John Gill
Conversion, though it may
seem, in some respects, to fall in with regeneration and the effectual calling,
yet may be distinguished from them both. Regeneration is the sole act of God;
conversion consists both of God's act upon men, in turning them, and of acts done by men under the influence of converting
grace; they turn, being turned. Regeneration is the motion of God towards and
upon the heart of a sinner; conversion is the motion of a sinner towards God,
as one {1} expresses it. In regeneration men are wholly passive, as they also
are in the first moment of conversion; but by it become active: it is therefore
sometimes expressed passively; "ye are returned",
or converted, #1Pe 2:25 and sometimes actively; "a great number believed
and turned to the Lord", #Ac 11:21 and "when it", the body of
the people of the Jews, "shall turn to the Lord", which has respect to
their conversion in the latter day, #2Co 3:16. The effectual calling is the
call of men out of darkness to light; and conversion answers to that call, and
is the actual "turning" of men from the one to the
other; so that, with propriety, conversion may be considered as distinct from
regeneration and the effectual calling. Concerning which may be observed,
1. First, what conversion is,
and wherein it lies. The conversion to be treated of is not,
1a. An external one, or what
lies only in an outward reformation of life and manners, such as that of the
Ninevites; for this may be where internal conversion is not, as in the Scribes
and Pharisees; and is what persons may depart from, and return
to their former course of life again; and where it is right and genuine, it is
the fruit and effect of true conversion, but not that itself.
1b. Nor is it a mere doctrinal
one, or a conversion from false notions before imbibed to a set of doctrines
and truths which are according to the Scriptures; so men of old were
converted from Judaism and heathenism to Christianity: but not all that were so
converted in a doctrinal sense were true and real converts; some had the form
of godliness without the power of it, had a name to live, and be called
Christians, but were dead, and so not converted; thus the recovery of
professors of religion from errors fallen into, to the acknowledgement of the
truth, is called a conversion of them, #Jas 5:19, 20.
1c. Nor the restoration of the
people of God from backslidings to which they are subject, when they are in a
very affecting and importunate manner called upon to return to the Lord, #Jer
3:12,14,22 Ho 14:1-4 so Peter, when he fell through temptation,
and denied his Lord, and was recovered from it by a look from Christ, it is
called his conversion, #Lu 22:32. But,
1d. The conversion under
consideration is a true, real, internal work of God upon the souls of men;
there is a counterfeit of it, or there is that in some men who are not really converted, which is somewhat similar to that which is
always found in those that are truly converted; as, a sense of sin, and an
acknowledgment of it; an apprehension of the divine displeasure at it; great
distress about it, a sorrow for it, humiliation on account of it, and an
abstinence from it; and something that bears a resemblance to each of these may
be found in unconverted persons; though their concern about
sin is chiefly for the evil that comes by it, or like to come by it, and not
for the evil that is in it; so in converted persons there is sooner or later
light into the gospel and the doctrines of it: particularly the doctrine of
salvation by Christ, which yield relief and comfort to them under a sense of
sin, and encourage faith and hope in God; and there is something like this to
be observed in some who are not truly converted, who are
said to be "enlightened", that is, in a notional and doctrinal way;
and to "taste" the good word of God, though it is only in a
superficial manner; and to "receive it with joy", with a flash of
natural affection, which lasts for a while; and to believe it with a temporary
faith, historically, and become subject to the ordinances; but yet in all this
there is no heart work, whereas true genuine conversion
lies,
1d1. In the
turn of the heart to God, of the thoughts of the
heart; which
are only evil, and that continually, and about
evil things,
not about God, and the things of God; "God is
not
in all their thoughts", nor in any of the thoughts of
wicked men;
but when converted, their thoughts are about
their state
and condition by nature, about their souls, and
the eternal
welfare of them; and about God, and the methods
of his grace
in the salvation of men: it is a turn of the
"desires"
of the heart, which before were after vain,
carnal,
worldly, sinful lusts and pleasures; but now after
God and
communion with him, after Christ and salvation by
him, after
the Spirit and the things of the Spirit: it is a
turn of the
"affections" of the heart, which before were
"inordinate",
and ran in a wrong channel; before they were
fleshly,
after the things of the world, the lust of the
flesh, the
lust of the eye, and the pride of life: but now
they are
checked, and turned towards God, their hearts being
circumcised to
love him; and whom they love with their whole
hearts
and souls, because he first loved them; though before
their carnal
minds were enmity to him; and towards Christ,
whom they
now love affectionately, fervently, superlatively,
and
sincerely; and towards the saints, who are now the
excellent in
the earth, in whose conversation is all their
delight,
though before hateful to them; and towards the
word,
worship, and ordinances of God, which they take
pleasure in
attending on, though before a weariness to them.
