Ebyafaayo bya John Owen

John Owen ye yali omutwe gw’eby’enjigiriza omukulu ennyo Abapuritani ab’e Bungereza gwe baazaala, era omu ku basawo b’emyoyo abasinga okunoonyereza abaali bawandiise mu lulimi luno. Yatuula wakati ddala mu buyinza bw’eggwanga — omusumba wa Oliver Cromwell, Ddiini wa Christ Church, era Ssabawandiisi Omumyuka owa Yunivasite y’e Oxford — n’oluvannyuma n’alaba nga byonna bimuggibwako, ng’amaze emyaka gye egisembayo amakumi abiri ng’ali Munkukunala gwe banoonya era eyagaanibwa okuyingira mu yunivasite ze yali afuze. Mu buwaggula ne mu kufiirwa ne muvaamu ekintu kye kimu ekyamukwata: okutegeera okutuukirira ennyo engeri ekibi gye kikolera ku muntu, n’engeri ekisa gye kikolera mu buziba obusingako. Kye kyava ekitabo kye ekitono eky’okutta ekibi ne kiwangaala okusinga byonna ebirala ebyawandiikibwa mu kyasa ky’emyaka kye ku nsonga eyo.

Beera ng’otta ekibi, oba kijja kukutta.

— John Owen, The Mortification of Sin

Obwana bw’Omupuritani

Yazaalibwa mu 1616 mu Stadhampton, akabuga mu Oxfordshire, nga ye mwana owookubiri owa Henry Owen, omuweereza wa Katonda Omupuritani eyagondera Ekkanisa entongole okutuusa awo obwomunda bwe we bwamukkiriza. Olunaku John lwe yazaalirwako terwawandiikibwa — akabonero akatono nti obukulu bwennyini bweyoleka oluvannyuma. Yagenda mu Queen’s College, Oxford, nga wa myaka nga kkumi n’ebiri, n’aggya diguli ye nga wa myaka kkumi na mukaaga, era n’asoma n’obukakkamu obungi obwamwawulako obulamu bwe bwonna; kigambibwa nti yeeganya okwebaka essaawa nnya zokka buli kiro, empisa gye yeenenya oluvannyuma ng’obubbi ku bulamu bwe. Yaggya diguli ye eya masitaasi mu 1635 n’atandika okusoma okulala, naye mu 1637 teyayinza mu mwoyo gwe okugondera amateeka amaggya aga Ssabalabirizi Laud, n’ava mu yunivasite mu kifo ky’okugonda. Kyamuggyako essuubi lye. Mu kifo ekyo n’afuuka omusumba w’omunju era omusomesa, n’alindirira.

Obukakafu bwe yali tasobola kufuna

Newankubadde ng’ayize ennyo, Owen yamala obuvubuka bwe mu kizikiza ky’omwoyo eky’olubereberye era eky’amaanyi. Yakkiriza Enjiri; naye teyasobola kuwulira nti ya bubwe. Okumala emyezi teyasobola na kusaba, n’abuusabuusa oba nga yali akyusiddwa. Enkyukakyuka n’ejja, nga bwe kitera okubaawo, ng’eva ku mbiriizi. Nga wabaddewo mu 1642 n’agenda okuwulira omubuulizi ow’e London ayatiikirivu Edmund Calamy mu St Mary’s, Aldermanbury. Calamy n’atajja. Mu kifo kye omuweereza wa Katonda ow’omu byalo atamanyiddwa — omuntu Owen gwe yatasobola oluvannyuma okuzuula — n’ayimirira n’abuulira ku kibuuzo kimu Kristo kye yabuuza abayigirizwa be abaali batidde: “Mmwe abalina okukkiriza okutono! Lwaki mutya bwe mutyo?” Wansi w’okubuulira okwo okwangu, okuva mu mubuulizi erinnya lye eryabula mu byafaayo, obukakafu Owen bwe yali asabye Katonda ne bujja. Obuddugavu ne bumenyeka. Yali agenze okunoonya eddoboozi eryatiikirivu naye Katonda n’amusisinkana ng’ayita mu muntu ataliiko kye ali.

