Survey of the Spiritual Antichrist, Part 1 · Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII. Of good works according to Luther.
11 Conclusion.
Luther clearely contradicteth Antinomians, touching certainty from signes.
hLuth. tom. 4. f. 410.Bona opera placebunt, Deo propter fidem in Christum quod non fiunt ad jus…itam, sed ad testimoni…m quod grati simus et gra… ju…tificati.
iLuth tom. 4.403.Spiritus sanctus nunquam o…iosus est in piis sed semper agit aliquid quod pertinet ad regnum Dei.
kLuth. to. 1. in Gen. c. 24. f. 23….Si Muncerus & Sacramentarii, cum audirent nos docere Spiritum & rejicere opera, hâc doctrina abuti potuerunt, & neglecto verbo & Sacramentis nihil aliud nisi Spiritum sonare idque nobis viventibus, docentibus, & repugnantibus, quid futurum est ubi conticuerit nostra Doctrina?
lLuther tom. 3 in Gen. f. 38.Post meam mortem multi meos libros proferent in medium, & inde omnis generis errores & deliria sua confirmabunt.
mLuther tom. 4. in Gen. 41. …. 84.Sed simul etiam exierunt Anabaptistae, Sacramentarii & alii fanatici qui de Trinitate & incarnatione Christi palam impia tradiderunt, non enim fuerunt ex nobis, &c.
hLuth. tom. 4. f. 410.Good works shall please God for faith in Christ, to their own end because they are not done that we may be righteous, but that they may be a testimony that we are accepted and justified freely.
iLuth. tom. 4.403.Luther, The Holy Ghost is never idle in the godly, but ever doing something that belongs to the Kingdome of God.
kLuth. to. 1. in Gen. c. 24. f. 23….Luther, If Muncerus and the Sacramentarians, when they heare us preach the Spirit, and that wee reject works (in the matter of justification only, as I have cleared from his owne words) can abuse this Doctrine, and neglecting word and seales, sound nothing but the Spirit, (as Familists and Antinomians did then, and now) and that while wee live, and teach the contrary, and resist them, what shall be done, when we shall teach no more?
lLuther tom. 3 in Gen. f. 38.After my death (saith Luther) they shall alledge my writings, and therewith strengthen errors of all kindes, and their own dreames.
mLuther tom. 4. in Gen. 41. …. 84.Also there are gone from us Anabaptists, Sacramentarians, and other fantastick men, who have openly taught impious things of the Trinity, and Incarnation of Christ, but they were not of us.
It is true, Luther falsely chargeth those whom hee calleth Sacramentarians, who rejected the dreame of Consubstantiation, yet as Calvin observed of the Libertines, hey had nothing more frequent in their mouth, then the Spirit, so Anabaptists, Familists, Antinomians, who all pretend that Luther is theirs, alledge nothing more then the Spirit, the immediate testimony of the Spirit without the word, or any signes or markes of sanctification, by which men know that they are in Christ, and I appeale to the Reader, if they observe any scope or drift in the Sermon preached by Del, before the House of Commons, but to cry down all Word, Scripture, Preaching, Sacraments, Laws, lawfull and necessary constitutions of Orthodox Synods, against Familists like himself, for all these, without the Spirit, can work but an outward Reformation, and hee extolleth so the Spirits inward, omnipotent and only working of an inward, and heart reformation, as that men, ministerie, preaching can have no more influence in Gospel-reformation, then in Christs redeeming of the world, and the taking away transgression, for saith hee, oDel ser. 12.13▪ 15.he only that can doe the one, can doe the other, now in redemption Christ hath no fellows, no under Mediators, no instruments no with-workers, hee alone by himselfe, and none with him, Hebr. 1. Purged us from our sins, and so in all Reformation Familists contend: for God is sole Reformer, as Jesus Christ is sole and onelyonly Redeemer.
