Survey of the Spiritual Antichrist, Part 2 · Chapter 68
CHAP. LXVIII. How the Spirit worketh freely in the Antinomian way.
SAltmarsh Pag. 179.boldly goeth on to hold forth, When the Spirit of adoption works not freely, but servilly and legally.
Object. 1. When men put something of satisfaction on any performance, as if God were prevailed with by any thing of their owne.
How our performances prevaile not, or prevaile with God.Answ. Satisfaction to revenging justice, or of merit, or of perfect obedience to the Law, in our performances, we disclaim; or that we prevaile with God, by any thing of our owne, as if our performances were causes of turning God, were any thing without the grace of Christ, and his merits, but for prevailing with God to obtaine a blessing by prayer and teares, we say it with the Scripture, Hos. 12.3. Jaakob by his strength had power with God, yea, hee had power over the Angel, and prevailed: he wept and made supplication to him Gen. 32.24, 25, 26. nor is this an old Testament-Spirit, the parable of the unjust Judge and the Widdow is in scope, a doctrine of prevailing with God, by importunitie of prayer. Iames bIam. 5.16.17.bringeth the example of Elias for the prevailing of prayer; and Christ, cMat. 17.21.This kinde of devill is not cast out but by fasting, and prayer; and so the Spirit of adoption worketh dRom. 8.23.24.25.freely.
Object. 2. Saltmarsh; eSaltmarsh Free grace. 179. Who looke on Christ in the by.The Spirit worketh not freely when wee take in Christ; but by the way, and rest not wholy on him.
Answ. They looke on Christ by the by, who take in their good works as fellow-causes with Christ, thinking to be heard for them; Christ is but a by-Mediator, if he bee not whole Mediator: its a practicall error naturally in us, to improve the the sufficiencie, and incomparable weight of Christ to little purpose; and dote more upon done duties, then on Christ; yet this is not our Doctrine, but our sinne that we are to be humbled for.
Obj. 3. Saltmarsh; When we are in bondage to some outward worship of circumstances, as time, place, person, the Spirit works not freely.
Answ. It may be Saltmarsh thinketh the Lords day under the New Testament legall; men of his gang doe it. 2. And not to pray, but at such houres as the Spirit moves him, fRise, reigne,because the Spirit onelyonly, and the Spirit acting, and ravishing, is the only obliging Law and command under the New Testament, the Letter or written Scripture, to pray continually, g1 Thes. 5.17, 18.in all things to give thanks, to h1 Cor. 1….5….bee abundant in the worke of the Lord, i1 Tim. 6.…7.to be rich in good works, kLuk. 16.9.and to make our selves friends with the Mammon of unrighteousnesse, at any time ere we bee put out of our stewardship; except when the Spirits wind bloweth faire, that so they may receive us into the everlasting habitations, is a law bondage; yea, to abstaine from adulterie, murther, swearing; except the Spirits acting,Antiominans hold it legal service to be obliged in holy performances to any written rule of the Word but only to the Spirit. which is our onelyonly obliging Law now; is a legall, not a Gospel-service, nor can a beleever sin, when he commits adultery, murther, for hee doth nothing against the only obliging New Testament Law, the acting of the Spirit, when the Spirit actually doth not act him, and stirre him to duties of charitie, and love of the brethren; and doth not actually deterre, and pull him back, by his immediate impulsions, and breathings, from adulterie, and murther: I desire an answer, intimating a difference between sins of Adultery and Murther; and so sinfull omission of duties, of Chastity, and saving the life of innocent brethren for a MonethMonth, which must involve a sinnefull not-loving our brother for a MonethMonth, and the not praying to God for thirty dayes, as the heathen Kings Law was, upon supposition that the Spirit act not, and stirre not up to prayer for thirty dayes; and if so, it is a question if Adultery be sinne, and if abstinencie from Adultery, upon the conscience of the seventh Command, be not an impeaching of the free working of the Spirit of Adoption, and a spece of legall bondage.
As for Saltmarsh his fourth ground of bondage, to wit, that to doe any thing from the power of an outward commandement, or precept of the Word, that it brings forth but finer hypocrisie, and his seventh, To take any outward thing to move them rather then apply Christ for strength, life, and Spirit, is meere bondage. I have answered alreadie, it is an Enthusiasticall opposing of the working of word, works, and well grounded experiences of the Saints, to the actings of the Spirit, and a looseing of us from beleeving, and obeying Scriptures, from trembling at the Word, and a most wicked way of Enthusiasme.
