PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Whole Works of John Flavel — Volume 4
Flavel, John, 1630?-1691 · 295,325 words · 248 reading sections
Section 61
Direct. 10. Close up your treaty with Christ by a solemn cove- nant vA\h him ; engage yourselves to be the Lord's : " One shall " say, I am the Lord's : And another shall 'subscribe with his hand '^ to the holy One of Israel." Here you have two things to do : (1.) To give yourselves up to Christ, according to that expr…
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and troubles God shall appoint for me, and which I cannot avoid or escape without sin ; and I must follow Christ, follow liim whither- soever he goes. I know not what religion may cost me before I die ; all this it hath cost others ; and there is no bringing down Christ's terms lower than he hath laid them. I must come…
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2. As you must give up all to Christ, so we must derive and draw all we want from him ; else your choice of Christ is not entire and full : God hath stored up in Christ all that you want, a suitable and full supply for every need ; and made it all communicable to you, 1 Cor. i. 30. " Who of God is made unto us, wisdom …
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Evidence 2. The truth of this assertion further appears from the encouraging promises made by Christ unto all who are thus made willing to come unto him. All the promises ^vith one mouth, assure the willing sinner of a welcome with Christ ; so doth that glorious promise, to which so many thousand souls have been behold…
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great matter to have the way beaten, and the ice broken before thee, in thy way to Christ. If thou wert the first sinner that had cast his soul upon Christ, I confess I should want this encourage- ment I am now giving thee ; but when so many have gone before thee, and all found a welcome beyond their expectation, what …
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Evidence 5. The truth of this conclusion will also evidently appear from the innate characters and properties of the gi'ace and pardoning mercy of God towards penitent and hungering sinners. Now there are three glorious characters of Divine grace, which do all assure such sinners of welcome to Christ, whatever they hav…
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Here only that balm is to be found that heals your spiritual wounds. The gospel hath been a low-priced commodity in England : The Lord pardon the guilt thereof to us. Ah ! brethren, if you were in the heathen world with your sick and wounded consciences, what would you do ? There are no Bibles, ministers, or promises, …
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hinders but thy trembHng conscience should go to Christ, and thy discouraged soul move onward with hope, in the way of beUeving, whatever thy former enormities have been? (2.) If God raise glory ta his name, out of the greatness of the sins he pardoneth, then the greatness of sin can be no discouragement to believing; …
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Infer, 3. If' the vilest of sinners stand as fair for pardon and mercy ^ upon their closing with Christ hy faitli^ as the least of sin- ners do : then, certainly, the pardon and salvation of sinners is not built upon any 7'ighteousness in themselves, hut purely and only upon the free-grace of God in Jesus Christ. Do no…
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The terms required by the gospel are every way equal and rea- sonable. If a gracious prince will bestow a pardon upon a traitor, upon this condition, that he lay down his arms, acknowledge his offence, and list himself into his prince's service, and he shall refuse so to do, how just and unpitied would his destruction …
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all this by the deliberate consent of the naughty heart and will, which fosters and cherishes it. 5. There are ring-leaders in sin, and single personal sins, which spread no farther than ourselves : a ring-leader in sin, is in Scrip- ture reckoned amongst the greatest sinners; so, Rev. ii. 14. " Thou hast them that ho…
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(3.) As great sinners as you have been have found mercy, 1 Tim. i. 16. and God would have it to be recorded for your encourage- ment. If now the Lord shall make thy heart to break, and thy will to bow, Avhatever thy sins have been, they shall not bar thee from mercy and forgiveness. But if thou resolve to go on in sin,…
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This point winds up in encouragement to every willing and obe- dient soul, whom the Lord shall persuade to comply with the call of the gospel, whatever his former rebellions have been. There are some whose hearts the Lord hath touched with a deep sense of their sin and misery, and of the all-sufficient remedy that is i…
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2. There is also an internal energetical voice of Christ, consisting not in sound, but power : and betwixt these two, there are two re- markable differences. (1.) The external or ministerial voice of Christ is but the organ or instrument of conveying his internal and effica- cious voice to the soul ; in the former he s…
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heart to tremble, after tliis manner, This U ihij very state and con~ dit'ion ; this is thij sin, rvhich is noza opened b?/ the gvspel in thine ears. Tliis is a voice without sound or noise to any others, but very intelligible to the soul unto whom it is spoken. You read in 1 Kings xix. 11, 12. when Elijah stood upon t…
