A90296:130
A vision of unchangeable free mercy, in sending the means of grace to undeserved…A vision of vnchangeable free mercy, in sending the means of grace to undeserved…
A vision of unchangeable free mercy, in sending the means of grace to undeserved sinners: wherein Gods uncontrollable eternal purpose, in sending, and continuing the gospel unto this nation, in the middest of oppositions and contingencies, is discovered: his distinguishing mercy, in this great work, exalted, asserted, against opposers, repiners: in a sermon preached before the Honourable House of Commons, April. 29. being the day of public humiliation. Whereunto is annexed, a short defensative about church-government, (with a country essay for the practice of church-government there) toleration and petitions about these things. / By John Owen, minister of the gospel at Coggeshall in Essex.A vision of vnchangeable free mercy, in sending the means of grace to undeserved sinners: wherein Gods uncontrollable eternall purpose, in sending, and continuing the gospel unto this nation, in the middest of oppositions and contingencies, is discovered: his distinguishing mercy, in this great work, exalted, asserted, against opposers, repiners: in a sermon preached before the Honourable House of Commons, April. 29. being the day of publike humiliation. Whereunto is annexed, a short defensative about church-government, (with a countrey essay for the practice of church-government there) toleration and petitions about these things. / By Iohn Owen, minister of the gospel at Coggeshall in Essex.
London: printed by G.M. for Philemon Stephens, 1646
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Think of Adam after his fall, 1before the promise, hiding himself from God: and you have a perfect portraiture of a poor creature without the Gospel: now this appeareth,
Think of Adam after his fall, 1before the promise, hiding himself from God: and you have a perfect pourtraicture of a poor creature without the Gospel: now this appeareth,
1. From the description we have of the people that are in this state and condition without the Gospel;1 they are a people that sit in darkness, yea in the region and shadow of death, Matth. 4 16, 17. they are even darkness it self, Joh. 1. 7. within the dominion and dreadful darkness of death; darkness was one of Egypts plagues, but yet that was a darkness of the body, a darkness wherein men lived: but this is a darkness of the soul, a darkness of death, for these men though they live, yet are they dead; they are fully described, Ephes. 2. 12. without Christ, aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel, strangers from the Covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world. Christless men, and godless men, and hopeless men, and what greater distress in the world? yea, they are called dogs, and unclean beasts, the wrath of God is upon them, they are the people of his curse and indignation. In the extreme North, one day and one night divide the year; but with a people without the Gospel, it is all night, the sun of righteousness shines not upon them, it is night whilst they are here, and they go to eternal night hereafter. What the men of China concerning themselves and others, that they have two eyes, the men of Europe one, and all the world besides is blind, may be inverted too, the Jews had one eye, sufficient to guide them, they who enjoy the Gospel have two eyes, but the men of China, with the rest of the Nations that want it, are stark blind, and reserved for the chains of everlasting darkness.