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death_n	darkness_n	light_n	shadow_n	7,372	5	9.4624	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53720	Pneumatologia, or, A discourse concerning the Holy Spirit wherein an account is given of his name, nature, personality, dispensation, operations, and effects : his whole work in the old and new creation is explained, the doctrine concering it vindicated from oppositions and reproaches : the nature also and necessity of Gospel-holiness the difference between grace and morality, or a spiritual life unto God in evangelical obedience and a course of moral vertues, are stated and declared / by John Owen ...	Owen, John, 1616-1683.	1676 (1676)	Wing O793; ESTC R16093	721,250	620

the baptismal Regeneration of Infants which is so plainly professed by the Church wherein he is dignified But this is publickly declared avowed and vended as allowed Doctrine amongst us and therefore deserves to be noticed though the person that gives it out be at irreconcilable feuds with himself and his Church Of Morality and Grace an account shall be given elsewhere At present the work of Regeneration is that which is under our consideration And concerning this those so severely treated teach no other Doctrine but what for the substance of it is received in all the Reformed Churches in Europe and which so many learned Divines of the Church of England confirmed with their suffrage at the Synod of Dort Whether this deserves all the scorn which this haughty person pours upon it by his swelling words of vanity will to indifferent persons be made appear in the ensuing discourse as also what is to be thought of the description of it given by that Author which whether it savour more of ignorance and folly or of pride and fulsom errors is hard to determine I know some words in it are used with the old Pelagian trick of ambiguity so as to be capable of having another sense and Interpretation put upon them than their present use and design will admit of But that Artifice will be immdiately rendred useless Sect. 2 There is a two-fold state of men with respect unto God which is comprehensive of all individuals in the World For all men are either Unregenerate or Regenerate There being an Affirmation and a Negation concerning the state of Regeneration in the Scripture one of them may be used concerning every capable Subject every man living is so or he is not so And herein as I suppose there is a general consent of Christians Again it is evident in the Scripture and we have proved it in our way that all men are born in an unregenerate Condition This is so positively declared by our Saviour that there is no rising up against it Joh. 3. 3 4 5 6 7 8. Now Regeneration being the delivery of men or the means of it from that state and condition wherein they are born or are by nature we cannot discover wherein it doth consist without a declaration of that state which it gives us deliverance from And this in the first place we shall insist upon at large giving an account of the state of lapsed nature under a loss of the Original Grace of God And these things I shall handle practically for the Edification of all sorts of Believers and not in the way and method of the Schools which yet shall be done elsewhere Sect. 3 In the Declaration of the state of corrupted nature after the fall and before the Reparation of it by the Grace of Jesus Christ that is the effectual Operation of the Holy Spirit The Scripture principally insists on 3 things 1 The Corruption and Depravation of the Mind which it calls by the name of Darkness and Blindness with the consequents of vanity ignorance and folly 2 The Depravation of the Will and Affections which it expresseth several wayes as by weakness or impotency and stubbornness or obstinacy 3 By the general name of death extended to the condition of the whole soul and these have various Effects and Consequences as in our explanation of them will appear Sect. 4 1. All Men by nature not inlightened not renewed in their minds by the saving effectual Operation of the Holy Spirit are in a state of Darkness and Blindness with respect unto God and Spiritual things with the way of pleasing him and living unto him Be men otherwise and in other things never so wise knowing learned and skilful in Spiritual things they are dark blind ignorant unless they are renewed in the Spirit of their Minds by the Holy Ghost This is a matter which the World cannot endure to hear of and is ready to fall into a tumult upon its mention They think it but an Artifice which some weak men have got to reflect on and condemn them who are wiser than themselves On the like occasion did the Pharisees ask of our Saviour that question with pride and scorn are we blind also Joh. 9. 40. But as he lets them know that their presumption of light and knowledg would serve only to aggravate their sin and condemnation v. 41. so he plainly tells them that notwithstanding all their boasting they had not heard the voice of God at any time nor seen his shape Joh. 5. 