PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Works of John Owen — Volume 17
John Owen · 272,629 words · 274 reading sections
Section 241
THE OBLIGATION TO INCREASE IN GODLINESS. 539 there is no more needful but so to walk as that they may be mem bers in the church, and give no offence to the church ; some, who have already attained a good reputation in their profession, may not think it incumbent on them to do any more but to keep up their place and st…
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Now, brethren, I would desire you to consider this, in the second place, that church-society is the peculiar way that God hath chosen and ordained whereby we may express covenant-obedience, unto the glory of God and the furtherance of our own salvation. I say, that church-society is a peculiar way God hath appointed wh…
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THE apostle, in the first chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, gives an account of the great and abominable sins that Rome pagan, heathen Rome, was given up unto, the catalogue of sins in that place no way exceeding that given us in this. It may be asked what pagans and heathens these were ? The apostle here tells us …
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Secondly, It is greatly perilous in point of temptations. There are two or three things wherein the open wickedness of the world proves a great temptation to professors: — 1. All professors are apt to countenance themselves in their lesser miscarriages by the open sins of the world. That makes a day of great sinning v…
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VOL. XVII. 35 546 THE MUTUAL CARE OF BELIEVERS OVER ONE ANOTHER. is, then, the church watch ? It is the work of every member, ac cording to its measure, to the increase of grace in itself and others, ac cording to the principle of love. This we all know ; but we are slow in the improvement of it. This is the work of …
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Their spiritual good, whereby we may keep up this watch, is to be sought two ways; — by the prevention of evil, on the one hand; and by recovery from evil, promotion of grace, and confirming in it, on the other hand. We are to prevent evil in others. There are two ways whereby we may do it, — by example, and by exhort…
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This is the end of it all. So that you have an account of what are those causes whereon God in his word doth pronounce cities and nations to be ruined and destroyed, even then when they stand in their fullest security, in their own opinion. Now, the inquiry is, how those things are with us. I told you I would do no mo…
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Thirdly, Another thing in the text is the preparation and dispo sition that are in a nation to ruin. But I shall not speak unto them ; they are visible and known unto all. But you will say, * When God doth thus in his word declare that a nation is fallen and ruined by such causes, is there no hope but that it must be …
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This comprises the whole remainder of outward sins against the Lord. I shall not need to speak unto them ; I shall only touch upon the aggravation: — 1. The first aggravation of these sins, that makes them ruinous, is when they rise to such a degree as that they are a " provocation unto the eyes of God's glory." The …
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There are three or four things I would mention, that I have upon my thoughts: — 1. The open discovery of the profaneness and villany of their hearts, in striving to hide from God and man the wickedness they had con trived, byadding a newwickedness unto it, which they had not thought of, — the murdering of that innocen…
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I shall a little open the words in particular. It is a double description of the persons spoken of : — 1. With re ference to their state and condition before God ; they are " righteous men :" 2. With respect unto their state and condition towards men ; they are useful men, " merciful men," who are spoken of. First, W…
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Again ; a just man is said to perish and be gathered in, because of the help and assistance he should have been unto the church, and city, and place where he lived. He is perished and gone. The just man perishes, and the merciful man is taken away. They are gathered. There is an emphasis upon the season. There is a tim…
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Why are they taken from the " evil to come"? First, That God may bring the evil: 'I will leave some when THE HUMILIATION AND CONDESCENSION OP CHRIST. Olii the evil comes to be exercised ; may be an old man, may be a young man. It waits but till I have gathered some to myself. I cannot bring evil till those lights be…
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Thirdly, There is the application and improvement of these things unto our practice : " Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus;" which is the thing I principally aim at, though I cannot reach unto it at this time. The words, so far as we are concerned, will be opened in our pas sage. I shall take these…
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I make my inference from hence : If such be the eternal, blessed nature of God, and his infinite distance from all creatures, if such be his infinite self-sufficiency and blessedness, that it is a hum bling of himself so much as to behold the most glorious things in heaven or the greatest things on earth, what great hu…
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566 THE HUMILIATION AND CONDESCENSION OF CHRIST. mixed and compounded into one nature, so that it was neither that divine nature that was originally and eternally, nor human nature, but another, a third nature, made in time. This frenzy troubled the church for above one hundred years. Though Christ was made to be what…
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I should have insisted upon the consequences of it, — for neither of his natures is changed, — and how the divine nature was concealed and veiled hereby ; but these must be waived at present. 3. I shall speak to the use of it, and so conclude: — The use should be, to raise up our hearts into the admiration of the great…
