06.14. Publisher’s Note

Publisher’s Note
On 13th February, 1688, amidst the splendour of the Banqueting House at Whitehall an epoch-making event took place. Prince William and Princess Mary of Orange accepted the Crown from the estates of England. They were proclaimed as King and Queen; ‘Thus,’ in the words of Lord Macaulay, ‘was consummated the English Revolution.’ Throughout the land the following day was observed as a public thanksgiving for the deliverance of the nation from Papacy. Preaching at this celebration, one of the few surviving Puritan leaders, John Flavel, had occasion to observe a remarkable coincidence. In 1588 England had experienced a signal deliverance from Roman Catholicism. The mighty Armada of Spain, sent to dethrone the Protestant Elizabeth and restore her people to the ‘old faith’, had been blasted by the winds and waves. A hundred years had passed, Flavel reminded his hearers. ‘Yet behold another Eighty-eight crowned and enriched with mercies, no less admirable and glorious than the former.’ Another attempt to subjugate England to the yoke of Rome had been thwarted by the Providence of God. The century spanned by the Spanish Armadaa and the ‘Glorious Revolution’ was as decisive in the religious as in the political history of England. The religions of Rome and of the Reformation were locked in a struggle for national supremacy. 1662 saw the expulsion from the national Church of the Puritans, those who above all stood for the Reformation principle of the supremacy of Scripture in the Church. In 1688 the claim of Roman Catholicism to be the religion of England was, for generations to come, repudiated. This did not mean, however, the triumph of Puritanism. Indeed, it would be true to say that by 1688 the Puritan movement was virtually at an end. Its aims were to a large extent still unrealized. The history of Puritanism is quite remarkable. As a movement for thorough reform of the Church on the basis of the Word of God, it was indeed as old as the Reformation. But if the Reformation revived preaching, the Puritans came to stand for preaching of a particular kind. It has been the verdict of competent judges ever since that, for applying the Word of God to the conscience with power, thoroughness and unction, the Puritans stand alone. Yet it is difficult to define in detail how they differ from preachers of other ages. It is as difficult to explain how the movement arose, in a short time producing a host of outstanding preachers, and then, a hundred years or so later, how this supply dried up. If we take the view that the Puritan movement was nothing less than an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church in England, then it is a signal instance of the principle of divine working enunciated by our Lord: ‘The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth...’ This view of the Puritan movement as pre-eminently God-given is borne out by the absence of anything in the nature of a gradual decline in the caliber of the Puritans. One of the most noteworthy of the later Puritans, John Flavel of Dartmouth, will bear comparison as a practical writer with any of his predecessors, though by far the greater part of his ministry fell after the Great Ejection of 1662. His father, Richard Flavel, was minister at Bromsgrove in Worcestershire, and from all accounts a faithful servant of God. His ministry, like many others, was terminated by law in 1662 and he died prematurely of the plague in 1655, after being imprisoned in Newgate on a charge of sedition. John was the eldest son in a Puritan household and like many similarly placed, he was sent to university at what would now be considered an early age, entering University College, Oxford. The visitation of Oxford ordered by Parliament in 1647, after the first civil war, and the consequent reorganization of the university took place almost certainly while Flavel was there. Speaking of his time at Oxford, Flavel regretted that he had neglected the good of his own soul so much. None the less, in 1650 he was recommended as assistant to the minister of Diptford, Devon, and so commenced his life’s work.

Mr. Walplate, the rector of Diptford, had sought help because of failing health. Consequently his young assistant was not starved of ministerial duties. Flavel was formally ordained to the ministry in October 1650. Hearing of an ordination service at Salisbury, he offered himself there for examination by the Presbytery and was duly recognized. Though he succeeded Walplate as rector of Diptford on the latter’s death and was comparatively well-paid, Flavel accepted a call to another sphere of service in 1656. The seaport of Dartmouth in Devon could look back upon a long history. From an early period it was noted for its capacious harbour, and in 1190 had been the rendezvous of the Crusading Fleet. Coming down to the seventeenth century, it was an important post in the Civil War, captured for the king by Prince Maurice after a siege of four weeks in 1643 and retained by the Royalists until 1646, when it was taken by General Fairfax. In 1656, Anthony Hartford, minister of Dartmouth, died. Two churches were associated in the incumbency, Saint Saviour’s and Townstall. To Saint Saviour’s the inhabitants chose Allan Geare, son-in-law of the famous John Canne, pastor of the English church at Amsterdam. As Hartford’s successor at Townstall church a young man was designated who had recently presided with distinction at a provincial synod of the Devonshire churches. That young man was John Flavel, and so commenced an association with Dartmouth which continued until his death.

