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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

no distinction of men halfe and wholly elected where it is affirmed that it is impossible the elect should be seduced Matth. 24. 24. that none shall snatch Christs sheep out of his fathers hand Ioh. 11. 28 29. what would they have more Gods purpose of election is sealed up 2 Tim. 2. 19. and therefore cannot be revoked it must stand firme Rom. 9. 11. in spight of all opposition neither will reason allow us to thinke any immanent act of God to be incomplete or revocable because of the neere alliance it hath with his very nature but reason Scripture God himselfe all must give place to any absurdities if they stand in the Arminian way bringing in their Idoll with shouts and preparing his throne by claiming the cause of their predestination to be in themselves Thirdly the Article is cleere that the object of this predestion is some particular men chosen out of mankinde that is it is such an act of God as concerneth some men in particular taking them as it were aside from the middest of their brethren and designing them for some speciall end and purpose the Scripture also aboundeth in asserting this veritie calling them that are so chosen a few Mat. 20. 16. which must needs denote some certaine persons and the residue according to election Rom. 11. 5. those whom God knows to be his 2 Tim. 2. 19. Men ordained to eternall life Acts 13. 48. us Rom. 8. 39. those that are written in the Lambes booke of life Revel 21. 27. all which and divers others clearely prove that the number of the elect is certaine not only materially as they say that there are so many but formally also that these particular persons and no other are they which cannot be altered nay the very nature of the thing it selfe doth so demonstratively evince it that I wonder it can possibly be conceived under any other notion to apprehend an election of men not circumscribed with the circumstance of particular persons is such a conceited Platonicall abstraction as it seemes strange that any one dares professe to understand that there should be a predestination and none predestinated an election and none elected a choise amongst many yet none left or taken a decree to save men and yet thereby salvation destinated to no one man either re aut spe indeed or in expectation in a word that there should be a purpose of God to bring men unto glory standing inviolable though never any one attained the proposed end is such a riddle as no Oedipus can unfold now such an election such a predestination have the Arminians substituted in the place of Gods everlasting decree we deny say they that Gods election extendeth it selfe to any singular persons as singular persons that is that any particular persons as Peter Paul Iohn are by it elected no how then Why God hath appointed without difference to dispense the means of faith and as he seeth these persons to beleeve or not to beleeve by the use of those means so at length he determineth of them as saith Corvinus well then God chooseth no particular man to salvation but whom he seeth beleeving by his own power with the helpe only of such means as are affoorded unto others who never beleeve and as he maketh himselfe thus differ from them by a good use of his own abilities so also he may be reduced againe into the same predicament and then his election which respecteth not him in his person but only his qualification quite vanisheth but is this Gods decree of election yes say they and make a dolefull complaint that any other doctrine should be taught in the Church it is obtruded say the true born sons of Arminius on the Church as a most holy doctrine that God by an absolute immutable decree from all eternitie out of his own good pleasure hath chosen certaine persons and those but a few in comparison without any respect had to their faith and obedience and predestinated them to everlasting life but what so great exception is this doctrine lyable unto what wickednesse doth it include that it should not be accounted most holy nay is not only the matter but the very tearmes of it contained in the Scripture doth not it say the elect are few and they chosen before the foundation of the world without any respect to their obedience or any thing that they had done out of Gods meere gracious good pleasure that his free purpose according to election might stand even because so it pleased him and this that they might be holy beleeve and be sanctified that they might come unto Christ and by him be preserved into everlasting life yea this is that which gals them no such will can be ascribed unto God whereby he so willeth any one to be saved as that thence their salvation should be sure and infallible saith the father of those children Well then let St. Austine his definition be quite rejected that predestination is a preparation of such benefits whereby some are most certainly freed and delivered from sinne and brought to glory and that also of Saint Paul that by reason of this nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ what is this election in your judgement Nothing but a decree whereby God hath appointed to save them that beleeve in Christ saith Corvinus be they who they will or a generall