A39660:435
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
Sermon 4 › Application 3 › Consideration 1: I. Consideration.
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. Consideration.
The Faith and Obedience of your Hearts makes it evident, that the Lords waiting upon you hitherto, hath been in pursuance of his design of Electing Love. What was the reason God would not take you away by death, though you passed so often upon the very brink of it, in the days of your unregeneracy? And what think you was the very reason of the revocation of ⟨p. 128⟩your Gospel-liberties when they were quite out of sight, and almost out of hope; why surely this was the reason, that you, and such as you are, might be brought to Christ at last. Therefore, though the Lord let you run on so long in sin, yet still he continued your Life, and the means of your Salvation, because he had a design of Mercy and Grace upon you. And now the time of Mercy, even the set time is come, Praise ye the Lord.
II. Consideration.
You now also see the Sovereignty and freeness of Divine Grace in your vocation; your Hearts resisted all along the most powerful means, and importunate calls of Christ; and would have resisted still, had not Free and Sovereign Grace over-poured them when the time of Love was come. Ah, it was not the tractableness of thine own Will, the easy temper of thy Heart to be wrought upon, the Lord let thee stand long enough in the state of Nature to discover that; there was nothing in Nature but obstinacy and enmity. Thou didst hear as many powerful Sermons, melting Prayers; and didst see as many awakening Providences before thy Heart was opened to Christ, as thou hast since; yet thy Heart never opened till now; and why did it open now? Because now the Spirit of God joined himself to the Word; victorious Grace went forth in the Word to break the hardness and conquer the rebellions of thy Heart. The Gospel was now preached (as the Apostle speaks)