Survey of the Spiritual Antichrist, Part 2 · Chapter 83
CHAP. LXXXIII. Familists, Libertines, Anabaptists, goe before Antinomians in denying all externall worship and obedience.
Paral. XV. HEnry Nich. called love the Being and Godhead of Christ, H. Nicholas Epist. to the daughters of Warwicke, Sect 4.which we received through the power of the Holy Ghost; and that love within was all, and that all externall obedience from the Letter of the Word was fleshly and Ceremoniall. Just as Master Dell, Ser. 19. rejecting all external Reformation, calleth it hypocritical and carnal, and refusing the Scriptures, either Law or Gospel, as meere carnall Letters, devoles all on the Spirit, and acknowledgeth no Lawes at all in Christs kingdome, but the Law of nature. 2. The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ, which is the Spirit himselfe in his working. 3. And the law of Love, the Spirit of Christ.
And Henry Nicholas forbiddeth all his to boast of bEpist. Sect. 2.any righteousnesse, or take on the same, either to salvation or condemnation, before a man be in the Spirit of Christ, and bee renewed; not (saith hee) that I meane in the Elementish Ceremoniall righteousnesse, which the man setteth forth, or occupieth in his owne prudencie, but I meane, in that righteousnesse, which according to the heavenly truth, is in the being of Christ, and is set forth through the Spirit of God, and the Christ of God, and E…ist…e to the … of Warwick.the Christ of God, is not yet declared to you, according to the heavenly truth, but weell according to mans wisdome or industrie, which to the litterall Scripture adde their own prudencie, and even so goe forth, or occupie their own righteousnesse without the Spirit of Christ, which is a miserable doctrine, being taught without the Spirit of Christ.
Henry Nicholas, Sect. 5. Epist. These that are not taught by the Spirit of life, expound the Scriptures upon an earthy or Elementish foundation, where-through the man cannot attaine any renewing of the heart. Sect. 17. They that are Baptized to Christ, have put on Christ. But I would gladly aske of these that say, They have put on the Christianlike Baptisme, how, or after what manner Christ hath a shape or fashion in them, they shall find themselves not mighty in the being of Christ; (that is in love, by which they become God incarnarnate) and that they hauehave received not the Baptisme of Christ, but their owne. H Nicholas as he condemneth all outward obedience to God as fleshly and Elementish, so doth he condemne laying d…wne our life for Christ, and expoundeth it of laying down our sinfull life for him.The like he saith of the Lords Supper, Sect. 19. Sect. 20. Sect. 21. When the Scripture saith, we must forsake our lives for Christs sake, understand, I doe meane of the forsaking of our owne life. When God had created the man, then was the man in subjection to the life of God, and not to his own life, for thereunto God had created the Man, that he should be of one life and being, one Spirit, and of one nature with God, but when the man desired in his heart to love some other thing beside the life of God (namely the concupiscence of the sinne) then went he into his owne life and contention, and forsooke the life of God, and lived even so his owne life, and the life of the Devill. Sect. 23. The whiles now, that the office of Christ hath its Ministration, for to bring the man againe to God: so cannot Christ bring the man to the Father, unlesse that the man forsake his owne life, which he hath lived so long to the Devil and to himselfe, which is all the same wherein he hath lived so long to himselfe. Sect. 24. Is not this now a great overshooting, or mis-understanding that the children of men can say and teach, that Christ meant hereby the naturall or Elementish man. Sect. 25. We our selves have not made the naturall man, therefore he cannot belong unto us. Sect. 26. What then shall the man forsake, that he might be reconciled unto God? Not any thing else but his owne life, that is the man of sinn, which hath so long lyen hid in the heart of man, which is the Temple of God, and hath said, that he was God,H Nicholas denyeth the Pope to be the Man of sinne, and expoundeth 2 Thess. 2 Al…egorica…ly, a… he doth all the Scriptures of sinfull concupisce…ce. 2 Thess. 