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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

Counsels edicts decrees of Emperours wherein that hereticall doctrine of denying this originall corruption is condemned cursed and exploded now amongst those many motives they had to proceed so severely against this heresie one especially inculcated deserves our consideration viz. That it overthrew the necessitie of Christs coming into the world to redeeme mankinde it is sinne onely that makes a Saviour necessary and shall Christians tollerate such an errour as by direct consequence inferres the coming of Iesus Christ into the world to be needlesse my purpose for the present is not to alleadge any testimonies of this kinde but holding my selfe close to my first intention to shew how farre in this Article as well as others the Arminians have Apostated from the pure doctrine of the word of God the consent of Orthodox Divines and the Confession of this Church of England In the ninth Article of our Church which is concerning originall sinne I observe especially foure things First that it is an inherent evill the fault and corruption of the nature of every man Secondly that it is a thing not subject or conformable to the Law of God but hath in it selfe even after Baptisme the nature of sinne Thirdly that by it we are averse from God and inclined to all manner of evill Fourthly that it deserveth Gods wrath and damnation all which are frequently and evidently taught in the word of God and every one denyed by the Arminians as it may appeare by these instances in someof them First That it is an inherent sinne and pollution of nature having a proper guilt of its owne making us responsable to the wrath of God and not a bare imputation of anothers fault to us his posteritie which because it would reflect upon us all with a charge of a native imbecillitie and insufficiency to good is by these self-idolizers quite exploded Infants are simply in that estate in which Adam was before his fall saith Venator Neither is it all considerable whether they be the children of beleevers or of heathens and infidels for infants as infants have all the same innocency say they joyntly in their Apologie nay more plainly it can be no fault wherewith we are born in which last expression these bold innovators with one dash of their pens have quite overthrowne a sacred verity an Apostolike Catholike fundamentall Article of Christian Religion but truly to me there are no stronger Arguments of the sinfull corruption of our nature then to see such nefarious issues of unsanctified hearts let us looke then to the word of God confounding this Babylonish designe First That the nature of man which at first was created pure and holy after the image of God endowed with such a rectitude and righteousnesse as was necessary and due unto it to bring it unto that supernaturall end to which it was ordained is now altogether corrupted and become abominable sinfull and averse from goodnesse and that this corruption or concupiscence is originally inherent in us and derived from our first parents is plentifully delivered in holy writ as that which chiefly compels us to a self-deniall and drives us unto Christ Behold I was shapen in iniquitie and in sinne did my mother conceive me saith David Psal 51. 5. Where for the praise of Gods goodnesse towards him he begins with the confession of his native perversenesse and of the sinne wherein he was wrapped before he was born neither was this peculiar to him alone he had it not from the particular iniquitie of his next progenitors but by an ordinary propagation from the common parent of us all though in some of us Satan by this Pelagian attempt by hiding the disease hath made it almost incurable for even those infants of whose innocency the Arminians boast are uncleane in the verdict of Saint Paul 1 Cor. 7. 14. if not sanctified by an interest in the Promise of the Covenant and no uncleane thing shall enter into the kingdome of heaven The weaknesse of the members of infants is innocent and not their souls they want nothing but that the members of their bodies are not as yet ready instruments of sinne they are not sinfull only by an externall denomination accounted so because of the imputation of Adams actuall transgression unto them for they have all an uncleannesse in them by nature Iob 14. 4. from which they must be cleansed by the washing of water and the word Ephes 5. 20. their whole nature is overspread with such a pollution as is proper only to sinne inherent and doth not accompany sinne imputed as we may see in the example of our Saviour who was pure immaculate holy undefiled and yet the iniquity of us all was imputed unto him hence are those phrases of washing away sinne Acts 22. 16. of cleansing filth 1 Pet. 3. 21. Titus 3. 5. something there is in them as soone as they are borne excluding them from the kingdome of heaven for except they also be borne againe of the spirit they shall not enter into it Ioh. 3. 