Survey of the Spiritual Antichrist, Part 2 · Chapter 11 – Chapter 18
CHAP. XI. Law-feare and Gospel-faith consistent.
NOr doth Master Towne and Antinomians inferre by good arguing, because beleevers may bee stricken off sinnes, upon the consideraton of Law-threatnings, that their sinnes, deserve not wrath, as well as the sinnes of others, as … Job saith, What then shall I doe, when God riseth up? and … Destruction from God was a terror to me. But it followeth not, that therefore to obey God sub paenà; for feare of the condemning Law, is not free, Gospel-obedience. For its most false, seeing this obedience for feare of the desert of sinne was in Paul, though he was perswaded, that eternall wrath should never be inflicted on him, …as is cleare by his words. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, wee perswade m…n. And …we know if our earthly house be dissolved — we have an house not made with hands, but eternall in heaven. 2. Law-threatning (when Faith assureth the conscience, of freedome from the wrath to come) and love-perswading are most consistent. For most cleare it is, that Christ and his Apostles doe command, and strictly charge in the Gospel. So Antinomians erre, who Saltmarsh … 4… 14…,teach that the Gospel perswadeth rather then commandeth — and reasons and argues us to duties, rather then bindes and enforces; and that Ps…l. 19▪ ….holinesse and sanctification now is not such, as is fa…hioned by the Law of outward command, but by the preaching of Faith, by which the Spirit is given, which renewes a beleever, and makes him the very Law himselfe, and his heart the two Tables of Moses. For, 1. perswasions and commands may w…ll stand together, and all Law-inforcings are but meere reasonings, and morall and objective acts on the minde and will▪ and so the Law no more inforceth then the Gospel. 2. Holinesse and Sanctification commeth by the Law, animated by the Spirit, as well as by the Gospel: for the Law converteth the soule; Antinom…a… ….but it doth this (saith the Antinomians) not as the Law, but as the Gospel revealing Christ. But I am sure, neither can the Gospel …terally, onelyonly revealing Christ, and being void of the Spirit, it cannot convert the soule; and the Law as animated by the Spirit, leadeth to Christ as a Pedagogue, I meane as mixed with the Gospel. For the Law without the Gospel can never sanctifie, nor lead to Christ; and neither of them without Christs Spirit can doe any thing. And I find Saltmarshes Euthysiasticall pulse and straine of Familisme, when hee saith, that the Preaching of Faith is the Spirit given to a beleever, and it makes him the very Law it selfe. For 1. the Preaching of Faith, or the Gospel preached, even to hardened Pharis…s, cannot give the Spirit renewing the Pharisees; for Faith was preached to them by Christ and his Apostles, but they stumbled at Christ, and never beleeved, 2. The preaching of Faith and the Spirit differ as much, as the principall cause and the instrument; now who can say, the writing of the penne is the writer? 3. Antinomians meane by the Gospel, or the preaching of Faith, here divided from the Law, not the glad tidings of peace preached, but the renewing Spirit, without all letter, or word of promise, or command, that is, the teaching spirit, and th… inward annointing without the Law, or Gospel either. Now Sanctification in this sense must bee wrought without Law▪ …Gospel, Precept, Command, Promise; and wee may lay aside the Bible then, and all Ordinances; and therefore no wonder then, Antinomians tell us so often of the Letter, and the Spirit; for to them old and new Testament, and all the sweet promises are a very Letter, and in the new Testament we are not to serve God according to the Letter; and therefore all Preaching, Commands, Exhortations, Promises, Threats of both Law and Gospel must be laid aside. The Lord keeps us (saith …Towne) under the Gospel in righteousnesse, without all Law Ceremoniall and Morall; and every where th…y say, … serve God now according to the Spirit, not … to the Letter: outward Ordinances then to Antinomians are matters of meere courtesie.
CHAP. XII. Antinomians deny actuall pardon of sinnes to the Jewes.
ANtinomians deny that the knowledge of …actuall and eternall remission was an Article of the Jewish Creed, but a mystery not revealed till the Gospell. But then …David, and the Fathers, Abraham, and others, were justified by the imp…ed righteousnesse of Faith, as wee are also. David must Psal. 2.1, 2. describe an happinesse he knew not what. David saith, Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sinne, vers. 5, 2. We beleeve …through the grace of the Lord Jesus, we shall be saved as well as they. 3. All the Fathers dyed in the faith, …… did eat the same spirituall meat, …and did all drink of the same spirituall Rock, and the Rock was Christ. 4. The Scripture foreseeing, that God … away, but some sinnes were upon them for that time, which was … of their complaint. foreign.would justifie the heathen thr…ugh Faith, reached before the Gospel to Abraham, Esaiah prophecied of Christ gcap▪ 35.as an Evangelist. Daniel of the slaying of the Messiah, and everlasting righteousnesse through him. The Prophets h1 Pet. ….….testified before hand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow; actuall remission then was no mystery to them. Abraham I…h. ….….rejoyced to see Christs day, and saw it.
