Survey of the Spiritual Antichrist, Part 1 · Chapter 11 · Conclusion 7
7. Conclusion.
And whereas Luther calleth the Law a dead letter,Luther calleth the Law a dead letter in a faire other sense then Antinomians mean. as the Gospel is a saving word, he hath not the same meaning with Antinomians to exclude all outward commands, to cry downe the Scriptures and the written Law and Gospel, and turne the Gospel in the Spirit, and to remove all outward ordinances, word, Sacraments, praying, and make faith all our worke, and the Spirit of life, that is, in Christ all our Law, as kDel. Serm. …6Del and lSaltm. free grace. p. 146.Saltmarsh and other Antinomians doe; and as mTheolog. German. c. 2… p. 71.72. vide Lutherum ▪ to. 3.215.490.344 544. t. 4.…62.283.286.376.415.424. & f. 457. in Ps. 126. & 654 in Ho…. 10. to 1. in Gen c. 3. fol 45 51.Theologia Germanica doth, and other Familists teach: for Luther aimeth highly to extoll Scripture, as you may read in Luther tom. 1.166. to. 1.252.531. to. 2.22.237.310. to. 2. in Genes. c. 17. fol. 85. and to. 2. in Gen. c. 19.143. I hate my own bookes, often I wish they may perish, for feare they take the readers, and draw them from reading of the Scripture, to 3. in Genes. f. 45. c. 24. Its a common proverbe, Princes letters should be thrice read, so farre more Gods letters. Vel millies legendae, should be a thousand times read; and whereas Antinomians and Familists are all for allegories. Luther is not so.
The literall sense of the Scriptures is the whole substance of Christian faith and divinity,nLuth. tom. … 83. which only carrieth a man out in tentation.
oLuth. tom. 1. in Gen. c. 3. fo. 67. Luther detesteth allegoriesAllegories are empty speculations, and the froath of Scripture.
pLuth. Gen. 3. c. 30. f. 117.An allegory is a faire whore that cannot but be loved for the present by idle men, that are not tempted.
qto. 3. c. 30, f. 117.Only the historicall sense doth rightly and solidly instruct, fight, defend, conquer edifie.
nLuth. tom. … 83.Luther. Literalis sensus scripturae s…lus tota est fidei & Theologiae Christianae substantia qui in tentatione solus subsistit.
oLuth. tom. 1. in Gen. c. 3. fo. 67. Luther detesteth allegoriesLuther. Allegoriae sunt inanes speculationes & tanquam spuma sacrae Scripturae.
pLuth. Gen. 3. c. 30. f. 117.Est allegoria tanquam formosa meritrix quae ita blanditur hominibus ut non possit non amari praesertim ab hominibus otiosis▪ qui sunt sine tentatione.
qto. 3. c. 30, f. 117.Luther. Historicus sensus rectè & solidè erudit, pugnat, defendit, vincit, aedificat.
And Luther acknowledgeth a literall sense of the Law.
rLuth. tom. 1. …. 433.Luther, Spiritualis intelligentia legis est ea, quâ scitur lex requirere Spiritum, & nos carnales convincere▪ literalis ea, quâ putatur, imò erratur, legem posse impleri operibus & viribus nostris citra Spiritum gratiae.
rLuth. tom. 1. …. 433.The Spirituall understanding of the Law, is that by which the law is known to require the Spirit, and to convince us that are carnall, and that is the literall meaning of the Law, by which men think, yea, erroneously imagine, the law may be fulfilled by works & our strength without the Spirit of grace.
Then to Luther, the literall knowledge of the Law or the old letter of the Law, is the false sense of the Law, that we can be justified by works; and Luther never condemneth Law or Gospel, because written and in outward commandements, as Antinomians doe. And againe, the law without the Spirit, as also the Gospel, is literall and legall to Luther.
sLuth▪ to. 2. f. 21….Lex litera est, sive scribatur, sive dicatur, sive intelligatur, donec ametur.
sLuth▪ to. 2. f. 21….The law is a letter, either writen, spoken, or understood, till it be loved, this is not a work of the teaching Law, but of justifying faith converting soules.
It is true, Luther holdeth that all commandements of law and Gospel, are then sweet, and Christs yoke easie, when the Spirit concurreth to make them sweet; but neither doth this cry down the Scriptures, nor make the Spirit, the only obleiging rule, as Del, Town, Saltmarsh, Crisp, doe.
tLuth tom. 1. epist…l ad S…aupicium f. 69 an. 151….Luther, Ita dulcescunt praecepta Dei quando non in libris tantum, sed in vulneribus dulcissimi salvatoris legenda▪ intelligimus.
wLuth. tom. 1. …. …11.Luther, Duplex est lex: una Spiritus & fidei, quâ vivitur Deo, victis peccatis, impletâque lege: altera, lex literae & operum, quâ vivitur peccato nunquam impletâ lege, per legem enim suscitatur odium legis, sed per fidē infunditur dilectio legis.
