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John Flavel

John Flavel Biography

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“Above all the studies in the world, study your own hearts; waste not a minute more of your precious time about frivolous & unsubstantial controversies. My dear flock, I have, according to the grace given me, labored in the course of my ministry among you, to feed you with the heart strengthening bread of practical doctrine, and I do assure you, it is far better you should have the sweet and saving impressions of gospel truths, feelingly and powerfully conveyed to your hearts, than only to understand them by a bare ratiocination, or a dry syllogistical inference. Leave trifling studies to such as have time lying on their hands and know not how to employ it. Remember you are at the door of eternity, and have other work to do. Those hours you spend upon heart-work in your closets, are the golden spots of all your time and will have the sweetest influence up to your last hour.”

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Author:John Flavel
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“He embraces all things that are lovely: he seals up the sum of all loveliness. Things that shine as single stars with a particular glory, all meet in Christ as a glorious constellation. Col. 1:19, "It pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell." Cast your eyes among all created beings, survey the universe: you will observe strength in one, beauty in a second, faithfulness in a third, wisdom in a fourth; but you shall find none excelling in them all as Christ does. Bread has one quality, water another, raiment another, medicine another; but none has them all in itself as Christ does. He is bread to the hungry, water to the thirsty, a garment to the naked, healing to the wounded; and whatever a soul can desire is found in him, 1 Cor. 1:30”

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Author:John Flavel
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“The delight and pleasure resulting from the observation of providence are exceedingly great, and it will doubtless be a part of our entertainment in heaven to view, with transporting delight, how the designs and methods were laid to bring us thither. And what will be a part of our blessedness in heaven may be well allowed to be a prime ingredient in our heaven upon earth. To search for pleasure among the due observations of providence is to search for water in the ocean, for providence does not only ultimately design to bring you to heaven but as intermediate thereunto to bring, by this means, much of heaven into your souls in the way thither. How great a pleasure is it to discern how the most wise God is providentially steering all to the port of His own praise and His people’s happiness while the whole world is busily employed in managing the sails and tugging at the oars, with quite an opposite design and purpose!”

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Book:The Mystery of Providence
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“No repentance, obedience, self-denial, prayers, tears, reformation or ordinances, without the new creation, avail any thing to the salvation of thy soul.”

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Book:The Method of Grace, in the Holy Spirits Applying to the Souls of Men the Eternal Redemption Contrived by the Father, and Accomplished by the Son (etc.)
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“As the blood of Christ is the fountain of all merit, so the Spirit of Christ is the fountain of all spiritual life; and until he quicken us and infuse the principle of the divine life into our souls, we can put forth no hand, or vital act of faith, to lay hold upon Jesus Christ.”

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Book:The whole works of the Reverend Mr. John Flavel: ... to which are added alphabetical tables of the texts of scripture explained, and indexes of the principal matters contained in both volumes
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“The Spirit must therefore first take hold of us before we can live in Christ, and when he doth so, then we are enabled to exert that vital act of faith, whereby we receive Christ.”

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Book:The Method of Grace in Bringing Home the Eternal Redemption ... Being the Second Part of Gospel Redemption: Wherein the Great Mystery of Our Union and Communion with Christ is Opened and Applied ...
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“Regeneration expresses those supernatural, divine, new qualities imparted by the Spirit to the soul, which are the principle of all holy action.”

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Book:The Method of Grace, in the Holy Spirits Applying to the Souls of Men the Eternal Redemption Contrived by the Father, and Accomplished by the Son (etc.)
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“We acknowledge no righteousness but what the obedience and satisfaction of Christ yields us. His blood, not our faith; his satisfaction, not our believing it, is the matter of our justification before God.”

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Book:The whole works of the Reverend Mr. John Flavel ... To which are added, alphabetical tables of the texts of Scripture explained; and indexes of principal matters contained in the whole
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“Christ and his benefits go inseparably and undividedly... Many would willingly receive his privileges, who will not receive his person; but it cannot be; if we will have one, we must take the other too: Yea, we must accept his person first, and then his benefits: as it is in the marriage covenant, so it is here.”

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Book:The whole works of the Reverend Mr. John Flavel ... To which are added, alphabetical tables of the texts of Scripture explained; and indexes of principal matters contained in the whole
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“The soul of the poorest child is of equal dignity with the soul of Adam.”

