have of assisting grace of new influences of the Spirit and to be kept and upheld by the power of God unto the end of their dayes and their continual prayers and Supplications to God still to teach them quicken them enlarge their hearts incline their hearts unto his Testimonies and make them to go in the path of his Commandments as David did in the Book of Psalms do shew that we are both at first converted and afterwards carried on in Gods wayes and kept and preserved to the heavenly Kingdom by the power of God alone to whom be glory for ever and ever Amen Some are Converted young CHAP. V. Shewing that God Converts men at several Ages some in Youth some in their latter time as it pleaseth him NOw if we enquire into the times and seasons when God hath Converted those whom he hath Predestinated unto Life there is great variety according to the Counsel of his Will there is a set time for the new and spiritual birth of the Elect as well as there is an appointed time for every ones first birth and coming into the World The self same day and hour and moment that God hath d creed from Eternity shall all the Elect of God be brought out of the Egypt of their natural condition to travel towards the heavenly Canaan Therefore passing by what might be said of Gods infusing grace into some in their Infancy as he doth in Elect Infants that die in their Infancy although the manner of his working grace in them is a great secret to us I shall only speak of the times and seasons of Gods working grace in them that live some considerable time in the world First then I say that God converts some in their youth yea very young this we know by Scripture and Experience Josiah Obadiah and Timothy are recorded in the Scripture for early Converts All should remember their Creator in the days of their youth and some God helps by his grace so to do It is a happy thing when in this sense young ones first seek the Kingdom of God before they seek after Wealth or Wife or are scarce capable of regarding such worldly matters It is infinite mercy to be converted at all and a great priviledge to be converted young 1. Those that are converted very young usually have not such terrours and frights of Conscience as others have in their Conversion such thundrings and earthquakes of Law terrours but God speaketh to them with a stiller voice and deals more gently with them Indeed such are sometimes sorely tempted to question the truth of their Conversion because they have not had such great terrors of conscience as some others have had which they have heard or read of yet there is no ground for it for as if a man hath had as great consternation of Spirit and terrours of conscience as ever Cain and Judas had this were not sufficient to prove that he is converted So if a man hath had little feeling of those terrors and yet can find that he loathes himself for sin prizes Christ believes on his Name and heartily desires that he should reigne over him his estate is as good and safe for eternity as if he had been twenty years under extream horrour of conscience night and day and afterwards found peace in Christ Secondly Those that are converted very young usually are prevented by the grace of God from committing many grosse sins which others are guilty of as drunkenness whoredom scoffing at religion and swearing though the two last of these sins now a daies are rise amongst some that are very young even to amazement usually Youth is not so debauched I mean the beginning of Youth as afterwards so that if God please to convert one before he hath run into that excesse of riot it is to be for ever remembred with thankfulness unto the Lord. If our souls never came in act into some secret and open wickedness which naturall men in processe of time as they grow in years do commonly fall into but that the Lord before our vile nature was ripe for the commission of those sins was pleased to Sanctify us and put his fear into our hearts that wee know not what many of those things mean but by heare-say and report we are to take it as a great favour of the Lord. Yet by reason of this some that were converted young are apt to fall into temptation and a snare being apt to be ever and anon leaning something to their own righteousness But as God taketh them off by his grace from putting any confidence therein and leadeth them forth again by his holy spirit to account all their blameless walking before or since their conversion but dung in point of justification and to the end of their days after all their doing and suffering desiring onely to be found in Christ having on them his righteousness to justifie them at Gods Bar. And herein lies much of the light and leading of the spirit of God in them that are true Believers that although others that are ignorant of these things may think that they have not much need of the righteousness of Christ because they have not been stained with grosse sins all their dayes and they themselves at times may be tempted to such thoughts yet the Lord shews them that they are so vile by nature and their best righteousness so imperfect that they have as much need to prize Christ and to live purely and folely upon his righteousness as any poor creatures