This week, the blog is sponsored by Banner of Truth. Reflecting on our ultimate destination, Austin Walker looks at John Owen’s advice on how to ‘die comfortably’.
In 1680, John Owen preached three sermons on Paul’s statement, ‘I die daily’ (1 Corinthians 15:31). In them he is intensely personal—preparing for his own death, and aware of others recently passed—Theophilus Gale (1678), Matthew Poole (1679), Thomas Goodwin, Thomas Brooks, and Stephen Charnock (all in 1680).
Owen explains Paul’s statement as a testimony to his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and the resurrection of the dead: a faith that carried him though all kinds of difficulties. He explains it is the duty of all believers to prepare to die cheerfully and comfortably, and observes that this faith would be seen outwardly, in the providences of God surrounding death, and inwardly—although not always so clearly seen.
Although we face difficulties—the world, temptations, and self-love—an active meditation on and a constant view of things above will maintain our spiritual-mindedness.
Owen considers three essentials, primarily, our constant exercise of faith as we resign our souls into the sovereign will of God and enter an invisible world we only know through God’s revelation in his word. We resign ourselves to God’s sovereign grace, power, wisdom, good pleasure, mercy, and faithfulness with our greatest example, the Lord Jesus Christ, crying with a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit’ (Luke 23:46).
Owen weighs the fears of our hearts, the uncertainties and darkness relating to the future, and our hatred of our failing bodies against the ability of God to receive and preserve us and to overcome anything that threatens to undo us.
Secondly, he insists on our responsibility to discern whether we possess faith in the power of God. Pointing to the words of Psalm 31:5 used by Christ on the cross, he asks what gave the psalmist sure confidence. Referring to God’s promises in Psalm 16:1-2 and 31:14-15, he asks how faith enables us to verbally express the faithfulness and ability of God to enter this invisible world. Owen maintains this has to be done daily, retaining the sovereignty, power and faithfulness of God uppermost in our minds and hearts. This alone will enable us to die safely and comfortably.
Thirdly, Owen asks whether we are willing and ready to die. He examines the soul’s natural aversion to dying and explains that our soul has never had to act without the body—the body must have sin uprooted by death itself. It is Christ who enables us to be willing to part with our bodies through death (God’s refining pot to purify us). The perfect reunion of body and soul awaits us at the resurrection.
Owen warns us not to let death surprise us. Although we face difficulties—the world, temptations, and self-love—an active meditation on and a constant view of things above will maintain our spiritual-mindedness. If we ignore these, death will take us by surprise.
He concludes, ‘In plain terms, I am speaking to dying men who do not know how soon they may die. May God advise my own heart that I should labour and watch so that death might not find me without a sight of eternal things! If . . . we are filled with other things, and death approaches—do you think it will be an easy thing to gather in your minds and affections to agree to it and welcome it?’ [535 words]
Based on an article, John Owen on Dying Comfortably by Austin Walker on Owen’s sermons in the Works of John Owen: volume IX that appeared in the Banner of Truth Magazine, December 2023, Issue 723.
