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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.

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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,
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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

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,
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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

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