PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Works of John Owen — Volume 10
John Owen · 353,616 words · 352 reading sections
Section 181
First, " From the words themselves without any wresting; for what can be signified by the whole tuorld, but all men in the world?" Secondly, " From the opposition that is made between world and believers, all believers being comprised in the first part of the apostle's assertion, that Christ is a propitiation for our …
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Now, this being thus cleared, if withal ye will remind what was said before concerning the inveterate hatred of that people towards the Gentiles, and the ingrafted opinion they had concerning their own sole interest in the redemption procured and purchased by their Messiah, it will be no difficult thing for any to disc…
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334 THE DEATH OF DEATH. [BOOK IV. that prayer of David, to be " hid under the shadow of God's wings," Ps. xxxvi. 7, ivii. 1, Ixi. 4, Lxiii. 7, xci. 4 (and perhaps that allusion of our Saviour, Matt, xxiii. 37), intimating the favourable protection of God in mercy, denoted by the wings of the cherubim covering the pro-…
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836 THE DEATH OF DEATH. [BOOK IV. but the Roman empire, short enough of comprising all singular per- sons in the world. It were needless to repeat the rest, being all of the same indefinite importance and signification. If, then, the ex- pression itself doth not hold out any such universality as is pretended, unless t…
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Fourthly, The most clear parallel places in the Scripture are op- posite to such a sense as is imposed. See Col. i. 6; John xi. 51, 52. Fifthly, If the words are to be understood to signify all and every one in the world, then is the whole assertion useless as to the chief end intended, — namely, to administer consola…
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840 THE DEATH OF DEATH. [BOOK IV. ciling an unbelieving world unto himself, upon condition tliat it do believe;" that is, upon condition that it be not unbelieving; that is, that it be reconciled. Is this the mind of the Holy Spirit? Fourthly, If this reconciliation of the world consist (as it doth) in a non-impu- tat…
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A third place is John i. 29, " Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world;" and this, saith he, is spoken of the world in general. Ans. 1. If it should be spoken of the world in general, yet nothing could thence be inferred to a universality of individuals. 2. That Christ is he, o a'lpuiv, that tak…
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For the use and signification of the word all in Scripture, so much hath been said already by many that it were needless for me to in- sist upon it. Something also to this purpose hath been spoken be- fore, and that abundantly sufficient to manifest that no strength of argument can be taken from the word itself; wheref…
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2. By all men the apostle here intendetli all sorts of men inde- finitely living under the gospel, or in these latter times, under the enlarged dispensation of the means of grace. That men of these times only are intended is the acknowledgment of Arminius him- self, treating with Perkins about this place. The scope of …
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Having thus made evident the meaning of the words, our answer to the objection (whose strength is a mere fallacy, from the ambigu- ous sense of the word all) is easy and facile. For if by all men, you mean the all in the text, that is, all sorts of men, we grant the whole, — namely, that Christ died for all; but if by …
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3. Heb. ii. 9, " That he by the grace of God should taste death for every man." Ans. That Wsp rravrog, "for every one," is here used for v'Trsp 'ffdvTO}]/, " for all," by an enallage of the number, is by all acknow- ledged. The whole question is, who these all are, whether all men universally, or only all those of who…
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OBJECTIONS AND TEXTS OF SCKIPTURE CONSIDERED. 351 for SO many as were dead. This the words plainly teach ns: "If he died for all, then were all dead/' — that is, all he died for; so that the all that were dead can give no light to the extent of the all that Christ died for, being merely regulated by this. 2. That all …
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OBJECTIONS AND TEXTS OF SCRIPTURE CONSIDERED. 353 Christ is not the first-fruits of the damned. Yea, though it be true that all and every one died in Adam, yet that it is here asserted (the apostle speaking of none but believers) is not true; and yet, if it were so to be taken here, it could not prove the thing intend…
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OBJECTIONS AND TEXTS OF SCKTPTURE CONSIDERED. S55 taker for them), should be taken from him, phicked out of his arms, his satisfaction and advocation in their behalf being refused ; — I sup- pose is a doctrine that will scarce be owned among those who strive to preserve the witness and testimony of the Lord Jesus. Bu…
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First, then. In the second part of his parallel he affirms, "That when Christ finished his obedience, in dying and rising, and offering him- self a sacrifice, and making satisfaction, it was, by virtue of the account of God in Christ, and for Christ with God (that is, accepted with God for Christ's sake), the death, re…
