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THE
WORKS
OF
JOHN OWEN, D.D.
EDITED BY
THE REV. WILLIAM H. GOOLD, D.D.,
EDINBURGH.
VOL. XI.
EDINBURGH:
T. & T. CLARK, 38, GEORGE STREET.
LONDON. HAMILTON, ADAMS, AND CO. DUBLIN: JOHN ROBERTSON
MDCCCLXII.
MURRAY AND GIBB, PRINTERS, EDINBURGH.
CONTENTS OF VOLUME XI.
THE DOCTRINE OF THE SAINTS' PERSEVERANCE
EXPLAINED AND CONFIRMED.
The various thoughts of men concerning the doctrine proposed to consideration-The
great concernment of it, however stated, on all hands confessed-Some special causes
pressing to the present handling of it-The fearful backsliding of many in these days
-The great offence given and taken thereby, with the provision made for its removal
-The nature of that offence and temptation thence arising considered-Answer to
some arguings of Mr G., chap. ix., from thence against the truth proposed-The use
of trials and shakings-Grounds of believers' assurance that they are so-The same
farther argued and debated-Of the testimony of a man's own conscience concerning
his uprightness, and what is required thereunto-1 John iii. 7 considered-Of the
rule of self-judging, with principles of settlement for true believers, notwithstand.
ing the apostasies of eminent professors-Corrupt teachings rendering the handling
of this doctrine necessary-Its enemies of old and of late-The particular undertak-
ing of Mr G. proposed to consideration-An entrance into the stating of the question
-The terms of the question explained—Of holiness in its several acceptations-
Created holiness, original or adventitious, complete or inchoate-Typical by dedica-
tion, real by purification-Holiness evangelical, either so indeed or by estimation-
Real holiness partial or universal-The partakers of the first, or temporary believers,
not true believers, maintained against Mr G.-Ground of judging professors to be
true believers-Matt. vii. 20 considered-What is the rule of judging men therein
given-What knowledge of the faith of others is to be obtained--What is meant by
perseverance: how in Scripture it is expressed-The grounds of it pointed at-What
is intended by falling away-Whether it be possible the Spirit of grace may be lost,
or the habit of it, and how-The state of the controversy as laid down by Mr G.-
The vanity thereof discovered-His judgment about believers' falling away examined
-What principles and means of perseverance he grants to them-The enemies of
our perseverance-Indwelling sin in particular considered-No possibility of pre-
servation upon Mr G.'s grounds demonstrated-The means and ways of the saints'
preservation in faith, as asserted by Mr G., at large examined, weighed, and found
light-The doctrine of the saints' perseverance, and way of teaching it, cleared from
Isa. iv.-That chapter opened-The 5th verse particularly insisted on and discussed
-The whole state and method of the controversy thence educed, 77
CHAPTER II.
THE PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS ARGUED FROM THE IMMUTABILITY OF
THE DIVINE NATURE.
The thesis proposed for confirmation-The fivefold foundation of the truth thereof-Of
the unchangeableness of the nature of God, and the influence thereof into the con-
firmation of the truth in hand-Mal. iii. 6 considered and explained-James i. 16-18
opened-Rom. xi. 29 explained and vindicated-The conditions on which grace is
asserted to be bestowed and continued, discussed-The vanity of them evinced in
sundry instances-Of vocation, justification, and sanctification-Isa xl. 27-31 opened
and improved to the end aimed at; also Isa. xliv. 1-8-The sum of the first argu
1830679
ment-Mal. iii. 6, with the whole argument from the immutability of God at large
vindicated-Falsely proposed by Mr G.; set right and re-enforced-Exceptions re-
moved-Sophistical comparisons exploded-Distinct dispensations, according to dis-
tinction of a people-Alteration and change properly and directly assigned to God
by Mr G.-The theme in question begged by him-Legal approbation of duties and
conditional acceptation of persons confounded; as also God's command and purpose
-The unchangeableness of God's decrees granted to be intended in Mal. iii. 6-The
decree directly in that place intended-The decree of sending Christ not immutable,
upon Mr G.'s principles-The close of the vindication of this first argument,
CHAPTER III.
THE IMMUTABILITY OF THE PURPOSES OF GOD.