Antinomians deny any certainty of our being in grace,to judge of our spiritual condition by sense, hath a two fold, meaning. by signes, marks, and characters of holy walking, which Luther is utterly against in all places▪ especially where he extolls good works as the fruites of our justification.
It is true, Luther saith often we must not judge of our spirituall good estate, by sense, but by faith, and so say Antinomians, and Eaton most frequently. But the word sense is taken two wayes, 1. for the enditement of the flesh, and unrenewed part opposed to faith, and so Luther and we with him, teach that in a conflict of conscience, when the Law challengeth a beleever especially▪ we are never to look to sense, but to faith, and the promises▪ for the unrenewed part, never told us good news of our selves, our Spirituall estate, or of Christ, except it speak truth▪ as the Devi…l speaketh to deceive, and to render us secure, sluggish, haughty, proud, vaine, but Antinomians say all the murthers and adulteries of beleevers, are sins onelyonly in our sense, that is, in the apprehension of our unrenewed part, not to the light and judgement of faith, now so Antinomians follow sense. But,
1. I should as soon beleeve the Devill, saying that the adultery of a beleever is no sin, as beleeve sense, that is, the inditement of flesh, and the unrenewed part, it is true the devill can say truely, as the flesh also, the adultery of a beleever is a sin, that actually condemnes for ever to hell, and argueth the committer thereof to bee in nature, not in Christ, which is a lye, both in the matter, and specially in the end, to cause a beleever despaire.
2. The sense and apprehension of a beleever, that saith adultery in him is no sin, because it was pardoned before it was committed, is as false as the Devill. Now the light of faith saith the contrary, the Word of God saith, adultery in justified David is sin, but the inference and logick of the flesh is not to be beleeved, therfore David is not in Christ, and so farre, sense is not to be beleeued.
3. Antinomians know no sense, but the sense and inditement of the lying flesh, which they teach men to beleeve, when it saith falsely, that the adultery of a beleever is no sin, now no whorish mother will call her own childe a Bastard, and its no wonder that the flesh, especially in the fleshly Antinomian plead for the Devill and sin, but sense is taken in another meaning in the Scripture, for the spirituall knowledge and apprehension of the Spirit, as Heb. 5.14. The strong in Christ have their senses exercised to discerne both good and ill, so the use of the spirituall sense is spoken of, Cant. 2.3. I sate down under his shadow with great delight and his fruite was sweet in my mouth. Cant. 1.3. Because of the savour of thy good oyntments▪ thy name is as anoyntment powred out, therefore the Virgins love thee, Joh. 6.45. All that have heard and learned of the Father come to mee. Here is the actuall exercise and use of the spirituall and renewed sense which we are to believe no lesse then faith, and what this sense indyteth, that the Holy Spirit in us indyteth, and teacheth, and that we are to beleeve. Luther never willeth us to close our eares, and to hear nothing that this sense saith to us.
12 Conclusion.
Luther speaketh pathetickly of the slavery and impotency of our free-will by nature,Luther in the matter of free-will against Anti…omians & Familists. but no wayes to favour Antinomians and Familists, who would have us blocks and stones in all wee doe, and not to pray but when the Spirit acts us immediately.
aLuth. tom. 1. f. 9.Man cannot naturally desire God to be God, for he would have himselfe to be God, and God to be no God.
1Luth. tom. 1. f. 9.Non potest homo naturaliter velle Deū esse Deum, imo vellet se esse Deum, & Deum non esse Deum.
Luther, in regard that the efficacy and successe of free-will, as of all second causes, is from God, depresseth the creature to heighten God, Tom. 3.103. Deus labore nostro utitur s…u larvâ quadam sub quâ benedicit nos & sua largitur ut fidei sit locus. God useth our labour as a shadow or cypher, under which there is place for faith.
