John Bunyan: The Strait (or Narrow) Gate Part 1

About the Author

George Whitefield (1714-1770) Whitefield was born at Gloucester in the year 1714, of humble origin, and had no rich or noble connections to help him forward in the world. Furthermore, Whitefield's early life, according to his own account, was anything but religious; He confesses that he was "addicted to lying, filthy talking, and foolish jesting," and that he was a "Sabbath-breaker, a theater-goer, a card-player, and a romance reader." After his conversion as a young man, he was deeply moved by a small handful of influential books including Richard Baxter's Call to the Unconverted, Joseph Alleine's Alarm to Unconverted Sinners, and Matthew Henry's Commentary. "Above all," he says, "my mind being now more opened and enlarged, I began to read the Holy Scriptures upon my knees, laying aside all other books, and praying over, if possible, every line and word." After a time of favorable pastoral ministry and a short visit to America, he returned to England, where he found that the bulk of the clergy were no longer favourable to him, and regarded him with suspicion as an enthusiast and a fanatic. The number of pulpits to which he had access rapidly diminished, and, moved with a particular compassion for the unchurched, he began the practice of open-air preaching, and frequently was attended by crowds as large as thirty thousand people, where the gospel so proclaimed was listened to and greedily received by hundreds who never dreamed of going to a place of worship. From 1739 to the year of his death, he was almost incessantly preaching Christ, and going about the world entreating men to repent and come to Christ and be saved. In the thirty-four years of his ministry it is reckoned that he preached publicly eighteen thousand times. He died at last very suddenly at Newburyport, Massachusetts, on Sunday, September 29th, 1770, at the comparatively early age of fifty-six. Never perhaps was there a man of whom it could be so truly said that he spent and was spent for Christ than George Whitefield. (from “George Whitefield & His Ministry” by J.C. Ryle.)

True Conversion

From a sermon by Evangelist George Whitefield

"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out,
when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord" (Acts 3:19)

As Peter preached to the Jews in Acts 3, when under a divine influence, he charged the audience with having been the murderers of the Son of God. No doubt but the charge entered deep into their conscience, and the apostle lets them know that great as their sin was, it was not unpardonable; thus he points out in the text, "Repent ye therefore," says he, "and be converted," and adds, "that your sins may be blotted out." Though they are but few words, they are weighty; a short sentence this, but sweet: may God make it a blessed sweetness to every one of your hearts!

But must we preach conversion to a professing people? Some of you perhaps are ready to say Go among the savages and preach repentance and conversation there; or, if you must be a field-preacher, go to the highways and hedges; preach conversion to the drunkards: would to God my commission might be renewed, that I might have strength and spirit to take the advice!

Repentance and conversion are nearly the same, but reformation and conversion are not. I may have the outside of the platter washed; I may be turned from profaneness to a regard for morality; and because I do not swear, nor go to the places I used to; or I have left my vices, and perhaps put on plain dress; and so believe, or rather fancy, that I am converted. All these things are right in their place; yet the old man remains unmortified, and the heart is unrenewed still. Comparing myself with what I once was, and looking on my companions with disdain, I may there stick faster in self, and get into a worse and more dangerous state than I was before.

All these conversions you may have, and yet never be truly converted at all. What is conversion then? I will not keep you longer in suspence, my brethren: man must be a new creature, and converted from his own righteousness to the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ; conviction will always precede spiritual conversion: and therefore you may be convicted and not converted, but you cannot be converted without being convicted; and if we are truly converted we shall not only be turned and converted from our sinful self, but we shall be converted from our self-righteous self.

To be washed in his blood; to be clothed in his glorious imputed righteousness: the consequence of this imputation, or application of a Mediator's righteousness to the soul, will be a conversion from sin to holiness. They that are truly converted to Jesus, and are justified by faith in the Son of God, will take care to evidence their conversion, not only by the having grace implanted in their hearts, but by that grace diffusing itself through everyfaculty of the soul, and making an universal change in the whole man.

I am preaching from a Bible that saith, "He that is in Christ is a new creature, old things," not "will" be, but "are passed away, all things," not only "will", but "are become new." As a child when born has all the several parts of a man, it will have no more limbs than it has now, if it lives to fourscore years and ten; so when a person is converted to God, there are all the features of the new creature and growth, till he becomes a young man and a father in Christ; till he becomes ripe in grace, and God translates him to glory. Any thing short of this is but the shadow instead of the substance; and however persons may charge us with being fanatics, yet we need not be moved either to anger or sorrow, since Paul says, "I travail in birth till Christ be formed in your hearts."