purpose of God whereby he hath ordained faith in Christ to be the means of salvation yea but this belongs to Iudas as well as to Peter this decree carrieth an equall aspect to those that are damned as to those that are saved salvation under the condition of faith in Christ was also proposed to them but was Iudas and all his company elected how came they then to be seduced and perish that any of Gods elect goe to hell is as yet a strange assertion in Christianity notwithstanding this decree none may beleeve or all that doe may fall away and so none at all be saved which is a strange kinde of predestination or all may beleeve continue in faith and be saved which were a more strange kinde of election We poore souls thought hitherto that we might have beleeved according unto Scripture that some by this purpose were in a peculiar manner made the Fathers thine they were and by him given unto Christ that he might bring them unto glory and that these men were so certaine and unchangeable a number that not only God knoweth them as being his but also that Christ calleth them all by name Ioh. 10. 3. and looketh that none taketh them out of his hand we never imagined before that Christ hath been the Mediatour of an uncertaine Covenant because there are no certaine persons covenanted withall but such as may or may not fulfill the condition we alway thought that some had been separated before by Gods purpose from the rest of the perishing world that Christ might lay down

without faith it is impossible to please God Heb. 11. 6. And that is not of our selves it is the gift of God Ephes 2. So that though Almightie God according to the unsearchablenesse of his wisedome worketh divers waies and in sundry manners for the translating of his chosen ones from the power of darkenesse to his marvellous light calling some powerfully in the middest of their march in the wayes of ungodlinesse as he did Paul preparing others by outward meanes and helpes of common restraining grace moralizing nature before it bee gotten anew by the immortall seed of the Word yet this is certaine that all good in this kinde is from his free grace there is nothing in our selves as of our selves but sinne yea and all those previous dispositions wherewith our hearts are prepared by vertue of common grace doe not at all enable us to concurre by any vitall operation with that powerfull blessed renewing grace of regeneration whereby we become the sonnes of God Neither is there any disposition unto grace so remote as that possibly it can proceed from a meere facultie of nature for every such disposition must be of the same order with the forme that is to be introduced but Nature in respect of Grace is a thing of an inferiour allay betweene which there is no proportion a good use of gifts may have a promise of an addition of more provided it be in the same kinde There is no rule law or promise that should make grace due upon the good use of naturall endowments But you will say here I quite overthrow Free-will which before I seemed to grant to which I answer That in regard of that object concerning which now we treat a naturall man hath no such thing as Free-will at all if you take it for a power of doing that which is good and well pleasing unto God in things spirituall for an abilitie of preparing our hearts unto faith and calling upon God as our Church Article speakes a home-bred selfe-sufficiencie preceding the change of our wils by the Almightie grace of God whereby any good should be said to dwell in us and we utterly deny that there is any such thing in the world The will though in it selfe radically free yet in respect of the terme or object to which in this regard it should tend is corrupted enthralled and under a miserable bondage tied to such a necessitie of sinning in generall that though unregenerate men are not restrained to this or that sinne in particular yet for the maine they can doe nothing but sinne All their actions wherein there is any moralitie are attended with iniquitie an evill tree cannot bring forth good fruit even the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord. These things being thus cleered from the Scripture the former Arminian positions will of themselves fall to the ground having no foundation but their owne authoritie for any pretence of proofe they make none from the word of God The first two I considered in the last Chapter and now adde onely concerning the third That the sole cause why the Gospel is sent unto some and not unto others is not any dignitie worth or desert of it in them to whom it is sent more then in the rest that are suffered to remaine in the shadow of death but onely the sole good pleasure of God that it may be a subservient meanes for the execution of his Decree of Election I have much people in this citie Acts 20. I thanke thee Father Lord of heaven and earth that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes even so Father for so it seemed good in thy sight Mat. 11. 25 26. So that the Arminian opposition to the truth of the Gospel in this particular is cleerely manifest S. S. Of our selves we can doe nothing Iohn 15. 5. We are not able of our selves to thinke any thing as of our selves 2 Cor. 3. 5. We are by nature children of wrath dead in trespasses and sins Ephes 2. 