Survey of the Spiritual Antichrist, Part 1 · Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII. Saltmarsh cleareth his minde touching personall mortification faintly, and holdeth many other points of Familisme, as of Christ crucified, risen, ascended to heaven in a figure, or in the spirit, not really in his true Man-head.
SAltmarsh is now the cheife Familist in England, hath written of late a Treatise called Sparkles of glory, which containes the spirits and extractions of the doctirne of Swenckfeld, David Georgius, Henry Nicholas, and all the Familists, Antinomians and older Libertines, in which he professeth himselfe A Seeker, and disclameth Presbytery, Independency, Anabaptisme, and that there is neither Ministery, Church or Ordinances, nor any promise of continuance of them till Christs second comming, contrary to Mat. 28.19, 20, 21. Ephe. 4.11, 12, 13. Mat. 26.13. Mat. 24.14. And pleads for liberty of conscience, and yeeldeth that he will write no more against that learned and Godly man M. Tho. Gittaker. Hee further labours to cleare himselfe, (Sparkles of glory pag. 323, 324, 325, 326,) That he said, that Christ hath beleeved perfectly, repented perfectly, mortified sin perfectly for us; which hee thus explaineth to wash it from Antinomianisme and so calleth it a pretended Heresie.
… would c…eare how he said … hath perfectly beleeved repented, and mortified … for us, but … no purpose.1 (saith hee) that Christ hath done all for us is truth, hee hath fullfilled all righteousnesse for us, b… that which is of the Law and that which is in the Gospel in graces &c. And upon this accompt is made unto us righteousnesse, &c.
2 Faith, Repentance, Mortification, were all in Christ origiginally, primarily, as in their nature, their fountain, their root, or seed, and therefore hee is said to give repentance to Israel, and he is the Authour and finisher of our faith, and it is caled the faith of the son of God, and of his fulnesse all wee have received, and grace for grace, for every grace in him, a grace in us.
A. 1 If Saltmarsh have no other sense, but that our faith, repentance, mortification, are in and from Christ as the meritous cause, because Christ by the merit of his death procured grace to us to beleeve, repent, mortifie sinne.
2 That these are from Christ efficienter, as the efficient cause or from the spirit of Christ infusing the life of God in us, and actuating the supernaturall habit of grace in us and working in us to wil and to do, this is that which Protestant Divines say, that Christ is our Savior merito and efficaciâ, by the merit of his death, against Papists, and the effectuall; yea, and the irresistable applying of his death to save us, as we teach against Papists, Pelagians, Socinians, then surely I hope neither that learned man M. Gattaker, nor any of ours censured M. Saltmarsh for Antinomianisme or any heresie, in his point we agree, and then we say that M. Saltmarsh in these words, gives us a faire and ingenious Recantation. I am glad of this.
But Saltmarsh will be found to wash Antinomianisme off himselfe with Ink-water, and he hath no face, at least it is much ignorance to call Protestants Legallists, because they teach that our faith, repentance, and mortification are from Christ by way of merit and the effectuall working of grace, nor did ever Protestant deny this.
1 Saltmarsh free grace p. 61, 62. excludeth personal not acting such and such a sinne and our personall sanctification from being part of Gospel pure▪ and spirituall mortification, p. 62, 63. And saith, our pure and Gospel mortification is to beleeve that Christ mortified sinne perfectly for us, and the like hee saith of sanctification, and repentance, p, 84, 85. So Saltmarsh willeth us not to repen…, nor beleeve, nor mortifie sinne in our owne person, but to beleeve Christ hath done these for us perfectly, and then we beleeve, repent, and mortifie sin perfectly
2 He citeth Scripture, But yee are sanctified, but yee are justified &c. This is out of all doubt personall sanctification flowing from Christs merits, and his spirit. And I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth mee. This is personall doing in Paules person by the grace of Christ, and wee are his workemanship created in Christ Jesus unto good workes. Those be good workes that wee in our owne person doe, by the spirit of sanctification. But Saltmarsh exponeth all these to be not ours, but the very personall actings of Christ, for his words are these, pag. 84. free grace.