The author of this conversion is the Holy Ghost: nothing short of the influence of the Spirit of the living God can effect this change in our hearts; therefore we are said to "be born again, born of God, of the Spirit, not of water only, but of the Holy Ghost; that which is born of the flesh, is flesh, but that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit": and though there is and will be a contest between these two opposites, flesh and spirit, yet if we are truly converted, the spirit will get the ascendency; and though for a while nature and grace may struggle in the womb of a converted soul, like Jacob and Esau, yet the elder shall serve the younger, Jacob shall supplant and turn out Esau, or at least keep him under: God grant we may all thus prove that we are converted. There will be new principles, new ways, new company, new works; there will be a thorough change in the heart and life; this is conversion: first we are in bondage, afterwards we receive the Spirit of adoption to long and thirst for God, because he has been pleased to let us know that he will take us to heaven.

Conversion means a being turned from hell to heaven, from the world to God. When we talk of being converted from the world, we mean being converted from the love of it: the heart once touched with the magnet of divine love, ever after turns to the pole. I think it is said of a sun-flower, that it turns to the sun; I am sure it is true of the Redeemer's flower that grows in his garden: they not only look to the sun, but they find fresh life, warmth, and transforming influence from him who is their all in all. Here Christianity appears in its glory; here the work done is worthy the Son of God.

What say you to this change, my dear souls? Is it not God-like, is it not divine, is it not heaven brought down to the soul; have you felt it, have you experienced it? But I am afraid those that sit under the gospel have more need of heart than light: would to God we had as much warmth in our hearts, as light in our understandings! If a soul is truly converted, there will be a battle, and an awful chasm that will never be filled up but with the love of God; God grant this may be known by every one of you.

You young people, I charge you to consider; God help you to repent and be converted, who woos and invites you. You middle aged people, O that you would repent and be converted. You old grey-headed people, the Lord grant you to repent and be converted, that you may thereby prove that your sins are blotted out. O I could preach till I preached myself dead; I could be glad to preach myself dead, if God would convert you! O God bless his work on you, that you may blossom and bring forth fruits unto God. Amen and Amen.