Flavel’s ministry at Dartmouth might well have been attended by great outward prosperity and success had it fallen in another era. In fact, like many others, including his own father, he was ejected by the Act of Uniformity in 1662. This enactment was successful in silencing some of the nonconforming ministers. Many, however, considered that their divine commission took precedence over any man-made laws. Thus Flavel continued to exercise his ministry in Dartmouth as he was able. Not satisfied with the ejection, the government of Charles II sought to destroy Dissent altogether. In 1665 the Oxford Act forbade nonconforming ministers to come within five miles of a town unless they took an oath, including a promise not to endeavour any alteration in church or state. Some of the nonconformists in Devon, notably John Howe, took the oath. Flavel, however, refused to do so, though this meant leaving his home and flock. Moving to Slapton, a village which was the prescribed distance from Dartmouth, he was resorted to by many of his old parishioners, to whom he preached on Sundays. A brief respite for the Puritans followed upon the Declaration of Indulgence issued by Charles II in 1672. The king, unknown to the nation and to Parliament, had entered into an engagement with Louis XIV of France to establish Roman Catholicism in England, and as a preliminary step, granted liberty of worship to dissenters, Protestant and Roman Catholic. Flavel took advantage of this liberty and was licensed as a Congregationalist. Even when, shortly afterwards, the Indulgence was withdrawn as a result of parliamentary pressure, he continued to preach in Dartmouth. He preached in private houses and woods and even held meetings at low water on a rock called Saltstone in Kingsbridge estuary. As a leading and active Nonconformist, Flavel was often in danger and in 1682 was compelled to leave Dartmouth for London. In the city he met with other dissenting ministers, notably William Jenkyn. In September 1684, Jenkyn, Flavel and other friends were gathered for prayer when soldiers broke in upon them. Jenkyn was arrested and though Flavel managed to escape he was close enough to hear the soldiers’ insolence to their captive. He returned to Devon soon after this experience, refusing an invitation to succeed Jenkyn, who died in prison in January 1685. Flavel lived to enjoy the liberty given to dissenters by the last Stuart king, James II, and rejoiced in the bloodless revolution of 1688-9, which made the English crown Protestant and gave lasting toleration to nonconformists. At this time measures were afoot to settle the differences between the Presbyterians and Congregationalists. This work was dear to Flavel’s heart and he played a leading role in promoting the ‘Happy Union’ in Devon. It was while engaged in this work that he died suddenly at Exeter in 1691. He was buried at Dartmouth, ‘being accompanied to his grave by many dissenters’, says an unsympathetic witness. It is recorded that in 1709 his epitaph was removed. The vicar objected to it as being worthy of a bishop.

Even a brief glance at Flavel’s history gives some indication of his outstanding character. Of his influence, Wood, the Royalist historian, observes that he had more disciples than either John Owen or Richard Baxter. The same writer accused him of plagiarism, sedition and faction. It seems, however, that to Wood his great crime was that he did not conform in 1662. One who was intimately acquainted with him, John Galpine of Totnes, draws attention in his memoir of Flavel to three characteristics, his diligence, his longing for the conversion of souls and his peaceable and healing spirit. In addition to the incidents recorded in his own writings, there are some remarkable examples of the effects of Flavel’s ministry. Luke Short was a farmer in New England who attained his hundredth year in exceptional vigor though without having sought peace with God. One day as he sat in his fields reflecting upon his long life, he recalled a sermon he had heard in Dartmouth as a boy before he sailed to America. The horror of dying under the curse of God was impressed upon him as he meditated on the words he had heard so long ago and he was converted to Christ - eighty-five years after hearing John Flavel preach. Another remarkable convert was a London gentleman who tried to obtain some plays from a bookshop. The owner was a godly man and had none in stock but recommended Flavel’s treatise On Keeping the Heart. The would-be reader scorned and threatened to burn the book but took it and returned in a month’s time saying that God had used it to save his soul.

Flavel was a prolific writer and his works, separate and collected, have been republished many times since the author’s lifetime. His complete works were republished in 1820 by W. Baynes & Son in London, making up six volumes. Although some of these writings are polemical, the author confessed that he found this kind of work disagreeable. His preference was for practical divinity, and it is here that his skill as a physician of souls shines most eminently. Divine Conduct or the Mystery of Providence Opened was first published in 1678 and has passed through several editions, the most recent being that published by the Sovereign Grace Union in 1935. The present edition differs from the original in two respects. Slight alterations of vocabulary and punctuation have been made, not to change, but to make clear the original force and sense of Flavel’s words. Moreover, the treatise has been freshly subdivided and given new chapter headings. These are divisions which arise naturally out of the author’s treatment of his subject. Thus, for all practical purposes, the matter of Flavel’s work is unchanged, while the style of presentation has been altered slightly to help modern readers. This may have diminished the academic historical value of this edition, but it is hoped that it has greatly increased its spiritual usefulness to this generation.