Luther meaneth of imperated acts of the will flowing from the corruption of a naturall man desiring to be above a Law, and without God, that he may sin without being awed of Justice or of a God, but there is a naturall inclination going before acts of will and reason, by which a naturall man desires the being of God, in so farre as he desires his own being, that he may subsist in God, if we suppose reason to bee in no shadow, we cannot think it naturally and simply would desire that the body on which it depends were just nothing, or that the rayes of the Sunne, would wish the Sun to be turned into pure nothing, or the streames, that the fountaine were nothing.
bLuther to. 1. f. 11.Luther, The will of every man would desire there were not a law, if it were possible, and that it selfe were altogether free; grace is necessary to friend the law, and the will, and the Gospel.
cLuth. tom. 1. f. 27.Free-will since the fall by a subjective power can be carryed to good, by an active power ever to ill; nor could the wills active, but only its subjective power, stand even before the fall, or promove into good.
fLuth. tom. 1.306Luther, Free-will is meerly passive in every act that is called willing, because the will is nothing except it be pulled, drawn, moved, which drawing having influence on the members, and strength either of soule or body is the wills activity, and no other, as the drawing of the Saw, cutting the wood is to the Saw meerly passive from the Sawer, nor does it conferre any thing to the drawing, by way of co-operation, but onelyonly being drawn, it workes on the tree, being more drawn then drawing, which Sawing is called the work of the Saw with the Sawer, when yet it meerly suffers.
bLuther to. 1. f. 11.Luther, Voluntas cujuslibet mallet, si fieri posset esse nullam legem, & se omninò liberam; necessaria est mediatrix gratia quae conciliet legem (evangelio) voluntati.
cLuth. tom. 1. f. 27.Liberum arbitrium post peccatum potest in bonum potentiâ subjectivâ in malum vero activâ semper: nec enim in statu innocētiae potuit stare, activa sed subjectiva potentia, nedum in …onum proficere.
fLuth. tom. 1.306Liberum arbitrium est merè passivum in omni actu suo, qui velle vocatur: quia voluntas non nisi rapitur, trahitur, movetur, qui tractus redundans in membra & vires, seu animae seu corporis est ejus activitas & nulla alia, sicut tractus serrae secantis lignum' est serrae merè passivus a sectore, nec ad tractum suum quicquam cooperatur, sed tantum tracta jam in lignum operatur, impulsa magis quam impellens, quae serratio opus ejus cum serratore dicitur, cum tamen merè patiatur.
It is cleare that Luther makes us not blocks, and stones in beleeving, praying, or other supernaturall works, as if after our conversion, we were mere patients, and ought not to pray, but when the winde of the Spirit bloweth faire upon the flowers, and the Garden. Or, as if the person of the Holy Ghost and Christs grace were the onelyonly formall efficient cause and principle in all supernaturall works, and we truncks and stones, and not to be rebuked as slothfull servants in sins of omission or commission.
Luther saith the contrary, To. 2. in Gen. c. 24. f. 232. Antinomoi docent simpliciter omnia peccata sublata, nec arguenda esse, nec homines terrendos lege. Antinomians say simply, all sins are taken away, and are not to be rebuked, nor are men (renewed) to be terryfied by the Law, for Luther 1. speaks comparatively, and denies not all subordinate activity to renewed free-will, after conversion.
gLuther to. 1.46.In every good work, the Sons of God are rather acted upon, then doe act.
gLuther to. 1.46.In omni opere bono potius aguntur, quam agunt filii Dei.
Then Luther meanes that they act, but grace rather acts upon them, for To. 3. in Gen. in cap. 28. fo. 82. Luther saith, there is a twofold holinesse in us, one imputed, by which we are sanctified by the Word, and is perfect, another, by which wee are holy by our work and conversation, which is unperfect.
The other holinesse is of works,Tom. 3. f. 82. it is charity that makes us acceptable to God, there not onelyonly God speaks to me, but I study to follow God speaking.
hLuther to. 4. f 174.When I was a Monk, often I desired that happinesse to see a godly man in life and conversation, in the mean time I dreamed of an Eremite, that abstained from meat and drink, and fed on rootes and cold water — but they are holy who are holy with a passive, not an active holinesse — if every man doe his duty, by rule, according to his calling, and obey not the flesh, and in the Spirit suppresse the desires and lusts thereof.
