A39669:754
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.
Is the receiving of Christ the vital and saving act of faith 1which gives the soul right to the person and privileges of Christ: Then it follows, That the rejecting of Christ by unbelief must needs be the damning and soul-destroying sin, which cuts a man off from Christ and all the benefits purchased by his blood. If there be life in receiving, there must needs be death in rejecting Christ.
Is the receiving of Christ the vital and saving act of faith 1which gives the soul right to the person and priviledges of Christ: Then it follows, That the rejecting of Christ by unbelief must needs be the damning and soul-destroying sin, which cuts a man off from Christ and all the benefits purchased by his blood. If there be life in receiving, there must needs be death in rejecting Christ.
- 1Infer. 1.
There is no grace more excellent than faith, no sin more execrable and abominable than unbelief: faith is the saving grace, and unbelief is the damning sin. Mark 16. 16. He that believeth not shall be damned. See Joh. 3. 18, 36. and Joh. 8. 24.
And the reason why this sin of unbelief is the damning sin is this, because in the justification of a sinner, there must be a cooperation of all the Concauses that have a joint influence into that blessed effect: As there must be free grace for an impulsive cause, The blood of Christ as the meritorious cause; so of necessity there must be faith the Instrumental cause to receive and apply what the free grace of God designed, and the blood of Christ purchased for us. For where there are many social causes or concauses to produce one effect, there the effect is not produced till the last cause be in Act.