A39669:124
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.
Doct.1
- 1Doct.
That the Lord Jesus Christ with all his precious benefits becomes ours by Gods special and effectual Application.
There is a twofold Application of our redemption, one Primary, the other Secondary: the former is the Act of God the Father, applying it to Christ our Surety, and virtually to us in him; the later is the Act of the holy Spirit, personally and actually applying it to us in the work of conversion: the former hath the respect and relation of an example, model, or pattern to this, and this is produced and wrought by the virtue of that. What was done upon the person of Christ, was not only virtually done upon us, considered in him as a ⟨p. 6⟩common public representative person, in which sense we are said to dye with him and live with him, to be crucified with him and buried with him: but it was also intended for a platform or Idea of what is to be done by the Spirit actually upon our souls and bodies in our single persons. As he dyed for sin, so the Spirit applying his death to us in the work of mortification causes us to dye to sin, by the virtue of his death: and as he was quickened by the Spirit and raised unto life, so the Spirit applying unto us the life of Christ causeth us to live, by spiritual vivification. Now this personal, secondary and actual application of redemption to us by the Spirit in his sanctifying work is that which I am engaged here to discuss and open: Which I shall do in these following Propositions.