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IV. Clmracter. This spiritual internal voice of Christ is a sur- 2)rising voice, altogether unexpected by the soul that hears it ; "I ** am found of them that sought me not," Isa, Ixv. 1. Little do we foresee the designs God hath upon us in bringing us to such a place^ and under such a setmon, at such or such a time ; …
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VII. Character. The voice of Christ whereof we now speak, is generally and ordinarily conveyed to the souls of men through the word preached, which is the chosen organ or instrument of its con- veyance. We cannot absolutely and universally affirm that Christ always speaks to men this way : but certainly this is his sta…
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(1.) Hereby the freeness of his grace is vindicated. None can now pretend that any earthly excellency commends any man to God, or that the favour of heaven is engaged by the same motived that the respects of this world are : For now you see the truth of that scripture, Job xxxiv. 19- before your eyes, " He accepteth " …
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II. Effect Which is humiliation, and contrition of heart for sin; those threats of scripture against sm and sinners, which were wont to be slighted, are now trembled at ; those Jews, Acts ii. 37. to whose hearts Christ spake in Peter s sermon, as soon as ever they heard his voice, sounding conviction in their conscienc…
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VI. JEffect. And then lastly, the last effect of Christ's voice or call is sweet rest and consolation to the inner man. When once the soul is come home to Christ by the efficacy of his heavenly call or voice, it enters into peace, Heb. iv. 3. " We, which have believed^ " do enter into rest ;" not only shall, but do ent…
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This point presents us with abundant matter of lamentation and mourning ov£r the greatest part of those that sit under the sound of the gospel ; but yet as Christ speaks of the Jews, John v. 37. " who have not heard the voice of God at any time :"" the minis- terial voice of Christ they hear daily ; but this efficaciou…
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II. Infer. What dignity hath God stamped on gospel-ordinances, in making them the organs and medium through and by which Christ speaks life to dead souls. This greatly exalts the dignity of the gospel, and deservedly endears it to all our souls: I deny not but God can convey spiritual life immediately without them ; bu…
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Say not it is against reason for God to require men to do what tliey cannot, and then damn them for not doing it. For, (1.) though man hath lost his abilitv to obey, yet God hath not lost his right to command. For at that rate any man might shake off the yoke of God's sovereignty by disabling himself through his own si…
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5. Spiritual aversations as well as spmtual inclinations speak a spiritual life. Every creature hath an aversation to that which is noxious and destructive to it. Now there is nothing so destructive and dangerous to the spiritual life as sin ; that is the deadly poison which the renewed soul dreads^ Psal. xix. 13. " Ke…
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Firsts Of the greatness of this design of God. We little under- stand what a marvellous thing is done on the earth, when the heart of a sinner is brought to close with Christ by faith. It would transport us with admiration, did we thoroughly consider it. Well may the apostle place it in the first rank of all the glorio…
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5. And that which farther increaseth the difficulty of believincr is the fierce and obstinate opposition made by the enemies of faith. All the powers of hell and earth, devils and men without us, are confederate and in league with the corruptions within us, to resist and hinder this work of believing. Never is the devi…
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the Ji?iis operis et operantis^ the end of the work, and intention of the worker. 1 Cor. i. 21. " It pleased God by the fooHshness of " preaching, to save them that do believe."" It presently puts them into a state of salvation, though they be not yet actually and completely saved. There is a necessary connection betwi…
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Inf. 1. If the opening of the heart to Christ be the great and di- rect intention and end of the gospel, How are tlieij deceived thai bless themselves in the attainment of some lesser end and intentions of the gospel, whilst the great end (the effectual persuasion of the will to Christ) 19 not at all effected upon them…
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I7ifer. 3. It is the great design of the gospel, to open the hearts of men to Christ ? Then wonder not that it meets with such strong and Jierce opposition from Satan, wherever it is sincerely and powerfully preached. As for general and formal preaching, which comes nofi to the quick, the devil is not so much concerned…
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3. This is the great damning sin of the world. I do not say but all other sins deserve damnation, (for the wages of sin is death) but this is the sin in the virtue whereof other sins damn and ruin the soul. This is the condemnationy John iii. 19- And as it is a damning sin, so it is a sin which damns with aggravated da…
