God’s judgment against Ananias and Sapphira had an effect beyond the fellowship of believers: “great fear came upon…all who heard of these things” (Acts 5:11). Verse 13 says unbelievers did not dare associate with them! This is precisely the opposite of the user-friendly philosophy that is so popular today. Instead of luring people to church by making them feel comfortable and secure, God used fear to keep unbelievers away.

The fear of God was a central doctrine in the early church. Believers and unbelievers alike were taught to fear Him. None but a rank fool would deal frivolously with God. It was that very fear that drew people for salvation and kept them obedient. Whenever the Holy Spirit is genuinely drawing someone to salvation, that person’s heart cries out for deliverance from sin! The gospel call is not an invitation to join the fun and end emotional pain.

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Labor more and more to live by faith. “When God seems to be mine enemy, ” says Luther, “and to stand with a drawn sword against me, then do I cast and throw myself into His arms.”  And what could be better than to venture upon God likewise in this case, and to say, Whether saved or not saved, whether damned or not damned, whether a hypocrite or not a hypocrite, I do cast myself upon God at a venture. It is the love and favor of Christ that you mourn after, and are discouraged for the want of. You cannot find a more ready and compendious way to get this love than, when you are in the dark, to throw yourselves into Christ’s arms at a venture. This takes and wins the heart of Christ over to you. What! will this poor soul throw himself into My arms (says Christ) when I seem to be his enemy! Well, then I will shew Myself to be his friend.

This is the proper work of this life. As for sights and visions of God, they are the work of heaven; and though God gives them sometimes, yet it argues more strength of grace to be able to live without them. Suppose two men are working for you; one that must have his pay immediately, yea before he has completed his work. The other does not want his wages till his work be all done, and if you offer him money, he says, “No, I will wait till all be done, and receive it in a lump together.” Which of these two is the abler man, and which the poorer? Will you not say, Surely, he that cannot wait is the poorer, and he that can wait for his wages is the abler man? So it is here. God has two sorts of servants: one that goes by visions and manifestations of love, and is not able to live at all by faith, but must have sights, and visions, and manifestations every day, or else he murmurs or complains. The other sort says, Oh! but these sights and visions are for heaven. If God will have it so, I am contented to stay till all my work be done. Which of these two is the poorer, which the stronger? Will not you say, Surely, he that is able to wait is stronger; and he the poorer and weaker that is not able to wait, or to live by faith? Oh! therefore labor more and more to live by faith; and when you are in desertion, say, whether saved or not saved, whether  a hypocrite or not a hypocrite, I will wait, I will wait on God, and let Him come when he pleases. If you lay yourself at Christ’s feet, He will take you into His arms.

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Jesus has always many who love His heavenly kingdom, but few who bear His cross. He has many who desire consolation, but few who care for trial. He finds many to share His table, but few to take part in His fasting. All desire to be happy with Him; few wish to suffer anything for Him. Many follow Him to the breaking of bread, but few to the drinking of the chalice of His passion. Many revere His miracles; few approach the shame of the Cross. Many love Him as long as they encounter no hardship; many praise and bless Him as long as they receive some comfort from Him. But if Jesus hides Himself and leaves them for a while, they fall either into complaints or into deep dejection. Those, on the contrary, who love Him for His own sake and not for any comfort of their own, bless Him in all trial and anguish of heart as well as in the bliss of consolation. Even if He should never give them consolation, yet they would continue to praise Him and wish always to give Him thanks. What power there is in pure love for Jesus—love that is free from all self-interest and self-love!

Do not those who always seek consolation deserve to be called mercenaries? Do not those who always think of their own profit and gain prove that they love themselves rather than Christ? Where can a man be found who desires to serve God for nothing? Rarely indeed is a man so spiritual as to strip himself of all things. And who shall find a man so truly poor in spirit as to be free from every creature? His value is like that of things brought from the most distant lands.

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O precious saint! Three questions call for your answer:
1. What were you?
2. What are you?
3. What shall you be?

1. What were you?
Dead in your transgressions and sins,
a rebel to your God,
a prodigal to your Father,
a slave to your lust,
the devil’s captive,
on the highway to hell.

2. What are you?
Redeemed by Christ,
a royal child of God,
the spouse of Christ,
the temple of the Holy Spirit,
the heir of a priceless eternal inheritance!

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If the death of Christ was that which satisfied God for all the sins of the elect, then certainly there is an infinite evil in sin, since it cannot be expiated but by an infinite satisfaction. Fools make a mock at sin, and there are but few people who are duly sensible of, and affected with—the evil of sin.

If God should damn you for all eternity, your eternal sufferings could not pay for the evil that is in one vain thought! Perhaps you think that this is harsh and severe—that God should hold His creatures under everlasting sufferings for sin. But when you have well considered, that the One against whom you sin, is the infinite blessed God; and that sin is an infinite evil committed against Him; and when you consider how God dealt with the angels that fell, for one sin—you will alter your minds about it.

O the depth of the evil of sin! If ever you will see how dreadful and horrid an evil, sin is, you must measure it either by the infinite holiness and excellency of God, who is wronged by it; or by the infinite sufferings of Christ, who died to pay its penalty; and then you will have deeper apprehensions of the evil of sin.

Note from ROE: There seems to have been some misunderstandings regarding Mr. Flavel’s mention of the word, “infinite”. For clarification purposes, I submit to you the two meanings of the word:

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my friends, I come to say that the Old Gospel of God’s Grace is opposed to this “new gospel” of part grace and part man. The Old Gospel, which is the true Gospel of God, safeguarded some values, which this “new gospel” loses. Will you hear me carefully now? The “new gospel” that we have today by a certain universal redemption and universal divine saving purpose compels itself to cheapen grace and to cheapen the cross of Christ, by denying that the Father and the Son are sovereign in salvation. This “new gospel” assures us that after God in Christ has done all that They can or will do, it depends finally on each man’s own choice whether God’s purpose to save him is realized or not.

Now my friends, this popular position has two unhappy results — this preaching that God has done His part and now He helplessly stands by while you decide whether or not his purpose shall be realized:

In the first place, this position compels us to misunderstand the significance of the gracious invitations of Christ in the Gospel. When we hear the invitations of these preachers who pervert the Gospel, they are not the expressions of the tender patience of a mighty Sovereign—they are the pathetic pleas of human desire. And so the enthroned Lord of glory under present-day preaching is suddenly changed into a weak, futile figure, knocking at the human heart which He is powerless to open. My friends, this is a shameful dishonor to the Sovereign Christ of the New Testament.

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