PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Works of John Owen — Volume 14
John Owen · 294,695 words · 278 reading sections
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mliiiiiiiiiiiuiitiiiiiiiirmiiiiiimi'i J Hi I B I^ -A. It "ST cal0jiical <f emimvvjj, PRINCETON. N. J. The Stephen Collins Donation, j BX 9315 .08^850 v.lA^^''^ Owen, John, 1616-1683. The works of John Owen THE WORKS / JOHN OWEN, D.D. BY THE REV. WILLIAM H. GOOLD, EDINBURGH. VOL. XIV. I^EW YORK: ROBERT CAR…
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SOME CONSIDERATIONS ABOUT UNION AMONG PROTESTANTS. Prefatory Note by the Editor. ....... 518 Some Considerations, etc. ........ 519 A BRIEF AND IMPARTIAL ACCOUNT OF THE NATURE OF THE PROTESTANT RELIGION. Prefatory Note by the Editor ....... 630 The State and Fate of the Protestant Religion . , . . . 53 1 ANIMADYE…
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TO THE READER. Reader, The treatise entitled " Fiat Lux," which thou wilt find examined in the ensuing discourse, was lent unto me, not long since, hy an honourable person, with a re- quest to return an answer unto it. It had not been many hours in my hand before the same desire was seconded by others. Having made no …
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That then this sort of men would not only be angling in the lesser brooks of our troubled waters, endeavouring to inveigle wandering, loose, and discontented individuals (which hath been their constant employment), but also come with their nets into our open streams, was the thoughts of all men who count themselves con…
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PREFACE. 7 author, WTitten with the same design that this is, he sliall have one proselyte to his profession ; which is more, I suppose, than otherwise he will obtain by his learned labour. That this is no other but to persuade men that they can find no certainty or establishment for their faith in Scripture, but must…
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" Oculis male lippus inunctis, Cur in amiconira vitiis tam cernis acutum, Quam aut Aquila aut Serpens Epidaurius?" [Ilor. Sat. i. 3, 25.] Let them that are innocent throw stones at others : Roman Catholics are unfit to be employed in that work. But it was never judged either a safe or honest way to judge of any reli…
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His method he speaks unto, p. 13. " My method," saith he, " I do purposely conceal, to keep therein a more handsome decorum; for he that goes about to part a fighting fray cannot observe a method, but must turn himself this way and that, as occasion offers, be it a corporeal or mental duel. So did good St Paul, in his …
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" Inceptis gravibus plerumque et magna professis Pui-pureus, late qui splendeat, \mus et alter Assuitiir pannus ; Sed nunc non erat Ms locus." — [Hor. ad Pis. 15.] Use of disputing has cast him, at the very entrance of his discourse, upon, as he supposeth, a particular controversy between Protestants and Rornan Cath…
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* The earliest author who is known to haTe written against Chi'istianity, and among the ablest of its opponents. He is called by Origen an Epicurean, though some of his views have a greater affinity with Platonism. He flourished during the latter half of the second century. His work against Christianity was entitled Ao…
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I. " That we, in these nations, first received the Christian religion from Rome, by the mission and authority of the pope." II. " That whence and from whom we first received our religion, there and with them we ought to abide; to them we must repair for guidance in all our concernments in it; and speedily return to th…
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20 ANIMADVERSIONS ON A TREATISE ligion might have been propagated at first from Rome into Britain, considering what in those days was the condition of the one place and the other : yet things were so ordered in the providence of tlie Lord, that it fell out otherwise; and the gospel was preached here in Eng- land proba…
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II. " That whence and from whom we first received our religion, there and with them we must abide therein; to them we must re- pair for guidance ; and return to their rule and conduct, if we have departed from them." I have showed already that there is no privity of interests between us and the Romanists in this matte…
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24 AXIMADVERSIOXS ON A TREATISE that a church was planted in that city, for any thing that may be made to appear by story, it was, as to the first edition of Christianity in the Roman empire, as Uttle serviceable in the propagation of the gospel as any other church of name in the world : so that, if such principles sh…
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The supposition on which all his ensuing queries ai'e founded must be rightly stated, its terms freed from ambiguity, and the whole from equivocation; — which a word or two, unto, first, the subject; and then, secondly, the predicate of the proposition, or what is attributed unto the subject spoken of; and, thirdly, th…
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First, saith he, " This church could not cease to be such, but she must fall either by apostasy, heresy, or schism." But who told him so ? Might she not cease to be, and so consequently to be such ? Might not the persons of whom it consisted have been destroyed by an earthquake, as it happened to Laodicea ? or by the s…