Object. 5. Saltmarsh lSaltmarsh Free grace 180.when they doe, because of some vow, or covenant they have made, &c. It is more properly the service of the Old Testament, and part of their bondage, for wanting the power and fulnesse of the Spirit of adoption, to worke them to obedience freely from within, they were under the power of outward principles, to put them on from without.
Answ. 1. If nothing move men to doe, but the Letter of the Covenant, Vow, or Promise, not the Spirit of grace, then can the Spirit never be said to worke Legally, or not freely, because the Spirit works not at all; nor can this bee called properly the service of the Old Testament, except Antinomians say, the Spirit of grace wrought none at all in the Old Testament, but onelyonly the Letter, contrary to all the heavenly Psalmes made by the Holy Ghost, and the acts of faith, in Moses, David, Job, Jeremiah, which every Page of Old Testament refuteth, and we must say, meere nature, and the dead Letter without the Spirit acted them. So Hebr. 11. Psal. 51.10. and infinite other places on the contrary.
2. Nor can yee say, by the same reason, that a naturall conscience, a desire of a name, lest they should be reputed covenant-breakers, moved these in the Old Testament to act, for so none could have been tearmed, men according to Gods heart, nor perfect and upright men, as David Job, Ezechiah, Noah, because upon this Antinomian ground, they were all but fine hypocrites.
If I mistake not, Saltmarsh condemneth all who have taken the Covenant in the three Kingdomes; and are moved for feare of the oath of God, to stand to it, as Legalists, and Old Testament Spirits: The Covenant that Asa, Josiah, caused the people to stand too, was a Law-bondage, that we are not now obliged to; and upon the same grounds to keepe faith and promise upon lawfull contracts and oathes between King and people, or made to God to keepe Marriage-covenants, contracts, legues, and bargaines betweene man and man, which we conceive to be of the Law of Nature; must all be the proper service of the Old Testament, and contrary to the Gospel: to keepe my lawfull promise made to a man, to pay my debt, because I promised, when I borrowed money. To keepe the Covenant of God made in Marriage, because it is an outward covenant, is to doe because of some Covenant; and to be in Law-bondage, and to doe, as being under the power of outward principles; and Paul must writ to Philemon, as under the bondage of the Old Testament. mPhil. ver. 18If Onesymus hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put it on my count; if he should pay Philemon, seeing he became his debter, by an outward promise and covenant, he did not pay him by the Spirit of adoption, working freely; but by a Legall Spirit, as being under the Law, not under grace, by this learning. A Jesuiticall way to loose men from all covenants, promises, bargaines in buying and selling, treatise, and Indentures betweene persons, Nation and Nation, to loose us from all the bonds of the Law of Nature, and Nations, and free us from that which is the Law and the Prophets, Whatsoever yee would men should doe to you, the same doe ye to them. Then shall nothing bind us under the New Testament? Doth the Spirit of adoption make us Covenant-breakers, Truce-breakers, Traitors; I thought the Gospel had nRom. 1.3….condemned all these and taught us o2 Tim. 3.3.to live righteously, and p1 Thes 4 6.not to cousen and defraude one another. Who now come nighest to the lying Antichrist, who can dispense with all Lawes of God? For Saltmarsh who calleth Presbyterians, Antichristian Legalists, because they cannot away with Antinomian Heresies, saith, To doe or performe, what wee have promised and covenanted because we have promised and covenanted, is more properly the service of the Old Testament, and part of their bondage, for wanting the power and fulnesse of the Spirit of adoption; then a Gospel-obedience by the free Spirit of adoption. I remember qSimplicities de…ence against Si…ver headed … p. 22.Sam. Gortyn, and other Familists, the deadly persecuting enemies of the faithfull, and gracious people in New England, deny it lawfull to sweare at all; rPag. …3.deny Magistracie, or any subjection to them; deny the Law, the Letter of the Law and Gospel; all Learning, Lybraries, Bookes, reading, and all such externals, as Saltmarsh argueth against in this Chapter, as savouring of Legall bondage. But to keepe Covenants and promises because ye have put your selves under them by a willing ingagment, is a fruit of the free Spirit, and is not contrary thereunto. Gal. 5.12. Ephes. 4.15. Col. 3.8, 9.
