Survey of the Spiritual Antichrist, Part 2 · Chapter 88
CHAP. LXXXVIII. That we are both righteous in the sight of God being justified, and yet sinners in our selves, is proved against Antinomians.
ANtinomians aEaton Honey combe, cap. 13. pag. 175▪ 176, &c.hold, That we cannot be both righteous in the sight of God, and also sinners in our selves. It is thus farre true, we cannot both be righteous, by Christs imputed righteousnesse, and freed from the guilt of sinne, and not righteous by imputation, and not freed, that should involue a contradiction. 2. It is thus farre true, we cannot be both righteous by imputation, before God, and in our selves sinners, by sinne bearing a dominion over us as a Tyrant doth over a slave, because whoever are justified, they are also sanctified, and sanctification abateth the dominion, full vigour, and lordship of sinne, but doth not remove it, root, and branch, so as it doth not dwell in the Saints, so long as they dwell in the body.
1. David Psalm. 51. vers. 7. saith, Purge mee with Hysope, and I shall be cleane: wash me and I shall bee whiter then the snow. Then he was cleane in the sight of God, being pardoned. And Rom. 4.6. Psalm. 32.1. David describeth the righteousnesse of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousnesse without works; 1. Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sinnes are covered. And so was Abraham justified, and Rom. 4.23.24. Now it was not written for his sake alone — but for us. Then David and Abrahams sinnes were covered, and they freed from the guilt of all sinne in the sight of God; yet Paul, Rom. 3. proveth, that David and the most righteous on earth sinned, because there is none that doth good, there are none righteous, they are all gone out of the way, &c. all the world was guilty before God, verse 19. then they were sinners; if David was a Jew, and one that went out of the way, as the Law of God maketh no exception. Antinomians cannot say, that before David was justified, and converted, and while hee was yet in the state of nature, he sinned, but being once converted, and justified, he was no more a sinner then Christ, but as righteous as Christ, as saith Crispe; as cleane from sinne, saith Eaton, as Christ himselfe. I confesse, this is to helpe the Papists not a little, for Paul speaketh of all that are justified by Faith, and not by Works; now David converted, was justified by faith, and not by works done, either before conversion, by the strength of nature, or after conversion, by the power of sa…ing grace, therefore David must sinne, and goe out of the way after conversion, when he was free from all guilt of sinne, and so justified and righteous before God, and yet a sinner, though he sinned not as under the full dominion of sinne.
2. The Lord pardoned and covered the sinnes of his people in Christ bPs. 32.1.…, 5in the Old Testament, cEsa 6.7.tooke away their iniquity, and purged their sinne, dEsa. 43.25.blotted out their transgressions, and remembred not their sinnes, and that eEsa. 44.22.as a thicke cloud: God described himselfe to Moses fExo. 34.7.8.not Prophecying what he was to be under the New Testament, but what hee was at that time actually, as he was then, as now, the Lord, the Lord mercifull and gracious, long suffering, and aboundant in goodnesse and truth, even a God keeping merciemercy to thousands of the Jewes, forgiveing iniquitie, trangression, and sinne; then multitudes were then justified and righteous in the sight of God, and freed from the guilt of sinne; and yet even then, there was not one man on earth, justified, or not justified, who inherently, and in himselfe gEccle. 7.20.was righteous, did good, and sinned not; or that hProv. …09.could say he had made cleane his heart, or was pure from sinne; or that iPsal. 130.3.could stand before God, if hee should marke narrowly his iniquities, nor was there kPsal. 143.2.any flesh could bee justified in his sight. Not a righteous Job, a none-such lIob ….1▪ 8. Iob 2. ver. 3.on earth, and so justified before God, yet in himselfe is so sinfull, as his owne mIob 9.30.31.32.garments should defile him, though hee should wash himselfe with Snow-water, Job 9.30, 31.
3. Paul a man not under the Law, nRom. 7.1.2.3.justified, and oVer. 17.18.19.20.sanctified, regenerated, and pVer. 25.triumphing in Christ, as freed from sinne before God, as touching the guilt and condemnation thereof, yet remaineth a sinner in himselfe, qRom. 7.14.carnall, sold under sinne, rRo. 7.17.18.sinne dwelleth in him, no good dwelleth in his flesh sVer. 23.24.there is rebellion in him against the Law of his minde, captivity to sinne, wretchednesse under the body of sinne.
4. So the Corinthians were justified, washen, t1 Cor 6.11.sanctified, and yet these of them u1 Cor. 11.28 29.30.31.32.who were judged and punished, that they should not perish with the world, did grievously sinne, in not descerning the Lords body; if there were no sinne in these who were justified and espoused to Christ, more then in Christ, how could x2 Cor. 11.3Paul feare, that as the Serpent beguiled Evah, so their minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ Jesus? If there was not sinne dwelling in them, how thought they Paul yVer. 11.12.13.14.15.16.17 18.a foole, slighted him, and extolled the Messengers of Satan, the false Apostles?
5. The Apostle John and his fellowes; and the Saints to whom he writeth, Had fellowship with the a1 Ioh. 1.3.7.Father and the Sonne, were purged from all their sinnes, had an b1 Io…. 2.1.Advocate who interceeded for them in heaven; cVer. …4.were Fathers, young men, babes in Christ, and so righteous in the sight of God, yet sinners. For if we say (saith d1 Ioh. 1.8.John) we have no sinne, we deceive our selves, and make him a lyar.
