Survey of the Spiritual Antichrist, Part 1 · Chapter 2
CHAP. II. Of Libertines.
The Libertines who spra…g up, … 1525. of ki… to the Famili…s and Antinomians.IF we come a little lower, about the year, 1525. arose the Libertines, which are a kind of men that come near to the Antinomians, and Familists, and all of them savour strongly of the Manichaeans, Valentinians, and Cerdonites. Calvin advers. lib. c. 2. observeth that Libertines under pretence of Christian Liberty, trampled under-foot all godlinesse, so doe Antinomians. Before them C…rdo, the Disciple of Heracleon as Epiphanius in Anaceph▪ stood for his two principles, one good, another evill, as Tertull. also saith, de praescript. He said, that Christ suffered imagi…rily,Finer Antinomians deny the Incarnation of the Sonne of God. as Tertull. relateth, so Familists and finer Antinomians deny the Incarnation, and say, Every beleever is Christ incarnate, and is Godded and Christed, with the holy anoynting; Cerdo denyed the Resurrection, so do Antinomians and Familists. Marci…n his Disciple taught the like. With Manichaeans, they are not farre from rejecting all the Old Testament, for Antinomians will have no actuall Remission of sin in the Old Testament so saith Den…e, Doctrine J…h. Baptist, p. 51.52. Del. serm. p. 3, 4. no inward conversion of sinners to God, no holy Spirit given, no Covenant of Grace then, as Crispe and Mr. Del say. The first man of the Libertines was an unlearned rude fellow,Coppinus. Quintus. Antonius Pocquius the first Libertines. Coppinus a Flanders man; after him arose one Quintus a Taylor in Piecardi…, a drunken proud man and to him was joyned one Bertrandus who dyed soone, and one Claudinus persevalus: But a chiefe man among them was Antonius Pocquius a Priest, who still said Masse, though Papists shamelesly call them Calvinists, Anton. Pocquius a Priest, the first libertine affected to be obscure and objected ignorance to Calvin, that be could not understand his foole…i…s.these fellows spread their fles…ly Heresies in Holland, Brabantia, and other parts of Low Germany, and infected thousands, drew away many in France.
Antonius Pocquius, a dissembling hypocrite remained at Geneva for a space, desired of Calvin, a Testificate that hee might pretend Calvins name, but what he could not obtain from Calvin, who saw him a phantastick foole, he found at Martin B…c…r who was more simple then Calvin, and that Quintinus said to Calvin, when he rebuked him, for his vaine and new expressions, that he understood not his words; so do Antinomians and Familists say, none but themselves know anything of the Spirit, and of the mystery of free grace.
2. Libertines revealed none of their secrets but to those of whom they exacted an oath to follow them: So doe Familists and Antinomians cautelously keep up their mindes from any they know to be contrary to their way.Libertines and Antinomians in many things like other.
3. They spake in darke, obscure, mystick, and sublime words, not with the Scriptures; and so doe Antinomians, alledging they are Godded and Christed. Moses is not in their conscience, they live in Heaven, they are neither male nor female, they walke by the rule of the new Creature.
4. Libertines professed they would speak so ambiguously, as their words might cary two senses, because Christ preached darke parables to the people: Antinomians have not to this day explained in their writings, whether the justified can sin or no; …ut in practice they say they may, lye, whore, sweare, cousen; God seeth no such sinnes in them.
5. Nothing was more frequent with Libertines, then the Spirit, the Spirit, Antinomians say, to preach duties, to rebuke sinne, is not a Spirituall straine of Gospell-preaching, it's legall, literall, Moses-like, not Christ-like.
The chiefe errors of Libertines, which I prove to be holden expresly,Libertines and Antinomians agree in opinion… in most things. or by undeniable consequences by Antinomians and Familists are these.
1. The Scripture is a dead and killing letter, the Spirit that quickneth is our aCalvin adver. libert▪ cap 9. p. 441, 442.rule, so say Antinomians.
2. bCalv. 442.The Scripture is to be exponed in an allegoricall and spirituall sense, so Antinomians.
3. cIbid.The Evangel is a spirituall doctrine, because it comprehendeth Christ who quickneth us: the Antinom. Del. pag. 19. to prove this, citeth the same Text with Libertines, John 6. The words that I speake are Life and Spirit.
4. (d) The word is nothing but the Spirit, that Christ is the Spirit; we are made Spirits (Godded with him say Antinomians) with Christ, and our life should be the Spirit it selfe, so Familists and Antinomians teach.
5. eRise, reign …r. 2.3.God is that one Spirit, that acteth and worketh all, in all creatures; especially in Angels and men, good or ill▪ and worketh in us all vitall actions, of living, growing, willing, understanding, in place of our soule: so doe New England Antinomians teach.
6. Quintinus that hogge (saith Calvin) called Paul a broken vessell, Adv. lib…r…. c. 9. p. 411.John a foolish young man, Peter a denier of his Lord, and Mathew an Vsurer. We know Antinomians say, fRise reign unsav. speech …r. 8.Peter leaned more to a Covenant of workes; Paules doctrine was more for free grace then Peters, to Antinomians Moses, the Prophets, Christ, John-Baptist are legalists, …preach carnally, litterally. The Old Testament is a dead letter, (saith Del serm. pag. 3.4. under all the outward Religion) men (he excepteth neither Patriarchs nor Prophets, nor Godliest then living) were inwardly as corrupt and wicked as very Heathen: for all their circumcision in the flesh▪ they were uncircumcised in heart; for all their outward washing, they were inwardly uncleane.
