More On Conviction Of Sin

In a writing titled "JONATHAN EDWARDS ON CONVICTION OF SIN" by John Schuit, M.A. (here) I took these good notes (emphasis mine).

"In Scotland the Erskine brothers were typical. Ebenezer (1680-1754) maintained in a sermon entitled God's Regard to Worthless Man that the "hammer of the law must be applied, in order to break the rocky heart in pieces; the fallow ground must be plowed up, to prepare it for the reception of the incorruptible seed of gospel truth." The obstinacy of the will must be "bended by the almighty power of God, and he persuaded and enabled to embrace Christ and salvation through him, as he is freely offered in the gospel." (pg. 5)

"In Edwards' view however more is needed than conviction of sin. Indeed, one might sink into despair unless conviction issues into the peace of believing. In a sermon in which he distinguishes between convictions that result in saving faith and convictions which are experienced by the very devils he says that a sense of sin "is no certain sign that persons have true faith..." even though it is a necessary element of Christian experience." (pg. 15)

"For the Christian humble acknowledgment of one's own evil inclinations in the daily walk of life was for Edwards one of the fruits of grace."

"To Edwards, the grace of evangelical humility, so greatly to be sought after by the Christian, was reinforced by the blessing of an ongoing sense of sin." (pg. 17)

"In his description of the 1734-35 revival Edwards reports a three-stage conversion process. Sinners were awakened to their guilt; secondly, they surrendered to sovereign grace, and then they emerged into the light and freedom of the knowledge of Christ."

Conviction of sin is no evidence of the new birth, but is what generally precedes it.