Survey of the Spiritual Antichrist, Part 2 · Chapter 87
CHAP. LXXXVII. Antinomians answered, in that they say, wee make the actings of the Spirit, like to the acts of Morall Philosophie.
IT is a most unjust charge, that aSaltmarsh Free grace, pag. 71.72.Antinomians put on us, That the way of the Spirit is grosse and carnall, which we follow, and our Divinity carnall. But (saith Saltmarsh) We (Antinomians) find it hard to tresse and find the impressions of the Spirit, and doe not take our impressions so low by the feelings of flesh and bloud, and signes not infallible, as to write of Regeneration, as Philosophers doe of Morall vertues.
Let us examine, whether Antinomians way bee Spirituall Divinity.Antinomian Divinity most carnall. We professe it to be a most carnall way of Antinomians, to say as bEaton Honey combe ca. 3. p 25. l. 24.25.Eaton doth, An unjustified man that beleeveth that Christ hath taken away his sinnes, is as cleane without sinne as Christ himselfe. And cTowne asser. 71.7….To a beleever nothing is sin; to Faith there is no sin. Blasphemers, if you have either face or conscience, can yee say that Christ could sinne, or that a beleevers denying of Christ, his lying, his Adultery, are no sinnes? Is not this carnall Divinity?
2. If God see not Drunkennesse, Lying, Murthering in beleevers to be sins? Are they not then no sinnes? And should not the beleever say, My light of faith seeth no sinne in my selfe; but my Drunkennesse, Lying, Murthering committed, I beleeve are no sinnes; for sure justification, and abolishing of sinne, should be seene by my faith, as they are seene by God, if God see them, and count them no sinnes, its unbeliefe in me to see them, and count them sinnes? If a beleever steale his fellowes purse; doth he not lye, if he say, Brother I have sinned against you; behold, I restore you your purse?) For if God say, it is no sinne, and see it no sinne, I know his Judgement is according to righteousnesse and truth, then it must bee no sinne; and the beleevers judging of it to be sinne, must be a lying and a false judging, contrary to Gods judgement of truth.
3. Doe not Antinomians say, to sorrow for, o… to bee troubled in conscience at pardoned dSaltmarsh Free grace, …4 pag 44.sinnes, is un…eliefe, and a work of the flesh, and that it is Regeneration and Faith not to see sinne in our selves, and that it was Adams and Eves sinne, Pocquius in libello suo apud Calvin. Instruct adv. Libert. pag. 4…2.463. Scriptum est, (Joh. 9) Qui videt peccatum, peccatum ei manet, & veritas non est in ipso; deinde preterea dicit, qui p…ocat in uno, peccat in omnibus, …ed cum inspiritis in deum, omnia isla non videtis, non enim habitat in Deo peccatum.—Prius non videbant (Adam & Evah) voluntatem suam: neque pudebat eos suae humanitatis; non videbant peccatum suum, sed cum viderant ipsum, imputatum est ijs in peccatum, & prorsus immutatum est in contrarium.—Quare reliquamus veterem Adam (ne cernamus amplius peccata nostra) id est, animam viventem, & veni… mus ad rem majorem, id▪ est, ad Spiritum,— nunc vivificati sumus cum secundo Adam qui est Christus, non cernendo amplius peccatum, quia est mortuum.to see their sinne; for then it was imputed to them as sinne, and the Pharisees sinne was, Joh. 9. that they saw their sinne, and therefore their sinne remained. These bee the words of Pocquius, that Carnall Libertine, and are the words of Saltmarsh, Eaton, Towne, Denne, and Crispe, and their matter is the same when once we beleeve, we sin no more then Christ doth, but all these that are supposed to be sins, as the Adulteries, Murthers, Lying, Swearing, Cousening, Oppressing wee fall into, being once beleevers, are no sinnes before God, nor to our Faith, nor are we to see them as sinnes, they be sinnes onelyonly to our sense, to our flesh, and to menward.
2. This is Antinomian reason, but the old objection of the most abominable Anabaptists in the time of Bullinger, who said, advers. Anabaptist. lib. 1. cap. 4. Tota reformatio quae tum justituebatur, illis displicebat, ut minus Angusta & exilis, non satis spiritualis, alta & perfecta. So Tho: Muncer, whose followers said against Luther, Zwinglius, and others, the writings and Epistles of Muncer was more spirituall then theirs, and their whole reformation was narrow, hungry, not perfect, and high enough.
