11. Luther This is a rule in all temptations we fancie another God and beleeve God not to bee God but a phancie a Ghost 12. This consequence thou art a sinner therefore God hateth thee is true in the Civill Law or Court but in Christs Tribunall its true thou art a sinner therefore beleeve 13. Luther When Sathan vexeth the conscience with the Law it s fit to say to Sathan what is that to thee yet I have not sinned against thee but against my God for I am not thy sinner what Law then hast thou in me I have not sinned to thee not to the law not to conscience to no man to no Angell but only to God Luthers meaning is that he hath not sinned to the Law or so against it that he should be therefore condemned because he is pardoned in Christ. Luther Nulla alia re potest sanari hoc vulnus conscientiae quam verbo divinae promissionis Luther Si es calamus contritus noli te amplius conterere aut Satana conterendum dare sed da te Christo qui est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 amat conquassâ—tos contritus Spiritu Luther Desperatus non orat dum desperatio durat sed cum remittitur paroxysmus tum primum incipit clamor plurimus adjuvatur animus cum audit fratrem commodè tractantem verbum Dei cum ad hunc modum siducia in Deum animo anxio inculcatur tum surgit sciâ—tilla fidei gemitus cordis O si possem sequitur tandem sensus gaudii neque potest Deus hos gemitus negligere Luther Deus mammam gratiae etiam justificatis nonnunquâ—m subtrahit ut discamus Quid nostra ipsorum justitia soleat facere nempe quod solet opprimere desperatione Luther Cum Satan objicit ecce es peccatoâ— non sic credis non sic orâ—s sicut requirit verbum tu contra dic quid me vexas his visibilibus bene sentio ista nec opus est ut tu me doceas illud opus est ut verbum sequar transferam me ad invisibilia Luther Maxima pars fallitur quod non credunt has cogitationes esse tentationes Satanae Luth. Docemur in hoc certamine appreheÌ„dendaÌ„ promissionem in baptismo factam quae certa clara est sed hoc cum fit non statim cessat Sathan sed reclamat in corde tuo te non esse dignum istâ promissione est autem opus ardenti oratione ne extorqueatur nobiâ— promissio Dic scio promissam mihi propter filium Dei gratiam Haec promissio non mentietur etiamsi in exteriores tenebras abjiciar 14. Luther This wound of conscience cannot otherwise bee healed but by the word of God If thou be a broken reed doe not breake thy selfe any more or give thy selfe to Sathan to be broken but give thy selfe to Christ who is a man-lover and loveth the broken and bruised in Spirit 16. The despairing soule prayes not while the despaire continueth but when the feaver turneth to a cool the cry begins he is much helped when he heareth a brother rightly handling the word of promise when faith in God is thus inculcated in a sad heart then glimmereth up a sparcle of faith and a sigh of heart O if I could then followeth sense of joy God cannot despise these sighes 17. God withdraweth the paps and 〈◊〉 of Grace from the justified that we may learne to know what our owne righteousnes useth to doe even to presse us with despaire 18. when sathan objecteth behold thou art a sinner thou dost not so beleeve thou dost noâ— so love as the word requireth say thou againe why vexest thou me with those visible things I feel these well there is no need that thou teach me there is need I follow the word and turne to invisible things 19 Luther The greatest part of men are beguiled that they know not that the thoughts of their utter casting out from God is a tentation of Sathan 20. Luther In a conflict of despaire we must hold the promise made in baptisme if Sathan cease not but cry in thy heart thou art not worthy of that promise wee must ardently pray that the promise be not throwne out of our hand Say I know there is a promise of grace for the Son of Gods sake made to me this promise shall not lie though I were cast in utter darknesse I have stayed the longer on these because possibly every Reader cannot have Luthers works at hand 4. Conclusion Luther and our Divines say that we are patients in the businesse of justification which tendeth not to favour the Antinomian dreame that we are justified without faith and before we beleeve or that we are â—locks and dead passive creatures in the act of beleeving or in other supernaturall acts The Antinomians of old as now t Towne and others teach that the Law hath no activity over the new man by teaching ruling commanding requiring exacting or demanding obedience of him because the Christian man is Lord of the Law and the Sabbath and doth all without a Law teaching or commanding for the new man as new doth good workes by nature as the fire casteth heat then not by law or teaching or command But Luther will have justification to be passive and the Law in justification a patient in a farre other sense 1. Because the broken debtor is free in Court for nothing he doth himselfe but because the rich surety did all and paid his debt 2. Because the Law and the fulfilling thereof in the person of the justified is utterly unpossible and he is justified freely in Christs rich grace without Law or workes and the Law makes him no helpe for justification at all but is a meere patient 3. Because Christ that justifieth the ungodly and is the head of the justified oweth nothing at all to the Law and needed not to be teached what to doe by the Law and did and over-did and out-suffered more abundantly by grace then the compelling cursing and threatning Law can teach or command had wee suffered for the breach of one Law and done all the rest of the Law most perfectly and exactly yet could we never have given such glory to God nor such exact payment and satisfaction to the Law both by doing and suffering as Christ did we should have payed to the Lord and his Law but copper and brasse Christ payed our Law-debts in fine and pretious gold And what our new obedience wants in quantity for we cannot by Grace keep the Law exactly nor thereby be justified it hath in quality being wrought by Grace and perfumed with the glorious merits of Christ in these respects saith Luther The whole nature of justifying us in regard of us is passive Actively the Law is a weake and poore â—lement the letter of neither Law nor Gospell can give strength to obey and its weake passively because
man at the same time in the same sense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Aristotle taught us be both lame and whole in the legges blinde and seeing deafe and hearing dead and living it may be Antinomians who will have the beleevers Adultery no Adulterie have a way of Logicke of their owne to goe with Libertines who said knowing sinne to be sinne holynesse to be holynesse was a worke of the flesh and of old Adam who through eating the forbidden fruit knoweth good and evill But so you will say If God justifie the ungodly beleeving which is an act of sanctification must goe before justification then are wee sanctified and can doe that which is pleasing to God before we be justified and be in Christ then must we please God as beleevers ere we be in Christ and so exercise acts of the life of grace before we be in the Vine tree and before we be branches ingraffed in Christ for sure to beleeve is an act of the life of Christ in us Answ. If beliefe or faith be an instrument and so a cause in its kind or a condition call it as you will without which Paul in the Epistle to the Romanes and Galathians and Hebrewes c. saith we cannot be justified I see not any inconveniencie of this order 1. The sinner dead in sinne a sonne of wrath 2. A walker after the course of the prince Sathan who ruleth in the children of disobedience 3. The Gospel of free grace is Preached to the dead to the Elect heires of wrath but freely for Christs sake and with an intent on the Lords part of the same circumferance and spheare with the decree of the election to glory though they know not 4. The Law and curses of it preached to them with the Gospel lest they despaire to humble them 5. The sinner Legally humbled slaine in the dead throw Rom. 7.11 with a halâ—e-hope of mercy prepared for Christ though the preparation have no 1. promise of conversion 2. No ground nature or shaddow of merit 3. No necessary connexion with conversion save onely that God may intend the same preparation in an elect for conversion which he intendeth for no conversion in a reprobate 6. The stony heart of meere grace removed in the same moment a new heart put in him Ezech. 