John Owen (1616-1683) is amongst the best known of the Puritans. His writings continue to be widely read and greatly appreciated to this day. John Owen, has been called the “prince of the English divines,” the leading figure among the Congregationalist divines,” “a genius with learning second only to Calvin’s,” and “indisputably the leading proponent of high Calvinism in England in the late seventeenth century.” Owen was by common consent the weightiest Puritan theologian, and many would bracket him with Jonathan Edwards as one of the greatest Reformed theologians of all time.
In The Glory of Christ, here abridged and made easy to read, we have the great Puritan pastor and theologian John Owen at his richest and most mature. Here he writes about Jesus Christ, the heart of the gospel. Owen himself tells us that the substance of the work began in his own private meditation and study and only later was shared with his congregation. Here, then, is a master theologian writing about the things, or better, the person, nearest to his heart. The work itself was composed almost at the end of Owen’s life and first published in 1684, the year after his death. Indeed, the material in chapters fifteen to seventeen of this abridgement appeared for the first time in the second edition of 1696, having been found among Owen’s papers only after his death but clearly intended as the closing section of the work.
On the day of Owen’s death (24 August 1683) William Payne, a minister in Saffron Walden who had accepted responsibility for seeing the manuscript of this work through to publication, visited him in Ealing (now part of London) to share the good news that Meditations on the Glory of Christ was now going through the press. Owen’s biographers record his memorable and beautiful reply:
I am glad to hear it; but, O brother Payne! the long-wished-for day is come at last, in which I shall see that glory in another manner than I have ever done, or was capable of doing in this world.
It is clear from these pages that Owen had already seen the glory of Christ from afar and pondered long on its significance. His teaching is well-suited to bring us to share in his longing to know Christ better, to see his glory more clearly and to serve him more faithfully. It is the conviction of the publisher that many readers will discover this book to be one of the hidden treasures of Christian literature and will return to it again and again for instruction and spiritual refreshment.
The Mortification of Sin – $5.40
In this abridgement, John Owen shows the need for Christians to engage in a life-long battle against sinful tendencies that remain within, despite their faith and new life in Christ. Owen insists that believers cannot hope to succeed in this battle in their own strength. He sees clearly that the fight can be won only through faith in Christ, and in the power of the Spirit. The temptations of sin in such a time as this are obvious on every side; their remedy is clearly pointed out in this practical and helpful book.
Temptation Resisted and Repulsed – $6.00
In this abridgement of John Owen’s classic work Of Temptation, the famous Puritan theologian opens up Matthew 26:41, carefully explaining what temptation is and what it means to enter into it.
He then shows how Christ teaches two means for Christians to use in order to guard against this danger, namely watching and praying: ‘these two’, Owen says, ‘comprise the whole endeavour of faith for the souls preservation from temptation’ and he insists that it is the duty of every believer to follow diligently Christ’s instructions to avoid falling into temptation.
Owen helpfully applies his teaching, explaining how we can know whether we have entered into temptation, what practical steps we should take to preserve our souls from entering into it, how to identify those particular times when people tend to enter into temptation, and showing us the best ways of watching the heart itself.
Sinclair B. Ferguson has written that ‘Many of Owen’s readers have come away from reading him on such themes as temptation feeling that Owen knew them through and through.’ However, not only does Owen’s penetrating writing open up areas of need in our own hearts; it also opens up correspondingly profound assurances of grace in Jesus Christ.
Owen believed that communion with God lies at the heart of the Christian life. With Paul he recognized that through the Son we have access by the Spirit to the Father. He never lost the sense of amazement expressed by John: ‘Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.’ In this outstanding book he explains the nature of this communion and describes the many privileges it brings.
Communion with God was written in a day, like our own, when the doctrine of the Trinity was under attack and the Christian faith was being reduced either to rationalism on the one hand or mysticism on the other. His exposition shows that nothing is more vital to spiritual well-being than a practical knowledge of what this doctrine means.
Owen on the Holy Spirit’, as this work has been known to generations of Christians, was written by the greatest theologian of the Puritan era. It is, without question, one of the truly great Christian books.
It deals with the name, nature, personality and operations of the Spirit, and urges the necessity of gospel holiness as distinct from mere human morality. The work is both doctrinal and pastoral in character. The very length and exhaustiveness of the original book could easily deter us from attempting to read it, but this abridged and modernized version, like the other Owen volumes, will make Owen’s teaching more accessible to modern readers.
Limited time offer, Pre-order now John Owen’s Biblical Theology: The History of Theology from Adam to Christ for 40% OFF at only $27.00! The major portion of this volume is a history of theology from Adam to Christ. It includes an appendix with Owen’s Defense of Scripture against Fanaticism, affirming that the Bible is the perfect, authoritative, and complete Word of God. Owen considered this work his magnum opus.
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