Conversion
is a turn of the "mind" from carnal things to
spiritual
ones, and from earthly things to heavenly ones;
yea
it is a turn of the "will", which before conversion is
in a very
bad state, is stubborn and inflexible, biassed to
and bent
upon that which is evil, and averse to all that is
good; but in
conversion God "works in" men "both to will and
to do of his
good pleasure"; he gives them another will, or
however a turn to their will, so that of an unwilling
people, they
are made a willing people in the day of his
power on
them; whereas they were unwilling to come to Christ
for
salvation, and take him alone to be their Saviour; "ye
will not
come unto me that ye might have life", says Christ,
#Joh 5:40 that is, ye have no will to come to me at all for
life and
salvation; they chose rather to go anywhere than to
him for it;
but now they are willing to be saved by him, and
resolve to
have no other Saviour but him; yea though he slay
them they
will trust in him, and say he shall be our
salvation; and though before they went about to establish
their own
righteousness, and did not and would not submit to
the
righteousness of Christ; now their stout hearts, which
were far
from righteousness, are brought down, and they
become willing
to be found in Christ, and in his
righteousness only; and inasmuch as before they would not
have Christ
to reign over them, and chose not to be subject
to his laws
and ordinances, now they are ready to
acknowledge
him as their king and governor, and turn their
feet to his
testimonies, and esteem his precepts concerning
1d2.
Conversion lies in a man's being turned from darkness to
light; the
apostle says, he was sent by Christ to the
Gentiles, as
a minister of the gospel, "to turn them from
darkness to light", #Ac 26:18 that is, to be the
instrument
or means of
their conversion, by preaching the gospel to
them. In
this conversion may seem to coincide with the effectual
calling; but
it may be observed, that the effectual calling is
a call to,
but conversion is a turning of, men from darkness
to light; God not only calls unto light, but turns them to
light in
every sense; to God who is light itself, and in
whom is no
darkness at all; to Christ, who is the light of
the world;
to the gospel, which is the great light that
shines on
men who sit in darkness; and to the light of
grace, which is a shining light, that shines more and more
unto the
perfect day.
1d3. Conversion lies in the turning of men
"from the power of
Satan unto
God", as in the above place, #Ac 26:18. Satan has
great power over men in an unconverted state, his seat is
in
their
hearts, which are the palace in which he rules; he
works
effectually with great power and energy in the
children of
disobedience, by stirring up their lusts and
corruptions,
suggesting evil things to their minds, and
tempting them to them; he does all he can to keep them in
their native
blindness and ignorance, and to increase it,
and to
prevent them from hearing the gospel, and from its
being
beneficial to them, lest the light of it should shine
into their
minds; he captivates them, and leads them captive
at his will; and they are willingly led by him, the lusts
of
their father
they will do; but now in conversion they are
turned from
his power; he is dispossessed of them, and his
armour taken
from him in which he trusted; the prey is taken
out of the
hands of the mighty, and the lawful captive is
delivered; men are translated from the power of darkness
into the
kingdom of God's dear Son; and though they are not
freed from
his temptations, yet they have grace sufficient
given them
to bear up under them till it is the pleasure of
God to save
them from them, who will shortly bruise him
under them; and as they are in conversion turned from him,
they are
turned to God; who before were without him, and
alienated
from the life of him, and strangers to him; but
now they are
turned to the knowledge of him, to love to him,
to faith in
him, and to communion with him.
