11. Permanent Conversion

“Turn and be converted to God in the bottom of your hearts, according as you have deeply revolted from Him.” Isaiah 31:6. Conversion is simply turning away from the created and unto God. Conversion is a turning from sin to righteousness, whereas the perfecting of conversion is a turning from the outward to the inward.

Once the soul is converted, or turned to God, it finds it very easy to continue thus turned unto Him; and the more it continues turned, the nearer it approaches God and cleaves to Him. And the nearer it approaches God, the further it withdraws from the world, which is so contrary to God. The soul is hereby so powerfully confirmed in this turning to God that conversion becomes habitual, and natural. But you must know that this is not done by any violent working or exercise of the creature. The only exercise it can and ought to perform is, by the grace of God, to make a strong endeavor to turn and gather itself inward, after which there is nothing more to be done but to remain thus turned towards God in a continual adherence to Him.

There is an attracting force in God’s virtue that draws the soul always more strongly to Himself, and in drawing it He purifies it—just as when the sun evaporates a thick fog: it attracts it gradually to itself, the fog using no other endeavor but to let itself be drawn by the sun. The nearer the sun brings it to itself, the more it purifies it. There is only one difference: this vapor is not drawn freely, and does not follow voluntarily, as the soul does.

This manner of turning inward is most easy, and advances the soul not by constraint but by her most natural bias to God because He is our center. The center always exerts a most powerful attraction; and the more pure and spiritual the center is, the more violent and irresistible its attraction.

Besides the attracting power of the center, there is also given to all creatures a strong inclination to a re-union with their center; hence the most spiritual and perfect have this inclination strongest in them. No sooner does a thing return towards its center than it merges into it with an extreme swiftness unless it is stopped by some invincible impediment. No sooner do you let go of a stone than it drops—by its own weight—to the earth as its center. So it is with water and fire which, unless they are hindered, run relentlessly to their center. So too, the soul, in the exertion of turning itself inward, has already begun to move towards its center, and continues to fall towards the center effortlessly through the weight of its own burden of love. The more peaceable and calm it remains, the more swiftly it advances, because it gives more place to the attractive and central goodness, to draw it strongly to itself.

The habit of withdrawing as far inward as is possible ought always to be our chief concern; and we should not be troubled at the pain and difficulty that this exercise may give us, for that will very soon be recompensed by such an abundant supply of grace from God that this exercise becomes most easy—provided we are meekly and gently faithful to call back our heart by a little sweet and peaceful retreat, and by serene and tender affections, whenever it is diverted through distractions or outward business. When at any time the passions rise up, a little retreat inward unto God, who is there present, allays them with great ease. Any other way of dealing with them serves rather to exasperate than to quiet them.