Quest. But you will ask me this question. How shall we know common conviction of conscience from this of the Spirit ? For carnal men that go * Qu. 'Job'?-ED. t That is, ' blaming others.' Cf. Genesis iii. 12, seq.—G.
THE SAINT S PRIVILEGE.
859
to hell are 'convinced' by a common conviction. What is tliis saving conviction ?
Ans. Difference 1. I answer, common convicllon by the liffit of nature is a iveak conviction. A little spark will shew a little light, but it will not enlighten a room. It must be the work of some greater light, as the sun. The Spirit is a strong light, stronger than natural conscience. Natural conscience, and common light, is of some breaches of the second table. Natural conscience never ' convinces' of corrupt nature, but the Spirit doth most of all, as you may see in David, Ps. li. 5, he resolves all into this, as if he should say. What should I tell you of my murder and adultery, ' in sin did my mother conceive me ; ' so a true Christian doth not look to the branches so much as to the root.
Difference 2. Then again, a natural conscioice, when it convinceth a man, it is against his will. It makes him not the better man. He mends not upon it, but he is tortured and tormented. But a man that is ' con- vinced' by the Holy Ghost, he takes God's part against himself; he is willing to be laid open that he may find the greater mercy. So that there is a grand ditfereuce between common conviction of nature and the con- viction of the Spirit. The conviction of the Spirit is the light of the Spirit, which is of a higher nature than that of natural conscience : ' I will send the Comforter,' when he comes he will greatly enlighten and overpower the soul. Difference 3. Again, the conviction of the Spirit sticks hy a man, it never leaves the soul. But that of an', ordinary conscience it is but for a flash, and after they are worse than they were before,
I must cut off these things, because the time is always past upon these occasions before we begin.
Use 1. Come we therefore to make some use. The Spirit doth ' convince of sin.' But how ? By the ministry ordinarily, though not alone by the ministry. Therefore we must labour willingly to submit to the ministry ' convincing of sin.' Conscience will convince first or last. Is it not better to have a saving conviction now to purpose, than to have a bare desperate conviction in hell? Oh, beloved, all the admonitions we hear, if we regard them not now, we shall hereafter. Therefore labour to make good use of this ' sword of the Spirit' of God ; and it is an argument pf a good heart to wish. Oh that the ministry might meet with my corruption ; that it may be discovered to me to the full. A true heart thinks sin the greatest enemy, and of all other miseries it desires to be freed from the thraldom thereof. For that defiles heaven and earth, and separates God from his creature. It is that that threw angels out of heaven, Adam out of paradise. What embitters blessings, and puts a sting into all afflictions but sin ? If it were not for sin, we would take up any cross, and bear any alfliction more quietly than we do.
Therefore as we desire to be saved, and to stand with comfort before God at the day of judgment, let us desire and endeavour to be thoroughly con- vinced of sin. Take heed of resisting the Spirit of God in the ministry. Why are many led captive of their lusts, but because they hate the ministry of the word ? They look upon it as Ahab did upon Elias : ' Hast thou found me, 0 my enemy,' 1 Kings xxi. 20, They naturally are in love with their sins, and there is none so much hated as those that present them- selves, A man, take him in his pure naturals, is a foolish creature ; his heart rises against conviction. You see the pharisees, wise men, learned men, being convinced, they hated Christ to the death. Why ? Because he did untomb them and discover the dead men's bones within. Mat. xxiu. 27.
860 THE saint's privilege.
So many now-a-days, that are convinced, hate any that by life or speech discover their sins unto them, if it were possible, and in their power, to the death. Thus the Holy Ghost convinces of sin. But before I leave this point, let me add this from the reason or ground of this conviction, ' Because they believe not in mc.' That unbelief makes all other sins damnable. No sin is damnable if we could believe and repent. Therefore we are convinced of sin, because we do not believe ; as we say of a man that is condemned, because he cannot read, therefore he is condemned. He should escape if he could read, being for no great fault.* So it is here. It is not believing in Christ and repenting makes all other sins deadly.
The differing of one man from another is their failh and repentance. Some there be whose sins are greater than others, yet by the Spirit of God and faith, they work them out every day. It is faith in the ' brazen serpent' that takes away the sting of the fiery serpents, Num. xxi. 9. •