A90293:161
Theomachia autexousiastikē
Theomachia autexousiastikē: or, A display of Arminianism. Being a discovery of the old Pelagian idol free-will, with the new goddess contingency, advancing themselves, into the throne of the God of heaven to the prejudice of his grace, providence, and supreme dominion over the children of men. Wherein the main errors of the Arminians are laid open, by which they are fallen off from the received doctrine of all the reformed churches, with their opposition in divers particulars to the doctrine established in the Church of England. Discovered out of their own writings and confessions, and confuted by the Word of God. / By John Owen, Master of Arts of Queens College in Oxon.Theomachia autexousiastikē: or, A display of Arminianisme. Being a discovery of the old Pelagian idol free-will, with the new goddesse contingency, advancing themselves, into the throne of the God of heaven to the prejudice of his grace, providence, and supreme dominion over the children of men. Wherein the maine errors of the Arminians are laid open, by which they are fallen off from the received doctrine of all the reformed churches, with their opposition in divers particulars to the doctrine established in the Church of England. Discovered out of their owne writings and confessions, and confuted by the Word of God. / By Iohn Owen, Master of Arts of Queens Colledge in Oxon.
London: printed by I.L. for Phil. Stephens, 1643
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Thirdly, the Article is clear, that the object of this predestination, is some particular men chosen out of mankind, that is, it is such an act of God, as concerneth some men in particular: taking them as it were aside from the middest of their brethren, and designing them for some special end and purpose, the Scripture also aboundeth in asserting this verity, calling them that are so chosen, a few: Mat. 20. 16. which must needs denote some certain persons; and the residue according to election, Rom. 11. 5. those whom God knows to be his, 2 Tim. 2. 19. Men ordained to eternal life, Acts 13. 48. us Rom. 8. 39. those that are written in the ⟨p. 55⟩Lambs book of life, Revel. 21. 27. all which and divers others clearly prove, that the number of the elect is certain, not only materially as they say, that there are so many, but formally also1 that these particular persons and no other are they, which cannot be altered: nay the very nature of the thing it self doth so demonstratively evince it, that I wonder it can possibly be conceived, under any other notion: to apprehend an election of men, not circumscribed with the circumstance of particular persons, is such a conceited Platonical abstraction, as it seems strange that any one dares profess to understand: that there should be a predestination and none predestinated, an election and none elected, a choice amongst many yet none left or taken, a decree to save men, and yet thereby salvation destinated to no one man, either re aut spe, indeed or in expectation, in a word that there should be a purpose of God to bring men unto glory, standing inviolable though never any one attained the proposed end, is such a riddle as no Oedipus can unfold: now such an election, such a predestination have the Arminians substituted, in the place of Gods everlasting decree: we