Survey of the Spiritual Antichrist, Part 1 · Chapter 23 – Chapter 25
CHAP. XXIII. Praying a Law-bondage, the letter of the word no obliging Rule to those that are in the Spirit, by the way of Saltmarsh.
22. WHile Christians are in bondage, Praying is to Familists a part of Legall bondage.and not yet brought into the glorious liberty of the sonnes of God, Rom. 8. they are under the ministration of prayer, as children are to a Father in nonage vnd …upillage. Sparkles, p. 232.
A. His sense is, that the Saints may be in a state of not praying at all in this life; but taking bondage for a state of frailty, & absence frō God, it is true, praying argueth some Bondage, & want of full and compleat redemption, that we, as women travelling in birth, long after. But Saltmarsh meaneth of Legall Bondage and feare of the curse, and fleshly and carnall feare, and most blasphemously he makes Pauls thrice praying to remove the Messenger of Satan, & Christs thrice praying, O my Father, if it be possible, remove this cup, not be praying in the sp…irit, but in weaknesse, or the flesh, according to their own wills; which must make praying in faith to be in the same act, praying out of legall and fleshly unbeliefe, and make Christ under a fit of unbeliefe, and not to pray in the Spirit, when he said, Remove this Cup, &c. Now Saltmarsh could not have brought a place more against himselfe, to prove that prayer is not a fit of Legall bondage, then Rom. 8. For it is said, v. 15. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to feare, but the spirit of Adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
23. The meere Commandements and letter of Scripture, is not a Law to a Christian, Saltmarsh holdeth that neither written law nor Gospel is any obliging Rule to the creature.why he should walk in duties, but the law written in our hearts, Sparkles, page 243, 245.
Ans. Then the written Gospel, and promises of the new Covenant, obligeth not a beleever to pray, beleeve, give almes, or not to kill his father or King; but when the H. Ghost breatheth in the soule to doe these duties, then if a beleever whoore, swear, kill, rob, blaspheme, misbeleeve, &c. he sinnes not against any command in Law or Gospel, because the holy Spirit acted him not to abstain, and God the holy Ghost is the onelyonly cause of all the sinnes of the Saints, because he concurres not with more then the letter, even with saving grace, to prevent these sinnes. Wee sinne not in not praying, not beleeving, when the grace of God joyns not; then a man being in Christ, may whore, rob, blaspheme, misbeleeve, &c. if God wil be wanting to him with his flowings, and out…shinings of free grace, let him see to it, blame himselfe, he fails against no Law, Commandement, or Obligation. Libertines taught the very same, to wit, That God is the onelyonly cause of sin, Calvin Inst. advers. Libert, c. 13. c. 14. c. 15. p 445, 446, 447, 448.no creature, Man nor Angel is to be rebuked or punished for sin, God sinnes in them. Oh blasphemy! 2. We never said, that the meer Commandements and Letter of the Scripture, is our obliging rule, as the Letter is a thing of Ink, and a Paper, divided from the naturall and genuine sense, but as it includes the things signified, and as it expresseth to us what is the good, perfect, and acceptable will of God: which will obligeth Christians with an obligation different from any obligation that the L…w written in the heart layes on us. But this is as much as when a Sectary being justified, robbeth and killeth the innocent, hee fails nothing against this written commandement, (Thou shalt not murther) and a Saint cannot sinne, yea if the Law written in the heart, excite him not to ab…taine, he sinnes against no commandement of God; but the Law written in the heart, is the new creation as acting, which cannot be a Regula, or Rule, but a regulatum, a thing ruled; and this is to make the Spirit within us, not the spirit as speaking in the Word, the formall object of our faith, the Judge of controversies, and that is then lawfull, that every unwarranted spirit biddeth us doe and beleeve.
