Casuistry is liable to abuse, and has often been abused. It tends to foster a morbid subjectivity, and to enei-vate principle. Every Christian pastor, however, in the course of his official duties, must sometimes be called to resolve the doubts
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nnd scruples which are apt to embarrass the tender conscience. As handled by the divines to whom we have last referred, it really embraces all questions of Christian obligation and practice; and on some points their discussions are among the best treatises on practical religion in the language. Nor can the divine entirely overlook casuistry, even in the strict sense of the term, seeing the apostle Paul was very careful to direct and enlighten the consciences of Christians in his day, who scrupled to eat " things offered in sacrifice unto idols."
It would be matter of regret, if the prejudice now entertained against a field of theological discussion cultivated to such an extent by divines of former generations, should prevent any reader from perusing the Discourses of our author which follow. Owen's was not the mind on any subject to be lost in obscure mysticism and refined subtilties, and to disport itself in a species of moral gymnastics, from which no overt and positive advantage could accrue to himself or to his hearers. These Discourses deal with momentous questions of religious experience, and are replete with suggestions and advices, which will be prized in proportion as the religion of the heart prevails, and so long as Christianity is not buried in formalism. The spirit which pervades all these brief but important Discourses, may be gathered from a weighty observation in one of them: " Suppose we should resolve with great earnestness, diligence, watchfulness, to abide in duties, in inward duties, to watch over our hearts, — which is required of us; yet if in our so doing we are taken off thereby from frequent actings of faith upon Christ, as the spring of our life, we shall decay, under all our endeavours, watchfulness, and multiplication of duties." — Ed.
DISCOURSE I.1
Question. What conviction of a state of sin, and of the guilt of sin, is necessary to cause a soul sincerely to look after Christ?
Answer. There is one thing only that I shall at present speak to, and that is this : What is the lowest condition that hath the nature of conviction in sincerity, so as that souls may not be discouraged from closing with Christ because they have had no greater convictions of sin? And I shall speak to it on this account, — because, although the things that have already been spoken by others are true, and such as those who have spoken them have found to be true by the word and their own experience ; yet, it may be, others have not come up in their experience unto such a distinct observation of the work of convic- tion as hath been laid down, [so] that they may be discouraged. For, seeing conviction is so indispensably necessary, some may say, " It hath not been thus and thus with me, — according as hath been de- clared." Therefore, I would only show what I judge to be so neces- sary, as that without it a soul cannot be supposed sincerely to have closed with Christ. And we having all made our profession of choos- 1 Delivered January 28, 1672.
360 conviction or sin.
ing and closing with Christ, as I would be loath to say any thing that might discourage any, lest they should have failed in the very neces- sary work of conviction ; so I would not betray the truth of God, nor the souls of any.
Therefore, I shall place it upon this: What Jesus Christ doth in- dispensably call men unto, in order to believing in him, that is indis- pensably required of them. And this I shall manifest out of two or three places of Scripture : — Mark ii. 17, "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Now, this calling them Unto repentance, is a calling them unto it by the faith which is in him. The apostle saith, 1 Tim. i. 15, " It is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners." What kind of sinners doth Christ call? Whom he calls to repentance, he calls to faith; and whom he calls to faith, that they may truly believe, they are sinners, — opposed unto them that are righteous: " I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repent- ance." " The righteous ! " who are those righteous ? The Scriptures tell us of these very men, that there were two sorts of them: First, Such as trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised other men. As long as a man trusteth in himself that he is righteous, Christ doth not call that man to believe. So long as a man is per- suaded that his condition is good enough, he shall do well enough, that man hath no Avarrant to believe. Another description of these very persons, though upon another occasion, is given by the apostle Paul, Rom. x. 3, where he says, they were ignorant of the righte- ousness of God, and went about to establish their own righteousness. Though they did not come to trust in themselves for righteousness, yet sought righteousness as it were by the works of the law, and went about to establish their own righteousness; — Jesus Christ doth not call these men to believe : these righteous persons have no ground for believing. What ia the conclusion? " Lost sinners," saith Christ, " this is that I require of you." So that this is what I assert to be indispensably necessary,— namely, that they are so far convinced that they are sinners as to state and course, that they are not righteous in themselves, and can have no righteousness in themselves. I say, therefore, when a person is not really convinced that he is not righte- ous, he is not under the call of Jesus Christ; and if he doth believe this, he is under a sovereign dispensation, and let not such despond.