A90293:204
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.
I see no reason then, why Corvinus should affirm as he doth: hthat it is absurd, that by one mans disobedience, many should be made actually disobedient: unless he did it purposely to contradict St. Paul, teaching us, that by one mans disobedience, many were made sinners, Rom. 5. 19. Paulus ait, Corvinus negat, eligite cui credatis: choose whom you will believe; St. Paul, or the Arminians: the sum of their endeavour in this particular, is to clear the nature of man, from being any way guilty of Adams actual sin; as being then in him, a member and part of that body whereof he was the head: or from being obnoxious unto an imputation of it, by reason of that Covenant which God made with us all in him: so that denying as you saw before, all inherent corruption and pravity of nature, and now all participation by any means of Adams transgression, me thinks they cast a great aspersion on Almighty God, however he dealt with Adam for his own particular, yet for casting us, his most innocent posterity out of Paradise: it seems a hard case, that having no obliquity or sin in our nature to deserve it, nor no interest in his disobedience, whose obedience had been the means of conveying so much happiness unto us: we should yet be involved in so great a punishment, as we are, For that we are not now by birth, under a great curse and punishment, they shall never be able to persuade any poor soul who ever heard of Paradise, or the garden where God ⟨p. 75⟩first placed Adam: and though all the rest, in their judgement be no great matter, but an infirmity and languor of nature or some such thing: yet what ever it be, they confess it lights on us, as well as him:i We confess (say they) that the sin of Adam, may be thus far said to be imputed to his posterity, inasmuch as God would have them all, borne obnoxious to that punishment, which Adam incurred by his sin: or permitted that evil, which was inflicted on him, to descend on them: Now be this punishment what it will, never so small, yet if we have no demerit of our own, nor interest in Adams sin, it is such an act of injustice, as we must reject from the most holy, with a God forbid: far be it from the Judge of all the world to punish the righteous with the ungodly: if God should impute the sin of Adam unto us, and thereon pronounce us obnoxious to the curse deserved by it: