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cause_n	england_n	king_n	lord_n	4,602	5	4.1139	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90293	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.	Owen, John, 1616-1683.	1643 (1643)	Wing O811; Thomason E97_14; ESTC R21402	143,909	187

〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 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. Produce your cause saith the Lord bring forth your strong reasons saith the King of Iacob Isa 41. 21. Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker let the pot sheards strive with the potsheards of the earth Chap. 45. 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Constant apud Socrat. Lib. 1. Cap. 10. LONDON Printed by I. L. for Phil. Stephens at the golden Lion in Pauls Church-yard 1643. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE THE LORDS AND GENTLEMEN OF THE COMMITTEE FOR RELIGION THe many ample testimonies of zealous reverence to the providence of God as well as affectionate care for the priviledges of men which have beene given by this Honourable Assembly of Parliament incourage the adorers of the one no lesse then the Lovers of the other to vindicate that also from the incroachments of men And as it was not doubtlesse without divine disposition that those should be the chiefest Agents in robbing men of their priviledges who had nefariously attēpted to spoile God of his providence so we hope the same All-ruling hand hath disposed of them to be glorious instruments of re-advancing his right and supreme dominion over the hearts of men whose hearts he hath prepared with courage and constancy to establish men in their inviolated rights by reducing a sweet Harmony between awfull Sovereigntie and a well moderated libertie Now the first of these being demandated to your particular care I come unto you with a Bill of Complaint against no small number in this Kingdome who have wickedly violated our interest in the providence of God and have attempted to bring in the forreigne power of an old Idol to the great prejudice of all the true subjects and servants of the most High My accusation I make good by the evidence of the fact joyned with their owne confessions And because to wave the imputation of violent intrusion into the dominion of another they lay some claime and pretend some title unto it I shall briefely shew how it is contrary to the expresse termes of the Great Charter of heaven to have any such power introduced amongst men Your knowne Love to truth and the Gospel of Christ makes it altogether needlesse for me to stirre you up by any motives to hearken to this just Complaint and provide a timely remedy for this growing evill especially since experience hath so cleerely taught us here in England that not onely eternall but temporall happinesse also dependeth on the flourishing of the Truth of Christs Gospel Iustice and Religion were alwaies conceived as the maine Columnes and upholders of any State or Common-wealth like two pillars in a building whereof the one cannot stand without the other nor the whole fabricke without them both As the Philosopher spake of Logick and Rhetoricke they are Artes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mutually ayding each other and both ayming at the same end though in different manners so they without repugnancie concurre and sweetely fall in one with another for the reiglement and direction of every person in a Common-wealth to make the whole happy and blessed and where they are both thus united there and onely there is the blessing in assurance whereof Hezekiah rejoyced Truth and Peace An agreement without Truth is no Peace but a covenant with Death a league with Hell a conspiracie against the Kingdome of Christ a stout rebellion against the God of Heaven and without Iustice great Common-wealths are but great troopes of Robbers Now the result of the one of these is civill Peace of the other Ecclesiasticall betwixt which two there is a great sympathie a strict connexion having on each other a mutuall dependence Is there any disturbance of the State it is usually attended with Schismes and factions in the Church and the divisions of the Church are too often even the subversions of the Common-wealth Thus it hath beene ever since that unhappy difference betweene Cain and Abel which was not concerning the bounds and limits of their inheritance nor which of them should be heire to the whole world but about the Dictates of Religion the offering of their sacrifices This fire also of dissention hath beene more stirred up since the Prince of Peace hath by his Gospel sent the Sword amongst us for the preaching thereof meeting with the strong holds of Satan and the depraved corruption of humane nature must needs occasion a great shaking of the earth But most especially distracted Christendome hath found fearefull issues of this discord since the proud Romish Prelates have sought to establish their hell-broached errors by inventing and