PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Whole Works of John Flavel — Volume 2
Flavel, John, 1630?-1691 · 304,299 words · 252 reading sections
Section 181
Inf. 6. Lastly, what cause have they to rejoice, admire, and praise the Lord to eternity, who have a well-grounded confidence that they are freed from God's condemnation ? " O give thanks " to the Father, who hath delivered you from the power of dark- " ness, and translated you into the kingdom of his dear Son,*' Col. …
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Secondly, In a most just proportion to this sin, we have here the aggravated condemnation of them who sinned against such clear gospel-light: "This is the condemnation," this is the judgment of all judgments, the greatest and most intolerable judgment; a severer sentence of condemnation than ever did pass against any o…
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Fifthly, Sinning against the light, argues a love to sin, as sin ; to naked sin, without any disguise or cover. It is nothing near so bad for a man through a mistake of judgment, when he thinks that to be lawful, which is indeed sinful ; he doth not now close with sin, as sin, but he either closes with it as his duty, …
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Thirdly, The more knowledge, or means of knowledge any man hath abused and neglected in this world, so many fair oppor- tunities and great advantages he hath lost for heaven ; and the more opportunities and advantages he hath had for heaven, the more intolerable will hell be to that man ; as the mercy was great which w…
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t In uni/no religionem habeat, sed in actibus Jingat. ; . . thai quod reprehendebat, agebat quod arguebat, quod cidpabat adorabat. SERM. XXXIII. THE METHOD OF GRACE. 4-1-9 tate him into ruin. You may know much more than others, but if ever you come to heaven, it must be in the same way of faith and obedience, mortif…
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JL HE aversions of men from Jesus Christ, their only remedy, is as much to be admired as lamented; one would think the news of deliverance should make the hearts of captives leap for joy, the tidings of a Saviour should transport the heart of a lost sinner. A man would think a little rhetoric might persuade the naked s…
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Thirdly, Here, also, we have an account of the politic manner of this government, how he maintains his dominion among men, and keeps the world in quiet subjection to him ; namely, by blinding the minds of all them that believe not ; putting out the eyes of all his subjects, darkening that noble faculty, the mind, or un…
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First, Many that live under the gospel are so entirely swallow- ed up in the affairs of this world, that they allow themselves no time to ponder the great concernment of their souls in the world to come; and judge you, whatever the gifts and knowledge of these men are, whether the god of this world hath not blinded the…
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3. Making misapplication of it to other purposes. First, It is a great policy in Satan, to blind the understandings of men, by hindering and preventing the reception of gospel-light, which he doth especially these five ways ; First, By tempting the dispensers of the gospel to darken the truths thereof, in the deliver…
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First, By hastening to quench convictions betimes, and nip them in the bud. Satan knows how danges-uiis a thing it is, and de- structive to his interest, to suffer convictions to continue long ; and therefore it is said of him, Matth. xiii. 19. When any " one " heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not,…
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SERM. XXXIV. THE METHOD OF GRACE. 463 against the corruptions of God's worship, and the superstitions of others, who never felt the power of true religion upon their own hearts ; a dangerous blind of Satan. Seventhly, The policy of Satan improves the esteem and respect men have for the people of God against their gre…
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Secondly, It is a dreadful judgment, if we consider the object about which the understanding is blinded, which is Jesus Christ, and union with him ; regeneration, and "the nature and necessity thereof. For this blindness is not universal, but respective and particular. A man may have abundance of light and knowledge in…
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Inference 1. If this be the case of the unbelieving world, to be so blinded by the god of this world ; How little should we value the censures and slanders of this blind world ? Certainly they should move no other affection but pity in our soul : if their eyes were opened, their mouths would be shut ; they would never …
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To get a sense of your own blindness. 2. To seek out for a cure, whilst yet it may be had. First, Labour to get a deep sense of the misery of such a condition ; for till you be awakened by conviction, you can never be healed. O that you did but know the true difference betwixt common and saving light ; the want of this…
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preparing such a remedy as this for lost man. This is that which is justly called "The great mystery of godliness," 1 Tim. iii. 16. that mystery which the prophets enquired diligently after, yea, which the " angels desired to look into," 1 Pet. i. 10, 12. In this glorious mystery of redemption, that -roXuco/x/Xo; mzia.…