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open and ease its griefs, and, with liberty of speech, to discover all its grievances, fears, and burdens to the Lord. And truly, this world were not worth the living in without such a bles- sed vent to our troubles as this is. The believer only hath gotten the key that opens the door of access unto God ; if he have an…
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Doct. 10. That Christ will certainly come into the soul that opens to him ; and will not come empty-Jutnded, but will bring rich entertainment with him. I will come in to him, and sup with him. When the prodigal (the emblem of a convert) returned to his father, Luke xv. 22. his father not only received, but adorned an…
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. 5. Neither would Christ have made the tenders of mercy so large and indefinite, had he intended to have shut out any soul upon the single account of personal unworthiness, provided it be but willing to come unto him. Cast thine eye, poor discouraged soul, upon Christ's invitations and proclamations of grace and mercy…
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2. And yet this is not all; behold another mercy, in con- sequence unto this, brought in to refresh and cheer the consenting soul, and that is, peace with God. Pardon and peace go together, Rom. v. 1. " Being justified by faith, we have peace with God.'' Peace is a word of a vast comprehension ; peace, in the language …
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a joint interest with them in that glory. They shall see, and yet wail and weep, and gnash their teeth : But an interest sealed, gives joy unspeakable. Now, as to the excellency of this joy, it will be found to be the pleasant light of the soul. Light and joy are siffiwiymous terms in scripture, Psal. xcvii. 11. It is …
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5. And lastly, we read likewise in the Scriptures, of the Earnest of the Spirit ; this is three times mentioned in the Scriptures. E})h. i. 14. " Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption " of the purchased possession." 2 Cor. i. 22. where it is joined with the former privilege of sealing, " Who hath…
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Fourthly^ Next we shall enquire into the reasons why Christ thus entertains, feasts, and refreshes the soul that receives him* And, Reason 1. This he doth to express the great joy and satisfaction his soul hath in the faith and obedience of poor sinners. We read, Isa. liii. 11. of the hard travail of Christ's soul, an…
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Now these spiritual refreshments are by Christ here called a sup^ per, because the supper among the Jews was their best meal, Luke xiv. 17. and because it is the last meal. This is not only the best meal that ever a believer made, but upon these spiritual comforts (though much more refined and perfect) they are to feed…
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Infer. 3. Hence it follows, that nc man can be owner of any true comfort till he be in Christ. Comfort and refreshment, in the natural order follow faith ; it is the vainest imagination in the world to expect solid, spiritual comfort before union with Christ ; you may as well expect an har- vest before a seed-time. I …
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Plea 1. Let me plead tkine own necessity with thee; a mighty argument ; which in other cases useth to make its ways througn all oppositions, and make all difficulties fly before it ; thou art a poor necessitous, pining, famishing soul ; l:ov/ever thy body be accommo- dated, thou hast not one bit of spiritual bread for …
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O that ever God should comfort such a soul as thine, that hath 8o often gi'ieved him ! That Christ should be a joy to thee, who hast been a sorrow to him ! If you look into Eph. i. 3. you will find the spirit of the apostle there filled with the sense and admiration of this mercy, which breaks forth into this rapturous…
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carelessness: That is a remarkable expression of tlic Psalmist, Psal Ixxxv. 1. " I will hearken what God the Lord will speak, for he, " will speak peace to his people, and to his saints ; but let them not " return again to folly."' Sin, in this text, is fitly called by the name oi fhlhj ; for indeed it is the greatest …
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It is true, there are some things in Christ which are pecuhar to himself, and incommunicable to any creature, as his eternity, con- substantiality with his father, &c. neither have we fellowship in his mediatorial works ; we have the fruits and benefits of them, but no partnership with him in the glory and honour of th…
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planted, but also implanted grace excited, grace in act : for a man may have the habits of faith, love, and delight in him ; and yet be without actual communion with God ; for by this grace is awakened and put into act. A believer when he is asleep, and acts no grace, is in a state of communion with God ; but if he wil…
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goodness. The goodness of God runs down to men in a double channel, his goodness to their bodies, in external providences ; his goodness to their souls, in spiritual mercies. When the goodness of God, either way, draws forth the love and gratitude of the soul to the God of our mercies, then have we real communion with …