maintaining uncharitable destructive censures against all that oppose them which first causing Schismes and distractions in the Church then being helped forwards by the blindnesse and cruelty of ambitious Potentates have raised war of nation against nation witnesse the Spanish Invasion of 88. of a people within themselves as in the late Civill wars of France where after divers horrible Massacres many chose rather to die Souldiers then Martyrs And Oh that this truth might not at this day be written with the blood of almost expiring Ireland Yea it hath lastly descended to dissention betwixt private parties witnesse the horrible murder of Diazius whose brains were chopt out with an axe by his own brother Alphonsus for forsaking the Romish Religion what rents in State what grudgings hatreds and exasperations of mind among private men have happened by reason of some inferiour differences we all at this day grieve to behold tantum Religio potuit suadere malorum most concerning then is it for us to endevour obedience to our Saviours precept of seeking first the kingdome of God that we may be partakers of the good things comprised in the promise annexed were there but this one Argument for to seek the peace of the Church because thereon depends the peace of the Common wealth it were sufficient to quicken our utmost industry for the attaining of it Now what peace in the Church without Truth all conformitie to any thing else is but the agreement of Herod and Pilate to destroy Christ and his Kingdome neither is it this or that particular truth but the whole Counsell of God revealed unto us without adding or detracting whose embracement is required to make our Peace firme and stable No halting betwixt Iehovah and Baal Christ and Antichrist as good be all

their care might be cast upon him who careth for them 1 Pet. 5. 7. forbidding any to touch his anoynted ones Psal 105. 15. and that because they are unto him as the apple of his eye Zach. 2. 8. now this speciall providence hath respect unto a supernaturall end to which that and that alone is to be convayed For wicked men as they are excepted from this speciall care and government so they are not exempted from the dominion of his Almightie hand he who hath created them for the day of evill Prov. 16. 4. and provided a place of their own Acts 1. 25. for them to goe unto doth not in this world suffer them to live without the verge of his all-ruling providence but by suffering and enduring their iniquities with great patience and long-suffering Rom. 9. 20. defending them oftentimes from the injuries of one another Gen. 4. 15. by granting unto them many temporall blessings Matth. 5. 45. disposing of all their works to the glory of his great name Prov. 21. 1 2. he declareth that they also live and move and have their being in him and are under the government of his providence Nay there is not the least thing in this world to which his care and knowledge doth not descend ill would it become his wisdome not to sustaine order and dispose of all things by him created but leave them to the ruine of uncertaine chance Hierome then was injurious to his providence and cast a blemish on his absolute perfection whilest he thought to have cleered his Maiestie from being defiled with the knowledge and care of the smallest reptiles and vermine every moment and St. Austine is expresse to the contrary who saith he hath disposed the severall members of the flea and gnat that hath given unto them order life and motion c. even most agreeable to holy Scriptures so Psal 104. 20 21. and 145. 15. Matth. 6. 26. He feedeth the fowles and cloatheth the grasse of the field Iob 39. 1 ● and Ionah 4. 6 7. sure it is not troublesome to God to take notice of all that he hath created did he use that great power in the production of the least of his creatures so farre beyond the united activitie of men and Angels for no end at all doubtlesse even they also must have a well disposed order for the manifestation of his glory not a sparrow falls to the ground without our Father Matth. 10. 29 30. even the haires of our head are numbred he cleatheth the lillies and grasse of the field which is to be cast into the even Luke 12. 27 28. Behold his knowledge and care of them again he used frogs and lice for the punishment of the Egyptians Exod. 8. with a gourd and a worme he exercised his servant Ionah Chap. 3. yea he cals the locusts his terrible Army and shall not God know and take care of the number of his souldiers the ordering of his dreadfull Hoast That God by his providence governeth and disposeth of all things by him created is sufficiently proved the manner how he worketh all in all how he ordereth the works of his owne hands in what this governing and disposing of his creatures doth chiefly consist comes now to be considered And here foure things are principally to be observed First the sustaining preserving and upholding of all things by his power For he upholdeth all things by the word of his power Heb. 1. 