Animadversions Upon some Passages IN A BOOK, Entitled, THE True Nature OF A Gospel-Church, And Its GOVERNMENT.  
WRITTEN (As it is said by the Publisher) By john Owen, D. D.  

Licenced,  
June the 10 th'. 1688.   
London Printed, and are to be Sold by Richard Baldwin by the Oxford-Arms in Warwick-Lane, 1690.   

ANIMADVERSIONS Upon some Passages IN A BOOK, Entitled, THE TRUE NATURE OF A Gospel-Church, etc.  Beware of False Prophets, which come to you in Sheep's Clothing; but inwardly they are Ravening Wolves, Mat. 7. 15. 
THat the great Name of Dr. Owen, may not beget a Prejudice in the Minds of any wellmeaning Readers, against what is here Written in Opposition to His Schismatical Conceits: I shall in the First place Declare, That I shall not Contract Him any farther, than where I am Confident to do; otherwise, would be to Contemn the Joint. Authority of these blessed Men; which next to the Holy Apostles, deserve the Character of the most Glorious Lights of the World; St. Ignatius, St. Irenaeus, St. Athanasius, St. Hilary, St. Basil, St. Gregory Nazianzen, St. Gregory Nyssen, St. Ambrose, St. chrysostom, St. Augustin.  
P. 2. Our First Enquiry, says the Dr. Being concerning what sort of Persons, our Lord Jesus Christ requireth, and admitteth to be the Visible Subjects of his Kingdom, We are to be Regulated in our Determination, by Respect unto his Honour, Glory, and the Holiness of his Rule. To reckon such Persons to be Subjects of Christ, Members of his Body, such as he Requires, and Owns, who would not be Tolerated, at least not approved in a well Governed Kingdom, or Commonwealth of the World, is highly Dishonourable unto him. But it is so come to pass, That let Men be never so notoriously, and flagitiously wicked, until they become Pests of the Earth; yet are they Esteemed, to belong to the Church of Christ.  
To this I answer, That our Saviour, Requires all Men to be of his Church, to submit themselves to his Discipline, and to Profess to all the World, that they do so, by being Baptised in the the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Those that are Baptised, He Requires by the Assistance of His Holy Spirit which He continually Offers to them, to Act according to their Profession, to Love the Lord their God, with all their Heart, and with all their Soul, and with all their Strength, and with all their Mind, and their Neighbour, as themselves. He has not declared, That it is His Will, that Baptism should be Denied to any Person, or that any one being Baptised, should be Deprived of the Privilege of having External Communion with all True Christians, but for such Causes, which are Expressed in the Canons, and Constitutions of the Church of England. Those, who remaining in External Communion with the Church, have not the Habit, or Fixed Principle of Divine Love, in their Hearts. Our Blessed Lord, doth not Own in such a manner, as to receive them into a State of Salvation; but He doth Own them, or Take them for His people upon this Account, That He Graciously Confers on them, in an abundant Measure, the Means of Knowing what they must do to be Saved. He does not Approve, or Take any Complacency in that Temper of Mind, or Spirit, which they are Actually in; but he is always Well-pleased with the Capacity, He has Graciously Endued them with all, of attaining to a Divine Temper; that is to say, Of being Sanctified, or having their Wills United to the Will of God in all things. And He approves the Ministers of the Gospel, in the Administration of the Means of Grace, or Sanctification unto them, and in Praying for them.  
P. 15. It must be remembered, That Communion with particular Churches, is to be Regulated absolutely by Edification, No Man is, or can be Obliged to abide in, or confine himself unto the Communion of any particular Church any longer, than it is for his Edification.  
This is True, But from hence it is most Evident, That those Men are Guilty of most Abominable Iniquity, who Endeavour to Seduce any People from the Communion of the Church of England, in which the Fundamental Articles of the Christian Religion are so clearly, and fully Expressed, and those most Important Expressions so frequently Repeated; that Persons of the lowest Intellectuals, who do not Rebel against the Light, in frequenting our Religious Assemblies; may more easily attain to the Knowledge of all things that are Necessary to their Salvation, than by Hearing, or Reading the best Sermons, that have been, or shall be Preached by any of the Non-conformists to the End of the World; which Assertion, is as Evident, as it is, That any Illiterate Persons, may more easily Meditate on Truths plainly Expressed, and frequently Suggested to their Remembrance, than Collect the same Truths out of divers large Discourses, if they were therein Employed: So that, It can hardly be imagined, how any Man can be in any thing, more serviceable to the Destroyer of Souls, than by Teaching People to Despise our Catechism and Common-Prayer. It is now Manifest, and shall be so, to all Posterity; that the Multitude of these Despisers, have Encouraged the Professed Enemies of the Godhead of our Blessed Saviour, to Publish their Blasphemies.  
Arise O GOD, Plead thine own Cause: Remember how the Foolish Man, Blasphemeth thee daily.  
P. 20. Few there are, who think that any Act, or Duty of their own, is Required to Enstate them in Church Order, and Relation.  
Was there ever such a notorious Falsehood, Published by any Learned Man, Professing himself to be a Christian! What shall be done unto thee, thou False Tongue! Every Child that is Educated in the Church of England, can tell him this, That it is Required of them that come to the Lords Supper. To Examine themselves whether they Repent them truly of their former sins, steadfastly purposing to lead a new Life; have a Lively Faith in God's Mercy through Christ, with a thankful Remembrance of his Death, and be in Charity with all Men.  
P. 28. All this Authority, in, and over the Church, is vested in Christ.  
Answer. True; But he Communicates His Authority, to be Exercised in Dependence upon Himself to those, to whom by the Holy Apostle, He requires our Obedience, Heb. 13. 17. Obey them that have the Rule over you.  
