Chapter 14. Spiritual Renewal Or Mere Conviction?
CHAPTER 14. SPIRITUAL RENEWAL OR MERE
CONVICTION?
The second difference between affections spiritually renewed, and those which have been only changed by light and conviction —
Grounds and reasons of men's delight in duties of divine worship, and of their diligence in their performance, whose minds are not spiritually renewed.
THE second difference lies in this, that there may be a change in the affections, in which men may delight in the duties of religious worship and be diligent in their observance; but it is the spiritual renovation of the affections that gives delight in God through Christ, in any duty of religious worship whatsoever.
Where the truth of the gospel is known and publicly professed, there is great variety in the minds, ways, and practices of men about their duties of religious worship. Many are profane in their minds and lives, or at least practically, they despise or wholly neglect the observance of them. These are hard-hearted and far from righteousness, Tit 1.16. Some attend to them formally and cursorily, from the principles of their education, and maybe out of some convictions they have of their necessity. But there are many who, in the way they choose and are pleased with, are diligent in their observance, and show great delight in it; yet they give no evidence of the spiritual renovation of their minds. Indeed, the way by which some express their devotion in them, being superstitious and idolatrous, is inconsistent with that or any other saving grace.
Therefore, we must diligently inquire or search into the grounds and reasons for men's delight in divine worship, according to their convictions of the way of it, while they continue altogether unrenewed in their minds.
1. Men may be greatly affected with the outward part of divine worship, and the manner of its performance, who have no delight in what is internal, real, and spiritual in it: Joh 5.35, "He was a burning and a shining light: and you were willing for a season to rejoice in his light." So, many were delighted in the. preaching of Ezekiel, because of his eloquence and the elegance of his parables, chapter 33.31,32.97
This gave them both delight and diligence in hearing, for which they called themselves the people of God, though they continued to live in
sin; their hearts went after covetousness. The same may befall many at present with reference to the spiritual gifts of those by whom the word of God is dispensed. I don't deny that men may be more delighted or satisfied with the gifts, with the preaching of one than another, and yet be sincere in their delight in the dispensation of the word. For they may find more spiritual advantage by it than in the gifts of others; and things may be so prepared as to be more suited to their edification than elsewhere. But what we insist on at present refers only to some outward circumstances, pleasing the minds of men, 2Tim 3.5 [a mere form of godliness].
This was principally evident under the Old Testament, while they had carnal ordinances and a worldly sanctuary. Under that dispensation, the people were often given to all sorts of idolatry and superstition; and when they were not so, the body of them was still carnal and unholy, as evident from the whole tract of God's dealing with them by his prophets and in his providences. And yet they had great delight in the outward solemnities of their worship, placing all their trust of acceptance with God in them. Those who really and truly believed, looked through them all to the Christ, whom the worship fore-signified — without that, these things were a yoke to them, and a burden almost insupportable, Act 15.10. But those who were carnal, delighted in the things themselves; and for the sake of the signs, they rejected the One who was the life and substance of them all. This proved the great means of the apostasy of the Christian church also. To maintain some appearance of spiritual affections, men introduced carnal incitements of those affections into evangelical worship, such as singing with music, and pompous ceremonies. For they find such things needful to reconcile the worship of God to their minds and affections; and through them they appear to take great delight in worship. If some men in their thoughts could but separate divine service from that outward order
— those methods of variety, show, and melody with which they are affected — they would take no delight in it, but look at it as something that must be endured. How can it be otherwise conceived of among the Papists? With great earnestness, many evidences of devotion, sometimes with difficulty and danger, they repair to their solemn worship. And yet when they are present, they don't understand one word 98 by which their minds might be excited to
real actings of faith, love, and delight in God! Only order, ceremony, music, and other incentives of carnal affections, make a great impression on them.
Affections that are spiritually renewed are not concerned in these things. Indeed, if those with renewed affections were engaged in their use, they would find them a means of diverting their minds from the proper work of divine worship, rather than an advantage in it. It will also appear to them — unless they are content to lose their spiritual affections, acting in faith and love — that they are embracing in their stead a carnal, imaginary devotion. Hence, two persons may at the same time attend to the same ordinances of divine worship, with equal delight, but on very distinct principles. It is as if two men entered the same garden, planted and adorned with a variety of herbs and flowers, one being ignorant of their nature, the other a skillful herbalist. Both may be equally delighted, the one with the colors and smell of the flowers, the other with the consideration of their various natures, their uses in physical remedies, or the like.
So it may be in hearing the word. For instance, one may be delighted with the outward administration, another with its spiritual efficacy, both at the same time.
