Some important truths about conversion, delivered in sundry sermons, / by Increase Mather, D.D.…

4. You may try whether you are Converted, by that spiritual combat which is peculiar to the Regenerate. It is with a Child of God, as it was with Rebecca, in whom there was a Jacob and an Esau; or as it was with the house of Abraham, where there was an Isaac and an Ishmael. So it is with the heart of a Christian, there is a Regenerate and Unregenerate, part conflicting and combating the one against the other, Gal. 5.17. Now if there be Spirit lusting against the Flesh, that ⟨p. 50⟩is a sure sign that there is Spirit; only there is a dangerous delusion here, which many deceive themselves with; they take the Reluctancy of a natural enlightened Conscience against sin, to be the spiritual Combat, which is peculiar to the Regenerate, but these differ much. As to the ground of the opposition, there is a difference; the one opposeth sin, because of the vileness and filthiness of its Nature; the other only, or chiefly, for fear of punishment. It may be illustrated by this familiar Comparison; Some men are loth to meddle with coals of fire, because of filth which is about them; others never stick at that, only because of fire, lest haply their fingers should be burnt, they are loth to meddle; So it is here, a Natural man would never fall out with sin, because of the filth of it, only there's fire in sin, which would burn his Conscience if he should meddle with it, and therefore he forbears some acts of sin; but the sincere Convert is acted from another Principle. There is also a difference as to the evils opposed; for when the Conflict is only from an enlightened Conscience, the evils opposed are wont to be more gross and vile; but in the spiritual combat, seemingly little sins are mourned under, even vain thoughts are a wearisome burden. In the one, only some sins are opposed; in the other all sin. So likewise there is wont to be a difference in respect of ⟨p. 51⟩the continuance of the opposition: That which proceeds only from an enlightened Conscience is wont to be but now and then▪ perhaps when some gross sin hath been committed, or the like; but the spiritual Combat is constant, and without Intermission.

4. You may try whether you are Converted, by that spiritual combat which is peculiar to the Regenerate. It is with a Child of God, as it was with Rebecca, in whom there was a Jacob and an Esau; or as it was with the house of Abraham, where there was an Isaac and an Ishmael. So it is with the heart of a Christian, there is a Regenerate and Unregenerate, part conflicting and combating the one against the other,