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(1.) To begin with the first grace that shews itself in the soul of a Chiistian, to wit, repentance, and sorrow for sin. In the ex- ercise of this grace of repentance, the soul pours out itself before the Lord with much bitterness and brokenness of heart; casts forth its sorrows ; which sorrows are as so much seed sown…
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Ev'id. 2. There is a co-habitation of Christ with behevers ; he dwells with them, yea, he dwells in them, 2 Cor. vi. 16. " I will " dwell in them, and walk in them.'' The soul of a believer is the temple of Christ : yea, his living temple, 1 Pet. ii. 5. And if Christ dwell with them ; yea, if he dwell in them and walk …
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Evid. 8. We may prove the reahty of communion with God, from the impossibility of sustaining those troubles the saints do without it. If prayers did not go up, and answers come down, there were no living for a Christian in this world. Prayer is the out-let of the saints sorrows, and the in-let of their supports and com…
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III. Excellency. It is the centre which rests the motions of a weary soul : it is the rest and refreshment of a man's spirit, PsaL cxvi. 7. Return unto thy rest^ O my soul. When we attain perfect communion with God in heaven, we attain to perfect rest, and all the rest the spirit of man finds on earth, is found in comm…
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VII. Eioccdlencif. It is the end of all ordinances, and duties of religion. God hath instituted every ordinance, and duty, whe- ther public or private, to beget, and maintain communion betwixt himself and our souls. What are ordinances, duties, and graces, but perspective-glasses to give us a sight of God, and help us …
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XII. Excellency, It is the Iwnour of the soul, and the gi*eatest honour that ever God conferred on any creature. It is the glory of the holy angels in heaven, to be always beholding the face of God, Matth. xviii. 10. O that God should admit poor dust and ashes unto such a nearness to himself! to walk with a king, and h…
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XVII. Excellency. It is a mercy purchased by the blood of Christ for believers, and one of the principal mercies settled upon them by the new covenant-grant. A peculiar mercy, which none but tlie redeemed of the Lord partake of; a mercy which cost thq blood of Christ to purchase it. I do not deny but there are thou- s…
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Inference 1. How sure and certain a thing it is, that there is a God, and a state of glory prepared i/i heaven for sanctified souls. These things are undeniable. God hath set them before our -spiritual eyes and senses : Beside the revelation of it in the gospel, which singly makes it infallible; the Lord, for our abun…
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Infer. 5. Lastly, If' there he so much delight, and pleasure in our imperfect, and often interrupted communion with God here ; O then Tchat is heaven! ivhat are the immediate visions of his face in the perfect state ? 1 Cor. ii. 9. " Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nei- ^' ther have entered into the heart of man, the…
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And, 1. Hearken to the voice and call of Christ, you that are exalted by providence above your poorer neighbours ; you that have your heads, hands, and hearts full of the world ; men of trade and business, I have a few solemn questions to ask you this day. (1.) You have made many gainful bargains in your time, but .wh…
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6. You that have had some slight, ineffectual, and vanishing convictions upon you formerly ; the Lord Jesus once more renews his call : Will you now at last hear his voice ? It is an infinite mercy to have a second call. I doubt not but there are many among you, whilst you have sat under the word, have had such thought…
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find, except they repent, the wrath of God to be according to, yea, and far above their fears of it. If the wrath of a king be as the messengers of death, what tl;en is the wrath of the great and terrible God ? This wrath is here said to be revealed, AcroxaXjcVjra/^ discovered, or made manifest ; and so it is divers wa…
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Conscience, therefore, is a high and awful power, it is solo Deo minor ; next, and immediately under God^ our Judge ; riding, as Joseph did in tlie second chariot. And concerning conscience, he saith to every man, as he once did to Moses, with respect ta Pharaoh, See^ I have made thee a God to Pharaoh, Exod. vii. 1. Th…
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It is manifest and beyond all controversy, that an enlightened conscience lays strong and indispensible obligations and engage- ments on the soul to obedience ; for the will of God is the supreme law, 1 Tim. vi. 15. it is the will of " the only potentate, the King " of kings, and Lords of lords C And the promulgation a…
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If we come a little nearer, and enquire what are those Remora's that stop conscience in its course, bind and imprison, stifle and suppress its convictions ; that although a man strongly su.spect his foundation to be but sand, his hopes for heaven a strong delusion, yet will he not throw up his vain hopes, confess his s…
1,210 wordsSource & rights
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.