Hence Austin 99 tells us that singing in the church was laid aside by Athanasius at Alexandria — not the people's singing of psalms, but a kind of singing in the reading of the Scripture and in some offices of worship, which began then to be introduced into the church. And the reason he gave, was that the modulation of the voice and musical tune might not divert the minds of men from that spiritual affection which is required of them in sacred duties. What there is of real order in the worship of God — that order which is an effect of divine wisdom — is suited and useful to spiritual affections, because it proceeds from the same Spirit by which they are internally renewed.
"Beholding your order," Col 2.5. Everything of God's appointment is both helpful and delightful to them. None can say with higher raptures of admiration, "How amiable are your tabernacles, O LORD of hosts!" Psa 84.1,2, than those whose affections are renewed. And yet their delight is not terminated on these duties, as we will see directly.
2. Men may be delighted in the performance of outward duties of divine worship, because in them they comply with and give some
kind of satisfaction to their convictions. When conscience is awakened to a sense of the necessity of such duties — namely, of those in which divine worship consists — it will give the mind no rest or peace in the neglect of them. Let them be attended to in the seasons which light, conviction, and custom call for, and it will be so far satisfied that the mind will find present ease and refreshment in it. And when the soul is used to this relief, it will not only be diligent in the performance of such duties, it will not only not omit them, but it will delight in them as those which bring it great advantage. Hence many will not omit the duty of prayer every morning, who are yet resolved to live in sin all day long. And there are but few who sedulously endeavor to live and walk in the frame of their hearts and ways, according to their own prayers; and yet, all that is in our prayers, beyond our endeavors to respond in conformity of heart and life, is but the exercise of gifts in answer to convictions. Others find their troubles are allayed in them, as sick persons find by drinking cold water in a fever, whose flames are assuaged by it for a time.
They make their prayers like an antidote against the poison and sting of sin, which allays its rage but cannot expel its venom.
Or these duties, for them, are like sacrifices for sin under the law.
They gave a guilty person present ease, but as the apostle says, they didn't make men perfect; they didn't utterly quench a conscience condemning them for sin. Presently, on the first omission of duty, a sense of sin again returned to them; and that was not only as the act, but as the person himself, was condemned by the law. Then, the sacrifices were repeated for a renewed propitiation. This gave that carnal people such delight and satisfaction in those sacrifices, that they trusted in them for righteousness, life, and salvation. So it is with persons who are constant in spiritual duties merely from conviction. The performance of those duties gives them a present relief and ease. Though it doesn't heal their wound, it assuages their pain and dispels their present fears. Hence they are frequently in them, and oftentimes that is not without delight, because they are eased thereby. This condition is somewhat dangerous for those who, upon the sense of the guilt of any sin, turn for relief to their prayers.
Having discharged that duty, they are much at ease in their minds and consciences, even though they have obtained no real sense of the pardon of sin, nor any strength against it.
It may be said, "Don't all men, the best of men, perform all spiritual duties out of a conviction of their necessity? Don't they know it would be their sin to omit them, and so they find satisfaction in their minds upon their performance?" I say, They do. But it is one thing to perform a duty out of a conviction of its necessity as God's ordinance, which respects only the duty itself.100 It is another thing to perform it to satisfy convictions of other sins, or to quiet the conscience that is troubled about them; that is the conviction we speak to. The first begins and ends in self; self-satisfaction is its sole design. Men aim only at some rest and quietness in their own minds, which otherwise they cannot attain. But in the second, performing our duties in faith, from a conviction of their necessity as God's ordinance, and their use in the way of His grace, the soul begins and ends in God. It seeks no satisfaction in them, nor finds it from them, but its satisfaction is in and from God alone by them.
3. The principal reason why men delight in holy duties of divine worship — whose affections are only changed, and not spiritually renewed — is because they place their righteousness before God in these duties, on which they hope to be accepted by him. They don't know, they don't seek, any righteousness other than what is of their own working. Whatever notions they may have of the righteousness of faith, of the righteousness of Christ, what they practically trust to is their own. And it reveals itself to be so in their own consciences, upon every trial that befalls them. Indeed, when they cry to the Lord, and pretend to faith in Christ, they quickly make it evident that their principal trust is in themselves. Now, in all that they can plead by way of duties or obedience, nothing carries a fairer pretense to a righteousness, than what they do in the worship of God, and in the exercise of religious acts towards him. This (they think) is what He expects at their hands, what is due Him in the light of their consciences, the best they can do to please him — therefore, they must put their trust in these acts, or nothing. They secretly suppose not only that there is a righteousness in these things which will answer for itself, but that it will also compensate in some measure for their sins. And therefore, though they cannot but frequently fall into sin, they relieve themselves from the reflection of their consciences, by multiplying their duties, and having a renewed diligence in them.
It is inconceivable what delight and satisfaction men will take in anything that seems to contribute so much to a righteousness of their own. For it suits and pleases all the principles of a corrupt nature, after being brought under the power of a conviction concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment.