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8. To apostasy and heresy she hath also added the guilt of schism in a high degree. For schisms within herself, and her great schism from all the Christian world besides herself, are things well known to all that know her. Her intestine schisms were the .shame of Christendom, her schisms in respect of others the ruin o…
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32 ANIMADVERSIONS ON A TREATISE in those days as they are now represented to men that mind only things that are present; nor was their agreement their virtue, but their sin and misery, being centred in bhnduess and ignorance, and cemented with blood. V. "That the first reformers were most of them sorry, contemp- tibl…
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VOL. XIV. 3 34 ANIMADVERSIONS ON A TREATISE duty to use in and about them. Were not the consequences of our differences, which arise merely from our folly and sin, of more impor- tant consideration than our differences themselves, I should very little value the one or the other; knowing that none of them, in their ow…
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" But why have not Protestants a remedy for their evils, a means of ending and making up their differences?" They have the word that is left them for that purpose, which the apostles commended unto them, and which the primitive church made use of, and no other. That this will not serve to prevent or remove any hurtful …
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38 ANIMADVERSIONS ON A TREATISE or to have been given by inspiration from God. It is as good a work as a man can well be employed in ; and there is not any thing I should more gladly "ex professo'' engage in, if the nature of my present business would bear such a diversion. Our author would quickly see what an easy ta…
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40 ANIMADVERSIONS ON A TREATISE live unto him. To say that God would not do this, would not make such a revelation (besides the reflection that it casts on his goodness and wisdom), is indeed to say that he would not do that which we say he would do. The truth is, all the harangues we meet withal about the obscurity o…
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42 ANIMADVERSIONS ON A TREATISE IX. We are come at length unto tlie pope, of whom we are told that " he is a good man, one that seeks nothing but our good, that never did us harm, but has the care and inspection of us committed unto him by Christ." For my part I am glad to hear such news of him, and should be more gla…
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As I before observed, he that shall but cursorily run through this discourse will quickly find that these false suppositions, ungrounded 4i ANIMADVEESIONS ON A TREATISE presumptions, and unwarrantable pretensions, are things which are disposed of to be the foundations, nerves, and sinews of all the rhetoric that it i…
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46 ANIMADVERSIONS ON A TREATISE withal. These are things that may be fit to entangle unstable spirits, who, being regardless of eternity, and steering their course according to every blast of temptation that fills their lusts and carnal pleasures, are as ready to change their religion (if men can make any change in or…
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IS ANI^tfADVERSIOXS OX A TREATISE CHAPTER IV. Contests about religion and reformation, schoolmen, etc. CllAP. I.^ The title of tliis chapter was proposed; the pursuit of it now ensues. The first paragraph is a declamation about sundry things which have not much blameworthy in them. Their common weakness is, that the…
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About the appellations he shall think meet to make use of in re- ference to the persons at variance, we will not contend with him; only I desire to let him know that the reproach of Galilean from the Pagans, which he appropriates to the Papists, was worn out of the VOL. XIV. 4 50 ANIMADVERSIONS ON A TREATISE world b…
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52 ANIMAX>VERSIONS ON A TEEATISE and Ave will do as well as we can with ours in England : we will trouble you no more about yours ; nor, pray, do not you meddle with us or ours. Lee us pray for one another, wait on God for light and direction, it being told us, that ' if any one be otherwise minded ' (than according t…
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54. ANi:^IADVERSIOXS ON A TREATISE ^ necessary to be discussed, as to the matter of fact, in reference to this rule the reader may find handled under that consideration of the first supposition which our author builds his discourse upon. Sect. iv. p. 48. " Heats and Resolution" is the title of this sec- tion ; in whi…
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Sect. V. p. 54. The last section of this chapter contains motives to moderation, three in number; land I suppose that no man doubts but that many more might be added, eveiy one in weight outdoing all these three. The first is that alone which Protestants are concerned to look unto; not that Protestants oppose any motiv…
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58 ANIMADVERSIONS ON A TREATISE are we at any such a loss therein as to bring us to any uncertainty about the piinciples of our rehgion ; nor, if we were, have we the least reason to look for any relief from Rome. When I happen upon any of these discourses, I cannot but say to myself, What do these men intend ? Do the…
