PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Works of John Owen — Volume 10
John Owen · 353,616 words · 352 reading sections
Section 61
Lastly, Observe^ that tliis error is that which, of all others, the orthodox fathers did most oppose in the Pelagian heretics; yea, and ' " Pfitamus ut dot quod ut habeamus jubet." — Aug. ' " Virtutcm aiitein nemo unquani acccptam dco rctulit. Nimirum ^cct^: propter virtutcin ouini jnvc lanilaiimr, ct in virtute rect…
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SALVATION THROUGH FAITH IN CHRIST. 109 doubting but that to have repeated it is fully to have confuted it, in the judgment of all pious Christians. First, then, They grant salvation to the ancient patriarchs and Jews, before the coming of Christ, without any knowledge of or faith in him at all; nay, they deny that an…
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• Zuing. Trofes. Fid. ad Reg. Gall. J Art. of the ('hurcb of Eng., art. xvii. ' " Nihil niagis rcpugnat fidei, quam sinc^de salvum esse posse quempiam houii- nuin." — Acost. de Iiido. Salu. Troc. « Aquin. 2, 2tB q. 2, a. 7, c. — " Christus nascitur ex virgino, et ego credo in eum. 0 sol, Bub Ireuae et Constantini to…
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' llcifeciohi; yl, T&iv S(a \fi<rTOii dvxifiov/xivuv, a-ro tou alfMiTos "A?sX tiu oixumv. — Ignat. Epist. ad I'^phcs. [eiip. xii.J ^ YloivTi! oZv o'l iiyioi iv Xsiff'TS* iffu(riffx)i, iX'^rlravTis ii; aurev kcc) aurov ■ivaftimann;, xai Si' aurou ffurfi.'ias iTvy^o^. — Kpist. ad I'llil. [cap. V.] 3 " Nun alia tide (ii…
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' Hieron. a<l Ruf. OF FREE-WILL. 115 eluded to keep it a block still; until at length there arose a stout champion/ challenging on his behalf the whole church of God, and, like a knight-errant, wandered from the west to the east to grapple with any that should oppose his idol; who, though he met with divers adversari…
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OF FEEE-WILL. 117 unto it than it was ever capable of. As it now standeth, according to my formerly-proposed method, I shall show, — first, what inhred native virtue they ascribe unto it, and with how absolute a dominion and sovereignty over all our actions they endow it ; secondly, what power they say it hath in prep…
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' " Non potest Dous Lib. Arbit. integrmn servarc, nisi tarn peccare homincm sinerct, quam bene agere." — Corv. ad Molin., cap. vi. ' " Semper Remonstrantes supponunt liberam obctlicndi potcntiam et non obediendi ; ut qui obcdicns est idcirco obedicns ccnseatnr, quia oum possit non obedire obedit tamcn, et c contra." —…
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Thirdly, All the acts of the will being positive entities, were it not previously moved by God himself, " in whom we live, move, and have our being," must needs have their essence and existence solely from the will itself; which is thereby made aurh 6v, a first and supreme cause, endued with an underived being. And so …
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Secondly, That concerning which I gave one special instance, in whose production the Arminiaus attribute much to free-will, is faith. This they affirm (as I showed before) to be inbred in nature, every one having in him from his birth a natural power to believe in Christ and his gospel ; for Episcopius denies that ^ " …
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' " Fides vocatur opus Dei, quia Deus ipse id a nobis fieri postulat." — Rem. Apol., cap. X. p. 112. !* " La (iu;e do liahituum infusione dicuntur, ante omncm fidei actum, rcjiciuntur a nobis."— Ejiist. ad Wiil, p. 07. 3 II Principium iutcriivim tidei a nobis in evangelic rcquisitum, esse liabitum quendam divinitus i…
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OF FREE-WILL AS PREPARING FOR CONVERSION. 127 is the understanding of true knowledge, that " the natural man re- ceiveth not the things of the Spirit of God ; they are foolishness unto him," 1 Cor. ii. 14. [He is] nothing but confounded and amazed at spiritual things; and, if he doth not mock, can do nothing but wonde…
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OF OUR CONVERSION TO GOD. 129 S. S. " Of ourselves we can do no- thing/' John XV. 5. " We are not sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves/' 2 Cor. iii. 5. "We are by nature the children of wrath, dead in trespasses and sins/' Eph. ii. 1-3. " Faith is not of ourselves : it is the gift of God/' Eph…
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' "Deus statuit salvarc ercdcutcs per grutiani, id est, leiiom ac sxiavcm liberoquo ipsovuin ai'bitrio convenieuteni sen congruam suasioucm, non pcv ouinipotentem actio- nem sou motionem." — Armin. Autip , p. 211. OF OUR CONVERSION TO GOD. 131 Arminius. It seems somethinof strange, that " the carnal mind bein^i' enmi…
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Tliirdly, They teach, that notwithstanding any purpose and in- tention of God to convert, and so to save, a sinner, — notwithstanding the most powerful and effectual operation of the blessed Spirit, with ' " TJt autem assensus hie eliciatur in nobis, duo in primis ncccs.«aria sunt : — 1 . Ar- gumenta talia ex parte De…
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Thirdly, We do not affirm grace to be {irresistible, as though it came upon the will with such an overflowing violence as to beat it down before it, and subdue it by compulsion to what it is no Avay inclinable [unto.] But if that term must be used, it denoteth, in our sense, only such an unconquerable efficacy of grace…