Object. 6. Saltmarsh; When sAct. 1….9.they come to God in any act of worship or prayer, &c. as to a Creator, rather (saith Saltmarsh) then a Father, and as a God, rather then as a God in Christ, they put themselves under such an infinite purity, as they can neither have accesse with faith nor boldnesse.
Answ. 1. But Saltmarsh, I conceive, speaketh of the Spirit of adoption his not working freely, but in a Legall way, as under the Old Testament bondage; by which hee must insinuate, that the Saints under the Old Testament, in any act of worship or prayer, came to God as Creator, rather then Father, and as God, rather then as God in Christ. How then saw they the day of sAct. 1….9.Christ? How were they saved by tAct. 15.…1.faith, purifying the heart? And by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the way of Jew and Gentiles both? And were justified by the imputed uRom. 4.1.2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.righteousnesse of Faith, as the Gentiles?
The 7th. being refuted before; I come now to the last, which is a strange Character of a servile Spirit. When they measure (saith he) their forgivenesse by their sinne and sanctification, xSaltmarsh 189.and can beleeve no more then they have peace for, and that peace upon something of their owne performed, and not from beleeving on him who hath performed all. God hath not given us the Spirit of feare, but of power, and of love, and of a sound minde, 2 Tim. 1.8. or of a minde not corrupted with any of these.
Answ. 1. To measure forgivenesse by sin, that is,How sin and sanctif…catio is a measure of forgivenes and how not, and the Antinomian … thereof. to thinke our sinnes are too many for Christ to pardon, and we too foule for Christ, out of free grace to wash is indeed a Spirit of bondage: but that is not the Antinomians sense. But thus, To measure forgivenesse by sinne and sanctification. As to argue thus, I wallow in the myre with the Sow, and goe on with an high hand, without remorse and sorrow, adding drunkennesse to thirst, and drawing iniquity with cart-ropes of vanity, void of all sanctification: Ergo, I have no forgivenesse, and am not washt from my old sinnes; then truely, it is most false and licentious doctrine, to say in this sense, its Legall to measure forgivenesse by sinne and sanctification; for sinne is a measure to sanctification thus: but Antinomians will have living after, and walking in the flesh, and free pardon of sinne to consist together in one.
2. It is good to beleeve no more of forgivenesse, then wee have sound and well-grounded peace for, which floweth from justification; as Paul speaketh of peace, Rom. 5.1. Being justified by Faith we have peace with God, &c. But wee make not rotten and false peace, or peace of unbeliefe to be of the same circumference and compasse with pardon.
3 Peace flowing from justification as the cause, we allow; and also peace flowing from our spirituall performances,What Peace is? done in the strength of Christ, and his free grace, as from signes, and land-marks, and evidences; So the wearied night-watch hath both comfort, or freedome from night-feares, and anxities, from the appearance of the day-starre, and from the rising of the Sunne; from the former, as a signe; from the latter as a cause.
4. Nor doth Saltmarsh truely say, This peace is from something of our owne, and not from something of Christ, except he defame all the spirituall performances in the Saints, as bastards begotten of pure nature, and father them not on Christ.
5. Nor is the act of beleeving lesse ours, and so lesse a ground of our peace, then our performances done by the grace of Christ, except Saltmarsh comply with yRise, raigne, er. 68.Libertines, who say, that the faith that justifieth a beleever, is the faith, that is and remaineth subjectively in Christ, and not the faith, that is in the beleever himselfe; which is a way to loose us from all Gospel performances, and let us live in fleshly licence, not in Christian liberty.
6. The Spirit of feare that Paul speaks of, 2 Tim. 1.8. is that servile, mercenary feare in Devils and hirelings, not the feare of such as keep covenants, and promises, and pay their debts, and stand to treaties, because they thinke just promises and covenants doe bind, even beleevers in Christ, in the feare of the Lord, to performance, except they would sinne against the Law of God, which Antinomians cannot beleeve. If this externall tye be contrary to the free working of a Gospel-Spirit of adoption I confesse, all duties of the Law of Nature must be cryed downe by the Gospel; and better covenant with Indians and Americans, then with Antinomans.