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60 ANIMADVERSIONS ON A TREATISE. him ; that the eyes of our understanding being enUghtened, we may know what is the hope of his caUing, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power towards them that beheve, according to the working of the might of …
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G2 ANIMADVERSIONS ON A TREATISE be universally tnie, I dare say there is not one word tme in the Scripture. How often doth God complain in the Old Testament that his people " forsook him for that which was not God ! " and how many do the apostles show us in the New to have "forsaken the truth ! " It is true, that unde…
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61 ANIMADVEESIOXS ON A TREATISE prognosticatiou of our author, calculated from the meridian of Rome. For my part, I fear not such kind of prophets. Protestant religion hath, by the blessing of God, retrieved the nation from the doors of atheism, and kept it safe almost these hundred years, notwithstand- ing the woful …
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(JG ANIMADVERSIONS ON A TREATISE rity. Nay, be it that it be iDcleed a truth which he denies,— being only denied by him because he is persuaded that it is not of Christ, the first revealer, and therefore not true,— there is no fear of the dan- ger threatened. But the matter is, that all that is brought from Christ by …
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2. What is the meaning of that which follows, " If there be no value or merit in good works?" Who ever taught that there is no value in good works? that they are not commanded of God? that they are not accepted with him? that they are not our duty, to be careful in the performance of? that God is not honoured, the gosp…
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70 ANIMADVEESIONS ON A TREATISE An unsearchable abyss in many of God's providential dispensa- tions, wherein the infinite sovereignty, wisdom, and righteousness of him who giveth no account of his matters are to be adored, we readily acknowledge; and yet I dare freely say, that most of the things in- stanced inl)y our…
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72 ANiaiADVERSIONS ON A TREATISE Scripture cannot be known, believed, understood, but by the church; the church cannot be proved to have being, constitution, or autho- rity but by the Scripture: and then, if you doubt of the authority of that proof of the church, you must return to the church again ; and so on, till a…
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7i ANIMADVERSIONS ON A TREATISE All the world of Protestants profess that they receive their religion wholly by revelation from God, and no otherwise. Nor is it about ascribing a sovereignty to reason to judge of the particulars of re- lio-ion so revealed, to accept or refuse them, according as that shall judge them s…
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1 Owen most probably alludes to a weak enthusiast of the name of John Baptist Vanini. He was born at Taurosano, in the kingdom of Naples, in 1585. He publislied at Lyons, in 1615, a work entitled " Amphitheatrum reternte Pi'ovidentite," etc.; and in the following year another, entitled "De Admirandis Naturae, Eeginae D…
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His first section is entitled, " Light and Spirit," the pretence whereof he treats after his manner, and cashiers from giving any such advantage as is inquired after. But neither yet are we arrived to any concernment of Protestants. That which they plead as their advantage is not the empty names of light and spirit, bu…
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God himself, in an orderly succession to those days. The interpreta- tion of Scripture, it pretended, was trusted with it alone ; and tradi- tions they had good store, whose original they pleaded from Moses liimself, directing them in that interpretation. Christ and his apos- tles, whom they looked upon as poor, ignora…
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ENTITLED FIAT LUX. 81 aud where it is found contradictory of it, her authority is of no value at all, it being annexed unto her attendance on that rule. But it may be replied, that " the cluuxh in the days of the apostles was not yet settled, nor made firm enough to bear the weight that now may be laid upon it, as our…
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ENTITLED FIAT LUX. 83 to an argument against infant baptism ; but the truth is, if the Ana- baptists had no other objections against infant baptism, nor Protest- ants no better answers to their objections, than what are mentioned here by our author, it were no great matter what become of the con- troversy; but it is m…
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ENTITLED FIAT LUX. 85 blames, and not Protestancy? men's miscarriages, and not their ride's imperfection? If it be so, I crave his pardon for having troubled him thus far. To defend Protestants for not answering the principles of their profession is a task too hard for me to undertake, nor do I at all like the busines…
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ENTITLED FIAT LUX, 87 cljiircli among themselves, as bishops after them have also, yet this doth not denominate the government of the church aristocratical, no more than the equality of the lords in parliament can denominate the government of this kingdom to be so. The denomination of any rule is from him or them in w…