5. Secondly The opposition that is made between the righteousnesse of Christ and the sinne of Adam Rom. 5. which is the proper seat of this doctrine sheweth that there is in our nature an inbred sinfull corruption for the sinne of Adam holds such relation unto sinners proceeding from him by naturall propagation as the righteousnesse of Christ doth unto them who are borne againe of him by spirituall regeneration but we are truly intrinsecally and inherently sanctified by the spirit and grace of Christ and therefore there is no reason why being so often in this Chapter called sinners because of this originall sinne we should cast it off as if we were concerned only by an externall denomination for the right institution of the comparison and its Analogie quite overthrows the solitary imputation Thirdly All those places of Scripture which assert the pronnesse of our nature to all evill and the utter disabilitie that is in us to doe any good that wretched opposition to the power of godlinesse wherewith from the wombe we are replenished confirmes the same truth but of these places I shall have occasion to speake hereafter Fourthly The flesh in the Scripture phrase is a qualitie if I may so say inherent in us for that with its concupiscence is opposed to the spirit and his holinesse which is certainly inherent in us now the whole man by nature is flesh for that which is borne of the flesh is flesh Ioh. 3. 6. it is an inhabiting thing a thing that dwelleth within us Rom. 7. 17. in briefe this vitiosity sinfulnesse and corruption of our nature is laid open First by all those places which cast an aspersion of guilt or desert of punishment or of pollution on nature it selfe as Ephes 2. 1 2 3. We are dead in trespasses and sinnes being by nature children of wrath as well as others being wholly incompassed by a sinne that doth easily beset us Secondly by them which fixe this

Philistine and worshippers of Dagon as to speake part the language of Ashdod and part the language of the Iewes hence hence hath been the rise of all our miseries of all our dissentions whilest factious men laboured every day to commend themselves to them who sate aloft in the Temple of God by introducing new Popish Arminian errors whose Patronage they had wickedly undertaken who would have thought that our Church would ever have given entertainment to these Belgicke Semipelagians who have cast dirt upon the faces and raked up the ashes of all those great and pious soules whom God magnified in using as his instruments to reforme his Church to the least of which the whole troope of Arminians shall never make themselves equall though they swell till they breake what benefit did ever come to this Church by attempting to prove that the chiefe part in the severall degrees of our salvation is to be ascribed unto our selves rather then God which is the head and summe of all the Controversies between them and us and must not the introducing and fomenting of a doctrine so opposite to that truth our Church hath quietly enjoyed ever since the first reformation necessarily bring along with it Schismes and dissentions so long as any remaine who love the truth or esteeme the Gospel above preferment Neither let any deceive your Wisdomes by affirming that they are differences of an inferiour nature that are at this day agitated between the Arminians and the Orthodox Divines of the reformed Church be pleased but to cast an eye on the following instances and you will finde them hewing at the very root of Christianity Consider seriously their denying of that fundamentall Article of Originall sin Is this but a small escape in Theologie why what need of the Gospel what need of Christ himselfe if our nature be not guilty depraved corrupted neither are many of the rest of lesse importance surely these are not things in quibus possimus dissentire salva pace ac charitate as Austin speaks about which we may differ without losse of peace or charitie one Church cannot wrap in her communion Austin and Pelagius Calvine and Arminius I have here onely given you a taste whereby you may judge of the rest of their fruit mors in olla mors in olla their doctrine of the finall apostasie of the elect of true beleevers of a wavering haesitancy concerning our present grace and future glory with divers others I have wholly omitted those I have produced are enough to make their abettors uncapable of our Church communion the Sacred bond of peace compasseth onely the unitie of that Spirit which leadeth into all truth We must not offer the right hand of fellowship but rather proclaime 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an holy warre to such enemies of Gods providence Christs merit and the powerfull operation of the holy Spirit neither let any object that all the Arminians do not openly professe all these errours I have recounted let ours then shew wherein they differ from their Masters we see their owne confessions we know their arts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the depths and crafts of Satan we know the several wayes they have to introduce and insinuate their Heterodoxies into the mindes of men with some they appeare onely to dislike our doctrine of reprobation with others to claime an allowable libertie of the will but yet for the most part like the Serpent where ever she gets in her head she will wriggle in her whole body sting and all give but the least admission and the whole poyson must be swallowed What was the intention of the maintainers of these strange assertions amongst us I know not whether the efficacie of errour prevailed really with them or no or whether it were the better to comply with Popery and thereby to draw us back againe unto Egypt but this I have heard that it was affirmed on knowledge in a former Parliament