Two discourses concerning the Holy Spirit, and His work the one, Of the Spirit as a comforter, the other, As He is the author of spiritual gifts ... / by ... John Owen.

THE PREFACE.

THAT there are sundry Great and Eminent Promises referring to New Testament Times concerning the pouring out of the Spirit, none who is acquainted with the Scriptures, and believes them, can doubt. By the performance of them a Church hath been begotten and maintained in the World through all Ages since the Ascension of Christ, sometimes with greater Light and Spiritual Lustre, and sometimes with less. It hath been one of the Glories of the Protestant Reformation, that it hath been accompanied with a very Conspicuous and Remarkable Effusion of the Spirit: And indeed thereby there hath from Heaven a Seal been set, and a Witness born unto that great Work of God. In this unvaluable Blessing we in this Nation have had a Rich and Plentiful share; insomuch as it seems Satan and his Ministers have been tormented and exasperated thereby: And thènce it is come to pass, that there have some risen up among us, who have mani∣fested themselves to be not only Despisers in Heart, but virulent Reproachers of the Operations of the Spirit. God who knows how to bring Good out of Evil, did for Holy and Blessed Ends of his own suffer those horrid Blasphe∣mies to be petulantly ventod.

On this occasion it was, that this Great, and Learn∣ed, and Holy Person, the Author of these Discourses,

took up Thoughts of writing concerning the Blessed Spirit, and his whole Oeconomy, as I understood from Himself sundry years ago, discoursing with Him concerning some Books then newly published, full of Contumely and Con∣tempt of the Holy Spirit and his Operations. For as it was with Paul at Athens, when he saw the City wholly given to Idolaty; so was Doctor Owen's Spirit stirred in him, when he read the Scoffs and Blasphemies cast up∣on the Holy Spirit, and his Grace, and Gifts, and Aids, in some late Writers.

Had not Pelagius vented his Corrupt Opinions con∣cerning the Grace of God, it is like the Church had ne∣ver had the Learned and Excellent Writings of Augu∣stine in Defence thereof. It appears from Bradwardin that the Revival of Pelagianism in his Days, stirred up his Zealous and Pious Spirit to Wrise that Profound and Elaborate Book of his, De Causa Dei. Arminius, and the Jesuits endeavouring to Plant the same Weed a∣again, produced the Scholastick Writings of Twiss and Ames, (not to mention Foreign Divines) for which we in this Generation have abundant Cause of Enlarged Thankfulness unto the Father of Lights. The occasion which the Holy Ghost laid hold on to carry forth Paul to Write his Epistle to the Galatians, (wherein the Do∣ctrine of Justification by Faith is so fully cleared) was the bringing in among them of another Gospel by Cor∣rupt Teachers, after which many in those Churches were soon drawn away. The obstinate adherence of many among the Jews to the Mosaical Rites and Observances, and the Inclination of others to Apostatize from the New Testament Worship and Ordinances, was in like man∣ner the occasion of the Epistle to the Hebrews. The Light which shines, and is held out in those Epistles, the Church of Christ could ill have wanted.

The like way and working of the Wisdom of God, is to be seen and adored, in stirring up this Learned and Ex∣cellent Person to communicate and leave unto the World that Light touching the Spirit and his Operations, which he had received by that Spirit from the Sacred Oracles of Truth, the Scriptures.

To what advantage and increase of Light it is per∣formed, is not for so incompetent a Pen to say as writes this. Nevertheless, I doubt not but the discerning Reader will observe such Excellencies shining out in this, and other of this Great Author's Writings, as do great∣ly commend them to the Church of God, and will do so in after Ages, however this Corrupt and Degenerate Ge∣neration entertain them. They are not the crude, and hasty, and untimely Abortions of a Self-full, Distem∣pered Spirit, much less the Boilings over of inward Cor∣ruption and Rottenness put into a Fermentation; but the mature, sedate, and seasonable Issues of a Rich Maga∣zine of Learning, well digested with great exactness of Judgment. There is in them a great Light cast and re∣flected on, as well as derived from the Holy Scriptures, those inexhaustible Mines of Light in Sacred Things. They are not filled with vain, impertinent jangling, nor with a noise of multiplyed futilous Distinctions, nor with novel and uncouth Terms foreign to the Things of God, as the manner of some Writers is ad nauseam usque. But there is in them an happy and rare conjunction of firm Solidity, Enlightning Clearness, and Heart-search∣ing Spiritualness, evidencing themselves all along, and thereby approving and commending his Writings to the Judgment, Conscience, Spiritual Taste and Experience of all those who have any Acquaintance with, and relish of the Gospel.

On these, and such like accounts, the Writings of this Great and Learned Man, as also his Ordinary Sermons,

if any of them shall be published, (as possibly some of them may) will be while the World stands an upbraiding and condemning of this Generation, whose vitiated and ill-affected Eyes could not bear so great a Light set up and shining on a Candlestick, and which did therefore en∣deavour to put it under a Bushel.

These Two Discourses, with those formerly published, make up all that Dr. Owen perfected or designed on this Subject of the Spirit, as the Reader may perceive in the Account which Himself hath given in his Prefaces to some of the former Pieces, published by himself in his Life∣time. Not but that there are some other Lucubrations of his on Subjects nearly allied unto these, which possibly may be published hereafter; viz. One Entituled, The Evidences of the Faith of God's Elect; and perhaps some others. What further he might have had in his Thoughts to do, is known to Him whom he served so in∣dustriously and so faithfully in his Spirit in the Gospel while he was here on Earth, and with whom he now en∣joys the Reward of all his Labours, and all his Sufferings. For certain it is concerning Dr. Owen, that as God gave him very Transcendent Abilities, so he did there∣withall give him a Boundless Enlargedness of Heart, and unsatiable Desire to do Service to Christ and his Church: Insomuch as he was thereby carried on, through great Bodily Weakness, Languishing and Pains, be∣sides manifold other Tryals and Discouragements, to bring forth out of his Treasury (like a Scribe well in∣structed unto the Kingdom of Heaven) many useful and excellent Fruits of his Studies, much beyond the Ex∣pectation and Hopes of those who saw how often and how long he was near unto the Grave.

But while he was thus indefatigably and restlesly lay∣ing out for the Service of Christ, in this and succeeding Generations those Rich Talents with which he was fur∣nished,

his Lord said unto him, Well done thou good and faithful Servant, enter thou into the Joy of thy Lord. No Man ever yet, but Jesus Christ, was able to finish all that was in his Heart to do for God. On the removal of such accomplished and useful Per∣sons, I have sometimes relieved my self with this Thought, that Christ lives in Heaven still, and the Blessed Spirit from whom the Head and Heart of this Chosen Vessel were so Richly Replemshed, liveth still.

Nath. Mather.

October 27. 1692.

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