A39669:742
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.
First, We must then dethrone Christ, to exalt faith: we are willing to give it all that is due to it, but we dare not despoil Christ of his glory for faiths sake: he is the Lord our righteousness, Jer. 23. we dare not set the servant above the master: we acknowledge no righteousness but what the obedience and satisfaction of Christ yields us: his blood, not our faith, his satisfaction, not our believing it, is the matter of our justification before God.
First, We must then dethrone Christ, to exalt faith: we are willing to give it all that is due to it, but we dare not despoyl Christ of his glory for faiths sake: he is the Lord our righteousness, Jer. 23. we dare not set the servant above the master: we acknowledge no righteousness but what the obedience and satisfaction of Christ yields us: his blood, not our faith, his satisfaction, not our believing it, is the matter of our justification before God.
Secondly, We dare not yield this point, lest we undermine all the comfort of Christians by bottoming their pardon and peace upon a weak, imperfect work of their own. Oh how tottering and unstable must their station be, that stand upon such a bottom as this! what ups and downs are there in our faith, what mixtures of unbelief at all times, and prevalency of unbelief at some times; and is this a foundation to build our justification and hope upon? debile fundamentum fallit opus: if we lay the stress here, we build upon very loose ground, and must be at a continual loss both as to safety and comfort.
Thirdly, We dare not wrong the justice and truth of God at that rate, as to affirm that he esteems and imputes our poor weak faith for perfect legal righteousness: we know that the judgement of God is always according to truth: if