This made the Jews of old so stubbornly adhere to the ceremonies and sacrifices of the law, and to prefer them above the gospel, "the kingdom of God, and its righteousness," Rom 10.3. They looked and sought for righteousness by them. For many generations, they were kept to any tolerable observance of them, only with great difficulty — when they learned to place all their hopes of righteousness in them.
Then they would and did adhere to them, to their own temporal and eternal ruin, Rom 9.31-33.101 And when men were persuaded that righteousness was to be attained by works of munificence and supposed charity, in the dedication of their substance to the use of the church, those who otherwise were covetous, greedy, and oppressing, would lavish gold out of the bag, and give up their whole patrimony, with all their ill-gotten goods, to attain it — so powerful an influence does the desire for self-righteousness have upon the minds of men. It is the best fortification of the soul against Christ and the gospel — the last reserve by which it maintains the interest of self, against the grace of God.
Hence, I say, those who place their righteousness, or the principal part of it, in the duties of religious worship, will not only be diligent in them, but often abound in multiplying them. They will especially do so if these duties may be performed in such a way and manner as pleases their affections with a show of humility and devotion, requiring nothing of the exercise of faith or sincere divine love in them. So it is with many in all kinds of religion, whether the way of their worship is true or false, whether it be appointed by God or rejected by him. And the declaration of this is the subject of the discourse of the prophet Isaiah, 1.11-17; also Micah, 6:6-8. 102
4. The reputation of devotion in religious duties may insensibly affect the unrenewed minds of men, with great diligence and delight in their performance. However men may be divided in their apprehension and practice about religion, however different from and contrary to each other their ways of divine worship may be — yet
among all sorts of men, indeed, in the secret thoughts of those who outwardly contemn these things, it is a matter of reputation to be devout, to be diligent, and to be strict, in and about those duties of religion which they judge to be incumbent on them, according to their own light and persuasion. This greatly affects the minds of men while pride is secretly predominant in them, and while they love the praise of men more than the praise of God.
This consideration will especially prevail on them when they suppose that the credit and honor of the way which they profess, in competition with others, greatly depend on their reputation as to their strictness in duties of devotion. For then they will not only be diligent in themselves, but zealous in drawing others to the same observances. These two principles — their own reputation and that of their sect — constituted the life and soul of Pharisaism of old. To the extent the minds of men are influenced with these apprehensions, a love for and a delight in those duties by which their reputation is attained, will thrive and grow in them.
I am far from concluding that any men are such vile hypocrites as to do all that they do in religion, just to be seen and praised by men, being influenced in all public duties by it. At least, I'm not speaking of those who are. This is what some among the Pharisees were given to do. But I speak of those who, being under the convictions and motives mentioned before, yet give admittance to this corrupt end: a desire for reputation or the praise of men. For every such end, being admitted and prevalent in the mind, will universally influence the affections to delight in those duties by which that end may be attained, until the person is habituated to them with great satisfaction.
5. I should, in the last place, insist on superstition. As this is an undue fear of the divine nature, will, and operations — built on false notions and apprehensions of them — it may befall the minds of men in all religions, true and false. It is an internal vice of the mind. As it respects the outward way and means of religious service, and consists in the devout performance of those duties which God indeed does not accept, but forbids, so it belongs only to religion as it is false and corrupt. It is too long a work here, to declare how in both respects, superstition engages the minds of men to perform religious duties, for the most part, with the most scrupulous diligence, and
sometimes with prodigious attempts to exceed the measures of human nature in what they design. It may suffice to have mentioned it among the causes and reasons why men whose affections are not spiritually renewed, may yet greatly delight in the diligent performance of the outward duties of religion. Our design in these things is the discovery of the true nature of this grace and duty of being spiritually minded. For this, we have declared that it is necessary that our affections be spiritually and supernaturally renewed. And because there may be a great change wrought on the affections of men with respect to spiritual things, where there is nothing of this supernatural renovation, our present inquiry is this:
What are the differences between the actings of the affections of the one sort and of the other, whether spiritually renewed or occasionally changed? And because the great exercise of them consists in the duties of religious worship, I declared what the grounds and reasons are, for which men of unrenewed minds often delight in the duties of divine worship, and are diligent in their performance.
From these and the like considerations, it may be made manifest that most of the devotion that is in the world, does not spring from the spiritual renovation of the minds of men. Yet, without this, it is not accepted by God. What remains is to give in instance, as further evidence of the discovery we're in pursuit of. What are the grounds and reasons on which those, whose minds and affections are spiritually renewed, delight in the institutions of divine worship, and attend to their observance with great heed and diligence? Because this is an inquiry of great importance, and is of great use in other stated cases as well as the one before us, I will treat it by itself in the ensuing chapter. This is done that the reader may more distinctly comprehend it, both in the nature of the doctrine concerning it, and in the place it holds in our present discourse.