Survey of the Spiritual Antichrist, Part 2 · Chapter 82
CHAP. LXXXII. Libertines and Antinomians doubt of the Resurrection, and life to come.
Paral. XIV. LIbertines denyed the Resurrection, and said with Hymeneus and Philetus, That it was already done, and in this life, they mocked salvation, in hope of the aC…l…in a… ve…. …iber. ca. 2…. p. 458. P…u…us men… onem f…cit Phileti & Hymenat qui j…m … tempore resurrectio… …sse tacta… diseb…nt, —rident (Liber ini) spem omnem, quam de resurrectione habemus, id que jam nobis eve…sse dicunt, quod adhuc expectamus, Pag. 459. Clamat Scriptura & clarâ voce cotē dit, ut si salutē in nostram velimus contemp…ari, ad supremum illum diem animos erigamus Canes vero issi latrant frustra id fi ri, nos que jam resurrexsse; nullam a…p…us resurectionem expectandam.comming of the Lord; they said, To walke in newnesse of life, was the Resurrection with Christ, and all the resurrection wee are to looke for. David Georgius saith, As there was bBlesdikius Hi…or. Davi…is Georg… lib. M…rabil…um, Pag. 41.42.43.44.45.46▪ &c.a revelation under Moses and the Prophets, and a more cleare one under Christ and the Apostles. So under himselfe, the true David, the Lyon of the tribe of Judah, the stone hewed out of the Mountaine without hands: there was now a farre more glorious revelation, and most spirituall, that he exceeded so farre Christ according to the flesh, and the Apostles; as that all Ordinances and externall worship, and seales, should cease when he comes, because of the efficacie and spiritualnesse of his doctrine above Christ in the flesh, and all the Apostles, as the Spirit is above the flesh. And the cPag. 51. Art. libro Mirabilium, 24.clouds in the which Christ was to come, to judge the quicke and the dead, must bee Allegorically expounded of the mindes of the Saints. dIbid. Art. 26.The Archangell that shall sound the Trumpet, is the Doctrine and discipline of this David the Christ. And that the eArt. 27.place of happinesse was in this earth, not in heaven. The fArt. 28.kingdome of God is the Spirit of Jesus Christ, and that Christ would have shortly a glorious kingdome; and that gArt 29. The blasphemies of Dav. Georgius.Paradise, heaven, and hell were within men, and that heaven was the gifts of the minde, the earth the goods of the bodie, and their use which shortly should come to the Saints.
Another false Christ, was Henry Nicholas, hHenry Nicho. a Germā, 100 yeares agoe, in his Booke intituled the Joyfull message of the Kingdome, cap. 1 sent. 9. & cap. 34.35 sent. 8.who called himselfe, as Ainsworth iAnsworth Preface, in an answer of an Epist. of H. Nichol.saith, The Father of the Family of Love, who saith, kH Nicholas joyfull Message of the kingdome, or his Evangel. cap. 34 sent. 2.of himselfe, God hath wrought a wonderfull worke on the earth, and raised up me Henry Nicholas the least among the holy ones of God, which lay altogether dead, and without breath and life among the dead, and made me alive through Christ, as also annointed me with his godly being; Manned himselfe with mee, and Goded me with him to be a living tabernacle, or house, for his dwelling, and a seat of his Christ, the seed of David.
And lH. Nicholas in the same, cap. 32. The Blasphemies of the deceiver H. Nicholas touching the Judge of al, the last judgement, the resurrection and the life to come.Behold and consider, my beloved, how wonderfully God worketh in his holy ones, and how that now in this day, or light of the love, the judgement seat of Christ, is revealed and declared unto us (the household of love) out of heaven to a righteous judgement, upon earth, from the right hand of God. And how that on the same judgement seat of Christ, (that the Scriptures might be fullfilled) there sitteth one now in truth (the wretched impostor H. Nicholas) in the habitation of David which judgeth uprightly, thinketh upon equity, and requireth righteousnesse.
And mH. N…cholas Evangel. cap. 33. Sentence, 8.againe, Behold, in this present day is the Scripture fulfilled, and according to the Testimony of the Scripture, the raising up, and the Resurrection of the Lords dead commeth also to passe, presently in this same day, through the appearing of the comming of Christ in his Majestie, (hee meaneth, the false Christ Henry Nicholas) which Resurrection of the dead, seeing that the same is come to us (To Henry Nicholas and the Family or Elders of Love) from Gods grace, wee doe likewise in this present day, to an Evangelike or joyfull Message of the Kingdome of God, and Christ, publish in all the world under the obedience of love.
