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From John Owen's Mortification of Sin. This chapter really had me thinking!
Chapter 13
Preparatory Directions
Speak No Peace
9. Speak No Peace until God Speaks Peace
The ninth and last preparatory direction for mortification of sin is:In case God disquiets your heart about the guilt of its distempers, either in respect of sin’s root and indwelling, or in respect of any eruptions of sin, take heed that you speak not peace to yourself before God speaks it. Instead, hearken to what He says to your soul.
This is our next direction. Without its observation, the heart will be exceedingly exposed to the deceitfulness of sin.
This is a business of great importance. It is a sad thing for a man to deceive his own soul in this. All the warnings God gives us in tenderness to our souls to try and examine ourselves do tend to the preventing of this great evil of speaking peace groundlessly to ourselves. Such groundless speaking peace results in blessing ourselves in opposition to God! It is not my business to insist upon the danger of it, but to help believers to prevent it, and to let them know when they do so.
a. Preparatory observations
To manage this direction aright, observe the following.1). God sovereignly chooses
It is the great prerogative and sovereignty of God to give grace to whom He pleases. He has “mercy on whom he will”; and among all the sons of men, He calls whom He will and sanctifies whom He will (Rom 9:18; 8:30). In the same way, among those so called and justified, and among those whom He will save, He yet reserves this privilege to Himself: to speak peace to whom He pleases and in what degree He pleases, even among them on whom He has bestowed grace. He is the “God of all comfort” in an especial manner in His dealing with believers (2Co 1:3); that is, of the good things that He keeps locked up in His family, and gives out of it to all His children at His pleasure. This the Lord insists on in Isaiah 57:16-18. It is this case we are considering that is there insisted on. When God says He will heal their breaches and disconsolations, He assumes this privilege to Himself in an especial manner. “I create… peace” (57:19)—that is, even in respect of these poor wounded creatures, I create peace. According to my sovereignty, I make it out as I please.Hence, as it is with the bestowal of grace to them who are in the state of nature, God does it very surprisingly, and His proceedings therein in taking and leaving, as to outward appearances, are quite different, and often contrary, to all probable expectations. So is it in His communication of peace and joy in reference unto them that are in the state of grace: He often gives them out quite besides our expectation as to any apparent basis for His dealings.
2). Christ sovereignly speaks
As God creates peace for whom He pleases, so it is the prerogative of Christ to speak peace home to the conscience. Speaking to the church of Laodicea, who had healed her wounds falsely and spoke peace to herself when she ought not, Christ takes to Himself that title, “the Amen, the faithful and true witness” (Rev 3:14). He bears testimony concerning our condition as it is indeed. We may possibly mistake and trouble ourselves in vain, or flatter ourselves upon false grounds, but He is “the Amen, the faithful and true witness”; and what He speaks of our state and condition, that it indeed is. He is said not to “judge after the sight of his eyes” (Isa 11:3)—that is, not according to any outward appearance, or anything that may be subject to a mistake, as we are apt to do—but He shall judge and determine every cause as it indeed is.b. Evidences for when peace is self-spoken
Given these two previous observations, I shall give some rules whereby men may know whether God speaks peace to them, or whether they speak peace to themselves only.1). If sin is not detested
Men certainly speak peace to themselves when their so doing is not attended with the greatest detestation imaginable of the sin involved, and abhorrence of themselves for it. Often men are wounded, disquieted, and perplexed by sin, knowing that there is no remedy for them but only in the mercies of God through the blood of Christ. When these look to God and to the promises of the new covenant in Christ (Heb 8:8-13), they quiet their hearts that it shall be well with them, and that God will be exalted by His being gracious to them. But if their souls are not wrought to the greatest detestation of the sin or sins on whose account they are disquieted, then they have healed themselves, and have not been healed of God. This is only a great and strong wind in which the Lord is near, but not in (1Ki 19:11).When men do truly “look upon [Christ] whom they have pierced,” without which there is no healing or peace, they will “mourn” (Zec 12:10). They will mourn for Him, even upon this account, and detest the sin that pierced Him. When we go to Christ for healing, faith eyes Him peculiarly as one pierced. Faith takes several views of Christ, according to the occasions it has for prayer and communion with Him. Sometimes faith views His holiness, sometimes His power, sometimes His love, sometimes His favor with His Father. And when faith seeks healing and peace, it looks especially on the blood of the covenant, on Christ’s sufferings; for “the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (Isa 53:5). When we look for healing, His stripes are to be eyed—not in the outward story of them, which is the course of popish devotionists, but in the love, kindness, mystery, and purpose of the cross. And when we look for peace, His chastisements must be in our eye.