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The disaffectedness, and aversion of men to the study of their own souls, are the more to be admired ; not only because of the weight and necessity of it, but the alluring pleasure, and sweet- ness that are found therein. What * Cardan speaks, is experimen- tally felt by many, " That scarce any thing is more pleasant a…
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II. And as the difficulties of the subject are many, so many have been the interruptions and avocations I have met with, whilst it was under my hand : Which I mention for no other end but to procure a more favourable censure from you, if it appear less ex- act than you expected to find. Such as it is, I do with much re…
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This is the design and general scope of the whole, and of the principal parts of this treatise. And, O that God would grant me my heart's desire on your behalf, in the perusal of it ! Even that it may prove a sanctified instrument in his hand both to prepare you for, and bring you in love with the unbodied life, to mak…
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As for me it hath been my sin, and is now the matter of my sorrow, that whilst myriads of souls, (of no higher original than mine) are some of them beholding the highest Majesty in heaven, and others giving all diligence to make sure their salvation on earth, I was carried away so many years in the course of this world…
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Modern philosophers, assisted by the divine oracles, must needs come closer to the mark, and give us a far better account of the * For to whom is tiie truth known with certainty without God ? or God without Christ? or Christ exploited without the Spirit? or the Spirit vouchsafed without faith I — TertiUlian on the sou…
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When the first matter was strictly created out of nothing, " the " Spirit (as Moses excellently expresseth it, chap. i. 2.) *j- hovered, " or moved over it as a bird over her eggs, and, as it were, by " way of incubation, cherishing and influencing it," did thereby draw forth all the creatures into their several forms,…
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The Chaldee renders it, a speaking soid. And indeed, it de- serves a remark, that the ability of speech is conferred on no other * Prcssit 1W< Compressit, ct per Metalepsm, premendo et comprimendo formavii. f Imagine m mcnte divina conceptam, quasi manu format. Fagius. 492 A TREATISE OF THE SOUL OF MAN. soul but man…
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In this first proposition, two things are to be distinctly pondered, viz. 1. The nature ) c ,, , a r^ • • i t of the soul. Or, what it is, and from whence it came. I. The first thing which arrests our thoughts, and requires their attention and exercise, is the nature of the soul, or what kind of being it is. Those …
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A TREATISE OF THE SOUL OF MAX. 497 Jrom the body, and to be present with the Lord : That we, a term of personality is there given to the soul, exclusively of the body, for the body cannot be absent from itself: But we, that is, the souls of believers, may be both absent from it, and present with Christ. To this we ma…
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(2.) It rejoiceth in the essential properties of a spirit : For it is an incorporeal substance, as spirits are. It hath not partes extra partes* extension of parts ; nor is it divisible, as the body is. It hath no dimensions and figures as matter hath ; but is a most pure, invisible, and (as the acute Dr. Moore express…
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The simplicity and spirituality of its nature, of which I spake before, plainly shews us, that it is in its very nature designed for immortality ; for such a being or substance as this hath none of the seeds of corruption and death in its nature, as all material and compounded beings have. It hath nothing within it ten…
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1. The power or ability of cogitation ; " * Thoughts are properly " the actings and agitations of the mind, or any actual operation " of the understanding.'*' They are the musings of the mind, which are acted in the speculative part of the understanding. It is observable that the f Hebrew word mw suach, which is used f…
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1. It hath a freedom and liberty ; it cannot be compelled and forced : Coaction is repugnant to its very nature *. In this it differs from the understanding, that the understanding is wrought upon necessarily, but the will acts spontaneously. This liberty of the will respects the choice, or refusal of the means for att…
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As (1.) When God hath to do with the soul, in the work of conversion, when he convinceth of sin and danger, and sets a man's evils in order before his eyes : These are terrible representations, and fain would the carnal will disengage the thoughts from such sad subjects, and strives by all manner of persuasions and div…
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(1.) The soul of a brute is wholly confined to, and dependent on the matter or body with which it is united. It is dedendent on it, both in esse et in operari, in its being and working ; it is but a ma- terial form, which arises from, and perisheth with the body. " The " soul of a brute, (saith a great person *) is no …
