PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Works of John Owen — Volume 10
John Owen · 353,616 words · 352 reading sections
Section 301
But this history the falsifying poets of the Greeks have coiTupted by that fable of theirs concerning the sacrifice of Ipliigenia, begun by her father Agamemnon, but who was liberated by the substitu- tion of a doe.-^ Hence, in Euripides, these words are falsely applied to the virgin destined to be sacrificed, which (t…
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Thirdly, Nor does it seem probable that Jephthah had dedicated his daughter to God, that she should perpetually remain a virgin ; for neither hath God instituted any such kind of worship, nor could the forced virginity of the daughter by any means ever be reckoned to the account of the father, as any valuable considera…
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But this was a kind of human sacrifice by which, as God intended to shadow forth the true sacrifice of his Son, so the enemy of the human race, aping the Almighty, and taking advantage of and insult- ing the blindness of mankind and the horror of their troubled con- sciences, arising from a sense of the guilt of sin, i…
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2 Their religion at best had been contaminated with the superstitions of the church of Eome. — Tk. 638 A DISSERTATION ON DIVINE JUSTICE. [PART I. translated from the power of darkness, and the kingdom of Satan, into his marvellous light, it is most evident that, by every tie, we are bound to offer and devote ourselve…
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' That is, their acts or ceremonies of cleansing or purifying themselves from guilt by sacrifice, oi* otherwise; the latter word more particularly means the operation of cleansiilg by water. — Te. 2 Hieroglyphics are emblems or pictures that were used in the first method of writing; but after characters were introduce…
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I shall only add, in one word, that an argument from the consent of all is by consent of all allowed to be very strong: for thus says the philosopher, "What is admitted by all, we also admit; but he who would destroy such faith can himself advance nothing more cre- dible," Aristotle, Nicom. iii. And Hesiod says, " Tha…
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First, then, it is manifest that, by the anger of God, the effects of anger are denoted: " Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? God forbid," E,om. iii. 5. And it is said, Eph. v. 6, " Because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience;" that is, God will most assuredly punish them. He…
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■ Quest. 47, art. 1, ARGUMENTS FOR VINDICATORY JUSTICE — PROVIDENCE. 545 The apostle, then, affirms that God hath taken care that his anger against sin, or that his justice, should aj^pear by innumerable ex- amples of punishments inflicted on mankind for their sins, in his providential government of the world, and th…
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But not to be tedious, it is evident that God, by the works of his providence, in the government of this world, gives a most copious testimony to his vindicatory justice, not inferior to that given to his goodness, or any other of his attributes; which testimony concerning himself and his nature he makes known, and ope…
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I shall not be farther troublesome to my readers ; if what has been already said amount not to proof sufficient, I know not what is suffi- cient. I urge only one testimony more from Scripture and conclude. It is found in Heb. x. 26, 27: " For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, th…
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" The sons of circumcision may receive Tlie wondrous tale, whicli I shall ne'er believe." Francis' Horace. For " God hates all workers of iniquity," Ps. v. 5. He calls it " The abominable thing that he hateth," Jer. xliv. 4. Besides these, other passages of Scripture testify that God hates sin, and that he cannot but…
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The learned doctor retorts, " Obedience must necessarily please God; but God is not bound by his justice necessarily to reward it." But the learned gentleman will hardly maintain that the relation of obedience to reward, and disobedience to punishment, is the same ; for God is bound to reward no man for obedience perfo…
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B5i< A DISSERTATION ON DIVINE JUSTICE. [PART I. was no sin ; which," says he, " may serve as a proof that this fire may not burn what is consumable, when applied to it." But, in my opinion, this very learned man was never more un- happy in extricating himself; for, first, he acknowledges God to be " a consuming fire,…
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Secondly, A proper regard is not shown to divine holiness, nor is its glory manifested, unless the punishment due to sin be inflicted. Holiness is opposed to sin ; for " God is of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on iniquity,"^ and is the cause why he cannot let sin pass unpunished, " Ye cannot serve the…
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I very well know that I cannot pretend to be either ingenious or quick-sighted ; but respecting this matter I am not ashamed to con- fess my dulness to be such, that I cannot see that God,^ consistently with the preservation of his right and glory entire, could, without the intervention of a ransom, pardon sins, as if …
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1. A second act presupposes a first, and a constant manner of operating proves a hal^it ; a sign also expresses the thing signified. Because God doeth good to all, wo believe him to be good, and en- dowed with supreme goodness ; for how could he so constantly and uniformly do good, unless he himself were good? Yea, fro…
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' Ilcb. X. 1. There tlic apostle argues for tlic necessity of the satisfaction of Christ, ■which lie could not if the guilt of sin could have been taken away by any other way ■whatever. ^ — Tb. a See Isa liii. 10. EACOVIAN CATECHISM REFUTED. 561 PART II. CHAPTER VIII. 01)jections of the adversaries answered — The …
