Part 2 of Owen's classic On Communion with God, the largest section of the book, addresses fellowship with the second person of the Trinity. And the fellowship we have with him is as mediator. Here Owen sets forth two things: (1) a declaration that we have such fellowship with the Son; and (2) a demonstration of that in which this fellowship or communion consists.
Almost immediately Owen turns to the Song of Songs to speak of this fellowship, which is striking and even jarring to the modern reader. I want to speak to this, but I'll do this in another post, addressing the propriety of such a handling of the greatest of all songs.
Here I simply want to highlight a bit of instruction from both chapters 1 and 2 of this part of the book. In chapter 1, commenting on S. of S. 2:1ff, Owen says that our communion with the Lord Jesus is set forth and described as enjoying: (1) sweetness; (2) delight; (3) safety; (4) comfort. This is the flavor of the fellowship.
Then in chapter 2 we are shown that our fellowship with the Son consists in grace. There are different aspects to this grace: (1) there is the grace of personal presence and loveliness; (2) there is the grace of free favor and acceptance; and (3) there is the grace of the Spirit of Christ, the fruit or graces of the Spirit. Owen goes on to speak of the first aspect, the nature of personal grace, in the rest of chapter 2. And what he means is this: the graces of the person of Christ as he is vested with the office of mediation. Chapter 3 will address how the saints hold communion with the Lord Jesus in personal grace.
"There is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all" (1 Tim. 2:5-6). Amen!
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