MARKS OF A TRUE
CONVERSION
by:
GEORGE WHITEFIELD — 1714-1770
"Verily, I say unto you, except ye be
converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom
of heaven."—Matthew 18:3
I SUPPOSE
I MAY TAKE it for granted, that all of you, among whom I am now about to preach
the kingdom of God, are fully convinced, that it is appointed for all men once
to die, and that ye all really believe that after death comes the judgment, and
that the consequences of that judgment will be, that ye must be doomed to dwell
in the blackness of darkness, or ascend to dwell with the blessed God, for ever
and ever. I may take it for granted also, that whatever your practice in common
life may be, there is not one, though ever so profligate and abandoned, but
hopes to go to that place, which the scriptures call Heaven, when he dies. And,
I think, if I know any thing of mine own heart, my heart's desire, as well as
my prayer to God, for you all, is, that I may see you sitting down in the
kingdom of our heavenly Father. But then, though we all hope to go to heaven
when we die, yet, if we may judge by people's lives, and our Lord says,
"that by their fruits we may know them," I am afraid it will be
found, that thousands, and ten thousands, who hope to go to this blessed place
after death, are not now in the way to it while they live. Though we call
ourselves Christians, and would consider it as an affront put upon us, for any
one to doubt whether we were Christians or not; yet there are a great many, who
bear the name of Christ, that yet do not so much as know what real Christianity
is. Hence it is, that if you ask a great many, upon what their hopes of heaven
are founded, they will tell you, that they belong to this, or that, or the
other denomination, and part of Christians, into which Christendom is now
unhappily divided. If you ask others, upon what foundation they have built
their hope of heaven, they will tell you, that they have been baptized, that
their fathers and mothers, presented them to the Lord Jesus Christ in their
infancy; and though, instead of fighting under Christ's banner, they have been
fighting against him, almost ever since they were baptized, yet because they
have been admitted to church, and their names are in the Register book of the
parish, therefore they will make us believe, that their names are also written
in the book of life. But a great many, who will not build their hopes of
salvation upon such a sorry rotten foundation as this, yet if they are, what we
generally call, negatively good people; if they live so as their neighbors
cannot say that they do anybody harm, they do not doubt but they shall be happy
when they die; nay, I have found many such die, as the scripture speaks,
"without any hands in their death." And if a person is what the world
calls an honest moral man, if he does justly, and, what the world calls, love a
little mercy, is not and then good-natured, reacheth out his hand to the poor,
receives the sacrament once or twice a year, and is outwardly sober and honest;
the world looks upon such an one as a Christian indeed, and doubtless we are to
judge charitably of every such person. There are many likewise, who go on in a
round of duties, a model of performances, that think they shall go to heaven;
but if you examine them, though they have a Christ in their heads, they have no
Christ in their hearts.
The
Lord Jesus Christ knew this full well; he knew how desperately wicked and
deceitful men's hearts were; he knew very well how many would go to hell even
by the very gates of heaven, how many would climb up even to the door, and go
so near as to knock at it, and yet after all be dismissed with a "verily I
know you not." The Lord, therefore, plainly tells us, what great change
must be wrought in us, and what must be done for us, before we can have any
well grounded hopes of entering into the kingdom of heaven. Hence, he tells
Nicodemus, "that unless a man be born again, and from above, and unless a
man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the
FIRST,
I shall endeavor to show you in what respects we are to understand this
assertion of our Lord's, "that we must be converted and become like little
children." I shall then,
SECONDLY,
Speak to those who profess a little of this child-like temper,
And
LASTLY, shall speak to you, who have no reason to think that this change has
ever past upon your souls. And I shall endeavor to show you, what we are to
understand by our Lord's saying, "Except ye be converted and become as
little children." But I think, before I speak to this point, it may be
proper to premise one or two particulars.