that the introduction of Arminianisme amongst us was the issue of a Spanish consultation it is a strange story that learned Zanchius tels us how upon the death of the Cardinall of Lorraigne there was found in his Study a note of the names of divers Germane Doctors and Ministers being Lutherans to whom was paid an annuall pension by the assignment of the Cardinall that they might take pains to oppose the Calvinists and so by cherishing dissention reduce the people againe to Popery If there be any such amongst us who upon such poore inconsiderable motives would be wonne to betray the Gospel of Christ God grant them repentance before it be too late however vpon what grounds with what intentions for what ends soever these Tares have been sowed amongst us by envious men the hope of all the piously learned in the Kingdome is that by your effectuall care and diligence some meanes may be found to root them out Now God Almightie increase and fill your whole Honourable Societie with wisedome zeale knowledge and all other Christian graces necessary for your great calling and employments which is the daily prayer of Your most humble and devoted servant IOHN OVVEN To the Christian Reader READER THou canst not be such a stranger in our Izrael as that it should be necessary for me to acquaint thee with the first sowing and spreading of these Tares in the Field of the Church much lesse to declare what divisions and thoughts of heart what open bitter contentions to the losse of Ecclesiasticall peace have beene stirred up amongst us about them onely some few things relating to this my particular endeavour I would willingly premonish thee of First Never were so many prodigious errours introduced into a Church with so high a hand and so little opposition as these into ours since the nation of Christians was known in the world the chiefe cause I take to be that which Aeneas Sylvius gave why more maintained the Pope to be above the Councel then the Councel above the Pope because Popes gave Archbishopricks Bishopricks c. but the Councels sued in forma pauperis and therefore could scarse get an Advocate to plead their cause the fates of our Church having of late devolved the government thereof into the hands of men tainted with this poyson Arminianisme became backed with the powerfull Arguments of praise and preferment and quickly prevailed to beat poore naked truth into a corner It is high time then for all the lovers of the old way to oppose this innovation prevailing by such unworthy means before our breach grow great like the Sea and there be none to heale it My intention in this weake indeavour which is but the undigested issue of a few broken houres too many causes in these furious malignant dayes continually interrupting the course of my studies is but to stirre up such who having more leasure and greater abilities will not as yet move a finger to help vindicate oppressed Truth In the meane time I hope this discovery may not be

meritorious cause the Spirit of God and his effectuall grace their efficient working instrumentally with power by the word and ordinances now because this would deprive the Idoll of his chiefest glory and expose him to open shame like the bird furtivis nudata coloribus the Arminians advance themselves in his quarrell and in behalfe of their darling quite exclude both merit of Christ and Spirit of God from any title to their production First For the merit of Christ whereas we affirme that God blesseth us with all spirituall blessings in him or for his sake Eph. 1. 3. amongst which doubtlesse faith possesseth not the lowest roome that he is made unto us righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption he was made sinne for us that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him that he is the Lord our righteousnesse and glories to be called by that name and whatsoever he is unto us it is chiefely by the way of merit that to us it is given 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for Christs sake to beleeve on him Phil. 1. 29. where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is plainly referred to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is given as if the Apostle should have said Christ is the meritorious cause of the bestowing of those good gifts faith and constancy unto martyrdome upon you when I say we professe all these to be the proper and immediate products of the passion and blood of Christ these turbulent Davusses come in with a prohibition and quite expell it from having any interest therein There is nothing more vaine nothing more foolish say they in their Apologie then to attribute our regeneration and faith unto the death of Christ for if Christ may be said to have merited for us faith and regeneration then faith cannot be a condition whose performance God should require at the hands of sinners under the paine of eternall damnation And again If faith be the effect of the merit of Christ it cannot be our dutie No Suppose then that the Church should pray that it would please God for Christs sake to call home those sheepe that belong to his fold not as yet collected that he would grant faith and repentance for the merit of his Sonne to them that are as yet a farre off were this an altogether vaine and foolish prayer let others thinke as they please it is such a vanitie as I desire not to be weaned from nor any one else I beleeve that loves the Lord Iesus in sinceritie Oh that Christians should patiently endure such a diminution of their Saviours honour as with one dash of an Arminian pen to have the chiefe effects of his death and passion quite obliterated if this be a motive to the love and honour of the Son of God if this be a way to set forth the preciousnesse of his blood by denying the efficacy thereof in enabling us by faith to get an interest in the new covenant most Christians in the world are under a necessity of being new Catechised by these Seraphicall Doctors Vntill when they must give us leave to beleeve with the Apostle that God blesseth us with all spirituall blessings in Christ Ephes 1. 