A90293:66
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.
1. They undermine, and overthrow, the eternity of Gods purposes, by affirming, that (in the order of the divine decrees, there are some which precede, every act of the creature, and some again, that follow them) soa Corvinus the most famous, of that sect; now all the acts of every creature, being but of yesterday, temporary, like themselves, surely, those decrees of God, cannot be eternal, which follow them in order of time: and yet they press this, especially, in respect of humane actions, as a certain, unquestionable verity: (it is certain that God willeth or determineth, many things, which he would not, did not some act of mans will, go before it) saith their greater Masterb Arminius: the like affirmeth, with a little addition, (as such men do always proficere in peius,) his genuine scholar Nic. cGrevinchovius, I suppose (saith he) that God willeth many things, which he neither would, nor justly could will, and purpose, did not some action of the creature precede: and here observe that in these places, they speak not of Gods external works, of those actions, which out wardly are of him, as inflicting of punishments, bestowing of rewards, and other such outward acts of his providence, whose administration we confess to be various, and diversly applied to several occasions: but of the internal purposes of Gods will, his decrees, and intentions which have no present influence upon, or respect unto, any action of the creature: yea they deny that concerning many things, God hath any determinate resolution at all, or any purpose, further, then a natural affection towards them: God doth, or omitteth, that, towards which, in his own nature, and his proper inclination, he is affected, as he finds man, to comply, or not to comply, with that order, which he hath appointed, saithd Corvinus: surely, these men care not, what indignities they cast upon the God of heaven, so they may maintain the pretended endowments of their own wills; for such an absolute power do they here ascribe unto them, that God himself, cannot determine ⟨p. 7⟩of a thing, whereunto, as they strangely phrase it, he is well affected, before, by an actual concurrence, he is sure of their compliance: now this imputation, that they are temporary, which they cast upon the decrees of God in general, they press home upon that particular, which lies most in their way, the decree of election: