From here:
The nature of justifying faith, with respect unto that exercise of whereby we are justified, consists in the heart’s approbation of the way of justification and salvation of sinners by Jesus Christ proposed in the gospel, as proceeding from the grace, wisdom, and love of God, with its acquiescency therein as unto its own concernment and condition.
Is John Owen claiming that love of the doctrine of justification by faith is essential to justifying faith?
If you have never run into some Owenists who think that way, i’m very glad for you. Those “Calvinists” (more like Hyper-Calvinists–not that Owen was, but he was a very High Calvinist, even if he was not a Hyper) do, honestly, regard the understanding of the doctrine of justification by faith as essential to justifying faith. In other words, if you are confused about justification, you have abandoned the Gospel itself, because the Gospel *IS* justification by faith alone.