Having
premised these two particulars, I now proceed to show in what sense we are
really to understand the words, that we must be converted and become like
little children. The Evangelist tell us, "that the disciples at this time
came unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
These disciples had imbibed the common prevailing notion, that the Lord Jesus
Christ was to be a temporal prince; they dreamed of nothing but being ministers
of state, of sitting on Christ' right hand in his kingdom, and lording it over
God's people; they thought themselves qualified for state offices, as generally
ignorant people are apt to conceive of themselves. Well, say they, "Who is
the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Which of us shall have the chief
management of public affairs? A pretty question for a few poor fishermen, who
scarcely knew how to drag their nets to shore, much less how to govern a
kingdom. Our Lord, therefore, in the 2nd verse, to mortify them, calls a little
child, and sets him in the midst of them. This action was as much as if our
Lord had said, "Poor creatures! Your imaginations are very towering; you
dispute who shall be greatest in the kingdom of heaven; I will make this little
child preach to you, or I will preach to you by him. Verily I say unto you, (I
who am truth itself, I know in what manner my subjects are to enter into my
kingdom; I say unto you, ye are so far from being in a right temper for my
kingdom, that) except ye be converted, and become as this little child, ye
shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven, (unless ye are, comparatively
speaking, as loose to the world, as loose to crowns, scepters, and kingdoms,
and earthly things, as this poor little child I have in my hand) ye shall not
enter into my kingdom." So that what our Lord is speaking of, is not the
innocence of little children, if you consider the relation they stand in to
God, and as they are in themselves, when brought into the world; but what our
Lord means is, that as to ambition and lust after the world, we must in this
sense become as little children. Is there never a little boy or girl in this
congregation? Ask a poor little child, that can just speak, about a crown,
scepter, or kingdom, the poor creature has no notion about it: give a little
boy or girl a small thing to play with, it will leave the world to other
people. Now in this sense we must be converted, and become as little children;
that is, we must be as loose to the world, comparatively speaking, as a little
child.
Do not
mistake me, I am not going to persuade you to shut up your shops, or leave your
business; I am not going to persuade you, that if ye will be Christians, ye
must turn hermits, and retire out of the world; ye cannot leave your wicked
hearts behind you, when you leave the world; for I find when I am alone, my wicked
heart has followed me, go where I will. No, the religion of Jesus is a social
religion. But though Jesus Christ does not call us to go out of the world, shut
up our shops, and leave our children to be provided for by miracles; yet this
must be said to the honor Christianity, if we are really converted, we shall be
loose from the world. Though we are engaged in it, and are obliged to work for
our children; though we are obliged to follow trades and merchandise, and to be
serviceable to the commonwealth, yet if we are real Christians, we shall be
loose to the world; though I will not pretend to say that all real Christians
have attained to the same degree of spiritual-mindedness. This is the primary
meaning of these words, that we must be converted and become as little
children; nevertheless, I suppose the words are to be understood in other
senses.
When
our Lord says, we must be converted and become as little children, I suppose he
means also, that we must be sensible of our weakness, comparatively speaking,
as a little child. Every one looks upon a little child, as a poor weak
creature; as one that ought to go to school and learn some new lesson every
day; and as simple and artless; one without guile, having not learned the
abominable art, called dissimulation. Now in all these senses, I believe we are
to understand the words of the text. _ Are little children sensible of their
weakness? Must they be led by the hand? Must we take hold of them or they will
fall? So, if we are converted, if the grace of God be really in our hearts, my
dear friends, however we may have thought of ourselves once, whatever were our
former high exalted imaginations; yet we shall now be sensible of our weakness;
we shall no more say, "We are rich and increased with goods, and lack
nothing;" we shall be inwardly poor; we shall feel "that we are poor,
miserable, blind, and naked." And as a little child gives up its hand to
be guided by a parent or a nurse, so those who are truly converted, and are
real Christians, will give up the heart, their understandings, their wills,
their affections, to be guided by the word, providence, and the Spirit of the
Lord. Hence it is, that the Apostle, speaking of the sons of God, says,
"As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are (and to be sure he
means they only are) the sons of God."
