Survey of the Spiritual Antichrist, Part 1 · Chapter 31
CHAP. XXXI. Saltmarsh and Familists teach that there is salvation in all Religions.
I Am onelyonly against a forme, as it becomes an Engine of persecution, &c.Saltmarsh and Familists …each that there is salvation in all Religions. Ans. So Saltmarsh here opens a great mystery of Familisme, which is Liberty of conscience, and salvation under all Religions, for if any forme of Religion, never so sound be commanded even by a Law of God, and ratified politically by a Law of man, and none left free to mens owne Spirit as to the only binding rule, though it be a Spirit of Sathan, it is no lawfull Religion to Saltmarsh. Now that this is his minde is cleare from that he saith Spark. 171, 172. In books of controversie, we can but set letter to letter, and Scripture to Scripture, and argument to argument, and nothing can be judged till the day or time of more revelation of truth, till the Holy Ghost and fire sit upon each of us, trying every mans worke, and burning up that in us which is hay and stubble, in which words beside that Saltm. judgeth and condemneth himselfe in writing this same booke of Controversie in favour of the Familists condemning, in expresse words, the Protestants in all the articles of their faith, he will have no man to see truth, or to judge any otherwise, or know what he beleeves but by conjectures, till the day of revelation come, that he turne Familist and become all Spirit, and all glory; so all the Protestants that are not Familists set but letter to letter, and are literall legalists, and have no certainty what they beleeve, and when this Spirit commeth, he teacheth not by the word, setting letter to letter, and Scipture to Scripture, but by immediate inspiration, above and beyond the word.
2. This Spirit even having come upon Saltmarsh, as hee plainly saith, p. 68. And in his Epistle to the Parliament p. 2.3. does but dictate to him errors, hay and stabble that must be consumed; for if he so do, when he hath taught these toyes hee teacheth the contrary the next day, what a spirit is this?
3. If the Scripture be not the judge of controversies, by setting letter to letter, Scripture to Scripture (understood according to the naturall, and genuine grammaticall sense, which the words yeeld without constraint) then is the Scripture, as Scripture, and in its native sense, a nose of wax, and hath no native sense, but wee are to expect a higher, spirituall allegorick sense, then the letter can beare, & that from the Spirit. We have by this way then no certain rule of faith the un…able then may lawfully wrest the scripture to their own des…ruction▪ Paul proveth Jesus to be the true Messiah, and that convincingly, he confounded the Jewes, foreign, confuting them, that they were confounded in their mind, and strongly proved, with violence and strength of Scripture light, that this is the Christ, foreign Act. 9.22. and Christ remitteth the Jews to the Scriptures as the judging rule, Act. 5.39. If the Scriptures be so dark, uncertain, doubt some to naturall men, void of the Spirit, ye shall not convince Cain by the 6. Commandement that he is a murtherer▪ nor Achan by the 8 Command, that he is a theef nor Ananias that he is a lyar. All may say the Spirit hath the cōtrary sense, & that truly by this way.
And in the following words, he would not be against an Assembly or Synod at Westminster (though he deny there is any such Ordinance of God) now, as Synod, or Ministers or Church) if they would minister as they have received; that is, propound to all the Kingdome (he saith not,Every mans owne conscience, and owne spirit is his only Bible and obliging rule in all Religions to Mr. Saltm. and Familists. all the Churches) what they are perswaded of in their conscience, and leave it without compulsion to the Spirit of God to perswade; for this were true liberty, where we see, to minister as we receive, 1 Pet. 4.10. to Saltmarsh, is to teach and propound to others, and walke themselves, and accordingly beleeve as they have received, that is according as they are perswaded in their conscience; then if the Assembly of Divines were perswaded in their consciences that to one man to have fifteen wives at once, as John of Leyden, and his, beleeved, and that the Alcaron were the truth of God, he should thinke they minister as they received, all the Familists and Antinomians in England, if they should sit down in a Synod, and all the Papists in another Synod, all the Socinians, in third Synod, all the Arrians in a fourth, all the Prelatic all Reconcilers in a fifth, all the Anabaptists in a sixt, and propound such things only as they have received or they are in conscience perswaded of, to all the Kingdome, they should then all minister as they had received, and should be good stewards of the manifold grace of God; for so Peter speaketh, 1 Pet. 4.11. for sure Saltmarsh cannot say, the commandement of the Parliament must be required to make a Synod, if men speake their owne drunken perswasions, to M. Saltmarsh they fulfill the Apostle Peters rule, Let every one minister as he hath received. Now, by this, to minister as we receive, is not to minister, as we receive from the Lord, 1 Cor. 11.23. nor according as Ministers, Heare the word at the mouth of G…d, Ezeck. 2.8. ch. 2.10. or as the anointing teacheth us, 1 Joh. 2.…. Joh 6.45, 46. because the Lord or his Spirit, or the anointing cannot teach men lyes, contrary to the word of truth; but the perswasions of men often are lyes, errors, mistakes, then shall every mans erroneous conscience, and his owne dreaming spirit be the rule of his owne faith, and his teaching of others.
And 2. This is cleare from his words in the former Epistle to the Parliament, if such as conforme not to doctrine and discipline of the Church, and preach without ordination, shall be proceeded against by fines, imprisonment, then all the glorious discoveries of God above, or beyond that systeme, or forme of doctrine, shall be judged and sentenced as heresie and schisme, and so God himselfe shall be judged by man. Now this consequence is nothing, that God must be judged by man, except the perswasions of the consciences of Familists, Antinomians, Socinians, Arminians, Arrians, and all the sects that say they are the godly party, be very God, beleeving, professing, teaching in them, then, if such can no more be judged then God, what ever their spirit perswadeth them, must be truth; for God cannot but perswade truth, then I confesse the Sects must be infallible, because the Scriptures say no more of the Prophets and Apostles, then God spake in them; and the mouth of Prophets is called the very mouth of God, Luke 1.
3. Why? These judges, the Saints, now called Sectaries, are not infallible? but when Sectaries come twenty thousand armed men against the Presbyterians, who in conscience beleeve and have proved that the Sectaries speake lyes in hypocrisie, must not they be infallible in both, judging them to speak against their conscience, and in opposing Liberty of conscience, and also in killing them, or then they kill men upon fallible conjectures: Then if Presbyterians be perswaded in their conscience, that liberty of conscience is Atheisme, not true liberty, then must Sectaries, who are but men, judge God, and punish us, because we minister to others what wee have received, for we are perswaded of the truth we teach.
4. This way promiseth salvation in all Religions, so men in these be perswaded in their conscience of the truth thereof, against which the Assembly hath determined according to the word of God, ch. 20. Sect. 3. and. c. 10. Sect. 4.