Conviction Is Pre Regeneration Work

The following citations are from "Awakened Sinners III" (here).

Stephen Charnock wrote:

"The soul must be beaten down by conviction before it be raised up by regeneration..."

John Owen (1616-1683) addresses the subject in the third volume of his Works in a section entitled, "Works of the Holy Spirit Preparatory Unto Regeneration." Owen writes:

"Ordinarily there are certain previous and preparatory works, or workings in and upon the souls of men, that are antecedent and dispositive unto it [i.e. regeneration]. But yet regeneration doth not consist in them, nor can it be educed out of them."

Again, it must be said. The oldest Calvinists and Puritans did not see either an "awakening" or "conviction" experience as being an effect of "regeneration" or of the new birth. They were not Hardshells in this matter. In fact, I have not been able to find any old writer who taught that a mere awakening of conscience or conviction of sin was a proof of rebirth.

Wrote Thomas Boston  (emphasis mine):

"A person may have sharp soul-exercises and pangs, and yet die in the birth. Many "have been in pain," that have but, "as it were, brought forth wind." There may be sore pangs of conscience, which turn to nothing at last. Pharaoh and Simon Magus had such convictions, as made them to desire the prayers of others for them. Judas repented: and, under terrors of conscience, gave back his ill-gotten pieces of silver. All is not gold that glitters. Trees may blossom fairly in the spring, on which no fruit is to be found in the harvest: and some have sharp soul-exercises, which are nothing but foretastes of hell."

Again, this is the teaching of Scripture and of the old Baptists and Calvinists. Boston also wrote:

"Some have sharp convictions for a while: but these go off, and they become as careless about their salvation, and as profane as ever, and usually worse than ever; "their last state is worse than their first," Matt. 12:45. They get awakening grace—but not converting grace; and that goes off by degrees, as the light of the declining day, until it issues in midnight darkness."

He also wrote:

"There may be a wonderful moving of the affections in souls that are not at all touched with regenerating grace. When there is no grace, there may, notwithstanding, be a flood of tears, as in Esau, who "found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears," Heb. 12:17. There may be great flashes of joy; as in the hearers of the word, represented in the parable of the stony ground, who "with joy receive it," Matt. 13:20. There may be also great desires after good things, and great delight in them too; as in those hypocrites described in Isa. 58:2, "Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways – they take delight in approaching to God."

The truth about "awakened sinners" has been lost by the Hardshell Baptists who believe that there is no pre regeneration work of the Spirit, believing that the first thing the Spirit does in the heart of sinners is regeneration. But, this is not the historic view of Baptists and Calvinists.