And as
little children look upon themselves to be ignorant creatures, so those that
are converted, do look upon themselves as ignorant too. Hence it is, that John,
speaking to Christians, calls them little children; "I have written unto
you, little children." And Christ's flock is called a little flock, not
only because little in number, but also because those who are members of his
flock, are indeed little in their own eyes. Hence that great man, that great
apostle of the Gentiles, that spiritual father of so many thousands of souls,
that man, who in the opinion of Dr. Goodwin, "fits nearest the God-man,
the Lord Jesus Christ, in glory," that chosen vessel, the Apostle Paul,
when he speaks of himself, says, "Unto me, who am less than the least of
all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the
unsearchable riches of Christ." Perhaps some of you, when you read these
words, will be apt to think that Paul did not speak true, that he did not
really feel what he said; because you judge Paul's heart by your own proud
hearts: but the more ye get of the grace of God, and the more ye are partakers
of the divine life, the more will ye see your own meanness and vileness, and be
less in your own eyes. Hence it is, that Mr. Flavel, in his book called,
HUSBANDRY SPIRITUALIZED, compares young Christians to green corn; which before
it is ripe, shoots up very high, but there is little solidity in it: whereas,
an old Christian is like ripe corn; it doth not lift up its head so much, but
then it is more weighty, and fit to be cut down, and put into the farmer's
barn. Young Christians are also like little rivulets; ye know rivulets are
shallow, yet make great noise; but an old Christian, he makes not much noise,
he goes on sweetly, like a deep river sliding into the ocean.
And as
a little child is looked upon as an harmless creature, and generally speaks
true; so, if we are converted, and become as little children, we shall be
guileless as well as harmless. What said the dear Redeemer when he saw
Nathaniel? As though it was a rare sight he gazed upon, and would have others
gaze upon it; "Behold an Israelite indeed:" Why so? "In whom is
no guile." Do not mistake me; I am not saying, that Christians ought not
to be prudent; they ought exceedingly to pray to God for prudence, otherwise
they may follow the delusions of the devil, and by their imprudence give wrong
touches to the ark of God. It was the lamentation of a great man, "God has
given me many gifts, but God has not given me prudence." Therefore, when I
say, a Christian must be guileless, I do not mean, he should expose himself,
and lie open to every one's assault: we should pray for the wisdom of the
serpent, though we shall generally learn this wisdom by our blunders and
imprudence: and we must make some advance in Christianity, before we know our
imprudence. A person really converted, can say, as it is reported of a
philosopher, "I wish there was a window in my breast, that every one may
see the uprightness of my heart and intentions:" And though there is too
much of the old man in us, yet, if we are really converted, there will be in us
no allowed guile, we shall be harmless. And that is the reason why the poor
Christian is too often imposed upon; he judgeth other people by himself; having
an honest heart, he thinks every one as honest as himself, and therefore is a
prey to every one. I might enlarge upon each of these points, it is a copious
and important truth; but I do not intend to multiply many marks and heads.
And
therefore, as I have something to say by way of personal application, give me
leave therefore, with the utmost tenderness, and at the same time with
faithfulness, to call upon you, my dear friends. My text is introduced in an
awful manner, "Verily I say unto you;" and what Jesus said then, he
says now to you, to me, and to as many as sit under a preached gospel, and to
as many as the Lord our God shall call. Let me exhort you to see whether ye are
converted; whether such a great and almighty change has passed upon any of your
souls. As I told you before, so I tell you again, ye all hope to go to heaven,
and I pray God Almighty ye may be all there: when I see such a congregation as
this, if my heart is in a proper frame, I feel myself ready to lay down my
life, to be instrumental only to save one soul. It makes my heart bleed within
me, it makes me sometimes most unwilling to preach, lest that word that I hope
will do good, may increase the damnation of any, and perhaps of a great part of
the auditory, through their own unbelief. Give me leave to deal faithfully with
your souls. I have your dead warrant in my hand: Christ has said it, Jesus will
stand to it, it is like the laws of the Medes and Persians, it altereth not.
