By John Flavel
The Necessity of Conversion.
The Reasonableness of Personal Reformation and the Necessity of Conversion. The True Methods of Making All Men Happy in this World, and in the World to Come!
Seasonably discoursed, and earnestly pressed upon this licentious age.
By John Flavel, 1628-1691
About the Author:
John Flavel (1627-1691) was an English Presbyterian minister and author, known for his devotional writings and sermons. He served as a pastor in the town of Dartmouth, England, and was a prominent figure in the Puritan movement of the 17th century. Some of his notable works include “Navigation Spiritualized” and “The Method of Grace.”
About this book: the introduction:
GENTLEMEN, TWO of the greatest, most faithful, and most intimate friends in the world, reason and conscience, command me here, in their names, courteously to salute and invite you in.
They earnestly desire three or four hours serious and private conference with you, about some very important personal concerns of yours, which cannot admit of denial, or long delay. And if you make any trifling excuses, they have commanded and instructed me, here to answer them. In case of absolute and obstinate refusal to hear them, they order me to tell you; if you will not talk with me now, they will talk with you shortly, whether you will or no. If you say, you are not now at leisure, having other business to do; they both desire you to consider,
FIRST, You can have no business in the world of equal importance with theirs.
SECONDLY, That whatever other lawful affairs you are pursuing, their business with you will no way obstruct, but greatly promote it. And, lastly, That a greater person than any of you, lost his life, by pocketing up a letter at night, saying, Tomorrow is a new day; and it proved to him indeed his last day; he losing by that neglect the only opportunity of living longer.
If you demand, how your reason came to be bound up in this little book, and say, that which is reason to this author, may be folly and nonsense to you: I ambid to tell you, you are obliged first to read and compare; else your own reason will presently call it your own folly and nonsense, so to pronounce. Sound reason is uniform, and like itself all the world over It is true, laws and dictates equally obligeone, as another, in like cases and circumstances.
If you say, there have been some jars and disgusts between you and your reasons and consciences; you and they have fallen out so oft, that you have no great fancy to come near them in private, for you expect nothing but harsh and chiding language from them; and therefore are gladly, by continual diversions, and quick successions of business, to maintain your peace, by keeping at as great a distance from them as you can. It is their desire you should here know,
FIRST, That their debates with you will be as calm and friendly, as they are seasonable and necessary.
SECONDLY, That they profess (and you may believe them) they neither do, nor can design anything but your good.
THIRDLY, That that person is certainly in a very bad case, that cannot endure to converse with himself.
FOURTHLY, That you herein deny a civility to your own reasons and consciences, which you daily pay to strangers and inferiors. And, in a word, that they desire a reconciliation with you upon as fair and honorable terms as can well be desired: and that this being done, they will both stick faithfully by you in all the troubles anddangers of your lives, and follow you as your inseparable friends, into anything but sin.
If you say, this is but a wheedle, to draw you into a book, that will make you melancholy, and perhaps mad. It is their sense and judgment, that of all men living, you have least reason to pretend the one or the other, in this case: for they are very confident, you are no win the most melancholy circumstances men can ordinarily be on this side Hell. And for madness they desire to know, what you yourselves would call that man, that is running with such poste-haste to Hell, as will not admit of two or three hours stopupon the road, to prove himself to be no madman, but in his right mind and wits?
Moreover, they command me to inform you, it is their desire, that seeing their debates with you will neither be tire some nor impertinent, you will please to hear them out what they have to say to you: and then, if you shall find cause to complain, that your pleas and excuses are not fairly drawn, or that you have newmatter tofurnish a better apology; they are both content you shall have your liberty to amend, or add what you please; and if they be not able to refute them, they will give younofurther trouble or interruption in your course.
This, Gentlemen, is what I have in charge to say to you in the porch; and now, if you please, the door is open: you may be as private as you will. They will attend you to your bed-chamber, or closet; and I heartily wish an happy issue to this friendly debate. JOHN FLAVEL