Puritan · 1656

Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers

John Owen (1616-1683)

Owen's treatise on Romans 8:13 lays out the Puritan case for the ongoing mortification of sin as the vital work of every believer. Written in 1656 at the height of Puritan pastoral theology, it argues that only the Holy Spirit can accomplish true mortification, and proceeds through fourteen chapters of searching diagnosis and practical direction. Few works have shaped the Reformed understanding of sanctification more deeply across four centuries.