Hark, O man! Hark, O woman! He that hath ears to hear, let him hear what the
Lord Jesus Christ says, "Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted,
and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of
heaven." Though this is Saturday night, and ye are now preparing for the
Sabbath, for what you know, you may yet never live to see the Sabbath. You have
had awful proofs of this lately; a woman died but yesterday, a man died the day
before, another was killed by something that fell from a house, and it may be
in twenty-four hours more, many of you may be carried into an unalterable
state. Now then, for God's sake, for your own souls sake, if ye have a mind to
dwell with God, and cannot bear the thought of dwelling in everlasting burning,
before I go any further, silently put up one prayer, or say Amen to the prayer
I would put in your mouths; "Lord, search me and try me, Lord, examine my
heart, and let my conscience speak; O let me know whether I am converted or
not!" What say ye, my dear hearers? What say ye, my fellow-sinners? What
say ye, my guilty brethren? Has God by his blessed Spirit wrought such a change
in your hearts? I do not ask you, whether God has made you angels? That I know
will never be; I only ask you, Whether ye have any well-grounded hope to think
that God has made you new creatures in Christ Jesus? So renewed and changed
your natures, that you can say, I humbly hope, that as to the habitual temper
and tendency of my mind, that my heart is free from wickedness; I have a
husband, I have a wife, I have also children, I keep a shop, I mind my
business; but I love these creatures for God' sake, and do every thing for
Christ: and if God was now to call me away, according to the habitual temper of
my mind, I can say, Lord, I am ready; and however I love the creatures, I hope
I can say, Whom have I in heaven but thee? Whom have I in heaven, O my God and
my dear Redeemer, that I desire in comparison of thee? Can you thank God for
the creatures, and say at the same time, these are not my Christ? I speak in
plain language, you know my way of preaching: I do not want to play the orator,
I do not want to be counted a scholar; I want to speak so as I may reach poor
people's hearts. What say ye, my dear hearers? Are ye sensible of your
weakness? Do ye feel that ye are poor, miserable, blind, and naked by nature?
Do ye give up your hearts, your affections, your wills, your understanding to
be guided by the Spirit of God, as a little child gives up its hand to be
guided by its parent? Are ye little in your own eyes? Do ye think meanly of
yourselves? And do you want to learn something new every day? I mention these
marks, because I am apt to believe they are more adapted to a great many of
your capacities. A great many of you have not that showing of affection ye
sometimes had, therefore ye are for giving up all your evidences, and making
way for the devil's coming into your heart. You are not brought up to the mount
as ye used to be, therefore ye conclude ye have no grace at all. But if the
Lord Jesus Christ has emptied thee, and humbled thee, if he is giving thee to
se and know that thou art nothing; though thou are not growing upward, thou art
growing downward; and though thou hast not so much joy, yet thy heart is
emptying to be more abundantly replenished by and by. Can any of you follow me?
Then, give God thanks, and take the comfort of it.
If
thou art thus converted, and become a little child, I welcome thee, in the name
of the Lord Jesus, into God's dear family; I welcome thee, in the name of the
dear Redeemer, into the company of God's children. O ye dear souls, though the
world sees nothing in you, though there be no outward difference between you
and others, yet I look upon you in another light, even as so many kings sons
and daughters: all hail! In the name of God, I wish every one of you joy from
my soul, ye sons and daughters of the King of kings. Will not you henceforth
exercise a child-like temper? Will not such a thought melt down your hearts,
when I tell you, that the great God, who might have frowned you to hell for
your secret sins, that nobody knew of but God and your own souls, and who might
have damned you times without number, hath cast the mantle of his love over
you; his voice hath been, Let that man, that woman live, for I have found a
ransom. O will ye not cry out, Why me, Lord? Was King George to send for any of
your children, and were you to hear they were to be his adopted sons, how
highly honored would you think your children to be? What great condescension
was it for Pharaoh's daughter to take up Moses, a poor child exposed in an ark
of bulrushes, and bred him up for her child? But what is that happiness in
comparison of thine, who was the other day a child of the devil, but now by
converting grace art become a child of God? Are ye converted? Are ye become
like little children? Then what must ye do? My dear hearers, be obedient to
God, remember God is your father; and as every one of you must know what a
dreadful cross it is to have a wicked, disobedient child; if ye do not want
your children to be disobedient to you, for Christ's sake be not disobedient to
your heavenly parent. If God be your father, obey him: if God be your father,
serve him; love him with all your heart, love him with all your might, with all
your soul, and with all your strength. If God be your father, fly from
everything that may displease him; and walk worthy of that God, who has called
you to his kingdom and glory. If ye are converted and become like little
children, then behave as little children: they long for the breast, and with it
will be contented. Are ye new-born babes? Then desire the sincere milk of the
word, that ye may grow thereby. I do not want that Arminian husks should go
down with you; ye are kings sons and daughters, and have a more refined taste;
you must have the doctrines of grace; and blessed be God that you dwell in a
country, where the sincere word is so plainly preached. Are ye children? Then
grow in grace, and in the knowledge of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Have
any of you children that do not grow? Do not ye lament these children, and cry
over them; do not ye say, my child will never be fit for anything in the world?