1d4.
Conversion lies in turning men from idols to serve the
living God;
not merely from idols of silver and gold, of
wood and
stone, as formerly, but from the idols of a man's
own heart,
his lusts and corruptions; with respect to which
the language of a converted sinner is, "What have I to
do
any more
with idols?" this is a blessing bestowed in
conversion,
"Unto you first, God having raised up his son
Jesus, sent
him to bless you", in "turning away everyone of
you from his
iniquities". In redemption Christ turns away
iniquities from his people by bearing them and making
satisfaction
for them; and in conversion, he by his Spirit
and grace
turns them from their iniquities; he turns them
from the
love of them to an hatred of them, even of vain
thoughts, as
well as of sinful actions; from the service and
drudgery of them to the service of righteousness; from the
power and
dominion of them and subjection to them, and from
a course of
living in them to a life of holiness; and from
the paths of
sin to the paths of truth and uprightness.
1d5. Conversion lies in turning men from their own
righteousness
to the
righteousness of Christ; not from doing works of
righteousness,
for such converted persons are most fit for,
and most
capable of, and are under the greatest obligations
to perform;
but from depending upon them for justification
before God and acceptance with him; in order to which they
must be
convinced by the Spirit of God of the insufficiency
of their own
righteousness to justify them, being imperfect;
and of the
necessity, perfection, and fulness of Christ's
righteousness,
which being turned unto, they receive,
embrace, lay hold on, and plead as their justifying
righteousness
before God; and this requires more than human
teachings:
for though ministers are said to "turn many to
righteousness",
that is, to the righteousness of Christ, yet
only
instrumentally, and as the means of it, through
preaching the gospel, in which there is a revelation of it;
for God is
the efficient cause of the turn of them to it;
for though
the gospel is the ministration of it, yet it is
the Lord
that must bring it near to stouthearted ones far
from
righteousness, and make them willing to submit unto it,
and to be desirous of being found in it; for men naturally
do not care
to part with their own righteousness; it is
their own,
and what they have been a long time and with
great labour
rearing up, and to have it demolished, they
cannot bear
it; they would fain hold it fast, and lean upon
it, though it shall not stand; it is their idol, in which
they place
their trust and confidence, and to take this away
from them is
to take away their god; as Micah said, when
his idol was
stolen from him, "Ye have taken away my gods,
and what
have I more?" Wherefore the conversion of a
self-righteous person is more rare and difficult than the
conversion
of a profligate sinner; hence our Lord says to
the Scribes
and Pharisees, that "the publicans and harlots
go into the
kingdom of God before them"; and that he himself
"came
not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance",
1d6.
