A39660:418
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.
III. Exhortation.
This Doctrine of the Patience of Christ exhorts all that have felt it, to exercise a Christ-like Patience towards others; as you have found the benefit of Divine Patience your selves, see that you exercise the meekness and long-suffering of Christians towards those that have wronged and injured you. Who should show Patience more than those that have found it? Don't be severe, short and quick with others who have lived your selves so many years upon the long-suffering of God. We are poor short-spirited Creatures, quick to revenge injuries, but oh, had God been so to us, miserable had our condition been. Christ hath made this duty the very scope of that excellent parable, Matth. 18. from the 25 verse onward, where the King takes an account of his Servants, reckoning with them one by one, and amongst them finds one which owed him Ten thousand Talents, and having not to pay, commands him his Wife and Children, and all he had to be sold, and payment to be made; but the Servant falling down, and begging Patience, his Lord was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and not only forbore but forgave the debt; one would think the Heart of this Man should have been a fountain of compassion towards others; but see the deep corruption of Nature, the same Servant finding one of his fellow-servants which owed him but an Hundred pence, laid Hands on him and took him by the Throat. Alas, the wrongs done to us are but trifles, compared with our injuries done to God; where ⟨p. 122⟩others have wronged you once, you have wronged God a thousand times. Methinks the Patience of Christ towards you should melt your Hearts into an ingenuous easiness to forgive others; especially considering that an unforgiving Spirit is a dreadful sign of an unforgiven person.