Spiritual-Mindedness

Weight 0.6 lbs
Dimensions 7.13 × 4.75 × 0.65 in
ISBN 9781800401600
Binding

Paperback, eBook (ePub & Kindle), Paperback & eBook (ePub & Kindle)

Topic

Encouragement, Spiritual Growth

Original Pub Date

1681

Banner Pub Date

Apr 1, 2009

Page Count

240

Format

Book

Series

Puritan Paperbacks

Book Description

Thomas Chalmers wrote that Owen’s book on Spiritual-Mindedness holds ‘a distinguished rank among the voluminous writings of this celebrated author’. For him three features made it very special:

  • The force with which it applies truth to the conscience.
  • The way Owen plumbs the depths of Christian experience as a skillful physician of the soul.
  • The uncovering of the secrets of the mind and heart so that the true spiritual state of the reader is discovered.

This book began life as a collection of meditations on Romans 8:6, which were written for the author’s own benefit during a time of illness. Alarmed by the subtle power the world exercises over the mind, Owen shows us how to really live by raising our thoughts above all earthly objects and setting them on ‘things above, where Christ is’ (Col. 3:1)

A favorite book of William Wilberforce, it contains some passages which are not surpassed in all of Owen’s writings. It comes from the pen of a tender-hearted pastor whose only purpose is to encourage the believer in the ongoing battle against sin. So if you feel overwhelmed by the power of worldliness then this is definitely the book for you!

Review

Table of Contents Expand ↓

Prefatory Note vii
1 ‘To be spiritually minded is life and peace’ 1
2 What spiritual-mindedness is and how it shows itself 7
3 Insufficient evidence of spiritual-mindedness 15
4 Evidence of spiritual-mindedness 33
5 The objects of spiritual thoughts 41
6 How to meditate on heavenly things 61
7 What heavenly things we ought especially to meditate on 73
8 Spiritual thoughts of God 83
9 What we must think of when we meditate on God 101
10 Helps for meditating on God 115
11 How God calls our hearts from the world 133
12 The natural depravity of the heart and its desires 149
13 The spiritual renewal and sanctification of the heart 157
14 Why the unregenerate delight in religious worship 165
15 Why believers delight in religious worship 171
16 The renewed soul transformed into the image of the heavenly 185
17 The evils of lukewarmness 201
18 ‘Let this mind be in you’ 217
19 The value and beauty of spiritual things 227
20 The soul united to Christ and to spiritual things 235
21 The fruit of spiritual-mindedness 241

Testimonials

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  1. Matt C

    Spiritual-Mindedness is an excellent book that is published by the Banner of Truth. This book is part of their Puritan Paperback series. This book is abridged and made easy to read by R.J.K. Law.

    I have read many of Owen’s works over the years, but his work on Spiritual Mindedness is perhaps one of my favorite works of his (Communion with the Triune God being my favorite). This book is absolutely amazing! Owen produced this book by writing out his thoughts on Romans 8:6, though he deals with other verses from chapter 8 of Romans as well as other passages on the topic. Romans 8:6 tells us that “to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” Owen leads us in a helpful manner to strive for that state of life and peace, where our mind is set on the things of the Spirit and not on the things of the flesh. Owen is truly a physician of the soul, and he knows how to apply God’s Word to our own souls, richly providing us with greater affection for the Lord Jesus Christ, leading to obedience to Him and His Word. Owen masterfully shows the Christian the importance of setting our minds on the Lord Jesus Christ and not the things of this world.

    Owen, as is typical of his writings, not only defines what spiritual mindedness is, but he wonderfully shows the Christian how to set the mind on the things of the Spirit. He explains what we should meditate upon, how we should meditate upon it, and specific helps for successfully meditating on the things of the Spirit.

    As in other Puritan Paperback books by Owen, the abridged and made easy to read versions by Law are tremendously helpful. Owen is not the easiest Puritan to read, and though there is great reward for working through his unabridged work, Law provides greater accessibility to Owen via his hard work of translation. For this reason, every Christian ought to be reading John Owen, and especially this particular volume.

    Read John Owen! You will be stirred up to worship the Triune God with greater affection and love. You won’t regret it!

    Disclaimer: My thanks to The Banner of Truth Trust for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. The opinions expressed are my own.

  2. Daniel Mahoney

    So deep, but so true. It totally is eternal in that it applies to us today. Great read

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