Survey of the Spiritual Antichrist, Part 2 · Chapter 80 – Chapter 81
CHAP. LXXX. To follow sense as a Law is our rule, say Libertines and Antinomians.
Paral. XII. LIbertines aCalv. adver. Liber cap. 20 454. Q…ia … usq…s…e in ea, in … vocatione est … ere …ebet, docent unumquemque operic…e naturalem inclinationem sequ… atque sic vivere ut libent, & è re sua videbitur, Hinc sit ut Quint…nas (fae…us secta Libert. Dux) exc…nd siat, quoties rogatur, ut valeat, Quomodo, inquit, An Christus malè habere po…est? exponunt, consummandum est, de praeteritis omnibus doloribus Christianorum, dolores, aut morbos se sentire negabant quod jam preteriti essent, & ipsi in gloriam cum Christo jam egressi essent.taught, That any calling was lawfull, and to follow callings was to follow their naturall inclination, and to live as they pleased. Quintinus the Libertine to one that asked how hee was in health, said in wrath, Can it be ill with Christ? When hee was present at a solemne Masse with a Cardinall, he said, Hee saw the glory of God; from this ground, that Christians cannot sinne, that their inclination and nature is their guide, which they called the Spirit, and they are loosed from all Law; therefore with David Georgius bBlesdiki…s A…t. 17. Pag. 19.30.they said, A marriage-covenant tyed Christians no longer, then the naturall temper and disposition of husband and wife would carry them on to agree to live together, when inclinations of Christians did thwart, they were free to marry another. And so said they of goods, that they might robbe and spoile, calling inclination a calling, as if it were their calling to robbe and oppresse.
So, the same doe Antinomians teach in their beastly distinction; in which cTowne asser. pa. 39.40.Towne, dHoney combe cap. 5. pag 87.Eaton, eDen…e Ser. Of the Man of S…nne. pag. 9.…0.11.Denne, and fSaltmarsh, Free grace, pa. 143.154.Saltmarsh say, Beleevers are as cleane from sinne, before God, and as they live by faith, as gHoney combe ca. 3 pag. 25.Jesus Christ himselfe, but to men-ward declaratively, and as they live by sense, or seemingly, as Saltmarsh meaneth, or according to the flesh, as Towne saith, (now the flesh is the Asse.) The beleevers sinne, and may whoore, kill; but this following of the sense, and the flesh, is nothing but the Libertines following of his naturall inclination, or calling. Now the beleevers Adultery to hSaltmarsh, Free grace. pag. 15….Saltmarsh, is but seeming Adultery; then it is not in deed, and before God, Adultery; and he followeth his sense and naturall inclination, (as the Libertine said) in putting away his wife without cause, and Marrying another, and in robbing the Widdow and Orphane, and taking the Oxe away from the fatherlesse; and so followeth his calling. 2. Sinning according to sense, and the flesh as lying and whoring, are not sinnes according to Faith, and before God, sense is unbeliefe, and a blind judge, and reputeth that to be sin, which is not sinne, saith iHoney combe, pag. 87. The Antinomians sinning according to his own sense, and declaratively, not really, and before God, and to saith, nothing but the Libertines committing all wickednesse, which he saith is to follow his vocation, … fleshly sense.Eaton, For Faith seeth them above sense to be utterly abolished. 3. The beleever following his sense in Adultery, rapine, lying, is under no law. Ergo, his following of his sense, his being present at a Masse, his robbing his brother cannot be a sinne; then it must either be in it selfe lawfull, and a following of his calling, as the Libertine said, or it is unlawfull. The Antinomian must speake condictions, to call that unlawfull, which is against no Law.
2. Randell a Familist, setting forth a peece of Cusanus Intituled, The Vision of God, hath a Familists conscience, to picture God himselfe, and Clouds encircling him, expressely forbidden in the second Command, but it is no Command to him. Master Denne, Doctrine of John Baptist, 65. retaineth the destinction of Clergy and Laicks condemned by all Protestant Divines; and Pag. 66. hee saith, Hee will condemne the removall of Images, Idols, Crucifixes of Wood, Glasse, of Stone, but he mentions no command of God to justifie it; for we are commanded no worship externall in the New Testament, but Faith, that is, no sinne, as sinne, is forbidden, but unbeliefe; to this Towne assert. grace, pag. 94. cannot answer one word. So H. Nicholas in his joyfull message of the Kingdome, cap. 31.33.34. highly extolleth the Romish Church, Pope, Cardinals, Bishops, Priests, &c. Service, Ceremonies, till hot contention arose about them.