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The doctor is too well acquainted with philosophy, and a man of too much reason to allow himself to think that such a produc- tion as he speaks of hath two natures and essential forms in one body, as of a man and a horse. He knows that every entity hath but one special essence, and can have no more, except he will plac…
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traduction or generation ; for that winch is generable, is also cor- ruptible ; but the spiritual, immortal soul (as it hath been proved to be) is not subject to corruption. Nor is it imaginable how a soul should be produced out of matter, which is not endued with rea- son : or, how a bodily substance can impart that t…
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proceed from the Father of spirits; it is his own creature, in an immediate way. He gave it : he gave it the being it hath by cre- ation, and gave it to us, i. e. to our bodies by inspiration. Now tjualis Genesis, talis Analysis. When death dissolves the union which is betwixt them, each part returns to that from whenc…
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Sol 2. But it is evident, souls spring not from the parent, as one plant, or an animal doth from another ; for they have their seed in themselves, apt and proper to produce their kind ; but the seed of souls is not to be found in man : It is not to be found in his body ; for then (as was said before) a spiritual and no…
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1. In the privation of that original rectitude which ought to be in us. 2. In that habitual concupiscence which carrieth nature to inor- dinate motions. This privation and inordinate inclination, make up that original corruption, the rise whereof we are searching for : And to bring us as near as we can come, without …
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To my understanding also belongs by conscience, a noble, divine, and awful power : By which I summon and judge myself, as at a solemn tribunal; bind and lose, condemn and acquit myself and actions, but still with an eye and respect to the judgment of God. Hence are my best comforts, and worst terrors. This understandi…
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It is a great mistake (and it is well it is so) that the soul is capa- ble only of social glory, or a blessedness in partnership with the body : and that it can neither exert its own powers, nor enjoy its own happiness in the absence of the body. The opinion of a sleep- ing interval took its rise from this error (as it…
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But yet we must not understand this parity of human souls uni- versally, or in all respects. Though being of one species or com- mon nature, they are all equal, and those of them that are pur- chased by the blood of Christ are all purchased at one rate ; yet there are divers other respects and considerations, wherein t…
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Moreover, it is plain that he who gave my soul its being, and such a being, gave it also all the good it ever had, hath, or shall have : and that it neither is, nor hath any thing but what is purely from him : and therefore he must needs be my most bountiful Benefactor, as well as absolute Owner, and supreme Governor. …
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Inf 6. Moreover, if God hath created our souls vital substances to animate and act those bodies, How indispensably necessary is it that such a principle of spiritual life do quicken and govern that soul which quickens and governs our bodies and all the members of them ? Otherwise, though in a natural sense, we have liv…
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Holy Paul appeals to God in this matter ; Rom. i. 9- " God is " my witness (saith he) whom I serve with my spirit ;" q. d. I serve God in my spirit, and he knows that I do so. I dare appeal to him who searches my heart, that it is not idle and unconcerned in his service. The Lord humble us, the best of us, for our care…
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And this is common to the most barbarous and savage Heathens : " They shew (saith the apostle) the work of the law written in " their hearts, their consciences also bearing them witness, and " their thoughts in the mean time accusing, or else excusing one u another." By the work of the law, understand the sum and subst…
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But sin hath defaced its beauty, razed out the Divine image which was its glory, and stamped the image of Satan upon it; turned all its noble powers and faculties against the author and foun- tain of its being. Surely if all the posterity of Adam, from the be- ginning to the end of the world, should do nothing else but…
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" There is (saith a learned * man) no greater mystery in nature, " than the union betwixt the soul and body ; that a mind and spi- " rit should be so tied and linked with a clod of clay, that while " that remains in a due temper, it cannot by any art or power free " itself. It can by an act of the will move an hand, or…
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Some conceive Solomon points at the continual motion of the lungs, in that figurative and elegant description of the death of man, * Eccles. xii. 6. " Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the " golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, " or the wheel be broken at the cistern.1, The double motion…
