McMahon has very severely misunderstood Owen.
https://contrast2.wordpress.com/2010/09/20/mcmahons-misrepresentation-of-john-owen/
1689 Federalism doesn't say otherwise.
No, I haven't. I've just been kind to Owen in reading ALL of Owen, not the misuse of saying "consider his more mature thoughts", as if to delete 40 years of his work previous to a few passages that deal with the Abrahamic Covenant.
Unless one has read ALL of Owen, then they ought not to weigh in. (Like the fellow who wrote that article missing much of Owen throughout his works.)
Its as if one would say, once you get to Calvin's commentaries, written after the Institutes, disregard his
less mature thoughts in the
Institutes. The commentaries are his more "mature thoughts." Ug. Yeah, except when Calvin says, if you want to know my mind, go read the
Institutes. The purpose of theologians writing things down is so they don't have to continually reproduce the same info over and over. Owen is quite voluminous. He should be thoroughly read, and everything considered.
Owen says,
"§36. It is added, seventhly, concerning the person here spoken of, and whose coming is foretold, 'he shall confirm,' or strengthen, ' the covenant unto many.' The covenant spoken of absolutely, can be none but that everlasting covenant which God made with his elect, in the promised seed ; the great promise whereof was the foundation of the covenant with Abraham. And hence God says, that he will ' give him for a covenant unto the people,' Isa. xlii. 6; chap. xlix. 8. And the salvation which they looked for through him, God promiseth through the blood of the covenant, Zech. ix. 11. This covenant he strengthened unto many in the week wherein he suffered, even unto all that believed in him. This everlasting covenant was ratified in his blood, Heb. ix. 15, and after he had declared it in his own ministry, he caused it to be proclaimed in and by his gospel. At the time here determined, the especial covenant with Israel and Judah was broken, Zech. xi. 10, and they were thereon cast off from being a church or people. Nor was there at that season any other ratification of the covenant, but only what was made in the death of the Messiah." -Owen, J. (n.d.). An Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews by John Owen (Vol. 1).
Owen, "God is present or with any in respect of the covenant of grace. He is with them
to be their God in covenant." Owen, J. (n.d.). The Works of John Owen (Vol. 8). That sure does sound familiar. Where did God ever say that....?
Owen, "It is not in my purpose to handle
the nature of
the covenant of grace, but only briefly to look into it, so far as it hath influence into the truth in hand. The covenant of grace, then, as it inwraps the
unchangeable love and favour of God towards those who are taken into
the bond thereof, is that which lieth under our present consideration. The other great branch of it (upon the account of the same faithfulness of God), communicating
permanency or perseverance in itself unto the saints, securing their continuance with God, shall, the Lord assisting, more peculiarly be explained when we arrive to the head of our discourse, unless enough to that purpose may fall in occasionally in the progress of this business. For our present purpose, the producing and vindicating of one or two texts of Scripture, being unavoidably expressive towards the end aimed at, shall suffice.
The first of these is Gen. xvii. 7, " I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee."
This is that which God engageth himself unto in this covenant of grace, that he will for everlasting be a God to him. Owen, J. (n.d.). The Works of John Owen (Vol. 11).
Owen, "This argument may be thus
further cleared and improved: —
Christ is " the messenger of the covenant," Mai. iii. 1, —
that is, the covenant of God with Abraham, Gen. xvii. 7 ; for, — 1. That covenant was with and unto Christ
mystical, Gal. iii. 16; and he was the messenger of no covenant but that which was made with himself and his members. 2. He was sent, or was God's messenger, to perform and accomplish
the covenant and oath made with Abraham, Luke i. 72, 73. 3. The end of his message and of his coming was, that those to whom he was sent might be "blessed
with faithful Abraham," or that
"the blessing
of Abraham" promised in the covenant, " might come upon them," Gal. iii. 9, 14. Owen, J. (n.d.). The Works of John Owen (Vol. 16).
Owen must not have read Owen, or misunderstood himself. (??)
And so LISTEN all my dispensational friends....
Owen, "
To deny this [
i.e. what is posted above],
overthrows the whole relation between the old testament and the new, the
veracity of God in his promises, and
all the properties of the covenant of grace, mentioned 2 Sam. xxiii. 5. Owen, J. (n.d.). The Works of John Owen (Vol. 16).
At the same time, I want to be gracious to my dispensational friends. We are often captive to our circumstances. If we are not widely and thoroughly well read, (like really well read) on the topic of CT, it is going to be a bear to try and figure out what everyone said and what everyone means. There are far too many armchair theologians out there who irresponsibly "post" things on the internet without considering everything to be considered. There is simply not enough time in the day to deal with it all. The internet is a monster in that regard.
With that said, I have too much on my plate to systematically untwist so much current dispensational thought on the board. I've taken on too many other responsibilities. Just read ALL of Owen. Or Witsius. Or Turretin. Or Ball. Or Calvin. Or Bridges. Or Sibbes. Or Perkins. Or Blake. Or Strong. Or....well, you get the point. Blessings.