Conversion lies in a man's turning to the Lord actively,
under the
influence of divine grace; and by this phrase it
is often
expressed in scripture, as in #Isa 10:21 Ac 11:21
#2Co 3:16 men being thoroughly convinced that there is
salvation in
no other but in Christ, that it is in vain to
expect it
elsewhere; after they have made many inquiries and
searches to
no purpose, turn to the Lord Jesus Christ, and
look to him
alone for salvation; being apprized of their
danger, they turn as they are directed, encouraged and
enabled to
Christ the stronghold, where they are safe from
all danger,
and from every enemy; being made sensible of the
insufficiency
of their own righteousness and of the
suitableness
of the righteousness of Christ for them, they
turn to him as the Lord their righteousness, in whom all
the
seed of
Israel are justified and shall glory; and being
fully
satisfied with the equity of the laws, rules, and
ordinances
of Christ, they turn to him as their Lord and
Lawgiver,
and submit to his commands, renouncing all other
lords and their dominion over them; and though in their
natural
state they are like sheep going astray, in conversion
they are
returned to Christ, as the great Shepherd and
bishop of
souls: the parable of seeking and finding, and
bringing
home the lost sheep, is a fit representation of the
conversion of a sinner: Christ's people are his sheep
before
conversion,
but they are lost sheep, straying in the
wilderness;
and as sheep never return to the fold, shepherd
and pasture
of themselves, unless looked up and are
returned; so
neither do they, till they are sought for and
found, and brought home by Christ, the proprietor of them,
with joy;
and the parables following represent the same
thing; as
that of the lost piece of silver, for finding
which the woman
lights a candle and sweeps the house, and
searches
every corner till she finds it, which gives her
joy; this sets forth the high esteem and value the elect
are
in with
Christ, comparable to silver, yea to line gold and
precious
stones; and the passiveness of men in first
conversion,
who no more contribute to it than the piece of
silver to
its being found; and the means and methods made
use of in conversion, the light of the gospel ministry, and
the stir and
bustle on that occasion: so the parable of the
prodigal
son, and his return to his father, is expressive of
the same;
his manner of living before his return is a lively
picture of
the state of unconverted men, living in their
lusts, and pursuing the desires of the flesh and of the
mind; in his
return there are all the symptoms of a true and
real
conversion; as a sense of his starving, famishing, and
perishing
state by nature; his coming to his right mind, his
sense of
sin, confession of it, and repentance for it; his
faith and hope of meeting with a favourable reception by
his
father,
which encouraged him to return, and which he met
with; see
#Isa 55:7.
2. Secondly, The causes of
conversion, efficient, moving, and instrumental.
2a. First, The efficient
cause, which is not man but God.
2a1. Not man, it is neither by
the power nor will of man.
2a1a. Not by the power of man; what is said of the
conversion or
turning of
the Jews from their captivity, is true of the
conversion
of a sinner, that it is "not by might nor by
power",
that is not of man, "but by my Spirit, as saith the
Lord of
hosts", #Zec 4:6. Men are dead in a moral sense
while unconverted, they are dead in trespasses and sins,
which are
the cause of their death; and their very living in
them is no
other than a moral death; nor can they quicken
themselves,
and unless they are quickened they cannot be
converted;
and being in a moral sense dead they are
"strengthless"; they are not only "weak
through the flesh",
the
corruption of nature, but they are "without strength";
without any
strength at all to perform that which is good,
and much
less a work of so great importance as their own
conversion;
they have not the command of themselves, nor any
power over their hearts, the thoughts, desires, and
affections of
them; they cannot check them and control them
at pleasure;
they cannot think anything as of themselves,
much less
think a good thought; they cannot turn the streams
of their
desires and affections to proper objects; they
cannot move their minds, nor bend their wills, even to that
which is to
their own advantage. Conversion is such an
alteration
in a man as is not in his power to effect: it is
like that of
an Ethiopian changing his skin, and a leopard
his spots;
such things are never heard of, as a blackamoor
becoming white, and a leopard becoming clear of his spots;
and as
unlikely is it that a man should convert himself,
#Jer 13:23 a
tree must first be made good, so as to
bring forth
good fruit; "Make the tree good", says our Lord;
but the tree
cannot make itself good; another hand must be
employed about it, to engraft it, cultivate and improve it:
a thornbush
cannot turn itself into a vine tree, and so
bring forth
grapes; nor a thistle into a fig tree, to bring
forth figs;
but as soon may these things be done as a man to
convert
himself and bring forth the good fruits of
righteousness, #Mt 12:33 7:16-18. Conversion is the
motion of
the soul towards God; but as this cannot be in a
dead man,
and unless he is quickened, so not unless he is
drawn by
efficacious grace; wherefore God, in conversion,
draws men
with lovingkindness to himself; and, with the
cords of love, to his Son; for "no man", says
Christ, "can
come unto
me, except the Father, which hath sent me, draw
him",
#Joh 6:44 and even converted persons themselves
are so
sensible of this, that they pray, as the church did,
"Draw
me, we will run after thee", #So 1:4 the thing
speaks for itself, and shows that it cannot be done by the
power of
man; for it is no other than a "creation", which
requires
creation power to effect it, which a creature has
not; for if
the restoration, or conversion, of a backslidden
saint is a
creation, and requires the power of the Creator
to do it; of which David, when backslidden, was sensible,
and
therefore prayed, "Create in me a clean heart, O God!"