2.27. they are grosely deceived, who apply this to the Pope, the Antichrist, therefore he forbids the two Daughters to suffer for, or confesse Christ, and highly extolleth erring. Sect. 10. Sect. 14.15.16. cap. 31. Bishops as Pastors of the Sheep and Lambs of Christ, Parish Priests, or Curats, as signifying Leviticall Priests; Pastors and Elders, as the holy understanding. Sect. 28. Oh what a slight and earthly understanding is this, that God should be appeased with an Elementish body: even like as though God were fleshly, even as an vnregenerate man. So M. Del, Ser. p. 6. The Kingdome of Christ is Spirituall, so all things that belong to it, are also spirituall. So David Georgius, in the end, finding many of his to be killed, discharged all his to suffer in the body, or goods, or name, any thing for his Christ and truth, but willed them in externall profession to be of any Religion, all Gospel-reformation was in the heart. As tBullinger advers. Anab…p. p. …. c. …. nullam fide… h…bere (quoad ex…er…am pro…ssio…ē) …unc v…lgare est. Some A…baptists in the time of Bulinger thought all exte…nall obedience and reformat…on, needlesse, and con…ssion of Christ to the death, not r… quired of God.Bullinger in the same place sheweth us, that the ninth kind of Anabaptists in his time, that were called, Liberi Anabaptistae, said, That Baptizing of Infants, Magistracie, oathes, swearing, were things free and indifferent, that the faithfull may use, or not use, at their pleasure, they esteemed nothing of the preaching of the Word, and the assemblies of the people of God, because that the Saints were all taught of God, and that there was no need that one should teach another; and that Sacraments were needelesse, and had little fruit, for when they had the Spirit, they needed not externall signes, and that it was free to confesse the truth of Christ, or not to confesse it, as perils for the Gospel might carry men on; that God delighted not that men should be tormented, or die for him, it was enough if they kept God in their heart.
Now you see Henry Nicholas held.
1. That the externall written Word, H. Nicholas his foule Tenets,was Ceremoniall fleshly, Elementish, that the Spirit was all.
2. All externall obedience and Reformation was fleshly, and the being Goded and Christed with love, and the lovely being of God was Christ, was the being and nature of God in the Saints; and regeneration.
3. That by love and the works of righteousnesse which we doe, we are regenerated and reconciled to God.
4. That Christ seemed to die but dyed not, but onelyonly in an Allegoricall, Figurative, and Exemplary way he suffered as a patterne and copie for us, that we might reconcile our selves to God, as sonnes of the house of love, after his example, but as Socinus, so the Nicholaitans taught, That Christ really satisfied not the justice of God, nor obtained everlasting righteousnesse for us, any other way, but in a figure, coppie, and good example.
5. That Christ incarnate, was nothing but H. Nicholas Godded and manned by Christ, or God in the lovely being of God, and that every one that is inhabited by love, was renewed and made partaker of the substance and nature of God, and that a childe of the Family of love, was the very Christ, and God manifested in the flesh and incarnate.
6. That the regenerated in England, of which number M. Ainsworth saith, were the two daughters of Warwicke, that H. Nicholas wrot to, and all the godly in England not of his way, were regenerated onelyonly according to the litterall Scripture, not according to the being of God in love and the Spirit: or as the Familists of uRise, raigne, e…. …2.New England say, That some are so converted, that they may, and doe attaine the same righteousnesse for truth, that Adam had in innocency. And xSaltmarsh free grace, 177.178.179 180.Saltmarsh his Legall converts, who may eternally bee damned, are of the same size, if yee diligently compare the tract of his dangerous booke together, and with the principles of Familists, and H. Nicholas.
7. That the Word and the Spirit are two contrary things. Towne zTowne asser. pag. 138.saith, If the Spirit be free, why will you controule or rule it by Law, ySaltmarsh Free grace. 216.as if the Law could contradict any Spirit, save the Euthyasticall Spirit of H. Nicholas and Antinomians.
8. The Letter of the Scripture, externall Ordinances, Church-assemblies are nothing, that there is no reformation, but inward and of the Spirit, as M. Del lately Preached before the House of Commons, That the Gospel and a beleevers Law (as Saltmarsh saith) is Christ and his Spirit.
9. All outward ser…ice, ordinances, confession of Christ before men are things free, and indifferent, and the Popish externall Service, of Masse, Images, Pope, Bishops, Cardinals, Deanes, and such dirt, are lawfull and free; onelyonly Antinomians and Saltmarsh will have them a little Legall and literall, and that is all their fault.