36.26 27. Zach. 12.10 Deut. 30.6 Jer. 31.33 or the habit of sanctification infused 7. In the same moment the soule beleeveth in him that justifieth the ungodly 8. In the same moment God for Christs sake of meere grace justifieth the beleeving sinner And every one of these necessarily presupposeth the former Nor can Antinomians free themselves or any with them of the pretended inconveniencie they would put on us to wit that we must beleeve before wee be actually joyned to Christ in justification for they will have us justified and so please God and actually injoy the fruit of election which is justification Rom. 8.29 before we beleeve that is before we feele and to our owne sense know that we are justified Now this feeling and knowledge is an intellectuall act of the life of God and the habit of an infused new heart of regeneration as well as our justifying Faith and so we yet exercise an act of the life of Christ which must bee an act of saving grace actus secundus or a life-operation flowing from the infused habit of sanctification before we be justified in the sense that Scripture speaketh of justification which saith all alongs Wee are justified by faith God justifieth the man that beleeves in him that justifieth the ungodly Now sure the Lord giveth to us faith to beleeve justification before he justifie in the sense that Paul speaketh of justification For the Lord giveth the Spirit of sanctification of grace of adoption of faith c. for all these are vitall and supernaturall acts of the same Spirit to these that have not the Spirit at first to the uncircumcised in heart Deut. 30.6 to the wildernesse and dry ground Esai 44. vers 3. to these who pollute his name among the heathen and have stony and rockie hearts Ezech. 36.21 26. to these that are a dying polluted in their owne bloud Ezech. 16.6 8. to those that are dead in sinnes and trespasses Ephes. 2.1 2 3 4 5. and this the Lord doth for Jesus Christs sake freely Gal. 4.4 5. then before we be actually in Christ by justification and branches in him by order of nature first wee so farre find favour in the Lords eyes or please him or rather he is of free grace pleased with us that he giveth his holy Spirit to us and upon the same ground may we being yet not justified and so in that sense not in Christ by order of nature first beleeve before we be justified nor is it justification that formally united us in this actuall union as branches to the Vine tree but union is a fruit of life as is the joyning of soule and body together and so a fruit of the infused life of God or of the habit of sanctification and thus it followeth not that we beleeve before we be united to Christ as branches to the Vine tree but onely that we beleeve by order of nature before we be justified which the Scripture saith But to returne we are not obliged to M. Saltmarsh who argueth against justification by faith slandering Protestants most ignorantly and the doctrine of Paul as if to bee justified by faith were to bee justified by a faith of our owne framing without the grace of Christ or by faith as a merit and hire that hireth and purchaseth Christ to be ours It is a curious and an unedifying question to search out as Cornewell doth Whether faith be active or passive in receiving Christs imputed righteousnesse though if hee speake of actuall beleeving to call it passive is an unproper speach i. we hold that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 credere to beleeve is not imputed as our righteousnesse which is Socinianisme 2. That for the dignity worth and merit of Faith Christs righteousnes is not imputed to us and therefore neither wee nor Scripture before us saith we are justified for Faith but by Faith 3. That Faith receiving Christ is the free grace of God given to us in the state of sinne They say The begger putteth forth an act or actions both of petitioning for almes and reaching out his hand to receive it and so it is not every way so of free grace as Christs imputed righteousnesse is to us But should we suppose the tongue and speach the arme and the act of stretching it forth to receive the almes the sense of poverty the opinion of the goodnesse of him from whom he seeks almes doth bow the consent and will to seek almes and receive it were bestowed on the begger of the same free grace and compassion of the giver of the almes by which he giveth the almes yee would say almes and stretching out of the hand were both
sanctification in the Gospell be fashioned without the external preaching of the Gospell an outward commandement if no why excludes he an outward commandement as contrary to the preaching of faith Swenckfeldius and Enthysiasts make an opposition betweene the word preached and the preaching of faith that is the Spirit we make a subordination no opposition 3 whether Saltmarsh or any Antinomian in conscience can say that wee so go on with Pelagians Old Anabaptists and Arminians as to say Sanctification is framed now or at any time by a law of outward commandements the Antinomian Del. who has printed in defence of Anabaptists Arminians and Antinomians teacheth so not we So Del joyneth with Swenckfeld Ser pag. 6 7 8. read the stile words and doctrine of Enthysiasts all along in the serm 11 Swenckfeld said that that is born of the flesh is flesh these that say justifying faith is from externall hearing they teach that the Spirit comes from the carnall letter the heaven is bornâ— of the earth 12 Blessednes comes not from externals nor was Thomas blessed because he saw and beleeved nor Simon Peter because flesh and blood but because the father revealed Christ to them 12 Swenckefeldius taught that the preachers of his time were not sent of God because no man was the better or converted by their preaching So Antinomians say all but themselves are but litteral and carnall teachers 13 Swenckefeldius said that he himselfe preached the Spirit inwardly teaching and that men must live by the rule of the Spirit else they could not be saved so speake Anti. of Gospell reformation of life so Del. ser p. 26 27. 14 Neither Baptisme nor the Supper of the Lord should be Administred till the true doctrine that he taught be preached and be revealed immediately from the substantiall and eternall word Christ without preaching or reading or hearing the word so Del. uniformity examined the worship of the New Testament is onely inward 15 In such dissentions of minds among Teachers the word should not be heard Antinomians say all may be heard sects and opinions are but names and things indifferent 16 The word hath a twofold sense one literall which profiteth nothing another the true and spirituall which only the spirituall do understand 17 We must try the word by the Spirit and not the Spirit by the word so say the Antinomians rise reigne er 61. All doctrines revelations and spirits are to be tryed by Christ the Word rather than by the word of Christ this is against Christs way who when it was a controversie whether he was the sonne of God or no was content that they should Iudge of him and decide the matter by Scripture Joh. 5.39 so 2 are all controversies ended Act. 17.11 Act. 9.11 Act 24.14 15. 