Well, doth it grieve you to see a child that will not grow; how much must it
grieve the heart of Christ to see you grow so little? Will ye be always
children? Will ye be always learning the first principles of Christianity, and
never press forward toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God
in Christ Jesus? God forbid. Let the language of your heart be, "Lord
Jesus help me to grow, help me to learn more, learn me to live so as my
progress may be known to all!"
Are ye
God's children? Are ye converted, and become like little children? Then deal
with God as your little children do with you; as soon as ever they want any
thing, or if any body hurt them, I appeal to yourselves if they do not directly
run to their parent. Well, are ye God's children? Doth the devil trouble you?
Doth the world trouble you? Go tell your father of it, go directly and complain
to God. Perhaps you may say, I cannot utter fine words: but do any of you
expect fine words from your children? If they come crying, and can speak but
half words, do not your hearts yearn over them? And has not God unspeakably
more pity to you? If ye can only make signs to him; "As a father pitieth
his children, so will the Lord pity them that fear him." I pray you
therefore be gold with your Father, saying, "Abba, Father," Satan
troubles me, the world troubles me, my own mother's children are angry with me;
heavenly Father, plead my cause! The Lord will then speak for you some way or
other.
Are ye
converted, and become as little children, have ye entered into God's family?
Then assure yourselves, that your heavenly father will chasten you now and
then: "for what son is there whom the father chasteneth not: if ye are
without chastisement, of which all are partakers, then are ye bastards and not
sons." It is recorded of bishop Latimer, that in the house where he came
to lodge, he overheard the master of the house say, I thank God I never had a
cross in my life: O said he, then I will not stay here. I believe there is not
a child of God, when in a good frame, but has prayed for great humility; they
have prayed for great faith, they have prayed for great love, they have prayed
for all the graces of the Spirit: Do ye know, when ye put us these prayers,
that ye did also say, Lord send us great trials: for how is it possible to know
ye have great faith, humility and love, unless God put you into great trials,
that ye may know whether ye have them or not. I mention this, because a great
many of the children of God (I am sure it has been a temptation to me many
times, when I have been under God's smarting rod) when they have great trials,
think God is giving them over. If therefore ye are God's children; if ye are
converted and become as little children; do not expect that God will be like a
foolish parent; no, he is a jealous God, he loves his child too well to spare
his rod. How did he correct Miriam? How did he correct Moses? How hath God in all
ages corrected his dearest children? Therefore if ye are converted, and become
as little children, if God hath taken away a child, or your substance, if God
suffers friends to forsake you, and if you are forsaken as it were both by God
and man, say, Lord I thank thee! I am a perverse child, or God would not strike
me so often and so hard. Do not blame your heavenly Father, but blame
yourselves; he is a loving God, and a tender Father, "he is afflicted in
all our afflictions:" therefore when God spake to Moses, he spake out of
the bush, as much as to say, "Moses, this bush represents my people; as
this bush is burning with fire, so are my children to burn with affliction; but
I am in the bush; if the bush burns, I will burn with it, I will be with them
in the furnace, I will be with them in the water, and though the water come
over them, it shall not overflow them."
