A39669:722
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.
Considered qualitatively, as a saving grace, it hath the same excellency that all other precious saving graces have: as it is the fruit of the Spirit it is more precious than Gold, Prov. 8. 11, 19. and so are all other graces as well as faith: in this sense they all shine with equal glory, and that a glory transcending all the glory of this world: but then consider faith Relatively as the instrument by which the righteousness of Christ is apprehended and made ours, and in that consideration it excels all other graces.
This is the grace that is singled out from among all other graces, to receive Christ, by which office it is dignified above all its fellows: as Moses was honoured above the many thousands of Israel, when God took him up into the Mount, admitted him nearer to himself than any other of all the Tribes might come; for they stood without the Rail, while Moses was received into the special presence of God, and was admitted to such views as others must not have: so faith is honoured above all its fellow graces in being singled out, and solemnly anointed to this high office in our Justification: this is that precious eye that looks unto Christ as the stung Israelites did to the brazen Serpent, and derives healing virtue from him to the soul. It is the grace which instrumentally saves us, Eph. 2. 8. as it's Christs glory to be the door of salvation, so it's Faiths glory to be the golden key that opens that door.
This is the grace that is singled out from among all other graces, to receive Christ, by which office it is dignified above all its fellows: as Moses was honoured above the many thousands of Israel, when God took him up into the Mount, admitted him nearer to himself than any other of all the Tribes might come; for they stood without the Rail, while Moses was received into the special presence of God, and was admitted to such views as others must not have: so faith is honoured above all its fellow graces in being singled out, and solemnly anointed to this high office in our Justification: this is that precious eye that looks unto Christ as the stung Israelites did to the brazen Serpent, and derives healing vertue from him to the soul. It is the grace which instrumentally saves us,