1 Cor. 15.3 4. Mat. 22.29.30 31 32 33. Esay 8.20 which were a rule impossible if the scripture have two senses one literall that proves nothing and another spirituall and allegorick as Enthysiasts Antinomians say that none can understand but the spirituall now when Christ and Paul prove the resurrection of the dead and that Christ is the Messiah by the scripture and referres the denyers of these Iewes and Pharisees and Saduces to the scripture to be the Iudge he supposeth the scriptures hold forth a cleare literall sense which these men though not spirituall might understand 2 nor could Christ say yee both know me and whence I am Ioh. 7.27 28. if they could not see any thing of Christ by light of scripture 3 all the murthers whoredomes villanies practised by Muncer T. Becold David George Swenckfeld they fathered on the Spirit leading them without the Scripture or on such an allegorick sense as their uncleane spirit expounded the word so as men know not when they sin when they serve God 17 The preachers not being taught by the immediate teaching Spirit are such as the Lord speaketh of They ran and J sent them not 18 There is a middle reformation to come betweene papists and Lutherans 19 No doctrine of word Sacraments or any externall thing written in the writings of Moses the Prophets or apostles doe conduce to salvation God is to be sought in his naked Majesty in dreames inspirations and revelations of the Spirit 20 Repentance contrition the knowledge of sin is not to be taught out of the Law but by Christ onely How neere Antinomians side with this I leave to the reader 21 The Law is not unpossible but easie to be fullfilled by Grace Antinomians teach that both the persons and workes of beleivers are perfect free of sin then must they be perfectly agreable to the Law Honeyâ—combe c. 3. pag. 25. c 11 12.322 323 324. Towne ass grace pag 76 77. Salt free grace p 140. 22 Our renovation is the very Holy Ghost so Antinomians Rise Reign er 1 2.7 8. 23 Our Righteousnes and iustification is not in the imputed obedience and righteousnes of Christ but in a conformity with Christ in glory by the undwelling Spirit of Christ. 24 Faith and workes iustifie us 25 All beleivers are the naturall sons of God begotten of the essence and nature of God so Familists and Antino teach that we are Christed and Godded 26 There was no remission of sins no righteousnes no entrance â—nto heaven before Christ dyed So say Antinomians under the old Testament there was no inward nor heart reformation no covenant of grace no pacefying of Gods wrath for sin c. So Saltmarsh free grace pag. 166 167 168. Honey-combe chap. 11.334 335 336. Del. ser. pag. 2.3 4 5 6 7 8 9. c. CHAP. VI. How the Word converteth TOuching the necessity of the word of God preached for the conversion of sinners against Swenckefeldians Enthysiasts and Antinomians these conclusions we hold premising some considerations 1 The vocall or preached word is the instrument and Organ of the Holy Spirit in our conversion not the author nor efficient thereof 2 The word written or preached is a created thing not the formall object of our faith and affiance nor the objeâ—tum quod but the objectum quo or the interveening meanes or medium of our faith 3 The word as all instruments are must be elevated above its nature to more then a literal impression of Christ beleeved in 4 The writing speaking conveyance of Christ to the soule in the word preached may be humane and literall but the thing signified by the word Christ faith the Image of the second Adam is divine supernaturall and the way of conveyance of it to the soule in regard of the higher operation of the Spirit above the actings and motion of the letter is divine heavenly supernaturall 5 The action of the Holy Ghost in begetting faith may be said to be immediate two wayes 1 as if the word did onely prepare and literally informe the externall man but the Spirit commeth after and in another action distinct from the word infuseth faith this we cannot deny but then the Spirit of
sutable to H. Nicholas his Spirit and to the Enthysiasmes of Swenckefield and to John Waldesso a piece that M. Beacon highly extols p. 138. Catechi who saith Consideration 3. p. 8. That beleevers make use of some rules of Scripture to preserve the health of their soules as they doe for the health of their body rather to conforme themselves outwardly with the sons of Adam then because they feel themselves to stand in need of such observations forasmuch us they being governed by God alone observe the will of God and wholly depend on it And the same Popish Author Cons. 32. p. 107 108. maketh crucifixes Images and the holy Scriptures Alphabets of Christian Piety for beginners M. Beacon who commends this superstitious Familâ—sticall book must alwayes judge Images unlawfull so as a Christian having first saith Waldesso p. 108. served himself with holy Scriptures as with an Alphabet he afterward leaves them to serve for the same effect to beginners he attending to the inward inspirations having for his proper Master the Spirit of God and serving himselfe with holy Scriptures as with an holy conversation and which causeth refreshment unto him altogether putting from himselfe all these writings which are written by an humane Spirit So they judge Scripture to be written by an human spirit contrary to 2 Pet. 1.19 20 21. 2 Tim. 3.16 8 Its folly to conclude of certainty of Scripture and not of infallibility in the interpretation thereof So M. Saltmarsh and M. Dell deny the Scripture to be an obliging rule to the Saints but onely the word written in the heart Hence as the Holy Ghost dited the Scripture so also dited be the exposition of Scripture to the Familists and their exposition is as infallible as the Scripture because the same Spirit speaks in both for the same spirit that dites the word must expone it Answ. Then must the writing of H Nicholas and the uncleâ—n house of Love and of Antinomians be as infallible as the writings of the Prophets and Apostles who were immediately inspired Horrible blasphemy Men and holy men may erre in their Expositions but the Word of God is infallible truth 2. The Scripture is our rule by which all other Truths Doctrines Spirits Revelations must be tryed and if they be not according to the Law and the Testimony there is no light in them Esa. 8.19 20. Luk. 16.30 31. Psa. 119.130.105 Luk. 4.17 18 19 20 21. Joh. 5.39 2 Tim. 3.16 Act. 26.22 3 No marvell that Antinomians be Anti-scripturians and deny Scripture to be the Word of God affirming it to be a dead letter a humane thing of Inke and that what the Spirit speaks to the soule is onely the word of God and no other thing contained in the Old and New Testament 9 Faith justifying is no fiduciall recumbency on Christ God and Man Nor doe we eat his flesh and drink his blood spiritually by beleeving in Christ crucified but by acts of humility seeing our self to be flesh and nothing and Christ to be in us blood that is the spirit life and power of God as if we were Goded with him 10. God and man united in one eate the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood or man as Goded and God as humanized p. 111 11 The reasonings and dictates of our spirit are translated into the 〈◊〉 and dictates of the Spirit of God and so the writing 〈◊〉 and arguments become Divine and eternall not humane and â—emporaâ—y Wind-mils and phanacies must they be bigge 〈◊〉 who leave the Scriptures and imagine that God onely acts understands wills loves feares hopes c. and doth 〈◊〉 in the Saints 12 Swearing at all though before a Judge is unlawfull Simpl. Defenc. p. 22. 13. While you tell the people say they to the godly in New-England that by sorrow compunction and anxiety of Spirit and woulde of minde they communicate in the sufferings of Christ it is nothing else but to conclude the Son of God to be Beliel 14 Baptisme is unlawfull except it be conjoyned with the crosse and sufferings of Christ â—o Saltmarsh Sparkles of glory p. 30 31. denyeth all Baptisme 15 As every Saint ought to hear the word so ought he to preach it Calling of Ministers is groundlesse so p. 66.67 so the Anâ—â—nom Beacon Catechi p 7.8 and Saltmarsh Spark p. 131. 