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Thirdly, Our conversion is a " new creation," a " resurrection," a " new birth." Now, he that createth a man doth not persuade him to create himself, neither can he if he should, nor hath he any power to resist him that will create him, — that is, as we now take it, trans- late him from something that he is to what he …
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ingly, tl" e oi vuhersal (jrace : in which respect his theory difl'ers essentially from J of universal atonement, as embraced by eminent Calvinistic r"' the necessity of the s^pecial ojteration of grace in order to the "he readers of Owen will understand, from this cursory ex- ])i^ wells with j)eculiar Iceeiniess an…
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Among the editions of this valuable work, that printed in Edinburgh, 1755, under the superintendence of the Rev. Adam Gib, deserves honourable mention. It is printed with some care; considerable attention is paid to the numeration; and a valuable analysis of the whole work is prefixed to it. We have not felt at liberty…
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Cir.vPTER II. removes some mistaken ends assigned to the death of Christ: — I. It was not his own good. II. It was not his Father's good, to secure for him a right to save biuaers. PREFATORY NOTE. 143 Chapter III. More particularly of the immediate end of the death of Christ, witli the several ways -whereby it is des…
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Chapter XI. Tlie last general argument: — -VI. Arg. xvr. From some particular places of Scrii^ture, viz.: — 1. Gen. iii. 15; 2. Matt. vii. 23, etc. BOOK IV. — All considei-able objections are answered as yet brought to light, either by the Armiuians or others, in the behalf of universal redemption, with a large unfold…
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John Owen. 1 This nobleman is represented by Noal as having been "the greatest patron of the Puritans." He was admiral of the parliamentary fleet. Ue seized on the ships belonging to the king, and during the whole course of the war made use of them against the royal interest. Owen had received the presenta- tion to Co…
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When, on earth, the blood can be without the water and the Spirit, — can witnes.s alone, or can witness there where the water and the Spirit agree not to the record ; when, in heaven, the Word shall witness without the Father and the Holy Ghost, — when the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost shall not be one, as in es…
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150 TO THE READElt the new covenant, this bottom of all gospel dispensations, this fruitful womb of all eternally distinguishing mercies, the purpose of God according to election, must be opposed, slighted, blasphemed, that the figment of the sons of men may not appear to be " truncus ficulnus, inutile lignum," — an u…
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" Quare agite, 6 juvenes, tantarum in munere laudum, Cingite fronde comas, et pocula porgite dextris, Communemque vocate Deum, et date vina volentes."2 " March on, brave youths, i' th' praise of such free grace, Surround your locks with bays ; and full cups place In your right hands : drink freely on, then call 0'…
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First, The glory of God, they say, is exceedingly exalted by it; his good-will and kindness towards men abundantly manifested in this enlargement of its ex- tent ; and his free grace, by others restrained, set out with a powerful endearment. This they say ; which is, in effect, " All things will be well when God is con…
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Thirdly, A seeming smile cast upon the opinion of universal redemption by many texts of Scripture, with the ambiguity of some words, which though in themselves either figurative or indefinite, yet seem to be of a universal extent, maketh the abettors of it exceedingly rejoice. Now, concerning this I shall only desire t…
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1 The word is here used iu the obsolete sense of " mistnhc," and has no reference to the legal offence of evasion or concealment now understood bv the terra.— Kn. TO THE EEADEE. 155 to have my hand against others, and theirs against me, that put me upon this task. I never like myself worse than when faced with a viza…
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1 Ilor. Dc Art. I'oct., ver. 38. 3 Ilor. Epist. lib. ii. Epist. i. 117; lib. i. Epist. ii. 32. THE DEATH OF DEATH IN THE DEATH OF CHKIST. A TREATISE OF THE REDEMPTION AND RECONCILIATION THAT IS IN THE BLOOD OF CHRIST, WITH THE MERIT THEREOF, AND SATISFACTION WROUGHT THEREBY, BOOK I. CHAPTER I. In general of the en…
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END OF Christ's death as eternally intended. 159 Heb. i. 8. To " sanctify the people with his own blood, he suffered without the gate/' chap. xiii. 12. "He gave himself for the church to sanctify and cleanse it, that it should be holy and without blemish," Eph. V. 25-27. Peculiarly amongst the graces of the Spirit, " …
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II. Between botli these, end and means, there is this relation, that (though in sundry kinds) they are mutually causes one of another. The end is the first, principal, moving cause of the whole. It is that END OF Christ's death as eternally intended. 161 for whose sake tlie whole work is. No agent applies itself to a…