CHAP. XIII. Of the nonage of the Jewes, what it was.
NOr was the tutorie, bondage or nonage of the Jewes any thing, but 1. A lesse measure of the Spirit then is now. 2. A harder pressing of the Law on them.The Jewes were not under the Law but under grace, though more …. 3. A keeping of that infant Church, as a child under Pedagogues and Tutors, in regard of the Elements of Ceremonies; partly, teaching them rudely; and partly, warning them by blondy Sacrifices, and diverse washings of the desert of sinne, and the filth of it: but this is nothing to prove the Jewes were under the Law. For 1. then should they be Gal. 3.1…under the curse; and so must eternally perish, contrary to the Word,Heb. 11.13 nor was their pardon of sinnes by halfes and quarters. 2. Then must they be saved by works; Paul R…m. 10.3saith, They came short of righteousnesse, because they sought to establish their owne righteousnesse, and Rom. 9.…stumbled at the stone laid in Zion, and sought it not by faith. And it was never lawfull for them, more then us, to seeke righteousnesse and justification Rom. ….9, 10, 11, 12, 13by works of the Law; so they were in this under no Law-Spirit more then we, but justified, the same way, that we Rom. 4▪2▪ 3, 4, 5, 23.are. 3. Yea, many sweet Evangelike promises are made to them, as to us, Is 5 ….1, 2 3.Ho, every one that thirsts, come to the water, &c. Isa…. 2….16.Behold I lay on Zion a stone, &c. H…b. … ▪2 4.The just shall live by fath. kMat. 7.1….Who is a God like unto thee, that pardons iniquity. Esay. 4….25.I, even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions, for mine owne sake; and divers Psal. 130. 7 … Ps…l. 10….8, 9, …0, 11, 12, Exo… …4.67.other Scriptures prove this. 4. The Prophets cryed Is… ….1…, 12▪ 16 Psal▪ ….5 1.8, 16▪ 17. Esay 6….12against legall and outward service, and pressed washing in Christs bloud, and faith and repentance, as the Apostles doe. And to A…ts 10 4…Christ gave all the Prophets witnesse▪ that through his name, whosoever beleeves in him shall receive remission of sinnes. pPsal. ….1. Psal 88.1, 2. Ps. 69.1, 2, 3. Psal. 63.1, 2, 3, 4.There is much of the Spirit of adoption, qGen. 32.26, 27, 28, 29. Exod. ….10▪ Isai. 62.6▪7.of spirituall liberty in praying, …wrestling with God, …giving no rest to God▪ …Heavenly boldnesse, and accesse to the throne of grace, in J…kob, David, Moses, and sweet Evangelike, and Gospel-familiarity …between Christ and his Spouse, the Church in the Song of Salomon, …Feasting and banqueting together; only the Law…s administration was wrath by accident, through our corruption, lesse glo…ious, because of darke typs, and a spa…r measure of the Spirit, 2 Cor. 3. Ephes. 3.9, 10. and Paul heightneth Gospel…glory, and lesseneth the Law in the vaine sense that false Apostles, and legall Teachers, put on it in over-…xalting it, as if without Christ it could save, …or with Faith it could justifie. 6 All under the Gospel, Elect and Reprobate, must be freed from the Law, if the Jewes were under it, all to whom the Gospel is preached must bee freed from it; and to De…ne, and Moore, who are both Arminians and Antinomians, all and every one of mankinde must bee under …race, none under the Law of Commandements: for the argument holdeth for all in opposition to the Legall Jew.
CHAP. XIV, The old m…n, or the flesh to Antinomians is under the Law, the new Man freed from all Law.