Omusumba wa Cromwell

Kaakano ekkalaamu ye n’emwatiikiriza. A Display of Arminianism (1642) n’emufunira obuweereza obwa Fordham mu Essex, n’oluvannyuma obuvikeeri obwa Coggeshall, gye yasomera Endagaano Empya n’emukkakkanya okutwalira Ekkanisa mu ngeri ey’Ekikuŋŋaaniro. Yabuulira mu maaso ga Palamenti Empanvu, era mu 1649 — olunaku olwaddirira okutemebwako omutwe kwa Charles I — n’abuulira mu maaso gaayo nate, era eyo n’asisinkana omusajja eyandimututte wakati mu ggwanga. Oliver Cromwell yatwala Owen okuba omusumba w’eggye n’amutwala e Ireland n’oluvannyuma e Scotland. Mu 1651 Cromwell n’amufuula Ddiini wa Christ Church, Oxford, era omwaka ogwaddirira Ssabawandiisi Omumyuka owa yunivasite yonna, ekifo kye yakwata okutuusa mu 1657, ng’afuna diguli ye eya Doctor of Divinity mu 1653. Okumala akaseera omulenzi eyava mu Oxford olw’empisa kaakano n’agifuga — ng’akyusa, ng’akuuma abayivu ab’enjuyi zonna, era ng’akyabuulira.

Omukugu mu kwekenneenya ekibi

Emyaka egya Oxford ne givaamu ebitabo bye akyasomerwa. Mu 1647 ne wajja The Death of Death in the Death of Christ, okwerwanirira kwe okunene ku kwagala kwa Katonda okw’enjawulo era okw’ekigendererwa mu musaalaba. Naye ebitabo ebimpi era ebisongovu bye byakwata ku mwoyo gw’ekkanisa. Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers (1656), okunnyonnyola olunyiriri lumu olw’Abaruumi, kikyali ekitabo ekya Kikristaayo ekyatiikirivu ku lutalo olwa buli lunaku, olw’obwenkanya, ku kibi ekibeera munda — era olunyiriri lwakyo olusinga okwatululwa lwe by’omwoyo byonna mu bigambo mwenda:

Tta ekibi; kifuule omulimu gwo ogwa buli lunaku; beera nakyo bulijjo ng’okyali mulamu; tolekaayo lunaku lumu ku mulimu guno; beera ng’otta ekibi, oba kijja kukutta.

— John Owen, The Mortification of Sin (1656)

Bwe Mortification eraga obukambwe bwa Owen, munnaayo aragga obuwoomi bwe. Of Communion with God (1657) kigamba nti omukkiriza afuna obumu obwa nnamaddala, obw’enjawulo, era obulabikako ne buli Muntu wa Katonda Asatu — ne Kitaawe mu kwagala kwe, n’Omwana mu kisa kye, n’Omwoyo mu kubudaabuda kwe. Gwe mutima omubuguumavu ogwa byonna Owen bye yali. “Nga bwe tulaba okwagala kwa Katonda,” bwe yawandiika, “bwe tutyo bwe tunaasanyukira mu ye, so si okusingawo.” Omusajja ensi gwe ejjukira ng’ennyondo eri ekibi yali, mu kifo kye eky’okusoma, asinga okwemalira mu kusanyukira Katonda.

Eyagobebwa

Awo amazzi ne gakalira. Ku kudda kw’Obwakabaka mu 1660 Owen n’afiirwa obuddiini, era Etteeka ery’Obumu mu 1662 ne limugoba ye n’abaweereza abalala nga enkumi bbiri okuva mu Kkanisa ya Bungereza kyokka. Mu bulamu bwe obwasigalawo yali Munkukunala — ng’abuulira ebibiina ebyakuŋŋaananga mu bulabe, ng’awandiika awatakoowa ku kugumiikiriza, ng’agaaniddwa embuulira n’eyunivasite gye yali akulembedde. Yafuuka omukulembeze era omuwolereza akkirizibwa ow’Obwetwaze, era wadde nga ebiwango byajja, nga mw’otwalidde n’okuyitibwa okukulembera ekkanisa mu Boston, n’asigala okulunda ekisibo ekiyigganyizibwa eky’ewaka.

