Survey of the Spiritual Antichrist, Part 2 · Chapter 58
CHAP. LVIII. Antinomians teach, beleevers must not walke in their conversation, as in the sight of God, but must live by faith with God.
ANtinomians from their mis-understood justification (of which they be utterly ignorant) with Familists, inferre, That justified persons must not walke, and live blamelesly with men, and by sense, but must live, and have their dayly conversation in the sight and presence of God; and so they abandon all sinceritie of holy walking before men, and must live by faith, up with God without sinne. Dr. Tayler strongly proveth the Law to be in force to beleevers, because the same sins are forbidden, after faith, and before faith, and so the same holy and sincere doing of the Law, by personall strength of free grace, is given to us in Christ; and aTowne asser. 39.10.Towne answereth him, Keepe the Law and works here below on earth, and as Enoch, converse in spirit, and walke with God, in the alone righteousnesse of Christ, and though justification be one individuall action, and not by succession and degrees, as inherent holynesse, yet the vertue and efficacie of it is to cleare the coast of the conscience from all sinne, to keep the unbeleever in everlasting favour, peace, securitie, happinesse, though the Jebusite must be in the Land, and the prick in the flesh, uncessantly forcing us to sinne more, or lesse, inwardly, or outwardly; yet Faith banisheth all the vapours that arise from our earthly members. The same bSaltmarsh Free grace▪ pag. 74.…42 cap. 32. p…c…. 2Saltmarsh hath. But this is a subtile way of fleshly living. 1. The word requireth sincerity, as in the sight of God, in our walking and conversing, here on earth below with men. Servants (saith cCol 3.11.Paul) obey in all things, your masters according to the flesh, not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but in singlenesse of heart, fearing God. Then servants are to serve, as beleeving they are under the eye and sight of God; and childrens obeying their parents, is dCol. 3.20.well-pleasing to God; then doth God see and judge our works; and Enoches walking with God, was not in onelyonly beleeving that GOD walked with God, or the Sonne Christ with the Father for him, as eTowne asser. 41.42.Antinomians say, making imputative sanctification all in all that is required in us, but also in Enochs personall, holy, and sincere conversing with men. Hence that goeth as a description of the good Kings of Israel and Judah; He did right in the sight of the Lord. Which includeth their conversation on earth with men, as well as their faith in God So to walke as the f1 Thess. 5 6 7.….children of the day. As wise men, not as fooles G…l 5.15.in Christ, as Coloss. 2.6.we have received him, and to live no longer the rest of our time 1 Pe…. 4.2.in the flesh, to the lusts of men, but to the will of God, to have our conversation 2 Cor. 1.12.in the world, by the grace of God, in simplicity and godly sincerity. All these, and many the like, hold forth necessarily a sincere walking before God, as in his sight, in our dayly conversation with men; and the Antinomian doctrine in this, is that, though beleevers walke as carnall men, serve their lusts, whore, lye, cousen, deceive, yet they are strongly to beleeve, that God seeth them not, nor any fleshly and sinnefull walking in them. God seeeth not their whoring, lying, cheating, cousening to bee sinne, and their beleeving that God seeth not their wickednesse, is their living by faith, and walking in the Spirit with God up in heaven, as Enoch did.
2. Nothing of beleeving Antinomians sinneth, but their flesh, as the Libertine said in Calvines time, I sinne not, but mine Asse, Non ego pecco. sed A…inus meus, caro mea.the flesh; the conscience the justified person that is in Christ sinneth not, because the flesh is under the Law, (as Towne lTowne asser. pag 35.saith) nor is this sinning of the flesh, sinne; because sinne essentially is against a commanding Law, and cannot but in the sight of God be, accounted sinne, for God cannot (seeing all his judgements and wayes are according to righteousnesse) but account Adultery to be Adultery, Murther to bee Murther; but Antinomians say, nothing that a beleever doth, no Adulteries, nor Murthers are sinnes, nor can God see them as sinnes; For how can the Lord see sinne (saith mEaton H… ney combe ca…. 3. pag. 77.Eaton,) where there is none? There is no more sinne nHoney combe cap. 3 25.in a beleever, then in Christ himselfe.
3. It is no matter (saith nHoney combe cap. 3 25.Eaton) that we feele sinne and death still in us, as if Christ had not taken them away, because God thus establisheth the Faith of his power: and therefore that there may be place for Faith, we feele the contrary; for it is the nature of Faith to feele nothing; but letting goe reason, shutteth her eyes, and openeth her eares to that which i… spoken by God, and cleaveth to the word spoken both living and dead. Its true, Faith beleeveth pardon, and freedome from the guilt and obligation to eternall wrath, which is a Gospel-truth, farre from sense, but faith closeth not its eyes to beleeve a lye, that Adultery is no sinne before God, because a justified man committed it. The glory of God needeth not to begge helpe of a lye, that it may be manifested.
4. By this the justified man liveth and abideth (as Towne oTown asser. f grace, pag. 129.130.saith) for ever, by faith, in the sight of God. But what haste? The Resurrection is not past yet, except Antinomians with Familists follow Hymeneus and Phyletus, nor are the justified yet glorified, they abide not ever under Gods eye sinnelesse, and as cleane as Christ, (as pHoney combe cap. 3. pag 2….Eaton blasphemeth, to his everlasting shame) for the Jebusite (saith qTowne assert. pag 40.Towne) remaineth in the Land, the Law of the members, and sinnefull corruption of the flesh, dwelleth in them. 2. They must say dayly, Forgive us our sinnes, if God be their Father, else they neede not pray dayly, Hallowed bee thy name, thy Kingdome come, &c. 3. The flesh of sinne dwelleth with the Spirit, Rom. 7. while they live. 4. Death is not an imaginary lye and fancie, so as Faith must beleeve the contradicent; that is, that beleevers breath goeth not out, they returne not to their dust, they are to beleeve; sure, beleevers see corruption, Acts 13.36. Act. 2.27, 28, 29. 1 Cor. 15.42, 43, 44. Then Antinomians cannot say true, that there is no more sinne in beleevers, nor any thing having the nature and being of sinne, then is in Christ. 5. They are not yet enjoying God in a vision of glory, as Christ did, even in the dayes of his flesh, for he was both viator and comprehensor, a traveller to the Crowne, and an enjoyer of the crowne, and therefore though justified, they must walke here below, and cannot chuse but sinne, though they be not forced to sinne, (as rTowne asser. grace, pa. 40.Towne saith.)