All these scriptures set forth Christ the sanctification and the fulnesse of his, the all in all. Christ hath beleeved perfectly for us, hee hath repented perfectly, he hath sorrowed for sinne perfectly, he hath obeyed perfectly for us, and all is ours, and we are Christs, and Christ is Gods. Now Saltmarsh can have no such sense as here hee would force on himselfe: For never man doubted, but personall acts of grace, or, don by the strength of grace, are ours; but how are they ours? as we are Christs? onelyonly as Christ acteth them for us without us. No, are they not ours? the Spirit of Jesus worketh them in us, and causeth us personally to doe and act them, Ezek. 36.27. John 7.39? If Christs perfect beleeving, perfect repenting, and his perfect mortifying of sinne be ours, because Christ did these acts for us in the dayes of his humiliation while he was in the flesh; then are they ours before we be born, and the holy Ghost must exhort us to doe all in the strength of Christ, and to be sanctified, and to beleeve perfectly to justification, and that we be his workmanship, to walk in good workes, that we put on the new man, that we mortifie sin 1640 yeares before we be born: for so many yeares agoe Christ performed all these things for us: but we are this day exhorted to put on the new man, and to walk in good works. Now the holyghost in scripture must either speak nonsense or whē he saith, walk in love evē this day, repent while it is to day, stand up from the dead to day, beleeve to day; he must mean, you need not stirre foot or hand, or any power of your soul to these acts: for Christ performed all these acts for you 1640 yeares agoe. For then he must mean Christ hath repented perfectly in me a beleever, and wrought perfect repentance free of sinne in me a sinner, and Christ hath obeyed perfectly in me a sinnerr; that is, by his merit and Spirit, Christ hath wrought in me and in my sinful person, perfect obedience, and so hath made my personall sanctification, my personall new obedience by his grace perfect, and perfectly conforme to the Law, which is most false. And when Paul saith, I am able through Christs strength to doe all things, his meaning must be, Christ worketh in me, in my sinfull soule, understanding, will, affections, and whole man, to doe all things through Christs strength perfectly, as Christ doth all things perfectly. Now, sure, Christ doth all things perfectly, and without sinne: But did Paul by Christs strength all things perfectly, and so as he was free of si…ne? I think not. 3. Saltmarsh taketh upon him to yeeld us some purer and finer Gospel mortification, then the Protestant Legalists have done in former times, as he saith▪ pag. 61, 62. Now if his mortification be in Christ onelyonly, and not in the sinner himselfe, nor any act of him, and a perfect mortification in Christ onelyonly, as the meritorious cause, and also as the onelyonly efficient, not in us, and as in Christ the onelyonly subject not in us: then I grant he gives us a finer mortification, because what Christ doth onelyonly and perfectly, and in himselfe, not in us, must be finer then any mortification or acts of sanctification we doe in our person, though we doe these by the Merit and Spirit of Christ working in us to will and to doe. But then Saltmarsh nill he, will he, must say, the Gospel-mortification is that whereby Christ hath perfectly mortified sin for us, and not that (which he sayth. Sparkles of glory, 324, 325.) mortification which Christ first doth in himself, and then in us through himself; and so he vindicates not himselfe. (4.) I never yet (saith he) denied graces and fruits of the Spirit of God, which appeare in faith, repentance, new obedience, mortification of sinne. I speak it in another conception▪ and measure of light. —The Christian as the English or French, can onelyonly speak in his own tongue or language, till the Lord be One, and his Name One amongst us. It is true, 1. Saltmarsh and Antinomians say, there are graces of Faith, Repentance, Mortification, or rather, (as Town saith) gifts of Faith, &c. But 1. they are not Gospel-mortification. Why? Gospel-mortification is perfect in Christ, saith Saltmarsh, Free Grace, pag. 84. these that are in us, are not perfect at all, nor conformable to Law and Gospel. 2. They are not commanded so, as the contrary omissions should be sinne, they are onelyonly free and arbitrary acts of the Spirit, and of a spirit separated from the word. 3. Saltmarsh denies not graces in faith, repentance, and mortification. But he denies the necessity of the things themselves, as acted personally by us; Yea, Saltmarsh saith, Confession, Repentance, are sinnes, at least infirmities or sinnes of weaknesse. For free Grace, pag 87. he sayth, You say well: For David c…yed out in the bitternesse of his soule, that his sin was ever before him, and then his sanctification was out of his sight, and that God had forgotten to be gracious but I said saith he, this is my infirmity. In whic… words, Davids confessing of his sinne, which is a… act of … is joyned with his quarrelling with God, … had been a changed God, Psal. 77. and of both it is sayd, that David sayd, This is my infirmity, or my sinne. Now if hee spak not of both, the words can beare no sense; and if so, confession of sinne, (and by the same reason, repenting of sinne) must bee a sinfull infirmity. How then can Saltmarsh acknowledge grace or fruits of the Spirit, except he acknowledge grace in sinning, which were absurd.
4. Saltmarsh calleth his unsound speaking, a Christian speaking, till the Lord be one, and his Name One; as if the expressions of Antinomians and their Hereticall doctrine, were the language of a Christian, when it is the language of the Antichrist. And if Saltmarsh failed but in expression, he should have answered his own Arguments, and the Scriptures that Mr. Gattaker alledges on the contrary, and confessed Mr. Gattakers doctrine was found in that point, and his own Familisticall, in his way of expression of it, at least.
Yea Saltmarsh further enlargeth himselfe in other Articles of Familisme, more unsound then before, and worse, if worse can be; as
1. Man is sayd to be made after Gods own Image, which Image was Jesus Christ, Sparkles of glory, p. 3.called by Paul, the Image of the invisible God, the brightnesse of his glory, the expresse Image of his person.
