A39669:1902
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.
Lesson 5.
Fifthly, The soul that is coming to Christ by faith is taught of God, that though the case it is in be sad, yet it is not desperate, and remediless; there is a door of hope, a way of escape for poor sinners, how black and fearful soever their own thoughts and apprehensions are. There is usually at this time a dawning light of hope in the soul that is under the fathers teachings, and this commonly arises from the general and indefinite encouragements and promises of the Gospel: which though they do not presently secure the soul from danger, yet they prop and mightily support it against despair; for though they be not certain that deliverance shall be the event of their trouble, yet the possibilities, and much more the probabilities of deliverance are a great stay to the sinking soul: the troubled soul cannot but acknowledge it self to be in a far better case than the damned are, whose hopes are perished from the Lord, and a death-pang of despair hath seized their Consciences: and herein the merciful and compassionate nature of God is eminently discovered in hastening to open the door of hope almost as soon as the evil of sin is opened: it was not long after Adams eyes were opened to see his misery, that God opened Christ his remedy in that first promise, Gen. 3. 15. and the same method of grace is still continued to his Elect off-spring, Gal. 3. 21, 22. Rom. 3. 21, 22. these supporting hopes the Lord sees necessary to encourage industry in the use of means: 'tis hope that sets all the world awork: if all hope were cut off, every soul would sit down in a sullen despair yielding it self for hell.