Friday, May 26, 2006
From The Method of Grace by John Flavel
If the riches of grace be thus manifested in the pardon of sin, how vile an abuse is it of grace to take the more liberty to sin, because grace abounds in the pardon of it.
"Shall we continure in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid." (Romans 6:1,2) Will nothing else than the grace of God serve to make a cloak for sin? O vile abuse of the most excellent thing in the whole world! Did Christ shed his blood to expiate guilt, and dare we make that a plea to extenuate our guilt? God forbid. If it be intolerable ingratitude among men to requite good with evil, sure that sin must want a name bad enough to express it, which puts the greatest dishonor upon God for the greatest mercy that ever was given to the world. "There is forgivness with thee, that thou mayest be feared," (Psalm 130:4), not that thou mayest be the more abused. Nay let me say, the devils never sinned ath this rate; they cannont abuse the pardoning grace of God, because grace was never offered to them. And certainly, if the abuse of the common mercies of God, as meat and drink, by gluttony and drunkenness, be a heinous sin, and highly provking to God, the abuse of riches of his grace, and the precious blood of his Son, must be out of measure sinful.
If this be so, as ever you expect pardon and mercy from God, come to Christ in the way of faith; receive and embrace him now in the tenders of the gospel.
To enforce this exhortation, I beseech you, as in the bowels of Christ Jesus, and by all regard and value you have for your souls, let the following considerations sink down in your hearts.
That all Christless persons are actually under the commemnation of God. "He that believeth not is condemned already," John 3:18; and it must be so for every soul is concluded under the curse of the law till Christ make him free. John 8:36. Till we are in Christ we are dead by law; and we believe unto justification, then we pass from death to life. A blind mistaken conscience may possibly acquit you, be assured, God condemns you.
p. 250-251
Flavel was against cheap grace. The church needs to teach the old ways again.
"Shall we continure in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid." (Romans 6:1,2) Will nothing else than the grace of God serve to make a cloak for sin? O vile abuse of the most excellent thing in the whole world! Did Christ shed his blood to expiate guilt, and dare we make that a plea to extenuate our guilt? God forbid. If it be intolerable ingratitude among men to requite good with evil, sure that sin must want a name bad enough to express it, which puts the greatest dishonor upon God for the greatest mercy that ever was given to the world. "There is forgivness with thee, that thou mayest be feared," (Psalm 130:4), not that thou mayest be the more abused. Nay let me say, the devils never sinned ath this rate; they cannont abuse the pardoning grace of God, because grace was never offered to them. And certainly, if the abuse of the common mercies of God, as meat and drink, by gluttony and drunkenness, be a heinous sin, and highly provking to God, the abuse of riches of his grace, and the precious blood of his Son, must be out of measure sinful.
If this be so, as ever you expect pardon and mercy from God, come to Christ in the way of faith; receive and embrace him now in the tenders of the gospel.
To enforce this exhortation, I beseech you, as in the bowels of Christ Jesus, and by all regard and value you have for your souls, let the following considerations sink down in your hearts.
That all Christless persons are actually under the commemnation of God. "He that believeth not is condemned already," John 3:18; and it must be so for every soul is concluded under the curse of the law till Christ make him free. John 8:36. Till we are in Christ we are dead by law; and we believe unto justification, then we pass from death to life. A blind mistaken conscience may possibly acquit you, be assured, God condemns you.
p. 250-251
Flavel was against cheap grace. The church needs to teach the old ways again.
