Tuesday Evening Service 28^th April 2025

‘Guarding the Heart’

(Puritan John Flavel by Elder, Fraser Dodds)

Watch the Full Sermon HERE.



Tonight we will look a work from a puritan that I don't believe we looked at before, not individually, maybe in passing and that is:

John Flavel 1620 – 1691 who was born in Bromsgrove (South of Birmingham). Sinclair Ferguson says, along with Thomas Watson, John Flavel is one of the easiest puritans to read.

His Father was a minister (who died of the plague while in prison for non-conformity). It was his father that taught him in God's ways. What an example he must have been! He went to University College Oxford, was highly educated, as most puritans were...yet 'hid his knowledge' (Sinclair Fergusson).

He ministered predominantly in Dartmouth, Devon, to many who were Sailers or fishermen. So he would often use seafaring examples to help his congregation understand God's Word.

Some of his notable works are on God's providence 'The Mystery Of God’s Providence', and on how to endure suffering 'Preparations For Sufferings' (both of which are available as puritan paperbacks by the Banner of Truth.

After ministering at Dartmouth for 6 years, he was ejected for non-conformity and banned from preaching.

The Banner of Truth’s biography tells us::

'Flavel was ejected from the pulpit in 1662 for Nonconformity, but he continued to meet secretly with his parishioners in conventicles. On occasion, he would preach for them in the woods... ...Once he even disguised himself as a woman on horseback in order to reach a secret meeting place where he preached and administered baptism...'

In 1665 the '5 Mile act' law was put into place which forbade clergymen from living, visiting or preaching within five miles of a parish from which they had been expelled. Flavel's solution was to move 8 miles away, and secretly meet his congregation.! Wow!

As this secret preaching ministry continued, one way he would feed His congregation was by writing them letters, much the same as Samuel Rutherford did during this same time period. His letters would often be accompanied by short books, or treatises.

Now, what we'll draw from tonight is one such treatise, which he has 2 titles for in his 6-volume works:
'Saint Indeed'
Or
'The Great Work of a Christian'

And this really is all about keeping our hearts, watching over them, that we would maintain our love for God... so our title is 'guarding the heart'

You can find this abridged by ‘Christian Heritage’ publisher, called 'Keeping the Heart'.

Before we open this up tonight, in true Tuesday night fashion, let's start with a puritan prayer, which is from the Valley of Vision page 202 (leather), p110 in the paperback and is called 'Voyage'. Could this be by Flavel? It does use sea-imagery but is also fitting for this subject of keeping our heart before God:

'O LORD OF THE OCEANS, My little bark sails on a restless sea, Grant that Jesus may sit at the helm and steer me safely; Suffer no adverse currents to divert my heavenward course; Let not my faith be wrecked amid storms and shoals; Bring me to harbour with flying pennants, hull unbreached, cargo unspoiled. I ask great things, expect great things, shall receive great things. I venture on thee wholly, fully, my wind, sunshine, anchor, defence. The voyage is long, the waves high, the storms pitiless, but my helm is held steady, thy Word secures safe passage, thy grace wafts me onward, my haven is guaranteed. This day will bring me nearer home, Grant me holy consistency in every transaction, my peace flowing as a running tide, my righteousness as every chasing wave. Help me to live circumspectly, with skill to convert every care into prayer, Halo my path with gentleness and love, smooth every asperity of temper; let me not forget how easy it is to occasion grief; may I strive to bind up every wound, and pour oil on all troubled waters. May the world this day be happier and better because I live. Let my mast before me be the Saviour’s cross, and every oncoming wave the fountain in his side. Help me, protect me in the moving sea until I reach the shore of unceasing praise.'

The Scripture  Flavel bases his writing on is:

Proverbs 4:23 NKJV
 

Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.

In writing about keeping our heart, Flavel himself also wrote a letter to his congregation, to encourage them to read and be helped by this subject; 'A Dedicatory Epistle' (such a Pastor's heart).

And much like Apostle Paul, Flavel answers questions or objectives people might have, before even touching on the subject of 'keeping your heart'.

