throweth it away; or if he be playing about a nest of wasps or bees, while he takes them to be but harmless flies, you cannot call him away, but when once they have stung him, he cries and runs away of himself, without another word. Even so is it with a poor sinner about his sins before conversion. We pray him to come away, and tell him that sin hath a sting, and a deadly sting, and assure him from the word of God that it will be bitterness in the latter end, and he makes no great matter of our words, but can hear us, as if we came into the pulpit to tell him a tale, and not to save his soul from hell. And therefore he can go on in his old way for all this, and take his cups, or follow the world and his fleshly lusts, and give the preacher leave to talk. But when converting grace comes, it makes them taste the bitterness and sourness of sin, and then they quickly spit it out. It makes them feel the sting and smart, and then they cry to God for help, and wish they had never known it, and run away from it with detestation. Grace bringeth in that light from God, which shews them that which they did not see before. How that all this while they have had a multitude of crawling serpents in their bosom, and they have been playing even at the brink of hell. And when they see this with their own eyes, it is time for them to take another course.

If you doubt all this that I say, whether conversion doth make a man thus cast away his sin, while the hypocrite stands dallying with it, and cannot leave it, look into the example of all true converts. Or if that do not satisfy you, look into the infallible word of God. How eagerly was Saul going on in his persecution, till the light from heaven did stop his course, and the voice and grace of Christ did change his mind! Acts ix. But do you read ever Paul did persecute any more? or doth he delay and take time to consider of the matter before he would leave his former sin? No; but he presently forbears, and betakes himself to another course. And Tit. iii. 2-5. when he confessed the former sinful course of himself and others, he telleth you now how the matter is mended. And no marvel; for the man that liveth in his former sinful way, can never be saved, what ever change of the heart he may pretend. "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?

Be not deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revellers, nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you; but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of God." Now you see that conversion makes an effectual change of the life. Ye were such; but now it is not so, ye are washed, ye are sanctified by the Spirit of God. And, Isa. xxx. 22. when God mentioneth the conversion of these people, he saith concerning their former sins : Thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth, thou shalt say to it, get thee hence.' With what detestation will a converted sinner say to his former sin, 'Get thee hence! It is by thee that I have suffered, and had like to have been undone for ever. It is by thee that I have so much wronged God, and therefore, away with thee, get thee hence.' So in Isa. xxxi. 6, 7. "Turn ye unto him, from whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted; for in that day every man shall cast away his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which your own hands have made you for a sin." And the description of conversion runs thus, Ezek. xviii. 31. "Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed against me, and make you a new heart, and a new spirit: for why will you die, O ye house of Israel?" And Ezek. xx. 7. God commandeth them : Cast ye away every man the abomination of his eyes;" and ver. 8. " They rebelled, and did not cast away every man the abomination of his eyes.” "Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying "." "Wash ye, make ye clean, put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do well." "Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God for he will abundantly pardon"." "Amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of

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* 1 Cor. vi. 9-11. y Rom. xiii. 12, 13. z Isa. i. 16, 17. a Isa. lv. 6, 7.

the Lord your God, and he will repent him of the evil"." An hundred more such passages might be cited, wherein it is most evident, that there is no true conversion of the heart, if the sin of the life be not also cast away.

answer

If any will here desire to be curious, and to know just how much conquest the least degree of grace doth make, and how much actual sins may stand with sincerity of grace? Or if any will imagine, that because there is actual sin in the converted, that, therefore, there is no discernible difference between their reformation and other men's, I them as followeth. 1. A strong degree of grace is easily known by him that hath it, by the thorough reformation both of heart and life. 2. The weakest degree of grace is not ordinarily known, and therefore you cannot expect that I should make it known. For he that hath so little grace as to sin as much as will stand with true grace, shall scarce ever know that he hath any true grace at all in that condition. He is not fit for such a condition, nor would it do him good till he were fitter for it. 3. There is no change of the life that will discover sincerity certainly to others, nor to themselves considered alone, without the change of the heart, but there is a wickedness of the life that will prove a wickedness of the heart even unto others; much more to men themselves, who may know both immediately. 4. By this one mark you may know whether the sins of your lives, be they great or small, are certain proofs of an unconverted, graceless heart or not. In every true converted man, the main bent of his heart and life is against sin, and his chief desire and endeavour is to destroy it; but in others it is not so. Whatsoever kind of sinning therefore will not stand with such a bent of heart and life, with such a desire and endeavour, will prove that man to be graceless or unconverted that doth commit it. Now how far a man's sin is with, or against the main predominant bent of his own heart and life, he may discern himself by diligent observation.

