An Old-Fashioned Conversion

Spurgeon, Charles Haddon

Job 33:29-30

See, all these things works God oftentimes with man,…

I. The matter in hand is to compare an old-fashioned conversion with those of the present time, and the first note we shall strike is this: it is quite certain from the description given in this thirty-third chapter of Job that THE SUBJECTS OF CONVERSION WERE SIMILAR, and men in the far-gone ages were precisely like men in these times. Reading the passage over, we find that men in those times needed converting; for they were deaf to God's voice (ver. 14); they were obstinate in evil purposes (ver. 17), and puffed up with pride. They needed chastening to arouse them to thought, and required sore distress to make them cry out for mercy (vers. 19-22). They were very loth to say, "I have sinned," and were not at all inclined to prayer. Salvation was only wrought by the gracious influences of God's Spirit in the days of Job, and it is only so accomplished at this present hour. Man has not outgrown his sins.

II. The second note we shall strike is this, that in those olden times THE WORKER OF CONVERSION WAS THE SAME, — "all these things God worketh." The whole process is by Elihu ascribed to God, and every Christian can bear witness that the Lord is the great worker now; He turns us, and we are turned.

III. The most interesting point to you will probably be the third: THE MEANS USED TO WORK CONVERSION IN THOSE DISTANT AGES WERE VERY MUCH THE SAME AS THOSE EMPLOYED NOW. There were differences in outward agencies, but the inward modus operandi was the same. There was a difference in the instruments, but the way of working was the same. Kindly turn to the chapter, at the fifteenth verse; you find there that God first of all spoke to men, but they regarded Him not, and then He spoke to them effectually by means of a dream: "In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed." Now, this was an extraordinary means of grace, seldom used now. It is much more profitable for you to have the word in your houses which you can read at all times, and to have God's ministers to proclaim clearly the gospel of Jesus, than it would be to be dependent upon visions of the night. The means, therefore, outwardly, may have changed, but still, whether it be by the dream at night, or by the sermon on the Sabbath, the power is just the same: namely, in the word of God. God speaks to men in dreams; if so, He speaks to them all nothing more and nothing different from what He speaks in the written word. Now, observe, that in addition to the external coming of the word, it seems from the chapter before us, in the sixteenth verse, that men were converted by having their ears opened by God. Note the next sentence, He "sealeth their instruction." That was the means of conversion in the olden times. God brought the truth down upon the soul as you press a seal upon the wax: you bear upon the seal to make the impress, and even thus the power of God pressed home the word. By sealing is also sometimes meant preserving and setting apart, as we seal up documents or treasures of great value, that they may be secure. In this sense the Gospel needs sealing up in our hearts. We forget what we hear till God the Holy Ghost seals it in the soul, and then it is pondered and treasured up in the heart: it becomes to us a goodly pear], a Divine secret, a peculiar heritage. This sealing is a main point in conversion. It appears, also, that the Lord, in those days, employed providence as a help towards conversion — and that providence was often of a very gentle kind, for it preserved men from death. Read the eighteenth verse: "He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword." Many a man has had the current of his life entirely changed by an escape from imminent peril. But further, it seems that, as Elihu puts it, sickness was a yet more effectual awakener in the common run of cases. Observe the nineteenth verse, "He is chastened also with pain upon his bed, and the multitude of his bones with strong pain: so that his life abhorreth bread, and his soul dainty meat." In addition to this sickness, the person whom God saved was even brought to be apprehensive of death — "Yea, his soul draweth near unto the grave, and his life to the destroyers." It were better for you to be saved so, as by fire, than not to be saved at all. But now, notice that all this did not lead the person into comfort; although he was impressed by the dream and sickness, and so on, yet the ministry of some God-sent ambassador was wanted. "If there be a messenger with him," that is a man sent of God — "an interpreter," one who can open up obscure things and translate God's mind into man's language — "one among a thousand," for a true preacher, expert in dealing with souls, is a rare person "to show unto man his uprightness, then he is gracious unto him." God could save souls without ministers, but He does not often do it.

IV. Fourthly, THE OBJECTS AIMED AT IN THE OLD CONVERSIONS WERE JUST THE SAME as those that are aimed at nowadays. Will you kindly look at the seventeenth verse. The first thing that God had to do with the man was to withdraw him from his purpose. He finds him set upon sin, upon rebellion. The next object of the Divine work was to hide pride from man, for man will stick to self-righteousness as long as he can. Another great object of conversion is to lead man to a confession of his sin. Hence we find it said in the twenty-seventh verse, "He looketh upon man, and if any say, I have sinned and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not, he will deliver his soul from going into the pit." Man hates confession to his God; I mean humble, personal, hearty confession.

V. Fifthly, the process of conversion in days of yore exactly resembled that which is wrought in us now as to ITS SHADES." The shadowy side wore the same sombre hues as now. First of all, the man refused to hear; God spake once yea twice, and man regarded Him not: here was obstinate rebellion.

VI. But now, sixthly, THE LIGHTS ARE THE SAME, even as the shades were the same. You will note in Elihu's description that the great source of all the light was this: "Deliver him from going down to the pit, for I have found a ransom." There is not a gleam of light in the case till you come to that Divine word, — and is it not so now? Then this precious gospel being announced to the sinner, the comfort of it enters his soul in the exercise of prayer: "He shall pray unto God, and He will be favourable unto him." Next, it appears that the soul obtains comfort because God gave it His righteousness — "for He will render unto man His righteousness." And then the man being led to a full confession of his sin in the twenty-seventh verse, the last cloud upon his spirit is blown away, and he is at perfect peace. God was gracious to the man described by Elihu. God Himself became his light and his salvation, and he came forth into joy and liberty. There is nothing more full of freshness and surprise than the joy of a new convert.

VII. And last of all, which is the seventh point, THE RESULTS ARE THE SAME, for I think I hardly know a better description of the result of regeneration than that, which is given in the twenty-fifth verse: "His flesh shall be fresher than a child's, he shall return to the days of his youth" "Old things have passed away, behold all things are become new!" And with this change comes back joy. See the twenty-sixth verse: "He shall see His face with joy; for He will render unto man His righteousness"; and the thirtieth verse: "To bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living."

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