Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A53731
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A treatise of the dominion of sin and grace wherein sin's reign is discovered, in whom it is, and in whom it is not : how the law supports it, how grace delivers from it, by setting up its dominion the heart / by John Owen ...
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Owen, John, 1616-1683.
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1688
(1688)
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Wing O812; ESTC R3626
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60,758
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151
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A TREATISE OF THE DOMINION OF Sin and Grace Wherein Sin 's Reign is discovered in whom it is and in whom it is not How the Law supports it How Grace delivers from it by setting up its Dominion in the Heart Rom. vi 14. For Sin shall not have Dominion over you for ye are not under the Law but under Grace By the late Pious and Learned Minister of the Gospel John Owen D. D. LONDON Printed by J. L. for William Marshal at the Bible in Newgate-street 1688. TO THE SERIOUS READER ONE of the great Gospel Enquiries that a Christian ought to be most critical and curious in resolving to himself upon the most impartial Examination of his own Heart concerning his spiritual State and standing in Grace is Whether he be in the Faith or no which doubt can be resolved but Two ways either by Faith it self closing with its true Objects as offered in the Gospel in its direct act and so it evidenceth it self being the Evidence of things not seen as all the natural Senses Evidence themselves by their own Acts upon their proper Objects For he that sees the Sun hath Argument enough to himself That he is not blind but hath a seeing Eye and Faith therefore is frequently represented to us by seeing as John vi 40. and elsewhere which Evidence is according to the degrees of Faith weaker or stronger and hence carries lesser or greater assurances with it but such as are of the highest and best nature giving the greatest Glory to the Grace and Truth of God and the firmest stay to the Soul in the greatest Storms of Temptation being as an Anchor fastened within the Vail sure and stedfast Or else additionally that our joy may be full and for further confirmation especially in such Cases wherein our Faith seems to fail us and we are like Thomas God hath out of his abundant Grace in the Gospel provided Arguments for us to raise from spiritual sence to judge of our State and Standing by But this requires the teachings of the Spirit and thence a Spirit of discerning Experience of and insight into our own Hearts and ways with senses exercised by reason of use that these Grounds and Arguments may be matter of Comfort and Establishment unto us I call these latter Evidences subordinate ones and additional to that of Faith of great use by way of Establishment and Confirmation unto Believers provided they be not abused to sole resting and reliance upon them to the great prejudice of our Life of Faith for we live by Faith so must all repenting Sinners when they have attained to the highest pitch of Holiness in this Life and not by Sense no not spiritual Sense it 's a good Hand-Maid to Faith but no good Mistress to it MOREOVER Trials of this nature are often of a marvellous awakening and convincing nature unto poor secure Sinners formal and hypocritical Professors for many of them hold true with great demonstration in the Negative 1 Joh. iij. 14. He that loveth not his Brother abideth in Death And v. 10. In this the Children of God and the Children of the Devil are manifest whosoever doth not Righteousness is not of God neither he that loveth not his Brother Now these Tests come upon an unregenerate Man as clear and strong Convictions of his undone Estate when by Gospel Light shining into his dark Heart it Evidently appears that there is a Total Absence of such eminent Graces that are inseparable from a Child of God but when a poor broken-hearted self-condemning Sinner comes to try himself by these Tests especially under great Temptation he chargeth all that he finds in himself for Hypocrisy Formality and Sin sits altogether in darkness in respect of those sparks of internal Light and is fain at last when he hath broken all his Flints and worn out all his Steel in compassing himself about with sparks of his own kindling to turn unto Christ by Faith as a Prisoner of Hope believing in Hope against Hope and from him to fetch by a direct act of Faith as from the Sun of Righteousness all his Light of Life and Comfort and then he will be able to light all his small Tapers yea all inferiour Arguments of his good Estate will flow in with much enlargement and increase of Consolation As Streams of living Water flowing forth of the Fountain set open for Sin and for Vncleanness into the Belly of the true Believing Sinner receiving by Faith of the fulness of Christ through the Spirit abundantly supplying him with Rivers of true substantial living Graces and Consolations being filled with the Fruits of Righteousness to the Praise and Glory of Christ. NOW among disquisitions of this latter Nature and Use this is none of the least Whether we are under the Dominion of Sin or no Either we are or are not if we are our State is most certainly dangerous for such are under the Law and the Law hath concluded all under Wrath. If we are not under Sin 's Dominion we are in a blessed and happy Estate being under Grace for these two Dominions divide the World and every Son and Daughter of Adam is under one or the other and none can be under both at the same time Now our being under Grace can be no way better Evidenced than by our being in Christ by Faith for he that is so is a new Creature is passed from Death to Life will still be mortifying Sin the strong Man in Sin 's Dominion being cast out and therefore Faith is said to be our Victory through the supply of all Grace received from Jesus Christ. Indeed it calls for no small spiritual Skill and Understanding to pass aright judgment in these Matters Undoubtedly many are deceived in taking wrong Measures to search out these deep things of God taking them to belong to the mere Faculties and Endowments of a natural Man not considering that they are of the Spirits Revelation only And hence it is that many poor Creatures in a Bondage State under the Law and therefore under Sin 's Dominion do work like Slaves in the Dunghil of their own Hearts to find out some natural Religion or moral Goodness in themselves to recommend them unto God but such recommendation must be under the Law it cannot be under Grace and therefore such are under the Dominion of Sin infallibly as the Israelites were which followed after the Law of Righteousness but attained not unto the Law of Righteousness Wherefore because they sought it not by Faith but as it were by the works of the Law for they stumbled at that stumbling Stone Rom. ix 32. And it is greatly to be bewailed that many Professors that sit under the means of Grace are so tender of their secure and palliated Consciences that they cannot indure that the Rays of true Gospel Light should shine directly into their Hearts being contented with a name only that they do live they are loath to come to any narrow search or