then much
more is the first conversion of a sinner, and
requires
like power; it is a resurrection from the dead, and
is not to be
effected but by the exceeding greatness of
God's power, even such as was put forth in raising Christ
from the
dead, #Eph 1:19.
2a1b. Nor is
conversion owing to the will of men; the will of
man, before
conversion, is in a bad state, it chooses its
own ways, and delights in its abominations; it is in high
pursuit
after the desires of the flesh and of the mind; it
is resolved
to go after its lovers, its lusts, which feed
its
appetite, and furnish with things agreeable to the
carnal mind;
the will is become a slave to carnal lusts and
pleasures; though the natural liberty of the will is not
lost by sin,
it can freely will natural things, as to eat or
drink, sit,
or stand, or walk, at pleasure; yet its moral
liberty is
lost, it is shackled with the fetters of sinful
lusts, by
which it is overcome and brought into bondage; and
notwithstanding its boasted liberty, it is an home born
slave; and
therefore Luther rightly called it "servum
arbitrium":
man has no will to that which is good till God
works it in
him, and of unwilling makes him willing in the
day of his
power: he has no will to come to Christ, to be
saved by him; nor to submit to his righteousness; nor to be
subject to
his laws and ordinances, until such a will is
worked in
him by efficacious grace. Conversion is denied to
be of the
will of men; as the whole of salvation is "not of
him that
willeth"; so this part of it in particular,
regeneration, with which conversion, in the first moment of
it, agrees;
"is not of the will of the flesh, nor of the
will of man,
but of God", #Ro 9:16 Joh 1:13.
But it may
be said, if conversion is not in the power and
will of men, to what purpose are such exhortations as
these;
"Repent,
and turn yourselves from all your transgressions;
turn
yourselves, and live ye?" and again, "Repent ye
therefore,
and be converted?" #Eze 18:30,32 Ac 3:19 to
which it may
be replied, That these passages have no respect
to spiritual and internal conversion, but to an external
reformation
of life and manners. In the first instance the
Jews were
then in a state of captivity, which was a kind of
death, as
sometimes sore afflictions are said to be,
#2Co 1:10
and into which they were brought through their
sins: now the Lord declares, that he took no pleasure in
this
their
uncomfortable state and condition; it was more
desirable to
him, and therefore he exhorts them to it, to
reform from
their evil practices; then they would be
returned
from their captivity, and live comfortably in their
own land, as they had formerly done. But what has this to
do
with the
spiritual and internal conversion of a sinner unto
God? with
respect to the latter case, the Jews were
threatened
with the destruction of their city and nation,
for their
rejection of Jesus the Messiah, and other sins
they were guilty of; and now the apostle advises those to
whom he
directs his discourse, to relinquish their wrong
notions of
Christ, and repent of their ill usage of him and
his
followers, and of their other sins, in an external way,
that so they
might escape the calamities coming upon their
nation and people. But supposing these, and such like
exhortations,
respected internal conversion of the heart to
God; such
exhortations may be only designed to show men the
necessity of
such conversion in order to salvation; as our
Lord said,
"Except ye be converted, ye shall not enter into
the kingdom of heaven"; and when men are convinced of
this,
they will
soon be sensible of their impotence to convert
themselves,
and will pray, as Ephraim did "Turn thou me, and
I shall be
turned", immediately and effectually; for,
2a2. God only is the author and efficient cause of
conversion. He
that made
man's heart, and formed the spirit of man within
him, he only
can turn their hearts, and frame and mould
their
spirits, as he pleases; the heart of a king, and so of
every other
man, is in the hand of the Lord, and he can turn
them as the rivers of water are turned; he, and he only,
can
give a check
unto, and turn the thoughts, desires, and
affections
of the heart into another channel, and the mind
and will to