Luth. tom. 4.88. Tu urges servum, hoc est, scripturam & eam non totam — sed locos de operibus, — Ego urgeo dominum (Christum) qui est Rex Scripturae, qui est factus mihi meritum & pretium justitiae & salutis. Then the law without Christ is the letter of bondage and fear.
xLuther tom. 1.412.Lex literae & lex spiritus differunt, sicut signum & signatum: sicut verbum & res: Ideo obtentâ re, jam signo non est opus: Itaque neque justo lex est posita, habito enim solo signo, docemur rem ipsam quaerere.
tLuth tom. 1. epist…l ad S…aupicium f. 69 an. 151….Luther, So the Commandements of God, become sweet, when we understand them to be read, not onelyonly in books (then as written they are sweet,) but also in the wounds of the most sweet Saviour.
wLuth. tom. 1. …. …11.Luther, There is a twofold law; one of the Spirit and faith, by which we live well to God, sin being subdued, and the law fulfilled: The other, the law of the Letter and of works, by which we live to sin, the law never being fulfilled but with a fained fulfilling. For by the law (the meere letter of the law without faith or grace) is stirred up a hatred of the Law, but by faith is infused a love of the law.
xLuther tom. 1.412.The Law of the letter and the law of the Spirit differ, as the signe and the thing signified: as the word and the thing, the when the thing is obtained, there is no need of the signe. So there is no law to the just man▪ but having only the signe, we are taught to seek the thing it self.
This expression of Luther, with another in the same Tome,Luther to. 1. f. 451. Justus non debet be…e vivere, sed bene vivit, nec indiget lege, quae doceat cum bene vivere. In justus autem debet bene vivere, quia non bene vivit, quod lex requirit, hoc to…um urget, ne ex lege et operibus justi fieri praesumant, sed per fidem accipiant Spiritum sine lege & operibus, quo legi satisfaciant. to wit, The justified man ought n…t to live holily, but hee doth live holily: gave occasion to Antinomians to dream (but its but a dream) that Luther is theirs, as if Luther had been of their minde, that the justified is under no commanding power of the law, and that being once justified, and having obtained the Spirit, they are not obliged by any obligation of a command involving sin in case of disobedience, to either, read, heare, or meditate in the Scriptures, but are so freed from the signe, having obtained the thing, that they are not under the letter of law or Gospel written or preached, or under any outward command, or Ordinance, or Law, or Sacrament, or sin, or obligation at all, but are led by a free arbitrary Spirit separated from all letter of the word. A vain dream. For Luther holdeth the letter of the Law, to be an erroneous, false, and wicked seeking of righteousnesse by the works of the Law, and a living to sin, and from the oldnesse of the letter in this sense we are freed by the Spirit of faith;How the beleever needeth not the Law in the letter, neither is under it. and Luther explaineth himselfe, when hee saith, Obtentare jam signo non opus, having obtained the Spirit, we need not the letter. He meaneth nothing lesse then when we have received the Spirit, we need not the written Scriptures or the Commandement or any outward Ordinances, nor any commanding. Sure Sathan devised that sense, it came never in Luther, never in Pauls minde; but he meaneth having obtained the thing, that is, the Spirit, we need not the signe, that is the letter of the Law only, without the Spirit: now the letter of the Law only commandeth perfect and exactly absolute obedience under the paine of eternall damnation. But Luther explaineth himselfe in the very next words, Ideo obtenta re (Spiritu) jam signo non opus: Itaque neque justo lex ost posita: What is that? Luther to. 4. fol. 178. Lex justo non est posita, sic enim justus vivit ut nullâ lege opus habeat &c. He so liveth that hee hath not need of the Law to teach and command without Christ that he must performe absolutely p…rfect obedience to the Law, otherwise he is eternally condemned; this is the letter of the Law, for the just man is in Christ. Ideo Lex (saith Luther there) non potest accusare & reos agere credentes in Christum, the Law cannot accuse and condemne beleevers in Christ: in the same sense, saith Luther, to. 1.451. Justus non debet bene vivere; the justified man ought not to live holily, according to the letter of the absolute commanding Law enjoyning obedience under paine of eternall condemnation; for faith looseth him from this, debet, and from this Law debt yet, vivit bene, hee liveth holily, and he ought to live holily in an Evangelick sense; and that this is Luthers minde, is cleare; the just man is loosed from that Law, that the unjust and beleever is under; as Luther saith in the same place, Injustus debet bene vivere. Now the beleever being under the Law, he is a full debter to pay active and passive obedience to the brim, he owes in a manner, as much as Christ paid to the Law. 2. Luther saith in the same place, Hoc totum urget, &c. God presseth all this that we seeke not a letter-righteousnesse, that is righteousnesse by the workes of the Law, for the Law in its letter requireth absolute obedience under the paine of death. But Christs intention & sense is not that the …etter of the Law, Cursed be he that obeyeth not in all that is written in the Law to doe it, shall stand against the beleever; but that the spirituall sense shall stand, that the beleever shall bee cursed in his head Christ, suffering for him, and that he shall fulfill the Law, not in the letter, that is perfectly and compleatly, (for so the old letter is now out of date, and passeth away to the beleever) but in the Spirit, that is an Evangelick obedience to the Law.