A39660:878
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.
I know it is the common discouragement that multitudes of convinced humbled sinners lye under, who seeing so much vileness in their natures, and practices; cannot be persuaded that ever the Lord Jesus will cast an Eye of favour on them; much less, take up his abode in them. What, dwell in such a Heart as mine, which hath been an habitation of Devils, a sink, a puddle of sin from my beginning! This is hard to be believed; but sinner, thou hast the word of a King from Heaven for it; a word whose credit was never cracked or stained from the first moment it was spoken; that whatever thy former or present vileness or unworthiness hath been, or is; he will not be shy of such a Soul as thou art, if thou be but willing to open to him; thy great unworthiness shall be no bar to his union with thee, If any man open, I will come in to him, &c. For,
I know it is the common discouragement that multitudes of convinced humbled sinners lye under, who seeing so much vileness in their natures, and practices; cannot be perswaded that ever the Lord Jesus will cast an Eye of favour on them; much less, take up his abode in them. What, dwell in such a Heart as mine, which hath been an habitation of Devils, a sink, a puddle of sin from my beginning! This is hard to be believed; but sinner, thou hast the word of a King from Heaven for it; a word whose credit was never crackt or stained from the first moment it was spoken; that whatever thy former or present vileness or unworthiness hath been, or is; he will not be shy of such a Soul as thou art, if thou be but willing to open to him; thy great unworthiness shall be no bar to his union with thee, If any man open, I will come in to him, &c. For,
First, If personal unworthiness were sufficient to bar Christ out of thy Soul, it would equally bar him out of all the Souls in the World; for all are unworthy as well as thy self. Where-ever Christ finds sinfulness, he finds unworthiness; and to be sure he finds this where-ever he comes. Christ never expected to find worthiness in thee, but it highly pleases him to find thee under a becoming sense of thy personal unworthiness, Jer. 3. 13. Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, &c. The returning prodigal acknowledged to his Father, I am not worthy to be called thy Son,