A39669:1067
The Method of Grace
The method of grace, in bringing home the eternal redemption contrived by the Father, and accomplished by the Son through the effectual application of the spirit unto God's elect, being the second part of Gospel redemption : wherein the great mystery of our union and communion with Christ is opened and applied, unbelievers invited, false pretenders convicted, every mans claim to Christ examined, and the misery of Christless persons discovered and bewailed / by John Flavell ...The method of grace, in bringing home the eternal redemption contrived by the Father, and accomplished by the Son through the effectual application of the spirit unto God's elect, being the second part of Gospel redemption : wherein the great mysterie of our union and communion with Christ is opened and applied, unbelievers invited, false pretenders convicted, every mans claim to Christ examined, and the misery of Christless persons discovered and bewailed / by John Flavell ...
London: printed by M. White for Francis Tyton, 1681
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.
Eighthly, But Lastly, and which is the principal thing carried in this expression, Coming to Christ, notes the all-sufficiency of Christ to answer all the needs and wants of distressed souls, and their betaking themselves accordingly to him only for relief, being content to come to Christ for whatever they need, and live upon that fullness that is in him. If there were not an all-sufficiency in Christ, no soul would come to him: for this is the very ground upon which men come, Heb. 7. 25. he is able to save to the uttermost, all that come to God by him: [Greek or Hebrew], to the uttermost: in the greatest plunges, difficulties and dangers: he hath a fullness of saving power in him; and this encourages souls to come unto him. One beggar uses not to wait at the door of another, but all at the doors of them they conceive able to relieve them. And as this notes the fullness of Christ as a Saviour, so it must needs note the emptiness and humility of the soul as a comer to him. This is called submission in Rom. 10. 3. Proud nature must be deeply distressed, humbled and moulded into another temper, before it will be persuaded to live upon those terms, to come to Christ for every thing it wants, to live upon Christ's fullness in the way of grace and favour, and have no stock of its own to live upon. O this is hard, but it's the way of faith.
Eighthly, But Lastly, and which is the principal thing carried in this expression, Coming to Christ, notes the all-sufficiency of Christ to answer all the needs and wants of distressed souls, and their betaking themselves accordingly to him only for relief, being content to come to Christ for whatever they need, and live upon that fulness that is in him. If there were not an all-sufficiency in Christ, no soul would come to him: for this is the very ground upon which men come, Heb. 7. 25. he is able to save to the uttermost, all that come to God by him: 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, to the uttermost: in the greatest plunges, difficulties and dangers: he hath a fulness of saving power in him; and this encourages souls to come unto him. One beggar uses not to wait at the door of another, but all at the doors of them they conceive able to relieve them. And as this notes the fulness of Christ as a Saviour, so it must needs note the emptiness and humility of the soul as a comer to him. This is call'd submission in