Survey of the Spiritual Antichrist, Part 2 · Chapter 48
CHAP. XLVIII. Antinomians hold that the beleever cannot sinne against God, but against men, in his conversation.
WEe beleeve that the Law or Commandement of Christ respecteth our salvation with God, as well as our conversation with men; contrary to Antinomians, Towne. …ser. pag. 149.who will have us as compleatly saved being once justified, as sinnlesse, and perfectly holy, as the glorified in heaven; Yea, wee have not so much as the blot of Papists venials, or Protestants sinnes of infirmity, or originall sinne dwelling in us. So as I judge the man that said to a learned opposer of the Anninomians, spoke right Arraignment of the Antinomi…ns pag. …5.in the Antinomian way; Sinne is nothing, how then can Christ hate nothing? If from eternity it was so pardoned and remitted, before it was committed; I see not how to Antinomians it must not bee meere nothing, as concupiscence is to Papists, who make justification the expulsion of the habit of sinne, and the bringing in of habituall righteousnesse, which expelleth all sinne, except venials, which indeed are no sinnes; for sinne pardoned to Antinomians and Papists, who are harmonious in this point, are no sinnes.
2. Nothing, be it adultery, or parricide, or any worke of the flesh, committed after justification can bee sinne, for it is against no Law, by this way, and doth not so much as pr… judge salvation by demerit; it onelyonly scandalizeth men, but cannot offend God. My soule enter thou not into these mens secrets.
3. Sinnes against Christian conversation, such as the adulteries of the justified, are no sinnes before God, because all sinnes, as sinnes, stand in the way, as contrary to salvation; then aske Antinomians is a justified person obliged to eschew Adulterie, they shall answer, Yea, hee is obliged, but how? There is a two fold obligation, one of Law, another of the free Spirit,How the justified are not obliged to eschew sinne, according to the Antinomian way. the former is removed; the justified man by no Law, or Law-obligation, is to eschew Adultery, as a sinne against God. 1. Because hee is freed from the Law, and all directing and obliging power of the Law. 2. Because it involveth a contradiction, that his Adultery should be sin, when committed by him, and pardoned before it be committed; for so it should be sinne, and no sinne. How then is he obliged to forbeare Adultery? OnelyOnly by an obligation Physicall, and of the Spirit, such as we call an obligation of naked courtesie, if he forbeare, it is an act of love and arbitrary freedome, but if hee commit it, it is not sinne, because it is in him against no Law-obligation, no more then an Englishman committing felony against the Lawes in England, (it is the Antinomians owne comparison) or killing a Swan in Thames, which is forbidden by the Lawes of England, does faile against the Lawes of Spaine. So his sin is against love, not Law, as if the Law commanded not all love, and love with all the heart; and as if these two were contrary, and the Law and the Gospel did involve two contrary, and contradictory wills in God; and the Lord should be changeable and unconstant in Law and Gospel; and his Adultery should bee contrary to men and Christian conversation onelyonly, not to God.
4. All acts and personall duties of sanctification, which we must persue and follow, (else wee cannot see cHeb. 12.1… ▪God,) are but degrees and parts of the compleat Sanctification that wee hope for in heaven, and the path of the just, is as the shining light dProv. 4.18.that shineth more and more till the perfect day: therefore they must be commanded as the way to salvation, and not as arbitrary acts of good conversation before men; but I shall here answer M. Townes objections, tending to prove that good works are not so much as the way to eTown 56.57, 58.salvation. 1. If good works bee such necessary conditions, that without them happinesse is not attainable; then 1. though the grace of God doe save as the alone cause; yet it doth not freely, for what God doth freely, it is without all condition, or consideration of mans workes or worthynesse.
Answ. It is good that Towne granteth, though good works be commanded in the Gospel,Townes objection, …ending to prove that good works are not the way to salvation, removed. yet grace may, for all that, bee the onelyonly cause of salvation; but contradicting himselfe, hee saith, If good workes be commanded in the Gospel, then grace is not the onelyonly cause of salvation, but grace and works, Law and Gospel, must be confounded. We say not, they are so necessary, necessitate medii, by necessity of meanes; but that any savingly beleeving at the nick of the extremity of his twelfth and last houre, God taking away all opportunity of good works, is undoubtedly saved; but in the worke of that faith, there is a seed and supernaturall disposition to good works. Now that this mother never bringeth forth the birth, hindereth not but good works are necessary to salvation, necessitate precepti, in regard of Gods commandement; but Antinomians deny good works to be necessary by any commandement of God. 1. Because to omit them, maketh the justifyed partie lyable to no guiltinesse, or sinne before God, say they, Because he is under no Law, and where there is no Law, there is no transgression, nor guilt, saith Saltmarsh. 2. Wee being justified are under no Commandement,Antinomians … good works to be necessary, by necessity o… a command. so as wee can violate this Commandement, be it of Law, or of Gospel; for it is pardoned before it be committed. 3. What God doth freely, is without conditon, as a meriting cause, or as a cause, or condition slowing from the strength of our nature without grace. Without a perfect condition, free of all sinnefull imperfection adhering to it, such as the Law required; it is true, but now the assumption of the objection is false. What hee doth freely is without all condition Evangelicke, wrought by the strength of grace, and mixed with sinnefull infirmities; so the major is most false; for Faith should not then be a condition of justification; good works are so conditions, as they be graces also. How often said Augustine, with Scripture God crowneth his owne free gifts in us, D…us …o…onat in nobis non nostra …, sed sua do…a.not our merits. 4. The same way I distinguish the consideration of good works, either Legall, or Evangelike. And 5. Towne doth conjoyne our worthinesse which is none at all, with our good works, which are something, for they are conditions of meere grace.
