, but preachers of Christ, and wonder-workers, turned off because evil-workers.t

2. "It is not the being washed in the laver of regeneration, or putting on the badge of Christ in baptism." Many take the pressmoney, and wear the livery of Christ, that yet never stand to their colours, nor follow their leader. Ananias, and Sapphira, and Magus, were baptized as well as the rest.

Friends and brethren, "Be not deceived, God is not mocked." Whether it be your baptism, or whatever else that you pretend, I tell you from the living God, that if any of you be prayerless persons, or unclean, or malicious, or covetous, or riotous, or a scoffer, or a lover of evil company, § in a word, if you are not holy, strict and self-denying Christians, you cannot be saved, except you be transformed by a further work upon you, and renewed again by repentance.

3. "It lies not in a moral righteousness. "|| This exceeds not the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, and therefore cannot bring us to the kingdom of God. * Paul while unconverted, " touching the righteousness which is in the law was blameless." None could say, "black is thine eye." The self-justiciary could say, "I am no extortioner, adulterer, unjust," &c. Thou must have something more than all this to show, or else however thou mayest justify thyself, God will condemn thee. I condemn not morality, but warn you not to rest here; piety includes morality, as Christianity doth humanity, and grace reason; but we must not divide the tables.

* Mat. xxv. 12. † Mat. vii. 22, 23,

vi. 7. xvi. 24,

Prov. xiii. 20,

‡ Gal.

|| Heb. xii. 14. Mat,

4. "It consists not in an external conformity to the rules of piety." It is too manifest, men may have a form of godliness without the power. Men may pray long, || and fast often, and hear gladly,** and be very forward in the service of God, though costly and expensive, and yet be strangers to conversion. They must have more to plead for themselves, than that they keep their church, give alms, and make use of prayer, to prove themselves sound converts. No outward service but a hypocrite may do it, even to the "giving all his goods to feed the poor, and his members to the fire."

* Mat. v. 20. † Phil. iii. 6. ‡ Luke xvii. 2 Tim. iii. 5. || Mat. xxiii. 14. Luke †† Isaiah i. 11.

11. xviii. 12.

# 1 Cor. xiii. 3.

** Mark vi. 2.

5. "It lies not in the chaining up of corruption by education, human laws, or the force of incumbent affliction." It is too common and easy to mistake education for grace; but if this were enough, who a better man than Jehoash? While Jehoiadah his uncle lived, he was very forward in God's service, and calls upon him to repair the house of the Lord;* but here was nothing more than good education all this while; for when his good tutor was taken out of the way, he appears to have been but a wolf chained up, and falls to idolatry.

6. In short, "it consists not in illumination or conviction, not in a superficial change or partial reformation." Felix may tremble under conviction,† and a Herod amend many things. It is one thing to have sin alarmed only by convictions, and another to be captivated and crucified by converting grace. Many, because they have been troubled in conscience for their sins, think well of their case, miserably mistaking conviction for conversion: with these Cain might have passed for a convert, who ran up and down the world like a man distracted, under the rage of a guilty conscience, till with building and business he had worn it away.§ Others think, that because they have given over their riotous

* 2 Kings xii. 2, 7. vi. 20.

† Acts xxiv. 25. ‡ Mark

Gen. iv. 13, 14.

courses, and are broken off from evil company, or some particular lust, and reduced to sobriety and civility, they are now no other than real converts: forgetting that there is a vast difference between being sanctified and civilized: and that many seek to enter the kingdom of heaven, * and "are not far from it," and arrive to the almost of Christianity, and yet fall short at last. Whilst conscience holds the whip over them, many will pray, hear, read, and forbear their delightful sins; but no sooner is the lion asleep, than they are at their vomit again.-Who more religious than the Jews, when God's hand was upon them?§ yet no sooner was the affliction over, but they forgot God, and showed their religion to be a fit. Thou mayest have disgorged sin that will not sit easy on thy stomach, and yet not have changed thy swinish nature all the while.

You may cast the lead out of the rude mass into the more comely proportion of a plant, and then into the shape of a beast, and thence into the form and features of a man, yet all the while it is but lead still: so a man may pass through diverse transmutations from ignorance to knowledge, from profaneness to civility, thence to a form of religion; and all

* Luke xiii. 24.

† Mark xii. 34.

xxvi. 28.

Psalm lxxviii. 34, 35.

† Acts || Ver.

36, 37.

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