The sound believer, or, A treatise of evangelical conversion discovering the work of Christs…The sound beleever, or, A treatise of evangelicall conversion discovering the work of Christs…

There is a real light in spiritual conviction, rational conviction makes things appear notionally; but spiritual conviction, really: the Spirit indeed useth argumentation in conviction, but it goes farther and causeth the soul not only to see sin and death discursively, but also intuitively and really: reason can see and discourse about words and Propositions, and behold things by report, and so deduct one thing from another; but the Spirit makes a man see the things themselves, really wrapped up in those words; the Spirit brings spiritual things as well as notions before a mans eye, the light of the Spirit is like the light of the Sun, it makes all things appear as they are; John 3.20, 21. It was ⟨p. 27⟩Jerusalems misery, she heard the words of Christ, and they were not hid from them, but the things of her peace shut up in those words were hid from her eyes. ¹Discourse with many a man about his sin and misery, he will grant all that you say, and he is convinced, that his estate is most wretched, and yet still lives in all manner of sin; what is the reason of it? truly he sees his sin only by discourse, but he doth not, nay cannot see the thing sin, death, wrath of God, until the Spirit come; which only convinceth or showeth that really. A man will not be afraid of a Lyon when it is painted only upon the wall, why? because therein he doth not see the living Lyon: when he sees that, he trembles. So men hear of sin, and talk of sin and death, and say they are most miserable in regard of both; yet their hearts tremble not, are not amazed at these evils; because sin is not seen alive, death is not presented alive before them, which is done by the Spirit of conviction only, revealing these really to the soul; and hence it is that many men in seeing see not, ²How can that be? thus, in seeing things notionally, they see them not really. And hence many that know most of sin, know least of sin, because in seeing it notionally, they see it not really▪ And therefore happy were it for some men, Scholars and others, that they had no notional ⟨p. 28⟩