A39663:1229
The Fountain of Life Opened
The fountain of life opened, or, A display of Christ in his essential and mediatorial glory wherein the impetration of our redemption by Jesus Christ is orderly unfolded as it was begun, carried on, and finished by his covenant-transaction, mysterious incarnation, solemn call and dedication ... / by John Flavell ...The fountain of life opened, or, A display of Christ in his essential and mediatorial glory wherein the impetration of our redemption by Jesus Christ is orderly unfolded as it was begun, carryed on, and finished by his covenant-transaction, mysterious incarnation, solemn call and dedication ... / by John Flavell ...
London: printed for Rob. White, 1673
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.
Tears are nothing else but the juice of a mind oppressed, and squeezed with grief. Grief compresses the heart, the heart so compressed and squeezed, vents it self sometimes in tears, sighs, groans, &c. and this is two fold; gracious and wholly supernatural, or common and altogether natural. The gracious melting or sorrow of the soul, is likewise two fold, habitual or actual. Habitual godly sorrow, is that gracious disposition, inclination or tendency of the renewed heart to mourn and melt, when any just occasion is presented to the soul, that calls for such sorrow. It is expressed, ⟨p. 330⟩Ezek. 36.26. By taking away the heart of stone, and giving an heart of flesh. That is an heart impressive, and yielding to such arguments and considerations as move it to mourning.
Tears are nothing else but the juice of a mind oppressed, and squeesed with grief. Grief compresses the heart, the heart so compressed and squeez'd, vents it self sometimes in tears, sighs, groans, &c. and this is two fold; gratious and wholly supernatural, or common and altogether natural. The gratious melting or sorrow of the soul, is likewise two fold, habitual or actual. Habitual godly sorrow, is that gratious disposition, inclination or tendency of the renewed heart to mourn and melt, when any just occasion is presented to the soul, that calls for such sorrow. It is expressed, ⟨p. 330⟩Ezek. 36.26. By taking away the heart of stone, and giving an heart of flesh. That is an heart impressive, and yielding to such arguments and considerations as move it to mourning.
Actual sorrow is the expression and manifestation of that its inclination, upon just occasions, and it's expressed two ways, either by the internal effects of it; which are the heaviness, shame, loathing, resolution, and holy revenge begotten in the soul upon the account of sin: or also by more external and visible effects, as sighs, groans, tears, &c. The former is essential to godly sorrow, the latter contingent, and accidental. Much depending upon the natural temperature, and constitution of the body.