3. The Law written in our hearts, is either an obliging Law to the Christian, because it is onelyonly written in the heart, or because it is written in the Scripture, or agreeable to that which is written in the Scripture: If the former be said, then is the impulsion of the Spirit in the heart, without any relation to the Word, our warrant; this is nothing but Scripture lesse revelation, if then a Spirit in the heart, comand Becold & Knippe…d…ing to …oe a…ts of murther and Rebellion, …s they did, they … in not obeying these impulsions, which yet are contrary to the revealed will of God. Now it is a contradiction i… one and the same act, to obey the revealed will of God, and that lawfully, and not to obey it, and that also lawfully. If this heart-law be an obliging law, because it is also written in the Scripture, then is the meere Commandemement and Letter of the Scripture, the last obliging law at least to a Christian. And then yet when the Spirit does not conjoyne his sweetest breathings to procure in us an holy abstinence from murther, harlotry, perjury; but the Christian falls in these sinnes, he sinnes not, because no man sinnes, when he doth what he is not obliged to forbeare, or not to doe: For every one that sinneth, doth against an obliging Rule. But when there is no inspiration, nor actuall moving or stirring law in the heart, there is no obliging Rule at all that the Christian can contravene: For if the law in the heart be the onelyonly Rule that obligeth a Christian, it must oblige as it stirreth and moveth us, then when it stirres or works not, it is no Rule; and if so, in all the sinnes committed by Christians, be they never so hey…ous, the Christian sinnes not; for he go…s against no Law, no… any obligi…g Commandement.
CHAP. XXIV. Of the Indulgence of sinning under Law and Gospel, granted by the Familists.
GOd had a time before Christ came in the Spirit, as he had before Christ came in the flesh, in which he suffered with patience their sinnes; so— now under Episcopacie, Independency, Presbytery, he useth much forbearance; but he hath a time in which he will judge the world, and destroy Antichrist, and then shall all the Saints Indulgencies cease to all these things under which they are walking, some in conscience, some in liberty. Sparkles, 251, 252, 253.
Answ. The Scripture speaketh of no Indulgency to sinning after the revealed Gospel; because after his ascension he came both in the flesh and Spirit, and men have no excuse for their sins. Acts 14.16. Acts 17.30. In times of ignorance God winked, but now, even in Pauls time, he commands all to repent. 2 Cor. 6.2. Behold now is the day of salvation. And Rom. 13.12. Now the night is far spent, and the day is at hand. The Gospel day is dawn, a day of the Spirit beyond the Gospel day the Scripture knoweth not, except the incomming of the Jews, which is a Gospel day, in which the Moon light shall bee as the Sunne in his full strength.
2. Here is a new Familistical day of judgement begun in this life, and why not also the Libertine and Nicolaitan resurrection in this life?
3. Sinning in conscience and liberty excuseth no sinne, nor can Saints sinne at all in the Antinomian way, as is proven, and shall be hereafter, God willing. Now under Episcop…cie must God give dispensations to Prel…ticall Saint…, under that Antichristian ministration, to bow to Altars, and …, to all their Popery that now they professe and practice, and they sin not in that case; yea, and such walk with God in all …is removes, p. 316. and in all outward religious Administrations, page 314. and even following Popery.
CHAP. XXV. Familists will have us to be very Christ or Christed and Godded.
25 SOme say, CHRIST in us is no other then the habit of grace, and such a work of sanctification wrought by the graces of the Spirit, We are Christ, and made very Christ, & God manifested in the flesh by the Familists way.and this they say, is CHRIST formed in us. This the Protestant Generally. Others say, CHRIST in us is, when we are made the anointed of God, which is Christ, or the whole intire Christ, as one spirituall new man, 1 Cor. 12.12. and that the Image of Christ in us, is Christ manifested in our flesh as to sufferings, and death, whereby the flesh is crucified in the power of God, and of the Spirit, the outward man or flesh dying daily, and it is no more we that live, but Christ manifested in us, as in resurrection, Sparkles, 255, 256.
Answ. Saltmarsh here quits the Protestant, but leaves him with a slander and blot, that Christ in a Christian is but a habit of mortification: but he speakes nothing of imputed righteousnesse, and Christ living by faith in the heart, which he knowes the Protestant teacheth to be Christ in the Saints, the hope of glory.
2. Hee takes him to H. Nicholas, and makes every Saint one intire whole Christ, and the whole mysticall body of the Catholick Church in every beleever, 1 Cor. 12.12. that is, every man is Christ, and God manifested in the flesh, and Godded with God, and Christed with Christ in suffering: and this is all the incarnation of God, and crucifying of the Lord of glory, that Saltmarsh will allow us. But we beleeve Christ died, and rose, and in our flesh is sitting at the right hand of God, and withall, that in a spirituall manner he dwels in us by faith, cloathing a sinner in his whites of glory, and breathing, living, acting in him as in a Tabernacle, a redeemed and graced palace, which he will cast down, and raise up at the last day, and plaster, and more then over-gold with finest purest glory; This is Christ in us, the hope of Glory.