16 They are Idoll Shepherds of Rome who cannot preach to the people but in a way of so much study and ease not labouring with their hands for their bread p. 67. 17 If I preach the Gospel willingly say they I have a reward 1 Cor. 9.17 that is if I doe it out of any ability skill or will of mine owne gotten or acquired by any paines or industry as men doe attain to Arts and Trades wherein they are to be preferred before and above others then I have a reward that is something to be attributed and contributed to me for the same then I goe about to deprive my Lord of his right shewing my selfe an unfaithfull Steward â— Simpl. Defen P. 68. then was Gorton unfaithfull in writing this book for pains of art he must have taken in writing in consulting by reading the Scripture to set down Chapter and Verse but all this is the Enthysiasticall gang of Divinity in which Antinomians in praying beleeving loving bereave us of the use of minde will reason affections and make the Holy Ghost and Christ in his person united to us to doe all 18 To preach for stipend or contribution is to give unto God and unlawfull contrary to 1 Tim. 5.17 18 19. which I grant if stipends be the preachers designe and end 19. None is to forethink of what text or subject he is to preach on but as Gods Spirit for the time casteth in his minde p. 75. that is he is to speak phancies without sense method or intention to edifie which thing the Prophets Christ and Apostles did not in their preachings But of this before and somewhat hereafter 20 He denies the resurrection exponing these words My flesh shall rest in hope that is my weaknesse and tyred out condition hath rest and strength in another though not in my self for hope that is seen is no hope This place Psal 16. is exponed Act. 2.26 30 31 32. of the hope of the resurrection of Christ and of ours in him who is the first begotten of the dead but Gorâ—on p. 106. wresteth it most foolishly to another sense as if it were metaphoricall flesh and buriall and so an allegoricall and spirituall resurrection onely 21 He most corruptly and unsoundly turneth all the Scripture in childish Allegories as is to be seen p. 96 97 98. In the following Treatise you have other Antinomian conceits holden by Ro. Towne who coldly refuteth Doctor Taylor and by M. Eaton in his Honey comb and Saltmarsh of late falne off conformity to Antinomianisme and Tob. Crisp a godly man as is thought But Melancholions who having builded much on
qualifications and signes fell to the other extremity of no signes of sanctification at all by H. Denne an High Altar man a bower at the sillables of the name Jesus and conforme to all the abominable late Novations introduced by Canterbury who also opposed the Remonstrance and Petition of the well affected pleading for a riddance from Episcopacy Ceremonies and other corruptions and is now a rigid Arminian and an enemy to free Grace an Anabaptist an Antinomian to these joyne Paul Hobson who speakes more warily then the rest and R. Beacon in his late Catechism who holds sundry grosse points and M. Del in his Sermon before the House of Commons whose noble Ancestors could not have indured Familisme Sâ—einianisme or the like to be preached in their ears CHAP. XVIII Saltmarsh cleareth his minde touching personall mortification faintly and holdeth many other points of Familisme as of Christ crucified risen ascended to heaven in a figure or in the spirit not really in his true Man-head SAltmarsh is now the cheife Familist in England hath written of late a Treatise called Sparkles of glory which containes the spirits and extractions of the doctirne of Swenckfeld David Georgius Henry Nicholas and all the Familists Antinomians and older Libertines in which he professeth himselfe A Seeker and disclameth Presbytery Independency Anabaptisme and that there is neither Ministery Church or Ordinances nor any promise of continuance of them till Christs second comming contrary to Mat. 28.19 20 21. Ephe. 4.11 12 13. Mat. 26.13 Mat. 24.14 And pleads for liberty of conscience and yeeldeth that he will write no more against that learned and Godly man M. Tho. Gittaker Hee further labours to cleare himselfe Sparkles of glory pag. 323 324 325 326 That he said that Christ hath beleeved perfectly repented perfectly mortified sin perfectly for us which hee thus explaineth to wash it from Antinomianisme and so calleth it a pretended Heresie 1 saith hee that Christ hath done all for us is truth hee hath fullfilled all righteousnesse for us bâ—â— that which is of the Law and that which is in the Gospel in graces c. And upon this accompt is made unto us righteousnesse c. 2 Faith Repentance Mortification were all in Christ origiginally primarily as in their nature their fountain their root or seed and therefore hee is said to give repentance to Israel and he is the Authour and finisher of our faith and it is caled the faith of the son of God and of his fulnesse all wee have received and grace for grace for every grace in him a grace in us A. 1 If Saltmarsh have no other sense but that our faith repentance mortification are in and from Christ as the meritous cause because Christ by the merit of his death procured grace to us to beleeve repent mortifie sinne 2 That these are from Christ efficienter as the efficient cause or from the spirit of Christ infusing the life of God in us and actuating the supernaturall habit of grace in us and working in us to wil and to do this is that which Protestant Divines say that Christ is our Savior merito and efficaciâ by the merit of his death against Papists and the effectuall yea and the irresistable applying of his death to save us as we teach against Papists Pelagians Socinians then surely I hope neither that learned man M. Gattaker nor any of ours censured M. Saltmarsh for Antinomianisme or any heresie in his point we agree and then we say that M. Saltmarsh in these words gives us a faire and ingenious Recantation I am glad of this But Saltmarsh will be found to wash Antinomianisme off himselfe with Ink-water and he hath no face at least it is much ignorance to call Protestants Legallists because they teach that our faith repentance and mortification are from Christ by way of merit and the effectuall working of grace nor did ever Protestant deny this 1 Saltmarsh free grace p. 61 62. excludeth personal not acting such and such a sinne and our personall sanctification from being part of Gospel pure and spirituall mortification p. 62 63. And saith our pure and Gospel mortification is to beleeve that Christ mortified sinne perfectly for us and the like hee saith of sanctification and repentance p 84 85. So Saltmarsh willeth us not to repenâ— nor beleeve nor mortifie sinne in our owne person but to beleeve Christ hath done these for us perfectly and then we beleeve repent and mortifie sin perfectly 2 He citeth Scripture But yee are sanctified but yee are justified c. This is out of all doubt personall sanctification flowing from Christs merits and his spirit And I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth mee This is personall doing in Paules person by the grace of Christ and wee are his workemanship created in Christ Jesus unto good workes Those be good workes that wee in our owne person doe by the spirit of sanctification But Saltmarsh exponeth all these to be not ours but the very personall actings of Christ for his words are these pag. 84. free grace All these scriptures set forth Christ the sanctification and the fulnesse of his the all in all Christ hath beleeved perfectly for us hee hath repented perfectly he hath sorrowed for sinne perfectly he hath obeyed perfectly for us and all is ours and we are Christs and Christ is Gods Now Saltmarsh can have no such sense as here hee would force on himselfe For never man doubted but