Worship of God and Discipline

¶ … Worship of God and Discipline of the Churches of the New Testament, John Owen attempts to explain the set-up of a Christian Church. He does this by explaining how a church should be organized. Furthermore, he discusses the roles that people in the Church, both office-bearers and members, should take. He does this in a question and answer format. In addition, to support his answers, Owen cites scripture. Therefore, Owen's work can best be described as a catechism or explication of Christianity.

The first question that Owen poses is, "What doth God require of us in our dependence on him, that he may be glorified by us, and we accepted with him?" Owen's answer to this question is, "That we worship him in and by the ways of his own appointment." Owen believes that the worship of God is natural because of the nature of God and the nature of man. God's nature means that anyone who knows God must worship him. Furthermore, man was created so that he could honor God in the manner commanded by God.

The next question that Owen poses is "By what means do we come to know that God will thus be worshipped?' Owen answers, "That God is to be worshipped, and that according to his own will and appointment, is a principal branch of the law of our creation written in our hearts, the sense whereof is renewed in the second commandment; but the ways and means of that worship depend merely on God's sovereign pleasure and institution. According to Owen, the worship of God requires some outward solemn worship. Furthermore, this worship needs to be done by societies as well as individuals. This type of outward worship is required by the first commandment. Furthermore, God is to be worshipped in the way and by the means that he himself appointed and approved.

The third question Owen asks is "How, then, are these ways and means of the worship of God made known unto us?" The answer Owen gives is, "In and by the written word only, which contains a full and perfect revelation of the will of God as to his whole worship and all the concernments of it." God granted His word unto the church, so that the church could be instructed in His mind and will. He has made this revelation in the Scripture. Furthermore, Owen asserts that Christians should neither add to nor subtract from the revelations in the scripture.

Owen's fourth question is "Have these ways and means been always the same from the beginning? Owen's response is that "No; but God hath altered and changed them at sundry seasons, according to the counsel of his own will, so as he saw necessary for his own glory and the edification of his church." Owen explains that God could always change the requirements of his external worship. The initial mode of worship, after sin entered the world, was sacrifices, where men offered onto Go the principal good things that He had given them. God added circumcision, Passover, and the laws from Mount Sinai.

Owen's fifth question follows naturally from his answer to the fourth question. Owen asks "Is there any farther alteration to be expected in or of those institutions and ordinances or worship which are revealed and appointed in the gospel?" Owen's answer is, "No; the last complete revelation of the will of God being made by the Son, who is Lord of all, his commands and institutions are to be observed inviolably unto the end of the world, without alteration, diminution, or addition." Owens explanation is that the coming of Christ ended the law of the Old Testament. Christ was the fulfillment of God's promise.

The sixth question Owen asks is, "May not such an estate of faith and perfection in obedience be attained in this life, as wherein believers may be freed from all obligation unto the observation of gospel institutions?" The answer he give is that, "No; for the ordinances and institutions of the gospel being inseparably annexed unto the evangelical administration of the covenant of grace, they may not be left unobserved, disused, or omitted, whilst we are to walk before God in that covenant, without contempt of the covenant itself, as also of the wisdom and authority of Jesus Christ." God has made the covenant of grace the only way to attain grace. Therefore, people cannot omit or desert those institutions. No one can plead an exemption from the obligation of the law of God.

Owen's seventh question is, "What are the chief things that we ought to aim at in our observation of the institutions of Christ in the gospel?" The answer he provides is, "To sanctify the name of God; to own and avow our professed subjection to the Lord Jesus Christ; to build up ourselves in our most holy faith; and, to testify and confirm our mutual love, as we are believers." One must consider the ends of God's institutions, in order to faithfully observe them. Observing the institutions for a false end dishonours God. Owen discusses how some, especially the Papists, have abused the institutions by requiring only the outward observance of the institutions.

The eighth question is, "How may we sanctify the name of God in the use of gospel institutions?" His answer is, "By a holy reverence of his sovereign authority appointing of them; a holy regard unto his special presence in them; faith in his promises annexed to them; delight in his will, wisdom, love, and grace, manifested in them; constancy and perseverance in obedience unto him in their due observation." Whatever one does to worship God must be done in such a way that God be sanctified. People must submit their souls and consciences unto God's authority. Furthermore, God has promised his special presence in and with his instituted ordinances of old. God has made promises of special grace to those whom attend Him.