in the world Again those that are converted young and have not committed some gross sins that others have committed are apt to carry it not with that compassion of the ignorant and of them that are out of the way and utterly debauched as those many times do who have run to the same excesse of riot and are now converted unto God Whereas that is the right Spirit of the Gospel to be very pitiful yea very gentle in our carriage to the vilest of man yet rightly tempered with a holy zeal against sin Likewise those that are converted young and have not committed such abominations as others have done are apt to be lifted up with a conceit of their own strength and not to be so sensible of the corruption of their natures as others are wherefore the Lord doth sometimes leave them unto great temptations and sometimes to fall fouly in some things for a season even after their conversion that they may see what is in their hearts and that they should have been as vile as any in the World if the Lord had not bestowed his grace upon them Whereupon the come to have great humiliation before the Lord and loath themselves in his sight And if God do keep some that are converted young from being tainted with gross sins first or last all their dayes yet sometimes they may be so near the Commission of them but that God doth graciously prevent either by some special Providence or
OF THE CONVERSION OF SINNERS TO God in Christ The 1. Necessity 2. Nature 3. Means 4. Signs of it WITH A concluding SPEECH to the VNCONVERTED By MARTIN FYNCH a Servant of Christ in the Work of the Gospel Except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God John 3.3 Repent therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord Acts 3.19 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways and sinners shall be turned unto thee Psalm 51.13 LONDON Printed for Henry Mortlock at the Sign of the Phoenix in S. Paul's Church-yard 1680. TO THE INHABITANTS OF Great GRIMSBY IN THE COUNTY of LINCOLN Salvation in Christ Jesus our LORD IT is said of Paul when he was at Athens his spirit was stirred when he saw the City wholy given to Idolatry Act. 17.17 The Servants of Christ are to have their Spirits stirred with a Holy Zeal for God and with bowels of compassion to the Souls of men when they see People wholy given to ignorance and prophaness That is a good stirring of our Spirits and from the Holy Spirit of God to endeavour to turn men from darkness unto light and from the power of Satan unto God Charity to the Souls of Men is the highest Charity those that know the terrour of the Lord and what a fearful thing it is to fall into the bands of the living God should be very earnest to perswade men to flee from the wrath to come if by any means they may be instruments in Christs hand to save some This small Treatise written in your Town and much for your sakes I dedicate unto you as a Testimony of my love to your souls I write not unto you about controversies and about lesser things my design is higher that is to shew the necessity of the New Birth and the Nature thereof If Persons be truly converted from Sin to Christ though they may erre and mistake in somethings about the manner of the outward worship of God in this World God will sooner or later reveal it unto them or however Pardon it to them through his grace in Christ so that those mistakes shall not hinder their Salvation But if persons be never so right in the outward way of their profession and worship and yet be strangers to a work of grace and conversion upon their hearts they cannot enter into the Kingdom of God There are two sorts of Persons especially with whom I have to do in this Treatise First those that think that the practise of some formalities and outward things will bring them to Heaven without a work of grace and conversion upon their Souls If men think that the being of this or that Church and being of this or that way of outward profession of Religion will bring them to everlasting Life whilst in the mean time they are grossly ignorant of the things of God of loose and licentious lives or unacquainted with a Sanctifying change wrought by the Spirit of God upon their Souls let them consider what is written in this Book to undeceive them and shew them what of necessity must be done or else they are undone for ever The second sort that I deal with in this Treatise are those who though they are for devotion strictness of Life and a change of mens Spirits and ways yet carry it no further then a kind of Civility Moral vertues and reformation of life produced by a meer awe of a Deity and fear of Hell without the true knowledge of Christ and faith in him In true Conversion there is a coming to Christ a receiving of Christ a being Sanctified by Faith in him Christ is little known as the justifier and Sanctifier too of lost and sinful man Christ is made use of by many but as upon the by and for fashion-sake both in the matter of justification and in the business of conversion therefore it is the design of this Treatise to lead men to a more distinct knowledg of Christ and that they may se how God blesseth us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly things in him I have not adorned