Omukwano gumu okuva mu myaka gino gwayita mu ngero. Owen yassaamu ekitiibwa okubuulira kwa John Bunyan, omuweesi ow’e Bedford eyasibibwa, era kigambibwa mu ngeri ekakasa nti yakozesa ekifo kye ku lubiri okuyamba okuggya Bunyan mu kkomera. Charles II bwe yeewuunya nti omusawo omuyivu bw’atyo yandivudde mu London okuwulira omuddaabiriza w’entamu atayize, Owen bagamba nti yaddamu nti yandiwaddeyo n’essanyu obuyivu bwe bwonna olw’amaanyi g’omuweesi mu bujju. Ebigambo ebituufu bituutuukako kokka nga biyita mu buwangwa obwaddirira — naye obwetoowaze obwabimu bwonna bwe bubwe.

Ennyumba ey’ennaku

Omuwendo gw’ekyama ogw’obulamu bwa Owen obw’olujjudde gwali munene nnyo. Yawasa Mary Rooke nga wabaddewo mu 1644, era mu ye n’azaala — nga bwe bawandiisi b’ebyafaayo bye bagamba — abaana nga kkumi n’omu. Bonna okuggyako omu baafa nga bakyali bato; muwala omu yekka eyatuuka mu bukulu n’akomawo eka oluvannyuma lw’obufumbo obutali bwa ssanyu n’oluvannyuma n’afa akafuba. Mary yennyini yafa mu 1675. Omusajja eyawandiika n’obwegendereza obungi ku ngeri ennaku gye ewanirira abakkiriza yali aziise oluganda lwe lwonna kumpi. Yawasa nnamwandu omulala, Dorothy D’Oyley, eyamuleetera okubudaabudibwa n’okuwummula mu myaka gye egy’enkomerero, naye ennaku tezaaba wala, era ne ziwa ebiwandiiko bye ku kubonaabona n’obukakafu obuzito bw’ekintu ekyasasulirwa.

Olunaku olwasuubirwa ennyo

Owen yafa nga 24 Agusito 1683 e Ealing, okumpi ne London. Ennaku bbiri nga tannafa, ng’awandiisa ebbaluwa ey’okusiibula eri munne ow’edda Charles Fleetwood, n’awandiika ebigambo ebikuŋŋaanya obulamu bwe bwonna mu sentensi emu:

Ngenda eri Oyo emmeeme yange gwe yayagala, oba okusingawo, oyo eyanjagala n’okwagala okutaggwaawo, kwe musingi gw’okusanyusibwa kwange kwonna.

— John Owen, ebbaluwa eri Charles Fleetwood, 22 Agusito 1683

“Ndeka ekyombo ky’ekkanisa mu muyaga,” n’agattako; “naye Omugoba Omukulu ng’akyakirimu, okufiirwa omuvuzi omwavu ali wansi tekiibalirwe.” Ku makya ge ag’enkomerero, omuweereza William Payne n’ajja okumutegeeza nti ekitabo kye eky’enkomerero, Meditations on the Glory of Christ, kyali kigenze mu kuddukanya. Owen n’addamu nti, “Nsanyuse okuwulira nti omulimu ogwo guteekeddwa mu kuddukanya; naye, ayi owooluganda Payne, olunaku olwasuubirwa ennyo lutuuse ekyenkomerero, mwe ndiraba ekitiibwa ekyo mu ngeri endala okusinga bwe nkirabyeko, oba bwe nnali nsobola okukikola mu nsi eno.” Ekiro ekyo — mu wiiki ey’ejjukira ery’okugobebwa okwamuggyako byonna — n’afa. Ne bamuziika e Bunhill Fields mu abo abaawukana be yali ayagadde.

Yaleka olusozi lw’ebiwandiiko olwawangaala okusinga obwakabaka bwe yaweereza: okunnyonnyola kw’Abaebbulaniya mu bitabo bina, ebitabo ebikulu ku Mwoyo ne ku kuweebwa obutuukirivu, era okusinga byonna ebitabo ebibiri ebitono ku kutta ekibi n’okusanyukira Katonda ebikyakola omulimu gwabyo mu buli musomi omwesimbu okumala okutuula wansi waabyo. Owen teyafuula amazima okwangu. Yakkiriza nti omutima gw’omuntu mukuusa nnyo n’ekitiibwa kya Kristo kinene nnyo okusobozesa amakubo amayangu. Naye eri abo abaali beetegefu okugoberera sentensi ze enzibu, entuufu, yabawa ekintu kye ye yennyini yaweebwa wansi w’eddoboozi ly’omubuulizi atamanyiddwa — obukakafu obwanywera, obutamenyeka obw’okwagalibwa Katonda n’okwagala okutaggwaawo.