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V. Moreover, the means are of two sorts : — First, Such as have a true goodness in themselves without reference to any farther kind; though not so considered as we use them for means. No means, as a means, is considered as good in itself, but only as couducible to a fturther end ; it is repugnant to the nature of means…
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(1.) An authoritative imposition of the office of Mediator, which Christ closed withal by his voluntary susception of it, willingly un- dergoing the office, wlierein by dispensation the Father had and ex- ercised a kind of superiority, which the Son, though " in the form of God," hum])led himself unto, Phil. ii. 6-8. A…
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Between these two acts I confess there intercedes a twofold pro- mise of God ; — one, of giving a Saviour to his people, a Mediator, ac- cording to his former purpose, as Gen. iii. 15, "The seed of the woman shall break the serpent's head ;" and, " The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between hi…
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168 THE DEATH OF DEATH. [BOOK I. dead, in all things having the pre-eminence; for it pleased the Fatlier that in him should all fulness dwell/' Col. i. 18, 19. In him he caused to be " hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge/' chap. ii. 3 ; and "in him dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead ffw/xar/xcTg/' substant…
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170 THE DEATH OF DEATH. [BOOK I. great undertaking, and a strong motive to exercise his graces received in the utmost endurings, was this engagement of his Father upon this compact of assistance and protection. Secondly, [His promise] of success, or a good issue out of all his sufferings, and a happy accomplishment a…
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2. The second is of laying upon him the punishment of sins, everywhere ascribed unto the Father: "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of THE DEATH OF DEATH. [HOjIv I. / smite the shepherd, and the slieep shall be scattered," Zsch. ,^. What here is set down imperative…
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THE DEATH OF DEATH, [BOOK I. /then, are not all freed from the punishment of all their sins? / will say, " Because of their unbelief; they will not believe." But A unbelief, is it a sin. or not? If not, why should they be punished i^r it ? If it be, then Christ underwent the punishment due to it, or not. If so, then w…
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176 THE DEATH OF DEATH. [bOOK I. and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour," Eph. v. 2. He does it cheerfully: " Lo, I come to do thy will, O God," Heb. X. 9 ; and so " his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree," 1 Pet. ii. 24. Now, this oblation or offering of Christ I would not tie wp to any on…
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VOL. X. 12 178 THE DEATH OF DEATH. [hOOK I. CHAPTER V. The peculiar actions of the Holy Sph'it in this business. Thirdly, In few words we may consider the actions of that agent, who in order is the third in that blessed One, whose all is the whole, the Holy Spirit, who is evidently concurring, in his own distinct o…
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By his oblation we do not design only the particular offering of himself upon the cross an offering to his Father, as the Lamb of God without spot or blemish, when he bare our sins or carried them up with him in his own body on the tree, which was the sum and com- plement of his oblation and that wherein it did chiefly…
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Thirdly, That the oblation of Christ is, as it were, the foundation of his intercession, inasmuch as by the oblation was procured every thing that, by virtue of his intercession, is bestowed ; and that because the sole end why Christ procured any thing by his death was that it might be applied to them for whom it was s…
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II. To offer and to intercede, to sacrifice and to pray, are both acts of the same sacerdotal office, and both required in him who is a priest; so that if he omit either of these, he cannot be a faithful priest for them : if either he doth not offer for them, or not inter- cede for the success of his oblation on their …
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END OF Christ's death as actually accomplished 185 but a continuation of liis oblation in postulating, by remembrance and declaration of it, those things which by it were procured. How, then, is it possible that the one of these should be of larger compass and extent than the other? Can he be said to offer for them fo…
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END OF CHRIST S D"EATH AS ACTUALLY ACCOMPLISHED. 187 consolation. Our sins dare not appear, nor any of our accusers against us, where he appeareth for us. Cavilling objections against this text shall be afterward considered ; and so I hope I have sufficiently con- firmed and proved what in the beginning of this chapte…
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And this is that wliich he calls a clear and plain answer from the Scripture, leaving the application of it unto the argument to other men's conjecture; which, as far as I can conceive, must be thus: — It is true Christ paid a ransom for none but those for whom he is a mediator and priest; but Christ is to be considere…
