“The Foundation of Communion with God” introduces readers to the Trinitarian piety of John Owen (1616–1683). Ryan McGraw’s introduction to Owen sketches the major events of this important theologian’s life and shows how his circumstances shaped his thought on the themes of the Trinity and public worship. The second part of the book presents forty-one brief selections from Owen’s writings that trace his thoughts on knowing God as triune, on Scripture and worship, on heavenly-mindedness, and on covenant and the church. Appendixes provide readers with a chronological list of Owen’s writings and a guide to them for those who wish to delve deeper into this great theologian’s thoughts.

Table of Contents

Section One: Knowing God as Triune

1. Experimental Theology

2. Communion with God

3. How We Commune with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

4. Communion with the Father in Love

5. Communion with Christ in Personal Grace

6. Communion with Christ in Spiritual Desertion

7. Communion with Christ in Purchased Grace

8. Communion with Christ in Holiness

9. Communion with Christ and Mortifying Sin

10. Communion with Christ in Adoption

11. Nine Marks of Communion with the Holy Spirit

12. Without the Spirit We May as Well Burn Our Bibles

13. A Heavenly Directory for Worship

14. Worshipping the Father

15. Worshipping through Jesus Christ

16. Images of Christ

17. Worshiping by the Holy Spirit

18. A Few Simple Ceremonies

19. The Main Design of the Second Commandment

20. Forced into a Howling Wilderness

Section Two: Heavenly-Mindedness and Apostasy

21. Gospel Faith and Gospel Worship Go Together

22. A Spiritually Thriving Christian

23. The Danger of Pride in Biblical Worship

24. Misplaced Trust in External Duties

25. Fortifying the Soul against Christ

26. Losing the Power of Religion in Our Hearts

27. Faith, Love, and Delighting in God

28. Means of Communicating Divine Love

29. The Means of Grace

30. The Principal End of All Duties of Religion

Section Three: Covenant and Church

31. The Chief Glory of New Covenant Worship

32. The Great Gift of the New Testament

33. The Glory of Spiritual Worship

34. The Internal Beauty of New Covenant Worship

35. Benedictions

36. Ministers as Benedictions

37. How to Obtain the Gifts of the Holy Spirit

38. The Minster’s Experience in Preaching

39. The People’s Experience in Preaching

40. Communion with Christ in the Lord’s Supper

41. The Sabbath as a Pledge of Communion with God in Heaven

Appendix A: Reading Owen

Appendix B: Owen’s Works Arranged by Year Appendix C: Books about Owen

Series Description

Seeking, then, both to honor the past and yet not idolize it, we are issuing these books in the series Profiles in Reformed Spirituality. The design is to introduce the spirituality and piety of the Reformed Profiles in Reformed Spirituality tradition by presenting descriptions of the lives of notable Christians with select passages from their works. This combination of biographical sketches and collected portions from primary sources gives a taste of the subjects’ contributions to our spiritual heritage and some direction as to how the reader can find further edification through their works. It is the hope of the publishers that this series will provide riches for those areas where we are poor and light of day where we are stumbling in the deepening twilight.

About the Editor

RYAN M. MCGRAW is pastor of First Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sunnyvale, California; research associate, University of the Free State; and adjunct professor of systematic theology, Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.

Endorsements

“Imagine being invited to a feast prepared by a great chef, but you have no experience with exquisite foods. Now, someone trained in the culinary arts wants you to appreciate what is before you. He explains the various dishes and then brings you a sample of each to whet your appetite. By the end, you are satisfied, yet hungry for more. This is what we have here, thanks to Ryan McGraw, who has ably introduced and edited this anthology of insights from John Owen’s many volumes. Prepare to be fed by master chef Owen and by your guide McGraw. Enjoy.” — Kelly M. Kapic, author of Communion with God: The Divine and Human in the Theology of John Owen

“If the very sight of a single six-hundred-page volume of John Owen's Works is daunting or produces a sense of (false) guilt because page-long paragraphs discourage you, then here is the book for you— ‘bite-size’ Owen without being ‘Owen-lite.’ Dr Ryan McGraw proves to be one of the best kinds of experts (he is one on John Owen): he shows us the heart of the matter. In the case of these pages that means both edification and pleasure rolled into one.” — Sinclair B. Ferguson, author of John Owen on the Christian Life