3. Secondly his working together with all things by an influence of causalitie into the agents themselves for he also hath wrought all our works in us Isaiah 26. 12. Thirdly his powerfull over-ruling of all events both necessary free and contingent and disposing of them to certaine ends for the manifestation of his glory So Ioseph tels his brethren as for you you thought evill against me but God meant it unto good to bring to passe as it is at this day to save much people alive Gen. 50. 20. Fourthly his determining and restraining second causes to such and such effects even the Kings heart is in the hand of the Lord as the rivers of water he turneth it whither soever he will Prov. 21. 1. First his sustentation or upholding of all things is his powerfull continuing of their being naturall strength and faculties bestowed on them at their creation In him we live and move and have our being Acts 17. So that he doth neither worke all himselfe in them without any cooperation of theirs which would not only turn all things into stocks yea and take from stocks their own proper nature but also is contrary to that generall blessing he spread over the face of the whole world in the beginning increase and multiply Gen. 1. 22. nor yet leave them to a selfe subsistance he in the meane time only not destroying them which would make him an idle spectator of most things in the world not to worke hitherto as our Saviour speaks and grant to divers things here below an absolute being not derivative from him the first whereof is blasphemous the latter impossible Secondly for Gods working in and together with all second causes for the producing of their effects what part or portion in the worke punctually to assigne unto him what to the power of the inferiour causes seemes beyond the reach of mortals neither is an exact comprehension thereof any way necessary so that we make every thing beholding to his power for its being and to his assistance for its operation Thirdly his supreame dominion exerciseth it selfe in disposing of all things to certaine and determinate ends for his owne glory and is chiefly discerned advancing it self over those things which are most contingent and making them in some sort necessary inasmuch as they are certainly disposed of to some proposed ends betweene the birth and death of a man how many things meerely contingent doe occurre how many chances how many diseases in their owne nature all evitable and in regard of the event not one of them but to some prove mortall yet certaine it is that a mans dayes are determined the number of his moneths are with the Lord he hath appointed his bounds which he cannot passe Iob 14. 5. And oftentimes by things purely contingent and accidentall he executeth his purposes bestoweth rewards inflicteth punishments and accomplisheth his judgements as when he delivereth a man to be slaine by the head of an axe flying from the helve in the hand of a man cutting a tree by the way but in nothing is this more evident then in the ancient casting of lots a thing as casuall and accidentall as can be imagined hudled in the Cap at a venture yet God overruleth them to the declaring of his purpose freeing truth from doubts and manifestation of his power Prov. 16. 33. The lot is cast into the lap but the whole disposing of it is from the Lord as you may see in the examples of Achan Iosh 7. 16 17. Saul 1 Sam. 10. 21. Ionathan

unusefull especially to such who wanting either will or abilities to peruse larger discourses may yet be allured by their words which are smoother then oyle to tast the poyson of Aspes that is under their lips Satan hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 depths where to hide and methods how to broach his lies and never did any of his Emissaries employ his received talents with more skill and diligence then our Arminians labouring earnestly in the first place to in still some errors that are most plausible intending chiefly an introduction of them that are more palpable knowing that if those be for a time suppressed untill these be well digested they will follow of their owne accord wherefore I have endeavoured to lay open to the view of all some of their foundation errors not usually discussed on which the whole inconsistent superstructure is erected whereby it will appeare how under a most ●●ine pretence of furthering Piety they have prevaricated against the very grounds of Christianitie wherein First I have not observed the same method in handling each particular Controversie but followed such severall waies as seemed most convenient to cleere the truth and discover their heresies Secondly some of their errors I have not touched at all as those concerning universall grace justification the finall Apostacy of true beleevers because they came not within the compasse of my proposed method as you may see Chap. 1. where you have the summe of the whole discourse Thirdly I have given some instances of their opposing the received Doctrine of the Church