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First, The seed of the woman was not to be a public person in the place, stead, and room of the seed of the serpent. Jesus Christ is the seed of the woman %ar i^oyj^r all the reprobates, as was before proved, are the seed of the serpent : therefore, Jesus Christ was not, in his oblation and suffering, when he brake the…
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This, then, they prove from Rom. xiv. 15; 1 Cor. viii. 11; 2 Pet. ii. 1 ; Heb. x. 29. Now, that no such thing as is pretended is proved from any of the places alleged, we shall show by the consideration of them in the order they are laid down in. 1. The first is Rom. xiv. 15, " But if thy brother be giieved with thy m…
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862 THE DEATH OF DEATH. [BOOK IV. profession of the gospel, not manifesting the contrary ; yet of these, that many may perish none ever denied. Farther; this, so shall he perish, referreth to the sin of him that layeth the offence ; for aught that lieth in him, he ruins him irrecoverably. Hence see their argu- ment:— …
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364 THE DEATH OF DEATH. [liOOK IV. from the world divers that were saints in show, — really wolves and hypocrites, of old ordained to condemnation : therefore, Jesus Christ shed his hlood for the redemption and salvation of all reprobates and damned persons in the whole world/' Who would not admire our adversaries' ch…
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First, He speakethhere only of those that were professors of the faith of the gospel, separated from the world, brought into a church state 866 THE DEATH OF DEATH. [BOOK IV. and fellowship, professing themselves to be sanctified by the blood of Christj receiving and owning Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and endued w…
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Sixthly, There is nothing in the text of force to persuade that the persons here spoken of must needs be truly justified and regenerated believers, much less that Christ died for them ; which comes in only by strained consequences. One expression only seems to give any colour hereunto, — that they were said to be "sanc…
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First, The proposition of this argument is clear, evident, and ac- knowledged by all professing the name of Christ; but yet universally with this caution and proviso, that by the Scripture affirming any tiling in plain words that is to he believed, you understand the plain sense of those words, which is clear by rules …
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" Therefore, Jesus Christ came to save, died, and gave himself a ransom for all men, and is the propitiation for their sins, John i. 29." To the proposition of this argument I desire only to observe, that we do not affirm that the Scripture doth, in any place, lay an excep- tion or restraint upon those persons for who…
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OBJECTIONS AND TEXTS OF SCEIPTUEE CONSIDERED. 373 be meant of all bis own people, and the cbildren of God scattered tbrougbout tbe world. Fourthly, For particular places of Scripture urged, 1 Tim. i. 15; 1 Pet. iii. 18: Rom. v. 6, in the beginning of the assumption, are not at all to the purpose in hand. John iii. 1 7…
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OBJECTIONS AND TEXTS OF SCRIPTURE CONSIDERED. 875 The weight, on the whole, must depend on Rom. xiv. 9, 11, 12; which being the only place that gives any colour to this kind of arguing, shall a little be considered. It is the lordship and dominion of Christ over all which the apostle, in that place, at large insists o…
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V. " That which God will one day cause every man confess to the OBJECTIONS AND TEXTS OF SCRIPTUEE CONSIDERED. 377 glory of God is cerCainly a truth, for God will own no lie for his glory, John iii. 83 ; Kom. iii. 3, 4 j " But God will one day cause every man to confess Jesus (by virtue of his death and ransom given)…
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OBJECTIONS AND TEXTS OF SCRIPTUEE CONSIDERED. 879 any man breathing, to search out the meaning of the word and mind of God in it ; holding ourselves to the proportion of faith, essentiality of the doctrine of redemption, scope of the places where such asser- tions are, comparing them with other places, and the like wa…
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For what, thirdly, is urged from John iii. 10, 17, that God so OBJECTIONS AND TEXTS OF SCRIPTURE CONSIDERED. S81 sent his Son, tliat " whosoever believeth on him might have ever- lastino- life," as far as I know is not under debate, as to the sense of it, among Christians. Fourthly, For God's willingness that all sh…
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Ans. First, "Parvas habet spes Troja, si tales habet." If the univer- sality of redemption have need of such proofs as these, it hath indeed great need and little hojDe of supportment. Universal vocation is here asserted, to maintain universal redemption. " Manus manum fricat," or rather, "Muli se mutuo scabiunt;" this…
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OlOS? One place is more urged, and consequently more abused, than the rest, and therefore must be a little cleared; it is John xvi. 7-11. The words are, "I will send the Comforter to you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judg- ment: of sin, because they believe not in…