Scripture sayth not, that man was made according to the Image of God Christ: for Christ is the Substantiall and eternall Image of the Father. Man was created in the created participation of God in righteousnesse and holinesse, Eph. 4.23, 24. and especially if Saltmarsh speak of Christ as Mediator, as he doth, it is most false.
2. Man while he stood was the figure and Image of Jesus Christ in his new creation, or whole body, or Saints. p. 4. Sparkles of Glory.
An. P. 201. he setteth down this as the last & highest discovery of God to man, above & beyond what Protestants say of salvation by faith in Christ crucified, died, buried, ascended, sitting at the right hand of God, &c. For all these Gospel truths he rejects as literall and fleshly, They say, (sayth he, speaking of Fumilists) Adam was a way by which God preached first to man, and was not the first man in whom all stood and fell, but a way (figurative and allegorick, not literall and historicall, as if Adam were a true reall man) by which this mystery of God was made to appeare. But what Scripture is …here, that Adam …n the st…e of Innocency was a figure of the Mysticall body of Christ Mediator? We may not at our will fansie figures and types where the word goeth not before us.
3. This excellency and glory of the first man, as it left God, life and communion in him, was a figure or image of this creation departing from God, and living out of God.
Ans. What reason hath Saltmarsh to speak with H. Nicholas who saith man sinned from the beginning, bu… speaks not one word of the first Adam that sinned▪ as if th… first sinner were not one single man, s…e Knewstub against H. Nicholas.
2 The Scripture saith, Rom. 5. All sinned in the first Adam, as the head, root,Familists deny the first Adam to be a true man, but a figure only, and Christ to be man only figuratively in regard of his mysticall body the saints in whom he dyes and suffereth. first nature and publick father of all mankinde. By one man many were made sinners, inherently and intrinsecally. Saltmarsh will have all men to sin in Adam, as in the first figure, type and Sampler by imitation, onelyonly as Pelagius said, or he will have the first Adam, a man figuratively onelyonly, not really and indeed, and wee know Familists change the whole story of Adams fall, and say the tree, the Garden, eating were not materiall trees, gardens, &c. but meer figures.
4. Jesus Christ is the Revelation of God, even the Father, this is the glasse or Christall of God, in whom we with open face see God, p. ….
Ans. In all the wilde expressions, he hath of Christ, as that he is Gods Revelation, Gods Christall. He calleth him not the Son of God, by an eternall generation, as Divines from Scripture speak.
5 The vaile of this first Temple or creation, was rent by him who crucified all flesh through the eternall spirit and en…red in his glory.
Ans. What Scripture saith Christ crucified all flesh through the eternall spirit; hath Christ nailed all his flesh to the Crosse? or must he mean, as he elsewhere hinteth, that Christ had not a proper naturall body of his owne, in which he dyed, but all his mysticall body the Church is his body, in which he suffers afflictions and death in his Saints, as in his image, then must the sufferings of the Saints be that satisfaction and price of Redemption, payed to justice for our sins, and so as many afflicted suffering Saints, as many Saviours.
6 Sparkles of glory, p. 15, 16, 17. He acknowledgeth no visible Church, but onelyonly the invisible baptized into one Spirit.
Ans. The word acknowledgeth a visible kingdome like a draw-net that gathers in good and bad, a barne floore in which is chaffe and corne,Familists acknowledge no visible, bu… only invisible Church. a field, in which is wheat and tares, Matth. 13. a visible house of sons and servants.
7 The man of … 2 Thess. 2. is the corrupt flesh in every man, not the Antichrist the Pope of Rome.
An. So said H. Nicholas judging all the externalls of Popery indifferent.
8 Pag. 29, 30. The Baptisme of water, is John Baptists Ministery till Christ, Christ baptized none, nor his Disciples, but from Johns Ministery so that Baptisme of water is done away, as other legall shaddows, and all baptizing spoken of in the Epistles, is spirituall baptizing.
An. Christ gave a contrary mandate, Mat. 28.19, 20. and Peter saith, Act. 10.47. Can any man forbid water? Act. 8. the Eunuch was baptized with water, Act. 16.33. Col. 2.11, 12. 1 Pet. 3.20, 21. Antinomians judge baptisme, the Lords Supper indifferent, as they doe all externall administrations, for to them they are but the killing Letter, the flesh.
9 Christ ascending to heaven, went out of flesh into spirit, p. 43. Sparkles.Familists teach that Christ is not ascended to heaven in our flesh and nature.
An. He hath not then our nature and flesh in heaven, contrary to Ephe. 2.6. He is not then our High Priest now touched in heaven, with a feeling of our infirmities, his flesh is now not the new and living way, contrary to Heb. 4.15.16. chap 7.24, 25, 26. ch. 10.20. Nor doth the Heaven containe him till the last day, as the Scripture saith, for his Spirit is every where.