personall acts of grace or don by the strength of grace are ours but how are they ours as we are Christs onely as Christ acteth them for us without us No are they not ours the Spirit of Jesus worketh them in us and causeth us personally to doe and act them Ezek. 36.27 John 7.39 If Christs perfect beleeving perfect repenting and his perfect mortifying of sinne be ours because Christ did these acts for us in the dayes of his humiliation while he was in the flesh then are they ours before we be born and the holy Ghost must exhort us to doe all in the strength of Christ and to be sanctified and to beleeve perfectly to justification and that we be his workmanship to walk in good workes that we put on the new man that we mortifie sin 1640 yeares before we be born for so many yeares agoe Christ performed all these things for us but we are this day exhorted to put on the new man and to walk in good works Now the holyghost in scripture must either speak non-sense or wheÌ„ he saith walk in love eveÌ„ this day repent while it is to day stand up from the dead to day beleeve to day he must mean you need not stirre foot or hand or any power of your soul to these acts for Christ performed all these acts for you 1640 yeares agoe For then he must mean Christ hath repented perfectly in me a beleever and wrought perfect repentance free of sinne in me a sinner and Christ hath obeyed perfectly
gâ—â—sse 1 Cor. 1â— 12 13. and opposeth it to seeing of God face to fâ—ce v. 12 13.1â— the life to come And Saltmarsh shal teach us nâ—w Divinity if there be any evidences to found our assurance but two in Scripture one of walking by â—aith and another bâ— siâ—ht 2 Cor. 5.6 7. The one while we arâ— absent in the body from the Lord in this life the other when wee are at home in our countrey in the life to come yea the highest light in which we see with open face are changed therby from glory to glory is in a â—lasse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cor. 3.18 is called a seeing 1 Cor. â—3 12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then must Saltmarsh make the certainty of saith to be as conjecâ—urall and low as the certainty by signes which he saith is dim formall discoursive and that is shadowâ—d 〈…〉 which overthroweth the Antinomians Principles touching the assurance of saith which they say excludeth all doubting Aâ— for the conceit of Paul Holson that we may rejoyce in an act and not draw our joy from the apprehension of the suitablenesse between the Act and the 〈◊〉 he is much out For 1. if we joy in the act and joy not in the suitablenesse between the Act and the Rule our joying and rejoycing is vain for then doe we rejoyce in sinne for an act not suitable to the Rule and revealâ—d wâ—ll of God is sin though it be not in a strict legall way suitable to the Rule 2. We may have our joy distilled by a secret in-come of Christ but not from the Act saith he but these two are not conâ—rary but friendly agree For this in-come of Christ that procures our joy is for the graciousnesse of the act rather then for the act it selfe And if by an in-come he mean an influeâ—ce of the grace of Christ causing us rejoyce in the gâ—â—ciâ—us act because gracious we yeeld it willingly But then 〈◊〉 gather neither ioy nor peace nor assurance from the act simply but from the act as gracious and as wrought in us by the in-come and supernaturall influence of Christ who worketh in us both to will and 〈◊〉 3. And we may well draw joy from the suitablenesse between the Act and the Rule in regard this suitablenesse is nothing else but that gracious conveniencie between the Act and the Rule which standeth in this That the substance of the act is agreeable to the will of God revealed and in the principle of faith and the end for Gods glory which conveniencie and 〈◊〉 of the act is wrought by free grace and so we yee rejoyce gather assurance from the father of the act to wit the holy Ghost the worker rather then from the act and though the suitablenesse flagge yet if it be sincere the joy may be lâ—ssened not destroyed but the reason presupposeth we can neither have joy nor peace in the act except it be perfectly suitable and â—word every degree agreeable to the law which is a most false supposition For we cannot come up in our acts to that perfection the law requireth 4. Upon the same ground we may mourn for sin to strengthen faith in regard an act of beleeving doth arise from the act of mourning as occasioned thereby or wrought in us by the holy Ghost who causeth us see him whom we have pierced and mourn therefore as one doth for his onely child Zach. 12.10 11 12. CHAP. XXIX The scope of Saltmarsh his Book called Sparkles of Glory and of his denying Christ to be any thing but a man figuratively and mystically 34. THe onely scope saith he to the Reader of this Book is to mind you of an higher excellency then meere created things can afford you of the truth that is in Jesus or in Spirit and of that unity of Spirit which Christians should live in under their severall formes and attaintments and I have not held forth any discovery of Truth or of any higher dispensation so as to darken too much other dispensations in which Christians live or to lessen and under value their attaintments but only to be faithfull in the power of God to his discoveries in mine own spirit I desire we may beare one anothers burdens and consider that God is in all his severall dispensations and measures and Christians are not to hasten out of any till the Lord himselfe say Come up higher and the stronger are to beare the infirmities of the weak I am not against the law nor repentance nor duties nor ordinances as some would say so all these flow from their right principles to their right end I am not against the setling of Church government prudentially as now so as all of another way be not persecuted because I know God hath his people under severall attaintments and measures and is to his people in all these in his meere grace and love as formerly to Bishops and thousands of weak Christians in Queen Elizabeths and Queen Maries dayes of martyrdome in their formes I am onely against any form as it becomes an engine of persecution to all Christians differing from it I am not against a sitting of an Assembly of Divines at Westminster that are so perswaded because this is but to allow such liberty to others consciences as we desire our selves And surely if they would propound such things onely as they have received or they are in conscience perswaded of to all the kingdome and so leave it to the Spirit of God and their Ministery to perswade and convince and not desire power from others to compell this were but to minister as they had received Answ. If the scope of a Book be taken as it ought to be from the subject matter contained in it then the scope of this booke is a farre other thing then the truth that is in Jesus and in Spirit but to deny that Christ is come in the flesh as I here evidence which is the mystery of Antichrist is the scope of his booke 1 Joh. 4.3 For every Spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God and this is that Spirit of Antichrist whereof you have heard that he is come and even now already is in the world But Saltmarsh confesseth not but denieth that Christ is come in the flesh or is true man or hath any other body that he suffered in but the mysticall body the Saints Sparkles of glory p. 13. The Sonne of God did not only fulfill this bringing home this first creation or man to God according to his first excellency and communion with God but in this appearance of the flesh he was a figure of God whose designe is to make his Saints his Temple his tabernacle his body his new creation his habitation or house and God thus manifested in the flesh was a figure of that mystery of godlinesse in us or God becomming Immanuel or God with us He hath a large description of the second Adam pag.