1. Faith is not of our selves it is the gift of God Ephes 2. Who maketh thee differ from another or what hast thou that thou hast not received and if thou hast received why boastest thou as if thou hadst not received 1 Cor. 4. 7 If the Leopard can change his spots and the Aethiopian his skin then can ye doe good who are taught to doe evil Ier. 13. 23. Beleeving on him who iustifieth the ungodly Rom. 4. 5. Being iustified freely by his grace Rom. 3. 24. I thanke thee Father Lord of heaven and earth that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them babes even so O Father for so it seemed good in thy sight Mat. 11. 25. 26. Lib. Arbit We retaine still after the fall a power of beleeving and of repentance because Adam lost not this abilitie Rem Declarat Sen. in Syn. Faith is said to be the worke of God because he commandeth us to performe it Rem Apol. There is no infusion of any habit or spirituall vitall principle necessary to enable a man to beleeve Corvin There is nothing truer then that one man maketh himselfe differ from another he who beleeveth when God commandeth maketh himselfe differ from him who will not Rem Apol. I may boast of mine own when I obey Gods grace which it was in my power not to obey as well as to obey Grevinch True conversion and the performance of good workes is a condition required on our part before iustification Filii Armin. God sendeth the Gospel to such persons or Nations that in comparison of others may be said to be worthy of it Rem Apol. CHAP. XIIII Of our conversion to God HOw little or nothing at all it is that the Arminians assigne to the grace of God in performing the great worke of our Conversion may plainly appeare from what I have shewed already that they ascribe to our owne free-will So that I shall briefly passe that over which otherwise is so copiously delivered in holy Scripture that it would require a farre larger discussion A prolixe confirmation of the truth we professe will not suit so well with my intention which is meerly to make a discovery of their errors by not knowing the depths whereof so many are deceived and inveigled Two things in this great conjunction of grace and nature the Arminians ascribe unto Free-will First a power of co-operation and working with grace to make it at all effectuall Secondly a power of resisting its operation and making it altogether in effectuall God in the meane time bestowing no grace but what awaits an act issuing from one of these two abilities and hath its effect accordingly If a man will co-operate then grace attaines its end if he will resist it returnes emptie To this end they feigne all the grace of God bestowed upon us for our conversion to be but a morall perswasion by his word not an infusion

3. Chap. 49. 10. Psal 2. 7 8. and 110. with innumerable other concerning his life office and redeeming of his people for surely they were obliged to beleeve the promises of God Secondly those many cleare expressions of his death passion and suffering for us as Gen. 3. 15. Isaiah 53. 6 7 8 9 10 c. Chap. 63. 2 3. Dan. 9. 26. but what need we reckon any more our Saviour taught his Disciples that all the Prophets from Moses spake concerning him and that the sole reason why they did not so readily embrace the faith of his passion and resurrection was because they beleeved not the Prophets Luk. 24. 25 26. shewing plainly that the Prophets required faith in his death and passion Thirdly by the explicite faith of many Iews as of old Simeon Luke 3. 34. of the Samaritan woman who looked for a Messias not as an earthly King but as one that should tell them all things redeeme them from sinne and tell them all such things as Christ was then discoursing of concerning the worship of God Ioh. 4. vers 25. Fourthly by the expresse testimony of Christ himself Abraham saith he reioyced to see my day and he saw it and was glad Ioh. 8. 56. his day his houre in the Scripture principally denote his passion and that which he saw surely he beleeved or else the father of the faithfull was more diffident then Thomas the most incredulous of his children Fifthly By these following and the like places of Scripture Christ is a Lambe slaine from the foundation of the world Revel 13. 8. slaine in promises slaine in Gods estimation and the faith of beleever he is the same yesterday to day and for ever Heb. 13. 8. under the law and the Gospel There is none other name under heaven given unto men whereby they must be saved Acts 4. 12. never any then without the knowledge of a Redeemer participation of his passion communication of his merits did ever come to the sight of God no man ever came to the Father but by him hence St. Paul tels the Ephesians that they were without Christ because they were aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel Ephes 2. 