Yet even granting the timeless spiritual value of John Flavel as a writer, some friends will deem it unwise to introduce him to the Christian public through his work on Providence. Surely it would be better to let an old writer speak on a subject that is not peculiar to his own era! Why not see what Flavel had to say on personal evangelism, on guidance or on the way to achieve peace and victory in the Christian life? These, without doubt, are the themes which popular preachers in our own day chiefly dwell upon. These are the topics about which most Christians wish to read. Why should we not, then, find out whether the Puritans really can help us on the burning issues of the day? In answer to this, there is no doubt that Flavel and his colleagues gave advice in these matters. But their whole approach was in marked contrast to that to which we are accustomed. Our modern piety, when it deals with spiritual problems, tends to be self-centered and subjective: ‘How can I find peace? How can I be victorious and effective? How can I be guided?’ If we know the answers to these questions, it is often felt, nothing more can be asked of us. Within the terms of such an outlook, little time and attention can be spared for the consideration of such an apparently theoretical subject as the Providence of God. It may even provoke some impatience. In view of the demands of modern life, is it really necessary for us to spend time reading a lengthy treatment of what is not a priority?

Flavel’s approach to the subject of Providence cuts clean across our modern criticisms. He insists from the outset that it is the duty of believers to observe all the performances of God’s providence for them, especially when they are in difficulties. Clearly, this conviction is not shared by the majority of evangelical Christians in the present day. It is not our custom nor is it regarded as a mark of spiritual keenness to seek to discover and meditate upon the work of Providence in all that happens to us. Two reasons for this may be suggested. First and foremost, the Puritans had a lively sense of the sovereignty of God and it is just this that, speaking generally, we lack today. Many Christians reject it intellectually as repugnant to free will and their understanding of the love of God. When they suffer a setback in their personal affairs or in the work of the gospel, it is ascribed wholly to the Devil or to failure in themselves to ‘fulfill the conditions.’ They feel a sense of personal frustration and may even believe that God Himself has been frustrated. Their only hope of success is to intensify their spiritual exercises. Prayer on this basis is not so much a plea to Omnipotence as the throwing of one’s weight into the scale on the side of God. Even those who profess to accept without question the truth of divine sovereignty are not infrequently guilty of practical unbelief. Glibly to assert that ‘all things work together for good to them that love God’ is relatively easy, but to believe this when our circumstances are distasteful and appear likely to deteriorate is evidence of a spiritual apprehension of the sovereignty of God. Yet we cannot truly recognize and improve the workings of Providence until we learn from the Scriptures that God performs all things for us. A second reason may be suggested why we do not meditate on the providence of God; it is that we have a deep distaste for meditation. This is not a matter of temperament. The recluse or introvert has no advantage over the active, busy Christian. True meditation is a work to which we are all naturally indisposed, but it is one to which the Holy Spirit prompts those whom He indwells, those who have trusted Christ. To the work of meditation upon Providence, believers must apply themselves; but first they must recognize it as a duty and understand what it involves. When John Flavel writes of the Providence of God, he does not simply deliver a lecture. He writes in a thrilling way out of a full heart. He knows from Church history and from his own experience of the works of God on behalf of His people. Above all, he knows the Word of God intimately and he knows how to apply it. He shows how the hand of God may be discerned in our personal affairs, avoiding the extravagances of mysticism as well as the skepticism of unbelief. His treatise is calculated to abase man and exalt God, and yet to kindle faith and adoration in the heart of every child of God. To learn of the Providence of God under the tuition of John Flavel will bring Christian believers into a sphere they never reckoned with before. It will also, we are confident shed light on the great concerns of present-day evangelicals. How may we live a consecrated and victorious life? Let us first realize that everthing does not depend on us. Let us see what God has done and is doing for our spiritual good. Then we may seek to work out what He is working in us. And what of guidance? Let us learn that, in an ultimate sense, we can never be ‘outside of the will of God’ - Flavel would teach us that God’s will for us is our duty to be found in His Word. Moreover we should have a right attitude to all circumstances, even the most adverse. Finally, our Christian witness will not be crippled, as many fear, but quickened by a right apprehension of the sovereignty of God. What a great God is ours, greater than we ever thought when we first trusted Him for salvation! How futile for men and women to fight against Him! If Christians showed at all times by their demeanor that they had a living faith in the God of the Scriptures, they would be better placed to commend to an unbelieving world their God and His power to save.

Michael Boland

February, 1963