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Book:A treatise of the soul of man: wherein the divine original, excellent and immortal nature of the soul are opened; its love and inclination to the body, with the necessity of its separation from it, considered and improved; the existence, operations, and states of separated souls, both in heaven and hell, immediately after death, asserted, discussed, and variously applied; divers knotty and difficult questions about departed souls both philosophical, and theological, stated and determined; the invaluable preciousness of human souls, and the various artifices of Satan (their professed enemy) to destroy them, discovered; and the great duty and interest of all men, seasonably and heartily to comply with the most great and gracious design of the Father, Son, and Spirit, for the salvation of their souls, argued and pressed
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“We are not distinguished from brutes by our senses, but by our understanding.”

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Book:The whole works of the Reverend Mr. John Flavel: ... to which are added alphabetical tables of the texts of scripture explained, and indexes of the principal matters contained in both volumes
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“The heart of a Christian, like the moon, commonly suffers an eclipse when it is at the full, and that by the interposition of the earth.”

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Book:Husbandry Spiritualized, Or, The Heavenly Use of Earthly Things: Consisting of Many Pleasant Observations, Pertinent Applications, and Serious Reflections : and Each Chapter Concluded with a Divine and Suitable Poem, Directing Husbandmen to the Most Excellent Improvements of Their Common Employments : Whereunto are Added, by Way of Appendix, Several Choice Occasional Meditations Upon Birds, Beasts, Trees, Flowers, Rivers, and Several Other Objects : Fitted for the Help of Such as Desire to Walk with God in All Their Solitudes, and Recesses from the World
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“Wrath to come implies both the futurity and perpetuity of this wrath.... Yea, it is not only certainly future, but when it comes it will be abiding wrath, or wrath still coming. When millions of years and ages are past and gone, this will still be wrath to come. Ever coming as a river ever flowing.”

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Book:THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE OPENED UP
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“Turn in upon yourselves, get into your closets, and now resolve to dwell there. You have been strangers to this work too long; you have kept other vineyards too long; you have trifled about the borders of religion too long. Will you now resolve to look better to your hearts? Will you hate and come out of the crowds of business and clamors of the world and retire yourselves more than you have done? Oh, that this day you would resolve upon it!”

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Author:John Flavel
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“If time be a ring of gold, opportunity is the rich diamond that gives it both its value and glory.”

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Book:The whole works of the Reverend Mr. John Flavel ... To which are added, alphabetical tables of the texts of Scripture explained; and indexes of principal matters contained in the whole
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“If you neglect to instruct children in the way of holiness, will the devil neglect to instruct them in the way of wickedness? No; if you will not teach them to pray, he will to curse, swear, and lie; if ground be uncultivated, weeds will spring.”

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Book:Divine Conduct: Or, The Mystery of Providence, Wherein the Being and Efficacy of Providence are Asserted and Vindicated ... and the Proper Course of Improving All Providences Pointed Out
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“How often has providence convinced its observers, upon a sober recollection of the events of their lives, that if the Lord had left them to their own counsels they had as often been their own tormentors, if not executioners!”

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Book:Divine Conduct: Or, The Mystery of Providence, Wherein the Being and Efficacy of Providence are Asserted and Vindicated ... and the Proper Course of Improving All Providences Pointed Out
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“If God has given you but a small portion of the world, yet if you are godly He has promised never to forsake you (Heb. 13:5). Providence has ordered that condition for you which is really best for your eternal good. If you had more of the world than you have, your heads and hearts might not be able to manage it to your advantage.”

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Book:The Mystery of Providence
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“Ah, did we but rightly understand what the demerit of sin is, we would rather admire the bounty of God than complain of the straithandedness of Providence. And if we did but consider that there lies upon God no obligation of justice or gratitud to reward any of our duties, it would cure our murmurs (Gen. 32:10).”

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Book:The whole works of John Flavel: late minister of the gospel at Dartmouth, Devon
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“When the world smiles upon us, and we have got a warm nest, how do we prophesy of rest and peace in those acquisitions, thinking with good Baruch, great things for ourselves, but Providence by a particular or general calamity overturns our plans (Jer. 45:4,5), and all this to turn our hearts from the creature to God.”

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Book:The Mystery of Providence
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