Life to come which yet the Apostle Heb. 6.1 2. maketh fundamentals of salvation though the Chapter tells us in the Title of the last discovery and highest concerning the whole mystery of God to men But in that Chapter 1. He denieth the Trinity and maketh the three persons as Mr. Beacon doth in his Catechisme also p. 47 48 49 50 51. but manifestations of God Thus God being infinitly one yet in a three-fold manifestation saith he to us of Father Son and Spirit c. a person is not a manifestation but hath need to be manifested to us and denying the personall union of the second person with the Man Christ he makes it but God present with men and Angels in the manifestation of grace and salvation and with Devills and wicked men in the manifestation of Law and Justice So God is no more united to our nature in the man Christ then he is united to Angels and Devills and to elect men and the wicked and the reprobate and Christ is no more God-man in one person then he is God-Angel or God-Devill I tremble to speake it in one person and Christ is just God-man the Sonne of Mary born of a woman and of the seed of David as he is God-Peter God-Paul God Cain God-Judas Iscariot for saith he p. 199. God makes out himself in an image in this creation or nature therefore he takes to himself one part of it into union to himselfe according to one way of manifestation called in the Scripture light love grace salvation Father Bridegroome glory and that part which injoyes God in this manifestation is called the Angels the Saints the elect the Sonne the Tabernacle of God the new Jerusalem the Temple the Spouse he taketh to himselfe the other part of the creation and there he is present but not in this way of grace and light but of another manifestation called Law justice wrath everlasting burning and these are called devills wicked men flesh which live in God and subsist in him as creatures in their being Now the Scripture cals this the great mystery of godlinesse God manifested in the flesh Saltmarsh maketh this as great a mystery God manifested in the Devill to cast him into hell And as the new Jerusalem the Spouse is Christ or God in the flesh of the Saints and Angels by grace and salvation and Christ liveth in Paul and Paul is by grace Godded and Christed and the Angel Gabriel Godded and Christed so Christ lives in Cain Judas Beelzebub by justice and condemnation and the union of God is neither personall in the son of Mary nor in Sathan but only in the effects of grace and salvation in all the elect and by Law and justice in all the damned Angels and men and here is the mystery God is all that part of the creation that commeth under the name of reasonable creatures men and Angels and all the Angels and men created of God were crucified with Christ and all are the Lord of glory by union so that as Libertines made God the soule forme and life of all things men and devills and said that God wrought all good all ill in the creatures and no creature was to be praised for doing well nor to be blamed or punished for ill doing because God is the Author of righteousnesse and sinne so the Familists say that Christ is the form and soul of men elect and reprobate of Angels elect reprobate and that God works in them is united to them and they are meer passive organs in all good or ill So I beleeve Saltm and the Familists do subvert the whole faith and hold nothing with us but doubt of all But I returne to that I said there is a twofold infallibility now though beleevers have not that infallibility proper to Prophets and Apostles in prophesying and writing Scripture yet must we not runne to the other extremity and say as these that fight for Liberty of conscience that there is not since the Prophets and Apostles fell asleep any infallible perswasion and certainty of faith but all our knowledge is conjecturall and a meere fluctuation and fleeting opinion and a faith for a yeare a month or an houre which wee may lay aside the next month and that anointing even the Spirit of God infuseth in us opinions of God contrary among themselves and false and true which is the present judgement of our minde which we are to stand to and to suffer for or to deny as we see the times goe For 1. The Scripture tells us of a sure perswasion of things beleeved Luke 1.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Luke holdeth forth to Theophilus a certainty of knowledge 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that thou mayest know the certainty of these things whereof thou hast been instructed So the word imports a certainty Act. 5.23 Act. 21.34 Act. 22.30 Act. 25.26 Act. 2.36 Let all the house of Israel know 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 assuredly A full and certaine perswasion excludeth all doubting and deception or mistake and this the Saints have and may have Col. 2.2 That their hearts might bee comforted unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Thess. 1.5 The Gospel came not to you in word only but in much assurance Rom. 4.21 being fully perswaded This was the perswasion of a faith and such a faith as by which wee are justified without workes Rom. 14.5 Let every one be fully perswaded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in his owne minde 2 Tim. 4.17 That by me the preaching might bee fully knowne Nor is that perswasion of Pauls Apostolicke or by revelation extraordinarily but common to all Christians Rom. 8.38 For I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor Angels c. shall be able to seperate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord 2 Tim. 1.12 I know in whom I have beleeved and I am perswaded that hee is able to keepe that which I have committed to him against that day This certaine perswasion must bee certaine and infallible both to themselves and grounded upon the promise and truth of God who cannot lye Tit. 1.2 Yea and our Divines with good warrant say the Catholicke in visible Church is thus farre infallible that in 1 fundamentalls 2 necessary for salvation they cannot 3 finally and totally erre and fall from the faith But all our Divines and your owne confession of the Assembly at Westminster saith ch 31. Art 4. All Councells generall or particular since the Apostles times may erre and many have erred To which I answer No Councells nay nor the whole invisible Church is infallible in the sense that the Apostles are infallible both in beleeving and teaching by immediate inspiration and so their word is not a rule of faith 2. A Generall Councell conveened in Councell may erre in particular Synodicall acts that is for a time and in some points as the Synod meaneth but it followeth
beautifull morning skie is not the Sunne but the result and daughter of the Sunne and the faire skie together and faith that acteth much upon the promises as upon the report of credentiall letters doth and must apprehend more pardon then peace can beare witnesse to sinne hath a bloudy tongue and cryeth fury and vengeance aloud faith must lye on the attonement of the bloud of Jesus which our sense cannot reach Faith is a starre of a greater magnitude and higher elâ—vation then our poore low-creeping feeling So wee thinke we had more of Christ and the acting of the Spirit at our first conversion then long after because when our spirituall apprehension is young and tender the acts of apprehension are more wanton and fiery but when experience and growth of grace commeth the motions of sense are more stayed and solid and as spiritie and active and more but to greene sense little seemeth much But that which Antinomians ayme at is to blow away all peace that commeth from personall sanctification because they are enemies to personall mortification and make this to be our peace of repenting and mortifying sinne abstaining from fleshly luâ—â—s that Christ repented mortified sinne and lusts on the Crosse for us and we beleeve this and there is an end Hence they condemne aâ—l experience of the acting of God in and on the soule to comfort the soule or helpe faith in times of desertion For Saltmarsh who in his cures of all our Legall and carnall agues is silent of experience and thinketh outward ordinances and the promises written for our learning and comfort because outward and written and vocall to be old Testament and Legall waies though Peter call them sincere milke exceeding great and precious promises and Paul Thinke they were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope and Christ speaking of his Commandements which were written and spoken by