Thomas Vincent

There are many evil works of men, such as are all sins. The work of grace is the good work of God. There are some good works which are wrought by us; this is the good work which is wrought in us. There are some works of grace, and gracious acts of God towards us, which produce only a relative change, such as God’s justification of our persons, his adoption of us and admitting us into his family, but this is a gracious work of God upon us, whereby he effects a real change within us; and although the grace within us is always accompanied with the grace outside us, yet it is really distinct from it. This good work of grace is begun in regeneration, or the new birth, when God effectually calls us by his Word and Spirit, and powerfully turns us from darkness to light, and from the reign of sin into the subjection and obedience of Christ. It is carried on in the work of sanctification by which sin, which in the first work of grace is dethroned and mortally wounded, is more and more mortified, and the spiritual life which has begun is maintained, and the soul is more and more quickened and enabled to live unto righteousness.

In the first work, the seed of grace is planted in the soul by the Spirit, which in the work of sanctification springs up and brings forth the fruit of holiness and obedience. In the first work of grace, all the distinguishing features and members of the new man are formed in the soul, which in sanctification are more and more shaped and fashioned after God’s image, and the new man grows up from its infancy more and more towards the stature and strength of a perfect man in Christ. In the first work, all the habits of grace are infused together into the soul, which in the work of sanctification gather strength and show themselves in their lively and vigorous exercise.

We are now to speak of the first work of grace, or the good work as it is begun by the Lord. When the Lord effects a gracious change in the soul, he finds the sinner empty and void of all good, filled with the guilt and smeared with the defilement of sin, and, even though sin grievously wounds his conscience, he finds him spiritually unaware, and though he is in danger of everlasting ruin, he finds him asleep and secure.

Firstly, the Lord meets with him and puts a stop to his course and career of sin, by hedging up his way, as it were, with thorns. By his providence he brings the sinner under the preaching of the Word, and there he shows him his evil work and the transgressions in which he has run to excess and exceedingly provoked his holy eye against him. The Lord in his Word sounds his trumpet of judgment, and awakens him out of his carnal security by the loud thunderings and dreadful lightnings of the law. He convinces the sinner of his guilt and what sin deserves, and the danger which he is in of the eternal damnation and destruction of hell, of which such impenitent and unbelieving sinners as he is are liable. As a result of this, conscience, which before had been lulled to sleep by the devil and deceitful lusts, begins to be startled and takes up its whip to lash, and its sword to prick and to wound the sinner, so that in distress he cries out, “O what shall I do to be saved? ”

God at first sends his Spirit (in order to prepare the soul for this gracious change) to be a spirit of bondage to awaken the sinner to fear (Romans 8:15). The Spirit does, as it were, bring a warrant from heaven, and like a sergeant claps the sinner on the back, and arrests him for all the insults and indignities which he has thrown at the King of heaven, for all the treasons and rebellions which he has practised. The sinner, having nothing to plead, is unable to make his escape, for where could he fly from God’s Spirit? This spirit of bondage lays him up in prison, as it were, puts chains and shackles upon his feet, and then passes the sentence of the law upon him that he must die! It lets him know that he is cursed (Galatians 3:10), is condemned already (John 3:18), and that the execution is not far off.

Thus the sinner is brought into great distress and perplexity of mind. He looks about him for help, but all succour fails him. He struggles and would gladly break the bonds which are upon him, but he finds himself the more entangled. He endeavours to divert his grief, and throw away his troubles, but he is the more perplexed and wounded. Then he seeks after something to appease God’s anger and to quiet the clamours of his conscience. So he flies to duties and to ordinances; he prays and hears, and reads, and turns from his former ungodly company and practices, and frequents the company of the saints and servants of God, joining with them in all religious observances and exercises. But still he finds (if God works on him effectually) that none of these can remove the guilt of one sin, and that his righteousness is imperfect, which results from even the strictest performance of any duties. Therefore he looks upon himself as worthless and helpless in himself, and perceives that it does not lie in the power of any creature to help him.

But learning of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is mighty and able to save to the uttermost all those who come to God by him (Hebrews 7:25), being made acquainted with the perfect righteousness of Christ, and the full satisfaction which by his death he has given to God’s justice for man’s sin, and having a free offer made of this to him, and a gracious invitation to come to Christ that he might have pardon and life by him, being powerfully drawn by the Spirit, he is inclined and enabled to come to him and lay hold on him, by which he is joined to Christ and receives life from him. Thus the good work of grace is begun, the nature of which will appear in the second section.

Used with Permission. Taken from The Good Work Begun: Spiritual Counsel for Young People from a Puritan Pastor by Thomas Vincent. Available at Trinity Book Service.