37. Sect. 5 Some at present talk much about the power of the intellectual faculties of our Souls as though they were neither debased corrupted impaired nor depraved All that disadvantage which is befallen our anture by the entrance of Sin is but in the disorder of the affections and the inferiour sensitive parts of the Soul which are apt to tumultuate and rebel against that poor untainted light which is in the Mind And this they speak of it without respect unto its Renovation by the Holy Spirit for if they include that also they are in their discourses most notorious confused triflers Indeed some of them write as if they had never deigned once to consult with the Scriptures and others are plainly gone over into the Tents of the Pelagians But setting aside their modern Artifices of confident boasting contemptuous reproaches and scurrilous railings it is no difficult undertaking so to demonstrate the depravation of the Minds of men by nature and their impotency thence to discern Spiritual things in a spiritual manner without a saving effectual Work of the Holy Spirit in their Renovation as that the proudest and most petulant of them shall not be able to return any thing of a solid answer thereunto And herein we plead for nothing but the known doctrine of the ancient Catholick Church declared in the writings of the most learned Fathers and Determinations of Councils against the Pelagians whose errors and heresies are again revived among us by a crew of Socinianized Arminians Sect. 6 We may to this purpose first consider the Testimonies given in the Scripture unto the Assertion as laid down in general Matth. 4. 16. The People which sat in darkness saw great Light and to them that sat in the Region and Shadow of Death Light is sprung up Of what kind this Darkness was in particular shall be afterwards declared For the present it answers what is proposed That before the Illumination given them by the Preaching of the Gospel the People mentioned sat in Darkness or lived under the Power of it And such as was the Light whereby they were relieved of the same kind was the Darkness under which they were detained And in the same sense when Christ preached the Gospel the Light shined into Darkness the Darkness comprehended it not John 1. 5. gave not place to the Light of the Truth declared by him that it might be received in the Souls of Men. The Commission which he gave to Paul

his Sacerdotal Hath his Blood purged your Consciences from dead works that you should serve the living God Are you cleansed and sanctified and made Holy thereby Are you redeemed out of the World by it and from your vain Conversation therein after the Customs and Traditions of men Are you by it dedicated unto God and made his peculiar Ones If you find not these Effects of the Blood-shedding of Christ in and upon your Souls and Consciences in vain will you expect those other of Attonement Peace and Reconciliation with God of Mercy Pardon Justification and Salvation which you look for The Priestly Office of Christ hath its whole Effect towards all on whom it hath any Effects Despisers of its Fruits in Holiness shall never have the least Interest in its Fruits in Righteousness Sect. 22 Is it from his Actings as the great Prophet of the Church that you expect Help and Relief Have you effectually learned of him to deny all Vngodliness and worldly Lusts to live Righteously and Soberly and Godly in this present World Hath he taught you to be humble to be meek to be patient to hate the Garment spotted with the flesh Hath he instructed you unto sincerity in all your Wayes Dealings and whole Conversations among men Above all hath he taught you have you learned of him to purifie and cleanse your Hearts by Faith to subdue your inward spiritual and fleshly Lusts to endeavour after an universal Conformity unto his Image and Likeness Do you find his Doctrine Effectual unto these Ends and are your Hearts and Minds cast into the Mould of it If it be so your Interest in him by his Prophetical Office is secured unto you But if you say you hear his Voyce in his Word Read and Preached that you have Learned many Mysteries and have attained much Light or Knowledge thereby at least you know the substance of the Doctrine he hath taught so as that you can discourse of it yea and that you doe many Things or perform many Duties according unto it but cannot say that the Effects before enqured after are wrought in you by his Word and Spirit you lose the second Expectation of an Interest in Christ as Mediator or any Advantage thereby Sect. 23 Will you betake your selves to the Kingly Office of Christ and have you Expectations on him by vertue thereof You may do well to Examine how he Ruleth in you and over you Hath he subdued your Lusts those Enemies of his Kingdom which fight against your Souls Hath he strengthened aided supported assisted you by his Grace unto all Holy Obedience And have you given up your selves to be Ruled by his Word and Spirit to obey him in all things and to entrust all your Temporal and Eternal Concernments unto his Care Faithfulness and Power If it be so you have Cause to Rejoyce as those who have an Assured Concern in the blessed Things of his Kingdom But if your proud rebellious Lusts do yet bear sway in you if Sin have dominion over you if you continue to fulfill the Lusts of the Mind and of the Flesh if you walk after the Fashions of this World and not as Obedient Subjects of that Kingdom of his which is not of this World Deceive not your selves any longer Christ will be of no Advantage unto you In these things lye the summe of our present Argument If the Lord Christ act no otherwise for our Good but in and by his Blessed Offices of Priest Prophet and King and if the immediate Effect of the Grace of Christ acting in all these Offices towards us be our Holiness and Sanctification those in whom that Effect is not