Death of death in the death of Christ - Owen - XIV - Chapter 1 of Book 4 concluded

Required reading
Death of death in the death of Christ by John Owen (Available from Amazon or free here) - Conclude Chapter 1 of Book 4.

My summary
Last week we began Chapter One in which Owen laid down some fundamental principles before he will later answer arguments against universal redemption.

Last week we read Owen's first four principles.  This week we see the last six principles:
(v) The extent, nature, and signification of those general terms which we have frequently used indefinitely in the Scripture, to set out the object of the redemption by Christ, must seriously be weighed;
(vi) Observe that the Scripture often speaketh of things and persons according to the appearance they have;
(vii) That which is spoken according to the judgment of charity on our parts must not always be exactly squared and made answerable to verity in respect of them of whom any thing is affirmed;
(viii) The infallible connection, according to God’s purpose and will, of faith and salvation, which is frequently the thing intended in gospel proposals, must be considered;
(ix) The mixed distribution of the elect and reprobates, believers and unbelievers, according to the purpose and mind of God, throughout the whole world, and in the several places thereof, in all or most of the single congregations, is another ground of holding out a tender of the blood of Jesus Christ to them for whom it was never shed, as is apparent in the event by the ineffectualness of its proposals;
(x) The faith which is enjoined and commanded in the gospel hath divers several acts and different degrees;

What grabbed me
I liked Owen's emphasis on doing solid exegesis when trying to interpret words like 'world' and 'all': 'Call them to the context in the several places where the words are; appeal to rules of interpretation; mind them of the circumstances and scope of the place, the sense of the same words in other places; with other fore-named helps and assistances which the Lord hath acquainted us with for the discovery of his mind and will in his word, — they presently cry out, the bare word, the letter is theirs: “Away with the gloss and interpretation; give us leave to believe what the word expressly saith;” — little (as I hope) imagining, being deluded with the love of their own darling, that if this assertion be general, and they will not allow us the gift of interpretation agreeable to the proportion of faith, that, at one clap, they confirm the cursed madness of the Anthropomorphites, — assigning a human body, form and shape, unto God, who hath none; and the alike cursed figment of transubstantiation, overthrowing the body of Christ, who hath one; with divers other most pernicious errors.'

If you insist that a word always means the same thing, then you open yourselves up to the kinds of errors Owen has listed.

Next week's reading
Read Chapter 2 of Book 4.

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.