He then shows how Christ teaches two means for Christians to use in order to guard against this danger, namely watching and praying: ‘these two’, Owen says, ‘comprise the whole endeavour of faith for the souls preservation from temptation’ and he insists that it is the duty of every believer to follow diligently Christ’s instructions to avoid falling into temptation.

Owen helpfully applies his teaching, explaining how we can know whether we have entered into temptation, what practical steps we should take to preserve our souls from entering into it, how to identify those particular times when people tend to enter into temptation, and showing us the best ways of watching the heart itself.

Sinclair B. Ferguson has written that ‘Many of Owen’s readers have come away from reading him on such themes as temptation feeling that Owen knew them through and through.’ However, not only does Owen’s penetrating writing open up areas of need in our own hearts; it also opens up correspondingly profound assurances of grace in Jesus Christ.