wrought and produced have neither Ground nor Reason to Promise themselves an Interest in Christ or any Advantage by his Mediation For men to name the Name of Christ to profess themselves Christians or his Disciples to avow an Expectation of Mercy Pardon Life and Salvation by him and in the mean time to be in themselves Worldly Proud Ambitious Envious Revengefull Haters of Good Men Covetous living in divers Lusts and Pleasures is a Scandal and Shame unto Christian Religion and unavoidably Destructive to their own Souls CHAP. V. Necessity of Holiness from our Condition in this World Necessity of Holiness further Argued from our own State and Condition in this World with what is required of us with respect unto our giving Glory to Jesus Christ. Sect. 1 ANother Argument for the Necessity of Holiness may be taken from the Consideration of our selves and our present State and Condition For it is hereby alone that the Vicious Distemper of our Natures is or can be cured That our Nature is fearfully and universally depraved by the Entrance of Sin I have before declared and sufficiently confirmed And I do not now consider it as to the Disability of Living unto God or Enmity unto him which is come upon us thereby nor yet as to the future Punishment which it renders us obnoxious unto But it is the present misery that is upon us by it unless it be cured which I intend For the Mind of man being possessed with Darkness Vanity Folly and Instability the Will under the Power of spiritual Death Stubborn and Obstinate and all the Affections Carnal Sensual and Selfish the whole Soul being hurried off from God and so out of its Way is perpetually filled with Confusion and perplexing Disorder It is not unlike that Description which Job gives of the Grave A Land of Darkness and of the shadow of Death without any Order and where the Light is as Darkness Chap. 10. 21 22. When Solomon set himself to search out the Causes of all the Vanity and Vexation that is in the World of all the Troubles that the Life of Man is filled withall he affirms that this was the summe of his Discovery God made men upright but they have found out many Inventions Eccles. 7. 29. that is cast themselves into endless Entanglements and Confusions What is Sin in its Guilt is Punishment in its Power yea the greatest that men are liable unto in this World Hence God for the Guilt of some Sins poenally gives many up to the Power of others Rom. 1. 24 26 28. 2 Thess. 2. 11. And this he doth not only to secure and aggravate their Condemnation at the last Day but to give them in this World a Recompence of their Folly in themselves For there is no greater Misery nor Slavery than to be under the Power of Sin Sect. 2 This proves the Original Depravation of our Nature the whole Soul filled with Darkness Disorder and Confusion being brought under the Power of various Lusts and Passions captivating the Mind and Will unto their Interests in the vilest Drudgeries of Servitude and Bondage No sooner doth the Mind begin to Act any thing suitably unto the small Remainders of Light in it but it is immediately controlled by impetuous Lusts and Affections which darken its Directions and silence its Commands Hence

otherwise done but by Holiness of Heart and Life by Conformity to God in our Souls and living unto God in fruitfull Obedience Can men devise a more effectual Expedient to cast Reproach upon him than to live in Sin to follow divers lusts and pleasures to preferre the World and present things before Eternity and in the mean time to Profess That the Life of Christ is their Example as all unholy Professors and Christians doe Is not this to bear witness with the World against him that indeed his Life was unholy Surely it is high time for such Persons to leave the Name of Christians or the Life of Sin It is therefore alone in Conformity to him in the Holiness we are pressing after that we can give him any Glory on the Account of his Life being our Example Sect. 18 2 We can give him no Glory unless we bear Testimony unto his Doctrine that it is Holy Heavenly filled with Divine Wisdom and Grace as we make it our Rule And there is no other way whereby this may be done but by holy Obedience expressing the Nature End and Vsefulness of it Titus 2. 11 12. And indeed the Holy Obedience of Believers as hath been declared at large before is a thing quite of another Kind than any thing in the World which by the Rules Principles and Light of Nature we are directed unto or instructed in It is Spiritual Heavenly Mysterious filled with Principles and Actings of the same Kind with those whereby our Communion with God in Glory unto Eternity shall be maintained Now although the Life of Evangelical Holiness be in its Principle Form and chief Actings secret and hidden hid with Christ in God from the Eyes of the World so that the Men thereof neither see nor know nor discern the spiritual Life of a Believer in its Being Form and Power yet there are alwayes such evident appearing fruits of it as are sufficient for their Conviction that the Rule of it which is the Doctrine of Christ alone is Holy Wise and Heavenly And Multitudes in all Ages have been won over unto the Obedience of the Gospel and Faith in Christ Jesus by the Holy Fruitfull Usefull Conversation of such as have expressed the Power and Purity of his Doctrine in this Kind Sect. 19 3 The Power and Efficacy of the Death of Christ as for other Ends so to purifie us from all Iniquity and to purge our