IT is admirable, that …Towne will have the Old man in beleevers, shut up under the Law, and the New man above all Law, or subject to none at all; as Familists and Libertines when they sinned, said, Non ego pecco, sed asinus meus; not I but the flesh doth sinne; or sense, reason, the Old man doth sinne, because the Old man onelyonly is under the Law, not the New man. 2. Guiltinesse and sinne, is a thing that falleth on the person, not on a part of man. 3. The command is given to the person, the person is the subject of punishment and condemnation, not his sense only. 4. Thus Denne and Saltmarsh say, Faith, righteousnesse, light, joy, and peace is in conscience, in the sense, f…sh, conversation is sinne; yet nothing that can condemne, because the conscience is washed in justification; but sinne is in the conversation, saith Denne, …and …in the sense, reason, or flesh, saith Saltmarsh, so here originall sinne shall be no sinne
CHAP. XV. Antinomians hold the justified to sinne before men, and as touching their conversation, not before God, and as touching their conscience.
SO Antinomians aD…nne ibid. Saltmarsh Free grace, … 42 & 40. compa…ed together. Power of love▪ pag▪ 28, 29.say, the justified have no sinne in their conscience, nor can God see any sinne in their conscience; yet there is sinne in their conversation, and flesh. But 1. sin Originall, and the flesh lusting against the Spirit, dwelleth inherently in its essence, being a blot in the conscience, and whole man; though guilt and actuall condemnation bee removed: so was Paul bRom. 7.23.a wretched man, onelyonly for sinne, in mind, will conscience, affection, no ill, but the ill of sinne, could make him cry out of his wretched condition. 2. The justified must be as perfect as Angels, if no sinne dwell in them, and they need not pray for pardon, wanting all sin. 3. Sin in conversation, as murther in the hands, oppressing of men, blasphemy in the tongue, are against the Law of God, and must be sinnes in the conscience, else they are against no Law of God, which make the sinnes of the justified and their doing golden graces.
CHAP. XVI. Justification is close mistaken by Antinomians, when they judge it to be an extirpation of sinne, Root and branch, as Papists fancie, venials to remaine onelyonly in the justified.
IUstification to us is not as Antinomians dreame an utter extirpation of sinne in its essence, root and branch, for Papists conceive of justification, so as nothing that is sinne remaineth in the justified, but some gentle venials, which we can satisfie for our selves: but we judge justification to be a judiciall, and law-removall of the guilt or obligation to eternall punishment. 1. It is a judiciall and forinsecall Law-declaration that is opposed to condemnation; but this removeth Law-guiltinesse to die, not the intrinsecall inherent blot of sinne, as if the sinner had never sinned, and were now no sinner. 2. By it the sinner is not (as Antinomians say,) aC…spe vol. 2. Ier. 3. pag. 89. Christ himselfe is not so compleatly r…ghteous, but we are as righteous as he was.as righteous as Christ: because Christ could say in truth, I have no sinne, but wee even being justified are lyars, if we say we have no sinne b1 Joh. …, 9.. 3. Sin dwelleth not in Christ at all, nor was there in him flesh and concupiscence, lusting against the Spirit, as in cRom. 7.18, 19. …0. Gal. 5.17.us. For it is cleare from the Scriptue dEccl. … Prov. ….9. Psal. 14.3. R…m. ….10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17. 1 Iohn 1.8, 9▪ 10. Rom. 7 19, 20, 21, 22.23. Matth. 6.….that sinne dwelleth in the justified.
CHAP. XVII. Christ not formally the sinner, as Antinomians dreame.
NOr was Christ so made sinne, as the intrinsecall guilt of sin was laid on him, as aCr…spe vol. 2. …. 3 pag. 90.91.92.93.Crispe saith, Christ was onelyonly the Adulterer, the Idolater, the sinner imputatively, not inherently, and formally; in that he did beare the satisfactory punishment of wrath and hell due to our sinne. 1. Christ was so made sinne, not in the imagination, but really suffering in our person; yet so as sinne physically and inherently, in its blot, remaines in us, and after wee are justified, b1 Ioh. 1.8.10.wee have sinne. cRom 7.14, 17.We are sold under sinne, and carnall; dIam 3.2.in many things wee offend all. Now its blasphemy to say that Christ was so sinfull as we are. 2. Nor is the surety the principall any way, save onelyonly legally, penally, imputatively, the debtor: there is no injustice in the surety, as in the principall in borrowing money, and profusely wasting it, and wronging his brother; nor can the surety bee called formally the unjust man, the waster; though he be legally the debtor, and holden in justice and really, not in imagination, to pay the summe; so was Christ never inherently and formally the sinner, as the snow is formally white; because Christ in himselfe, in his physicall person and natures, was innocent, holy, harmelesse, undefiled, separated from sinners, even while he was a surety for sinners. 3. Scripture expoundeth Christs bearing of our sinnes, not as if the essence, forme, and intrinsecall, fundamentall, and essentiall guilt of sinne had been on him, then he should have been a sinner as we are, and so not a sinlesse sacrifice for sinne, but in bearing the punishment due to us in his owne body e1 Pet 2.4.on the tree, in being fEsa. 53.5. Rom 4 25▪ Rom. ….6.wounded for our transgressions: but its the Antinomian… way to confound Sanctification and Justification, and to make us as inherently and intrinsecally, in our very persons, holy, sinnelesse, righteous, free of the indwelling of Originall sinne, and the old man, and the flesh, as Christ himselfe:We are not as innocent and sinnelesse as Christ. and this is the Famil…sts principle; That Christ hath Goded and Christed a Saint, and Christ is incarnate and maned in the beleever; so that the beleever is God manifested in the flesh, and dwelling personally in us: all the sinnes that a beleever commits, are no more sinnes then the actions of Christ: for all our sinnes were swallowed up and annihilated in Christ: He that is borne of God (say they) cannot sinne; and gTowne asser. pag, 3….M. Towne telleth us, that justification is regeneration; and hAsser. 71.72.to faith there is no sinne.
