John Owen in, Exercise IV, distinguishes the uncreated light of God, the remaining natural light of reason and conscience, and the saving illumination bestowed by Christ through the Holy Spirit. His controlling concern is not to oppose the Spirit’s inward work, but to deny that any inward impression possesses authority apart from, or equal to, the written Word. True illumination enables the believer to understand and obey Scripture; it never renders Scripture unnecessary.
These two exercises, 2 of 4 from a pamphlet John Owen published in the 17th century to help Christians defend the faith, form a closely joined polemical and theological argument. Owen’s purpose is to defend Holy Scripture as God’s complete and sufficient rule for faith, worship, and obedience against appeals to ecclesiastical tradition, new revelation, enthusiasm, or an autonomous “inner light.” In Exercise III, he defines Scripture’s perfection in relation to its God-appointed end and argues that no additional revelation is necessary to bring sinners to the saving knowledge and worship of God. In Exercise IV (see other blog post), he distinguishes the uncreated light of God, the remaining natural light of reason and conscience, and the saving illumination bestowed by Christ through the Holy Spirit.