I finished reading along with Tim, but I haven’t posted my notes from reading. So, I’m playing catch-up.

Do not speak peace to yourself before God speaks it, but hearken to what God says to your soul.

Without this, Owen writes that my “heart will be exceedingly exposed to the deceitfulness of sin.”

Consider Jesus’ words to the Church of Laodicea:
“For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:17)

They told themselves one thing, but the truth was something altogether different. Owen points out that Jesus is the Witness who is Faithful and True. His witness about us is what is true and it the only one that counts. His heart alone is not deceitful.

Owen offers some rules whereby men may now whether God speaks peace to them, or whether they speak peace to themselves only:

1. Men certainly speak peace to themselves when their so doing is not attended with the greatest detestation imaginable of that sin in reference where unto they do speak peace to themselves, and abhorrency of themselves for it.

I can so relate to this right now. I mentioned in the post about chapter 12 how I find my safety in the blood of Christ. Well, considering His blood also makes me consider what caused His blood to flow. It was for my sin that he suffered, enduring terrible torture, beatings, mockery, and open shame. I’ve always thought there was something wrong with my feeling sick over it, that somehow I was just too self-absorbed, but Owen writes that true repentance ought to be accompanied by detestation and abhorrence. I would say, “Thinking about it makes me feel like I need to vomit.” Owen uses nicer words.

Then, there have been times when I wanted to speak peace to myself with the truth of the gospel, yet have, as Owen puts it, “[kept] the sweet morsel of [my] sin under [my] tongue.” I am so ashamed to admit it, but it’s the truth. And it makes me sick with myself.

2. When men measure out peace to themselves upon the conclusions that their convictions and rational principles will carry them out unto, this is is false peace and will not abide.

He is saying that some men know what they’re supposed to believe about their sin and they say all the right things, read all the pertinent scriptures, and take their peace from that. That does not mean that they have genuine peace from God.

What Owen has to say here is so good, I’m just going to type it out:

When God speaks, there is not only truth in his words, that may answer the conviction of our understandings, but also they do good; they bring that which is sweet, and good, and desirable to the will and affections; by them the “soul returns unto its rest” (Ps. 116:7).

Which is worst of all, it amends not the life, it heals not the evil, it cures not the distemper. When God speaks peace, it guides and keeps the soul that it “turn not again to folly” (Ps. 85:8). When we speak it ourselves, the heart is not taken off the evil; nay, it is the readiest course in the world to bring a soul into a trade of backsliding. If, upon your plastering yourself, you find yourself rather animated to the battle again than utterly weaned from it, it is too palpable that you have been at work with your own soul, but Jesus Christ and his Spirit were not there. Yea, and often times nature having done its work, will, ere a few days are over, come for its reward; and , having been active in the work of healing, will be ready to reason for a new wounding. In God’s speaking peace there comes so much sweetness, and such a discovery of his love, as is a strong obligation on the soul no more to deal perversely (Luke 22:32).

So, genuine peace is accompanied by the strength to not return to that sin. Well, if that’s the case, then I’m in big trouble. I can’t think of one sin that I’ve not ever struggled with on more than one occasion. Nor can I think of duties that I am always faithful to do. That last statement reminds me of something we read in the early chapters of this classic book. Owen essentially says that we ought not think that we can expect to mortify a sin of commission while we are neglecting certain spiritual disciplines. God desires my whole life, not just parts. He will especially aid the mortification of my sin when I am disciplined to do all that I already know it is right and good for me to do as a Christian.

3. We speak peace to ourselves when we do it slightly.

What Owen means by this is that we can confess a sin and apply the gospel to it, but not mix it with faith. We can say, “Oops, I sinned. That’s okay because I believe Jesus died for me.” We can get a little too hasty. He says it’s better to feed upon the promise of forgiveness and mix it with faith. “You will find your wound [sin], ere it be long, breaking out again; and you shall know that you are not cured” if you do not mix peace with faith.

4. Whoever speaks peace to himself upon any one account, and at the same time has another evil of no less importance lying upon his spirit, about which he has had no dealing with God, that man cries “Peace” when there is none.

I think Owen really understands what is going on in my heart and mind when I’m praying. I can be in the middle of sinning in my heart or mind while I’m praying. Usually it is a sin involving wrong feelings about another person, someone who just gets on my nerves. Yet even in my praying, and with those feelings coming up, I still pray and plead with God to help my heart have the right disposition toward others.

And there are many times I do not “feel” at peace after prayer. I just press on. There may be a period of time before I know that God has spoken peace to me. Seriously. I can’t really explain it but there have been times that I have not felt an immediate peace after confession and repentance. I usually know it when God has brought a sense of humbling and a great desire to obey Him in that particular area. What do you do when you don’t sense a peace from God over sin, either those of omission or commission?

5. When men of themselves speak peace to their consciences, it is seldom that God speaks humiliation to their souls. Owen says, “God’s peace is a humbling peace, melting peace…deep humiliation.” Never have I heard it put this way, but by my own experience I know this to be true. When I am just wanting some peace, and I speak it to myself in some way, I usually feel proud of myself. However, when I’ve been laid in the dust by God’s Spirit over a sin, then I feel most humble, like I must be the worst sinner on the planet and that I ought to never look down on another soul over their sin.