PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Works of John Owen — Volume 8
John Owen · 329,108 words · 326 reading sections
Section 301
THE DESIGN OF IMPENDENT JUDGMENTS. 611 and in vain shall we seek for remedy or healing any other way than that proposed. This, therefore, we shall inquire into. The first thing supposed in the proposition before laid down was taken from the circumstance of the time wherein, and with reference whereunto, our Lord Jesu…
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2. The loss of the power of that religion whose outward form we do retain. We are all Protestants, and will abide to be of the Protestant religion. But wdierein? In the Confession, and all the ' Jacquks-Apguste de Thou, born at Paris in 1553, was made one of the presi- dents of the Parlement de Paris in 1594. The firs…
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(2.) It is so, for the humbling of our souls under a sense of sin ; which would better become some of us, than feeding on the ashes of reserves for exemption in the day of distress. Some may suppose, that, by reason of their personal freedom from those public provoking sins which abound in the nation, — that on one ac…
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Fifthly. These things render impendent judgments inevitable, with- out repentance and reformation, when they are committed in a land of light and knowledge. Such the land hath been ; and wherein yet there is any defect therein, it is a part of the sin and punishment of the nation. See Isa. xxvi. 10. From the light that…
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Hereof the apostle gives an account, Rom. xi. 5-10. It is there- fore, in a time of great provocations, no certain evidence that inevi- table public judgments are not approaching, because the word and other means of grace are effectual to the conversion of some amongst us; for God may hereby be gathering of his own unt…
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G20 THE DESIGN OF IMPENDENT JUDGMENTS. whole heart, but fcignedly, saith the Lord." See chap. iv. 18. How- beit, this reformation of Josiah was accepted with God, and had its influence into the mitigation or sanctification of the ensuing desolation. And this sort of judgment is very different from that before in- sist…
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2. The threatening of them is an ordinance of God, to call us unto the use of such means as xvherehy they may he prevented. He foi'etells our destruction, that we may not be destroyed; as it was in the case of Nineveh. And this is the only symptom whereby "\ve find out and discern the nature of threatened impendent ju…
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2. God doth it for the end under consideration ; namely, that they may be a means to call a poor guilty j^eople unto that repentance and reformation whereby impendent judgments may be diverted. Secondly. There are five ways whereby God giveth warning of the approach of desolating judgments when a land is full of sin :…
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(3.) Always bear in mind our infallible guidance as unto God's final dealing vntli impenitent sinners. This the whole Scripture con- stantly, equally, universally witnesses unto, that it shall be eternal destruction; and this will preserve us from distracting surprisals, when we find things fall out beyond our expectat…
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THE DESIGN OF IMPENDENT JUDGMENTS. G27 2. The truth is, we have, upon the matter, lutd them all, and they have abounded amongst us. We have had the previous judgments of plague, fire, and war. Some may say they were desolating judgments themselves; and so indeed they were. But whereas sin still aboundeth, and no ref…
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That this divine constitution (namely, that repentance and refor- mation shall save a church, people, or nation, in the state before described, and that nothing else shaD do so, however men may please and pride themselves in their own imaginations) is equal, just, and good, — that it is meet it should be so, — that it …
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To find out the cause hereof, I shall briefly consider all sorts of per- Kons who are concerned to plant this heahng tree, whose root is re- pentance, and whose fruit is reformation of life. And they are of three sorts: — 1. Magistrates; 2. Ministers; 3. The people them- selves. Unless there be a concurrence of the en…
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3. Besides the charge they must be at themselves, they perceive the opposition they shall meet withal from others. They find that they shall not only disoblige and provoke all sorts of persons, and lose many of their useful friends, but also cxi)ose themselves unto THE DESIGN OF IMPENDENT JUDGMENTS. 633 obloquy, scor…
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8. The advantage which many may make unto themselves by the present, posture of things, and fear of alterations by reformation, is a mountain in the way, — a mighty obstacle against entertaining serious thoughts about it. 4. The Scripture most frequently casts the cause hereof on men's security in their earthly enjoym…
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2. A real sense of Qod's displeasure, and the approach of deso- lating judgments. It is not enough that we have a conviction and sense of our own sins, but we must have them also of the sins of the nation, whereby God is provoked to anger; and apprehensions of his displeasure are to influence our minds in all that we g…
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Fourthly. The reformation called for, as the condition of escaping of impendent judgments, must be universal, — at least general, — amongst all sorts and degrees, all orders and estates of men. All sorts have sinned, all sorts are threatened; and therefore repentance is required of all, if we would not perish. It is so…
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2. The due execution of laws against flagitious immoralities. And, — 3. An encouraging exam2jle in their 02vn persons; without wdiich all things will grow worse and worse, whatever else be done. Men seem to be weary, in some measure, of the dismal effects of sin ; but they seem not to be weary of sin. Unto this wearin…
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That which God requires of us, in such a season, is called in Scrip- lief in neither. Reference is made by Critias to some predictions lie liad lieard among the Cliristians, that disaster and ruin were speedily to overtalie the l{onian empire. As if in ridicnle and confutation of the jirophecy, no sooner has lie ended…
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1. That a deejj consideration of, and inquiry into, the mind of God in such a season as xue have described, is required of us in a way of duty. It is our sin to neglect it, and that attended with many aggiavations. It is not a thing that we may attend unto or omit, as it seems convenient; but it is required as a duty o…
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For, first, under the influence of this confidence they have engaged into as vile immortalities as ever were perpetrated under the sun; — murder, persecution, assassinations, dying in falsehoods, with a gene- ral design to pursue the same ways unto the utmost, in the destiiic- tion of multitudes of innocent persons, as…
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[1.] That we are not only to believe tJieir accoinplishmeut, but to be in the actual exercise of faith about it; for without this, we shall want a great supportment of patient long-suffering in every time of trial. And by this faith do we take in the power and comfort of things promised, things not actually enjoyed; fo…
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The story of the prophets Jeremiah and Hananiah is applicable in this case, Jer. xxviii. And it is certain that, before the final destruc- tion of Jerusalem, that which principally hardened the people unto their utter ruin, so as they would hearken neither to the voice of God nor man for their safety, was a presumption…
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For our parts, we cannot search into, we cannot judge, the hearts of others, any other way but by the application of the word unto their consciences ; but I must Jieeds say, that if men's outward actions be an indication of the inward frame of their minds, there is reason enough for the most of us to be jealous over ou…
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THE DESIGN OF IMPENDENT JUDGMENTS. Go3 of our hearts, 1 Cor. xiv. 25, that we may fall down and judge oi;r- selves also. To hide ourselves at such a season from the power of the word, is an open evidence of a ruining security. This work, in the use of these means, is to be called over and per- sisted in, if we design…
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It is a matter of soitow unto them that truly fear Goil, and have THE DESIGN OF IMPENDENT JUDGMENTS. 655 any concernment in Lis glory, or the honour of Christ, that the whole world, so far as we know, is filled with all abominable, provoking sins. It lies under a deluge of sin, as it lay of old under a flood of water…
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Negligence, coldness, and sloth in these things, are tokens of approaching judgments. And of some of them at this day the ge- nerality of professors seem to be almost weary, and to attend unto them in a very indifferent and overly manner. But we may know assuredly, that if we thrive not in our diligence in these things…
871 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.