Works 02: Communion with God

The bulk of the volume is taken up with Owen’s treatment of communion with God, first published in 1657. He shows that Christians do not relate to God generically and impersonally, but can and should possess a deep and distinctive communion with the three Persons of the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Distinguishing between the Persons without separating them, Owen considers what it means to know the love of the Father, grace in and from Christ, and fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Particularly delightful are his digressions on the excellencies and perfections of Christ, as Owen revels in the mercies we enjoy in him as the Redeemer and Reconciler.

Two much shorter works follow, one in which Owen responds to certain accusations made against him concerning the work on communion with God (1674), and the other a surprisingly brief and accessible explanation and vindication of the doctrine of the Trinity (1669).