A39660:394
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.
IV. Inference.
From the Patience and Long-suffering of Christ, we may learn the invaluable preciousness of Souls, and the high esteem Christ hath for them.
Though your Souls be cheap in your own Eyes, and you are contented to sell them for a trifle, for a little sensual pleasure and ease; some of you will hazard them for a Shilling, yet certainly Jesus Christ hath an high esteem of them, else he would never stand knocking with such importunity, and waiting with such wonderful patience, for the Salvation of them. Christ knows their worth though you do not, he accounts, and so should you, one of your Souls more worth than the whole World, Matth. 16. 26. The Soul of the poorest Child, or meanest Servant, that hears me this day, is of greater value in Christ's Eye than the whole World; and he hath given three great evidences of it, (1.) That he thought it worth his Heart Blood to redeem and save it, 1 Pet. 1. 19. You were not redeemed with Silver and Gold, but with the precious Blood of the Son of God. Had they not been precious in his Eyes he would never have shed his most precious Blood to ransom them. (2.) Were they not highly valuable in his Eyes he would never wait with such unwearied Patience to save them as he doth. He hath born Thousands of repulses, and unreasonable denials from you: Sinner, ⟨p. 108⟩Christ hath knocked at thy door in many a Sermon, in many a Prayer, in many a sickness, in all which thou hast put him off, denied him or delayed him; yet still he continues knocking and waiting. Thou couldst not have made the poorest Beggar in the World wait at thy door, so long as thy Redeemer hath been made to wait, and yet he is not gone. At this day his voice sounds in thine ears, Behold I stand at the door and knock. Here's clear demonstration of the preciousness of thy Soul in the Redeemer's Eyes. And then Lastly, When Christ ends the Treaty, and gives up the Souls of Men for lost, and unpersuadable, with what regret and sorrow doth he part with them! Never did one Friend part from another with such demonstrations of sorrow as Christ parteth with the Souls of sinners. The Bowels of his compassion roll together; for the knows what is coming upon them, and what that eternal misery is into which their wilful rejection of him will cast them: In