other objects; he can remove the stubbornness of
the will,
and bend it at his pleasure, and make it pliable
and conformable to his own will; he can take away the
hardness of
the heart, though it is like an adamant stone,
he can make
it soft, and susceptible of the best
impressions;
he can break the rocky heart in pieces; yea,
take away
the stony heart, and give an heart of flesh; as he
can take what he pleases out of it, so he can put into it
what he
will, as he does in conversion, his laws, the fear
of him, and
his Spirit; he can and does draw them, by the
powerful
influence of his grace upon them, to himself and to
his Son; and
this he does without forcing their wills; he
sweetly allures, by his grace, to come to Christ and his
ordinances;
he powerfully persuades Japheth to dwell in the
tents of
Shem; he makes his people willing, in the day of
his power,
to do what they had before no will nor
inclination
to; and yet they act most freely; the manslayer
did not more willingly flee to a city of refuge, to shelter
him from the
avenger of blood, than a sinner, sensible of
his danger,
flees to Christ for refuge, and lays hold on the
hope set
before him.
The power of divine
grace, put forth in conversion, is
irresistible;
that is, so irresistible, as that a stop
cannot be
put to the work, and that become of no effect,
through
opposition made unto it from within and from
without.
Conversion is according to the will of God, his
will of purpose, which can never be frustrated; "Who
hath
resisted his
will?" his counsel shall stand, and he will do
all his
pleasure; it is wrought by his almighty power; the
work of
faith, which is a principal part of the work of
conversion,
is begun, carried on, and performed with power;
nor can a sinner any more resist, so as to make of none
effect, the
power of God in conversion, than Lazarus could
resist the
power of Christ in calling him out of his grave.
If it was in
the power of the will of men to hinder the work
of
conversion, so as that it should not take place, when it
is the design of God it should; then God might be
disappointed
of his end, which must not be said; for there
is no counsel
nor might against him; whatever devices may be
in a man's
heart, the counsels of God can never be
disappointed;
when God has purposed to convert a sinner, who
can disannul it? and when his mighty hand of grace is
stretched
out, to put that purpose into execution, who can
turn it
back? when he works in any way, and so in this,
there is
none can let. Besides, if conversion was to stand
or fall
according to the will of men; or if that had the
turning point in man's conversion, it would rather he
ascribed to
the will of men than to the will of God; and it
would not be
true what is said, "It is not of him that
willeth":
yea, as the will of men then would have the
greatest
stroke in conversion, in answer to that question,
"Who maketh thee to differ from another?" it
might be said,
as it has
been said by a proud and haughty free willer
Grevinchovius,
I have made myself to differ.
To all this
may be objected the words of Christ; "How
often would I have gathered thy children together, and ye
would
not!" #Mt 23:37 but it should be observed, that this
gathering is
not to be understood of conversion; but of
attendance
on the ministry of the word under John the
Baptist,
Christ himself, and his apostles; to which Christ
had affectionately and importunately exhorted them; which,
had it been
regarded, would have preserved them from the
vengeance
coming upon Jerusalem: and it should also be
observed,
that they are not the same persons whom Christ
would have
gathered, and those of whom he says, "and ye
would not"; by whom are meant, the rulers and
governors of
the people,
who would not allow them to attend the gospel
ministry,
but threatened them with putting them out of the
synagogue if
they did; see #Mt 23:13.
2b.
Secondly, The moving, or impulsive cause of conversion, is the love, grace,
mercy, favour, and goodwill of God; the same as are the moving cause of
regeneration and effectual calling, and not the merits of men; for what is
there in men before conversion to move God to take such a step in their favour?
see #1Co 6:9-11 #Eph 2:2-4.
