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 ...

Infer. 3.

How absurd, disingenuous and unworthy of a Christian is it to deny or with-hold from Christ any thing he hath, or by which he may be served or honoured? Doth Christ communicate all he hath to you, and can you with-hold any thing from Christ? On Christs part it is not mine, and thine; but ours, or mine and yours, Joh. 20. 17. I ascend to my Father, and your father, to my God and your God. But O this cursed Idol Self! which impro∣priates all to its own designs and uses. How liberal is Christ! and how penurious are we to him! Some will not part with their credit for Christ, when yet Christ abased himself un∣speakably for them. Some will not part with a drop of blood for Christ, when Christ spent the whole treasure of his blood

freely for us: yea, how loth are we to part with a shilling for Christ to relieve him in his distressed members, when as yet we know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, that we through his poverty might be rich! O ungrateful return! O base▪ and disingenuous Spirits! The things Christ gives us are great, the things we deny to him are small: he parts with the greatest, and yet is denyed the least. The things he communicates to us are none of ours, we have no right nor title by nature or any desert of ours to them, the things we deny or grudge to Christ are by all titles his own, and he hath the fullest and most unquestionable title to them all: what he gives to us he gives to them that never deserved it; what we with-hold from him, we with-hold from one that hath deserved that and infinitely more from us, than we have, or are.

He interested you freely in all his riches when you were enemies, you stand upon trifles with him, and yet call him your best and dearest friend: he gave himself and all he hath to you, when you could claim nothing from him, you deny to part with these things to Christ, who may not only claim them upon the highest title his own soveraignty, and absolute pro∣perty, but by your own act, who profess to have given all in Covenant to him: what he gives you returns no profit to him, but what you give or part with for him, is your greatest advan∣tage. O that the consideration of these things might shame and humble our souls.

Notes

• Infer. 3.