I will continue with several quotes from a sermon of Ebenezer Pemberton. Notice in these quotes that He is striving to convince people to be convicted of sin and not just a little conviction, but enough conviction to drive them out of themselves and to give up on anything that they can possible do. He thinks of the conviction of sin as that which drives a person to utter despair of self and of utter despair of any help in self and so that they will fall on their faces in utter helplessness before the throne of a sovereign God and ask for grace without any expectation of receiving if based on anything within themselves. His concept of conviction is again typical of the Puritans and of the early Americans, but is far removed from what we see today in Reformed circles. The distinctive differences between his views and that of modern Arminians and Calvinists is that he believed that men were totally depraved and totally in the hands of a sovereign God who shows grace as He pleases or not. His view was the Reformed view from Luther until Finney. While Reformed people today may blast Finney, they are still using his methods which were developed from a bankrupt theology. Pemberton gives us the true Reformed view.
This is that conviction which is preparatory to conversion, by which the sinner is disposed to give a joyful entertainment to the glad tidings of salvation. Here I wish to show the necessity and importance of this conviction. This conviction is necessary so that the sinner may be awakened out of a state of sin and security, and brought to a serious concern for his eternal welfare….This is that melancholy state of security which has invaded a sinful world and, till they are awakened out of it, it is impossible that they should ever obtain salvation. Their eyes must be opened to see their misery; their hearts must be affected with a sense of their danger before ever they will be persuaded to flee from the wrath to come, and in good earnest engaged to pursue their future welfare.
It is therefore indispensably requisite that there be a separation made between sin and the soul before any man will accept Christ the Savior or submit to the unalterable terms of mercy. To this end God opens the eyes of His people to see the deadly malignity of sin so that they may detest and abhor it…Now there is a destructive principle of pride in the hearts of unhumbled sinners who oppose these self-denying terms. They imagine that there are so many good dispositions in their souls, so many amiable virtues in their lives and conversations, that it would be unjustifiable severity in God to everlastingly cast them off and appoint them their portion with devils and damned ghosts…And while men entertain this fond opinion of their own sufficiency, and vainly imagine that they have anything of their own to entitle them to the divine favor and acceptance, they never truly humble themselves before God and resign themselves as prisoners of his justice. Therefore, the Most High God, who from eternity designed to save a remnant of the fallen race of men and make them the everlasting monuments of His victorious grace, sends His Spirit into the hearts of His elect to convince them not only of their sin and misery, but also of their inability to help and deliver themselves. He destroys the presumptuous opinion of their own strength and power, levels with the dust the carnal confidence in which they formerly trusted, and shows them that nothing which they can do will appease the wrath of an offended Deity or procure them a title to His favor…And when they are thus emptied of themselves, they will apply to the overflowing Fountain of benignity and goodness.
This shows why the preaching of the gospel is so generally unsuccessful, and so few in good earnest seek after eternal salvation…Multitudes under the gospel are so fond of carnal ease and pleasure that they delight to be flattered in their sins, and say to the seers, “See not,” and to the prophets, “Prophesy not unto us right things; speak unto us smooth things, and prophesy deceits.”…Nevertheless, the foundation of the gospel stands sure; the doctrines of deep and sincere conviction for sin, of man’s utter impotence to save and deliver himself, and the absolute necessity of almighty and unmerited grace to the conversion of a sinner will remain unalterable truths.
Pemberton sets out the typical Puritan view. The sinner must be stripped of any hope and confidence in self and the abilities of self in order to be saved. Until the sinner is stripped of all hope and trust in his own ability, the sinner is not ready for God to work grace in him. Sinners do not want to be stripped of all hope in self because of their pride and self-sufficiency. But how can a sinner look to God for grace alone to be saved if the sinner is still looking to his own ability or worth even a little? The Arminian method is to tell the sinner to look to himself in order to come up with the faith or the decision to be saved. This is devastating to the Gospel of grace alone where the sinner must not look to self for anything at all. Until the sinner is stripped of all of his or her ability, strength and power, there is no hope for the sinner. Until the sinner is stripped of his own worth, he cannot look to grace alone. Until the sinner is stripped of all of his own power, he cannot look to the power of God alone. Until a sinner is stripped of his own sufficiency, he cannot trust in the sufficiency of God alone. Until a sinner despairs of self, the sinner will never hope in Christ alone. These things are self-evident. Until the sinner is turned and becomes like a child, that sinner will never enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:3).
The Arminian method of evangelism is completely opposite of the Puritan and older Reformed practices. The problem, however, is that the modern people who are Reformed in profession are practicing evangelism just like the Arminians. Is the Gospel that was preached by Luther, Charnock, Alleine, Edwards and Pemberton the same Gospel that is being preached today? Not if one looks at the promises of the Gospel in terms of the application of it by the Spirit rather than just a decision or choice to be made. The outward message of Christ may have close resemblances; the rest does not. The inward breaking of the sinner by grace to make room for the application of grace is the missing part of the Gospel today. The sinner is left to his own devices rather than instructed to forsake all hope in himself. This is to leave the power of salvation in the hands of unbroken sinners rather than leaving sinners in the hands of a sovereign grace as the older Reformed theologians did. The difference is truly staggering.
God Loves... Himself 
Leave a comment