2c. Thirdly, The instrumental
cause, or means of conversion, is usually the ministry of the word; sometimes,
indeed, it is wrought without the word, by some remarkable awakening providence
or another, and sometimes by reading the scriptures; but, for the most part, it
is through the preaching of the word; hence ministers are said to "turn many to righteousness"; and the apostle Paul
says, he was sent by Christ into the Gentile world, to "turn men from
darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God"; and this is done
both by the preaching of the law and of the gospel; "the law of the Lord
is perfect, converting the soul", #Ps 19:7 though perhaps not the law,
strictly taken, but the whole doctrine of the word is there meant; however, the preaching of the law is made use of by the Spirit of God
to convince of sin; for "by the law is the knowledge of sin"; and by
means of it, when it enters into the heart and conscience, under his influence,
sin is made to appear exceeding sinful, and the soul is filled with great
distress on account of it; for the "law worketh wrath"; though some
take this to be rather preparatory to conversion than conversion
itself, which may be better ascribed to the gospel; and, indeed, the receiving
of the Spirit, and his graces, and particularly faith, are attributed to the
preaching of the gospel, and not to the law, as the means thereof;
"Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law?" that is, by preaching
the doctrine of obedience to it; "or by the hearing of faith?" that
is, by the doctrine of the gospel, preaching faith in Christ;
which is therefore called "the word of faith", and by which it comes;
for "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God", #Ga 3:2
Ro 10:8,17 but then the preaching of the word of the gospel is not sufficient
of itself to produce the work of conversion in the heart; men may hear it, and
not be converted by it; nor receive any benefit, profit, and advantage through
it; if it comes in word only, and not with the
demonstration of the Spirit, and of power; and when it is accompanied with the
power of God; or is made the power of God unto salvation, even then it is only
an instrument, and not an efficient; for "who is Paul, or who is Apollos,
but ministers, or instruments, by whom ye believed?" #1Co 3:5.
3.
Thirdly, The subjects of conversion; these are not all men, for all, in fact,
are not converted; nor does it appear to be the design and purpose of God to
convert all men; nor does he give sufficient grace to all men to convert
themselves if they will; for he does not so much as give to all men the means
of grace, the outward ministry of the word: this was not vouchsafed to the
Gentiles for hundreds of years before the coming of Christ;
and since, millions have never been favoured with it; nor are multitudes at
this day; and those who have the scripture to read, to many it is a sealed
book, and to all, unless opened by the Spirit of God; and to whom the gospel is
preached, it is hid, unless it is given them to know the mysteries of the
kingdom, which is not the case of all; the persons converted are the
"elect" of God, both among Jews and Gentiles: in
the first ages of the gospel, many among the Gentiles were converted, and
churches formed of them; and ever since there have been conversions among them,
and even to this day, and in the latter day an abundance of them will be
converted; and when the fulness of the Gentiles is brought in, then the Jews,
of whom only now and then one are converted, they will be all as a nation born again, converted and saved. They are "redeemed"
ones who are converted; and the reason why they are converted is, because they
are redeemed; "I will hiss for them", by the ministry of the word,
and "gather them", which is another phrase for conversion,
"because I have redeemed them", #Zec 10:8 they whom God converts are
the same persons for whom he has provided forgiveness of sins in the covenant of his grace, and an eternal inheritance in his
divine purpose; for the apostle says, he was sent by Christ "to turn men
unto God, that they may receive the forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among
them which are sanctified by faith in Christ", #Ac 26:18. In a word, they
are described as "sinners"; "Sinners shall be converted unto
thee", #Ps 51:13 sinners by nature and by practice, and some of them the worst and chief of sinners; and therefore the
wonderful grace of God is the more displayed in their conversion, #1Co 6:11 1Ti
1:3,14,15.
{1} Charnock.