The ninth question Owen poses is "How do we in our observation profess our subjection unto the Lord Jesus Christ and his gospel?" Owens answer is that, "In that being all of them, first appointed by him as the head, lawgiver, and king of his church; and, secondly, made by him the ensigns and tokens of his kingdom and subjects; in their due observation principally consists that profession of him and his name which he so often calleth us unto, and so indispensably requireth at our hands." According to Owen, it is a Christian's duty to profess Christ's name.

Owen's tenth question is, "How do we in and by them build up ourselves in our most holy faith?" His response is, "By the exercise of that communion with God in Christ Jesus which, in their due observation, he graciously invites and admits us unto, for the increase of his grace in us, and the testification of his love and good-will towards us." According to Owen, institutionalized worship's purpose is to increase the grace of God and testify as to God's good will.

The eleventh question posed by Owen is, "How are mutual love and communion among believers testified and confirmed in their observation?" Owen's response is, "In that they are appointed by the Lord Christ for that end, and in their own nature, as attended unto in their assemblies, are in an especial manner suited onto that purpose." Owen explains that there is one Father. Furthermore, humans all had the power to become the sons of God, by believing in Christ. This would make them children of the same family, with God as the Father and Christ as the older brother.

Owen's twelfth question is, "What is principally to be attended unto by us in the manner of the celebration of the worship of God, and observation of the institutions and ordinances of the gospel?" Owen's answer was, "That we observe and do all whatsoever the Lord Christ hath commanded us to observe, in the way that he hath prescribed; and that we add nothing unto or in the observation of them that is of man's invention or appointment." Owen explains that not only is the Scripture the only means of God's revelation, but also that the Church has three duties. The first duty is to observe and do all that Jesus has commanded. The second duty is to worship in the manner described by Christ. The third duty is to make sure that nothing is practiced in the worship of God that has not been sanctioned by Christ.

Owen's thirteenth question is, "Are not some institutions of the New Testament ceased as to any obligation unto their observation, and therefore now rightly disused?" Owen's answer is, "Some symbolical tokens of moral duties, occasionally used, only for present instruction in those duties, are mentioned in the gospel, without any intention to oblige believers unto the formal constant use and repetition of them; and some temporary appointments relating unto gifts in the church, bestowed only for a season on the first plantation of the gospel, are ceased; - but no institution or command of Christ, given unto the whole church, relating unto the evangelical administration of the new covenant, for the use and benefit of all believers, doth or shall cease to the end of the world, nor can be wholly omitted without a violation of the authority of Jesus Christ himself." Owen maintains that it is not important that people engage in the particular actions Jesus engaged in, like washing another's feet, but instead that people strive to express their moral duty of brotherly love, in condescension and mutual helpfulness.

The fourteenth question posed by Owen is, "May not the church find out, and appoint to be observed, such religious rites as being adjoined unto the celebration of God's instituted worship, may further the devotion of the worshippers, and render the worship itself in its performance more decent, beautiful, and orderly, as the appointing of images, and the like?" Owen's answer is, "All acceptable devotion in them that worship God is the effect of faith, which respects the precepts and promises of God alone. And the comeliness and beauty of gospel worship consisteth in its relation unto God by Jesus Christ, as the merciful high priest over his house, with the glorious administration of the Spirit therein. The order also of it lieth in the due and regular observation of all that Christ hath appointed. And therefore all such inventions are in themselves needless and useless, and, because forbidden, unlawful to be observed." Owen explains that God is a spirit and is to be worshipped only from faith. The worship of the gospel is not dependent upon the observation of the law. Owen concludes that any additions to the gospel are corruptions because they attempt to change the gospel.

Owen's fifteenth question is, "Whence may it appear that the right and due observation of instituted worship is of great importance unto the glory of God, and of high concernment unto the souls of men?" Owen answers that, "This is fully taught in the Scriptures; as, a God would never accept in any state of the church, before or since the fall, moral obedience without the observation of some institutions as trials, tokens, and pledges of that obedience. And in their use and signification by his appointment they nearly concern the principal mysteries of his will and grace; and by their celebration is he glorified in the world. And, therefore, as he hath made blessed promises to his people, to grant them his presence and to bless them in their use; so, being the tokens of the marriage relation that is between him and them, with respect unto them alone he calls himself a 'jealous God,' and hath actually exercised signal severity towards the neglecters, corrupters, or abusers of them." While Owen believes that the worship of God is largely neglected, he also believes that is a problem. Honoring God requires the observation of instituted worship. God's means of worship is an effectual means, because it instructs one as to the mysteries of God's will and mind. Instituted worship is the means that God has given man to glorify Him in this world.