3. We know Antinomians thinke nothing of Idolatry, adding to the worship of God, and that some of them speake their conscience, when deterred from Adultery, Murther, Rapine, they have said. What? Adultery? God seeth no sinne in beleevers. One of them in Scotland said, hee would take the Lords Supper on the crowne of his head, if Authority should command him. Another said, once dipping, or ten times were indifferent. Most of them are for libertie of all blasphemous religions; and their saying is, Beleeve in Christ, and sin against the Law if thou canst? This is to make sense, that which Libertines call naturall inclination; Yea, all outward Commandements to Towne and Saltmarsh are but shaddowes, the Spirit is all the beleevers obliging rule. No externall Command can oblige a Beleever, under perill of sinning against God, in his court, in foro Dei, and wee know how broad and large their consciences bee in the matter of Marriage and Divorce.
CHAP. LXXXI. Sundry Antinomians say, Irish Papists ought to have liberty of conscience, and to injoy their religion.
Parall. XIII. LIbertines aCalvin. Instruct. advers. Liber. c…. 22. pag. 458. Homo, (inquiunt) sciat animam suam Spiritum immortalemesse perpetuo viventem in c…lis: ac Christum m…rte sua, opinationem ab▪ levisse, … que ratione, nobis r…stituisse v…tam, quae in eo est, ut nos minimè mori cognoscantus.said, they knew that their soules were immortall, and live for ever in heaven, but Christ by his death hath taken away that opinion, and hath restored life to us in that, now wee know wee shall not die.
Antinomians cannot deny but wee die, but they will have no death to be the execution of the righteous Lords sentence, for sinne to the godly, but that they returne to dust beleeving, and neither feeling, nor fearing, sinne or punishment bCrispe v…l 3. Ser 1. pag. 19 …7.for sin; for that is against the c40.power, d41.faithfulnesse, e42.providence e42.free grace, f43.sufferings of Christ, g44.faith, h44.all religion: and Archer, Saltmarsh, Crispe, upon the same grounds, that the beleever committeth Adultery to his owne sense,Antinomians remove all sense of affections and turne us in stones. but his Adultery really, and to his faith is no sinne; so they are not to feare, or feele any afflictions, or death, but to beleeve them to be shaddowes. Now the removall of feare, and the opinion of dying, is imputed to Christs death; so as i44.Saltmarsh saith, The Spirit of Christ sets a beleever as free from hell, kSaltmarsh Free grace. pag. 140.the Law, and bondage here on earth, as if hee were in heaven, nor wants he any thing to make him so, but to make him beleeve he is so; for Sathan, sinne, sinnefull flesh, and the Law, are all so neere him, that he cannot so walke by sight, and in the cleare apprehension of it; but the just doe live by Faith, and Faith is the evidence of things not seene. Then beside that, its his happinesse, not his bondage, that the Law is is so neere him, that is it written in his inner parts and heart, it must bee his sinne and feeling contrary to Faith, (which was one opinion and sense) that hee knoweth and beleeveth hee must lay downe this tabernacle of clay. And kTown asser. grace▪ pag. 40.Towne saith, Faith banisheth all the mists and vapours arising from these earthly members, out of Gods sight and presence. — Thus I am a sinner, and no sinner, dayly I fall in my selfe, and stand in Christ for ever. But Towne lyeth, in saying, Hee is a sinner in himselfe, and no sinner in Christ. For sinne, in himselfe, or to his flesh or sense, is no sinne at all, and against no Law, his sense lyeth, and deceiveth; Faith, by which he should walke, doth truly say, he is in himselfe, and really, no more a sinner then Christ lHoney combe cap. 3. pag. 25.is a sinner in himselfe; and upon the same grounds, sense of death, and sicknesse, and paine, and feare, are but deceiving opinions, and errors contrary to faith, and Christ came to dye, and remove from us feare, feeling, opinion of all affliction and paine, as contrary to faith. Now its a sinne not to walke by Faith, then must the feeling of paine and death bee a sinne, and Christ came to give us a sense, dedolency, and dulnesse of apprehending either sinne, or ill of affliction, and so say Libertines.