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2. It is also doughtily supposed, " That whatever is spoken of the church in tiie Scripture belongs to the Roman church, and that alone:" the privileges, the authority, the glory of the church, are all theirs; as the madman at Athens thought all the ships to be his that came into the liarbour. I suppose he will not con…
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5. But that which is the chief ingredient of these sections is the plea, " That we know not the Scripture to be the word of God but by the church, — that is, the present church of Rome;" which he manageth by urging sundry objections against it, and difficulties which men meet withal in their inquiry whether it be so or…
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7. The gi'eat " safety and security that there is in committing our- selves, as to all the concernments of religion, unto the guidance, rule, and conduct of the pope," is another great princij)Ie of this discourse. And here our author falls into a deej) admiration of the pope's " dex- terity in keeping all his subjects…
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6. " The Scripture you received from the pope." Not at all, as hath been proved ; but from Christ himself, by the ministry of the first planters of Christianity. 7. "You cannot believe the Scriptures to be the word of God but upon the authority of the church." We can and do upon the authority of God himself; and the i…
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The honour of having been the first to introduce the Christian faith into our island has also been claimed for James the son of Zebedee, who was killed by Herod, Acts xii. 2 ; and for Aristobulus, to whom, with his household, a salutation is addressed by Paul, Piom. xvi. 10. On the ground of som.e statements which occu…
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ENTITLED FIAT LUX. 97 professed in England, or that of Rome? If this be determined, the business is at an issue. We are persuaded Joseph brought no other religion with him than what was taught by Peter and Paul, and the rest of the apostles and evangelists, in other parts of the world. What religion men taught " viva …
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That which is termed our second conversion, is the preaching of Damianus and Fugatius, sent hither by Eleutherius, bishop of Rome, in the days of king Lucius, in the year 190, as our author saith ; Beda, 156; Nauclerus, Baronius, 178; Henricus de Erfordia, 169, in the days of Aurelius or Commodus. I have many reasons t…
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100 ANIMADVERSIONS ON A TREATISE conversion of the emperors to the faith, intrusted them witli outward peace and prosperity. I desire not to make naked their miscarriages whom I doubt not but in mercy God hath long since pardoned; but it cannot be denied that the stories of those days are full of nothing more than the…
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Augustine was soon able to report to Gregory considerable success in his mission, though the equivocal character of his proceedings may be understood from the fact, that, in his communications to Rome, he dwelt with especial pride and satisfaction on the baptism of ten thousand heathens in one Christmas-day. The vain-g…
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10^ ANIMADVERSIONS ON A TREATISE tered, in the providence of God, unto that reformation which, in the next place, he gives us the story of. Little cause had he to mind us of this story ; little to boast of the primitive catholic faith ; little to pretend the Romish religion to have been that which was first planted in…
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106 ANIMADVERSrONS ON A TREATISE up to a cursed, blasphemous supposition of ravishing the blessed Virgin; so cocksure he made of the forgiveness of any thing beneath it, provided the price were paid that was set upon the pardon. Sober men beinfT much amazed and grieved at these honible impieties, one ]\Iartin Luther, …
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"Dehinc ut quiescant, porro raoneo, ct dcsinant Maledicere, malefacta ne noscant sua." — [Ter. And. Pro!., 22.] The declaration made in the days of that king, that he was the head of the church of England, intended no more but that there Avas no other person in the world from whom any jurisdiction to be exer- cised in…
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110 ANIMADVERSIONS ON A TREATISE scene than England to try out our contests by this rule. I hope, wlien he writes next, he will have better considered this matter, and not flatter himself that the crimes of any Protestants do enable him to conclude, as he doth, that the only way for jDcace is the extermina- tion of Pr…
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1 1 2 ANIMADVERSIONS ON A TREATISE may be no contradiction: for all Papists are not^ we know it well enough, of the same mould and form. Some may more imbibe some principles of religion, tending in appearance to mortification; some, those that lead to pride and presumption, and so be liable to several charges; but nei…
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' The Hebrew word "missach" signifies an offering, and the term "mass" has been dei'ived from it by some Eoman Catholic writers. The word in Latin is "missa," and it is more probable that it arose from the dismissal of the catechumens in the services of the ancient church, befoi'e the sacrament was dispensed. " Ite, mi…
1,179 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.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.