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 ...
About this Item
Title
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 ...
Author
Flavel, John, 1630?-1691.
Publication
London :: Printed by M. White, for Francis Tyton ...,
1681.
Rights/Permissions
To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
Subject terms
Presbyterian Church -- Sermons.
Salvation.
Conversion.
Sermons, English -- 17th century.
Cite this Item
"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 ..." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A39669.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 4, 2024.
Pages
Inference 4.
How dangerous a thing is zeal in a wicked man? 'Tis a sharp sword in a blind mans hand, or like high mettle in a blind horse: how much hath the Church of God suffered upon this account, and doth suffer at this day? The world hath ever been full of such blind and blustering zeal, which like a hurry-cane overturns all that stands in its way: yea, (as we noted before) it makes a man a kind of conscientious persecutor. I confess it is better for the persecutor himself to do it igno∣rantly, because ignorance leaves him in a capacity for mercy,
descriptionPage 589
and sets him a degree lower than the malicious enlightned persecutor, 1 Tim. 1. 13. Else it were the dreadful case described in Heb. 10. But yet as it is, John 16. 2. these are the fierce▪ and dreadful enemies of the Church of God. Such a man was Paul, a devout persecutour, and such persecution God afterward suffered to befal him∣self. Acts 13. 50. But the Jews stirred up the devont and ho∣nourable women, and the chief men of the City; and raised per∣secution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts. An erroneous conscience binds as well as an informed conscience, and where ever God gives such men opportu∣nity to vent the spleen and rage of their hearts upon his people, they will be sure to do it to purpose. With other men Gamaliels counsel may have some influence, and they may be afraid lest they be found fighters against God; but blind zeal spurrs on, and saith as Jehu did, Come, see my zeal for the Lord of hosts. O blind sinners, be sure of your Mark before you discharge your arrows. If you shoot at a wicked man (as you suppose him) and God finds one of his dear children wounded, or destroyed; what account will you give of that fact to God, when you shall come before his Judgement seat?