Part Four – The Excellency of a Gracious Spirit by Jeremiah Burroughs
When I think about a truly spiritual writer; a writer whose is content constantly tethered to the interactions between God and man, my mind turns to John Owen (d. 1683). Owen is generally regarded as the Prince of the Puritans, although opinions as why he retains the accolade are not too easy to come by. For my part, I think he deserves the title because of the variety, depth, rigor, and overall benefits of his work. As Owen’s Works appear in the Banner of Truth edition (which I am using), I would call attention to Volumes 1 to 4, 6 and 7, and 16. I would also commend his huge 7 volume Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews and his Biblical Theology. That’s a lot of books! But if I were forced to choose just one Owen volume it would be Volume 6, which includes his writings on Sin and Temptation and his Exposition of Psalm 130.
The book under consideration is Volume 3 in the Works, and is devoted to the Holy Spirit. And yes, Volume 4 is also partly concerned with the Holy Spirit, but the main book is this one, A Discourse Concerning the Holy Spirit. As with all Owen’s works patience and diligence is required to get through this treatise. Although there is a logical structure to the book, one can get a little lost in the argument if one is not careful. On top of this, (I believe many readers of John Owen will recognize what I am about to say next): One can get twenty or thirty pages into Owen and cover a lot of ground only to be told by him that these are mere introductory thoughts.
Owen on the Holy Spirit begins with several General Principles. These are not to skipped, for there are many great summary statements in these pages. The Spirit, avers Owen, has been given “as a sufficient relief against all their troubles, and a faithful guide in all their ways.” (25). We are reminded that to know God we must seek Him in His Scriptures: “By them,” Owen says, “are the otherwise invisible things of God made known, his attributes declared, and we can attain by our most diligent speculations about his nature itself immediately. So is it with the Holy Ghost and his personality.” (38). Owen is an ardent Biblicist!
The second and third chapters concern themselves with the names and attributes of the Spirit. The treatment is thorough and generally excellent, although the author does permit himself a little speculation here and there, as in his view that the form of the dove at Christ’s baptism was ” of a fiery nature, an ethereal substance, shaped into the form or semblance of a dove” (76). But who will complain about such things?
As the reader immerses himself in this book what happens is that one great thought after another washes over him. For instance, when discoursing on the original creation of Adam as he came from the hand of the Creator Owen supplies such a wonderful sketch of his properties as to draw this reviewer into that great scene and wish to be like that – to have an unfettered ability to relate to my God (101-103).
This Discourse is filled with exegetical notes and helpful explanations. As these are woven into the exposition and application they don’t bog down the work. A good example of this is his reasoning through the texts which refer to the procession of the Spirit (116-118), or his examination of 2 Peter 1:21 (132-134). Indeed, later he states, “He that would utterly separate the Spirit from the word had as good burn his Bible.” (192).
But let me provide a snippet of the riches of Owen’s prose, demanding as sometimes it is:
How would some rejoice if they could possess ant relic of any thing that belonged to our Saviour in the days of his flesh, though of no use or benefit to them! Yea, how great a part of men called Christians do boast of in some pretended parcels of the tree whereon he suffered! Love abused by superstition lies at the bottom of this vanity; for they would embrace any thing left them by their dying Saviour. But he left them no such things, nor did he ever bless or sanctify unto any holy or sacred ends…But this [gift of the Spirit] is openly testified unto in the gospel. Then when his heart was overflowing with love unto his disciples and care for them, when he took a holy prospect of what would be their condition, their work, duty, and temptations in the world, and thereon made provision of all that they could stand in need of, he promiseth to leave and give unto them his Holy Spirit to abide in them forever, directing us to look unto him for all our comforts and supplies. According, therefore, unto our valuation and esteem of him, to our satisfaction and acquiescency in him, is our regard to the love, care, and wisdom of our blessed Saviour to be measured. – 156.
I make no apology for the length of the quotation. This is John Owen after all, and if one is going to read him, it will mean interacting with this kind of material. There is a studied tenacity in his writing. It must have taken him some time to write this work, but there is no let up. One is immersed in the spiritual thoughts of a man soaked in Scripture; enthralled by God.
This is a volume just shy of 650 pages, and a review such as this will not do the book justice. As things continue, many of the themes found in other Owen classics, such as the problem of indwelling sin, the natural man and the spiritual man, etc., are present. I could have done without the study of Augustine’s conversion in Book III ch. 6, which I think stops the flow, but it may interest some. The chapters on regeneration will be embraced by high Calvinist readers and endured by those not of that stamp. But once we get to the last two sections of the book, which comprise some 250 pages, we have Puritan gold aplenty. Books IV and V are replete with studies in holiness and exhortations to live righteously in dependence on the Spirit. Owen is really good on the Spirit’s use of the blood of Christ applied to the sins of the saints (436-467). This is followed up with a long section of the positive work of the Spirit in our ongoing sanctification. These pages are brilliant in their analysis of our woes and of the remedies that God has placed at our disposal to purge ourselves from defilement.
A Discourse Concerning the Holy Spirit is not a book that is usually trotted out when John Owen is being discussed. But to me it is one of his greatest accomplishments, and is one of the greatest “spiritual works” the Puritans ever produced.