Are ye
God's children? Are ye converted and become as little children? Then will ye
not long to go home and see your Father? O happy they that have gotten home
before you; happy they that are up yonder, happy they who have ascended above
this field of conflict. I know not what you may think of it, but since I heard
that some, whose hearts God was pleased to work upon, are gone to glory, I am sometimes
filled with grief, that God is not pleased to let me go home too. How can you
see so much coldness among God's people? How can ye see God's people like the
moon, waxing and waning? Who can but desire to be forever with the Lord? Thanks
be to God, the time is soon coming; thanks be to God, he will come and will not
tarry. Do not be impatient, God in his own time will fetch you home. And though
ye may be brought to short allowance now, though some of you may be narrow in
your circumstances, yet do not repine; a God, and the gospel of Christ, with
brown bread, are great riches. In thy Father's house there is bread enough and
to spare; though thou are now tormented, yet by and by thou shalt be comforted;
the angels will look upon it as an honor to convey thee to Abraham's bosom,
though thou are but a Lazarus here. By the frame of my heart, I am much
inclined to speak comfortably to God's people.
But I
only mention one thing more, and that is, if ye are converted, and become as
little children, then for God's sake take care of doing what children often do;
they are too apt to quarrel one with another. O love one another; "he that
dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him." Joseph knew that his
brethren were in danger of falling out, therefore when he left them, says he,
"fall not out by the way." Ye are all children of the same Father, ye
are all going to the same place; why should ye differ? The world has enough
against us, the devil has enough against us, without our quarreling with each
other; O walk in love. If I could preach no more, if I was not able to hold out
to the end of my sermon, I would say as John did, when he was grown old and
could not preach, "Little children, love one another:" if ye are
God's children, then love one another. There is nothing grieves me more, than
the differences amongst God's people. O hasten that time, when we shall either
go to heaven, or never quarrel any more!
Would
to God I could speak to all of you in this comfortable language; but my master
tells me, I must "not give that which is holy to dogs, I must not cast
pearls before swine;" therefore, though I have been speaking comfortably,
yet what I have been saying, especially in this latter part of the discourse,
belongs to children; it is children's bread, it belongs to God's people. If any
of you are graceless, Christless, unconverted creatures, I charge you not to
touch it, I fence it in the name of God; here is a flaming sword turning every
way to keep you from this bread of life, till ye are turned to Jesus Christ. And
therefore, as I suppose many of you are unconverted, and graceless, go home!
And away to your closets, and down with your stubborn hearts before God; if ye
have not done lit before, let this be the night. Or, do not stay till ye go
home; begin now, while standing here; pray to God, and let the language of thy
heart be, Lord convert me! Lord make me a little child, Lord Jesus let me not
be banished from thy kingdom! My dear friends, there is a great deal more
implied in the words, than is expressed: when Christ says, "Ye shall not
enter into the kingdom of heaven," it is as much to say, "ye shall
certainly go to hell, ye shall certainly be damned, and dwell in the blackness
of darkness for ever, ye shall go where the worm dies not, and where the fire
is not quenched." The Lord God impress it upon your souls! May an arrow
(as one lately wrote me in a letter) dipped in the blood of Christ, reach every
unconverted sinner's heart! May God fulfill the text to every one of your
souls! It is he alone that can do it. If ye confess your sins, and leave them,
and lay hold on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Spirit of God shall be given you; if
you will go and say, turn me, O my God! Thou knowest not, O man, what the
return of God may be to thee. Did I think that preaching would be to the
purpose, did I think that arguments would induce you to come, I would continue
my discourse till midnight. And however some of you may hate me without a
cause, would to God every one in this congregation was as much concerned for
himself, as at present (blessed be God) I feel myself concerned for him. O that
my head were waters, O that mine eyes were a fountain of tears, that I might
weep over an unconverted, graceless, wicked, and adulterous generation.
Precious souls, for God's sake think what will become of you when ye die, if
you die without being converted; if ye go hence without the wedding garment,
God will strike you speechless, and ye shall be banished from his presence for
ever and ever. I know ye cannot dwell with everlasting burnings; behold then I
show you a way of escape; Jesus is the way, Jesus is the truth, the Lord Jesus
Christ is the resurrection and the live. It is his Spirit must convert you,
come to Christ, and ye shall have it; and may God for Christ's sake give it to
you all, and convert you, that we may all meet, never to part again, in his
heavenly kingdom; even so Lord Jesus,
Amen and Amen.