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VU Research Portal Reformed and Reforming: John Owen on the Kingdom of Christ Kelly, Ryan Thomas 2015 document version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Link to publication in VU Research Portal citation for published version (APA) Kelly, R. T. (2015). Reformed and Reforming: John Owen on the Kingdom of Christ. General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal ? Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. E-mail address: [email protected] Download date: 27. Sep. 2021 VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT “Reformed and Reforming: John Owen on the Kingdom of Christ” ACADEMISCH PROEFSCHRIFT ter verkrijging van de graad Doctor aan de Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, op gezag van de rector magnificus prof.dr. F.A. van der Duyn Schouten, in het openbaar te verdedigen ten overstaan de promotiecommissie van de Faculteit der Godgeleerdheid op maandag 7 september 2015 om 13.45 uur in de aula van de universiteit, De Boelelaan 1105 door Ryan Thomas Kelly geboren te Michigan, Verenigde Staten promotor: prof.dr. A. van de Beek copromotor: dr. P. de Vries ! ii Table of Contents Acknowledgements vii 1. Introduction 1 I. The Thesis Briefly Described II. Scholarship Related to Owen A. The Muller School B. Early Modern Historians C. Owen Studies III. Statement of the Problem IV. The Aims of this Study V. The Method and Scope of this Study 2. A Biographical Sketch of John Owen 37 I. Years of Preparation (1616-43) II. Pastoral Ministry (1643-49) III. Affairs of the State (1648-58) A. Parliamentary Preacher B. Leading Oxford University C. Attempts at a Cromwellian Church Settlement IV. The Experience of Defeat (1658-83) 3. Setting Up the Kingdom: The Theology and Politics of Cofessionalization 51 I. Background: Reformation and Confessionalization II. Attempts at a Cromwellian Church Settlement A. The Humble Proposals (1652) B. The Instrument of Government (1653) C. The New Confession (1654) D. The Humble Petition and Advice (1657) iii! III. The Savoy Assembly (1658) A. Beginning with Westminster B. Clarifying Congregationalism C. Separating Declaration of Faith and Church Order D. Liberty, the Magistrate, and Confession E. A Parliamentary Precedent for Ecclesiastical Liberty F. Summarizing the Assembly’s Intentions G. Scripture, Confessions, and Confessing Anew IV. Sources for Owen’s View of the National Kingdom V. Kingdom and Confessions, post-1662 A. Consistencies in Nonconformity B. Flexibility in Nonconformity VI. Conclusion 4. The Keys of the Kingdom: The Nature, Power, and Government of the Church 117 I. Introduction II. A Window into a Debate: Cawdrey v. Owen III. Identifying Owen’s Earliest Ecclesiology IV. The Influence of Cotton’s Keyes A. The Key of “the Keys” B. Summarizing Cotton’s Keyes V. The Earliest Signs of Owen’s Congregationalism A. “A Country Essay for Church Government” (1646) B. Ministry in Coggeshall, Essex (1646-49) C. Eschol; A Cluster of the Fruit of Canaan (1648) D. Congregational, not Independent VI. Two Pillars of Owen’s Later Ecclesiology A. The Nature of the Church: Catholic-Visible and/or Visible? B. The Authority of the Church: Who Holds the “Keys of the Kingdom”? C. Summary and Analysis VII. Connecting Liberty and Ecclesiology VIII. Conclusion ! iv 5. The Coming of the Kingdom: Eschatology and its Political-Ecclesiastical Significance 179 I. Introductory Matters A. Varying Assessments of Owen’s Eschatology B. Rethinking Apocalyptic Historiography C. Clarifying Eschatological Terms and Views II. The Major Eschatological Themes A. The Latter Days B. Antichrist Destroyed C. The Jews Called D. The Adversaries of the Kingdom Broken 1. Shaking and Translating 2. In Defense of Regicide 3. Four Months Before E. The Churches Enlarged F. Churches Edified by Free and Plentiful Light G. Summary III. The Subtle Eschatological Underpinnings A. Interpretive Cautions 1. Providence 2. Computations 3. Eschatological Specifics B. Warnings and Human Responsibility 1. Liberty 2. Personal Reformation 3. Reformation and Unity C. One Added Nuance IV. Conclusion 6. Conclusion 247 I. Political/Ecclesiastical Works and Endeavors II. Summary of Findings A. Setting Up the Kingdom: Confessionalization B. The Keys of the Kingdom: Church Government C. The Coming of the Kingdom: The Latter-Day III. Aims and Assessment v! Summary 269 Samenvatting 275 Bibliography 281 Curriculum Vitae 312 ! vi Acknowledgements Every PhD student accrues considerable debts (or opportunities for gratitude) in the long process of researching and writing a dissertation. Arguably, the longer one takes to finish a dissertation the more people there are to acknowledge and thank. My