12. intimating that Gods Covenant with the Iews included Christ Iesus and his righteousnesse no lesse then it doth now with us on these grounds holy Ignatius called Abel a martyr of Christ he died for his faith in the promised seed and in another place all the Saints were saved by Christ hoping in him and waiting on him they obtained salvation by him So Prosper also We must beleeve that never any man was iustified by any other faith either before the Law or under the Law then by faith in Christ coming to save that which was lost Whence Eusebius contendeth that all the old Patriarchs might properly be called Christians they all eate of the same spirituall meat and all dranke of the same spirituall drinke even of the rocke that followed them which rocke was Christ Secondly if the ancient people of God notwithstanding divers other especiall revelations of his will and heavenly instructions obtained not salvation without faith in Christ much lesse may we grant this happinesse without him to them who were deprived of those other helps also so that though we confesse the poore naturall indeavours of the heathen not to have wanted their reward either positive in this life by outward prosperitie and inward calmnesse of minde in that they were not all perplexed and agitated with furies like Nero and Caligula or negative in the life to come by a diminution of the degrees of their torments they shall not be beaten with so many stripes yet we absolutely deny that there is any saving mercy of God towards them revealed in the Scripture which should give us the least intimation of their attaining everlasting happinesse for not to consider the corruption and universall disability of nature to doe any thing that is good without Christ we can doe nothing Ioh. 15. 5. nor yet the sinfulnesse of their best works and actions the sacrifices of the wicked being an abomination unto the Lord Prov. 15. 8. Evill trees cannot bring forth good fruit men doe not gather grapes of thornes nor figs of thistles Matth. 7. 16. the word of God is plaine that without faith it is impossible to please God Heb. 11. 6. that he who beleeveth not is condemned Mark 16. 16. that no nation or person can be blessed but in the seed of Abraham Gen. 12. and the blessing of Abraham comes upon the Gentiles only by Iesus Christ Gal. 3. 14. He is the way and the truth and the life Ioh. 14. 6. none comes to the Father but by him he is the doore by which those that doe not enter are without with Dogs and Idolaters Revel 22. So that other foundation of blessednesse can none lay but what is already laid even Iesus Christ 1 Corinth 3. 12. in briefe doe but compare those two places of Saint Paul one Rom. 8. 30. where he sheweth that none are glorified but those that are called and Chap. 10. 14 15. where he declares that all calling is instrumentally by the preaching of the Word and Gospel and it will evidently appeare that no salvation can be granted unto them on whom the Lord hath so farre powred out his indignation as to deprive them of the knowledge of the sole means thereof Christ Iesus And to those that are otherwise minded I give only this necessary caution let them take heed lest whilest they indeavour to invent new wayes to heaven for others by so doing they loose not the true way themselves S. S. Oh fooles and slow to beleeve all that the Prophets have written ought not Christ to have suffered these things Luk. 24. 25 26. Abraham reioyced to see my day and he saw it and was glad Ioh. 8. 56. By his knowledge shall my righteous servant iustifie many for he shall beare their iniquities Isa 53. 11. see the places before cited At the time they were without Christ being aliens from the Common-weath of Israel and strangers from the Covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world Eph. 2. 12. There is no other name under heaven given unto men whereby we must be saved but only by Christ Act. 4. 12. The blessing of Abraham comes on the Gentiles by Iesus Christ Gal. 3. 14. he that beleeveth not is condemned Mark 16. 16. without faith it is impossible to please God Hebr. 11. 6. Other foundation can no man lay but what is already laid even Iesus Christ 1 Cor. 3. 12. Lib. Arbit There is no place in the Old Testament whence it may appeare that faith in Christ as a Redeemer was either enioyed or found in any then Rem Apol. Abrahams faith had no reference to Christ Armin. The Gentiles living under the Old Testament though it was not revealed unto them as unto the Iews yet were not excluded from the Covenant of grace and

a vitall act but causaliter only in being a principle moving to such vitall acts within us It is the habit of faith bestowed upon a man that he may be able to elicate and performe the acts thereof giving new light to the understanding new inclinations to the will and new affections unto the heart For the infallible efficacie of which grace it is that we plead against the Arminians and amongst those innumerable places of holy Scripture confirming this truth I shall make use only of a very few reduced to these three heads First Our conversion is wrought by a divine Almighty action which the will of man will not and therefore cannot resist the impotency thereof ought not to be opposed to this omnipotent grace which will certainly effect the worke for which it is ordained being an action not inferiour to the greatnesse of his mightie power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead Ephes 1. 19 20. and shall not that power which could overcome hell and loose the bonds of death be effectuall for the raising of a sinner from the death of sinne when by Gods intention it is appointed unto that worke He accomplisheth the worke of faith with power 2 Thess 1. 