More From Mr. Owen

From Chapter 7: "The mind and soul is taken up about that which is not the man's proper business, and so he is diverted from that which is so. God lays hold by his word and judgements on some sin in him, galls his conscience, disquiets his heart, deprives him of his rest; now other diversions will not serve his turn; he must apply himself to the work before him. The business in hand being to awake the whole man unto a consideration of the state and condition wherein he is, that he might be brought home to God, instead hereof he sets himself to mortify the sin that galls him -- which is a pure issue of self-love, to be freed from his trouble, and not at all to the work he is called unto, -- and so it diverted from it...are men diverted from coming unto God by the most glorious ways that they can fix upon to come to ruin their own souls. I wish that some whose trade it is to daub with untempered mortar in the things of God did not teach this deceit, what ofttimes are they directed unto, when their consciences are galled by sin and disquietment from the Lord, who hath laid hold upon them? Is not a relinquishment of the sin, as to practice, that they are, in some fruits of it, perplexed withal, and making head against it, the sum of what they apply themselves unto? and is not the gospel end of their convictions lost thereby? Here men abide and perish."



It's like the Elder son, redux. I don't think I've ever heard/read this point so effectively laid out and so precisely communicated anywhere else. And it's not bound into the fluffy Prodigal Son parable. The idea of "Elder son" is a lot easier to throw around than the full out rebellion, deceit and uselessness that the idea is pointing at. AHH so much truth!