Sent. 9. In which Resurrection of the dead, God sheweth unto us that the time is now fulfilled, that his dead, or the dead that are fallen asleepe in the Lord, rise up in this day of his judgement, and appeare unto us in godly glory; which shall also from henceforth live in us (H. N. and the Family of Love) everlastingly with Christ, and raigne upon the earth, wherein the Scripture becommeth fulfilled in this present day, like as there standeth written thereof,Familists in England deny the resurrection and the life to come. The Lord shall judge his people, &c.
One of the hearers of Randel, a preaching Familist at London was asked, If he beleeved the bodies of men dead and buried in the earth, should be raised to nBriefe discovery of Familists, p. 1.life, Answered, I know not.
For oRise, raigne, p. 59. Art. 1.2.Familists, Mistresse Hutchison and hers say, That the soules of men are by generation mortall like the beasts, Eccles. 3.8. But in regard of Christs purchase immortall; and that those who are united to Christ in this life, have new bodies, and two bodies,pArt. 3.4. Ibid. pag. 60. 1 Cor. 6.19. These who have union with Christ shall not rise with the same fleshly bodies, 1 Cor. 15.44. And that the Resurrection qIbid art 14.spoken of 1 Cor. 15. and John 5.28. is not meant of the resurrection of the body, but of our union here, and after this life with Christ. That there is no kingdome of heaven in Scripture, but onelyonly Christ. So said Hymeneus and Philetus, and the Libertines, who made the resurrection a spirituall communion with Christ.
Antinomians have never shewen their mind of the resurrection, Antinomians doubt of the Resurrection, and think that our heaven is actually in this life.and the life to come, and have never contradicted the Libertines and Familists in these, and yet own their other opinions. Yea, rSaltmarsh Free grace, pa. 140.Saltmarsh to me owneth no heaven, but that which is in this life, if a naked opinion were added to it. For saith he, The Spirit of Christ sets a beleever as free from hell, the Law, and bondage here on earth, as if he were in heaven; nor wants he any thing to make him so, but to make him beleeve he is so. So he wants nothing of heaven, but beleeve he is in heaven, and he is in heaven; hee will not except the resurrection of, and the glorifying of the body, Phil. 3.19, 20. nor the rooting out of originall sinne, nor the immortality of the whole man, nor freedome from sinning, immunitie from sorrow, sadnesse, perfect joy, pleasures for ever more, seeing of God, and injoying of him face to face; the perfecting of love, and of grace with glory, all which he wanteth of heaven, and hath here onelyonly the first fruits of the Spirit, and is absent from the Lord, and sigheth in this tabernacle; and since Saltmarsh professeth a finer free grace, and a further revealing of the Gospel in its glory, liberty, &c. Why doth he not once in all his Treatises, mention the last, and perfecting act of Free grace and Gospel-freedome, that Ioh. 6.39.44Christ will raise up the beleever at the last day?
2. While Antinomians cleare us, touching their mind of the sense, the flesh, sinning before men, not in regard of faith, or in Gods sight or account. I must conceive, they meane with Mistresse Hutchison, and other Familists, a sinning in the old body, not in the new; and in the old soule, they have by generation, not in the new soule, or in the conscience, as M. Denne tMan of sinne pag. 9.10.saith, which they have by Redemption. I therefore attest them, to cleare themselves in that distinction, and either black the Familists, or owne them as their owne.
3. Calvin uCalvin. Instruct. advers. Libert. ca. 21. pag. 458.459.saith from Paul, Wee are in this life saved in hope, we have not heaven, and life eternall, in perfection and compleatly here; we doe but wait for our full and finall redemption of soule and body, at Christs comming, whereas Libertines said, we were compleatly saved in this life. So xSaltmarsh Free grace. 149.say Saltmarsh, and yTowne asser. pag. 157.158.M. Towne, who are angry that Protestant Divines say, We are saved by right, and in hope, and really in Christ our head; but they will have us fully, compleatly, perfectly saved in this very life, though we have not the sense and feeling of it; and we want nothing of eternall life, but beleeve wee have it compleatly, as the glorifyed, and wee have it.