I'll read this, though lengthy, as I think you get a sense of the man:
 

If it be said that several of the cases here handled touch not your condition, I answer: that which is not your condition may be another's condition. If you be placed in an easy, full and prosperous state, and so have no need of the helps here offered to support your heart's under pinching wants, others are forced to live by faith for every day's provision : If you be dandled upon the knee of providence, some of your brethren are under its feet: If you have inward peace and tranquillity of spirit, and so need not the counsels here given, to ward off those desperate conclusions that poor afflicted souls are ready to draw upon themselves at such a time ; yet it may be a word in season to them, and they may say as David to Abigail, " Blessed be thou of the Lord, and blessed be thy advice." That may be your condition shortly, which is not your condition at present: say not 'thy mountain stands strong, thou shalt never be moved.

(You really hear him there)

Just because you might 'feel ok' just now, doesn't mean we should rest on our laurels, and stop keeping, or guarding our heart...

Again:

Proverbs 4:23 NKJV
 

Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.
 

The LSB puts it:
 

Guard your heart with all diligence,
For from it flow the springs of life.

Your whole life is lived and pours out from your heart. From the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks...

Yet, although our hearts are the centre of our being, where everything flows from, how much do we look to external things to fix internal issues?

Isn't that what we have been hearing in First Corinthians; Sunday in particular? How the Corinthians looked to all these external gods to provide them with an avenue to get their fleshy desires met?

It was a formal justification system: ‘I'm not sinning, I'm just worshipping the god of lust, money, prosperity....’

We're hard-wired to look externally for solutions, where scripture tells us the opposite:

Keep your heart
Guard your heart

...not guard your image
....guard your bank balance
....guard your reputation
....guard your 'me time'

But: guard your heart.

Flavel sets out his stall:

The heart of man is his worst part before it be regenerate, and the best afterwards : it is the seat of principles, and the fountain of actions. The eye of God is, and the eye of the Christian ought to be, principally fixed upon it. The greatest difficulty in conversion is to win the heart to God; and the greatest difficulty after conversion is to keep the heart with God.

That's our job: to be principally fixed upon keeping our heart. So that we keep it WITH God. That's why Flavel calls this treatise 'The Great Work of a Christian'. It is our great work. There are other commissions for the believer, but if we don’t guard our heart, we will not be fit for kingdom business.

New believers are full of the wonder of God, which is wonderful indeed. But the honeymoon period doesn't last when they realise there is a force still remaining in their heart that is at odds with the Spirit of God in them, and their born again, new creation self.

That's what Flavel means when he said:

'The heart of man is his worst part before it be regenerate, and the best afterwards'

Before you were saved, your whole heart was corrupt, totally depraved. 'There is not one that does good' (Romans 3:10-12). But after conversion, you have been regenerated, made a new creation, Christ lives in you. You have a ‘new heart with new desires’ (Ezekiel 36:26). However sin still remains until we are glorified.

So the work for us is not to earn salvation, but to guard our heart so that we live from the inward principle of godly life - live from our redeemed self.

Flavel said it:
 

…the greatest difficulty after conversion is to keep the heart with God.

Why?

Galatians 5:17 NKJV
 

For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

Your flesh, which I'm sure you know, lusts against the Spirit of God in you; it has strong desires that are the very opposite of God's will & ways.

Romans 8:7-8 NKJV

Because the carnal mind is enmity (hostile) against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Your flesh is at war with God, and keeping our heart is very much about going to war with our flesh, which is how we guard our hearts with ALL diligence.

Much like JC Ryle said:
 

'A true Christian is one who has not only peace of conscience, but war within. He may be known by his warfare as well as by his peace.'

What does this warfare look like to Flavel? He explains:
 

And by - keeping the heart, understand the diligent and constant use and improvement of all holy means and duties, to preserve the soul from sin, and maintain its sweet and free communion with God.

‘The diligent and constant use and improvement of all holy means and duties, to preserve the soul from sin’: Whatever we have been given by God that keeps sin at bay - be diligent in using those things, be constant in using those things. And not to just leave it there, but to IMPROVE upon those things.

Do we read God's Word? Be diligent about it, constant in it…keep improving it....