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SERMON XII. ENOCH'S WALK WITH GOD. [THE DATE OF THIS SERMON APPEARS TO BE OCTOBER 8, 1675.] "And Enoch walked with God : and he was not ; for God took him." GEN. v. 24. THIS Enoch here spoken of hath the most considerable circum stances of any one of the patriarchs before the flood, nor was there any more but one a…
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Enoch was a great prophet, and a great preacher, and a great patriarch; yet in his deliverance and translation there is no respect had unto these things, but only unto his walking with God. And this is that wherein you, who are neither prophets, nor preachers, nor of any great signification in the world, may be like un…
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3. I shall not need to insist upon the explication of the meta phor of " walking with God/' or walking before him, which is com monly spoken unto and generally understood by all who concern themselves in these things. The Scripture doth variously express it unto us. It is " the life of God/' which wicked men are " alie…
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SECONDLY, It ought to be inquired what it is to live unto God, which we are thus to design. I answer briefly, three things are required thereunto: — 1. That we make him our end ; 2. That we make his will our only rule ; 3. That we expect our strength and reward from him alone. 1. If we live to God, we make him our un…
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ENOCH'S WALK WITH GOD. 577 general end of living unto God as any of those actions may whose ends they are. [2.] It is not, therefore, necessary that, in every particular action of our lives, of what sort soever it be, natural, civil, or religious, we should actually make the glory of God, or the glorifying of God, to…
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5thly. Keadiness to do many things on the sole account of God's glory is also required hereunto. I have showed that there are par ticular and general ends of our moral actions, and how they differ. Now, our particular end cannot be made a general end, but our gene ral end may be made a particular; that is, the immediat…
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(1.) To know it, and that we make it no small part of our endea vours so to do. All light, wisdom, knowledge, and direction, are laid up in the word of God. See Ps. xix. 7, 8, cxix. 98-100; 2 Tim. iii. 16, 1 7. But yet we must consider two things : — [1.] That many great and principal parts of this wisdom and these dir…
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There are also five false rules whereby men may deceive them selves in their moral and civil conversation: — [1.] The example of the best of men, taking in their infirmities. The examples of good men, being considered as they exemplify Scripture rules, are forcible encouragements unto duty. The example of Christ is an …
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Brethren, you see who it is that is here intended, — the true church of God, in a low, weak, distressed condition ; and there are some at least among them eminently wrestling with God and eminently wrestling with men for the great blessing of Jesus Christ and the gospel. Pray take notice that God can, and sometimes dot…
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These four effects do constantly accompany the lifting up of God's countenance, and the shining of his face upon us. Wherefore the hiding of God's face must respect these effects, — light and guidance, spiritual strength, joy, and deliverance. 1. The hiding of God's face respects light and guidance: Hos. v. 6, " They …
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2. When God hides his face, there will be a decay as to spiritual strength, as to the flourishing and vigour of grace. I have spoken so much and so often to you upon this head, in this place, in our in quiry wherefore the Lord doth harden the hearts of his people from his fear, and in conference among ourselves, that I…
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Have we not from hence another evidence that God doth hide his face from us, in the decay of spiritual joys. Either carnal joys and satisfaction do possess the room of them, or the cares of this world do stifle them, or we have not such surprisals with exultation of spirit as spiritual joy will give us upon all occasio…
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Now, it is a sign God hides his face, when we grow languid and cold in our endeavours. " Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD." We grow languid in our endeavours; warm one day and cold another, enlarged in prayer one day, and give over the. next; we do not warm one another: and yet our lives, and souls,…
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3. Lukewarmness and formality in religious duties and worship are another reason why God hides his face from us. A multitude of duties men do perform. I never knew any professors in my life that were under the power of light and conviction, that did intend to countenance themselves in their lusts, but did multiply duti…
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DISCOURSE I. JUNE 8, 1673. FAITH is bounded, in every ordinance, by its objects and acts. The general object of saving faith respecting God, is the truth of his word and promises, Rom. xv. 8. The special object of our faith in this ordinance is the sufferings and death of Christ. Herein he is " evidently set forth cr…
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Christ made a double presentation of himself, as the great media tor ; — first, when he offered himself a sacrifice on the cross, for the accomplishing the work of man's redemption; secondly, when he presented himself to God in heaven, there to do whatever remained to be done with God on our behalf by his intercession.…
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1 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.