A90293:324
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, That God sendeth the Gospel, and revealeth Christ Jesus unto men, according as they well dispose themselves for such a blessing:h Sometimes (say they in their Synodical writings) God calleth this or that nation, people, city, or person, to the communion of Evangelical grace, whom he himself pronounceth worthy of it, in comparison of others: So that whereas Acts 18. 10. God encourageth Paul to preach at Corinth by affirming that he had much people in that city (which doubtless were his people then, only by virtue of their election) in these mens judgements? ithey were called so, because that even then they feared God, and served him with all their hearts, according to that knowledge they had of him, and so were ready to obey the preaching of Saint Paul: strange doctrine? that men should fear God, know him, serve him in sincerity, before they ever heard of the Gospel, and by those means deserve that it should be preached unto them? ⟨p. 136⟩this is, that pleasing of God before faith that they plead for; Act. Synod. fol. 60. That kpreparation and disposition to believe, which men attain by the Law, and virtuous education: thatl something which is in sinners, whereby though they are not justified, yet they are made worthy of justification: form conversion and the performance of good works, is in their apprehension a condition prerequired to justification, for so speak the children of Arminius: which wch if it be not an expression, not to be paralleled in the writings of any Christian, I am something mistaken: the sum of their doctrine then in this particular concerning the power of Free-will, in the state of sin, and unregeneration, is, That every man having a native inbred power, of believing in Christ, upon the revelation of the Gospel, hath also an ability of doing so much good, as shall procure of God, that the Gospel be preached unto him, to which, without any internal assistance of grace, he can give assent and yield obedience: the preparatory acts of his own will, always proceeding so far, as to make him excel others, who do not perform them, and are therefore excluded from further grace. Which is more gross Pelagianism then Pelagius himself would ever justify: wherefore, we reject all the former positions, as so many monsters in Christian Religion, in whose room we assert these that follow.