Survey of the Spiritual Antichrist, Part 2 · Chapter 62
CHAP. LXII. The Antinomians way and Method of a sinners comming to Christ, confuted.
THe way and method that aSaltmarsh Free grace, cap. 34 pag. 144.145.Saltmarsh taketh to lead a sinner to Christ, is not Gods way, for hee thus goeth on. A beleever in all his dealing with God, prayer, or drawing neere in the first place, puts on the relation of Sonneship and righteousnesse, and considers all his sinnes, as debts payed and cancelled, and himselfe made free by the Sonne — and now hee comes in the Spirit of adoption, and calles God Father; and here beginnes all faith, hope, confidence, love, liberty; when as others dare not beleeve themselves in such a condition till upon termes of humiliation, Saltmarsh his Antinomian Method, and order of bringing a sinner to Christ.sorrow for sinne, workes of righteousnesse, they have, as they thinke, a reasonable measure, price, or satisfaction to come with; and then beleeve, hope, and be confident, and thus in way of compounding and bargaining with God, deale with him at all occasions; but such submit not to the righteousnesse of God; for they that beleeve upon something first in themselves, shall as they have kindled a fire, lye downe in the sparks of their owne kindling, and have nothing in Christ, because they will not have all in him; and though some will have all in Christ for salvation, yet they will have something in themselves to beleeve their interest in this salvation.
Answ. 1. Saltmarsh dresseth up a man of straw to come to Christ. 1. In all his dealing with God (saith hee) and so before ever he come to Christ, or at his first beleeving, he beleeveth his sonne-ship, that is, being a hogge, or a limbe of the devill, he beleeves himselfe to be an heire of heaven: we say, he first puts on the relation that he lived in, so in the womb, to wit, of the sonne of the Devil, an heire of wrath. 2. Hee beleeves his sinnes as debts payed and cancelled, (saith he) What? ere ever he come to Christ in the Spirit of adoption, hee beleeveth remission, that is, hee putteth on the wedding garment first, and then commeth to Christ, who onelyonly must give him fine lyning, the righteousnesse of the Saints. So Saltmarsh maketh him first a washen man, (for so he must be) if he first beleeve Sonne-ship, and then come to Christ the fountaine to bee washt; he first getteth money, and bread, and wine, and milke; for he first beleeveth his Sonne-ship and pardon, and then he commeth in the Spitit of adoption to Christs waters, his wine and milke, to his fatnesse and bread without money; that this is Saltmarsh's method, is cleare, for the title of the Chapter is, We must come before God, as having put on Christ, first, not as sinners and unrighteous. 2. His words are cleare in the first place, (saith he) He beleeves Sonne-ship, and cancelled debts, — and now he comes, — and calles God Father, and here begins all faith. — What? when hee considered himselfe as a Sonne, and all his debts cancelled, had he no faith? Saltmarsh is affraid, if the sinner stand a farre off, and looke to God with a rope about his necke, that he bee hanged and accursed eternally.
3. So bC…ispe vol. 3. ser. 8. pag 260 261.262Crisp saith, comming to Christ noteth no more dis-union nor distance betweene the commers and Christ, then before; they beleeve they are united and justified, and also cPag. 263.comming to Christ (which we call beleeving) is wholly passive, as we say, a Coach is come to towne, when it came drawne with horses; which is clearely as much, as we are Christs, and our sinnes pardoned, and both these wee are to beleeve before ever wee come to God. Shew a patterne for this preparation before we come to God.
4. Others (saith Saltmarsh, meaning Protestant Divines) Dare not beleeve, till upon termes of humiliation, sorrow for sinne, works of righteousnesse, they have a price and satisfaction to come with, The abuse of preparations before conversion, to merit, or no preparation is presumption, both condemned, the former in Pelagians, of the later in Antiominansand in way of compounding and bargaining they deale with God, &c. This is a forged calumnie of Saltmarshes, not our doctrine; some carnally minded men, thinke they dare not goe to Christ, because they have not holynesse and enough of preparations to merit saving grace, so doe Pelagians, Arminians, for merit is naturall to us all, this is the abuse of humiliation, of sense of sin, not humiliation it selfe, but swelling Pharisaicall pride; we forbid any to beleeve, and come to Christ upon such termes; but on the other hand, Antinomians faile foulely on the other extremity, through presumption, which is as deepe naturally in our bones, as merit; and that is, because some looke on all preparations, such as humiliation, sorrow for sinne, as a price and hire, to buy or compound for saving grace, so they may have it at an easie rate; therefore (saith the Antinomian) away with all preparation, away with all humiliation, all sinne-sickenesse for the Physitian. Saltmarsh hath found a shorter cut to Christ; let every Pharisie, and proud undaunted heifer, every Dragon and Dromedary that standeth on his tip-toes to justifie himselfe, remaining wedded to his lusts, without any humiliation, or sense of sinne, though as proud as a Pharisee, and a Belzebub, beleeve all his debts are payed and cancelled, and come to Christ, and there beginnes all faith, hope, confidence, love, liberty.
5. We make humiliation, sorrow for sinne, no warrants, no ground of beleeving, no price at all: land-marks we make them in order to beleeving,The Antinomians condemn both the opinion & the practise it self of humiliation and all preparations before that we bel…eve, and approve Pharisaicall pride in men, before beleeving, as selfe-righteousnesse, we onelyonly condemne the vaine opinion, but opprove the duety it selfe. and require the sinner to put the price of dogge on them, have such preparations, be humbled for sinne, sorrow, and in this order beleeve, not for your humiliation, nor for your sorrow; Judas may have more then you, and never beleeve; therefore in point of merit, or selfe-confiding, forget all your preparations, cast them away in your esteeme, and cast your selfe on Christ: but the Antinomian saith, cast them away both in your esteeme and practise; to have such preparations, to sorrow for sinne, and be humbled before you beleeve, is to seeke righteousnesse in your selfe, and not to submit to the righteousnesse of God.
6, That is an often abused place, Walke in the light of your owne sparks; as if it were in sense, if yee be humbled, feele the burthen of sinne before yee beleeve, and upon that ground beleeve, yee shall lye downe in sorrow. Yee may as soone bring the East and the West together, as make the place speak any such thing. Vatablus saith, The Lord threatneth judgment, that their owne fire, and idolatrous wayes, shall yeeld them sorrow, and a tormenting conscience in the day of wrath, and no comfort.
7. To be humbled, and sorrow, and heare, and then beleeve, if yee judge your selfe worthy of ten hells, notwithstanding of all these, and yet come trembling, and touch the hemme of Christs garment, is not seeking of righteousnesse in your selfe, nor any refusing to have all in Christ, but a sure way to Christ.