P. 40. Every individual Person hath the Liberty of his own Judgement, as unto his own Consent, or Dissent, in what he is himself concerned.  
To this I answer, That every Person who in Matters Spiritual or Ecclesiastical, Acts according to his own Private Judgement, viz. without a due Regard to the Judgement of them that have the Rule over him, Acts contrary to the Mind of Christ.  
P. 88 If the World doth not dwell with Power in us, it will not pass with Power from us.  
This is most horrible False Doctrine, and of mischievous Consequence to the Souls of Men, making them to Conceit, That the Efficacy of Sanctifying Truth, Depends upon the Sanctity of the Preacher, thus Assisting the Devil in his Temptations in the Minds of the Hearers, wholly to Neglect, or to Lessen their Attention to those Sanctifying Truths, that come to their Notice from the Tongues, or Pens of such Persons, whom (truly, or falsely) they suppose to be Irregular in their Lives; whereas we are Bound by our Christianity, to Love whatsoever is of GOD, in whomsoever we find it, from whomsoever we receive the Notice of it. This I conceive to be so plain a Truth, That there is no need I should Insist any longer on it, but only to beseech the Christian Reader, by the Mercies of God, by all the Love he bears to the Truth of the Gospel; That he would Beware of the Sophistry of all sorts of Schismatics; And that he would be more Ardent in his Devotions, than ever yet he has been; Praying thus with all True Christians: Give Grace, O Heavenly Father, to all Bishops, and Curates, That they may both by their Life and Doctrine, set forth thy True and Lively Word, and Rightly, and Duly Administer thy Holy Sacraments.  
We grant that our Communion with the Church-Catholick, Chief, and Principally, Consists in this. That we have all one, and the same God, and Father, (as Dr. Owen speaks, pag. 242.) one Lord Jesus Christ, one Faith, and one Doctrine of Faith, one Hope of our Calling, or the promised Inheritance, one Regeneration, one Baptism, one Bread and Wine; United unto God, and Christ in one Spirit, through the Bond of Faith, and Love. But then, we Declare to all the World, That those Persons who own an Aversion from the Communion of the Church of England, are Guilty of a most Heinous Violation of the Bond of Christian Love; and Separate themselves from the Church-Catholick, in Separating from the Publick-Worship of so Sound a Member of It; there being nothing Required, as a Condition of this Communion, but to make Public Confession of that Faith, which was once Delivered to the Saints, (which none but the most Execrable sort of Heretics can any way Disgust): And to Use those Words in Public Prayer, which are as certainly Expressive of the Power and Virtue of all Holy Desires, as it is certain that our Saviour is the Only Wise GOD; and to Receive the Blessed Eucharist in both Kind's, according to Christ's Institution, in such a Posture of the Body, as best suits with the Humility of a Devout Soul, Adoring the Majesty of Her Crucified Redeemer.  
P. 285. Unto the Communion of all particular Churches in the World, there is nothing required, but a Belief of the Scripture to be the Word of GOD, with a professed Assent unto all Divine Relations therein contained.  
To this I Answer, That since there sprung up a sort of Creatures, who pretend to Prove by Scripture, That our Blessed Saviour, is not the True, and Eternal GOD; it became Necessary for the Conservation of the Purity of Christian Communion, That all who Profess Christianity, should make Solemn Confession of their Faith in such Terms, as Manifest their Belief of this Fundamental Truth, contained in the Holy Scriptures, That Jesus Christ, is the True and Eternal GOD. This Assertion, Dr. Owen does in Effect, Consent unto in these Words. Although any Society of Men, should Profess the Scripture to be the Word of GOD, and avow an Assent to the Revelations made therein; yet by the Conceptions of their Minds, and misunderstanding of the Sense of the Holy Spirit therein, they may embrace, and adhere unto such Errors, as may Cut them off from all Communion with the Catholick-Church in Faith.  
Very well: But does it not follow from what he has here said, That a Profession of Belief, that the Scripture is the Word of GOD, etc. is not sufficient to Enstate us in External Communion with the Church-Catholick, since some of the most horrid Enemies of the Church, make the same Profession? My Charity prompts me to Believe, That if this Man had Lived to see Socinianism show its Head amongst us, as it does in these Days, it would have Frighted him into a better Opinion of the Church of England.  
Here I shall most Earnestly beseech the Christian Reader, seriously to Consider, and with all his Heart, and with all his Strength, to Abhor, and Detest the Fanatical Contempt of the Order of the Church of England, for the Use of the Lords-Prayer, since 'tis so Notorious, That it has been the Inducement to so many Blasphemies. The Author of a Book, Entitled, Essays towards a Union between Divinity, and Morality, pag. 73. Despises the Order of our Church, for the frequent Use of this most Perfect Form of Prayer; and in the 84, and 85. pages, he openly Blasphemes GOD the Son, and GOD the Holy Ghost. I will not here Recite the Words: But I shall most Earnestly Beseech all True Christians, to use their utmost Endeavours, to procure such a Mark of Infamy, to be fixed upon this most Execrable Book, which the University of Oxford has lately fixed upon the like Essay of Satanical Impudence.  
I cannot but foresee the manifold Cavillations and Wranglings, that will be raised against this Paper: But, Blessed be GOD, I fear not the Reproach of Men, nor am afraid of their Revile: Daily, and Hourly, pondering in my Heart, the weighty Sense of those Sacred Words, Rev. 22. 20. He which Testifieth these Things, saith, Surely I come quickly, Amen. Even so, Come Lord Jesus.   
FINIS.