tiire and experience, 2 Cor. v. 17. " Old things are past away, be- *' hold all things are become new ;'"' and it is so sensible a change, that it is called a turning from darkness to lights Acts xxvi. 18. and a new creature formed and brought forth. But to be a little more distinct and particular, there are several other changes that pass upon men, which must not be mistaken for this ; and therefore, (1.) It is not a mere change of the judgment from error to truth, from Pagan- ism to Christianity. Such a change Simon Magus had, yet still re- mained in the gall of bitterness, and fast bound in the bonds of ini- quity. Acts viii. 23. (2.) Nor only of a man's practice, from profane- nessto cwllity: This is common among such as live under the light of the gospel, which breaking into men's consciences, thwarts their lusts, and over-awes them with the fears of hell : Which is no more than what the Gentiles had, Rom. ii. 15. (3.) Nor is it a change from mere morality to vaevQ formality in religion. Thus hypocrites are changed by the common gifts of the Spirit, illuminating their minds, and slightly touching their affections, Heb. vi. 4, 5. (4.) Nor is it such a change as justification makes, which is relative, and only alters the state and condition, Rom. v. 1, 2. (5.) Lastly, It is not a change of the essence of a man ; he remains essentially the same person still. But this change consists in the infusion of new habits of grace into the old faculties ; which immediately depose sin from its dominion over the soul, and deliver up the soul into the hands and government of Christ, so that it lives no more to itself, but to Christ. This is that change whereof we speak : And this change (2.) I assert to be real, no fancy, no delusion ; not a groundless conceit, but it is really existent, extra mentem, whether you conceit it or not. Indeed the blind world would persuade us it is suppositious and Jantastic ; and that there is no such real difference betwixt one man and another as we affirm grace makes. And hence it is, that whosoever professeth it, is presently branded for a fanatic; and that scripture, Isa. Ivi. 5. Sta7id by thyself I am holier than thou, &c. clapt in their teeth in their absurd and perverse sense of it.
But I shall briefly offer these seven things to your consideration, which will abundantly evince the reality of it, and at once both stop the slanderous mouths of ignorant men, and silence those atheistical surmises, which at any time Satan may inject into the hearts of God's own people touching this matter. And first, let it be considered, that the Spirit of God hath represented to us this work of grace under such names and notions in scripture, as if they had been chosen pur- posely to obviate this calumny. It is called a creature, Gal. vi. 15. a man, 1 Pet. iii. 4. a neza birth, John iii. 3. Christ formed in us. Gal. iv. 12. All which express its reality, and that it is not a conceited thing. (2.) It appears to be real by the marvellous effects it hath upon a man, turning him both in judgment, will, affections, and practice, quite counter to what he was* before. This is evident in that famous instance of Paul, Gal. i. 23. which is abundantly attested and
32 PREPARATIONS FOR SUFFERIXCiS ; OH,
sealed by the constant experience of all gi'acious souls that are wit- nesses of the truth hereof (3.) A divine and Almighty power goes forth to produce and work it; and hence faith is said to be of the operation of God, Col. ii. 12.^ Yea, that the same power which raised Jesus Christ from the dead, goes to the production of it, Eph. i. 19, 20. And if so, how much less than blasphemy is it, to call it a conceit or fancy ? Doth God set on work his infinite power to beget a fancy, or raise an imagination ? (4.) Conceits and whimsies abound most in men of weak reason : Children, and such as are crackt in their understandings, have most of them : Strength of rea- son banishes them, as the sun doth mists and vapours : But now the more rational any gracious person is, by so much the more he is iixed, settled, and satisfied in the grounds of religion : Yea, there is the highest and purest reason in religion ; and when this change is •wrought upon men, it is carried on in a rational way, Isa. i. 18. John xvi. 9. The Spirit overpowers the understanding with clear demonstrations, and silences all objections, pleas, and pretences to the contrarv. (5.) It is a real thing, and gracious souls know it to be so ; else so many thousands of the saints would never have suf- fered so many cruel torments and miseries, rather than forsake a fancy, and so save all. They have been so well satisfied of the reality of that which the world calls a fancy, that they have chosen rather to embrace the stake than deny it. The constancy of Christians, in cleaving to religion, was common to a proverb among the heathen; who when they would express the greatest difficulty, would say, ' You may as soon turn a Christian from Christ as do it.' Surely no wise man v\ould sacrifice his liberty, estate, life, and all that is dear, for a conceit. (6.) Its reality appears in its uniformity in all those in whom it is wrought: Tliey have all obtained like precious faiih^ 2 Pet. i. 1. They are all changed into the same image, 2 Cor. iii. 18. Three thousand persons affected in one and the same man- ner at one sermon. Acts ii, 37. Could one and the same conceit possess them altogether ? Take two Christians that live a thousand miles distant from each other, that never heard of one another, let these persons be examined, and their reports compared, and see if they do not substantially agree, and whether as face answers face in the water, so their experiences do not answer one to the other.? Which could never be, if it were a groundless conceit. (7.) And lastly. It is manifest it is a reality, and puts a real difference betwixt one and another, because God carries himself so differently towards them after their conversion ; now he smiles, before he frowned ; now they are under the promises, before they were under the threats and curses ; and what a vast difference will he put betwixt the one and the other in that great day ? See Mat. xxv. Surely if these nominal Christians did but differ in conceit, not really from others, the righteous Judge of all the earth would not pass such a different judgment and doom upon them.
THK BEST WOKIC IN THE WORST TIMES. 33
By all this you evidently see, that grace is a real change, and not a conceited one.