Altera sanctitas operum est charitas gratum faciens,Tom. 3. f. 82. ibi non solum Deus loquitur, sed studeo ego sequi loquentem Deum.
hLuther to. 4. f 174.Ego Monachus saepe ex animo optabam eam faelicitatem mihi contingere, ut possim videre, conversationem & vitam alicujus sancti bominis. Interim somniabam talem sanctum, qui in Eremo agens, abstineret a cibo & potu & victitaret tantum radiculis herborum & aquâ frigidâ — & sancti sunt sanctitate passivâ, non activâ — si unusquisque ex praescripto verbi Dei faciat officium in vocatione suâ, carni non obsequatur, sed Spiritu reprimat desideria ejus.
And where ever Luther speaketh of inherent holinesse, he calleth it imperfect and active, then renewed freewill must be an Agent in it.
2 The subjective power of doing good that Luther calleth a passive power, and which was in man before the fall, in the renewed man is not simply passive, for in regard of it, saith Luther, Voluntas magis est impulsa quam impellens, the will rather is drawen,Of the subjective and active power of free-will. then it doth draw and act, but inclineth more to bee drawen; but it is passive, because free will in pure naturalls, before the fall or after regeneration, is a subject receiving a holy sanctified rectitude of will: and before the fall, that rectitude was that concreated and naturall Image of God in the first Adam, in regeneration it is the supernaturall image of the second Adam, which wee call the new heart, and before the fall Adam did not love and serve God by free will simply, but by free-will gifted with that naturall accident of concreated sanctity and holinesse added to the will as a connaturall gift to make the will compleat in its operations. Now the will is a mere patient in receiving a supernaturall active power to will according to Christ, and in this regard the will is patient and must bee elevated in its naturall activity, by receiving a new infused heart Ezeki. 36.26. Zech. 12.10. Deut. 30.6. And because free-will acts according to Christ in beleeving, hopeing, loving out of faith, all by the strength of new supernaturall habits therefore doth Luther call the renewed man a patient, and his supernaturall workes like the drawing of a Saw which yet hath its own activity of cutting the tree and hath teeth by art for that effect, yet tis called a patient in sawing the tree, because it is moved in its motion by him that draweth the Saw,
3 In the receiving the active determination of actuall assisting grace, the will is a patient in the reception and subjective and passive lying under the actuall motion of him who workes in us to will and to doe, for wee can doe nothing more than clay, when God infuseth a spirit in it, to move the predeterminating wind of the spirit, to blow right on us, in regard of both these, though being acted by habituall grace, and by actuall assisting grace being drawen, Cant. 1.2, 3. and Psal. 119.32. compared with Ezeki. 36.26, 27. we doe and have our own subordinate active influence in all the workes wee doe toward Heaven, and life eternall, yet Luther saith, wee are patients.
Luth. tom. 2. f. …06.Luther, Heraeseos venenum est quod tribuit libero arbitrio virtutem disponendi se ad gratiam (sive habitualem sive actualem) recipiendam quale faciunt in illo, Zech. 1. Convertimini ad me, & ego convertar ad vos.
kLuther to. 3.200.Homo merè passivè se habet nec facit quidquam, sed fit totus.
lLuth. tom. 3.457.Luther, Deus in materia privativa non positiva operatur.
Luth. tom. 2. f. …06.Its a poyson of Heresie that giveth to free-will power to dispose it selfe to receive grace, as they say from Zech. 1. Turne to me, and I will turne to you.
kLuther to. 3.200.Man is a meer patient, he doth nothing, but is acted, or done upon.
lLuth. tom. 3.457.God worketh on a privative, not a positive matter.