3. and we will take leave to account faith a spirituall blessing and therefore bestowed on us for Christs sake againe since our regeneration is nothing but a purging of our consciences from dead works that we may serve the living God which being done by the blood of Christ as the Apostle witnesseth Heb. 9. 14. we will ascribe our new birth or forming anew to the vertue of that grace which is purchased by his blood that precious blood it is which redeemeth us from our vaine conversation 1 Pet. 1. 18 19. by whose efficacie we are vindicated from the state of sin and corrupted nature wherein we are born The Arminians have but one argument that ever I could meet with whereby they strive to rob Christ of this glory of meriting and procuring for us faith and repentance and that is because they are such acts of ours as in dutie and obedience to the precepts of the Gospel we are bound to performe and this they every where presse at large usque usque in plain tearms they will not suffer their Idoll to be accounted defective in any thing that is necessary to bring us unto heaven now concerning this argument that nothing which God requireth of us can be procured for us by Christ I would have two things noted First that the strength of it consists in this that no gift of God bestowed upon us can be a thing well pleasing to him as being in us for all his precepts and commands signifie only what is well pleasing unto him that we should be or doe and it is not the meriting of any thing by Christ but Gods bestowing of it as the effect thereof which hinders it from being a thing requireable of us as a part of our dutie which I shall consider hereafter only now observe that there being nothing in us by the way of habit or act from the beginning of our faith to the consummation thereof from our new birth untill we become perfect men in Christ by the finishing of our course that is not required of us in the Gospel all and every grace whereof we are in this life partakers are by this means denied to be gifts of God Secondly consider the extent of this argument it selfe nothing whose performance is our dutie can be merited for us by Christ when the Apostle beseecheth us to be reconciled unto God I would know whether it be not a part of our duty to yeeld obedience to the Apostles exhortation if not his exhortation is frivolous and vaine if so then to be reconciled unto God is a part of our dutie and yet the Arminians sometime seeme to confesse that Christ hath obtained for us a reconciliation with God the like may be said in divers other particulars so that this argument either proveth that we enjoy no fruit of the death of Christ in this life or which is most true it proveth nothing at all for neither the merit of Christ procuring nor God bestowing any grace in the habit doth at all hinder but that in the exercise thereof it may be a duty of ours inasmuch as it is done in us and by us notwithstanding then this exception which cannot stand by it selfe alone without the helpe of some other not as yet discovered we will continue our prayers as we are commanded in the name of Christ that is that God would bestow upon us those things we ask for Christs sake and that by an immediate collation yea even then when we cry with the poore penitent Lord helpe our unbeliefe or with the Apostles Lord increase our faith Secondly the second plea on Gods behalfe to prove him the Authour and finisher of all those graces whereof in this life we are partakers ariseth from what the Scripture affirmeth concerning his working these graces in us

and that powerfully by the effectuall operation of his holy Spirit to which the Arminians oppose a seeming necessitie that they must needs be our owne acts contradistinct from his gifts because they are in us and commanded by him the head then of this contention betwixt our God and their Idol about the living child of grace is whether he can worke that in us which he requireth of us let us heare them pleading their cause It is most certaine that that ought not to be commanded which is wrought in us and that cannot be wrought in us which is commanded he foolishly commandeth that to be done of others who will worke in them what he commandeth saith their Apologie O foolish Saint Prosper who thought that it was the whole Pelagian heresie to say That there is neither praise nor worth as ours in that which Christ bestoweth upon us foolish Saint Augustine praying Give us O Lord what thou commandest and command what thou wilt foolish Benedict Bishop of Rome who gave such a forme to his prayer as must needs cast an aspersion of folly on the most high O Lord saith he teach us what we should do shew us whither we should goe worke in us