The fountain of life opened, or, A display of Christ in his essential and mediatorial glory wherein the impetration of our redemption by Jesus Christ is orderly unfolded as it was begun, carryed on, and finished by his covenant-transaction, mysterious incarnation, solemn call and dedication ... / by John Flavell ...

Corolary 3.

* 1.1If the greatest love hath been manifested in giving Christ to the world, then it follows, that the greatest evil and wickedness is manifested in despising, slighting, and rejecting Christ. 'Tis sad to abuse the love of God manifested in the lowest gift of providence, but to sleight the richest discoveries of it; even in that peerless gift; wherein God commends his love in the most taking and astonishing manner: this is sin with a witness. Blush O heavens, and be astonished O earth; yea, be ye hor∣ribly afraid. No guilt like this. The most flagitious wretches among the barbarous Nations, are innocent in comparison of these. But are there any such in the world? Dare any slight this gift of God? indeed, if mens words might be taken; there are few or none that dare do so; but if their lives and practices may be believed; this, this is the sin of the far greater part of the Christianized world. Witness the lamentable stu∣pidity and supiness, witness the contempt of the Gospel, wit∣ness the hatred and persecution of his Image, Laws, and People. What is the language of all these but a vile esteem of Jesus Christ.

And now let me a little expostulate with these ungrateful souls that trample underfoot the Son of God. That value not this love that gave him forth. What is that mercy which you so contemn, and undervalue? Is it so vile and cheap a thing, as your entertainment speaks it to be? Is it indeed worth no more than this in your eyes? Surely you will not be long of

that opinion. Will you be of that mind think you, when death and Judgement shall have throughly awakned you? O no, then a thousand worlds for a Christ. As its storied of our Crook∣back'd Richard, when he lost the field and was in great danger by his enemies that pressed upon him; O now (said he) a Kingdom for an Horse. Or think ye that any beside you in the world are of your mind? You are deceived, if you think so. To them that believe he is precious through all the world, 1 Pet. 2.7. And in the other world, they are of a quite con∣trary mind. Could you but hear what is said of him in heaven, in what a dialect the Saved of the Lord do extoll their Saviour:* 1.2 or could you but imagine the self revenges, the self torments which the damned suffer for this their folly: and what a value they would set upon one tender of Christ, if it might but again be hoped for: you would see that such as you, are the only de∣spisers of Christ. Beside, methinks its astonishing, that you should despise a mercy in which your own souls are so dearly, so deeply, so everlastingly concerned in; as they are in this gift of God. If it were but the soul of another, nay less, if but the body of another; and yet less than that, if but anothers beast, whose life you could preserve, you are obliged to do it: but when it is thy self, yea, the best part of thy self; thine own in∣valuable soul that thou ruinest and destroyest hereby: Oh what a monster art thou to cast it away thus! What! will you slight your own souls? Care you not whether they be saved, or whe∣ther they be damned? Is it indeed an indifferent thing with you, which way they fall at death? Have you imagined a tollerable Hell? Is it easie to perish? Are you not only turned Gods ene∣mies, but your own too? O see what monsters can sin turn men and women into! O the stupifying, besotting, intoxicating power of Sin! But perhaps you think that all these are but un∣certain sounds, with which we alarm you. It may be thine own heart will Preach such Doctrine as this to thee. Who can assure thee of the reallity of these things? What shouldst thou trouble thy self about an invisible world? or be so much con∣cerned for what thine eyes never saw, nor didst ever receive the report from any that have seen them? Well, though we cannot now shew you these things, yet shortly they shall be shewn you: and your own eyes shall behold them. You are convinced and satisfied that many other things are real, which you never saw.

But be assured, that if the word spoken by Angels was stedfast, and every transgression, and disobedience received a just recompence of reward: How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation? Which at first began to be spoken to us by the Lord, and was con∣firmed to us by them that heard him: God also bearing them wit∣ness, Heb. 2.2, 3, 4. But if they be certain, yet they are not near. It will be a long time before they come: poor soul, how dost thou cheat thy self! It may be not by twenty parts, so long a time as thine own phancy draws it forth for thee. Thou art not certain of the next moment.

And suppose what thou imaginest, what is Twenty or Forty years when it is past? yea, what is a thousand years, to the vast eternity? Go trifle away a few days more, sleep out a few nights more, and then lie down in the dust; it will not be long ere the Trump of God shall awaken thee: and thine eyes shall behold Jesus coming in the clouds of heaven, and then you will know the price of this sin. O therefore if there be any sence of eternity upon you, any pity or love for your selves in you, if you have any concernments more than the beasts that perish, despise not your own offered mercies, slight not the richest gift, that ever was yet opened to the world, and a sweeter cannot be opened to all Eternity.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Corol. 3.
• * 1.2

  Fye fye (saith one) upon this condemned and foolish world, that will give so little for Christ, and salvation; Oh! if there were but a free mar∣ket proclaim∣ed of Christ and salvation in that day, when the Trumpet of God shall awaken the dead, how ma∣ny buyers would be there? God s••nd me no more happi∣nes•• but that which the blind world [to their ete••∣nal wo] let∣eth slip through their fingers.