4. Luther holds men to be meere patients because grace and grace onelyonly beginneth all supernaturall works.
mLuther to. 2.215.Luther, How shall free-will remaine, and our doing what we can. When we are taught that we are wrought upon, and we work not but God works? wee are the work, not the workers, so all the Divinity of proud men utterly perishes.
nLuth. tom. 3.218.Faith is wrought in us, not thinking, not wisely understanding, not willing, but who-ever is gifted with faith, is prevented by the incomprehensible & hid work of the Spirit, by the onelyonly hearing of the Word, without all work of us.
mLuther to. 2.215.Vbi manebit liberum arbitrium, ubi facere, quod in se est, cum hic fieri nos doceamur, non facere, & non nos operemur, sed Deus nos operetur? facturae, non factores simus, funditus scilicet ruit omnis Theologia superborum.
nLuth. tom. 3.218.Non nobis cogitantibus, sapientibus, volentibus, sed incomprehensibili & occulto opere Spiritus, praevenitur, quisquis fide donatur in Christo, ad solum verbi auditum, citra omnem nostram aliam operam.
4. Luther is much, as he cannot be enough, in depressing the glory of nature and free-will and exalting God.
oLuth. tom. 1. f. 46.138.We are not good by working, but by suffering, when we suffer the actings of God on us, and are quiet.
pLuther. tom. … 140.Whatever shall give thy …elfe to thee and permit thee, hold that in suspition, for it will cause thee finde thy own will in fasting, as Esa. 58. Whatever shall take thy self from thy self, follow that.
oLuth. tom. 1. f. 46.138.Luther, Non operando sed patiendo boni sumus, cum patimu… divinas actiones quieti ipsis.
pLuther. tom. … 140.Quicquid tibi teipsum dederit, & permiserit, tene suspectum, quia facit ut inveniatur voluntas tua in Jejunio tuo, ut dicitur, Esa. 58. quicquid autem teipsum tibi abstulerit, hoc sequere.
Therefore I adde these few considerations touching the Antinomians way of free-will.
1 Consideration.
…Wee are not able to master a good thought, but when the spirit works in us to will and to doe, yet are wee not freed from the Gospell-command to doe, will, beleeve, love, hope, pray, feare, obey, even when the spirit acts us not.
2 Consideration
Note.Nor is it peculiar to the covenant of workes that what ever God commands, man hath absolute and independent power to obey.
But tis common to the dispensation both of the covenant of works and the covenant of grace,an absolute independent power to doe what ever God commandeth, peculiar neither to the covenant of workes, before the fall, nor to the law or Gospel after the fall, but i… ever was common to all States to the creature to act dependently upon Gods predetermination. and not peculiar to pure law more than to the gospel, but common it is to all states, that Angels or man can doe nothing but as predetermined by God who did shew what frail nature is, for though Adam had a sanctified and strong free-will to obey God, yet when God was pleased to with-draw his predeterminating influence, by which Adam should actually have continued and persevered in actuall obedience and in a holy abstinence from eating of the tree of knowledge, hic & nunc, it was no more in Adams independent power to keepe that commandement, …ate not, then the sunne can move or the fire cast heat, when God denyeth his actuall influence to either. So the law had so much of beggarlinesse, frailty and impotencie of the creature, before its fall that the Image of God in its flower & Summer-prime and beauty could not keepe Adam from falling on his owne weight, yet was he obleiged not to fall by law and was not able to stand without the predeterminating influence of God, and so sinne, in falling when hee could not stand, and this is the same in the covenant of grace, the Image of the second Adam keepes us not indeclinably from sin, and though in the Gospell, God gives grace to doe what hee requires, yet can wee doe nothing even when wee are gifted with a new heart, and with a new spirit, except the Lord work in us to will and to doe, hic & nunc. Antinomians say, when God with-draweth his predeterminating grace, without which wee cannot worke, nor pray, nor beleeve, no command obligeth us in that case to worke, pray, or beleeve, because we are not under the law, & it is legall that we should bee obliged to fulfill a command which wee cannot fulfill so Del ser. p. 19. In the Gospel the word and the spirit are alwayes conjoyned. a manifest untruth, for the spirit is free to deny his influence hic & nunc, when the Gospel is preached to beleevers. And it is no law-straine that wee bee obliged to obey a Gospel-command when the spirit worketh not.