Owens' sixteenth question is, "Is there yet any consideration that may stir up believers to a holy and religious care about the due observation of the institutions of the gospel?" Owen's response is that, "Yes; namely, that the great apostasy of the church in the last days, foretold in the Scripture, and which God threateneth to punish and revenge, consists principally in false worship and a departure from the institutions of Christ."

According to Owen, there are several things in the gospel that talk about God's punishment upon the apocalypse. These include the horrible things brought into the world on the apocalypse, God's guilt and provocation that accompanies the apocalypse, and God's vengeance on the unfaithful.

The seventeenth question posed by Owen is, "Which are the principal institutions of the gospel to be observed in the worship of God?" Owen's answer is that, "The calling, gathering, and settling of churches, with their officers, as the seat and subject of all other solemn instituted worship; prayer, with thanksgiving; singing of psalms' preaching the word; administration of the sacraments of baptism and the supper of the Lord; discipline and rule of the church collected and settled; most of which have also sundry particular duties relating unto them, and subservient unto their due observation." While Owen does not explain his answer to question seventeen, he explains the various components elsewhere in his book.

The eighteenth question is, "Whereas sundry of these things are founded in the light and law of nature, as requisite unto all solemn worship, and are, moreover, commanded in the moral law, and explications of it in the Old Testament, how do you look upon them as evangelical institutions, to be observed principally on the authority of Jesus Christ?" Owen's response to that question is that, "Neither their general suitableness unto the principles of right reason and the dictates of the light and law of nature, nor the practice of them in the worship of God under the Old Testament, does at all hinder them from depending on the mere institution of Jesus Christ, as to those especial ends of the glory of God in and by himself, and the edification of his church in the faith which is in him, whereunto he hath appointed them, nor as unto that especial manner of their performance which he requireth; in which respects they are to be observed on the account of his authority and command only." God's authority is the only reason for observance God's laws. Nothing is to be done in the Church without Christ's authority. Next, Owen points out that even if a thing is suitable, it should not be observed in the church unless commanded by Jesus Christ. Third, when Jesus commands something, it becomes an institution and is to be observed.

Owen's nineteenth question is, "What is an instituted church of the gospel?" His reply is that, "A society of persons called out of the world, or their natural worldly state, by the administration of the word and Spirit, unto the obedience of the faith, or the knowledge and worship of God in Christ, joined together in a holy band, or by special agreement, for the exercise of the communion of saints, in the due observation of all the ordinances of the gospel." Owen points out that the Catholic Church is not the church of the gospel. Owen stated that the Jewish church was also not a church of the gospel, because Jews were threatened with excommunication if they professed Christ's name.

Churches are necessary for Christians, because they are required for the due observation of the religion. In fact, Owen believes that particular churches are themselves an ordinance of the New Testament. Moreover, Owen indicates that divisions within the church were ordained by Christ; because Christ expressly appointed apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. The apostles themselves sought to establish churches. The call to the church is the call out of the darkness and sin into which mankind is born.

The twentieth question asked by Owen is, "By what means do persons so called become a church of Christ?" Owen answers, "They are constituted a church, and interested in the rights, power, and privileges of a gospel church, by the will, promise, authority, and law of Jesus Christ, upon their own voluntary consent and engagement to walk together in the due subjection of their souls and consciences unto his authority, as their king, priest, and prophet, and in a holy observation of all his commands, ordinances, and appointments." Owen maintains that Christ constituted a church-state. Christ has taken the establishment and continuation of the church as his duty and he calls people to Christianity in order to do that.

Owen's twenty-first question is, "Seeing the church is a society or spiritual incorporation of persons under rule, government, or discipline, declare who or what are the rulers, governors, or officers therein under Jesus Christ?" Owen's answer is, "They have been of two sorts: 1. Extraordinary, appointed for a season only; and, 2. Ordinary, to continue unto the end of the world." Owen does not engage in an explication of the twenty-first question.

