Hearing God speak...according to Owen

Owen, in chapter 13 of The Mortification of Sin in the Believer, directs the one who desires to mortify sin to only speak 'peace' to one's own soul when God speaks 'peace' to you. To quote Owen directly, "take heed thou speakest not peace to thyself before God speaks it; but hearken what he says to thy soul."

At the very end of the chapter Owen relays a question the reader may, and likely should, have; "When God speaks it, we must receive it, that is true; but how shall we know when he speaks?"

I found Owen's reply absolutely fascinating!

(1.) I would we could all practically come up to this, to receive peace when we are convinced that God speaks it, and that it is our duty to receive it. But, --

(2.) There is, if I may so say, a secret instinct in faith, whereby it knows the voice of Christ when he speaks indeed[emphasis mine]; as the babe leaped in the womb when the blessed Virgin came to Elisabeth, faith leaps in the heart when Christ indeed draws nigh to it. "My sheep," says Christ, "know my voice," John 10:4; -- "They know my voice; they are used to the sound of it;" and they know when his lips are opened to them and are full of grace. The spouse was in a sad condition, Cant. 5:2, -- asleep in security; but yet as soon as Christ speaks, she cries, "It is the voice of my beloved that speaks!" She knew his voice, and was so acquainted with communion with him, that instantly she discovers him; and so will you also. If you exercise yourselves to acquaintance and communion with him, you will easily discern between his voice and the voice of a stranger. When he doth speak, he speaks as never man spake; he speaks with power, and one way or other will make your "hearts burn within you," as he did to the disciples, Luke 24. He doth it by "putting in his hand at the hole of the door," Cant. 5:4, -- his Spirit into your hearts to seize on you.

He that hath his senses exercised to discern good or evil, being increased in judgement and experience by a constant observation of the ways of Christ's intercourse, the manner of the operations of the Spirit, and the effects it usually produceth, is the best judge for himself in this case.

Secondly, If the word of the Lord doth good to your souls, he speaks it; if it humble, if it cleanse, and be useful to those ends for which promises are given, -- namely, to endear, to cleanse, to melt and bind to obedience, to self-emptiness, etc. But this is not my business; nor shall I farther divert in the pursuit of this direction. Without the observation of it, sin will have great advantages towards the hardening of the heart.

I found this short discussion on God speaking very surprising and incredibly interesting. I am definitely going to try and find out if Owen writes more about this.