Conversion is Negative and Positive

Cocceius has this beautiful remark (from Heppe’s Reformed Dogmatics)

There are two parts of conversion answering to the two ends. The man who is converted is converted from bad to good, from darkness to light, from the slavery of Satan to God, I K. 8:35, Is. 59:20, Jer. 15:19, Ac. 26:18. These parts are called in Scripture nekrosis, the mortification, or ekdosis, the putting off of the old man; and zoopoiesis, quickening and endusis, putting on of the new man, Col. 3:9-10.�(XIV, 8) These parts go together. But, as regards the order of nature, although newness is subsequent to oldness,�yet the newness of the love of God is the cause of abolishing the oldness of the enmity of God. Darkness is not removed save by light; not death save by life; nor poverty save by riches; nor nakedness save by being clothed; nor ugliness save by beauty; nor vice save by virtue; and so neither hate save by love.

This has application to sanctification and to preaching. We cannot hope to kill without vivification: to attempt the negative without the positive is ultimately destructive. And so in preaching: the pastor may weep over the darkness, spiritual poverty and ugliness of his congregation and indeed of his own heart; but the remedy for it is not found in exposing it (that is no more than a preliminary): the remedy is found in the light, life, wealth, garments, beauty, virtue and love of Christ.