Understanding The Lord’s Supper

John Owen on the Lord’s Supper; Jon D Payne

John Owen was undoubtedly one of the greatest among the Puritan theologians of the seventeenth century. Considerable scholarly attention has been given to his formulation of doctrines such as those of the Trinity, the person of Christ and the atonement, and to his theological method. His doctrine of the Lord’s Supper, on the other hand, has been neglected, a lack remedied by this new publication from the pen of Jon Payne, a pastor in Georgia, USA. The first part of the book is an examination of Owen’s view of the sacrament, emphasising his debt to John Calvin and Peter Martyr Vermigli. It is interesting that, although he wrote extensively on the work of the Holy Spirit, Owen had relatively little to say about the Spirit’s role in the Lord’s Supper. Payne’s valuable study is followed by 25 Sacramental Discourses which Owen preached between 1669 and 1682, preparing his congregation to observe the sacrament, and which were previously published in volume 9 of Owen’s Works. This is a useful addition to the literature on an outstanding Reformed theologian.

[This review is courtesy ofReformed Theological Journal November 2005
http://www.rpc.org/college/rtj/]

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This book (ISBN 085151 8729) retails for $34.99 (US), £15.95 (UK and ROW) and can be purchased from the website (go to the book catalogue).