me from secret faults But yet he supposeth that these things are consistent with a state of Grace and acceptation with God. He had no thought of any absolute Perfection in this Life of any such condition as should not stand in need of continual cleansing and pardon Wherefore there are or may be such sins in Believers yea many of them which yet under a due Application unto God for purifying and pardoning Grace shall neither deprive us of Peace here nor endanger our Salvation hereafter BUT he speaks immediately of another sort of sins which partly from their Nature or what they are in themselves and partly from their Operation and Power will certainly prove destructive unto the Souls of men wherever they are V. 13. Keep back thy Servant also from presumptuous sins let them not have dominion over me then shall I be upright and I shall be innocent from the great Transgression THIS is the Hinge whereon the whole Cause and State of my Soul doth turn Although I am subject to many sins of various sorts yet under them all I can and do maintain my Integrity and Covenant Vprightness in walking with God and where I fail am kept within the reach of cleansing and pardoning mercy continually administred unto my Soul by Jesus Christ. But there is a state of Life in this World wherein Sin hath dominion over the Soul acting it self presumptuously wherewith Integrity and Freedom from condemning guilt are inconsistent THIS state therefore which is eternally ruinous unto the souls of men he deprecates with all earnestness praying to be kept and preserved from it WHAT he there so earnestly prays for the Apostle in the Words of the Text promiseth unto all Believers by virtue of the Grace of Christ Jesus administred in the Gospel Both the Prayer of the Prophet for himself and the Promise of the Apostle in the name of God unto us do manifest of how great importance this Matter is as we shall declare it to be immediately THERE are some things supposed or included in these words of the Apostle These we must first a little enquire into without which we cannot well understand the Truth it self proposed in them As IT is supposed that Sin doth still abide in and dwell with Believers For so is the meaning of the words That sin which is in you shall not have Dominion over you that is none of them who are not sensible of it who groan not to be delivered from it as the Apostle doth Rom. vij 24. Those who are otherwise minded know neither themselves nor what is sin nor wherein the Grace of the Gospel doth consist There is the Flesh remaining in every one which lusteth against the Spirit Gal. v. 17. And it adheres unto all the faculties of our souls whence it is called the old Man Rom. 6. 6. Ephes. 4. 22. in opposition unto the Renovation of our minds and all the faculties of them called the New Man or New Creature in us And there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. xiij 14. a continual working and Provision to fulfil its own Lusts So that it abides in us in the way of a dying decaying Habit weakned and impaired but acting its self in Inclinations Motions and Desires suitable unto its Nature AS Scripture and Experience concurr herein so a supposition of it is the only ground of the whole Doctrine of Evangelical Mortification That this is a Duty a Duty incumbent on Believers all the days of their lives such a Duty as without which they can never perform any other in a due manner will not be denied by any but either such as are wholly under the Power of Atheistical Blindness or such as by the fever of spiritual Pride have lost the Understanding of their own miserable Condition and so lie dreaming about absolute Perfection With neither sort are we at present concerned Now the first proper Object of this Mortification is this sin that dwells in us It is the Flesh which is to be mortified the old Man which is to be crucified the Lusts of the Flesh with all their corrupt Inclinations Actings and Motions that are to be destroyed Rom. vi 6. Gal. v. 24. Col. iij. 1. Unless this be well fixed in the mind we cannot understand the greatness of the Grace and Privilege here expressed 2. IT is supposed that this Sin which in the remainders of it so abides in Believers in various degrees may put forth its Power in them to obtain Victory and Dominion over them It is first supposed that it hath this Dominion in some that it doth bear Rule over all Unbelievers all that are under the Law and then that it will strive to do the same in them that believe and are under Grace For affirming that it shall not have Dominion over us he grants that it may or doth contend for it only it shall not have success it shall not prevail Hence it is said to fight and war in us Rom. vij 23. and to fight against our Souls 1 Pet. ij 12. Now it thus fights and wars and contends in us for Dominion for that is the end of all War Whatever fights it doth it for Power and Rule THIS therefore is the general design of Sin in all its Actings These Actings are various according to the variety of Lusts in the minds of men but its general design in them all is Dominion Where any one is tempted and seduced of his own Lusts as the Apostle James speaks be it in a matter never so small or so unusual or the Temptations thereunto may never occurr again the design of sin lies not in the particular Temptation but to make it a means to obtain Dominion over the Soul. And the consideration hereof should keep Believers always on their guard against all the motions of Sin though the matter of them seem but small and the occasions of them such as are not like to return For the aim and tendancy of every one of them is Dominion and Death which they will compass if not stopt in their Progress as the Apostle there decalres James i. 14 15. Believe not its flatteries is it not a little one this is the first or shall be the last time It requires only a little place in the Mind and Affections it shall go no farther Give not place to its urgency and solicitations admit of none of its excuses or promises it is power over your Souls unto their Ruine that it aims at in all 3. THERE are two ways in general whereby sin acts its Power and aims at the obtaining this Dominion and they are the two only ways whereby any may design or attain an unjust Dominion and they are Deceit and Force both of which I have fully described in another Discourse With respect whereunto it is promised that the Lord Christ shall deliver the Souls of the Poor that cry unto him from Deceit and Violence Psal. lxxii 14. THESE are the two only ways of obtaining an unjust