So that notwithstanding the outward worship of God, the people remained inwardly corrupt, filthie, and uncleane, and without any true Reformation before God, till Christ who was God in the flesh came with the Ministration of the Spirit; and then indeed was the time of Reformation: then the Spirit was not given to Moses, David, Abraham, till Christ came in the flesh, more then to Pharoah, Nebuchadnezar, or other heathen.
7. They say, with Sadduces, that Angels good or ill, are nothing but imaginations, thoughts, and motions of the minde of man; as if imaginations were sent to deliver the Saints, Libertines say Angels are but motions of the minde.beare them in their armes▪ pitch their tents about us, open prison doores, taught us Gods will, saw the face of God, tempted us to sinne, send diseases on us, lied, teached lies, spoke Scripture to Christ, as good and ill Angels do. They say, man was made of a body, and opinion in place of a soule; that the other enemy the world is nothing, and sin an naked opinion.
Libertines make God the author of sinne. Antinomians conspire with them.8. They said God was not onelyonly he, in whom we live, move, subsist, have a being, Act. 17. but there was neither reason nor will in us, more then in stones; God doth all the wickednesse, villanies, perjuries, incests in men.
9. No men are to be rebuked for sinnes; sin and all wickednesse is to be imputed to God: so the Antinomians gRise, reign er. … 3.make the Holy-Ghost the cause and author of all the good we doe, and say, reason, will, all the faculties of the soule are destroyed in the conversion of a sinner; who then acteth all sinnes and wickednesse in believers? Famili…ts teach the same expressely: see Bright starre, and Theol. Germanica.
10. Men are to convert all their sinnes to good, and to repute them their gain and advantage.
11. They said Christ incarnate, was nothing but a godly man, or a believer made of a body, and of an opinion, that he could not sin, nor know good and ill; and when Christ died, he dyed in opinion. Antinomians say, Christ is God incarnate hRise reign. …r. 11.in every believer. God (saith iTh…l. Germ. ca. 22. p. 52.Theol. Germ.) is in man, and works his will alon…, and doth doe, and leave undone any thing, without any I, to me, mine and the like; where these things are and exist, there is true Christ, and no where else.
12. They said sinne was but a vaine opinion, because God is the author of it, (saith M. Archer, with Antinomians) and God can doe no ill.
13. Regeneration (they say) is to returne to the ignorance of good and ill, Antinomians and Libertines have the same conceptio…s touching mortification and conscience of beleevers.(as it was Adam's sinne to know good and ill) and mortification is to lay aside all conscience and knowledge of sinne▪ and as child…en to cast away sense and conscience, and therefore when any mourned, or were grieved in conscience, or repented for sinne, they said, to such a man: O Adam, livest thou yet! and keepest thou still the gust and taste of the apple that Adam eat; after the same manner Antinomians now, kTowne assert. gr. 97, 98, 99.115, 116.42, 43 Sal…m. free gr. 83, 84, 85. Den. conference with the sicke man p. 30, 31, 32, 33. Eaton honeycomb…, c. 8.171, 172.say repentance, griefe, sorrow for, sense or conscience of sinne in a believer is legall, carnall, fleshly, from unbeliefe; and the old Adam and that its contrary to faith, and Gospel-light to confesse sinnes, and was lTown. assert. pag. 103.a worke of the flesh in David.
14. They said, a regenerate man is perfect as an Angel; and that he that is borne of God, cannot sinne. So say the Antinomians, Towne assert. pag. 77, 78. R. Becon Catechis. pag. 137, 138. pag. 211, 212. Saltmarsh free grace, 140, 154. Rise reign, er. 70.
15. mCalv. a…ver. liber. c. 19. fo. 453, 454.They said, Christian liberty extended to all things, that in regard we are under no law nor rule of life, all things are lawfull: so Antinomians, as all know teach the same.
16. They said a regenerate man, as regenerate, sinned not, but only the flesh or his asse: so Towne also assert. pag. 35, Saltm. free grace, 142. Eaton honey-combe, c. 4. pag. 47.
17. That every man follow his calling, that is, his naturall inclination, and the world, that is custome; and so put away his wife when he suteth not with her, and marry another, is lawfull; so as men may live as their corrupt hearts, as the lust of the eye, and the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life carrieth them, which three are not from God, 1 Joh. 2.16. as if sense and naturall inclination were Gods calling, and not the Devils. I prove mDen…ser. man of sin, p. 9, 10, 11, 12. Saltm fr gr. 142 Honey-combe. c. 4.5.at length that it is the Antinomian doctrine, to say, the sinnes of believers, are not truly and really and in Gods account, sinnes, but onelyonly to our lying sense, reason, false feeling, and to the flesh.
18. nCalvin adver. lib. c. 21.It's (say they) the communion of Saints, to have all things common, goods, wives, &c. Antinomians say, for an unbeliever to take another mans wife is sinne; because they are under the law; but it's no sinne to a believer freed from the law: for God can see no more sinne in him, then in Christ Jesus, honey-combe, ca. 3. c. 25, 26, 27.
19. They said the resurrection was passed, and that we have compleatly and in possession life eternall in this life; so say oSalt. fr. gr. 140 T…w. ass. gr. p. 60. Mistris Hutchison Rise and reign, p. 61, 62, 63. Nich. Stork, Tho. Muncer. his Rise and Tenets how sutable with Antinomian divinity.Antinomians expresly, as I prove.