6. This Novatian and Familisticall opinion, that we cannot be both righteous before God, and sinners in our selves, but that the justified must be as free of all indwelling sinne, as eHoney combe ca. 3.5.Christ Jesus, or as the fSaltm…r…h Free grace, p. 140.glorified in heaven, and so gTowne asser. grace, pa 71.72.73.absolutely perfect in our person, and our works; maketh all sanctification no sanctification before God, and that inherent holynesse rendreth us not a whit lovely and acceptable to God, more then if wee were wallowing in our lusts, and serving the Devill, contrary to the Scripture that saith, h1 Thes… 4.That our sanctification is the will of God, iRom. 1….….that our service is holy, living, and acceptable; that God kHeb. 13 16 Phil. 4.…4.18is well-pleased with our sacrifices of almes in Christ Jesus. And lCant. 4.7.8.9.that a holy and sincere profession and walking, doth take the love, and ravish the heart of Christ; yea, by this way we sinne onelyonly in dishonouring Christ, and in not walking in him, contrary to the end of Redemption, which calleth us to sanctification, not in the sight of God, but mHoney combe cap. 13. pag. 379.380.meerely declaratively; for Eaton tells us, that if any more be ascribed to Sanctification, but a meere declaration to the eyes of men, that we are healed, we goe on with Papists, and Bellarmine, to make sanctification the onelyonly formall cause why we are justified. But the man is farre out. Bellarmine and Papists say, that God so farre accepteth works of inherent holynesse, that without Christs imputed righteousnesse, we are justified for these works, we acknowledge that God for Christ loveth, and accepteth works of sanctification, and obligeth us to them by a command to doe them, except we would sinne in omitting them, but that God loveth and accepteth them as the cause of our righteousnesse in part, or in whole, in the matter of our justification, wee utterly deny. Antinomians would have all acts of sanctification meerely arbitrary, and of courtesie, and to come from no obligation of a command, or Law, and so that these acts being omitted, are no sinne before God, and being omitted, they are but arbitrary, no declarations, we are not healed, or discourtesies to Christ, no sinnes against a Law, and being performed, God loveth them no more then he doth Adulteries, or Murthers acted by justified persons.
Master Eaton ignorantly objecteth, That God by justification shall place us in two contrary states, of salvation and damnation, to bee the members of Christ, and of the Devill, that God shall come short of his end oEaton Honey com. cap. 13. pag. 376.377.…78.of Redemption, if wee be sinners in our selves, then cannot the bloud of Christ clense us from all sin: divers other things that are Characters of weakenesse and poore Divinity, he objecteth, as all his gang doth.
Answ. Sinners are taken two wayes in Scripture. 1. For wicked men, servants of sinne, sinne having a dominion and Lordship over the party; as in pPsal. 1.1. Psal. 16.9. Prov 1.10. C… 13.21. Ch. 3.17. Esa ….…8. ch. 13.9. c. 33.4. Sinners in Zion…r as …aid. Am…s 9.10. … th… si…ners of my people …. Ioh 9.31. God heareth not sinners. Iames 4.6. G…l. 2.7. …rde ver. 15.many Scriptures is cleare. So we say not, that we are both righteous before God, and sinners in our selves, we should then be both sanctified, and not sanctified, members both of Christ, and of Sathan, as hee objecteth. But we take sinners in this, for these that are sinnefull, and have sinne dwelling in them; and for such, as, If they say they have no sinne, they are lyars; and so the Scripture also taketh qMat 9.10. Mark 2 15. Luk. 15.1. Luk. 7.37. Behold a woman that was a si…ner, &c. How we are righteous in Christ, and yet sinners in our selves, and M. Eatons Argument removed as Popish. Pap…sts and Antino…ians are both ignorant of the doctrine of Justification.sinners. Now Antinomians deny the justified to sin at all, or to have any sinne dwelling in them; because Christ hath washed away all sinne. But ignorant men, they should know, that justification is a forinsecall and judiciall freeing us from all sinne, that is, from the Law-guilt and condemnation of all sinne, and so all our sinnes are removed as a cloud; are taken away, as if they were cast into the bottome of the Sea; but justification is not a Physicall washing away, and expulsion of all indwelling and inhabitation of sinne, and an introduction of the contrary habit; as when heat commeth in the same subiect, in the place of coldnesse, light in the place of darkenesse, whitenesse in the subject in which blacknesse did reside, as Antinomians with Papists fondly conceit, this is sanctification which is imperfect, and graduall in this life, not justification; and so it followeth not, that one and the same person, because sinne dwelleth in him after justification; but subdued, and having lost his dominion, is now, both under the dominion of Sathan, and also a member of Christ.
2. Christ obtaineth his end in Redemption, which is to free the sinner from sinnes condemnation, in justification fully, and in sanctification by degrees, not fully, while we be perfected in glory. Christ can well dwell in the heart by faith, where sinne dwelleth as an underling, but not where it dwelleth as a King and Tyrant in its full dominion, which dominion is not removed formally by justification, (though the state of justification, and the full dominion of sinne, cannot stand together in the same person) but properly, and formally, by sanctification. Its true, God seeth sinne pardoned, and the sinner freed from the guilt, but he seeth it dwelling in us, not to our condemnation, for the Lord imputeth it not, and therefore it followeth not, that the Lord both seeth us righteous in Christ, and not righteous in Christ, but onelyonly hee seeth us righteous in Christ by imputation of grace, and freed from condemnation; and sinnefull in our selves by the inherencie and in-dwelling of sinne pardoned and subdued; which is the doctrine of Prophets and Apostles delivered in the Scripture.