him and so outward saith that they were a badge visible to all the world that they were his Disciples If yee keep my Commandements yee shall abide in my love even as I have kept my Fathers Commandements and abide in his love And to Job the words of the Lords mouth were more then his necessary food And Christ giveth his judgement in a spirituall not a Legall song of outward ordinances Thy lips O my Spouse drop as the honey combe honey and milke are under thy tongue To David they were sweeter then the honey or honey combe sweet to his tast yea above gold or fine gold as all riches better then thousands of gold and silver his heritage for ever To Saltmarsh the Word is a dead outward legall thing and all this to them must be spoken of the inward and spirituall word written in the heart as Libertines taught So Bulling advers Anabapti It is true it is for that soule-acting and Spirit-converting power so but in the meane time upon this ground old Anabaptists rejected the Word and the Ministery and tooke thâ—m to 〈◊〉 Law written in the inward parts and the annoinâ—ing that 〈◊〉 all things abusing Jer. 31. â—3 and 1 Joh. 2.27 So doâ— Antinomians upon this ground reject all experiences contrary to the Scripture experience worketh hope then it should cheere us in sad houres thus the Church comforteth her selfe I considered the dayes of old and called to remembrance my songs in the night So David looketh back to this longing to see saith he thy power and thy glory so as I have seene thee in the Sanctuary 2. Peter puts it on the Saints If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious 3. It s a sinnefull neglect to look to no experience But none saith where is God my maker who giveth songs in the night saith Elihu 4. Antinomians are angry at experiences 1. Because they teach there is no difference betweene the graces of hypocrits and beleevers in the kinds and so no experiences betweene the one and the other can render any difference 2. Experience is an outward ordinance of gathering from such and such a dispensation of God such a tryed conclusion Now Saltmarsh thinketh all outward ordinances as outward Legall things and so it would appeare Christ in the New Testament-worship which is spirituall and in nothing Legall hath appointed neither preaching nor praying nor hearing nor Sacraments nor Christian Assemblies nor conferences nor admonishing exhorting one another nor writing for all these are outward things and I grant if Christ joyne not his influence of grace neither is Pauls planting nor Appollos his watering any thing Yet Apostles and Teachers are not Legall ordinances 3. Antinomians offend at all inherent grace and created quallifications in us as evidences or helps to testifie wee are in Christ for they are all deceiving differences saith Crispe and may be in hypocrits and say I they can be no otherwise in hypocrites then deluding signes then the voice and testimonie of the Spirit for there is a thing like a voice in the Temporaries and also a thing like faith which is no faith Now experiences remaine as inherent and habituall observations of the Spirits actings in the Soule CHAP. LV. How farre inherent qualifications and actions of grace can prove we are in the state of grace ANtinomians make a hideous out-cry against signes and marks of our justification because indeed they are enemies to sanctification For establishing soules saith Saltmarsh upon any works of their owne as away meane or ground of assurance as that upon such a measure of repentance or obedience they may beleeve by I dare not deale in any such way of our owne righteousnesse because I find no infallible marke in any thing of our owne sanctification save in a lower way of perswasion or motive I find none in the Old or New Testament but have cause to suspect their owne righteousnesse as David Peter Paul So the Libertines of New England Though a man can prove a gracious worke in himselfe and Christ to bee the author of it yet this is but a sandâ—e foundation And it is a fundamentall and soule-damning error to make sanctification an evidence of justification And it were to light a candle to the Sunne Yea it darkeneth justification the darker my sanctification is the brighter is my justification And I may know I am Christs not because I doe crucifie the lusts of the flesh but because I doe not crucifie them but beleeue in Christ that crucified them for me So D. Crispe Cornewell Towne teach that love to the brethren sincerity c. are marks by which others may know us rather then we our selves So Saltmarsh followeth Crispe We never said that a naturall mans devotion or his bastard prayers or wild-fire of blind zeale can argue the translation of the man from death to life as Saltmarsh
of his soule in a filiall recumbencie on God and with adherence to Christ crucified for pardon of sinne which were to abolish the dayly exercise of our faith on Christ crucified 2. God forgiveth sinnes when he removeth the temporall punishment and fatherly rod inflicted for sinne Hence to beare our whoredomes to beare sinnes to beare iniquitie is to beare the punishment of sinnes To beare the indiâ—nation of the Lord because the Church hath sinned Micha 7.8 9. is to beare the temporall punishment for otherwise the Prophet speaketh of a Church in favour with God and freed from eternall wrath The Lord shall beâ— my light Thou shalt bee dâ—mbe because thou beleevest not my word saith Gabriel to Zacharie Luke 1.20 then to remove the temporall sword must bee a forgiving of and a relaxing from the temporall punishment So Nathan saith to David The Lord also hath put away thy sin But how maketh he that good Thou shalt not dye Hee meaneth especially a temporall death as the words following cleare vers 14. Howbeit because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme the child also that is borne to thee shall surely dye Ergo his sinne was not fully taken away in regard of the temporall rod for the rod did never depart from his house for it nor doe wee thus adde fuell to purgatory to say with Papists that pardoning of sinne is the taking away of the guilt of sinne when the punishment remaineth for the Papists have a wicked meaning that God doth so forgive sins as he removeth guilt and remembreth not the sin but leaveth the sinner also as good as halfe drowned in it to revenging justice by suffering for these same sinnes satisfactorie punishment both in this life and in purgatorie or the life to come which we think impious for only Christs blood is a satisfaction to revenging justice for sinne 3. The Lords taking away and pardoning of Davids sinne is not the Lords justifying of David because justification is the reall or law-translation in a forensecall way of a sinner an ungodly man an unwashen one from the state of sinne into the state of grace and favour with God for the imputed righteousnes of Christ as is cleare and such were some of you but yee are washed but yee are sanctified but yee are justified so God justifieth the sinner and ungodlie then by justification the person is washed and translated from a state of ungodlines of enmity and received in a court of acceptance and grace reconciliation and attonement in a covenant-state with God for Christs imputed righteousnesse so as this justification is an act of incorporation and ingraffing of a stranger and enemie to be a free Denison and Burgess and free Citizen of the new Ierusalem intituled to all the priviledges and liberties of the brough Now David was not this way pardoned for undeniably he for his person was justified and all his sinnes pardoned that is hee was freed from obligation to eternall wrath and condemnation therefore seeing God justifieth but once as he maketh us heires and Citizens of heaven but once and yet pardoneth sinnes dayly justification and some remitting of sinnes must be of a wide difference CHAP. LX. How sinnes are remitted before they bee committed how not and the Antinomian error in this point BUt then it may bee said doe Antinomians soundly affirme that sins are remitted before they be committed To which I answer taking remission in a good sense not in theirs its true a beleever when he is justified is freed from condemnation for these sinnes that are not yet committed that is he is put in such a condition as he shall never come to condemnation yea not for these sinnes hee shall hereafter commit as when a forfeited Father is relaxed from treason and his lands restored the Pardon extendeth to the heire in the mothers womb and not yet borne yea