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But let us see another proof, which haply may give more strength to the uncouth distinction we oppose, and that is 1 Tim. iv. 10, " Who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe." Had it been, " Who is the Mediator of all men, specially of them that believe," it had been more likely. But the conscience…
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II. Farther attempts, also, there are to give strength to this evasion, and so to invalidate our former argument, which I must also remove. " Christ," say they,^ " in some sort intercedeth and putteth in for transgressors, even the sons of men, yet in and of the world, that the Spirit may so still unite and bless thos…
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Fifthly, If his intercession be for faith, then either Christ inter- cedeth for it absolutely, that they may certainly have it, or upon VOL. X, 13 19 4 THE DEATH OF DEATH. [BOOK I. condition, and that either on the part of God or man. — If absolutely, then all do actually believe; or that is not tnie, the Father alw…
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Thirdly, Christ in those words doth not so much as pray for those men that they might believe, but only that that sin of them in cru- cifying of him might be forgiven, not laid to their charge. Hence to conclude, therefore he intercedeth for all men that they may be- lieve, even because he prayed that the sin of crucif…
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Thirdly, Say some, the world is here taken for the world of the elect, the Avorld to be saved, — God's people throughout the world. Certain it is that the world is not here taken properly p?^o mundo continente, for the world containing, but figuratively pro mundo contento, for the world contained, or men in the world. …
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END OF Christ's death as actually accomplished. 199 meaning of these words: "He offered sacrifice in respect of one end, then of all ends, then of the uttermost end in all?" To inquire back- wards:— 1. What is this " uttermost end in all?" Is that "in all," in or among all the ends proposed and accomplished ? or in al…
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THE PROPER END OF THE DEATH OF CHRIST ASSERTED. 201 ning of our discourse, to be our approximation or drawing nigh unto God ; that being a general expression for the whole reduction and recovery of sinners fi'om the state of alienation, misery, and wrath, into grace, peace, and eternal communion with him. Now, there b…
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THE PROPER END OF THE DEATH OF CHRIST ASSERTED. 203 tion, and adoption into the family of God ; all fruits flowing from it in sanctification and universal holiness ; with all other privileges and enjoyments of believers here, which follow the redemption and recon- ciliation purchased for them by the oblation of Christ…
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Besides, be it granted (which cannot be proved) that Christ by his death did procure this power of judging, would any thing hence follow that might be beneficial to the proving of the general ransom for all? No, doubtless; this dominion and power of judging is a power of condemning as well as saving; it is " all judgme…
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of tlic atonement. In the statements above, it is implied that salvation might have been accomplished withoiit the abtoliito necessity of sucli a satisfaction to the claims of justice as the death of Clirist afl'oided. Dr (.>wcn, it will be found in the treatise referred to, latterly changed his views on this point, an…
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What the Scripture affirms in this particular we laid down in the entrance of the whole discourse; which now, having enlarged in ex- plication of our sense and meaning therein, must be more particularly asserted, by an application of the particular places (which are very many) to our thesis as before declared, whereof …
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Sixthly, Will you hear our Saviour Christ himself expressing this more evidently, restraining the object, declaring his whole design and purpose, and affimiiug the end of his death? John xvii. 19, " For their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth." " For their sakes." Whose, I pr…
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Again; Christ, by his death, and in it, is said to "bear our sms: so 1 Pet. ii. 24, " His own self bare our sins;" — where you have both what he did, " Bare our sins" {avr^nyxi, he carried them up with him upon the cross) ; and what he intended, "That we, being dead unto sins, should live unto righteousness." And what …
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III. Many places there are that point out the persons for whom Christ died, as designed peculiarly to be the object of this work of redemption, according to the aim and purpose of God ; some of which we will briefly recount. In some places they are called many : Matt, xxvi. 28, " The blood of the new testament is shed …
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216 THE DEATH OF DEATH. [BOOK IT. have been expressed. Neither are .such Hebraisms unusual. Besides, perha2:)S, it is not improbable that many are said to rise to life, be- cause, as the apostle says, " All shall not die/' The like, also, may be said of Kom. v. 1 9. Though the onany there seem to be all, yet cer- tain…
990 wordsSource & rights
Public-domain historical edition (1850–1870); OCR text from Internet Archive. OCR may contain scanning/transcription errors. Verify quotations against page images when precision matters.
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.