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Opens the Enemies fecond and third Preparatives for the
Death of Chrift, by their illegal Trial and Condemna-

tion.

Luke xxiii. 23, 24. "And they were instant with loud voices,
requiring that he might be crucified," &c.

SERMON

XXV.

Remarks a memorable Paffage of Chrift, in his Way to the
Place of his Execution.

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Luke xxiii. 27, 28, &c "And there followed him a great
company of people, and of women, which also bewailed
"and lamented him. But Jefus turning unto them, said,
Daughters of Jerusalem weep not for me, but weep for
"yourfelves, and for your children,"

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SERMON XXVI.
Opens the Nature and Quality of the Death Chrift died
upon the Crofs.

A&ts ii. 23.

"Him being delivered by the determinate counsel
"and fore-knowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked
"hands have crucified and flain,"

SER MON XXVII.

Opens and improves that signal Providence, which direct-
ed and ordered the Title affixed to the Cross of Christ.
Luke xxiii 38. "And a Superfcription also was written over
"him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew; This is
"the King of the Jews,"

SER M 0 N XXVIII.
Opens the Manner of Christ's Death, in refpect of the foli-
tarinefs thereof.

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Zech. xiii. 7. "Awake, O fword, against my fhepherd, and a-
gainst the man that is my fellow, faith the Lord of hosts ;
"fmite the fhepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered; and
"I will turn mine hand upon the little ones,"

SER MON XXIX.

Opens the Manner of Chrift's Death, in relpect of the Pa-
tience thereof.

Ifa. liti. 7. "He was oppreffed, and he was afflicted,

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yet

he o-

pened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the
flaughter, and as a sheep before her fhearers is dumb, fo
"he opened not his mouth,"

SER M O N XXX.

Opens the Inftructiveness of the Death of Chrift, in his
feven laft Words; the firft of which is here opened.
Luke xxiii. 34. "Then faid Jefus, Father, forgive them, for

Pag.

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332

345

359

370

384

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they know not what they do,”

397

SERMO

N XXXI.

Pag.

Opens the second excellent Word of Christ upon the Crofs.
John xix. 27. “Then faith he to his disciple, Behold thy mo-

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ther,"

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Opens the third of Christ's last Words upon the Cross.
Luke xxiii. 43. "And Jefus faid unto him, Verily I fay unto
"thee, to day fhalt thou be with me in paradise,"

S ERM O N XXXIII.

Opens the fourth excellent Saying of Christ upon the Crofs.
Matth. xxvii. 46. “And about the ninth hour, Jefus cried with

412

423

"a loud voice, faying, Eli, Eli, lama fabachthani; that
"is to fay, My God, my God, why haft thou forfaken me?" 438
N XXXIV,

S ER M

Opens the fifth excellent Saying of Chrift upon the Crofs.
John xix. 28. “After this, Jefus knowing all things were now
"accomplished, that the fcripture might be fulfilled, faith,
"I thirst,"

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Opens the fixth excellent Saying of Chrift upon the Crofs.
John xix. 30. "When Jefus therefore had received the vine-
"gar, he faid, [It is finifhed]; and he bowed his head, and
gave up the ghost,"

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S ERMO N

XXXVI.

Opens the feventh and last Word with which Chrift breath-
ed out his Soul.

Luke xxiii. 46. "And when Jefus had cried with a loud voice,
" he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my fpirit;
"and having faid thus, he gave up the ghost,'

S ER M O N XXXVII.

Treats of Chrift's Funeral, opening the Manner, Reasons,

and excellent Ends thereof.

John xix. 40, 41, 42. "Then took they the body of Jefus,
"and wound it in linen cloaths, with the fpices, as the man-
"ner of the Jews is to bury," dc.

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489

ADVERTISEMENT by the PUBLISHER.