The twenty-second question posed by Owen is, "Who are the extraordinary officers, or rulers, or ministers of the church, appointed to serve the Lord Jesus Christ therein for a season only? Owen's answer is, "The apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, with the evangelists and prophets, endowed with extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost, associated with them and employed by them in their works and ministry." The persons constituting a church must consent to attain the same ends. A church must have rules and laws that guide and direct its members. Churches also need to incorporate a power structure: some to rule and govern and others to obey and be governed. Owen's twenty-third question addresses how these rulers are to be found. It asks, "Who are the ordinary officers of ministers of Christ in the church, to be always continued therein?" Owen responds, "Those whom the scripture calls pastors and teachers, bishops, elders, and guides."

Owen's twenty-fourth question is, "What are the principal differences between the two sorts of officers or rulers in the church, extraordinary and ordinary?" The answer he provides is that, "The former were called to their office immediately by Jesus Christ in his own person, or revelation made by the Holy Ghost in his name to that purpose; the latter by the suffrage, choice, and appointment of the church itself. The former, both in their office and work, were independent on, and antecedent unto, all or any churches, whose calling and gathering depended on their office as its consequent and effect; the latter, in both consequent unto the calling, gathering, and constituting of the churches themselves, as an effect thereof, in their tendency unto completeness and perfection. The authority of the former being communicated unto them immediately by Jesus Christ, without any intervenient actings of any church, extended itself equally unto all churches whatever; that of the latter being derived unto them from Christ by the election and designation of the church, is in the exercise of it confined unto that church wherein and whereby it is so derived unto them. They differ also in the gifts, which were suited unto their several distinct works and employments."

The twenty-fifth question asked by Owen is, "What is required unto the due constitution of an elder, pastor, or teacher of the church?" Owen responds with five qualifications. His answer is, "That he be furnished with the gifts of the Holy Spirit for the edification of the church, and the evangelical discharge of the work of the ministry; that he be unblamable, holy, and exemplary in his conversation; that he have a willing mind to give himself unto the Lord in the work of the ministry; that he be called and chosen by the suffrage and consent of the church; that he be solemnly set apart by fasting and prayer, and imposition of hands, unto his work and ministry."

Owen's twenty-sixth question is, "May a person be called to, or be employed in, a part only of the office or work of the ministry; or may he hold the relation and exercise the duty of an elder or minister unto more churches than one at the same time?" Owen answers, "Neither of these has either warrant or precedent in the Scripture; nor is the first of them consistent with the authority of the ministry, nor the latter with the duty thereof, nor either of them with the nature of that relation which is between the elders and the church. Christ gives individuals gifts, and the church should not call them to a greater service than their gifts.

In question twenty-seven, Owen asks, "What are the principal duties of the pastors or teachers of the church?" Owen's answer is, "To be examples unto the flock in faith, love, knowledge, meekness, patience, readiness to suffer for the name and gospel of Christ, with constancy therein; to watch for the souls and take care of all the spiritual concernments of the whole flock committed to them; to preach the word diligently, dividing it aright; to preserve and contend for the truth; to administer all the ordinances of the gospel duly and orderly; to stir up and exercise the gifts they have received in the discharge of their whole work and administration of all ordinances; to instruct, admonish, cherish, and comfort all the members of the church, as their conditions, occasions, and necessities to require; to attend with diligence, skill, and wisdom unto the discharge of that authority which in the rule of the church is committed unto them."

The twenty-eighth question Owen asks is, "Wherein principally doth the authority of the elders of the church consist?" The answer Owen provides is, "In that the rule of the church and the guidance thereof, in things appertaining unto the worship of God, is committed unto them. And, therefore, whatever they do as elders in the church, according unto rule, they do it not in the name or authority of the church by which their power is derived unto them, nor as members only of the church by their own consent or covenant, but in the name and authority of Jesus Christ, from whom, by virtue of his law and ordinance, their ministerial office and power are received. So that, in the exercise of any church-power, by and with the consent of the church, there is an obligation thence proceeding, which ariseth immediately from that authority which they have received of Jesus Christ, which is the spring of all rule and authority in the church." Owens goes on to explain that all church-power is originally vested in Jesus Christ; that He has communicated his authority onto his appointed persons; that such communication has been though His laws and constitution; that people serve Christ through obedience; that those who work in service of Christ receive their power from him; that people exercise Christ's authority when working in His service; that it is Jesus, not the church, that confers authority on the elders; and, finally, that the church's consent is necessary for the action of the elders because the gospel requires it for the orderly administration of the church.

