REV. MR. JOHN'FLAVEL,
LATE MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL AT DARTMOUTH, DEVON.
AN ALPHABETICAL TABLE
OF THE PRINCIPAL MATTERS CONTAINED IN THE WHOLE.
PRINTED FOR W. BAYNES AND SON, 23 & 54, PATERNOSTER-ROW; WAUGH AND INNES, EDINBURGH, AND M. KEENE, DUBLIN.
A TREATISE OF THE SOUL OF «AN. . "^ </ n ^
2 Pet. i. 13, U. 't^, "^o/ ■ -, JVfl, / tldnk it meet, as long as I am in this tahefii^di^f^tom'^^u'
up, by putting you in remembrance. ^w ■</'"''.'- "* ^
KnomDig that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle^ tven SsT^ur
Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.
AjT the tenth verse of this chapter, the apostle sums up his foregoing precepts and exhortations in one great and most im- portant duty, the " making sure of their calhng and election.'" This exhortation he enforceth on them by a most solemn and weighty motive, ver. 11. " Even an abundant entrance into the <' everlasting kingdom." No work of greater necessity or difficulty, than to make sure our salvation, no argument more forcible and prevalent, than an easy and free entrance into glory at death, an rJ^avccdia, a sweet and comfortable dissolution, to enter the port of glory before the wind, with our full lading of comfort, peace, and joy in believing, our sails full, and our streamers flying : Oh ! how much better is this, than to lie wind-bound, I mean heart-bound, at the harbour''s mouth ! tossed up and down with fears, doubts, and manifold temptations, making many a board to fetch the har- bour ; for so much is signified in his figurative and allusive expres- sion, ver. 11.
And for their encouragement in this great and difficult work, he engageth himself by promise to give them all the assistance he can, whilst God should continue his life ; and knowing that would be but a little while, he resolves to use his utmost endeavour to secure these things in their memories after his death, that they might not die with him. This is the general scope and order of the words.
Wherein more particularly we have,
1. His exemplary industry and diligence in his ministerial work.
S. The consideration stimulating and provoking him thereunto.
1. His exemplary industry and diligence in his ministerial work. In which two things are remarkable, viz. (1.) The quality of his work, which was * to stir them up, by putting them in remembrance, to keep the heavenly flame of love and zeal lively upon the altar of their hearts. He well knew what a sleepy disease the best Chris- tians are troubled with, and therefore he had need to be stirring them up, and awaking them to their duty. (2.) The constancy of his work : as long as I am in this tabernacle ; i. e. as long as I live in this world. The body is called a tabernacle, in respect of its
* Aizyu^uv, signifies to raise up, or awake, i. e. your minds, which are, as it were, sleepy or slumbering', and dull, &c. PooVs s^nojjsis.
f A TREATISE OF THE SOUL OF MAlJ*
moveableness and frailty, and in opposition to that house made without hands, eteimal in the heavens. And it is observable how- he limits and bounds his serviceableness to them, by his commora/- tion in his tabernacle or body, as well knowing after death he could ]3e no longer useful to them or any others in this world. Death puts an end to all ministerial usefulness : but till that time he judged it meet, and becoming him, to be aiding and assisting their faith: our life and labour must end together.
2. We have here the motive, or consideration, stimulating and provoking him to this diligence ; " knowing that I must shortly " put off this tabernacle, even as the Lord Jesus Christ hath *• shewed me.*" In which words he gives an account of, (1.) The speediness ; (2.) necessity ; (3.) voluntariness of his death, and the way and means by which he knew it. All these must be consider- ed singly and apart, and then valued all together, as they amount to a weighty argument or motive to excite him to diligence in his duty.
(1.) He reflects upon the speediness or near approach of liis death. " I must [ * shortly] put off this my tabernacle ;" which is a form of speech of the same importance with that of Paul, S Tim. iv. 6. " The time of my departure is at hand,'"* my time in the body is almost at an end.
(2.) The necessity of his death : It is not I may, but I must put off this my tabernacle ; yea, I must put it off shortly ; for so the Lord hath shewed him ; Christ had signified it expressly to him, John xxi. 18, 19. And beside this, most expositors think this clause refers to some special vision or revelation which Peter had of the time and manner of his own death ; so that besides the natural necessity, or the inevitableness of his death by the law of nature, he was certified of it by special revelation. We have here also,
(3.) The voluntariness of his death; for voluntariness is consist- ent enough vnih the necessity of the event. I must put off, or lay down my tabernacle ; he saith not, I must be torn, or rent by violence from it ; but I must depose, or lay it down, -f* Camero will have the word here used for death, properly to signify the laying down of one's garments : he made no more of putting off his body than his garment.
Upon the consideration of the whole matter, the speediness of
* Ta^/v'/5 breinjuturum. Every Christian knows not the time of his death, as Peter
ilid, by special revelation. But though we know it not by a word spoken to us in
particular, we know it by a word written for all in common, Eccl. ix. 5. " The living " know that they must die."
t He calls it a putting off or laying down, thereby signifying his willingness to die for Christ. Pool.
A TREATISE OF THE SOUL OF MAN. 5
Ills death which he knew to be at hand ; the necessity of it, that when it came he must be gone from, and could be no more useful to them ; and his own inclination to be with Clirist in a better state, being as willing to be gone, as a weary traveller to be at home; he judged it meet, or becoming him, as he was called of Christ to feed his sheep, as he was gifted extraordinarily for the church's service, full of spiritual excellencies, all which in a short time would be taken away from them by death : I say, upon all these accounts, he could not but judge it meet to be stirring them up, and every way striving to be as useful as he could. Hence the note will be,
Doct. How strong soever the affections and mcllnations of souls are to thejleshly tabernacles they now live in, yet they must put them offy and that speedily.