Soteriology (Salvation), Psychology & Self-Improvement - Christian Life, Spiritual Life - Christian Life, Success, Motivation & Self-Esteem, Calvinism

The Mystery of Providence

Name: The Mystery of Providence
Author: John Flavel
ISBN: 9781463701581

by John Flavel

Available on Bookshop Write a review

Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.

Overview

"Providence is wiser than you, and you may be confident it has suited all things better to your eternal good than you could do had you been left to your own option."

The Mystery of Providence is considered by most to be the most thorough exposition on this doctrine. How differently would you understand the world, if you knew that God had ordained all things according to his divine, and mysterious wisdom?

This electronic edition features an active table of contents.

The Mystery of Providence is part of The Fig Classic Series on Post-Reformation Theology. To view more books in our catalog, visit us at fig-books.com.

Synopsis

The "Mystery of Providence" by John Flavel presents the Puritan perspective on the providence of God in practical terms. The book is really a lengthy meditation and application of Psalm 52:7, which says "I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me." From this text, Flavel derives his "doctrine" (falling in line with typical Puritan sermon-structure): "It is the duty of the saints, especially in times of straits, to reflect upon the performances of Providence for them in all the states and through all the stages of their lives." This theme is then unfolded in in a three-part treatise, covering 1. The Evidence of Providence, in which Flavel seeks to prove and demonstrate the reality of God's Providential care over the lives of believers by looking at such things as birth, upbringing, conversion, employment, family affairs, preservation from evil, and sanctification; 2. Meditation on the Providence of God, where the author shows that it is our duty to meditate on Providence, directs in how to do this, and then covers ten advantage to gained from this practice; and 3. Application of the Doctrine of Providence, in which the practical implications of the doctrine are considered and the problems and questions arising in peoples minds are answered. Though not as witty or colorful as Thomas Brooks, as astute as Stephen Charnock, or as experiential as John Owen, Flavel does have merits to commend him. Having lived a difficult life, he knew firsthand how to rely on God's sovereignty in his life. Flavel's work cultivates a greater awareness of God's mercy, trust in God's wisdom, and resignation to God's will in one's life. Highly recommended.

About the Author, John Flavel

John Flavel - (1627-1691), Puritan theologian
Flavel was born at Bromsgrove in Wordesterchire. He was the elder son of Richard Flavel, described in contemporary records as "a painful and eminent minister." After receiving his early education, partly at home and partly at the grammar-schools of Bromsgrove and Haslar, he entered University College, Oxford. Soon after taking orders in 1650 he obtained a curacy at Diptford, Devon, and on the death of the vicar he was appointed to succeed him. From Diptford he removed in 1656 to Dartmouth. He was ejected from his living by the passing of the Act of Uniformity in 1662, but continued to preach and administer the sacraments privately till the Five Mile Act of 1665, when he retired to Slapton, 5 miles away. He then lived for a time in London, but returned to Dartmouth, where he labored till his death in 1691. He was married four times. He was a vigorous and voluminous writer, and not without a play of fine fancy.
His principal works are his Navigation Spiritualized (1671); The Fountain of Life, in forty-two Sermons (1672); The Method of Grace (1680); Pneumatologia, a Treatise on the Soul of Man (1698); A Token for Mourners; Husbandry Spiritualized (1699).