Owen's twenty-ninth question is, "What is the duty of the church towards their elders, pastors, or teachers?" He responds, "To have them in reverence and honour for their office and work's sake; to obey them conscientiously in all things wherein they speak unto them in the name of the Lord; to pray earnestly for them, that they many, and to exhort them, if need require, to fulfil the work of the ministry; to communicate unto them of their temporals, for their comfortable subsistence in the world and usefulness unto others; wisely to order things by their direction, so that they may be amongst them without fear; to abide with and stand by them in their sufferings for the gospel, and service of Christ among them."

The thirtieth question is, "Are there any differences in the office or offices of the guides, rulers, elders, or ministers of the church?" Owen responds, "The office of them that are teachers is one and the same among them all; but where there are many in the same church, it is the will of Christ that they should be peculiarly assigned unto such especial work, in the discharge of their office-power, as their gifts received from him do peculiarly fit them for and the necessities of the church require."

Owen then explains that, while those who instruct in the church have the same office, they are distinguished by their particular jobs. These jobs are determined by the gifts that Christ has given the individual as well as the needs of the church. Furthermore, as Owen makes clear in his answer to question thirty-one, not all of those called to the church are expected to work as a teacher. On the contrary, some of them are called for administrative purposes. Owen asks, "Are there appointed any elders in the church whose office and duty consist in rule and government only?" He answers, "Elders not called to teach ordinarily or administer the sacraments, but to assist and help in the rule and government of the church, are mentioned in the Scripture."

Owen then goes on to discuss the role of deacons in the church. First, in question thirty-two, he asks, "Is there no other ordinary office in the church but only that of elders?" His response to that question is, "Yes, of deacons also." Next, in question thirty-three, Owen asks, "What are the deacons of the church?" His response to that is, "Approved men chosen by the church to take care for the necessities of the poor belonging thereunto, and other outward occasions of the whole church, by the collection, keeping, and distribution of the alms and other supplies of the church; set apart and commended to the grace of God therein by prayer." Deacons are responsible for Christian activities like caring for the poor.

In question thirty-four, Owen asks, "Wherein consists the general duty of the whole church, and every member thereof, in their proper station and condition?" His answer is, "In performing, doing, and keeping inviolate all the commands and institutions of Jesus Christ, walking unblamably and fruitfully in the world, holding forth the word of truth, and glorifying the Lord Christ in and by the profession of his name, and keeping his testimony unto the end." Each member of the church as the duty to make sure that the church is observing Christ's commands. They also have the duty of declaring and manifesting the truth.

In question thirty-five, Owen tackles the role of prayer in the church. He asks, "Whence do you reckon prayer, which is a part of moral and natural worship, among the institutions of Christ in his church?" The answer is, "On many accounts; as, - because the Lord Christ hath commanded his church to attend unto the worship of God therein; because he bestows on the ministers of the church gifts and ability of prayer for the benefit and edification thereof; he hath appointed that all his other ordinances should be administered with prayer, whereby it becomes a part of them; because himself ministers in the holy place, as the great high priest of his church, to present their prayers unto God at the throne of grace; because in all the prayers of the church there is an especial regard had unto himself and the whole work of his mediation."

Owen's thirty-sixth question asks, "May not the church, in the solemn worship of God, and celebration of the ordinances of the gospel, make use of and content itself in the use of forms of prayer in an unknown tongue composed by others, and prescribed unto them?" The answer he provides is, "So to do would be contrary to one principal end of prayer itself, which is, that believers may therein apply themselves to the throne of grace for spiritual supplies according to the present condition, wants, and exigencies of their souls; to the main end that the Lord Jesus Christ aimed at in supplying men with gifts for the discharge of the work of the ministry, tending to render the promise of sending the Holy Ghost, which is the immediate cause of the church's preservation and continuance, needless and useless. Moreover, it will render the discharge of the duty of ministers unto several precepts and exhortations of the gospel, for the use, stirring up, and exercise of their gifts, impossible; and thereby hinder the edification of the church, the great end of all ordinances and institutions.

