318 SERMONS upon Serrm 37. 'Ufe t. This may ferve to perfwade ys, that the Convi &ion of the World is a great Licíiing, and conduceth much to the advancement of Chrilt's Kingdom, without any vifible force, with meer Spiritual Weapons, in defpight of all oppoíuion, which can be made thereunto. The corrupt and ill - principled World cannot (land out againft the Evidence of the Truth, when it is foundly preached, and in the Demonfration of the Spirit. We have too flight an Opinion of the Weapons of our Spiritual Warfare ; 2 Cor. to. 4. The Weapons of our Warfare are not carnal, Gut mighty through God for the pulling down of firong Holds. Surely they are more mighty to pull down Prong Holds, than we are aware of The Spirit of the Lord, tho he will not convert, yet can fo put to filence, and bridle the Oppofition that carnal Men make, that it (hall be inelfe- flual. It concerneth God in Honour to go thus far on with the World, for the pro- moting of his Kingdom ; and that they may not go on with an high Hand to oppofe and truth it. And this doth alto evince the Truth of the Chrifiart Religion, . fuch Convi &ions accompanying the preaching of it. And God cloth not wholly difcon tinue this Difpenfation now : There are ordinary Operations of the Spirit, where the Gófpel is preached, which do convince theWorld. The carelefs Profeffor owns the fame Creed, the fame Bible, and the fame Baptifm, and that -is a mighty Help and Ad- vantage. _Zile 2. It informeth us of the Love and Care of Chriff ; he would omit no Blef ling that conduceth to the Church's Good. He would have thole convinced, whom he doth not convert, that we may have no flumbling-block in our way to Heaven. It was a Qeftion, Have any of the Rulers believed in him ? John 7. 48. Alas ! when the Powers of the World are againft the People. of God, the World is apt to think hard of Chrift, and many fumble at this Rock of Offence :. Now that we maç have the Help of their Power, and Authority, and Countenance, and the Gifts of Carnal Men, the Lord will put them under fome Convi &ion of the Truth of Chtiffianity.. Chritt would not only give us the Benefit of our Fellow Saints, but of Carnal Hypo- crites ; as the Moon hath no Light in it felt, yet it giveth Light to others ; tho they have no Grace in their Hearts, yet they have notable Parts, and they do a great deal of good, and that our Pilgrimage might not be wholly uncomfortable. if all the World were divided into two Ranks, as Jeremiah's Basket of Figs, 9er. 24. were ei- ther,very good, or very naught : There were no living in the World, if all were Pagasis or Chrians. No, Come mutt come under a temporary Faith, that the People of God may live more commoddoufly. It is the Wifdom of Providence, that there is a middle Party, that are as a Skreen between theextreamiy Wicked, and the Saints; they are not fo bad as the worf, becaufe they are convinced more, tho not converted. Chrifdians ! In Chrift all things are ours, not only the Elea, who are our Companions and Fellows in the fame Grace, but alfo the Reprobates are ours; the more civil and convinced fort of the World are for our good, and do much ferve the Ufes of the Church: and the worf fort of Reprobates, ferve 'for our exercife and trial, for the awakening more ferious Grace in us, by their Oppofitions, and for the heightning our Privileges ; the more evil they are, the more caufe have we to biefs a good God that bath made us better. VP 3. It preffeth us not to flight, nor yet to reti in thefe Convi &ions, and in this Temporary Faith. r. Do not flight your Convi &ions and Remorfes of Confcience. Tho all convinced Men are not converted ; yet there are none converted, but they are firf convinced. A Temporary Faith, taken up upon common Inducements, makes way for a Saving Faith; as the priming of a Port makes it receptive of better Colours. Whereas on the other fide, flighted Convi &ions, tho you fmother them now, will be felt another day ; it is but a Wound skinned over, and Tightly healed, that fetters into a dangerous Sore. Twenty Years were paf, and there was no remembrance of /ofeph; but when his Bre- thren were in dithers, Confcience wrought. Gen. 42. 21. And they faid one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our Brother, in that we fair the anguif!s of his Soul, when he befought us ; and we would not hear him : therefore is this difirefs come upon us ; they were convinced of tome Wrong done to him. Conviflions are forgotten, fmothered, neg- le &ed : Confcience fpeaketh no more, but it writeth when it doth not fpeak ; and when the Mills of the Soul are a little cleared and fcattered, all is legible ; that which they
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