A39660:677
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.
1. As superabounding Grace. 2. As Free Grace. 3. As Grace exercised with delight.
First, It is superabounding Grace; Waters do not so abound in the Ocean, nor Light in the Sun, as Grace and compassion do in the bowels of God towards broken Hearted and hungry sinners, Isa. 55. 6. Let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. The compassions of our God inserted that word on purpose to relieve poor Souls fainting under the sense of their abounding iniquities. Here's abundant Pardon, for abounding Guilt; and yet left a desponding sinner should not find enough here to quiet his fears; the Lord goes yet farther in the expression of his Grace, Rom. 5. 20. Where sin abounded, Grace did much more abound. It overflowed all the bounds, it rose quite above the high-water Mark of sin and guilt; but these overflowings of Grace run only through that channel of all Grace, Jesus Christ, to broken Hearted and obedient Sinners.
Secondly, The Grace of God to such Souls is free, every way free; it is the very design of the Gospel to exhibit it in this its glory. It costs you nothing but acceptance, its free without merit, yea, free against merit; you can deserve nothing of God, therefore his Grace is free without merit; yea, you have deserved Hell, as often as you have sinned against him, and so it is free against merit. If a pardon were to be purchased ⟨p. 250⟩by us, we want a stock for such a purchase; neither can we borrow from Men or Angels a sufficient sum for such a purchase: Blessed be God, therefore, that it flows freely to us without money and without price,