3. The way of the Spirits Divinity is in this like to Morall vertues, that 1. both are learned by teaching,Wherein our Divinity touching Sanctification agreeeth with Morall Phylosophie in acts of Morall vertue, and wherein not. the one by Morall Phylosophie, the other by the Scriptures, Antinomians are thus Spirituall with a carnall and divellish Spirituality to reject the Scriptures, and follow an Enthysiasticall Spirit, and so wee acknowledge our Divinitie, in this sense, is not so Spirituall as that of the Libertines and Antinomians. 2. The way of the Spirit is in this like Morall vertues; that both bring an externall reformation, (though the Spirit throughly also changeth the inner side) both inforce a ceasing to doe ill, a learning to doe well, and procuring of things that are honest in the sight of men; Antinomians boast of a Libertine, Idle faith, and of a phancied purifying of the heart, when the hands are not purged also; and this is carnall Divinity to us. 3. Morall vertues are increased by frequent exercise, and so are gifts and graces, five talents rising to ten, the Saints growing in grace, and in the 2 Pet. 3.14. Math. 25, 20.21.22.knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. But Antinomians carnall Divin…tie fTowne asser. pag. 77.78.79.teacheth, we are as perfect, when we are first justified, as wee gSaltmarsh …r. gr. 140. An account of our Divinity as more Spirituall then that of Antinom… ans and Morall Philosophy.want nothing of that we shall have in heaven, but to beleeve we are in heaven, and there wee are; a Spirituall lye cannot but be a most carnall sinne.
4. But the Spirituality of our Divinity above Antinomians and Moralists, we place 1, in that God infuseth supernaturall habits in us, even a new hEzec. 36.26. Z…c…. 12.10. Esai. 44.5. Ier. 31.33. Deut. 30.6. Ezech 11.19heart, a new Spirit, whereas Antinomians deny any stocke of grace inherent in us. Moralists acknowledge onelyonly acquired habits, and deny all infused and supernaturall habits. 2. We judge the Law to be iRom 7.14.Spirituall, and the Gospel written, read, or preached, the power of God kRom 1.16.to salvation; the lEsai 53.1 Ioh. 12.…9.arme of the Lord, mHebr. 4.12and the most lively, quicke, and operative word in the world, and when the Spirit doth accompany Law and Gospel, no man can stand before this Word; Antinomians make the Scriptures but dead Inke, and a killing Letter. 3. Our Divinity maketh men heavenly minded, to savour of the things of the Spirit, so as they misse God, and the sweetnesse and excellency of Christ, when the Gospel is carried onelyonly in the bare Letter, and the preaching of the Gospel is but Literall, with humane eloquence, not in the evidence of the Spirit: Morall vertues knoweth not any such power. 4. When the Authority and Majestie of the Lord commanding in the Letter, leadeth the will by the Spirit of the Lord freely, willingly, and withall indeclinably, and irresistibly to yeeld it selfe to God. 5. A Moralist knoweth no over-clowding of desertion, a sanctified soule doth know it. Nor doe Antinomians and Familists know any desertions, or any ebbings and flowings of the Spirit; for they say, none are converted till they have faith of full assurance, with excludeth all doubtings, or inward conflicts, this broad Seale being received, they are ever in a merry mood, ever rejoycing; to mourne for sinne, to call in question Gods favour to them is proper to onelyonly unconverted Legalists under the Law, Rise, raigne, er. 20. pag. 4. er. 32. pag. 6. er. 42. p. 8. er. 64. pag. 12. er. 70. pag. 53. (6.) A beleever must have the actuall influence of the Spirit to know these things, that are freely given him of God. A Moralist needeth no supernaturall light, to know that he hath a masse of Morall vertues, Temperance, Fortitude, Justice, and his owne Spirit teacheth him that he is a temperate, valerous, just man.
6. A beleever cannot act according to his supernaturall habits, except actuall grace stirre him; a Moralist needeth but naturall reason, the stirring of his owne Spirit with a common influence of God, to cause him act according to his Morall habits.
7. The Moralists habits of vertue are of no better house then his owne conqueise; the new heart and the habits of grace are of a higher and nobler bloud, being from heaven, and infused by the Spirit of grace, Ezech. 36.26. Deut. 30. vers. 6. Zach. 12.10.
Saltmarsh doth little lesse then blaspheme, when hee saith, the supernaturall knowledge of the Spirits impression by signes, which is wrought by the Holy Ghost, 1 Cor. 2.12. 1 Joh. 2.3. 1 Joh. 3.18.19. Rom. 8.15.16. Is as low as the feelings of flesh and bloud; for flesh and bloud cannot assure us that we are translated from death to life, because we love the brethren; this knowledge is given us by that Spirit, which the World knowes not. 1 Cor. 2.12.