A90293:226
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.
The sum is, man was created with a nature, not only weak and imperfect, unable by its native strength, and endowments to attain that supernatural end, for which he was made, and which he was commanded to seek, but depraved also, with a love and desire of things repugnant to the will of God, by reason of an inbred inclination to sinning. It doth not properly belong to this place, to show, how they extenuate those gifts also, with which they cannot deny, but that he was endued, and also deny those which he had: as a power to believe in Christ, or to assent unto any truth, that God should reveal unto him: and yet they grant this privilege, to every one of his posterity, in that depraved condition of nature, whereinto by sin he cast himself and us: we have all now a power of believing in Christ, that is, Adam by his fall obtained a supernatural endowment, far more excellent, then any he had before; and let them not here, pretend the universality of the new covenant, until they can prove it, and I am certain it will be long enough: but this I say, belongs not to this place: only let us see, how from the word of God, we may overthrow, the former odious heresy. ⟨p. 88⟩God in the beginning created man in his own image, Gen. 1. 26. that is, upright: Eccles. 7. 29. endued with a nature composed to obedience, and holiness: that habitual grace, and original righteousness, wherewith he was invested, was in a manner due unto him, for the obtaining of that supernatural end, whereunto he was created: an universal rectitude of all the faculties of his soul, advanced by supernatural graces, enabling him to the performance of those duties whereunto they were required, is that which we call the innocency of our first parents: our nature was then inclined to good only, and adorned with all those qualifications, that were necessary, to make it acceptable unto God, and able to do what was required of us by the law, under the condition of everlasting happiness. Nature, and grace, or original righteousness, before the fall, ought not to be so distinguished, as if the one were a thing prone to evil, resisted and quelled by the other: for both complied in a sweet union and harmony, to carry us along in the way of obedience, to eternal blessedness:
The summe is, man was created with a nature, not only weak and imperfect, unable by its native strength, and endowments to attaine that supernaturall end, for which he was made, and which he was commanded to seeke, but depraved also, with a love and desire of things repugnant to the will of God, by reason of an inbred inclination to sinning. It doth not properly belong to this place, to shew, how they extenuate those gifts also, with which they cannot deny, but that he was indued, and also deny those which he had: as a power to beleeve in Christ, or to assent unto any truth, that God should reveale unto him: and yet they grant this priviledge, to every one of his posterity, in that depraved condition of nature, whereinto by sinne he cast himselfe and us: we have all now a power of beleeving in Christ, that is, Adam by his fall obtained a supernaturall endowment, farre more excellent, then any he had before; and let them not here, pretend the universalitie of the new covenant, untill they can prove it, and I am certaine it will be long enough: but this I say, belongs not to this place: only let us see, how from the word of God, we may overthrow, the former odious heresie.