3 Consideration.
What is our owne onelyonly and nothing but pure, unmixed created free-will in any good worke is not to bee our darling, as if that were all. A higher principall must lead us then will, else wee are misled and stuck in the briars.
4 Consideration
Even to carry grace and to bee subjective and passive under grace, and to have a new heart, soures us with pride, therfore the spece and nature of mankinde, let alone our individuals, must breake in Adam under habituall grace, far more when wee are active by grace; therefore all must bee ascribed to God, I laboured more abundantly than they all, to prevent boasting hee must adde. Not I but the grace of God in mee. And least hee should bee proud of being the subject of grace, as if a poore Horse should boast of a golden Saddle. Hee saith, by his grace I am that I am, pride is so subtle, that it would creepe in under the golden crowne and enter in the heads of the foure and twentie Elders glorified in heaven, if there were not grace to cause them Rev. 4.10. Cast downe their Crownes before him that sits on the throne: most refined grace, where it wants drosse, even in Heaven, in the element of grace, can swell us and puffe us up, except another grace pull down our top-saile.
5. Consideration.
It is safer that we be chosen, then that we chose, that we be acted upon, then that we act, and that that choyce and fine piece of us, free-will, be like a rare Jewell, kept in a case of gold, and in such a cabinet, as the grace of Christ.
6. Consideration.
Free-wills Sabbath and rest is to lye quietly and contentedly under the sweet actings of grace, and our non-resisting of Christ in his sweetest operation, is our onelyonly happinesse; would we be patient of the Holy Ghosts omnipotency of saving operation, and not with-draw our hearts from under the bedewing celestiall showers, and droppings of the heaven of heavens, we should improve to good purpose, free-will, and rest in the bosome of Christs love, and sleep and lye, and drink in Christ, and then we were undeniably happy.
7. Consideration.
True, free-will is a sparkle of God, so much of a loosed and unfettered will to doe good, so much of God, grace is golden wings, for nature to flee to heaven withall. Freedome to doe ill, and to move to hell, is the devils fetters of vengeance.
8. Consideration.
Created free-will and Law are enemies, as fire and water: what Law willeth, Will refuseth. The love of Christ sodereth them in one, and grace maketh Law honey and milk to the soule.
9. Consideration.
Man chooseth God, because hee is chosen. And marrieth Christ, because he was first married against his will, for without consent, the consent is conquered to Christ.
10 Consideration.
That wee cannot lose Christ and the Crowne is our best freedome.
11 Consideration.
Antinomians by fathering their heresie on Luther, harden the Papists in their lies: for Alphonsus a Casco de haeresibus, l. 6. Verb. Evangelium, saith Luther, Melanthon, Brentius teach that the Gospel commandeth no duty at all, and removes all necessity of good works, which they doe onelyonly in the matter of justification. But this was that which Antinomians taught in Luthers time, which Luther refuted. For Luther often speaketh of the Gospel, as opposed to the Law of Works, and as it teacheth the way how the ungodly is justified. And saith with Paul, that we are justified by faith onelyonly, without works, which Papists cannot indure.
12 Consideration.
Broken free-will that first, and ever lost credit, is a field fit for free-grace to grow in. And the lesse that the free-will of Angels could doe to stand, when their fellow-Angels fell, the higher is the rate and worth of free-grace, in sustaining them, and except we would have elect Angels to divide the glory with God, of their standing when their fellows fell, we must say the lot of grace falling on these blessed Spirits, not nature, separated them from others, as good by nature, as they were.
13 Consideration.
Let nature at its flower be a broken gold chaine, that Christ may soder it. It was a depth that our wise Lord would create such timber or mettall, as free-will, that Christ might ingrave on it the artifice and elaborate skill of never-enough admired free-grace.