A39669:816
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.
So it was with those believers, Acts 2. 37. men and brethren what shall we do? they are the words of men at a total loss: it is the voice of poor distressed souls that saw themselves in misery, but knew not, saw not, nor could devise any way of escape from it, by any thing they could do for themselves, or any other creature for them: and hence the Apostle uses that emphatical word, Gal. 3. 23. [Greek or Hebrew] (i. e.) shut up to the faith, (i. e.) as men besieged and distressed in a garrison in time of a storm, when the enemy pours in upon them through the breaches, and over-powers them: there is but one sally-port or gate at which they can escape, and to that they all throng; as despairing of life if they take any other course: Just so do mens convictions besiege them, distress them, beat them off from all their holds and entrenchments; and bring them to a pinching distress in themselves, shutting them up to Christ as the only way of escape. Duties cannot save me, reformation cannot save me, nor Angels nor men can save me; there is no way but one, Christ or Condemnation for evermore.
So it was with those believers, Acts 2. 37. men and brethren what shall we do? they are the words of men at a total loss: it is the voyce of poor distressed souls that saw themselves in misery, but knew not, saw not, nor could devise any way of escape from it, by any thing they could do for themselves, or any other creature for them: and hence the Apostle uses that emphatical word, Gal. 3. 23. 〈non-Latin alphabet〉 (i. e.) shut up to the faith, (i. e.) as men besieged and distressed in a garrison in time of a storm, when the enemy pours in upon them through the breaches, and over-powers them: there is but one sally-port or gate at which they can escape, and to that they all throng; as despairing of life if they take any other course: Just so do mens convictions besiege them, distress them, beat them off from all their holds and intrenchments; and bring them to a pinching distress in themselves, shutting them up to Christ as the only way of escape. Duties cannot save me, reformation cannot save me, nor Angels nor men can save me; there is no way but one, Christ or Condemnation for evermore.