Object. 2 So saith he, Yee make works the causes of salvation.
Answ. It followeth not, that they are con-causes, or joynt-causes with Christ, but onelyonly conditions; just as a mans journeying on foot or horse, to a City,Calvin. Instit. lib. 3. or a Kingdome to inherit it, is the way, condition, of his entring the City; But it is not his Charter, or Law-title, or right to enjoy the Crowne, as his inheritance; any effective influence to the title of the Crowne of heaven, I dare not ascribe to any works in us, or to any but to Christ; but undeniably,August. Bona opera non precedunt j…st…ficandum, …. good works are not so much as conditions of justification, they follow a man justified, but goe not before justification; no more then the Apple goeth before the tree, or the cisterne before the fountaine; nor are they the conditions of the Covenant of grace: they are the conditions of covenanted ones, not of the covenant.
Object. 3. If salvation depended on condition of our good works or dignity, it would be uncertaine and doubtfull, Rom. 4.16.
Answ. The Apostle, Rom. 4.16. clearely is on the theame of Justification by faith, and the condition of it,fPhil. 2.13. Heb. 13.21, 2…. which is faith onelyonly. 2. Wee say not that salvation dependeth on works, as a condition, but on the grace of God, which worketh every good worke in us freely, without hire or money, neither works nor free will are our sure free hold of heaven.
Object. 4. Yee confound Law and Gospel, and runne on that common error, that the Gospel is conditionall; remission of sinnes dependeth not on works.
Answ. It is a new heresie of Antinomians to deny a conditionall Gospel, it is all one, as to bely the Holy Ghost, who saith, He that beleeveth shall be saved, hee that beleeveth not is condemned already. Or they may say, Whether men beleeve or no, they are saved, as D. Crisp saith. 2. Remission is but one of the promised mercies of the Gospel;bC…ispe vol. 3. ser. 5 pag. 176. and because it dependeth not on works, as a condition, for the which life is given, as Antinomians charge us, but most unjustly; it followeth not that works are no conditions in any sense; this is vaine Logick; they are not such conditions of dependencie, and causality, therefore they are no conditions at all.
Object. 5. Yee strengthen naturall knowledge, and the opinion of men, Towne asser. 57.that God will justifie none that are unworthy and uncleane, freely; for every naturall conscience doth require a worthynesse in man, the Gospel teacheth the contrary.
Answ. Towne confoundeth ever justification and salvation, and perverteth the state of the question. 2. The naturall conscience is a Merit-monger and dreameth of inherent satisfaction, and hand-paiment to God,The G…sp…l … between d…spa…re and presumption. for heaven without a Mediator, in so farre as it lookes on its owne naturall whitenesse, and hellish civility, but the naturall conscience doth also presume, and fancie an Anti-Gospel on the other hand, that God is mercifull, so as to carry dogges and swine, as meere blocks, sleeping in Christs bosome, to heaven; the Gospel goeth a middle way that we are justified and saved, in, through, and for the righteousnesse of another, and these who are thus saved, must be new creatures, have their fruit in holinesse, else they cannot have life eternall; and the naturall conscience knoweth neither waies.
Object. 6. It must follow, that imputed righteousnesse is not sufficient to make men capable of salvation; … asser. …7.so that a godly life fitteth us for heaven, and the more holy our life is, the fitter it maketh us for heaven.
Answ. Sanctification fitteth us in the owne kind for heaven,Sanctification …teth us for heave…, and how. though not in any sort as the meritorious cause; and when the positive is denyed, the comparative degree cannot be affirmed; a Raven is not white at all, therefore it cannot be said to be whiter then snow. Sanctification conferreth no meritorious capacity and fitnesse for salvation, therefore it cannot adde any higher degree of fitnesse, above that which sinners have from the merits of Christ. We grant all: but when Paul saith, Col. 1.12. Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath maedeus meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light. The Antinomians are as farre out as carnall Gospellers can be; if, with Towne they say, all this fitnesse was in justification onelyonly; for it was in that, in the which, and for the which, Paul giveth thanks to the Father, and prayeth for them. Now this object of his praying, and praising, was not for their justification onelyonly, but vers. 10. Their walking worthy of the Lord unto all wel-pleasing, being fruitfull in every good worke. Vers. 11. Strenghned unto all patience. This was a part of their fitnesse, and that holy walking conferreth a fitnesse and disposition for salvation to me is cleare, because no uncleane thing can enter within the gates of that higher 1 Rev. 21.27.City, and because that love which we have here in our way, being the same in nature, though not in degree, with that which in our countrey 1 Cor. 13.….13.shall remaine, as a part of our garland, and crowne, the one must be a fit disposition to the other; and when the Apostle saith kHeb. 12.1…Follow peace with all men, and holinesse, without which no man shall see the Lord. It cannot be meant of imputed righteousnesse, for by the same reason; peace with all men, must bee meant of peace with God. But the truth is, these arguments fall of wll: therefore I come to that which is the bottome, the mother Heresie of Antinomians.