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 ...

Caution 3.

We may not conceive, that faith it self is the souls rest, but the means and instrument of it only. We cannot find rest in any work or duty of our own, but we may find it in Christ, whom faith apprehends for Justification and Sal∣vation.

Having thus guarded the point against misapprehensions by these needful cautions, I shall next shew you, how our coming to Christ by faith brings us to rest in him. And here let it be considered what those things are that burden, grieve and disquiet the soul before its coming to Christ, and how it is relieved and eased in all those respects by▪ its coming to the Lord Jesus: and you shall find,

First, That one principal ground of trouble, is the guilt of sin upon the conscience, of which I spake in the former point. The curse of the Law lyes heavy upon the soul, so heavy that nothing is found in all the world able to relieve it under that burthen: as you see in a condemned man, spread a Table in Prison with the greatest dainties, and send for the rarest Musicians, all will not charm his sorrow; but if you can produce an authentick pardon, you ease him presently: just so it is here, faith plucks the thorn out of the conscience which so grieved it, unites the soul with Christ, and then that ground of trouble is removed: for there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ, Rom. 8. 11. The same moment the soul comes to Christ, it is past from death to life; is no more under the Law, but Grace. If a mans debt be paid by his surety, he need not fear to shew his face boldly abroad: he may freely meet the Sergeant at the prison door.

Secondly, The soul of a convinced sinner is exceedingly burdened with the uncleanness and filthiness wherewith sin hath defiled and polluted it. Conviction discovers the universal pollution of heart and life, so that a man loaths and abhorrs himself by reason thereof: If he do not look into his own corruptions, he cannot be safe: and if he do, he cannot bear the sight of it; he hath no quiet: Nothing can give rest, but what gives relief against this evil. And this only is done by faith uniting the soul with Jesus Christ. For though it be true, that the pollution of sin be not presently and per∣fectly taken away by coming to Christ; yet the burden there∣of is exceedingly eased: for upon our believing, there is an heart-purifying principle planted into the soul, which doth by degrees cleanse that fountain of corruption, and will at last perfectly free the soul from it, Acts 15. 9. Purifying their hearts by faith: and being once in Christ, he is concerned for the soul, as a member now of his own mystical body to pu∣rifie and cleanse it, that at last he may present it perfect to the Father without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, Eph. 5. 26. The reigning power of it is gone immediately upon believing, and the very existence and being of it shall at last be destroyed. O what rest must this give under those troubles for sin?

Thirdly, It was an intolerable burthen to the soul to be under the continual fears, aiarms and frights of death and damnation. Its life hath been a life of bondage upon this ac∣count, ever since the Lord opened his eyes to see his conditi∣on. Poor souls lye down with tremblings for fear what a night may bring forth. 'Tis a sad life indeed to live in conti∣nual bondage to such fears. But faith sweetly relieves the trembling Conscience, by removing the guilt which breeds it; fears. The sting of death is sin; when guilt is removed, fears vanish. Smite Lord, smite, said Luther, for my sins are for∣given. Now if sickness come, 'tis another thing than it was wont to be, Isai. 33. 21. The Inhabitant shall not say I am sick, the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquities: a man scarce feels his sickness in comparison to what he did, whilst he was without Christ, and hope of pardon.

Fourthly, A convinced sinner out of Christ sees every thing against him: nothing yields any comfort, yea every thing increases and aggravates his burthen, whether he look to things past, present, or to come. If he reflect upon things past, his soul is filled with anguish to remember the sins committed, and the seasons neglected; and the precious mercies that have been abused: if he look upon things present, the case is doleful and miserable: nothing but trouble and danger; Christless, and comfortless: and if he look forward to things to come, that gives him a deeper cut to the heart than any thing else; for though it be sad and miserable for the present, yet he fears it will be much worse hereafter; all these are but the beginning of sorrows: and thus the poor awakened sinner becomes a Magor missabib; fear round about.

But upon his coming to Christ all things are marvellously al∣tered: a quite contrary face of things appears to him: eve∣ry thing gives him hope and comfort which way soever he looks: so speaks the Apostle, 1 Cor. 3. 22, 23. All things are yours (saith he) whether life, or death; or things present, or things to come, all is yours, and ye are Christs, and Christ is Gods: they are ours (i. e.) for our advantage, benefit and comfort; more particularly upon our coming to Christ▪

First, Things past are ours, they conduce to our advantage and comfort. Now the soul can begin to read the gracious end and design of God, in all its preservations and delive∣rances;

whereby it hath been reserved for such a day as this. O! it melts his heart to consider, his Companions in sin and Vanity are cut off, and he spared; and that for a day of such mercy as the day of his espousals with Christ is. Now all his past sorrows and deep troubles of spirit which God hath exercised him with, begin to appear the greatest mercies that ever he received; being all necessary, and introductive to this blessed union with Christ.

Secondly, Things present are ours, though it be not yet with us as we would have it; Christ is not sure enough, the heart is not pure enough; sin is too strong, and grace is too weak; many things are yet out of order; yet can the soul bless God for this with tears of joy, and praise him for this brimful of admiration, and holy astonishment; that it is, as it is; that he is where he is, though he be not yet where he would be. O 'tis a blessed life to live as a poor recumbent, by acts of trust and affiance, though as yet it have but little evidence: that it is resolved to trust all with Christ, though it be not yet certain of the issue. O this is a comfortable station, a sweet condition to what it was, either when it wallowed in sin in the days before conviction, or was swallowed up in fears and troubles for sin after conviction: now it hath hope though it want assurance; and hope is sweet to a soul com∣ing out of such deep distresses: now it sees the remedy, and is applying it, whereas before the wound seemed desperate: now all hesitations and debates are at an end in the Soul, 'tis no longer bivious and unresolved what to do; all things have been deeply considered, and after consideration, issued into this resolve or decree of the will. I will go to Christ; I will venture all upon his Command and Call; I will im∣barque my eternal interests in that Bottom: here I fix; and upon this ground I resolve to live and dye. O how much better is this, than that floating life it lived before, roll∣ing upon the billows of inward fears and troubles, not able to drop Anchor any where, nor knowing where to find an Harbour.

Thirdly, Things to come are ours: and this is the best and sweetest of all: man is a prospecting creature, his eye is much upon things to come, and it will not satisfie him that it is well at present, except he have a prospect that it shall be

so hereafter: but now the soul hath committed it self and all its concernments to Christ for eternity, and this being done, it's greatly relieved against evils to come.

I cannot (saith the Believer) think all my troubles over, and that I shall never meet any more afflictions, it were a fond va∣nity to dream of that; but I leave all these things where I have left my soul: he that hath supported me under inward, will carry me through outward troubles also. I cannot think all my temptations to sin past, O, I may yet meet with sore assaults from Satan: yet it is infinitely better to be watching, praying and striving against sin, than it was when I was obey∣ing it in the lusts of it. God that hath delivered me from the love of sin, will, I trust, preserve me from ruine by sin. I know also death is to come, I must feel the pangs and agonies of it; but yet the aspect of death is much more pleasant than it was. I come Lord Jesus to thee, who art the death of death, whose death hath disarmed death of its sting. I fear not its dart, if I feel not its sting. And thus you see briefly, how by faith Believers enter into rest. How Christ gives rest even at present to them that come to him, and all this but as a beginning of their everlasting rest.

Notes

• Caution 3.
• 1.
• 2.
• 3.
• Feri Domine, feri, nam à pec∣catis meis ab∣solutus sum, Luth.
• 4.