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Proof 5. " God hath testified, both by his word and his oath, that he would that his Son should so far save as to work a redemption for all men, and likewise that he should bring all to the knowledge of the truth, that there-through redemption might be wrought in and upon them, 1 Tim. ii. 4, with John iii. 17. So he wi…
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Proof 6. "■ The very words and phrases used by the Holy Ghost in Scripture, speaking of the death of Christ, and the ransom and propitiation, to whom it belongs, and who may seek it, and in be- lieving find life, implies no less than all men. As to instance: "All nations," Matt, xxviii. 19, 20; "the ends of the earth,"…
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Ans. The strength of this proof, as to the business in hand, is wholly hid from me; neither do I perceive how it may receive any such tolerable application as to deserve the name of a proof, as to the main thesis intended to be maintained. The force which it hath is in an observation Avhich, if it hath any sense, is ne…
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Fourthly, It is true, Rom. iii. 23, it is said, " All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God," which the apostle had at large proved before, thereby to manifest that there was no salvation to be attained but only by Jesus Christ; but if ye will ask to whom this righteousness of Christ is extended, and that red…
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394 THE DEATH OF DEATH. [BOOK IV. in the general made known to us, Rom. ix. 11, 12, 15, xi. 7, where evidently our praying for all is but for all sorts of men, excluding none, and that those may believe who are ordained to eternal life. Fourthly, It supposeth that there is nothing else that we are to pray for men but …
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Proof 14!. "Those that, when the gospel comes, and any spiritual light therein, to them, when they refuse to believe, and suffer them- selves to be withdrawn by other things, they are affirmed to love or choose " darkness rather than light," John iii. 19, (which how could it 396 THE DEATH OF DEATH. [BOOK IV. be, if n…
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Thirdly, The other scriptures urged have not so much as any colour that should give advantage to consider them, as with any re- ference to the business in hand. That of Jonah ii. 8 is concerning such as forsake the true God to follow idols, so forfeiting the mercies, temporal and spiritual, which from the true God they…
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[1.] That all infants dying before they come to the use of reason and the committing of actual sin must necessarily be saved (al- though our Saviour hath said, that "except a man be bom again, he cannot see the kingdom of God," John iii. 3 ; and Paul from him, that the children of infidels are "unclean," 1 Cor. vii. 14…
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OBJECTIONS AND TEXTS OF SCRIPTURE CONSIDERED. 401 that knowledge which they might have had, by the works of creation and providence, of God, as eternal, almighty, and powerful, without the least intimation of any ransom, atonement, and redemption), — that all the rest, I say, are spoken to and of those that enjoyed th…
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Proof 18. " Believers are exhorted to contend for the faith of this common salvation, which was once delivered to the saints; which some having heard oppose, and others turn the offers of it into wan- tonness, and, through not heeding and not walking in the faith of OBJECTIONS AND TEXTS OF SCEIPTUilE CONSIDERED. 403 …
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OBJECTIONS AND TEXTS OP SCRIPTURE CONSIDERED. 405 US opposed ; fourthly, For tlie term " every one," it must relate unto all men as considered in an alike condition, for several respects and conditions of the same persons may cause them to come under several obligations unto duties : now, there is no one condition com…
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OBJECTIONS AND TEXTS OF SCRIPTURE CONSIDERED. 409 doubtless; but this, "There is none otber name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved," but only by the name of Christ, made known to us in the gospel, Acts iv. 12. [They would be damned] for rejecting the counsel and wisdom of God to save sinners by th…
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3. That no reprobate, for whom Christ died not, shall be condemned for not believing that Christ died for him in particular, which is not true ; but for not believing those things whcreunto he was called, before related, Avhich are all most true, and that in reference to him. 4. That the command of believing in Christ…
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I shall, then, let go this objection without farther pursuit, only attended with this query. What it is that, according to the authors of universal redemption, men are bound to believe, when they know beforehand that Christ died for them in particular? A persuasion of the love of God and good-will of Christ it cannot b…
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On the other side ; in Avhat one tittle, I pray you, doth the doc- trine of the effectual redemption of God's elect only, in the blood of Jesus, impair the free grace of God? Is it in its freedom? Why, we say it is so free, that if it be not altogether free it is no grace at all. Is it in its ejjUcacy ? Why, we say tha…