Now this, I say, if it be done according to the mind of God and in the strength of that Spirit which is poured out on believers, it will beget a detestation of that sin or sins for which healing and peace is sought. So, “Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant.” And what then? “Then thou shalt remember thy ways, and be ashamed” (Eze 16:60-61). When God comes home to speak peace in a sure covenant of peace (Isa 54:10; Eze 34:25; 37:26), it fills the soul with shame for all the ways in which it has been alienated from Him.
One of the things that the apostle mentions as attending that godly sorrow which is accompanied with repentance unto salvation, never to be repented of, is revenge: “Yea, what revenge!” (2Co 7:11). They reflected on their transgressions with indignation and revenge for their folly in them. When Job comes up to a thorough healing from his sin, he cries, “Wherefore I abhor myself ” (Job 42:6). Until he did so, he had no abiding peace. He might perhaps have made peace to himself with that doctrine of free grace which was so excellently preached by Elihu (33:14-30); but he had then only skinned his wounds—he must come to self-abhorrence if he would come to healing.
So was it with those in Psalm 78:33-35, in their great trouble and perplexity for and upon the account of sin. I doubt not but upon the address they made to God in Christ (for that so they did is evident from the titles they gave Him: they call Him their Rock and their Redeemer, two words everywhere pointing out the Lord Christ), they spoke peace to themselves. But was it sound and abiding? No, it passed away as the early dew. God speaks not one word of peace to their souls. But why had they not peace? Why, because in their address to God they flattered Him. But how does that appear? “Their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast” (v. 37); they had not a detestation nor forsaking of that sin for which they spoke peace to themselves.
Let a man make what application he will for healing and peace, let him do it to the true Physician, let him do it the right way, let him quiet his heart in the promises of the covenant. Yet, when peace is spoken, if it be not attended with the detestation and abhorrence of that sin which was the wound and caused the disquietment, this is no peace of God’s creating, but of our own purchasing. It is but a skinning over the wound while the core lies underneath, which will putrefy, corrupt, and corrode until it breaks out again with injury, vexation, and danger. Let not poor souls that walk in such a path as this, who are more sensible of the trouble of sin than of the pollution of uncleanness that attends it; who address themselves for mercy even to the Lord Jesus Christ, but yet will keep the sweet morsel of their sin under their tongue—let them, I say, never think to have true and solid peace.
For instance, you find your heart running out after the world, and it disturbs you in your communion with God; the Spirit speaks expressly to you: “If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1Jo 2:15). This puts you on dealing with God in Christ for the healing of your soul, the quieting of your conscience—but yet, with all this, a thorough detestation of the evil itself does not abide upon you. Perhaps there is some detestation, but only in respect of the consequences of your sin. Perhaps you may be saved, but only as through fire (1Co 3:12-15). Perhaps God will still have some work with you before He is done, but you will have little peace in this life. You will be sick and fainting all your days (Isa 57:17).
This is a deceit that lies at the root of the peace of many professors and destroys it. They deal with all their strength about mercy and pardon, and seem to have great communion with God in their so doing. They lie before Him and bewail their sins and follies, so that anyone would think—yea, they even think themselves—that surely they and their sins are now parted; and so they receive in mercy what satisfies their hearts for a little season. But when a thorough search comes to be made, there has been some secret reserve for the folly or follies treated about—at least there has not been the thorough abhorrence of it that is necessary—and their whole peace is quickly discovered to be weak and rotten, scarce abiding any longer than the words of begging it are in their mouths.