this discourse after the manner of some I Study to set forth the things of God to the meanest capacity I wish what I have written were yet more plain and easier to be understood Now that the God of all grace would bless what I have written to the furtherance of your salvation and to the everlasting good of others who shall peruse it is the prayer of Your Servant in Christ MARTIN FYNCH THE CONTENTS Chap. I. OF the Necessity of Conversion Chap. II. That in the ordinary way of the Lords converting of Souls God doth first work upon men in a more common way making a change upon men which yet falls short of saving work Chap. III. Sheweth what Special Grace and saving Conversion is Chap. IV. Sheweth what outward means God is pleased to make use of in the Conversion of Souls Chap. V. Sheweth that whatsoever outward means the Lord makes use of for the Conversion of Souls the work is done by his own Almighty Power Chap. VI. Sheweth that God converts men at several Ages some in youth some in their latter time as it pleaseth him Chap. VII Sheweth how we may know that we are Converted and passed from death to Life Chap. VIII Is a concluding Speech to the unconverted THE NECESSITY OF Conversion CHAP. I. Of the Necessity of Conversion BEfore I open the Nature of Conversion it is requisite that I should speak something of the Necessity thereof This Proposition therefore I lay down That every Man by Nature is so Degenerated from God so utterly corrupted and tainted by Sin so prone to all Evil so opposite to God and all that is spiritually good that except he be Converted and Changed he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God There is a twofold Misery come upon us by our Fall in Adam First The loss of the Favour of God Secondly The loss of the Image of God in Holiness and Righteousness First We have lost the Favour of God by Sin so that as we are by Nature the Children of wrath Ephes 2.3 God is angry with us Psal 7.11 We are under the Curse of his holy Law Galat. 3.10 The Law curseth us for Original Sin the Law curseth us for Actual Sins The Law pronounceth the Sinner to be vile and abominable to God to be such a One as his Soul hath no pleasure in but will bring into Judgment and punish according to all the Evil that he hath done to provoke the Eyes of his Glory Now from this part of our Misery we are recovered by the Grace of Justification which is an act of Gods free Grace whereby he forgives a poor Sinner for Christs sake all Trespasses and imputeth the perfect and glorious righteousness of Christ as our Mediator and Surety to make him pure clean and without spot in his sight This great
speech or wisdom of the Preacher that doth convert the Hearers All the Oratory in the World cannot convert a Soul Arguments Promises Threatnings and Intreaties set forth with the Tongues of Men and Angels if they were to assume humane shape and speak to Sinners about their everlasting concernments could not prevail to bring them from Sin to Christ except the Lord put forth his Almighty power 5. It is not from any power of Nature that before lay dormient and idle that now awaketh and yieldeth obedience to the Word that a Soul is converted For there is no such power of Nature 't is an idle speculation of those that think it is so for in conversion the Spirit of God is put into us and the fear of God and so consequently the Seed and Principle of Faith and Repentance and other Graces is put into our hearts where before it was not 2. Positively I answer That the efficacy power and vertue of the preaching of the Word when a Soul is converted by it is wholly from the Spirit of God When the Scripture saith That faith cometh by hearing 't is only as an outward means that God worketh by when it pleases him for bare hearing of the Gospel worketh Faith in no man for Faith is the gift of God Ephes 2.8 Philip. 1.29 The fruit of the Spirit Galat. 5.22 And when the Gospel is said to be the power of God unto salvation it is not to be understood as if the bare preaching of the Gospel did save and convert men but it is called the power of God unto salvation in opposition to the Law and the Covenant of works because it reveals and holds forth the way of Grace in Christ by which God saveth lost Sinners which the Law doth not How the Spirit of God doth work in and by the preaching of the Word for the conversion of Souls is a deep mystery And O that we may experimentally know that the Holy Ghost hath made use of the Word to convert our Souls though we cannot exactly conceive of the way and manner of his working thereby The workings of the Holy Ghost in Conversion are compared to the wind as for the freeness and powerfulness so for the mystery that is in them As the wind bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof but canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth so is every one that is born of the Spirit John 3.8 But for further light into this Question let us observe these Scriptures following It is said The Lord opened the heart of Lydia that she attended to the things that were spoken by Paul Ministers do but call and knock at the doors of mens hearts 't is God that by a secret work of his Spirit openeth their hearts Acts 