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Universalists. Scriptural Redemption. 1. Christ died for all and every 1. Christ died for the elect one, elect and reprobate. only. 2. Most of them for whom 2. All those for whom Christ Christ died are damned. died are certainly saved. 3 Christ, by his death, pur- 3. Christ by his death pur- chased not any saving gi…
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(2.) No consolation can accrue unto believers from that which is common unto them with those whom, — first, God Avould not have comforted; secbndly, that shall assuredly perish to eternity; thirdly^ that stand in open rebellion against Christ; fourthly, that never hear one word of gospel or consolation. Now, to all the…
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Secondly, Their separating between the oblation and intercession of Jesus Christ makes little for the consolation of believers, yea, in- deed, quite everts it. There are, amongst others, two eminent places of Scripture wherein the Holy Ghost holdeth forth consolation to believers, against these two general causes of a…
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420 THE DEATH OF DEATH. [BOOK IV. by all. Now, such assurance may all believers have tliat Christ died for them, with an intention and purpose to save their souls. For instance: all believers may draw out the tnith of the word and the faith created in their hearts into this conclusion: — [First,^ "Christ died for all …
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ffuTti/ias -Tta^'otra,, oiri 'iripmi rif/,ri <riSiiy.- — Euseb. Hist. Eccles., lib. iv. cap. 15. " Neither can we ever forsake Christ, him who suffered for the salvation of the ivorld of them that are saved, nor worship any other." [It is an extract from a letter of the church of Smyrna to the churches of Pontus, giv…
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In which place he proceedeth at large to declare the reasons why, in this busi- ness, " all" and " the world" are so often vised for " some of all sorts." These that follow wrote after the rising of the Pelagian heresy, which gave occasion to more diligence of search and wariness of expression than had formerly been u…
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AN APPENDIX UPON OCCASION OP A LATE J300K PUBLISHED BY M JOSHUA SPEIGGE/ CONTAINING ERRONEOUS DOCTUINE. Readeu, I DO earnestly entreat thy serious perusal of this short appendix. The total finish- ing and printing, not only of the body of the discourse, but also the preface, before occasion was gi\ en to those thou…
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3. That it is extremely to the dishonour of Jesus Christ, destructive to the gos- pel faith and all solid consolation, and forces men either to a familistical contempt or sophistical corrupting of the word of God in its defence. Upon these and the like considerations and apprehensions, I deemed it might not be in vain…
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Secondly, An eternal act of God's will, immanent in himself, puts no change of condition into the creature. See what the Scripture says of the elect notwith- standing this, Eph. ii. 3 ; John iii. 36. Let not the word be despised nor corrupted. Be not wise above what is written. " Though an angel," etc.. Gal. i. 8. Unti…
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CoGGEsiiALL, Ajjril 23, IG 13. OF THE DEATH OF CHRIST, THE PRICE HE PAID, AND THE PURCHASE HE MADE; THE SATISFACTION AKD MERIT OF THE DEATH OF CHRIST CLEARED; THE UNIVERSxlLITY OF REDEMrTION THEREBY OrrUGNED; THE DOCTKINB CONCERNING TIIKSE THINGS, FOEMEELY DELIVERED IN A TREATISE AGAINST UNIVERSAL REDEMPTION, VIN…
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It hath been the constant practice of all persons, in all ages, who have made it their design to beget and propagate a belief of any doctrine contrary to the form of wholesome words, to begin with, and insist mainly upon, those parts of theii* be- loved conception and offspi-ing which seem to be most beautiful and taki…
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For my part, as I have not as yet of late heard or read any thing of this kind, either from public disputes or in printed sheets, but only long-since-exploded sophisms, inconsequent consequences, weak objections, fully, soundly answered many a day since ; nor, by the taste which I have already received, have I any reas…
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It is not at all in my thoughts to engage myself into the chief controversy there agitated, though I could desire that some, to whom Providence hath given more leisure and opportunities for such employments, would candidly examine those " Aphorisms," for the farther advantage of the truth and light. But whereas the lea…
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" In p. 140 [267] he states the question far otherwise, and yet supposeth it the same, namely, — Whether Christ paid the idem or the tantundemf which he inter- preteth thus, ' That which is not the same, nor equivalent unto it, but only in the gracious acceptation of the creditor.' Now, what he means by ' not equivalen…
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" The first of these is nothing to our purpose," saith JNIr B., " but the latter crossing the former." But truly, such is my dulness, I cannot as yet be Avon to his mind herein. But I agree with myself; perhaps I do not with the truth. That description of solutio tantidem, namely, that it is a payment of that which is…
935 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.