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But, " That punitory justice," say they, " which yow assign as the source of punishment, is opposite to mercy." How, I say, can that be ? Punitory justice, essentially considered, is the very perfection and rectitude of God itself, essentially considered; and the essence of mercy, so to speak, is the same. But the esse…
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John Crellius treats this subject at great length, and with his 1 John i. 9 ; Rom. iii. 24-20. 2 The argument from 1 John i. 9, -which would resolve justice simply into a modification of benevolent feeling, and confound it with a disposition to forgive, is sufficiently met by the considci'ations urged by our author. …
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56Q A DISSERTATION ON DIVINE JUSTICK [PART II. Judge of the world, is an opinion supported by no probable reason and by no testimony of Scripture. But let us hear what Crellius himself has to say. He thus proceeds: — " He injures none, whether he punish or do not punish, if so be that the question is only respecting …
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There is, then, a double right; — in the first place, that of a debt; in the second place, that of government. What is purely a debt may be forgiven; for that only takes place in those things which are of an indifierent right, the prosecution of which neither nature nor justice obliges. There is also a debt, though per…
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CHAPTER X. The opinion oi' Socinus considered — What he thought of our present question,* namely, that it is the hinge on which the whole controversy concerning the satisfaction of Christ turns — Ilis vain boasting, as if, having disproved this vindicatory justice, he had snatched the prize from his adversaries — Othe…
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But he again affirms, in the same chapter, "That the justice of God is twofold : that one kind he always uses when he punishes aban- donedly wicked and obstinate sinners, sometimes, according to his law; the other kind, when he punishes sinners neither obstinate nor altogether desperate, but whose repentance is not exp…
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This surely is trifling in a serious matter, if any thing can be so called; for even novices will not bear one to argue from a position of universal justice to a negation of particular justice ; mvich less shall we readily assent to him, who maintain that that particular justice is by no means distinguished from the un…
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" All along, from the beginning of this answer," says he, " I have sufficiently shown that that justice which you contend ought at all events to be satisfied is not inherent in God, but is the effect of his own will; for when God punishes sinners, that we may call this work of his by some worthy name, we say that he th…
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Our opponent thus proceeds : — " If that justice be inherent in God, — that is, if there be any property in God which is altogether inclined expressly to punish any sins of mankind whatsoever, whether penitent or impenitent, — he neither spares nor can spare any one; for as to what your teachers in the church have devi…
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ARGUMENTS OF SOCINUS WEIGHED. 579 all, whosoever shall be cited before his tribunal, aliens and strangers to Christ, will find to be without foundation, and an absolute falsehood. " But it is evident," sa3^s he, " that neither the justice nor mercy of which we are treating is inherent in God, from what we read, namel…
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But let the pious reader judge whether our opponent, who hath presumed to call the highest mystery of the gospel, the alone founda- tion of the salvation of sinners, the darling jewel of our religion, the greatest testimony of the divine love, our victory over the devil, death, and hell, " a human fiction," had suffici…
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But while Socinus despised and set at nought him and his grace, is it to be wondered at if he " became vain in his imaginations," and that his " foolish heart was darkened?" For what need I say more? Doth not God exercise supreme and in- finite mercy towards us, miserable and lost sinners, in pardoning our sins throug…
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But if modesty must be violated, all will agree that it ought to be violated in the cause of truth, and especially as I perceive that the authority of some theologians is of so great weight with many of our countrymen, that, not having duly weighed and pondered the matter, but relyipg on this, they go into the opinion …
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But neither the plan of our work permits us to withdraw from this undertaking, though unequal to it, nor, perhaps, hath Maccovius satisfied his readers in every particular. Indeed, some things seem necessary to be added, that this controversy with Twisse may occasion no trouble to any one for the future. Tliis veteran …
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588 A DISSERTATION ON DIVINE JUSTICF. [PAET II. " But it is manifest," says he, ''that man not only can pardon, but that it is his duty to pardon his enemies; and, therefore, this does not imply a contradiction." A71S. The supposition is denied, that God may do what man may do. That learned man raises this objection …
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Ans. Maccovius hath, some time ago, very clearly answered this reasoning. We reject his consequence, as built upon a false supposi- tion; for that necessity from which God punisheth sin does not re- quire that he should punish it to the extent of his power, but so far as is just. We do not conceive God to be a senseles…
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" But," says our celebrated antagonist, " if disobedience thus de- serve punishment, why should not obedience in like manner deserve a reward, for no reason to the contrary can be assigned?" I \vish this learned man had not so expressed himself, for he will never be able to prove that the relation of obedience to rewar…
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But forasmuch as Socinians^ argue from the divine dispensation with regard to the punishment of sins to the free pardon of them without any satisfaction, we must say a few things in reply to this argument of our learned antagonist, as it seems pretty near akin to them, and as they are so Very eager in wresting every th…