Where would we be if we simply applied that one principle to our devotion?

How much more would our hearts be guarded & kept if we were constant, diligent and improving the planting of God's Word into our hearts?

Galatians 6:7-8

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

Do those things that sow to the Spirit and not to the flesh....

Where are we with prayer? Diligent, constant, improving?
Where are we with capturing thoughts?
Where are we with guarding against worldly sorrow, that ONLY leads to death?

Or

Where is our enjoyment of God?
Where is our awe of Him?

Yet Flavel puts a buffer out for us before we embark on keeping our hearts and reminds us that:

Solomon speaks properly enough, when he saith keep thy heart; because the duty is ours, though the power be God's.

He continues....
 

A natural man hath no power, a gracious man hath some, though not sufficient ; and that power he hath, depends upon the exciting and assisting strength of Christ; grace within us is beholden to grace without us,  'Without Me ye can do nothing."

That's so important - it's not a pragmatic 'try dead hard'. It’s a reliance upon God, in communion and intimacy with Him, that supplies us the grace 'without' to aid the 'grace within'.

God gives us inward grace enough to be able to seek Him, but not so much that we don't need Him.

Now, we don't have time to cover the whole of his writing on this subject. Flavel has many points across just short of 100 pages. But with the time we have remaining, we'll look at a 3 key points, or areas. And we'll use Flavel's own headings for these points.

Point 1:
'Sincerity and Joy depends on Keeping our Heart'

Flavel tells us that:
 

...'since the issues or streams of life flow out of the heart as their fountain, it must needs follow, that such as the heart is, the life will be'...

We're not talking about 'your best life now', in a worldly prosperity way - but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy peace.

Our joy & peace flow from our heart 'such as the heart is, the life will be'...(that flows out from it).

Flavel explains, gives this example:
 

Put but the heart in frame, and the life will quickly discover that it is so. I think it is not very difficult to discern, by the duties and converses of Christians, what frames their spirits are under; take a Christian in a good frame, and how serious, heavenly, and profitable, will his converses and duties be ! what a lovely companion is he during the continuance of it ! It would do any one's heart good to be with him at such a time.

It's obvious when someone is keeping their heart, by what type of life flows from them.
....are they doom and gloom?
....or full of pride and self-importance?
....or fearful & consumed by worry?

Now, love hopes all things, believes all things, endures all things - so we must support one another when we fail to guard our hearts. But our joy depends on US keeping OUR hearts….not when THEY change or start being nice to us, or when we're finally included, or when I get whatever fleshy desire met (you fill in the blank).

2nd Point:
'Assurance Depends upon Keeping the Heart'

Flavel says:
 

The comfort of our souls doth much depend upon the keeping of our hearts; for he that is negligent in attending his own heart, is (ordinarily) a great stranger to assurance, and the sweet comforts flowing from it.

He continues, and this is so clear, and a challenge:
 

A neglected heart is so confused and dark, that the little grace which is in it, is not ordinarily discernible : the most accurate and laborious Christians, that take most pains, and spend most time about their hearts, do yet find it very difficult to discover the pure and genuine workings of the Spirit there: how then shall the Christian who is (comparatively) negligent and remiss about heart-work, be ever able to discover it?

I have to speak for myself here, and say, God has taught me to value peace, to value having assurance. He teaches us to value His assurance & peace. He allows us to suffer our flesh, and trials, so that we value the loss of that peace, that security we have in Him. So much so, that when we lose it, we will go through pains to gain it back.

As Flavel explains:
 

Sincerity, which is the thing sought for, lies in the heart like a small piece of gold in the bottom of a river, he that will find it, must stay till the water is clear, and settled, and then he shall see it sparkling at the bottom. And that the heart may be clear, and settled, how much pains and watching, care and diligence, will it cost?

What does it take to settle our hearts, to get our peace back?

We are commanded to....in John 14: 27 NKJV

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Yet how quickly do we surrender to our troubled hearts? How quickly do we throw in the towel?

We are to "not let our hearts be troubled", so that we don't, for example, let the sun go down on our wrath but that we:

Colossians 3:15 NKJV

'....let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.'