10. The laying downe of our lives, and forsaking all for Christ, are to be expounded Spiritually, and Allegorically, (as Familists custome is, and that abominable Peece, called Philosophy dissected doth) and so are other Scriptures to be expounded in the Spirit, not in the Letter, and in consequence, as saith aShadowes fleeing away, p…g. 8.Saltmarsh, to wit, not of confession of Christ to the death, as James who was beheaded for the Gospel, Acts 12. and the Apostle Peter bIob. 1.18▪ 19.who dyed for Christ, and the Saints cRev. 12.11.12.who loved not their lives to death, and were dR…v. 6.9.slaine for the word of God, and the testimony of Jesus, and the two witnesses against whom eR…v 11.7, 8 9▪ …0, 11.the Beast that ascendeth out of the bottomlesse pit made warre, and killed them; and the Apostles who were fAct, 4 41.scourged, the Saints who were killed all the day long, and counted as g…. 3.36.37. P…al. 4….…2.sheepe for the slaughter, for the Lords sake, and hMath 10.32confessed Christ, and were not ashamed of him before men, lest Christ should deny them before his Father and the holy Angels. They say, God delighteth not in our bloud, and laying downe our lives, and the outward man, or forsaking of Father, Mother, Brethren, Sisters, and contrary to the Word iMath 19.19.30. H. N…cholas held there was no need to confesse Ch…ist before men, but the …ying d…wne of our life for Christ was to be expounded Spiritually.of truth; but its spiritually meant of forsaking a Pope within us, 2 Thess. 2. the Antichrist in our heart, the Man of sinne, so that we may lawfully receive the name and marke of the beast, and conforme to the Masse, or any Religion, so we keepe the heart to God. Baal, the Devill, may have the outward man.
11. None can dispense the Ordinances, Baptisme, and the Lords Supper, but the Regenerate. I wish Independents in the constitution of their Churches, without any warrant of the Word, had not paved the way to this error.
12. Outward Baptisme is no Baptisme, which yet is a lawfull Ordinance of God, though it bee not profitable to save without the inward Baptisme of the Spirit.
Antinomians border well-neere with Familists, in many of these points. For kSaltmarsh Free grace, pag. 16.Saltmarsh is much upon the Spirit for a Law, and against lSaltmarsh, Free grace, pa. 216.one beam of the light of the Letter of the Law, and mIbid. 146.against all externall Ordinances, Covenants, Vowes, as Legall, and Old Testament service; nIbid. 179.180.181.against conditions, or performances, or doing on our part by any Gospel-covenant, yea against beleeving in that tenor of a condition, as contrary to the Spirit, and to Free grace; against Precepts, or Commands in the Gospel, and he is much for reasoning, and oPag. 206.207.…97 192perswading; against all p147.148.commanding Law, (the Gospel is rather to them a q…28.promise then a r152.Covenant,) against personall mortification, s59 48 49.73.74 75.trouble for sinne, as all Legall, unlawfull now, smelling of bondage, and Law-service; and bondage it is to pray at such houres, unlesse the Spirit move us, t44. Rise, raigne, er 64.to expound Scripture, to expound the Spirit, (he meaneth the Scripture) in the Letter, and consequence hath much darkened the glory of the Gospel.
uSaltmarsh Shaddows fl…eing away. pag. 8. The Scripture ha…h but one sense, Antinomians and Familists devise a Literall, a Mysticall, Spiritual and All…gor… call sense.Now if Saltmarsh know any thing in Controversies betweene us and Papists; he may know the Papists give sundry and divers senses to the Scripture, that is, Literall, Spirituall, Mysticall, Allegoricall, Tropologicall, Anagogicall; all which wee reject, and acknowledge that the Scripture hath but one litterall, Grammaticall, and genuine sense, which the nature of the words, whether they be Sacramentall or Figurative, (as when Christ spoke of eating his flesh, and said of bread, This is my body, or without figures) doth carry in their face. The Spirituall sense, is not a sense different from the Literall, as if they were two contrary or divers senses; and therefore Saltmarsh rejecting the sense of Scripture in the Letter, must imbrace the Familists, and H. Nicholas, or the Papists Allegorizing of the Scripture, the greatest violence that can be offered to the Spirit, the Author of Scripture; the Spirit is the efficient, by whose grace we gather the right Litterall sense of the Scripture, and giveth no sense divers, farre lesse contrary to Scripture, as Libertines doe in the fancied revelations without, beside, and contrary to Scripture, and their fond Allegories, for such wee remit Saltmarsh to his brethren, the Familists, and the Author of Phylosophie defected, and the like.