Consciences from dead Works that we may serve the living God is herein also required The World indeed sometimes riseth unto that height of Pride and contemptuous Atheisme as to despise all Appearance and Profession of Purity But the Truth is if we are not cleansed from our Sins in the Blood of Christ if we are not thereby purified from Iniquity we are an Abomination unto God and shall be Objects of his Wrath for ever However the Lord Christ requireth no more of his Disciples in this matter unto his Glory but that they Profess that his Blood cleanseth them from their sins and evidence the Truth of it by such Wayes and Means as the Gospel hath appointed unto that End If their Testimony herein unto the Efficacy of his Death be not received be despised by the World and so at present no apparent Glory redound unto him thereby he is satisfied with it as knowing that the Day is coming wherein he will call over these things again when the Rejecting of this Testimony shall be an Aggravation of Condemnation unto the unbelieving World Sect. 20 I suppose the Evidence of this last Argument is plain and exposed unto all it is briefly this Without the Holiness prescribed in the Gospel we give nothing of that Glory unto Jesus Christ which he indispensibly requireth And if men will be so sottishly foolish as to expect the greatest Benefits and Advantages by the Mediation of Christ namely Pardon of Sin Salvation Life and Immortality whilest they neglect and refuse to give him any Revenue of Glory for all he hath done for them we may bewail their Folly but cannot prevent their Ruine He saves us freely by his Grace but he requires that we should express a sense of it in ascribing unto him the Glory that is his due And let no man think this is done in Wordy Expressions it is no otherwise effected but by the Power of an Holy Conversation shewing forth the Prayses of him who hath called us out of Darkness into his marvellous Light Nay there is more in it also if any one profess himself to be a Christian that is a Disciple of Jesus Christ to follow the Example of his Life to Obey his Doctrine to express the Efficacy of his Death and continue in an unholy Life he is a false Traytor to him and gives in his Testimony on the side of the World against Him and all that he hath done for us And it is indeed the flagitious Lives of professed Christians that have brought the Life Doctrine and Person of our Lord Jesus Christ into Contempt in the World And I advise all that read or hear of these things diligently and carefully to study the Gospel that they may receive thence an Evidence of the Power Truth Glory and Beauty of Christ and his Wayes for he that should consider the Conversation of men for his Guide will be hardly able to determine which he should choose whether to be a Pagan a Mahumetan or a Christian. And shall such Persons by reason of whom the Name of Christ is dishonoured and blasphemed continually expect Advantage by him or Mercy from him Will men yet think to live in Sensuality Pride Ambition Covetousness Malice Revenge Hatred of all Good men and Contempt of Purity and to enjoy Life Immortality and Glory by Christ Who can sufficiently bewayl the dreadfull Effects of such an horrid Infatuation God teach us all duely to consider that all the Glory and Honour of Jesus Christ in the World with respect unto us depends on our Holiness and not on any other thing either that we are have or may doe If therefore we have any Love unto him any spark of Gratitude for his unspeakable Love Grace Condescension Sufferings with the Eternal Fruits of them any Care about or Desire of his Glory and Honour in the World if we would not be found the most hatefull Traytors at the last Day unto his Crown Honour and Dignity if we have any Expectation of Grace from him or Advantage by him here or hereafter let us labour to be Holy in all manner of Conversation that we may thereby adorn his Doctrine express his Vertues and Prayses and grow up into Conformity and Likeness unto him who is the First-born and Image of the Invisible God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 FINIS AN Alphabetical TABLE of some Especial Matters contained in this Book A. Page Section ABasement in the Remembrance of the Defilement of Sin a necessary Duty 401 14 No Ability in Sinners to purge themselves from their Natural Pollution 379

Church They praying by his especial Guidance and Assistance say Come or Preachers say unto others Come and the Bride or the Body of the Church acted by the same Spirit joyn with them in this great Request and Supplication and thereunto all Believers are invited in the following words and let him that heareth say Come Sect. 10 All these things were necessary to be premised in general as giving some insight into the Nature of the Operations of the Holy Spirit in us and towards us And hereby we have made our Way plain to the consideration of his especial Works in the Calling Building and Carrying on the Church unto Perfection Now all his Works of this kind may be reduced unto three Heads 1. Of Sanctifying Grace 2. Of Especial Gifts 3. Of peculiar Evangelical Priviledges Only we must observe that these things are not so distinguished as to be negatively contradistinct to each other for the same thing under several Considerations may be all these a Grace a Gift and a Priviledg All that I intend is to reduce the Operations of the Holy Spirit unto these Heads casting each of them under that