Communion with the Triune God (Foreword by Kevin J. Vanhoozer) by John Owen

Author:John Owen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook, book
Publisher: Crossway
Published: 2016-08-09T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 4

The communion begun, as before declared, between Christ and the soul,1 is in the next place carried on by suitable consequential affections—affections suiting such a relation. Christ having given himself to the soul, loves the soul; and the soul having given itself unto Christ, loves him also. Christ loves his own, yea, “loves them to the end” (John 13:1); and the saints they love Christ, they “love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity” (Eph. 6:24).

Now the love of Christ, wherewith he follows his saints, consists in these four things: (1) delight; (2) valuation; (3) pity, or compassion;(4) bounty. The love, also, of the saints unto Christ may be referred to these four heads: delight; valuation; chastity; duty.

Two of these are of the same kind, and two distinct; as is required in this relation, wherein all things stand not on equal terms.

The first thing on the part of Christ is delight. Delight is the flowing of love and joy—the rest and complacence of the mind in a suitable, desirable good enjoyed.2 Now, Christ delights exceedingly in his saints: “As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you” (Isa. 62:5). Hence he calls the day of his espousals, the day of the “gladness of his heart” (Song 3:11). It is known that usually this is the most unmixed delight that the sons of men are in their pilgrimage made partakers of. The delight of the bridegroom in the day of his espousals is the height of what an expression of delight can be carried unto. This is in Christ answerable to the relation he takes us into. His heart is glad in us, without sorrow. And every day while we live is his wedding day. It is said of him, “The LORD your God in the midst of you” (that is, dwelling amongst us, taking our nature, John 1:14) “is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over you with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over you with singing” (Zeph. 3:17); which is a full description of delight, in all the parts of it—joy and exultation, rest and complacence. “I rejoiced,” says he, “in the habitable parts of the earth, and my delights were with the sons of men” (Prov. 8:31). The thoughts of communion with the saints were the joy of his heart from eternity.On the compact and agreement that was between his Father and him, that he should divide a portion with the strong, and save a remnant for his inheritance, his soul rejoiced in the thoughts of that pleasure and delight which he would take in them, when he should actually take them into communion with himself. Therefore in the preceding verse it is said he was by him as ’amon , say we, “As one brought up with him,”alumnus (the LXX renders it harmozousa and the Latin, with most other translations, [renders it] cuncta componens, or disponens). The word, taken actively , signifies him whom another takes into his care to breed up, and disposes of things for his advantage.

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