11. It is his divine power that gives unto us all things that appertaine to life and godlinesse 2 Pet. 1. 3. surely a morall resistible perswasion would not be thus often tearmed the power of God which denoteth an actuall efficacie to which no creature is able to resist Secondly That which consisteth in a reall efficiency and is not at all but when and where it actually worketh what it intendeth cannot without a contradiction be said to be so resisted that it should not worke the whole nature thereof consisting in such a reall operation Now that the very essence of divine grace consisteth in such a formall act may be proved by all those places of Scripture that affirme God by his grace or the grace of God actually to accomplish our conversion as Deut. 30. 6. And the Lord thy God will circumcise thy heart and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and all thy soule that thou mayest live The circumcision of our hearts that we may love the Lord with all our hearts and with all our souls is our conversion which the Lord affirmeth here that he himselfe will doe not only enable us to doe it but he himselfe really and effectually will accomplish it And againe I will put my Law into them and write it in their hearts Ierem. 31. 33. I will put my feare in their hearts that they shall not depart from me Chap. 32. 39. he will not offer his feare unto them but actually put it into them and most clearely Ezek. 36. 26. A new heart also will I give you a new spirit will I put within you and I will take the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh and I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walke in my statutes Are these expressions of a morall perswasion only doth God affirme here he will doe what he intends only to perswade us to and which we may refuse to do if we will is it in the power of a stony heart to remove it self what an active stone is this in mounting upwards what doth it at all differ from that heart of flesh that God promiseth shall a stony heart be said to have a power to change it selfe into such a heart of flesh as shall cause us to walke in Gods Statutes Surely unlesse men were wilfull blind they must needs here perceive such an action of God denoted as effectually solely and infallibly worketh our conversion opening our hearts that we may attend unto the word Acts 16. 14. Granting us on the behalfe of Christ to beleeve in him Philip. 1. 29. Now these and the like places prove both the nature of Gods grace to consist in a reall efficiency and the operation thereof to be certainly effectuall Thirdly our conversion is a new creation a resurrection a new birth Now he that createth a man doth not perswade him to create himselfe neither can he if he should nor hath he any power to resist him that will create him that is as we now take it translate him from some thing that he is to what he is not What arguments doe you thinke were sufficient to perswade a dead man to rise or what great aid can he contribute to his own resurrection neither doth a man beget himselfe a new reall forme was never yet introduced into any matter by subtle arguments These are the tearmes the Scripture is pleased to use concerning our conversion If any man be in Christ he is a new creature 2 Cor. 5. 17. The new man after God is created in righteousnesse and holinesse Ephes 4. 24. it is our new birth Except a man be borne againe he cannot see the kingdome of God Ioh. 3. 3. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth Iam. 1. 18. and so we become borne againe Not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the word of God which liveth and abideth for ever 1 Pet. 1. 23. it is our vivification and resurrection The sonne quickeneth whom he will Ioh. 5. 21. even those dead who heare his voice and live vers 25. When we were dead in sins we are quickned together with Christ by grace Ephes 2. 5. For being buried with him by Baptisme we are also risen with him through the faith of the operation of God Coloss 2. 12. and blessed and holy is he that hath part in that first resurrection on such the second death hath no power but they shall be Priests of God and of Christ and shall raigne with him a thousand yeers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sleid. Com. Greg. Naz. Profitentur Remonst hasce ad promotionem causae suae artes adhibere ut apud vulgus non ulterius progrediantur quam de articulis vulgo notis ut pro ingeniorum diversitate quosdam lacte diualant aliis solidiore cibo c. Festus Hom. praestat ad specimen Con. Bel. Hieron Zanch. ad Holderum Res Miscel a Ephes 4. 18. Iohn 1. 5. 1 Cor. 2. 14. b Iohn 6. 42. and 7. 52. Natura sic apparet vitiata ut hoc majoris vitii sit non videre Aug. Pelag Semipelag Scholastico In hac causa non judicant secundum aequitatem sed secundum affectum commodi sui Luth. de erv Arbit Psal 50. Phil lib quod sit Deus immutabilis a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quaedam sunt quae omnem actum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quaedam quae 〈◊〉 cap. 5. see 1. pag 67. b Certum est Deum quaedam velle quae non velle ni●i aliqua 〈◊〉 humana antecederet A● min. Antipe k●p 211. c Multa tamen arbitror Deum velle quae non vellet adeoque nec just● velle posset nisi aliqua actio creatu●●