The repeated editions of Flavel's Works bear their own witness to his popularity. He was a favourite with Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield (who ranked him with John Bunyan and Matthew Henry), and, a century later, with such Scottish evangelical leaders as R. M. M'Cheyne and Andrew Bonar. Flavel's complete works had long been unobtainable until we reprinted them in 1968. His six volumes are in themselves a library of the best Puritan divinity and a set will be a life-long treasure to those who possess it. He is one of that small number of evangelical writers who can by their lucidity and simplicity help those at the beginning of the Christian life and at the same time be a strong companion to those who near its end.
I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me (Psalm 57:2) The greatness of God is a glorious and unsearchable mystery. 'For the LORD most high is terrible; he is a great king over all the earth' (Psalm 47:2). The condescension of the most high God to men is also a profound mystery. 'Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly' (Psalm 138:6). But when both these meet together, as they do in this Scripture, they make up a matchless mystery. Here we find the most high God performing all things for a poor distressed creature. It is the great support and solace of the saints in all the distresses that befall them here, that there is a wise Spirit sitting in all the wheels of motion, and governing the most eccentric creatures and their most pernicious designs to blessed and happy issues. And, indeed, it were not worthwhile to live in a world devoid of God and Providence.
Numerous stories are told from John Flavel's life of how people 'happened to meet him' and came away deeply thankful to God, full of resolve to walk with Christ as a result. The same is true of encounters made with Flavel's writings, as in All Things Made New. Flavel spent almost his entire ministry in a busy town serving working people. He believed that the gospel impacts and shapes every thought, every feeling, every ambition, emotion, desire, success, tragedy and joy. Christ makes all things new for the believer, and teaches us to follow him with confidence, until that day when he truly renews all things. To read Flavel is to catch and to be changed by the same vision. Selected and Edited by Lewis Allen.
An Honest, Well-Experienced Heart introduces us to the life and writings of Puritan preacher and author John Flavel (1627–1691). In his brief, introductory biography, Adam Embry discusses Flavel’s background, ministry, and theology of keeping the heart, which, for Flavel, “is the great business of a Christian’s life.” Centuries ago, Flavel wrote, “Above all other studies in the world, study your own hearts.” Embry guides us through forty-two short passages from Flavel’s writings that acquaint us with this dedicated Puritan minister’s piety and help us see the importance of this great business of keeping and managing our hearts. Table of Contents: Section One: Christ Rules the Heart Section Two: Keeping the Heart Section Three: Seasons of the Heart Section Four: Discerning the Heart Series Description Seeking, then, both to honor the past and yet not idolize it, we are issuing these books in the series Profiles in Reformed Spirituality . The design is to introduce the spirituality and piety of the Reformed Profiles in Reformed Spirituality tradition by presenting descriptions of the lives of notable Christians with select passages from their works. This combination of biographical sketches and collected portions from primary sources gives a taste of the subjects’ contributions to our spiritual heritage and some direction as to how the reader can find further edification through their works. It is the hope of the publishers that this series will provide riches for those areas where we are poor and light of day where we are stumbling in the deepening twilight.
In 1674, two years after his second wife's death, John Flavel published A Token for Mourners. In it he meditates on the words of Luke 7:13: 'And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, 'Weep not.' From this verse the author helps the reader to think about grief, distinguishing 'moderate' sorrow from 'immoderate'. He spells out what is appropriate for a Christian mourner and what is not. This book is full of Scripture, counsel, warning, and wisdom gained from prayerful reflection on the personal experience of affliction in loss and grief. A best-seller for more than 150 years in both Britain and America, this little book gave much comfort to generations of Christian parents who suffered the heart-breaking experience of the loss of children. Now republished as Facing Grief: Counsel for Mourners, this attractive new edition makes Flavel's Token accessible once again in the form in which it knew such popularity - a small book, just the right size for carrying, and reading slowly, with meditation, reflection and prayer.
John Flavel received his advanced education at University College, Oxford. He was ordained as a Presbyterian at Salisbury in 1650 and was a minister in Devonshire. His ministry was mainly at Devon and Dartmouth. He was one of the ministers that were ejected in 1662. He then preached in his own home for ten years. He was instrumental in promoting the union of Presbyterians and Congregationalist in 1682.
