Navigation Spiritualized, pt. 8
by John Flavel (1628–1691)
[Here, we continue our reprint of excerpts from John Flavel’s book Navigation Spiritualized.
John Flavel was a 17th century minister in the seaside town of Dartmouth, England. A
good many of his parishioners made their living on the sea, and so Mr. Flavel wrote
Navigation Spiritualized, a book which draws parallels between things of the sea and
spiritual things.]
Concerning the Use of Our Talents
The navigator shifts his sails to take
All winds, but that which for his soul doth make.
OBSERVATION.
The mariner [lacks] no skill and wisdom to improve several winds, and make them
serviceable to his end; a bare side wind, by his skill in shifting and managing the
sails, will serve his turn. He will not lose the advantage of one breath or gale that
may be useful to him. I have many times wondered to see two ships sailing in a
direct counter motion, by one and the same wind. Their skill and wisdom herein is
admirable.
APPLICATION.
Thus prudent and skillful are men in secular and lower matters, and yet how
ignorant and unskillful in the great and everlasting affairs of their souls! All their
invention, judgment, wit, and memory, seem to be pressed for the service of the
flesh. They can learn an art quickly, and arrive to a great deal of exactness in it; but
in soul-matters, no knowledge at all. They can understand the Equator, Meridian,
and Horizon; by the first they can tell the latitude of any place, south or north,
measuring it by the degrees in the Meridian; by the second they can tell you the
longitude of a place, east and west, from the Meridian, measuring it by the degrees
of the Equator; and by the third they can discern the divers risings and settings of
the stars. And so in other arts and sciences, we find men endowed with rare
abilities, and singular sagacity. Some have piercing apprehensions, solid
judgments, stupendous memories, rare invention, and excellent elocution; but put
them upon any spiritual supernatural matter, and the weakest Christian, even a
babe in Christ, shall excel them therein, and give a far better account of
regeneration, the work of grace, the life of faith, than these can. "Not many wise
men after the flesh, etc. But God hath chosen the foolish things of this world,"
etc. (see I Cor. 1:26).
REFLECTION.
How inexcusable, then, art thou, O my soul! And how mute and confounded must
thou needs stand before the bar of God in that great day! Thou hadst a talent of
natural parts committed to thee, but which way have they been improved? I had an
understanding indeed, but it was not sanctified; a memory, but it was like a sieve
that let go the corn and retained nothing but husks and chaff; wit and invention,
but, alas! none to do myself good. Ah! how will these rise in judgment against me,
and stop my mouth? What account shall I give for them in that day?
Again, are men (otherwise prudent and skillful) such sots and fools in spiritual
things? Then let the poor, weak Christian, whose natural parts are blunt and dull,
admire the riches of God's free grace to him. O what an astonishing consideration is
this! That God should pass by men of the profoundest natural parts and choose me,
even poor me, whose natural faculties and endowments, compared with theirs, are
but as lead to gold! Thus under the law He passed by the lion and eagle, and chose
the lamb and dove. O how should it make me to advance grace, as Christ doth
upon the same account. "I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou
hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and revealed them to babes"
(Matt. 11:25). And let it ever be a humbling consideration to me; for who made me
to differ? Is not this one principal thing God aims at, in calling such as I am; that
boasting may be excluded, and Himself alone exalted?
-------------------------
This article is taken from:
Flavel,
John.
The
Whole
Works
of
John
Flavel
,
Vol.
V.
London:
W.
Baynes
&
Son,
1820
(originally published c. 1675).
A PDF file of this book can be downloaded, free of charge, at:
http://www.ClassicChristianLibrary.com/comp_set_section.html
© 1994-2018, Scott Sperling
Navigation Spiritualized, pt. 8
by John Flavel (1628–1691)
[Here, we continue our reprint of excerpts from John
Flavel’s book Navigation Spiritualized. John Flavel was a
17th century minister in the seaside town of Dartmouth,
England. A good many of his parishioners made their living
on the sea, and so Mr. Flavel wrote Navigation
Spiritualized, a book which draws parallels between things
of the sea and spiritual things.]
Concerning the Use of Our Talents
The navigator shifts his sails to take
All winds, but that which for his soul doth make.
OBSERVATION.
The mariner [lacks] no skill and wisdom to improve
several winds, and make them serviceable to his end; a
bare side wind, by his skill in shifting and managing
the sails, will serve his turn. He will not lose the
advantage of one breath or gale that may be useful to
him. I have many times wondered to see two ships
sailing in a direct counter motion, by one and the same
wind. Their skill and wisdom herein is admirable.
APPLICATION.
Thus prudent and skillful are men in secular and lower
matters, and yet how ignorant and unskillful in the
great and everlasting affairs of their souls! All their
invention, judgment, wit, and memory, seem to be
pressed for the service of the flesh. They can learn an
art quickly, and arrive to a great deal of exactness in it;
but in soul-matters, no knowledge at all. They can
understand the Equator, Meridian, and Horizon; by
the first they can tell the latitude of any place, south or
north, measuring it by the degrees in the Meridian; by
the second they can tell you the longitude of a place,
east and west, from the Meridian, measuring it by the
degrees of the Equator; and by the third they can
discern the divers risings and settings of the stars. And
so in other arts and sciences, we find men endowed
with rare abilities, and singular sagacity. Some have
piercing apprehensions, solid judgments, stupendous
memories, rare invention, and excellent elocution; but
put them upon any spiritual supernatural matter, and
the weakest Christian, even a babe in Christ, shall excel
them therein, and give a far better account of
regeneration, the work of grace, the life of faith, than
these can. "Not many wise men after the flesh, etc.
But God hath chosen the foolish things of this
world," etc. (see I Cor. 1:26).
REFLECTION.
How inexcusable, then, art thou, O my soul! And how
mute and confounded must thou needs stand before
the bar of God in that great day! Thou hadst a talent of
natural parts committed to thee, but which way have
they been improved? I had an understanding indeed,
but it was not sanctified; a memory, but it was like a
sieve that let go the corn and retained nothing but
husks and chaff; wit and invention, but, alas! none to
do myself good. Ah! how will these rise in judgment
against me, and stop my mouth? What account shall I
give for them in that day?
Again, are men (otherwise prudent and skillful) such
sots and fools in spiritual things? Then let the poor,
weak Christian, whose natural parts are blunt and
dull, admire the riches of God's free grace to him. O
what an astonishing consideration is this! That God
should pass by men of the profoundest natural parts
and choose me, even poor me, whose natural faculties
and endowments, compared with theirs, are but as
lead to gold! Thus under the law He passed by the lion
and eagle, and chose the lamb and dove. O how
should it make me to advance grace, as Christ doth
upon the same account. "I thank thee, Father, Lord of
heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things
from the wise and prudent, and revealed them to
babes" (Matt. 11:25). And let it ever be a humbling
consideration to me; for who made me to differ? Is not
this one principal thing God aims at, in calling such as
I am; that boasting may be excluded, and Himself
alone exalted?
-------------------------
This article is taken from:
Flavel,
John.
The
Whole
Works
of
John
Flavel
,
Vol.
V.
London:
W.
Baynes
&
Son,
1820
(originally
published c. 1675).
A
PDF
file
of
this
book
can
be
downloaded,
free
of
charge, at:
h
t
t
p
:
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/
w
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