16.14 And it is said Acts 10.44 While Peter yet spake these words the Holy Ghost fell on all them that heard him Peters preaching and the Holy Ghosts falling upon them that heard him were two distinct things the one might have been without the other the one was the work of man the other was the work of God And that which is said 1 Thess 1.5 will make it yet far more evident For our Gospel came not unto you in word only but in power and in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance The Gospels coming to people in word and in the bare preaching of it is one thing and the Gospels coming to them in power and in the Holy Ghost is another to some the Gospel comes only in word they hear a sound of words and as they are rational men they may have a notional knowledge thereof but unto the Elect it comes with power and with the Holy Ghost even with such powerful workings of the Spirit as turns them from Sin to Christ Of these things this is the sum the preaching of the Word shews us the way of salvation it is the Spirit of God that by a secret and strong hand puts us into that way The preaching of the Word shews us our lost estate by Nature it is the Spirit that inwardly makes us sensible of it and affecteth our hearts with it The preaching of the Word shews us Gods Grace in Christ holds up Christ as the Brazen Serpent it is the Spirit that gives us an eye of faith to look to him that we may live The coming to the Ordinance to hear the Word is like the Woman in the Gospel touching the hem of Christs garment others touched him as well as she but there came a secret vertue from Christ to heal her of her Bloody Issue Many come to the preaching of the Word and to some of their Souls there cometh secret vertue from Christ that they find in themselves that now they are humbled for sin now they prize Christ now they cleave unto the Lord with a full purpose of heart to walk in his ways Praise the Lord for ever It was not the Minister it was not the bare preaching of the Word that could make this change but this was the day of the Lords power to thy Soul and vertue came secretly from our blessed Lord Jesus to thy Soul admire him and love him and cleave to him to carry thee on by the same power of his Spirit unto the end It may be many others in the same Sermon found no vertue come from Christ to their Souls it was a burden and tedious to them Admire free Grace and love the Lord Jesus for ever When we find good to our Souls by the preaching of the Word we must not look upon poor Ministers with admiration of them as if by their power and holiness we had such a change wrought in us but know that God hath made bare his own arm and glorified his own power and the exceeding riches of his grace in Christ Jesus to us-ward And this is one reason why God makes use many times of persons of meaner parts and small repute to be Instruments of converting more Souls than he doth of others that excel them that it may appear that the high and excellent power that converts the Soul is of God and not of man It is not fit that the Glory of God should be given to Ministers and Ordinances if we get any good to our Souls by them look upon them but as the Conduit-pipes and let all the Glory be given to him who is the Fountain of life for thine O Lord is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory for ever CONVERSION Wrought by the POWER of GOD CHAP. V. Shewing that whatsoever Outward Means the Lord makes use of for the Conversion of Souls the Work is done by his own Almighty Power IT hath been shewn that the Lord in Converting Souls doth usually make use of Outward Means and especially the preaching of the Word Now let us enquire more fully how those that were spiritually dead come to be made alive and those that were darkness come to be made light in the Lord. Those
the Lord to you in your youth and how he hath yet maintained the work of grace in you keeping grace alive through so long a tract of time as some of you have walked with God who were converted young And though your hearts and lives are not so with God as you would have it and that you have not yet so far attained as to be perfect but still groan and sigh being burdened with your corruptions and temptations yet thank and praise the Lord that hath taught you from your youth up and that hitherto he hath kept you in that great and terrible wilderness you have gone thorough and that his spirit and his feare is yet you 7. Have a care of abating in your first love and zeal and sincerity and diligence in following the Lord. Let the spiritual dew of your youth be alwaies upon you that you may be alwaies green and flourishing in grace that as your dayes so may your spiritual strength be Give not the men of the World occasion to say that your forwardness in religion in your youth was because you wanted wit then but that now you are grown wiser you follow the World as hard as others take liberty in your conversation as others do and give over preciseness and strict walking but let them see that now your judgments are bettered with age and much experience you still chuse rather to suffer affliction with the People of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sin that are