what we ought to performe O foolish Fathers of the second Arausican Councel affirming that many good things are done in man which he doth not himselfe but a man doth no good which God doth not so worke that he should doe it And againe as often as we doe good God worketh in us and with us that we may so worke In one word this makes fooles of all the Doctors of the Church who ever opposed the Pelagian heresie in as much as they all unanimously maintained that we are partakers of no good thing in this kinde without the effectuall powerfull operation of the Almightie grace of God and yet our faith and obedience so wrought in us to be most acceptable unto him yea what shall we say to the Lord himselfe in one place commanding us to feare him and in another promising that he will put his feare into our hearts that we shall not depart from him is his command foolish or his promise false the Arminians must affirme the one or renounce their heresie but of this after I have a little farther laid open this monstrous errour from their owne words and writings Can any one say they wisely and seriously prescribe the performance of a condition to another under the promise of a reward and threatning of punishment who will effect it in him to whom it is prescribed this is a ridiculous action scarce worthy of the Stage that is seeing Christ hath affirmed that whosoever beleeveth shall be saved and he that beleeveth not shall be damned Matth. 16. 16. whereby faith is established the condition of salvation and unbeleefe threatned with hell If God should by his holy Spirit ingenerate faith in the hearts of any causing them so to fulfill the condition it were a meere mockery to be exploded from a Theater as an unlikely fiction which what an aspersion it casts upon the whole Gospel of Christ yea on all Gods dealling with the children of men ever since by reason of the fall they became unable of themselves to fulfill his commands I leave to all mens silent judgements well then seeing they must be accounted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 things inconsistent that God should be so righteous as to shew us our dutie and yet so good and mercifull as to bestow his graces on us let us heare more of this stuffe faith and conversion cannot be our obedience if they are worught in us by God say they at the Hague and Episcopius That it is a most absurd thing to affirme that God either effects by his power or procureth by his wisedeme that the elect should doe those things that he requireth of them So that where the Scripture cals faith the gift and worke of God they say it is an improper locution in as much as he commands it properly it is an act or worke of our owne And for that renowned saying of Saint Augustine that God crowneth his own gifts in us that it is not to be received without a graine of salt That is some such glosse as wherewith they corrupt the Scripture the summe at which they aime is that to affirme that God bestoweth any grace upon us or effectually worketh them in us contradicteth his word requiring them as our dutie and obedience by which means they have erected their Idol into the throne of Gods free grace and mercy and attribute unto it all the praise due to those many heavenly qualifications the servants of God are endowed withall for they never have more good in them no nor so much as is required all that they have or doe is but their dutie which how derogatorie it is to the merit of Christ themselves seeme to acknowledge when they affirme that he is no otherwise said to be a Saviour then are all they who confirme the way to salvation by preaching miracles martyrdome and example so that having quite overthrowne the merits of Christ they grant us to be our owne Saviours in a very large sense Rem Apol. fol. 96. All which assertions how contrary they are to the expresse word of God I shall now demonstrate There is not one of all those plaine texts of Scripture not one of those innumerable and invincible arguments whereby the effectuall working of Gods grace in the conversion of a sinner his powerfull translating us from death to life from the state of sinne and bondage to the libertie of the sonnes of God which doth not overthrow this prodigious error I will content my selfe with instancing in some few of them which are directly opposite unto it even in termes First Deuter. 10. 16. The Lord commandeth the Israelites to circumcise the fore-skin of their hearts and to be no more stiffe necked so that the circumcising of their hearts was a part of their obedience it was their dutie so to do in obedience to Gods commands and yet in the 30. Chapter vers 6. he affirmeth that he will circumcise their hearts that they might love the Lord their God with all their hearts So that it seemes the same thing in divers respects may be Gods act in us and our dutie towards him and how the Lord will here escape the Arminian censure that if his words be true in the latter place his command in the former is vaine and foolish ipse viderit let him plead his cause and avenge himselfe on those that rise up against him Secondly Ezek. 18. 31. Make you a new heart and a new spirit for why will you die O house of Israel The making of a new heart and a new spirit is here required under a promise of a reward of life and a great threatning of eternall death so that so to doe must needs be a part of their dutie and obedience