When that peace is gone, time for the Christian to go to work, keeping their heart.

But Flavel says the process to peace is to find 'Sincerity' - intimacy and genuineness, and a place of honesty before God.

If we can't be honest about our sin, our lack, or loss of peace, (the issues of life), how can we bring it before God, and line it up to His promises?

The cure for all rejection:
- that Christ died for us, so nothing can separate us from His love.

The cure for all fear, worry, sufferings and trials:
- He is working ALL things for good (even if I don't 'feel' good).

The cure for dealing with pain & weaning ourselves from worldly desires:
- the promise of eternity to come, the resurrection (everything we have been learning in 1cor15!)

But you won't go looking for these cures, if you are not honest, or sincere about the sin that's causing the rotten fruit.

Lastly on this point Flavel says:

The improvement of our graces depends upon the keeping our hearts ; I never knew grace thrive in a negligent and careless soul: the habits and roots of grace are planted in the heart; and the deeper they are (planted) there, the more thriving and flourishing grace is.

Grace doesn't thrive when we neglect this 'keeping our hearts diligently'. We end up lacking assurance.

If we don't experience God's assurance often here, if we don't know much of God's peace here - perhaps that's because we're not guarding our heart?

We will lack overall assurance in our salvation, and in Who Christ is to us.

Our pastor taught from Thomas Brooks, that only our good deeds will follow us into Heaven.

Now - If we lack assurance here, if we neglect the keeping of our hearts, so that we feel guilty, or lack peace -the danger is we will view our resurrection, our meeting our Saviour, through the eyes of our current guilty feelings.

We had a whole debate as elders, it was wonderful....so I don't want to open it up too much right now. But we need to consider Who it is that we'll 'know as we are fully known’ (1 Cor 13:12).

Who we'll see face to face: the One who died for us, showed a love that there has been no greater love than. We'll be before Him!

The one who knows us intimately, and remembers our sins no more!

When Jesus cried 'it is finished'...He didn't mean 'finished for now, until I reveal the really bad stuff when we meet face to face'. It is finished, means it is finished.
 

When we lack assurance here, maybe it’s because we could improve on guarding our heart with all diligence (which we can all improve...).

It can cause us to view our eternal future with the glorious Christ, the eternal Word, in His glory that He had before the foundation of the world - to view it through the eyes of our unguarded, guilt-tainted glasses of the now.

When we are Glorified, sinless (resurrected), assurance will be FULL then because we will be sinless. But until that glorious day, it would do our hearts well, and our relationship with God well, our assurance well, to guard our hearts from our own fleshy mindsets, desires and emotions that are at war with God's ways & His Spirit in us.

OK, last point...

3rd Point:
'Choice Means to Keep the Heart'

This is absolute gold, so practical. This is the 4th of his ‘choice means to keep the heart’:
 

He that means to keep his heart, must carefully observe its first declining’s from God, and stop it there.
 

Just so practical, what a piece of advice.

If you take anything away from tonight to apply to your keeping your heart....take this!

Observe when and where your heart started to decline.... and stop it ASAP.

...the first decline in devotion
....the first laziness
....the first point of temptation (not the sorry after giving into temptation)
....the first dishonesty
....the first prodding of the conscience
....the first offence
...the first rejection
.....the first resentment
.....the first jealousy
.....the first comparing

Stop it at the FIRST instance. (Of course, we might not catch it there but we can make it our aim to do so).

Flavel continues:

He that will find his house in good repair must stop every Chink as soon as discovered; and he that will keep his heart, must not let a vain thought be long neglected ; the serpent of heart-apostasy is best killed in the egg of a small remission of care. Oh! if many poor decayed Christians had looked to their hearts in time, they had never come to that sad pass they now are in?

We must stop it before it grows arms and legs;
 

As we close: Flavel:
 

'Men little think what a proud, vain, wanton, or worldly thought may grow to: Behold how great a matter a little fire kindles'

It only takes one uncaptured thought to send us off the narrow path.

So you must:

Proverbs 4:23 NKJV
 

Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.

Amen