Fuller on Conviction

Andrew Fuller on Preparation or Prevenient Grace
with thoughts on "conviction of sin."

"The apostles exhorted sinners to repent and believe the gospel, and to nothing short of it; making no account of their inability. If we follow their example, God may honour his own ordinances by accompanying them with his Holy Spirit; but as to any thing being done in concurrence with the endeavours of the unregenerate, we have no such idea held out to in the oracles of God.

It is God's ordinary method indeed prior to his bestowing that supernatural grace which enables a sinner to repent and believe the gospel, by various means to awaken him to reflection, and to serious consideration of his condition as a transgressor of divine law. Such convictions may last for a considerable time, and may issue in true conversion; but they may not: and so long as the gospel way of salvation is rejected, or neglected, in favour of some self-righteous scheme, there is nothing truly good in them. They are as the noise, and the shaking of the dry bones, but not the breath of life. They are the means by which God prepares the mind for a welcome reception of the gospel; but they contain no advance towards Christ on the part of the sinner. He is not nearer the kingdom of heaven, nor less in danger of the wrath to come, than when he was at ease in his sins. Nay, notwithstanding the outward reformation which such convictions ordianrily produce, he is not upon the whole a less sinner in the sight of God than he was before. On the contrary, "He who continues under all this light, and contrary to the plain dictates, and pressing painful convictions of his own conscience, obstinately to oppose and reject Jesus Christ; is, on the account of this his impenitence and obstinacy under this clear light and conviction of conscience, (whatever alteration or reformation has taken place in him in other respects) more guilty, vile, and odious in God's sight than he was before."

For a minister to withold the invitations of the gospel till he perceives the sinner sufficiently, as he thinks, convinced of sin, and then to bring them forward as something to which he is entitled, holding up his convictions and distress of mind as signs of grace, and persuading him on this ground to think himself one of God's elect, and warranted to believe in Christ, is doing worse than nothing. The comfort which the apostles presented to awakened sinners consisted purely in the exhibition of Christ, and the invitations to believe in him. Neither the company addressed by Peter, nor the Philippian jailor were encouraged from any thing in the state of their own minds, though each were deeply impressed; but from the gospel only. The preachers might and would take encouragement on perceiving them to be pricked in their hearts, and might hope for a good issue; but is had been at their peril to encourage them to hope for mercy any otherwise than as believing in the Son of God.

The hyper-calvinists, who set aside the invitations of the gospel to the unregenerate, abound in these things. They are aware that the scriptures do invite sinners of some sort to believe in Christ; but then they conceive them to be sensible sinners only. It is thus that the terms hunger, thirst, labour, heavy-laden, etc., as used in the scripture invitations are considered as denoting spiritual desire, and as marking out the persons who are entitled to come to Christ. That gospel invitations should be addressed to sinners as the subjects of those wants and desires which it is adapted to satisfy, such as the thirst for happiness, peace, rest, ect., is no more than might be expected. It had been strange if living waters had been presented to them who in no sense were thirsty, or rest to them who were in no sense weary and heavy-laden: but it does not follow that this thirst and this weariness is spiritual. On the contrary, they who are invited to buy and eat without money and without price, are supposed to be "spending their money for that which is not bread;" are admonished as "wicked" men to forsake their way; and invited to return to the Lord under a promise of abundant pardon, on their so returning. The "heavy-laden" also are supposed as yet not have come to Christ, nor taken his yoke, nor learned his spirit; and surely it could not be the design of Christ to persuade them to think well of their state, seeing he constantly teaches that till a sinner come to him, or believe in him, he is under the curse. It is also observable that the promise of rest is not made to them as heavy-laden, but as coming to Christ with their burdens. There is no proof that all who were "pricked in their hearts" under Peter's sermon, and who enquired "what shall we do?" believed and were saved. On the contrary, it seems to be intimated that only a part of them "gladly received the word, and were baptized." Had they all done so, it would probably have been said, then they gladly received his word, and are baptized. Instead of this it is said, "then they that gladly received his word were baptized, etc., implying that there were some who though pricked in their hearts, yet received not the word of the gospel; and were not baptized, and who might leave the place under the impression that the forgiveness of sins in the name of Jesus Christ was a hard saying. There are many it is to be feared who at this day feel guilt to be a heavy burden, and yet never bring it to Christ; but lay it down on some self-righteous resting place, and so perish for ever.

It does not follow, however, that all convictions of sin are to be resolved into the operations of an awakened conscience. There is such a thing as a conviction of the evil nature of sin, and that by a view of the spirituality and equity of the divine law. It was by the commandment that Paul perceived sin to be exceeding sinful. Such a conviction of sin cannot consist with a rejection of the gospel way of salvation, but, as soon as it is understood, instantly leads the sinner to embrace it. It is thus that through the law, we become dead to the law, that we may live unto God.

I may add, the attention of christians appears to have been too much drawn towards what may be called subjective religion to the neglect of that thwich is objective. Many speak and write as though the truth of the gospel was a subject out of doubt, and as though the only question of importance was whether they be interested in its blessings; and there are not a few who have no doubt of their believing the former, but many doubts respecting the latter. Hence, it is probably the essence of faith came to be placed, not in a belief of the gospel, but in a persuasiong of our being interested in its benefits. If however we really believe the one, there is no scriptural ground to doubt of the other, since it is constantly declared that he who believeth the gospel shall be saved.

If the attention of the awakened sinner, instead of being directed to Christ, be turned inward, and his mind be employed in searching for evidences of his conversion, the effect must, to say the least, be uncomfortable, and may be fatal, as it may lead him to make a righteousness of his religious feelings, instead of looking out of himself to the Saviour.

Nor is this all: --If the attention of christians be turned to their feelings instead of the things which should make them feel, it will reduce their religion to something vastly different from that of the primitive christians. Such truths as the following were the life of their spirits. "Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners--Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and was buried and rose again the third day according to the scriptures.--Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel--we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the son of God," etc. But by a turn of thought, and strain of conversation in many religious connexions of the present day, it would seem as if these things had lost their influence. They are become "dry doctrines," and the parties must have something else. The elevation and depression of their hopes and fears, joys and sorrows, is with them the favourite theme. The consequence is, as might be expected, a living to themselves rather than to him that died and rose again; and a mind either elated by unscriptural enjoyment, or depressed by miserable despondency. It is not by thinking and talking of the sensations of hunger, but by feeding on the living aliment, that we are filled and strengthened."

(From the introduction of "Strictures of Sandemanianism.")

(highlighting in red are Dr. Fuller's emphasis)

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=n2QNAAAAYAAJ&dq=strictures+on+Sandemanianism&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=dpeekCTlv9&sig=w4-NoB2DBY9-rQstrx6M4-6nkKE#PPA18,M1