Survey of the Spiritual Antichrist, Part 2 · Chapter 56
CHAP. LVI. How duties and delight in them, take us not off Christ.
HEnce Antinomians, when they say, we must not so much as see our aTowne asser. grace, pag. 66.good works, for not to see them is bRise, raigne, er. 67.spirituall poverty, and we cannot see them, but we must trust cRise, raigne, er. 50.in them, and build on them. And therefore best remove such chalke stones, and rotten foundations, as holy walking, and live loosely, that wee sowing sinne, may reap pardoning grace; So they say, dVnsavory speaches, er. 7.I know I am Christs, because I doe not crucifie the lusts, but beleeve that Christ hath crucified them for mee. And our sanctification, eRise, raigne, er. 77.when darke and lesse maketh justification brighter. And fRise, er. 70.frequencie and length of holy duties, are signes of one under a covenant of works, and so under the curse of Law. And gEr. 57.to take delight in the holy service of God, is to goe a whoring from God. And hRise, er. 43. Libertines say, frequencie and delight in holy duties take us off Christ.the Spirit acts most in the Saints, when they endeavour least. All these say, to be rich in works of sanctification is to be poore in grace. 2. To doe and act nothing, and so sinnefully to omit the duties that the grace of God calleth for. Tit. 2.11. is the way to have the Spirit acting graciously; then sinne that grace may abound, be sicke, and exceeding sicke, that Christ may bestow on you much Gospel-physicke; To be aboundant in the worke of the Lord, to delight in the Law of the Lord in the inner man, to labour more aboundantly then they all, to bee rich in good works, are nothing else but to goe a whoring from God. So iSaltmarsh Free grac…. 84.Saltmarsh expoundeth these words, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Such were yee, but yee are justified, but yee are sanctified, &c. That Christ beleeved, repented, sorrowed for sinne, mortified sinne perfectly for me, and this (saith hee) is sanctification, and the fulnesse of his, the All in All. Then to doe nothing my selfe, but sinnefully to omit all duties, and let Christ doe all, is full sanctification; and the lesse yee doe, the more Christ doth for you.
Object. 1. Christ saith not, Peter be encouraged to beleeve, because thou art an holy, obedient, loving Apostle. But I have prayed that thy faith faile not, Saltmarsh, Free grace, pag. 32.33.
Answ. In that place he doth not shew Peter how he should know by such and such signes, that hee beleeved; but for Peters comfort and faith, he sheweth him the true cause, why he should not fall away, to wit, because his Advocate interceedeth for him.
Object. 2. Christ saith not to his Apostles, O my Disciples, though I be from you, yet yee have been thus and thus humble, penitent, obedient, and let this be your ground and assurance when I am gone, but hee layes in promises, yee beleeve in God, beleeve also in me, I will send the Comforter Saltmarsh, pag, 33.
Answ. We make no qualifications, object, or ground, or cause of faith, but onelyonly signes to know wee have faith, therefore might Christ hauehave said, ye shall know yee love me, and beleeve,How we may ab…se our evidences from walking by looking to much on our owne sanctified acts, and …o little on Christ. because you love those begotten of me.
1. But we thinke, though naturall sweating at duties, setteth not the Spirit on edge to worke graciously; yet to worke by the grace of God, increaseth both talents and grace.
2. Nor the frequent actings of grace, nor the simply looking on them especially under sad houres, to wine to our feet againe are ill, but the abuses to bee avoided. As 1. the comparative poring, and the more frequent living on the comforts of our owne gracious actings, more then on Christ himselfe and his death, is as if I would live to much on a sight of a new created birth in my selfe, and the Image of the second Adam, when I have Christ himselfe to live on. 2. Excessive out-running, and over-banke-flowings of wondring at what is done in our selves, by the grace of Christ, cannot want a great deale of mixture of our selfe; for we are not so found on acttings of grace in others, and that is a token there is a selfe-reflection in the worke, and that I sit downe, and write of my selfe a hundred in stead of fifty. 3. All comparative over-loving of created comforts must take the heart, in so farre off Christ. 4. We should wonder more at the depth and height of free grace in the Creator, and in Christ the well-head, then in our selves, for the beauty of grace, and gracious actings are in Christ, pure, spirituall, cleane abstracted; In us, in whom there dwelleth a Law in the members, it is muddie, clayie, in dregs, and concretion, abstracta sunt puriora concretis. 5. What we over-behold, that we over love; what we over-love, in that wee over-confide; the affections both in their flowings, and their over-banke-flowings are linked together: so we see not that actings of grace are made secret substituted Mediators with Christ; but these flow from the corruption of our nature, not from the straine of our Doctrine in these points.