but for a season Lastly it is very requisite for those that are converted young and are but yet young to read the Scriptures diligently concerning the duties that God requireth of men in those Relations that his Providence hath put them into or shall put them into in the world Study well the duties of Servants and Masters Children and Parents Wives and Husbands and other Relations As the best Saints are apt to miscarry much in their duties in the Relations they stand in so especially those that are young for want of knowledge of what God requires in his Word in those Relations Therefore art thou called being very young study upon those duties that the Scripture requires towards thy Parents if they be yet alive and make great conscience of them Art thou called being a Servant or intended to be so shortly read over those Scriptures that speak of the duties of Servants again and again pray over those Scriptures often that God would make thee obedient diligent and faithful in that Relation as his Word requires Art thou called and art soon to marry or art newly married study those Scriptures that concern that estate and so for Masters and Parents and the like The holy Scriptures are able to teach you your duties in all these things that you may be throughly surnished with directions from them Let no young people despise this counsel for through their not giving attendance to the Reading study of the Scripture in these things they many times offend God much and whatsoever grace they have the beauty and lustre of it is exceedingly darkned before the eyes of men We hear of such a young person that is much affected with the word and prayes much speaks of good things and prizes Christ but when we inquire how doth he carry it to his Parents or his Master or to his Yoak-fellow it is oftentimes a grief of mind to the Godly-wise and makes them they know not what to think there is so great failing in those duties Now I am speaking of the Lords converting some very young Note this that sometimes young people and especially those that have good education live in godly Families and under the faithful preaching of the word are much convinced and set upon prayer and others rejoyce and hope that it will be a through work and yet all this comes to nothing they soon lose all sense of those things and grow more vile in their practises then they were before And others of them to please their Relations that are godly after they have lost the power of those common convictions they have had will seem to be religious still for a while but when their godly Parents are dead or they come to leave good Families and be for themselves then they will shew what they are indeed Some are notable Hypocrites very young and having good parts and finding that the profession of Religion makes them acceptable to some upon whom they have dependance will make a fair shew to deceive others but let them know that they deceive themselves most in the end when they come to have their portion with the Hypocrites where there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth I have dwelt long enough upon this first Head to shew that God doth convert some in youth yea very young and have given cautions and counsel unto such Now to proceed Secondly God doth convert some in their riper years in the midst of their days or in old age as it pleaseth him Abraham in the Old Testament and Nicodemus in the New are recorded as persons converted in their riper years and latter time but whereas some say shew any other instances besides them of persons converted in their latter time I will say that we know not the precise age of the three thousand that were converted Acts 2. nor of those Acts 4.5 nor of those Multitudes that were added to the Lord Acts 5.14 nor of Cornelius his friends Acts 10. upon whom the Holy Ghost fell neither do we know the precise age of Lydia the Jaylor and many others that are mentioned by name in the Scripture whether they were young or old when they were converted nor is it necessary for us to know it It is sufficient for us to know that whosoever cometh unto Christ he will in no wise cast out whether he be young or old Those holy men that shew what an unsuitable time old age is to have then the work to do to make our calling and election sure when we can scarce see to read the Scriptures can scarce hear the word of life that is preached to them and their Memories and parts extreamly decayed must not be understood as if God could not convert such or never did it but to shew that the repentance of such is very often feigned and counterfeit and to warn young people that they do not count upon old-age conversion to the neglecting of remembring their Creatour in the days of their youth It is a great truth that they say that God should not be put off to take the dregs of our lives and to take the Devils leavings for he deserveth the beginning of our strength the best of our days and all our days to serve him but better late then never better come into the Vineyard at the eleventh hour then not at all There have been remarkable conversions of old men recorded by worthy men O that there were more both young and old brought home to Christ I know none that