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The learned Twisse, when about to reply to the arguments of Lub- bertus,^ brings forward two assertions of his, to the first of which he consents, but not to the latter. The first maintains " coiTective justice to be essential to God," which he approves ; and herein Ave congratulate this very learned man that thus far,…
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In what sense all things are said to be done by God necessarily, though he be a free agent, hath been already explained. By these arguments, then, whereby he endeavours to weigh down our opinion with prejudices, it is evident that our antagonist hath nothing availed himself Let us now see whether he hath been more succ…
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To the second proof brought from the word of God, declaring him- self by that name of his, "Who will by no means clear the guilty," Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7, he answers: "It is true that God will by no means clear the guilty, yet it is evident that not a few are cleared by God. The guilty, then, whom he doth not clear, must b…
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But Lubbertus likewise reasons by an argument taken from the common definition of justice, to which Twisse also refers. " Vindi- catory justice," says he, " is the eternal will of God to give to every one his own; therefore, it belongs truly or naturally to God." Twisse cites these words from Lubbertus; for his writing…
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We choose not to enter any farther on the arguments which this learned writer advances, either in his disputations against Lubbertus, or in his answers to his arguments; partly as they coincide with those mentioned before, and have been considered in the vindication of the argument taken from the consideration of God's…
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Let us particularly examine some of this learned gentleman's ar- guments: " If," says he, " God must punish sin from a necessity of nature, he must punish it as soon as committed." Granted, were he to act by such a necessity of nature as denotes a necessary principle and mode of acting; but not if by a necessity that i…
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606 A DISSERTATION ON DIVINE JUSTICE. [PART II. which are not the objects of free determination. But that no right belongs to God without his divine appointment, to the exercise of which he is bound, is asserted without probabihty, and appears evi- dently false ; for supposing that God willed to create rational crea- …
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The manner of it — What this learned author understands by the "internal court" of God — This learned author's foiu-th argument — All acts of grace have a respect to Christ — His fifth argument — The answer — A dissertation of the various degrees of punishment— For what reason God may act unequally with equals— Concer…
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But he introduces some as making answers to his argument, who affirm "That Christ was not innocent, but a sinner by imputation, and made sin for us; and that it was necessary from the essential justice of God, and his authority, as enjoining that he should make atonement for sin in himself and in his own person."^ I a…
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What this learned writer farther adds in support of his argument is founded on a mistaken idea of the subject in question; for as the necessity of punishing sin arises from the right and justice of God, it is by no means necessary that he should punish it in one subject more than in another, but only that he should pun…
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A fine show of reasoning ; but there is no real solid truth in it, for all is false. In what sense sin deserves punishment from the necessity of the divine nature, we have already shown at large. Neither, however, do we think ourselves bound to teach that God could not forbid sin but under the penalty of eternal death…
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RUTHERFORD REVIEWED. 615 He proceeds, in the fourth place: "God," says he, "worketh nothing without himself from a necessity of nature." This objection hath Leen already answered by a distinction of necessity into that which is absolute and that which is conditional, nor shall we now delay the reader by repeating what…
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In his proofs of the sixth argument, which this learned author adds to his former from Twisse, lie says, " There is neither reason nor RUTHEEFOED EEVIEWED. 617 any shadow of reason in it, that the delay of punishment, or a dis- pensation with it, as to time and manner, can be determined by the free good pleasure of G…
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' " Dei libertati non subjacere," — " is not subject to." — V,\>. 2 Titus i. 5. » James i. 15. < Jude 0. ^ Horn. i. lb. « Gen. iii. 17. ' 2 Pot. iii. 7. USES OF THE DOCTRIKE. 619 Yea, forasmuch as, in tliis state of things which we have described as being permitted by the Avill of God, " the creature was made subjec…
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First, then, to address you who live, or rather are dead, under the guilt, dominion, power, and law of sin, " how shall ye escai^e the dam- nation of hell?" The judgment of God is, that they who commit those things to which you are totally given up, and which you cannot refrain from, are " worthy of death." " It is a f…
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When Tigranes, son of the king of Armenia, had said to Cyrus that he would purchase his wife's liberty at the jorice of his life, and she was consequently set free by Cyrus, while some were admiring and extolling one virtue of Cyrus, and some another, she being asked what she most admired in that illustrious hero, answ…
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It will be for ever esteemed a miracle of God's providence, that he should have made the captivity or wicked sale of Joseph, by means of so many windings, perplexed mazes, and strange occur- rences, issue at last in his own exaltation and the preservation of his brethren, who impiously sold him. But if any one, though …
322 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.