Survey of the Spiritual Antichrist, Part 2 · Chapter 66
CHAP. LXVI. Antinomians errors touching the covenant of grace.
ANtinomians aSaltmarsh Free grace, 127.grossely mistake the conditions of the Covenant of works, and of grace: they would hold forth, That wee were taken into the Covenant of works, upon some condition in us before. But in the New Covenant (saith Saltmarsh) we are not his people, before he be our God first. But I know none who ever wrot, or spoke of free grace, d…d draw the covenant of grace in such a proportion,There are no conditions in us moving God to be our God, but the covenant takes its rise and spring from free grace in God. as that Christ should first woe and sue us to a condition, in which by some preparing grace, we might earne, and as hirelings, worke our selves into a meriting condition, and make our selves first Gods people, and first chuse Christ, and provoke free grace; so as, in all reason, and congruitie, God must, if he be rationall, joyne in league, and article himselfe to be our God. Why? We have first articled our selves, by the condition of honest hirelings, to be his people.
1. This is as much as Christ will never covenant, nor indent to be our husband, while we first make our selves, by some preparing grace, his married Spouse. For sure this is a Marriage-covenant; we must first make our selves his people, and then, for shame, he must be our God: as if Marriage-love bred first in our breast, and stood upon this poore legge, the grace of man to God, not the grace of God to lost man.
2. We teach that faith in Christ is both a condition of grace on our part, but not Antecedent and preparatory to the Covenant, and also a grace promised, when the new heart is articled to us; so that Christ bringeth into the covenant himselfe, his righteousnesse, his free grace, and the condition of Faith that receives him; just as if the heire of a King should offer to marry a Maid of low birth, upon condition she weare about her necke on the Marriage day, a gold chaine, having in it a rich Diamond of the Crowne, and withall should oblige himselfe, under his hand and seale, in the Marriage-contract, both to bestow this chaine on her freely, and to infuse a Spirit of grace and love, to close in her heart with such a lover, and to yeeld consent to the match, and to adorne her selfe with this chaine. Just so doth the Prince of life here, and its a vaine thing to parallel this covenant of grace with other covenants.
3. Nor did ever any man before Saltmarsh dreame, that Law-obedience was an Antecedent condition of the Covenant of works, with Adam, No antecedent condition on mans part in the covenant of works, as Antinomians dreame.nor were Adam and Eve in their state of sinlesse innocencie, The people of God, before God was first their God; for then never man, Adam, nor any other, were under the Law, or Covenant of works, till first they absolved, and kept to the end, a course of perfect obedience. Yea, so there was never on earth, such a thing as a covenant of works, except made with Christ, nor can we say, that God made a Covenant of works with Adam, for his perfect obedience; yet sure, perfect obedience was a condition of the Covenant of works.
Antinomians have a second great mistake of the covenant of grace, while they make it as old as election to glory,2. Mistake how the covenant of grace is eternall. and the Lambe slaine from the foundation of the world, bS…ltmarsh Free grace, p…g. 123. Crispe Ser. on the Cove.its an everlasting covenant indeed, but that is not, because it is not made in time. Christ is an eternall Mediator, and an eternall Priest, and the Lambe slaine from eternity, but that was onelyonly in Gods decree, and eternall purpose, as touching the beginning of his Mediatorship and Priesthood, and so the creation of the World is eternall; but sure, Christ, in the fulnesse of time, was made of a woman, entred by a calling of God, in time to bee Mediator, and Priest, and dyed not for sinners, till the raigne of Tyberius Cesar, as he was borne in the raigne of Augustus; nor were we justified, pardoned, and redeemed from eternity, more then we were effectually called, sanctified, and gloryfied from eternity. But Antinomians will have our sinnes pardoned from eternity before we beleeve. And when were we then borne in sinne, and the heires of wrath by nature, and under condemnation, by the second Adam? Never really. When were we sometimes dead in sinnes and trespasses, and in time cEphes. 2.1.2past; walking according to the course of this world, according to the Prince of the power of the aire? And sometimes, dTit. 3.3. See 1 Tim. 1 13. 1 Cor. 6 9 10, 11.foolish, disobedient, serving divers lusts and pleasures, lyving in malice, and envie, hatefull, hating one another? Not when we were justified, if we were justified from eternity, and when wee were chosen to glory, before the World was. But so must all our sinnes before conversion be, but sinnes in conversation, not in conscience; and our Murthers, cousening, stealing, persecuting, whoredomes, if we be chosen, and so justified and washed, when wee are chosen, are eHoney combe cap. 5.87.95 Saltmarsh Free grace. 57 79. Denne, Ser. Of the Man of sinne, pag. 9.10 11.12. … Towne asser. grace, pa. 39.40.seeming and fancied, not reall sinnes; nor such in themselves, nor to the light of faith, or in Gods sight, by this Antinomian dreame.
Their third great mistake in the covenant of grace, is in the parties, Saltmarsh fSaltma…sh Free grace, 125 126.3. Mistake. How the covenant is made with Christ in the Antinomian way of Libertin…sme.tells us that the new covenant is no covenant properly with us, but with Christ for us. Its true, Christ standeth for us, as principall undertaker; who articles, as the second Adam for us, yea, for all his seed, to worke the conditions in us; he is the Mediator, surety, witnesse, Messenger, or Angel of the Covenant for us. But Antinomians gSaltmarsh Free grace, pag. 84.will have him so for us, as the Covenant shall oblige us to no dutie, or condition of beleeving to bee performed by us, and the Gospel shall tye us to no holy walking. Why? Wee are, (saith Saltmarsh) to beleeve, that our beleeving, repenting, new obedience, mortification, are all true in Christ, who beleeved, repented, obeyed for us. It is true, wee are to beleeve our repenting, obeying, beleeving, are true in Christ. 1. As in the meritorious cause, who hath satisfied justice for all our sinnes, and for the sinfull defects in our believing, repenting, obeying. 2. We are to beleeve, they are true in Christ, as the author, and principall cause, who works in us to will and to doe, by his effectuall grace. But Antinomians will not have us to beleeve, they are true in us; as personally, and in our selves, though by Christs strength acting them, or doing, or performing the duties of beleeving, repenting, mortifying our lusts by any obligation of the Law or Gospel commandement.