A39660:1025
Englands duty under the present gospel liberty from Revel. III, vers. 20
Englands duty under the present gospel liberty from Revel. III, vers. 20 : wherein is opened the admirable condescension and patience of Christ in waiting upon trifling and obstinate sinners, the wretched state of the unconverted, the nature of evangelical faith ..., the riches of free grace in the offers of Christ ..., the invaluable privileges of union and communion granted to all who receive him ... / by John Flavell ...Englands duty under the present gospel liberty from Revel. III, vers. 20 : wherein is opened the admirable condescension and patience of Christ in waiting upon trifling and obstinate sinners, the wretched state of the unconverted, the nature of evangelical faith ..., the riches of free grace in the offers of Christ ..., the invaluable priviledges of union and communion granted to all who receive him ... / by John Flavell ...
London: printed for Matthew Wotton, 1689
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
I. Excellency.
It is the Assimilating instrument whereby the Soul is moulded and fashioned after the image of God. This is the Excellency of communion with God, to make the Soul like him. There is a twofold assimilation, or conformity of the Soul to God, the one perfect and complete, the other inchoate and in part. Perfect assimilation is the privilege of the perfect state, resulting from the immediate vision and perfect communion the Soul hath with God in glory, 1 John 3▪ 2▪ When he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Perfect vision produceth perfect assimilation; but the Souls assimilation or imperfect conformity to God in this World, is wrought and gradually carried on by daily communion with him. And as our communion with God here, grows up more and more into spirituality and power, so in an answerable degree doth our conformity to him advance, 2 Cor. 3. 18. But we all with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord; are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, as by the spirit of the Lord. All sorts of communion among men have an assimilating efficacy; he that walks in vain company, is made vainer than he was before; and he that walks in spiritual heavenly company will be ordinarily ⟨p. 421⟩more serious than he was before; but nothing so transforms the Spirit of a man, as communion with God doth. Those are most like unto God that converse most frequently with him. The beauty of the Lord is upon those Souls; it figures the Spirit of a Man after the Divine pattern. That's the first Excellency of communion with God, it assimilates them to God.