CHAP. XVIII. That we are not justified untill we beleeve.
WEe hold against Antinomians that we are never justified till we beleeve. They say aThe Author of the Faithfull Messenger sent after the Antinomians relateth this of them, pag. 1.2.3. and bringeth their arguments for it, and answereth them fully.from eternity we were justified; or bCrispe vol. 2 …er. 5.…56.157.158.159.from the time that the Messiah dyed, all sins were finished, and wee justified, or from our birrh. But justification in Gods decree and purpose from eternity, is no more justification then Creation, sanctification, glorification, the crucifying of Christ, and all things that fall out in time; for all these were in the eternall purpose of God. 2. In justification, our sinnes are, in their guilt, fully done away, as a cEs…. 43.…5.thick cloud, cast dMic. 7.19.in the bottome of the sea, eIe…. 31.34▪remembred no more, fI…r. 50.…0.sought for, and not found; if all this was done from eternity, beleevers were never sinners, never children of wrath, really, as Paul gEphe. 2.1, 2saith; never dead in sinnes, never hCol. 1.21. Rom. 5.6.enemies to God, or ungodly; they were onelyonly such in a mentall consideration. 3. It is true, God loved his chosen ones from eternitie to salvation; and iEphes. 1.2.from that love, sent his Sonne kIoh. 3.16.to die, to lRevel. 1.5.wash, justifie, and sanctifie them; but this is not their justification, but a fruit of justification in time. When our time is the time of love, mEzech. 16.6, 8.and wee are dying in our owne bloud, he washeth us nEzech. 16.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, &c.. 4. Wee behoved to beleeve from eternity, for wee are justified by oRom. 3. cap. 4. cap. 5.Faith. 5. All the justified have a reall union and interest in Christ, to live pHabak. 2.4. Rom. 1.17.by faith, and wait on God in all their troubles by faith; but though their be an union of love in Gods minde from eternity, betweene the elect and God, yet a compleat union betweene us and Christ, without the Spirit, and without any faith, though it be boldly qRise, reigne, er. 37.asserted by Familists, is against the Scripture: for then might wee bee borne againe, and not receive Christ by faith, contrary to the rIoh. 1.11, 12 Antinomians hold an union with Christ before we beleeve.Scripture; and be united to Christ, as branches to the Vine-tree, and not abide in Christ, Ioh. 15.1, 2, 3, 4 5, 6.have Christ dwelling in our heart, and not by faith, contrary to tEphes. 3.17Paul; so might Christ live in us, and we eat and drinke him as the true Manna, have the Sonne, and yet want faith, contrary to uGal. 2.20. Rev. 2.7…. Ioh. 6.35, 40.4 47.54 55.the Scriptures. All which, or most of them, prove that wee were not justified, when Christ dyed on the crosse. 6. All that are justified, are unseparably sanctified and called, xRom. 8.30 1 C…r. 6.…1, …2 R…m. 6.18.…nd the blessing of justification hath with it, the receiving of the promise of the Spirit, through yGal. 3.14.faith, and zRom. 5.1, 2, 3, 4, 5.peace with God, through the Lord Jesus Christ, accesse by faith into grace, whereby we stand, rejoycing in the hope of the glory of God, glorying in tribulation, patience, experience, hope; but many for whom Christ dyed have none of these, till they be justified by Faith; the distinction of justification in, or before God, or to our own sense by faith, will not help this; for the Scripture no where speaketh of justification, but by faith onelyonly; the meritorious price of our justification is payed on the Crosse, but that is not justification.