Gospel Life, by John Owen, 256 pages, £6.50; Gospel Ministry, by John Owen, 208 pages, £6.25; both books £11.00; published by the Banner of Truth Trust in their Puritan Paperback series, obtainable from the F P Bookroom.
John Owen (1616-1683) led an exceptionally varied life, from being tutor of the nobility through to becoming chaplain to Oliver Cromwell at the time of the English Civil War. He accompanied Cromwell on his expeditions to Ireland and Scotland. Through Cromwell’s influence he became Vice Chancellor of Oxford University and, briefly, its Member of Parliament. From 1673 until his death, he was the pastor of the Independent congregation at Leadenhall Street, London. It was there that most of the sermons were preached which make up the books under review. The sermons are taken from The Works of John Owen, volume 9, but the Banner of Truth has reproduced them in two companion volumes, and have updated Owen’s language to make it more accessible to the modern reader. The books are attractively produced and well bound.
Gospel Life contains 13 sermons on the subject of spiritual graces: “The Strength of Faith” (two sermons), “Gospel Love” (one sermon), “Walking Humbly with God” (five sermons), “God, the Saint’s Rock” – on persevering faith (two sermons), and “The Christian’s Work of Dying Daily” – on hope (three sermons). Throughout these sermons, Owen shows that, in every aspect of gospel life, “the righteous shall live – and die – by faith”.
There are many lovely things one could quote from the sermons. For example, on the subject of faith and the Lord’s call to believe, Owen says, “He stoops down to plead with us that it may be so, that He may exercise pity, pardon, goodness, kindness, mercy towards us. He is so full that He is, as it were, in pain until He can get us to Himself so as to communicate His love to us. God says, ‘O sons of men, why will you die? I beseech you, be friends with Me. Let us agree. Accept the atonement. . . . Take mercy, take pardon. Do not destroy your souls.'”
The sermons inevitably lead us to the death of the Christian. Owen tells us that it is the “last victorious act of faith in which it has its final conquest over all its adversaries . . . But when we come to die, faith is left alone. Now faith is tested. The exercise of the other graces ceases. Only faith comes to this close conflict with the last adversary, in which the whole is to be tried. And, by this one act of resigning all into the hands of God, faith triumphs over death and cries, ‘O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?’ This is the victory by which we overcome all our spiritual enemies.”
Gospel Ministry is made up of nine sermons: “The Divine Power of the Gospel” (two sermons), three ordination sermons on “The Ministry: the Gift of Christ”, “Ministerial Gifts: the Work of the Spirit”, and “The Duty of a Pastor”. Also “The Nature and Beauty of Gospel Worship” (two sermons), “The Beauty and Strength of Zion”, and “Christ’s Pastoral Care”. Apart from the ordination sermons, the sermons were preached by Owen to his congregation. He exhorts his people to pray for ministers: “Pray to God for a fresh communication of gifts to them. They are capable of receiving this. A renewed act of grace prepares and opens the soul for receiving new communications of God’s grace in order to administer holy things to the congregation. Pray much for them to that purpose.”
The text of his first sermon is Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek”. Owen explains that “Christ is the captain of our salvation and the great example for our obedience and was not ashamed of all that He had to suffer for us. He was the great God in His own person and equal with the Father, and yet this honourable One submitted to everything shameful and reproachful in the world.” Ministers (and believers) should go out into the world with this good news. “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings” (Is 52:7). The reviewer found the sermons on “The Gift of Christ and the Work of the Spirit” particularly precious.
Scriptural quotations are taken from the English Standard Version, which this reader found jarring. For example, the text for the sermon on “The Duty of a Pastor” is Jeremiah 3:15: “And I will give you pastors according to Mine heart, which shall feed with knowledge and understanding”. Owen refers to “pastors” throughout his sermon but, where the actual text is quoted, the ESV uses the word “shepherd” rather than “pastor”.
As one would expect from Owen, the sermons are instructive and edifying, and some of them the reviewer found particularly profitable. Apart from the reservation mentioned, these books of sermons are highly recommended.
F R Daubney