Survey of the Spiritual Antichrist, Part 2 · Chapter 72
CHAP. LXXII. Glorifying of God in sanctification needfull.
ANntinomians aHoney combe ca. 13.394.395.396.397tell us of a two fold, glorifying of God, one in the eyes of God, primary, immediate, passive, divine, by faith, in which God glorifieth himselfe in us, justifying us, Faith being the Creator, as it were of a certaine divinitie, as Rom. 4.20. Abraham gave glory to God, whereas unbeliefe maketh him a lyar. There is another glorifying of God that is outward, more fleshly and humane, secondary, mediate, Our active glorifying of God in acts of sanctification accepted in the sight of God.in the eyes of men, by good works, in sanctification, in which we are agents, and glorifie God by the Spirit, by which wee are partakers of the Divine nature, 2 Pet. 1.4. and it is done in a grosser manner, by declaring God glorified before men by our good works, Math. 5. and greatly inclineth to the glorifying of man; by this Abraham hath to glory and rejoyce in holy works, but not before God.
Answ. 1. We are not meere passive in beleeving, for then should we not be commended for beleeving, nor should wee know, rely, and trust in an all-sufficient Saviour, in beleeving on him, though there be a passion in beleeving. 2. These enemies of Sanctification abase all holy walking and works of sanctification, calling holy walking; 1. glorifying of God outwardly, and before men, in a fleshly manner. Whereas God seeeth it, and acknowledgeth it in his owne sight, sincere, unfained, perfect in its kind, with perfection of parts, not of degrees; they would have all Sanctification finer hypocrisie. I know thy works (saith bRevel. 2.9.Christ to Smyrna) and tribulation, and poverty, but thou art rich. That wee cLuk. 1.74.75.might serve him without feare in holinesse and righteousnesse, foreign, before him, all the daies of our life. And whatsoever yee (Servants doe) doe it heartily, as to the Lord, not to men. dCol. 3.13.e2 Cor 4.2.Commending our selves to every mans conscience, foreign, as in the sight of God. Abraham, walke before mee, and bee thou perfect, saith the Lord. How many of the good Kings did right in the sight of the Lord? Its true; our best works are polluted with sinne, and in the matter of justification cannot endure the strict Law-censure of the Judge of the world, if God narrowly fPsal. 130.3. Psal. 143.2.marke iniquity. But Antinomians are so at odds with holy walking, that they will have all the sincere works of the Saints wrought by the grace of God, to bee in their substance before God, plaistered hypocrisie: and yet in the justified, these hypocriticall works are no sinne, there being no more sinne in the justified, nor any thing contrary to a Law, which the Lord can see as a sinne more then in Jesus Christ. So here is holy, sanctified, and lawfull sinne, and an innocent hypocrisie, and holy, and harmlesse corruption and flesh. 3. A declarative glorifying of God in the eyes of men, not of God, must argue the beleever to be lawlesse, and a Libertine before men, and that he needeth not before men, and in his conversation with wife, brother, children, neighbours in his words, promises, covenants, buying, selling, works of his calling, doe all as in the sight and presence of God, for if he walke rightteously in his conversation with men, hee is behinde Gods backe, the Lord seeth him not; if he walke unjustly, in fornication, uncleannesse, cousening, lying, God seeth not these to be sins.
4. Why doe Antinomians exclude from works of sanctification, the worke of beleeving? Are we not to doe all good works in faith, as well as for the glory of God? and are we not to eat and drinke in faith? Rom. 14. vers. 22.23. are they not bastard works, that come not from such a root as faith? As the fruit is ill, if the tree be ill; and so we must glorifie God primarily, immediatly, in the sight of God, passively, in this declarative, and active, and secondary glorifying of God.
5. The Antinomians exclude a third sort of glorifying God, to wit, in private, when neither God seeth them, nor men, but they are done in a secret closet; as praying, praysing, meditating, and soliloquies of the soule with God, almes given in private, that men see not, nor doe the poore know of it; this is neither passive, nor active glorifying of God, and so the division is lame, except Antinomians will have us comming with our secret prayers and almes to the streets, and cause a trumpet to be blowne, as Pharisees doe?
6. The gloryfying of God by men that see our good works incline of it self to no glorifying of man, more then Abrahams giving glory to God, but onelyonly as we either trust to our good works, or vainely conceit we are justified by our good works, and then being abused, they incline to glorifie men, and make us vainely rejoyce and boast in them before God. So if Abraham should thinke his act of beleeving, were his onelyonly righteousnesse before God, his beleeving in God should be as fleshly a glorifying of man, as any his works of Sanctification.