3. I have hitherto spoke only of sins of commission, which are cast away when the soul is changed. The next part of the reformation of the life is in point of duty. A converted soul hath presently another work to do. As he hath set his heart upon another end, and looketh after ano

b Jer. xxvi. 13.

ther portion and inheritance; so hath he other means to use, which are suitable to the nature of the end which is to be obtained. A heavenly felicity is not gotten by earthly means. Learning to do well," therefore is ever joined with "ceasing to do evil c." "Seeking the Lord while he may be found, and calling on him while he is near," is joined with "forsaking wicked waysd." He that is "turned from the power of satan, is turned to God." Before conversion the wretched sinner had no pleasure in God, and therefore no pleasure in his service; and therefore was seldom, and cold, and careless in it; and gave God nothing but the leavings of the world and the flesh, and what he could spare; and put him off with some formal, superficial, cheap kind of service that would cost him but little. But when converting grace hath made a change, as God is his delight, so is his work and worship. He sees a world of work before him, which they made no conscience of before. As I told you of Paul, Acts ix. 11. he falls a praying as soon as he is converted; and from praying, he proceeds to the preaching of that Gospel which he persecuted before. It made the people wonder to see him that had been persecuting all that called upon the name of Jesus, but a little before, to preach for them a little after, Acts ix. 20, 21. The text saith," all that heard him were amazed, and said, Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name at Jerusalem, and came hither to that intent, to bring them bound to the chief priests?" So is it to this day: when a poor sinner that was wont to mock at a holy life, and never was used to call upon God, or at least but heartlessly, and with the lips; that made no conscience of praying in his family, or instructing them, or holy spending the Lord's day, shall now be as diligent in these as any: when the Bible is in his hands, or other good books, that had rather before have had a pack of cards, or dice, or worldly business: when a man was wont to set light by these things, is now set upon them, and cannot live without them: this makes the world about him amazed, and say, Is not this the man that scorned sermons, who now followeth after sermons? Is not this he that was against these things as much as any, that now is set so much upon them? I know a man that is

c Isa. i. 17.

d Isa. lv. 6.

e Acts xxvi. 18.

"all

now unconverted, may be much in the use of means, but here is the difference: to a converted man, the obedience of God is his chiefest work and business, to which all other things are made to stoop: but to the unconverted, the work of the flesh, and world is the chief, and the service of God must stoop to that. Sirs, if any of you dream that you are converted, and yet will not be brought to the works of obedience, both in holiness to God, and righteousness to men, you do but wilfully deceive yourselves. Do you think a man can love God above all, as every true Christian doth, and not seek him above all? Or that a man can have a heavenly heart, and not a heavenly life? It cannot be. If you had rather sit at home, when you should be attending upon God in the public assembly, or enjoying private helps for your souls; or are cumbered about many things, when you should be looking after the one thing necessary; it is a sign that you have not chosen the better part: whenever the heart is changed to God, the main bent of the life will presently consist in the seeking of God.

4. A new heart will have a new tongue. The fruit of it will appear in the scope of a man's discourse; "for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh f." I know a man may force his words, and therefore I still say to you, that these proofs from the outward actions, are stronger for the negative, than the affirmative. An evil tongue will prove an evil heart, but to prove a man sincere, there must be both heart and tongue. But certain it is, that though words may be counterfeit, yet true conversion doth always change the speech, and make the tongue also serviceable to those higher ends, which the heart is newly set upon. He that before had no mind to speak of any thing but earthly and fleshly matters, is now inquiring after other matters. The first words that we read of the converted Jews, Acts ii. 37. and the converted Jailer, Acts ix. and Paul, when he was converted, Acts ix. were, what God would have them do that they might be saved. Before, the very discourse of sin, and grace, and Christ, and the life to come, were a trouble to them, but now it is otherwise. They know they have their tongues for no greater use, nor can they better employ them, than in seeking direction for

f Matt. xii. 34.