A39660:626
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.
VII. Direction.
Seventhly, Never measure the grace of God, nor the mercy of Christ, by the rule of your own narrow conceptions and apprehensions of him; but believe them to be far greater than your contracted and narrow understanding represents them to you: Our casting of the pardoning power and mercy of God into the mould of our own thoughts, disfigures and alters them, so that they look not like themselves, but with a very discouraging aspect upon our Souls; by this Satan keeps off many a Soul from coming to Christ; the Lord knows how to forgive thee, ⟨p. 226⟩though thou scarce knowest how to forgive thy self, for the injuries thou hast done against him; that's a very considerable Scripture to this purpose, in Isa. 55. 7, 8, 9. Let the wicked for sake his way, and the unrighteous Man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the Heavens are higher than the Earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Man lies under a double misery, one by reason of Affliction, another by reason of Transgression; concerning both these, Gods thoughts are not as ours, but far above what we can think; either (1.) with simple cogitation (i. e.) we cannot think such thoughts to others, under misery in themselves, or under transgression against us, as God doth towards as. Or (2.) by way of reflexive comprehension, (i. e.) we cannot conceive what those thoughts of God are towards us, when we are under misery or sin just as he thinks them; still his thoughts will be above ours, as the Heavens are above the Earth; such is the altitude of Heaven above the Earth, that the vast body of the whole Earth is but a small inconsiderable point to it; the highest Cedars, Mountains, Clouds, cannot reach it; Gods thoughts are infinite, ours finite; his thoughts are continued, ours interrupted and at a stand; his are immutable, ours changeable; his are intuitive, ours discursive: therefore never measure his by your own; the thoughts of pardoning Grace in him, are rich, plenteous, and glorious; but when our unbelieving Hearts have practised