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2. When this uncertain breath is once expired, the last hope of every unregenerate person is gone for ever : It is as impossible to recover hope as it is to recover your departed breath, or recal the day that is past. When the breath is gone, the comjjosihim is dis- solved ; we cease to be what we now are, and our life…
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There are three things in thy state, sadly opposed to the former state last described. 1. The state you were born in, was. bad. 2. The state you are now in, is worse. 3. The state you shall shortly be in, if you thus continue, will be unspeakably the worst of all. A TREATISE OF THE SOUL OF MAN. 549 1. The state yo…
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Though the maintaining of your natural life be one end why God gave you breath, yet it is not the only, or principal end of it. Your breath must be food to others, as well as life to you ; Prov. x. 21. " The lips of the righteous feed many." It will be comfort- able to resign that breath to God at death, which hath bee…
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Oh then drive moderately ; you will be at the end of all these things sooner than you imagine. We need not victual a ship to cross the channel, as they do that are bound to the Indies. " What " is your life ? It is even a vapour which appeareth for a little " while, and then vanisheth away," James iv. 1 4. " In one mo-…
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The third seal opened, ver. 5, 6. sets forth the calamities which should befal the church by famine ; yet not so much a literal as a figurative famine, as a grave and learned commentator j expounds it, like that mentioned, Amos viii. 11, 12. which fell out under Maximinus and Trajan ; the former directing the persecuti…
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1. That which he gives them in hand; "White robes were " given to every one of them."" It is generally agreed, that these white robes given them, denote heavenly glory, the same which is promised to all sincere and faithful ones, who preserve themselves pure from the corruptions and defilements of the world, Rev. iii. …
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2. Nor is it liable to death by any adverse power without itself; no sword can touch it, no instrument of death can reach it : it is above the reach of all adversaries, Mat. x. 28. " Fear not them ** that kill the body, but cannot kill the soul." The bounds and limits of creature-power are here fixed by Jesus Christ, b…
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You see then, there are everlasting promises and threatenings to be fulfilled, both upon the godly and ungodly, " He that believeth " on the Son hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not the " Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him," John iii. 16. The believer shall never see spiritual deat…
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habits which are subjected, and inherent in it. If these habits abide for ever, certainly so must the souls in which they are planted. The souls of good men are the good ground, in which the seed of grace is sown by the Spirit, Mat. xiii. 23. i. e. the subjects in which gracious properties and affections do inhere and …
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Certainly, the privilege of man doth not consist in reason, as abstracted from immortality. But in this, it properly consists, that he enjoys not only a reasonable, but also rejoiceth in an immortal soul, which shall over-live the world, and subsist separate from the bodv, and abide for ever, when all other souls, bein…
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* Xqh aliam, sed ipsam priorem animam corpori martuo restitutdm esse, contra eos qui ouiaven.nt et bodie putant animam post mortem corporis nihil esse. A TREATISE OF THE SOUL OF MAN. 571 Christian religion, upon which both our faith and comfort is found- ed; and consequently it undoes and ruins us as to all solid hop…
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The ascension of Christ into heaven was in the capacity and re- lation of a forerunner, Heb. vi. 20. it was to prepare places for the redeemed, who were to come after him to glory in their several generations, John xiv. 2, 3. The intercession of Christ in heaven, is for the security of our purchased inheritance to us,…
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(2.) His sealing, witnessing, and assuring work. We have a full account in the scriptures, of these offices and works of the Spirit, and some spiritual sense and feeling of them upon our own hearts, which are two good assurances that there are such things as his bearing witness with our spirit, Rom. viii. 16. " his sea…
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departure out of the body ; for we cannot discern it by sight in the body : yea, by this argument we may as well deny the existence of God and angels as of the soul ; for it is a spiritual and invisible being as they are ; our gross senses are incapable of discerning spi- rits, which are immaterial and invisible substa…
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Inf. 2. Then sec the ground and reason of Satan's envy and en- mity against the soul, and his restless designs and endeavours to destroy it. It grates that spirit of envy, to find himself, who is by nature immortal, sunk everlastingly and irrecoverably into misery, and the souls of men appointed to fill up those vacant…
1,338 wordsSource & rights
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.