10 Puritans: John Owen, Prince of English Divines

Who Was John Owen?

John Owen is often called the “prince of the English divines.” He was born in the village of Stadhampton, England, to a Puritan pastor named    Henry Owen. From his earliest years, he loved learning and had a strong appetite for God’s Word. When he was twelve, he began studying at the University of Oxford, earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1632 and his Master of Arts degree in 1635. Throughout his teens, he often studied for eighteen to twenty hours a day—a habit that permanently damaged his health.

Although he hoped to obtain an advanced divinity degree, Owen left the university in 1637 because he refused to agree to new rules and practices contrary to his Puritan convictions. In his early twenties, he served as a chaplain and tutor for two wealthy families. For six years as a chaplain, he accessed his patrons’ libraries and had plenty of time to study theology.

Although he embraced Puritan convictions from his youth, Owen did not enjoy personal assurance of salvation until 1642. When he was in London that year, his fears about his spiritual state were dispelled after hearing an obscure countryside pastor preach tenderly and powerfully on the words of Christ in Matthew 8:26—“Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?”

Pastorship and Growing Fame

With growing recognition for his books, Owen became the pastor of a church in Fordham, a country village in Essex. The Lord richly blessed Owen’s three-year ministry there, and many people came from the surrounding region to hear him. In Fordham, Owen regularly visited the families in his congregation and wrote two catechisms—one for children and one for adults.

In 1664, after being removed from the pastorate in Fordham for political reasons, Owen became the pastor of St. Peter’s Church in Coggeshall, a town in Essex. By the late 1640s, Owen’s fame spread throughout England because of his preaching and writings. Over one thousand people came every week to hear his sermons.

Owen preached before Parliament several times—including the day after the execution of King Charles I. Impressed by Owen’s preaching gifts, Oliver Cromwell persuaded Owen to accompany him to Ireland as a chaplain and to oversee Trinity College in Dublin. In Ireland, Owen spent most of his time preaching and promoting Puritan theology and life at the college.

The Most Productive Years of His Life

The 1650s were the most productive years of Owen’s life. In 1650, he was appointed as an official preacher to the Commonwealth. The next year, he became the Dean (an academic and pastoral position) of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. Eighteen months later, he became the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford. As Vice-Chancellor, he promoted Reformed theology and Puritan piety through his lectures and theological works. Owen’s godly leadership brought peace, security, prosperity, and spiritual growth to the university during the chaotic years of the English Civil War.

Years of Obscurity and Final Years

If the 1650s were years of prominence for John Owen, the 1660s were years of obscurity. He lost favor with Oliver Cromwell after opposing the idea that he should become king. After Cromwell’s son, Richard, became the Lord Protector of the Commonwealth, Owen lost his position as the Vice-Chancellor of Oxford. After Edward Reynolds (the bishop of Norwich) replaced Owen as the Dean of Christ Church, he retired to his home in Stadhampton, where he continued preaching. In 1665, he started a small congregation in London. For the rest of the 1660s and 1670s, he continued preaching, lecturing (to small congregations and groups of Christian merchants), and writing—including his commentary on Hebrews, exposition of Psalm 130, and treatise on the Holy Spirit.

In the final years of his life, Owen suffered from health problems (including asthma and gallstones), which often kept him from preaching. He kept writing, however, and wrote large books on justification, spiritual-mindedness, and the glory of Christ. He died on August 24, 1683, full of joyous expectation for the glory to come.

Owen’s Works have been printed in 23 volumes by Banner of Truth Trust and are now being offered with several recently discovered works in 40 volumes by Crossway.

What Can Pastors Learn from John Owen?

Owen teaches pastors the importance of communion with God and pastoral faithfulness.

First, let us pursue communion with God in our ministries. In his 1657 work, Of Communion with God, Owen wrote about the duty, joy, and delight of the believer in enjoying fellowship with the Trinity according to each person’s unique role in salvation. Christians can grow in fellowship and intimacy with God by praying to and praising the Father, Son, and Spirit for their particular work. The faithfulness and fruitfulness of your public ministry largely depend on the depth and vitality of your private walk with God.

Second, let us pursue pastoral faithfulness in our ministries. First, pastoral faithfulness involves humility. A proud pastor is an oxymoron and brings reproach to the gospel. Owen demonstrated humility when he remarked about John Bunyan, “Could I possess the tinker’s abilities for preaching, I would gladly relinquish all my learning.” Second, pastoral faithfulness involves consistency. Owen continued to serve Christ, even when he was thrust from prominence into obscurity. Although he lost his pastorates, academic positions, and financial security toward the end of his life, he continued preaching, lecturing, and writing with great zeal and diligence. He continued to serve Christ, even when he was thrust into suffering—including the loss of his wife and all but one of his eleven children. Third, pastoral faithfulness involves relationship investment. One reason the Lord so richly blessed Owen’s first pastorate in Fordham was because he focused on family visitation and catechesis. In our day, we need a renewed commitment among pastors to personal discipleship, mentorship, catechesis, visitation, and oversight.

Conclusion

The day before his death, Owen wrote to a friend: “I am going to Him whom my soul has loved, or rather who has loved me with an everlasting love—which is the whole ground of my consolation.” On the day of his death—August 24, 1683—one of Owen’s friends came to tell him that his book Meditations on the Glory of Christ had just gone to press. Owen replied, “I am glad to hear it; but oh, the long wished for day is come at last, in which I shall see that glory in another manner than I have ever done, or was capable of doing, in this world.” May the Lord make us such men of the faith who would love the glory of God, long for communion with God, and pursue pastoral faithfulness to the praise of God!

Book Recommendations from John Owen

• Communion with God
• The Person and Glory of Christ
• The Mortification of Sin
• Spiritual Mindedness
• The Death of Death in the Death of Christ

©2024 Joel Beeke. Used with permission.