A39669:216
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.
THE design and end of the Application of Christ to Sinners, is the Communication of his benefits to them: but seeing all Communications of benefits necessarily imply Communion, and all Communion as necessarily presupposes Union with his person: I shall therefore in this place, and from this Scripture treat of the Mystical Union betwixt Christ and believers: this Union being the principal act wherein the Spirits application of Christ consists; of which I spake (as to its general nature) in the former Sermon.
In this Verse (omitting the Contexture) we find a threefold Union. One betwixt the Father and Christ, a second betwixt Christ and believers: a third betwixt believers themselves.
First, Thou in me: this is a glorious ineffable Union, and is fundamental to the other two: the Father is not only in Christ, in respect of dear affection, as one friend is in another who is as his own soul: nor only essentially, in respect of ⟨p. 26⟩the identity and sameness of nature and attributes; in which respect Christ is the express Image of his person, Heb. 1. 3. but he is in Christ also as Mediator, by communicating the fullness of the godhead which dwells in him as God-man, in a transcendent and singular manner; so as it never dwelt, nor can dwell in any other, Col. 2. 9.
First, Thou in me: this is a glorious ineffable Union, and is fundamental to the other two: the Father is not only in Christ, in respect of dear affection, as one friend is in another who is as his own soul: nor only essentially, in respect of ⟨p. 26⟩