The thirty-seventh question Owen asks is, "Is the constant work of preaching the gospel by the elders of the church necessary?" Owen's reply is affirmative. He states, "Is it so, both on the part of the elders or ministers themselves, of whom that duty is strictly required, and who principally therein labour and watch for the good of the flock, and on the part of the church, for the furtherance of their faith and obedience, by instruction, reproof, exhortation, and consolation."

The next three questions concern sacraments. The thirty-eighth question asks, "Who are the principal subjects of baptism?" Owen answers, "Professing believers, if not baptized in their infancy, and their infant seed." In question thirty-nine, Owen asks, "Where and to whom is the ordinance of the Lord's supper to be administered?" The answer is, "In the church, or assembly of the congregation, to all the members of it, rightly prepared and duly assembled, or to such of them as are so assembled."

Question forty asks, "How often is that ordinance to be administered?" Owen answers, " Every first day of the week, or at least as often as opportunity and conveniency may be obtained."

Owen's forty-first question is, "What is the discipline of the church?" He answers, "It consists in the due exercise of that authority and power which the Lord Christ, in and by his word, hath granted unto the church, for its continuance, increase, and preservation in purity, order, and holiness, according to his appointment." The nature of the discipline of the church is spiritual, and its objects are the consciences and gospel privileges of believers. The Holy Ghost bestows upon men the gift of how to administer the discipline of the church. The forty-second question is, "Unto whom is the power and administration of this discipline committed by Jesus Christ?" He replies, "As to the authority to be exerted in it, in the things wherein the whole church is concerned, unto the elders; as unto trial, judgment, and consent in and unto its exercise, unto the whole brotherhood; as unto love, care, and watchfulness in private and particular cases, to every member of the church." These church officials have the power to make judgments, and giving and testifying their consent unto all acts of church-power.

Furthermore, as demonstrated in question forty-three, the elders have specific disciplinary abilities. Question forty-three asks, "Wherein doth the exercise of the authority for discipline committed unto the elders of the church consist?" The answer Owen provides is, "In personal private admonition of any member or members of the church, in case of sin, error, or any miscarriage known unto themselves; in public admonition in case of offences persisted in, and brought orderly to the knowledge and consideration of the church; in the ejection of obstinate offenders from the society and communion of the church; in exhorting, comforting, and restoring to the enjoyment and exercise of church-privileges such as are recovered from the error of their ways;- all according to the laws, rules, and directions of the gospel." In question forty-four, Owen asks, "May the church cast any person out of its communion without previous admonition?" The answer is, "It may in some cases, where the offence is notorious and the scandal grievous, so that nothing be done against other general rules." In question forty-five, Owen asks, "Wherein doth the liberty and duty of the whole brotherhood in the exercise of discipline in the church in particular consist?" The answer is, "In a meek consideration of the condition and temptations of offenders, with the nature of their offences, when orderly proposed unto the church; in judging with the elders, according to rule, what, in all cases of offence, is necessary to be done for the good of the offenders themselves, and for the edification and vindication of the whole church, in their consent unto, and concurrence in, the admonition, ejection, pardoning, and restoring of offenders, as the matter shall require."

With question forty-six, Owen addresses the duty of private members of the church. He asks, "What is the duty of private members in reference unto the discipline appointed by Christ in his church?" He answers, "It is their duty, in their mutual watch over one another, to exhort each other unto holiness and perseverance; and if they observe any thing in the ways and walkings of any of their fellow-members not according unto the rule and duty of their profession, which, therefore, gives them offence, to admonish them thereof in private, with love, meekness, and wisdom; and in case they prevail not unto their amendment, to take the assistance of some other brethren in the same work; and if they fail in success therein also, to report the matter, by the elders' direction, unto the whole church." Church members were to show one another brotherly love.

In question forty-seven, Owen asks, "The preservation of the church in purity, order, and holiness, being provided for, by what way is it to be continued and increased?" Owen answers, "The way appointed thereunto is by adding such as, being effectually called unto the obedience of faith, shall voluntarily offer themselves unto the society and fellowship thereof." The principal method of continuation is preaching the word. The secondary method is by doing good works in fellowship with society.