In this Edition, all the GREEK and LATIN Notes, which were either Illuftrations of the Text or contained inftructive Matter, are, for the fake of those that are not acquainted with the GREEK and LATIN Languages, Tranflated; except those which the Author himfelf had Englished in the Text, where his Traflations is marked with "inverted Commas,

L

THE

I FE

Of the late Reverend

MR. JOHN FLA VE L,

T

MINISTER OF DARTMOUTH.

HOSE of the name of Flavel derive their pedigree from one who was the third great Officer that came over with William the Conqueror; but this worthy Divine was far from that weakness and vanity to boast of any thing of that nature; being of the Poet's mind, who faid,

Et genus, et proaves, et quae non fecimus ipfi,.

Vix ea noftra voCO--

His father was Mr. Richard Flavel, a painful and eminent minister. He was first minifter at Broomfgrove in Worcestershire, then at Hafler, and removed from thence to Willerfey in Gloucestershire, where he continued till 1600, whence he was outed upon the restoration of king Charles II, because it was a fequeftred living, and the Incumbent then alive: This did not fo much affect Mr. Flavel, as that he wanted a fixed place for the exercise of his paftoral function. He was a perfon of fuch extraordinary piety, that those who converfed with him, faid, They never heard one vain word drop from his mouth. A little before the turning out of the Nonconformist ministers, being near Totness in Devon, he preached from Hofea vii. 6. The days of vifitation are come, the days of recompence are come, Ifrael fhall know it. His ap plication was fo clofe, that it offended fome people, and occafioned his being carried before fome Juftices of the Peace; but they could not reach him, fo that he was difcharged. He afterwards quitted that country, and his fon's houfe, which was his retiring place, and came to London, where he continued in a faithful and acceptable difcharge of his office, till the time of the dreadful plague in 1665, that he was taken and imprisoned in the manner following. He was at Mr. Blake's houfe in CoventGarden, where fome people had met privately for worship: whilst VOL. I..

A

he was at prayer, a party of foldiers brake in upon them, with their fwords drawn and demanded their preacher, threatning fome, and flattering others to difcover him, but in vain. Some of the company threw a coloured cloak over him, and in this difguife he was, together with his hearers, carried to Whitehall; the women were difmiffed, but the men detained, and forced to ly all that night upon the bare floor; and, because they would not pay five pounds each, were fent to Newgate, where the peftilence raged most violently, as in other places of the city. Here Mr. Flavel and his wife were fhut up, and feized with the ficknets: They were bailed out, but died of the contagion; of which their fon John had a divine monition given him by a dream, as we shall obferve in its proper place. Mr. Richard Flavel left two fons behind him, both minifters of the gospel, viz. John and Phineas.

John the eldest was born in Worcesterfhire. It was obfervable, that whilst his mother lay-in with him, a nightingale made her neft in the out-fide of the chamber-window, where she ufed to fing moft fweetly. He was religiously educated by his father, and having profited well at the grammar fchools, was fent early to Oxford, and fettled a commoner in Univerfity College. He plied his ftudies hard, and exceeded many of his contemporaries in univerfity learning.

Soon after his commencing batchelor of arts, Mr. Walplate, the minister of Diptford in the county of Devon, was rendred uncapable of performing his office by reason of his age and infirmity, and fent to Oxford for an affiftant; Mr. Flavel, tho' but young, was recommended to him as a perfon duly quali fied, and was accordingly fettled there by the standing committee of Devon, April 27, 1650, to preach as a probationer and affiftant to Mr. Walplate.

Mr. Flavel confidered the weight of his charge, applied himself to the work of his calling with great diligence; and being affiduous in reading, meditation and prayer, he increased in minifterial knowledge daily, (for he found himself that he came raw enough in that refpect from the univerfity) fo that he attained to an high degree of eminency and reputation for his useful labours in the church.

About fix months after his fettling at Diptford, he heard of an ordination to be at Salisbury, and therefore went thither with his teftimonials, and offered himfelf to be examined and ordained by the prefbytery there: They appointed him a text, upon which he preached to their general fatisfaction; and having afterwards examined him as to his learning, &c. they fet

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