doctoral studies began in 1998 at the University of Oxford under the supervision of Rev. Dr. J.E. Platt. I was forced to withdraw the following year due to a shortage of funding and health issues; however, Oxford forever left an imprint on my wife and me. Many years later, Prof. Dr. Bram van de Beek and Dr. Willem van Asselt kindly agreed to supervise my PhD. Both men were extremely patient with my early rough drafts, changing interests, and slow progress. Seasons of near-debilitating migraines — along with an ever-busy pastorate, a growing family, and a few side writing projects — kept me from sticking to any predictable timetable. It was a great privilege to have Prof. Dr. van Asselt as co- supervisor until his death in 2014. Many thanks are owed to Dr. Pieter de Vries, who replaced Dr. van Asselt as co-promotor, and also provided informal supervision in years preceding. Prof. Dr. van de Beek especially has been a kind and enthusiastic Doktorvater over these many years. All of my supervisors, in various ways, have challenged and refined my thinking and writing, making the dissertation far better than it could have otherwise been. Desert Springs Church in Albuquerque, NM, USA, has patiently endured many years with its Preaching Pastor slightly distracted by an unfinished dissertation. More than enduring it, they have tirelessly cheered me on and prayed for me and my family. The elders of DSC — my overseers and fellow shepherds — have supported my education with sabbaticals, prayer, funding, accountability, and, occasionally, needed threats to “get it done!” The staff in various ways have filled in holes left by my absences, and have been a constant source of encouragement and friendship. Special thanks are due to four personal assistants who vii! endured and aided my PhD studies over the years: Gayle Renshaw, Ben DeSpain, Parker Landis, and especially Trent Hunter. Autumn Kelly assisted with the painstaking work of manually compiling the footnotes into a bibliography, and Memo Ochoa very kindly designed the cover for print. Several friends and colleagues read early versions of chapters and offered helpful feedback: Drs. Tim Cooper, Mark Jones, Justin Taylor, Carl Trueman, and Fred Zaspel. These and many other friends routinely asked for updates and encouraged me on. Thanks to Drs. Chad Van Dixhoorn, Hunter Powell, and Sebastian Rehnman for helpful conversations. Pastoral colleagues, Dr. Ron Giese and Nathan Sherman, gave considerable time and careful scrutiny to editing and refining a close-to-final draft. Lisa Ragsdale kindly gave her editoral eye to several earlier essays for my doctoral studies. Special thanks are owed to Dr. Giese, my Hebrew/O.T. professor in seminary (1996-98) and now Executive Pastor at DSC, who has encouraged and supported my academic endeavors perhaps as much as anyone, save my wife. Thanks are in order to the staffs of several libraries in which research for this thesis was conducted: Bodleian Library, Oxford; John Rylands Library, Manchester; Dr Williams Library, London; and University of New Mexico libraries. The librarians of Westminster Theological Seminary and Calvin Theological Seminary have at key times very graciously helped with resources from a distance. The Lampstand Foundation provided two grants for research travel expenses. Thanks, as well, to Logos Bible Software who provided me with their e-version of The Works of John Owen. I wish to thank my external readers for their time and support: Prof. Dr. W. van Vlastuin, Prof. Dr. J. Hoek, Prof. Dr. H. van den Belt, Prof. Dr. Kelly Kapic, and Dr. Sebastian Rehnman. My greatest earthly debt of gratitude goes to my wife, Sarah: my best friend, partner in life and ministry, and greatest earthly joy. She has been a relentless supporter and encourager of my education since we married in 1996. She has often been my first proofreader, saving me from countless embarrassments. More than that, she has always been keen to understand the ins and outs of people, events, and ideas of which I’ve written. Surely that is a mark of her loving selflessness and able intellect, and not because I’ve written on such fascinating matters. Sarah, your ! viii patience, strength, and godliness are truly remarkable. Thank you for everything. I truly could not (or would not) have reached this goal without you. Along with my wife, my children — Autumn, Katelyn, Gillian, and William — have been a delight and the perfect reward after a long day in my study or when a chapter is finished. Thanks, sweet kids, for your care, prayers, cheers, affection, and laughter. Last but not least, thanks are owed to my parents and in-laws who have supported my education in countless ways, not least through their prayers and love.