which it is most eminent in and as which it is most directly proposed unto us And I shall begin with his Work of Grace BOOK III. VVORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE New Creation BY REGENERATION CHAP. I. 1. The New Creation Compleated 2. Regeneration the especial Work of the Holy Spirit 3 4 5 6 7 8 9. Wrought under the Old Testament but clearly revealed in the New And 10 11 12. is of the same kind in all that are Regenerate 13 14. The Causes and Way of it being the same in all 15 16. It consisteth not in Baptism alone Nor 17 18. in a Moral Reformation of Life But 19 20. a New Creature is Formed in it whose 21 22. Nature is declared and 23. farther explained 24. Denial of the Original Depravation of Nature the Cause of many Noxious Opinions 25 26. Regeneration consisteth not in Enthusiaslick Raptures their Nature and Danger 27. The whole Doctrine necessary d●spised corrupted vindicated Sect. 1 WE have formerly declared the Work of the Holy Spirit in Preparing and Forming the Natural Body of Christ. This was the beginning of the New Creation the Foundation of the Gospel-State and Church But this was not the whole of the Work he had to do As he had provided and prepared the Natural Body of Christ so he was to prepare his Mystical Body also And hereby the Work of the New Creation was to be compleated and perfected And as it was with respect unto him and his Work in the Old Creation so was it also in the New All things in their first production had Darkness and Death upon them For the Earth was Void and without Form and Darkness was upon the Face of the Deep Gen. 1. 2. Neither was there any thing that had either Life in it or Principle of Life or any Disposition thereunto In this condition he moved on the prepared Matter preserving and cherishing of it and communicating unto all things a Principle of Life whereby they were animated as we have declared It was no otherwise in the New Creation There was a Spiritual Darkness and Death came by sin on all Mankind Neither was there in any Man living the least Principle of Spiritual Life or any Disposition thereunto In this State of things the Holy Spirit undertaketh to create a New World New Heavens and a New Earth wherein Righteousness should dwell And this in the first place was by his Effectual Communication of a New Principle of Spiritual Life unto the Souls of God's Elect who were the Matter designed of God for this Work to be wrought upon This he doth in their Regeneration as we shall now manifest Sect. 2 1. Regeneration in Scripture is every-where assigned to be the proper and peculiar Work of the Holy Spirit John 3. 3 4 5 6. Jesus answered and said unto Nicodemus Verily verily I say unto thee Except a Man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God Nicodemus saith unto him How can a Man be born when he is old can he enter the second time into his Mothers Womb and be born Jesus answered Verily verily I say unto thee Except a Man be born of Water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God That which is born of the Flesh is Flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit It was an ancient knowing Teacher of the Church of the Jews a Master in Israel whom our Blessed Saviour here discourseth withal and instructs For on the consideration of his Miracles he concluded that God was with him and came to enquire of him about the Kingdom of God Our Saviour knowing how all our Faith and Obedience to God and all our Acceptance with him depended on our Regeneration or being born again acquaints him with the necessity of it wherewith he is at first surprized Wherefore he proceeds to instruct him in the Nature of the Work whose necessity he had declared And this he describes both by the Cause and the Effect of it For the Cause of it he tells him it is wrought by Water and the Spirit By the Spirit as the Principal Efficient Cause and by Water as the Pledg Sign and Token of it in the initial Seal of the Covenant the Doctrine whereof was then preached amongst them by John the Baptist or the same thing is intended in a redoub●ed Expression the Spirit being signified by the Water also under which Notion he is often promised Sect. 3 Hereof then or of this Work the Holy Spirit is the Principal Efficient Cause whence he in whom it is wrought is said to be born of the Spirit v. 8. so is every one that is born of the Spirit And this is the same with what is delivered Chap. 1. v. 13. Who are born not of Blood nor of the Will of the Flesh nor of the Will of Man but of God The Natural and Carnal Means of Blood Flesh and the Will of Man are rejected wholly in this Matter and the whole Efficiency of the New Birth is ascribed unto God alone His Work answers what-ever Contribution there is unto Natural Generation from the Will and Nature of Man For these things are here compared and from its Analogie unto Natural Generation is this Work of the pirit called Regeneration so in this place is the Allusion and Opposition between these things expressed by our Saviour That which is born of the Flesh is Flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit v. 6. And herein also we have a farther Description of this Work of the Holy Spirit by its Effect or the Product of it It is Spirit a new Spiritual Being Creature Nature Life as shall be declared And because there is in it a Communication of a new Spiritual Life it is called a Vivification or quickning with respect unto the State wherein all Men