Flavel’s Fountain: Part 1-
The Most Excellent Doctrine

by R.A. Miller
Published February 21, 2023.

The Fountain of Life is a collection of 42 sermons written by John Flavel. These sermons touch on various aspects of Christ, such as His offices, humiliation, and resurrection. Additionally, this collection is centered around Christ’s glory, and Flavel does a fantastic job of highlighting our Lord’s greatness.

The first sermon of this collection is titled, “The Excellency of the Subject.” This opening discourse seeks to explain the ideas found in 1 Corinthians 2:2, “For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” One of the concepts Flavel calls to our attention is the importance of Christ and his crucifixion. He writes, “That there is no doctrine more excellent in itself or more necessary to be preached and, studied, than the doctrine of Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”

Flavel uses several arguments to justify his claim. First, he underscores how Christ is at the heart of the Scriptures. He explains, “The knowledge of Jesus Christ is the very marrow and kernel of all the scriptures; the scope and center of all divine revelations: both Testaments meet in Christ. The ceremonial law is full of Christ, and all the gospel is full of Christ: the blessed lines of both Testaments meet in him; and how they both harmonize, and sweetly center in Jesus Christ.” Knowing Christ, Flavel argues, is the key to grasping the entirety of the Bible, “...the right knowledge of Jesus Christ, like a clue, leads you through the whole labyrinth of the scriptures.” Therefore, we can conclude that if we are to understand the Bible, we must first understand Christ.

Next, Flavel compares the depth of the knowledge of Christ to other subjects. He finds the former far superior, describing it as a “boundless, bottomless ocean” with a “height, length, depth and breadth ascribed to it” (see Eph. 3:18). Can this be said of all areas of study? Certainly not. Flavel compares the knowledge of Christ to an unexplored land. He says, “It is in the studying of Christ, as in the planting of a new discovered country; at first men sit down by the sea-side, upon the skirts and borders of the land; and there they dwell, but by degrees they search farther and farther into the heart of the country. Ah, the best of us are yet but upon the borders of this vast continent!”

The Puritan author drives home his point by noting that only knowledge of Christ can bring us to the Christian’s home. “Other knowledge,” notes Flavel, “though you should attain the highest degree of it, would never bring you to heaven.” While other areas of study can be helpful, noble even, they do not come close to saving us from Hell. No other subjects are as beneficial as knowing Christ. Studying nutrition and other related areas might help you to extend your life for a few years, but knowing Christ will give you eternal life! In addition, growing in your knowledge of Christ provides us numerous benefits in this life, such as wisdom, peace, and self-control.

If the greatest of books places Christ at its center, will you not place Christ at the center of your life? If Christ and Him crucified is the deepest and most weighty of topics, will you not explore the subject? If knowing Christ brings you to Heaven and much good here on the earth, will you not flee from Hell? I pray, then, that we all will consider what Flavel calls the most excellent doctrine.