Owen next addresses those who would be Christians. In question forty-eight he asks, "What is required of them who desire to join themselves unto the church?" He replies, "That they be free from blame and offence in the world; that they be instructed in the saving truths and mysteries of the gospel; sound in the faith; that, the Lord having called them unto faith, repentance, and newness of life by Jesus Christ, they give up themselves to be saved by him, and to obey him in all things; and, therefore, are willing and ready, through his grace, to walk in subjection to all his commands, and in the observation of all his laws and institutions, notwithstanding any difficulties, oppositions, or persecutions, which they meet withal." In question forty-nine, Owen asks, "What is the duty of the elders of the church towards persons desiring to be admitted unto the fellowship of the church?" Owen replies, "To discern and judge by the rule of truth, applied in love, between sincere professors and hypocritical pretenders; to influence, direct, comfort, and encourage in the way, such as they judge to love the Lord Jesus in sincerity; to propose and recommend them unto the whole church, with prayers and supplications to God for them; to admit them, being approved, into the order and fellowship of the gospel in the church." Question fifty asks, "What is the duty of the whole church in reference unto such persons?" The answer is, "To consider them in love and meekness, according as their condition is known, reported, or testified unto them; to approve of and rejoice in the grace of God in them; and to receive them in love without dissimulation."

Owen's fifty-first question is, "Wherein doth the especial form of a particular church, whereby it becomes such, and is distinguished as such from all others, consist?" The answer is, "In the special consent and agreement of all the members of it to walk together in the observation of the same ordinances numerically; hence its constitution and distinction from other churches doth proceed." Church's form from their own consent and they have a relationship of respect with one another.

In question fifty-two, Owen asks, "Wherein consists the duty of any church of Christ towards other churches?" The answer he provides is, "In walking circumspectly, so as to give them no offence; in prayer for their peace and prosperity; in communicating supplies to their wants according to ability; in receiving with love and readiness the members of them into fellowship, in the celebration of the ordinances of the gospel, as occasion shall be; in desiring and making use of their counsel and advice in such cases of doubt and difficulty as may arise among them; in joining with them to express their communion in the same doctrine of faith." Churches should work towards mutual good. People should pray for members of other churches and the success of other churches.

Owen's fifty-third and final question is, "What are the ends of all this dispensation and order of things in the church?" He replies, "The glory of God, the honour of Jesus Christ the mediator, the furtherance of the gospel, the edification and consolation of believers here, with their eternal salvation hereafter."

Interpretation

Because Owen chose to use a very simple question and answer format for his explication, it requires very little interpretation. While he uses scripture to back up his various assertions, he is very straight forward about the assertions that he makes. Furthermore, reading through the explication, it becomes clear that all of Owen's questions and answers are grounded in one simple belief, which is the supremacy of Jesus Christ.

Owen describes his idea of worship, which he believes has been proclaimed by God. Furthermore, he describes that worship should be outward and based solely on scripture. Because of this, Owen does not believe that members of the Catholic Church engage in appropriate worship, because the Catholic Church has added elements to the scripture. Furthermore, Owen believes that churches that speak of revelations after Christ are not true churches, because the last complete revelation of God's will was made by Jesus Christ.

Owen also spends time discussing the importance of missionary-type work. He proclaims that Christians have the duty to proclaim Christ's name. Interestingly enough, this is an area where Owen makes a mistake in history. He uses the fact that post-crucifixion Jews were subject to excommunication for professing Jesus' name, to explain that early Christianity was not preached to Jews. This contradicts what is known about the history of Christianity and Judaism. It is well-known that Christ's early apostles were Jews. Furthermore, the apostles initially preached to fellow Jews. In fact, it was somewhat controversial when the apostles began preaching to gentiles, because many Jews believed that Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of God's promise to the Jews. The fact that Owen's history is incorrect makes one suspicious of the conclusions he draws from that history.

Owen's most important contributions may be his belief about the administration of churches. According to Owen, people can be called to fulfill administrative functions in the church. Furthermore, the administration of a church is extremely important, because such administration makes it possible for a church to fulfill its obligations. In addition, because churches are to work together to worship God, Owen makes it clear that churches have a duty to treat one another with respect, brotherhood, and love. However, from his other statements, one can infer that Owen meant that churches only owed this respect to other protestant churches.