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…

That compunction follows conviction,§1 is evident from Scripture and Reason; Acts ⟨p. 46⟩2.37. When they heard this, that is, when they saw and were convinced of their sin in crucifying the Lord of life, which they did not imagine to be a sin before, what follows next? it is said, They were pricked at the heart; Lo, here is compunction. Ephraim also in turning unto God, Jer. 31.19. hath these words, After that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh; (as men in great calamity befallen […] use to do) I was ashamed, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth. ¹The men of Nineveh hearing by the Prophet they were all to dye within forty days, it is said, they believed God, (in the work of conviction) and then fell to sack-cloth and ashes (in the work of compunction) which did immediately follow. Josiah, 2 Chron. 34.27. in his renewed return unto God, after he heard the words of the law, his heart melted, and he wept before the Lord. For what is the end of conviction? is it not compunction? for if the Lord should let a man see his sin, and death for sin, and yet suffer the heart to remain hard and unaffected, the Lord did but leave him without excuse, nay the Lord should but leave him under greater misery, & under a more fearful judgement; viz. for a man to see and know his sin, and yet unaffected with it, and hardened under it; hardness of heart is one of the greatest judgements; to see sin ⟨p. 47⟩and not to be affected with it, argues greater hardness. For it is no wonder if they that see not and know not sin, remain senseless of sin; alas! they know not what they do; but for a man to be enlightened, and see his sin, and yet unaffected; Lord, how great is this hardness, and how unexcusable will such a man be left before God, when the Lord shall reckon with him for his hardness of heart • What is the end of that light the Lord lets into the understanding in other things? is it not that thereby the heart might be affected throughly with it? Why doth the Lord let in the light of the knowledge of Christ and of his will? Is it that this knowledge should like froth float in the understanding, and be imprisoned there? No verily, but that the heart might be throughly and deeply affected therewith. And do you think the Lord will in the light of conviction imprison it up in the mind?