	About the Author George Whitefield (1714-1770) Whitefield was born at Gloucester in the year 1714, of humble origin, and had no rich or noble connections to help him forward in the world. Furthermore, Whitefield's early life, according to his own account, was anything but religious; He confesses that he was "addicted to lying, filthy talking, and foolish jesting," and that he was a "Sabbath-breaker, a theater-goer, a card-player, and a romance reader." After his conversion as a young man, he was deeply moved by a small handful of influential books including Richard Baxter's Call to the Unconverted, Joseph Alleine's Alarm to Unconverted Sinners, and Matthew Henry's Commentary. "Above all," he says, "my mind being now more opened and enlarged, I began to read the Holy Scriptures upon my knees, laying aside all other books, and praying over, if possible, every line and word." After a time of favorable pastoral ministry and a short visit to America, he returned to England, where he found that the bulk of the clergy were no longer favourable to him, and regarded him with suspicion as an enthusiast and a fanatic. The number of pulpits to which he had access rapidly diminished, and, moved with a particular compassion for the unchurched, he began the practice of open-air preaching, and frequently was attended by crowds as large as thirty thousand people, where the gospel so proclaimed was listened to and greedily received by hundreds who never dreamed of going to a place of worship. From 1739 to the year of his death, he was almost incessantly preaching Christ, and going about the world entreating men to repent and come to Christ and be saved. In the thirty-four years of his ministry it is reckoned that he preached publicly eighteen thousand times. He died at last very suddenly at Newburyport, Massachusetts, on Sunday, September 29th, 1770, at the comparatively early age of fifty-six. Never perhaps was there a man of whom it could be so truly said that he spent and was spent for Christ than George Whitefield. (from “George Whitefield & His Ministry” by J.C. Ryle.) True Conversion From a sermon by Evangelist George Whitefield "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord" (Acts 3:19) As Peter preached to the Jews in Acts 3, when under a divine influence, he charged the audience with having been the murderers of the Son of God. No doubt but the charge entered deep into their conscience, and the apostle lets them know that great as their sin was, it was not unpardonable; thus he points out in the text, "Repent ye therefore," says he, "and be converted," and adds, "that your sins may be blotted out." Though they are but few words, they are weighty; a short sentence this, but sweet: may God make it a blessed sweetness to every one of your hearts! But must we preach conversion to a professing people? Some of you perhaps are ready to say Go among the savages and preach repentance and conversation there; or, if you must be a field-preacher, go to the highways and hedges; preach conversion to the drunkards: would to God my commission might be renewed, that I might have strength and spirit to take the advice! Repentance and conversion are nearly the same, but reformation and conversion are not. I may have the outside of the platter washed; I may be turned from profaneness to a regard for morality; and because I do not swear, nor go to the places I used to; or I have left my vices, and perhaps put on plain dress; and so believe, or rather fancy, that I am converted. All these things are right in their place; yet the old man remains unmortified, and the heart is unrenewed still. Comparing myself with what I once was, and looking on my companions with disdain, I may there stick faster in self, and get into a worse and more dangerous state than I was before. All these conversions you may have, and yet never be truly converted at all. What is conversion then? I will not keep you longer in suspence, my brethren: man must be a new creature, and converted from his own righteousness to the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ; conviction will always precede spiritual conversion: and therefore you may be convicted and not converted, but you cannot be converted without being convicted; and if we are truly converted we shall not only be turned and converted from our sinful self, but we shall be converted from our self-righteous self. To be washed in his blood; to be clothed in his glorious imputed righteousness: the consequence of this imputation, or application of a Mediator's righteousness to the soul, will be a conversion from sin to holiness. They that are truly converted to Jesus, and are justified by faith in the Son of God, will take care to evidence their conversion, not only by the having grace implanted in their hearts, but by that grace diffusing itself through everyfaculty of the soul, and making an universal change in the whole man. I am preaching from a Bible that saith, "He that is in Christ is a new creature, old things," not "will" be, but "are passed away, all things," not only "will", but "are become new." As a child when born has all the several parts of a man, it will have no more limbs than it has now, if it lives to fourscore years and ten; so when a person is converted to God, there are all the features of the new creature and growth, till he becomes a young man and a father in Christ; till he becomes ripe in grace, and God translates him to glory. Any thing short of this is but the shadow instead of the substance; and however persons may charge us with being fanatics, yet we need not be moved either to anger or sorrow, since Paul says, "I travail in birth till Christ be formed in your hearts." The author of this conversion is the Holy Ghost: nothing short of the influence of the Spirit of the living God can effect this change in our hearts; therefore we are said to "be born again, born of God, of the Spirit, not of water only, but of the Holy Ghost; that which is born of the flesh, is flesh, but that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit": and though there is and will be a contest between these two opposites, flesh and spirit, yet if we are truly converted, the spirit will get the ascendency; and though for a while nature and grace may struggle in the womb of a converted soul, like Jacob and Esau, yet the elder shall serve the younger, Jacob shall supplant and turn out Esau, or at least keep him under: God grant we may all thus prove that we are converted. There will be new principles, new ways, new company, new works; there will be a thorough change in the heart and life; this is conversion: first we are in bondage, afterwards we receive the Spirit of adoption to long and thirst for God, because he has been pleased to let us know that he will take us to heaven. Conversion means a being turned from hell to heaven, from the world to God. When we talk of being converted from the world, we mean being converted from the love of it: the heart once touched with the magnet of divine love, ever after turns to the pole. I think it is said of a sun-flower, that it turns to the sun; I am sure it is true of the Redeemer's flower that grows in his garden: they not only look to the sun, but they find fresh life, warmth, and transforming influence from him who is their all in all. Here Christianity appears in its glory; here the work done is worthy the Son of God. What say you to this change, my dear souls? Is it not God-like, is it not divine, is it not heaven brought down to the soul; have you felt it, have you experienced it? But I am afraid those that sit under the gospel have more need of heart than light: would to God we had as much warmth in our hearts, as light in our understandings! If a soul is truly converted, there will be a battle, and an awful chasm that will never be filled up but with the love of God; God grant this may be known by every one of you. You young people, I charge you to consider; God help you to repent and be converted, who woos and invites you. You middle aged people, O that you would repent and be converted. You old grey-headed people, the Lord grant you to repent and be converted, that you may thereby prove that your sins are blotted out. O I could preach till I preached myself dead; I could be glad to preach myself dead, if God would convert you! O God bless his work on you, that you may blossom and bring forth fruits unto God. Amen and Amen.