120
The immutability of the purposes of God proposed for a second demonstration of the
truth in hand-Somewhat of the nature and properties of the purposes of God: the
object of them-Purposes, how acts of God's understanding and will-The only
foundation of the futurition of all things-The purposes of God absolute-Conti-
nuance of divine love towards believers purposed-Purposes of God farther con-
sidered and their nature explained-Their independence and absoluteness evinced
-Proved from Isa. xlvi. 9-11; Ps. xxxiii. 9-11; Heb. vi. 17, 18, etc.-These places
explained-The same truth by sundry reasons and arguments farther confirmed-
Purpose in God of the continuance of his love and favour to believers manifested by
an induction of instances out of Scripture; the first from Rom. viii. 28 proposed,
and farther cleared and improved-Mr G.'s dealing with our argument from hence
and our exposition of this place considered--His exposition of that place proposed
and discussed-The design of the apostle commented on--' n-The fountain of the ac-
complishment of the good things mentioned omitted by Mr G.-In what sense God
intends to make all things work together for good to them that love him-Of God's
foreknowledge-Of the sense and use of the word poyixa, also of scisco, and
za in classical authors-Ipéyvos in Scripture everywhere taken for foreknow-
ledge or predetermination, nowhere for pre-approbation Of pre-approving or pre-
approbation here insisted on by Mr G.-Its inconsistency with the sense of the
apostle's discourse manifested-The progress of Mr G.'s exposition of this place con-
sidered-Whether men love God antecedently to his predestination and their effec-
tual calling-To pre-ordain and pre-ordinate different-No assurance granted of the
consolation professed to be intended-The great uncertainty of the dependence of
the acts of God's grace mentioned on one another-The efficacy of every one of them
resolved finally into the wills of men-Whether calling according to God's purpose
supposeth a saving answer given to that call-The affirmative proved, and excep-
tions given thereto removed-What obstructions persons called may lay in their
own way to justification-The iniquity of imposing conditions and supposals on the
purposes of God not in the least intimated by himself-The whole acknowledged
design of the apostle everted by the interposition of cases and conditions by Mr G.
-Mr G.'s first attempt to prove the decrees of God to be conditional considered-
1 Sam. ii. 30 to that end produced-1 Sam. ii. 30 farther considered, and its unsuit-
ableness to illustrate Rom. viii. 28-31 proved-Interpretation of Scripture by com-
paring of places agreeing neither in design, word, nor matter, rejected-The places
insisted on proved not to be parallel by sundry particular instances-Some observa-
tions from the words rejected-What act of God intended in these words to Eli, "I
said indeed"-No purpose or decree of God in them declared-Any such purpose
as to the house of Eli by sundry arguments disproved-No purpose of God in the
words insisted on farther manifested-They are expressive of the promise or law
concerning the priesthood, Num. xxv. 11-13, more especially relating unto Exod.
xxviii. 43, xxix. 9-The import of that promise, law, or statute, cleared-The example
of Jonah's preaching, and God's commands to Abraham and Pharaoh-The universal
disproportion between the texts compared by Mr G., both as to matter and expres-
sion, farther manifested-Instances or cases of Saul and Paul to prove conditional
purposes in God considered-Conditional purposes argued from conditional threat-
enings-The weakness of that argument-The nature of divine threatenings-What
will of God, or what of the will of God, is declared by them-No proportion between
eternal purposes and temporal threatenings-The issue of the vindication of our ar-
gument from the foregoing exceptions-Mr G.'s endeavour to maintain his exposition
of the place under consideration-The text perverted-Several evasions of Mr G.
from the force of this argument considered-His arguments to prove no certain or
infallible connection between calling, justification, and glorification, weighed and
answered-His first, from the scope of the chapter and the use of exhortations-The
question begged-His second, from examples of persons called and not justified-
The question argued begged-No proof insisted on but the interposition of his own
hypothesis-How we are called irresistibly, and in what sense-Whether bars of
wickedness and unbelief may be laid in the way of God's effectual call-Mr G.'s
demur to another consideration of the text removed-The argument in hand freed
from other objections and concluded-Jer. xxxi. 3 explained and improved, for the
confirmation of the truth under demonstration-2 Tim. ii. 19 opened, and the truth
from thence confirmed-The foregoing exposition and argument vindicated and con-
firmed--The same matter at large pursued-John vi 37-40 explained, and the argu-
ment in hand from thence confirmed-Mr G.'s exceptions to our arguing from this
place removed-The same matter farther pursued-The exposition and argument
insisted on fully vindicated and established-Matt xxiv. 24 opened and improved-
The severals of that text more particularly handled-Farther observations, for the
clearing the mind of the Holy Ghost in this place-The same farther insisted on and
vindicated-Mr G 's exceptions at large discussed and removed-Eph. i. 3-5, 2 Thess.
ii. 13, 14, opened-The close of the second argument, from the immutability of the
purposes of God,
CHAPTER IV.