of England contained in divers of the 39. Articles which would it did not yeeld us iust cause of further complaint against the iniquitie of those times whereinto we were lately fallen Had a poor Puritan offended against halfe so many Canons as they opposed Articles he had forfeited his livelihood if not endangered his life I would I could heare any other probable reason why divers Prelates were so zealous for the discipline and so negligent of the Doctrine of the Church but because the one was reformed by the word of God the other remaining as we found it in the times of Popery Fourthly I have not purposely undertaken to answer any of their Arguments referring that labour to a further designe even a clearing of our Doctrine of reprobation and of the administration of Gods providence towards the Reprobates and over all their actions from those calumnious aspersions they cast upon it but concerning this I feare the discouragements of these wofull dayes will leave me nothing but a desire that so necessary a worke may finde a more able Pen IOHN OVVEN Arma Vt omnis controversia dirimatur per verbum Dei consilium hoc suspectum videre debet non uno nomine pernitiosum est Remon vindic ad Videl p. 30. 1. Lib. Arbitrium 2. Contingentia 3. Indifferentia ad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 velle nolle 4. Supremum actus sui dominium 5. Ens 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 independens in agendo divinam 1. Voluntatem mutabilem 2 Scientiam fallibilem conjecturalem 3. Providentiam otiosam Constituentia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Specimen Primus Copiarum impetus in Campo qui de nomine alterius ducis Lib. Arbit dicitur seu humanarum actionum ditio Vtrinque autem á voluntate humana remota confossa jacent 1. Coactio 2. Necessitas absoluta interna 3. Mera seu solitaria spontaneitas Arma Ad Legem ad Prophetas Scrutamini Scripturas Iohan. 5. 39. 1. Decretum absolutum immutabile 2. Praescientia infallibilis 3. Providentia per 1. Sustentationem 2. Determinationem 3. Gubernationem 4. Directionem summe effica● quibus omnem creaturam 1. Essentiam 2. Subsistentiam 3. Motionem 4. Determinationem ad actum 5. Efficientiam in agendo realem debere necesse est 1. Lib. Arbit 2. Integritas naturae 3. Lumen naturale 4. Actus elicitus 5. Faciens quod in se est 6. Faedus novum universale 7. Vires credendi per lapsum non amissae 8. Potentia active obedientialis ad bonum morale 9. Suasio moralis Lingua nostra praevaleamus labia nostra penes nos sunt quis esset nobis Dominus Psal 12. His tu gradibus Romule Arpin ascendisti in coelum Dei munus est quod vivimus nostrum vero quod bene sancteque vivimus fortunam a Deo petendam à seipso sumendam esse sapientiam Quia sibi quisque virtutem a●quirit nemo de sapientibus de ea gratias Deo egit Impetus copiarum secundus circa gratiam naturam ubi adversis frontibus cominus pugnatur Campus autem hic status naturae post lapsum vocetur cujus loca praecipua quae in mappa 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 delineantur sunt 1. Reatus primi peccati 2. Corruptio naturae 3. Mors spiritualis ubi multa mortuorum sepulchra e quibus resurgente Christo exierunt pauci 4. Impotentia credendi 5. Caecitas intellectus 6. Pravitas voluntatis 7. Obduratio cordis 8. Aversio à bono incommutabili 9. Propensio ad bonum commutabile 1. Praedestinatio gratuita 2. Meritum Christi 3. Operatio Spiritus 4. Gratia efficax 5. Infusio habituum 6. Vocatio secundum immutabile dei propositū 7. Evangelium Iesu Christi 8. Liber vitae Non nobis Domine non nobis sed nomini tuo da honorem Psal 114. Nam quos praescivit etiam praedestinavit conformandos imagini filii sui ut is sit primogenitus inter multos fratres quos vero praedestinavit eos etiam vocavit quos vocavit eos etiam iustificavit quos justificavit eos etiam glorificavit Rom. 8. Cui soli sapienti gloria sit per Iesum Christum in secula Reader SOme sheets of this Treatise being printed after the first draught of the Authour and a great part of it in his absence makes it require thy courtesie favourably to correct any misprinting or greater oversight that may prejudice the sense thereof to take notice also of these follow Errata but account them as not committed because corrected PAg. 17. l 9. read mutability p. 25. l. 5 dele and p. 29. l. 23. r. cap. p. 34. l. 17. for essence r. esteeme p. 36. l 21 22. r. his law cannot possibly aime at nothing p. 37. l. 20. d. it p. 40. l. 5. r. tolerable l 6. r. them p. 42. l. 1. r. and yet it is not l. 2. d yet l. 8. d neither l. 22. r. that we p. 44. l 18. or no. in p. 45. l. 24. r. not unneces 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 corrupted p. 53. l. 15. r. can be deriv p. 56. l. 25. r. as equall an as p. 59. l. 3 ● r. laid downe p. 62. l. 25. us first p. 63. l. 2. for events r deserts p. 68. l. 27. of God in p. 78. l 36. r. sinners deserve p. 116. l. 12. r. for granted p. 119. l. 12. by those p. 120. l. 25. r. his will and heavenly instructions p. 128. l. 1.