ARGUMENT FROM THE COVENANT OF GRACE.
140
An entrance into the consideration of the covenant of grace, and our argument from
thence for the unchangeableness of the love of God unto believers--The intendment
of the ensuing discourse-Gen. xvii. 7 opened and explained, with the confirmation
of the argument in hand from thence That argument vindicated and cleared of
objections-Confirmed by some observations-Jer. xxxii 38-40 compared with chap.
xxxi. 31-34-The truth under consideration from thence clearly confirmed-The
certainty, immutability, and infallible accomplishment, of all the promises of the
new covenant demonstrated: 1. From the removal of all causes of alteration; 2. From
the Mediator and his undertaking therein; 3. From the faithfulness of God-One
instance from the former considerations-The endeavour of Mr G. to answer our
argument from this place-His observation on and from the text considered-1. This
promise not made to the Jews only, 2. Nor to all the nation of the Jews, proved
from Rom. xi. 7; not intending principally their deliverance from Babylon-His in-
ferences from his former observations weighed-1. The promise made to the body of
the people of the Jews typical only; 2. An exposition borrowed of Socinus rejected;
3. The promise not appropriated to the time of the captivity, and the disadvantage
ensuing to Mr G.'s cause upon such an exposition-The place insisted on compared
with Ezek. xi. 17-20-That place cleared-A fourth objection answered-This pro-
mise always fulfilled-The spiritual part of it accomplished during the captivity-
God's intention not frustrated-How far the civil prosperity of the Jews was con-
cerned in this promise-Promises of spiritual and temporal things compared-The
covenant of grace how far conditional-Mr G.'s sense of this place expressed-Bor-
rowed from Faustus Socinus-The inconsistency of it with the mind of the Holy
Ghost demonstrated, also with what himself hath elsewhere delivered-No way suited
to be the answer of our argument from the place-The same interpretation farther
disproved-An immediate divine efficacy held out in the words-Conversion and
pardon of sins promised-Differenced from the grace and promises of the old cove-
nant-Contribution of means put by Mr G. in the place of effectual operation of the
thing itself, farther disproved-How, when, and to whom this promise was fulfilled,
farther declared-An objection arising upon that consideration answered-Conjec-
tures ascribed to God by Mr G.-The real foundation of all divine predictions-The
promise utterly enervated, and rendered of none effect by Mr G.'s exposition-Its
consistency with the prophecies of the rejection of the Jews-The close of the argu-
ment from the covenant of grace, 204
CHAPTER V.
ARGUMENT FROM THE PROMISES OF GOD.
Entrance into the argument from the promises of God, with their stability and his faith-
fulness in them-The usual exceptions to this argument-A general description of
gospel promises-Why and on what account called gospel promises-The description
given general, not suited to any single promise-They are free, and that they are so
proved; all flowing from the first great promise of giving a Redeemer-How they are
discoveries of God's good-will; how made to sinners-Consequential promises made
also to believers-Given in and through Christ in a covenant of grace-Their cer-
tainty upon the account of the engagement of the truth and faithfulness of God in
them-Of the main matter of these promises, Christ and the Spirit-Of particular
promises, all flowing from the same love and grace-Observations on the promises of
God, subservient to the end intended-1. They are all true and faithful; the ground
of the assertion-2. Their accomplishment always certain, not always evident-3. All
conditional promises made good, and how-4. The promises of perseverance of two
sorts-5 All promises of our abiding with God in faith and obedience absolute-The
vanity of imposing conditions on them discovered-6. Promises of God's abiding with
us not to be separated from promises of our abiding with him-7. That they do not
properly depend on any condition in believers demonstrated-Instances of this as-
sertion given-8. Making them conditional renders them void as to the ends for which
they are given-Given to persons, not to qualifications-The argument from the pro-
mises of God stated-Mr G.'s exceptions against the first proposition cleared, and his