1 Sam. 14. 41. Ionah chap. 1. 8. Matthias Act. 1. 26. And yet this overruling act of Gods providence as no other decree or act of his doth not rob things contingent of their proper nature for cannot he who effectually causeth that they shall come to passe cause also that they shall come to passe contingently Fourthly Gods predetermination of second causes which I name not last as though it were the last act of Gods providence about his creatures for indeed it is the first that concerneth their operation is that effectuall working of his according to his eternall purpose whereby though some agents as the wils of men are causes most free and indefinite or unlimited Lords of their owne actions in respect of their internall principle of operation that is their owne nature are yet all in respect of his decree and by his powerfull working determined to this or that effect in particular not that they are compelled to doe this or hindered from doing that but are inclined and disposed to doe this or that according to their proper manner of working that is most freely For truly such testimonies are every where obvious in Scripture of the stirring up of mens wils and minds of bending and inclining them to divers things of the governing of the secret thoughts and motions of the heart as cannot by any means be referred to a naked permission with a government of externall actions or to a generall influence whereby they should have power to doe this or that or any thing else wherein as some suppose his whole providence consisteth Let us now joyntly apply these severall acts to free agents working according to choyce or relation such as are the wils of men and that will open the way to take a view of Arminian Heterodoxies concerning this Article of Christian beliefe and here two things must be premised First that they be not deprived of their own radicall or originall internall libertie Secondly that they be not exempt from the moving influence gubernation of Gods providence the first whereof would leave no just roome for rewards and punishments the other as I said before is injurious to the majestie and power of God St. Augustine judged Cicero worthy of special blame even among the heathens for so attempting to make men free that he made them sacrilegious by denying them to be subject to an over-ruling providence which grosse errour was directly maintained by Damascen a learned Christian teaching things whereof we have any power not to depend on providence but on our owne free-will an opinion fitter for a hogge of the Epicures heard then for a Scholler in the Schoole of Christ and yet this proud prodigious error is now though in other termes stifly maintained For what doe they else who ascribe such an absolute independent libertie to the will of man that it should have in its owne power every circumstance every condition whatsoever that belongs to operation so that all things required on the part of God or otherwise to the performance of an action being accomplished it remaineth solely in the power of a mans owne will whether he will doe it or no which supreame and plainely divine liberty joyned with such an absolute uncontrollable power and dominion over all his actions would exempt and free the will of man not onely from all fore-determining to the production of such and such efffects but also from any effectuall working or influence of the providence of God into the will it selfe that should sustaine helpe or co-operate with it in doing or willing any thing and therefore the authours of this imaginarie liberty have wisely framed an imaginary concurrence of Gods providence answerable unto it viz. a generall and indifferent influence alwaies wayting and expecting the will of man to determine it selfe to this or that effect good or bad God being as it were alwaies ready at hand to doe that small part which he hath in our actions whensoever we please to use him or if we please to let him alone he no way moveth us to the performance of any thing now God forbid that we should give our consent to the choyce of such a Captaine under whose conduct we might goe downe againe unto Paganisme to the erecting of such an Idol into the Throne of the Almightie No doubtlesse let us be most indulgent to our wils and assigne them all the libertie that is competent unto a created nature to doe all things freely according to election and foregoing counsell being free from all naturall necessity and outward compulsion but for all this let us not presume to denie Gods effectuall assistance his particular powerfull influence into the wils and actions of his creatures directing of them to a voluntary performance of what he hath determined which the Arminians opposing in the behalfe of their darling Free-will doe worke in the hearts of men an overweening of their owne power and an absolute independence of the providence of God For First they deny that God in whom we live and move and have our being doth any thing by his providence whereby the creature should be stirred up or helped in any of his actions that is God wholly leaves a man in the hand of his owne counsell to the disposall of his owne absolute independent power without any respect to his providence at all whence as they doe they may well conclude That those things which God would have to be done of us freely such as are all humane actions he cannot himselfe will or worke more powerfull and effectually then by the way of wishing or desiring as Vorstius speakes which is no more then one man can doe concerning another perhaps farre lesse then an Angel I can wish or desire that another man would doe what I have a minde he should but truly to describe the providence of God by such expressions seemes to me intollerable blasphemie but thus it must be without such helpes as these Dagon cannot keepe on his head nor the Idoll of uncontroulable Free-will enioy his dominion Hence Corvinus will grant that the killing of a man by the slipping of an axes head from the helve although contingent may be said to happen according to Gods counsel and determinate will but on no termes will he yeeld that this may be applied to actions wherein the counsell and freedome of mans will doe take place as though that they also should have dependance on any such overruling power whereby he absolutely excludeth the providence of God from having any soveraigntie within the territory of humane actions which is plainly to shake off the yoke of his dominion and to make men Lords paramount within themselves so that they may well ascribe unto God as they doe onely a deceiveable expectation of those contingent things that are yet for to come there beeing no act of his owne in the producing of such effects on which he can ground any certainty onely he may take a