possibly not begotten but this is neither a justifying of the unborne heire nor a pardoning of the treason nor a relaxing of the punishment in a strict and right downe sense he that is not and is not capable of guiltinesse and treason such as is a child neither begotten nor borne is not capable of pardon But in the Antinomian sense we judge it abominable that sinnes are removed before they bee committed 1. Because Antinomian remission is the destruction of the being of sinne and the extirpation of his nature root and branch for so it cannot be sinne nor can it be against the Law of God nothing is capable of the grace of free pardon neither the sinne or the poore sinner but by the Antinomian way the Adulteries and Murthers of the beleevers when committed are neither against Law nor the Commandement of God for they are freed from all commanding and obliging power of either Law or Gospel so as they cannot sinne or offend God in contravening of either 2. It is against common sense that the being or nature of Adultery can bee removed and made nothing and yet when it is committed it should offend humane society and raise an evill report on the name of God and the Gospel For that which is meere nothing and hath neither being nor nature can neither offend God nor man But neither Law of God nor Gospel doth forbid the Murthers of a beleever but onely of an unbeleever by the Antinomian way 3. Their remission of sinne before the commission thereof chargeth confession of committed sinnes with sinnefull lying craving of pardon with unbeliefe fearing of sinne with distrust sorrow for or feeling of sinne with a worke of Legall bondage and of the old Adam as Libertines did because these committed sinnes are meere fancies against no Law of God CHAP. LXI How Faith justifieth and the Antinomian errour discovered in this point SAltmarsh saith That neither Faith nor Repentance are to be preached the one without the other neither without Christ and yet neither of them as bringing in Christ to the soule but Christ bringing in them But if he charge us with Preaching faith and repentance one from another or both without Christ hee should have proved his charge 2. He badly joyneth them both together For 1. Faith is a condition of justification wee are justified by faith not by repentance 2. We receive Christ by faith He dwelleth in our hearts by Faith We live by faith none of these can be said of Repentance 3. Saltmarsh saith this is to debase faith yea but it is to make swine wallowing in their lusts one with Christ though they beleeve not heare his reasons Object 1. Christ is not ours by any act of our owne but by an infinite act of Gods imputing his righteousnesse Ergo Christ is not ours by faith Answ. Christ is not ours by any act of our owne as by a ransome a meritorious and principall cause True Ergo not by faith as a condition knowing apprehending feeling applying
Rise raigne er 50. d Vnsavory speaches er 7. e Rise raigne er 77. f Rise er 70. g Er. 57. h Rise er 43. Libertines say frequencie and delight in holy duties take us off Christ. i Saltmarsh Free gracâ— 84. How we may abâ—se our evidences from walking by looking to much on our owne sanctified acts and â—o little on Christ. a Town asser grace pag. 26. b Gal. 5.1 2 3 4 5. c Gal 5.1 Act. 15.10 d Col. 2.18.19 â—0 Maâ— 15 9. 1 Cor. 7.23 Yee are bought with a price be not the servants of men e Gal. 3 10 11 12 13. f Rom. 1.2 3 4. g Ioh. 8.36 h Rom. 6 1â—.13 14 i 2 Cor. 3.17 k Ioh. 3.34 35 36. l Rom. 7.5 6 7. m Rom. 7 6. Rom. 8.3 n Rom. 7.11.13 o 2 Cor. 3.7 8 9. p Rom. 8.2 3 4. Gal. 5.18 Rom. 8.15 1 Ioh. 4.17.18 q Gal. 3.1.2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13. Luk. 1.74 Rom 8.37 38.39 s Towne asser pa. 8.26 t Math. 11.29 u Luk. 1.74.45 Tit. 2 11.1â— x Gal. 5.13.14 y Ioh 8 24 25 26. Ro. 6. â—6 17. z Psa. 119.45 a Râ—v 1. â— b Rom 12.1 c Epâ—es 6. â— d 1 Pet. 2.12 e Col. 2.6 f 1 Thes. 4. â— 3 g 1 Pet. 1.16 h Towne Asser 143. i Pag. 3. â—4 9 k Town asser pag. 31. l Towne asser pag. 30.31 How we are freed from the Law how noâ— Gattâ—kâ—r Prefat to Gods eye on Israel Martâ—n 〈◊〉 n Saltmarsh Free gracâ— pag. 154. Towâ—e asser 71.72 The place Math. 5.19 I came not to destroy the Law c. opened p Tâ—wne asser 137. q Levit. 19.3 Deut. 4.10 Deut. 5 29. 1 Chrâ— 16.30 2. Câ—ro 6.31 Neâ— 1.11 Psal. 31 1â— Pâ—al 7. â— Psâ—â— 76 1â— Esaâ— 59 19. Ieâ— 10.7 r â—rov 8. â—4 s Eccles. 9.2 Antinomians are ignorant of the Law and of our freedome from it as if the Law should command slavish feare and merâ—â—nary service t Eaton Honey combe pâ— 41 108. â—â—d cap. 3. pâ—g 25. Câ—isp vol. â— â—er u Honey combe pag. 40.108 x pag. 108. y Honey comb cap. â— pag. 77 78 79. z Towne asse 137. It cannot bee 〈◊〉 said that my spirit doth thaâ— vâ—luntarily which the command of the Law bindeth forceth unto pag. 11 12.13.14 a Psal. 73. v. 34.35 36 37.38 b Exod. 6.22 23.24 25 26 27 28. c Iob 1 9. Iob 21.15 Mal 3.14 d Rom. 7.14 e Rom. 7 14. f 1 Pet. 2.10 1 Pet. 2.16 g 1 Pet. 2.14.15 Christ freeth us not from obedience to Superiours as Antinomians insinuate if they would be plaine h Eaton Honey combe cap 3. pag. 25. i Honey combe cap. 7. pag. 138. k Honey combe cap. 4.72 l Râ—n 13.3.4 1 Pet. 2.14 l 2 Chron. 19 6. Magistrates cannot draw the sword of God against 〈◊〉 murthers adulterâ—es are oppressions of beleevers because by the Antinomian way they are not reall but imaginary sins m 1 Iob. 3.15 1 Iob. 2.8 9 10. n Towne assert 39 40. o Saltmarsh Free grace pag. 57. p Deâ—ne Ser. Of the Man of sinne pag. 9.10 11.12 q Eaton Honey combâ— â—ap â— pag. 87. 95. a Towne asser 39.10 b Saltmarsh Free grace pag. 74 â—42 cap. 32. pâ—câ— 2 c Col 3.11 d Col. 3.20 e Towne asser 41.42 f 1 Thess. 5 6 7. â— Gâ—l 5.15 Coloss. 2.6 1 Peâ— 4.2 2 Cor. 1.12 Non ego pecco sed Aâ—inus meus caro mea l Towne asser pag 35. m Eaton Hâ—ney combe caâ— 3. pag. 77. n Honey combe cap. 3 25. n Honey combe cap. 3 25. o Town asser f grace pag. 129.130 p Honey combe cap. 3. pag 2â— q Towne assert pag 40. r Towne asser grace pa. 40. a 1 Ioh. 1.8 b Ephes. 1.7 c Lev. 7. â—8 The souâ—e that eateth shall beare his iniquitiâ— Lev 20 19. Lâ—vit 5.1 17. Levit. 10.17 Levit. 21.16 Ezec. 18.19 20. Ezech 4 4. â—srael shall beare their iniquitie Esaâ— 53. â—1 Christ shall beare their iniquities that is he shall bee punished for their iniquâ—ties Levit 20 20. they shall bâ—â—re their 〈◊〉 they shall dye 〈◊〉 beareth the iniquity of the holy things of the people d 1 Sâ—m 12.13 Sinne is dayly râ—mitted 〈◊〉 tâ—mporalâ— punishment is removed e 1 Cor. 6.11 Taking away or remitting of sinne in some seâ—se a farre other thing then justification a Saltmarsh Free grace pag. 188.189 b Ioh. 11.12 c Ephes. 3.17 d Hab. 2.4 Rom 1.17 Saltmarsh Free grace 1.8 Saltmarshes reasâ—â—s to prove we are not 〈◊〉 by 〈◊〉 answered Saltmarsh Free grace 189. Saltmarsh ibid. 190. Saltmarsh ibid. 190. h Esai 35.6 i Math. 11.5 The order of conversion and â—f the Lords justifying the sinner How the infused habit of sanctification and the habit of faith and the act of beleeving by order of nature goe before justification k Cornwell 5â— It s not mâ—ch up or downe whether Faith be active or passive in justification a Saltmarsh Free grace cap. 34 pag. 144.145 Saltmarsh his Antinomian Method and order of bringing a sinner to Christ. b Câ—ispe vol. 3. ser. 8. pag 260 261.262 c Pag. 263. The abuse of preparations before conversion to merit or no preparation is presumption both condemned the former in Pelagians of the later in Antiominans The Antinomians condemn both the opinion the practise it self of humiliation and all preparations before that we belâ—eve and approve Pharisaicall pride in men before beleeving as selfe-righteousnesse we onely condemne the vaine opinion but opprove the duety it selfe a Saltmarsh Free grace pag. 146 147 We need Law-light to teach us our duty whether Antinomians wiâ—l or no. Saltmarsh sides with Familists b See the Bright Star Rise raigne er 21 And Theologia Germanica a Saltmarsh 143. Towne assert grace 53.54 How can good works be required as necessary conditions toward the attaining of justification salvation and blessednâ—sse since these are possessed before we can doe any good works Towne asser 144 I see little difference between merit and the reward you stand for Law-obedience did not winne God to be our God in the first covenant nor Evangelâ—ek beleeving or acting to be our God in covenant of grace The authority of God as a Law gâ—ver and of God as â— Father nâ—t contrary as Antinomians imagine Towne â—ssert pag 30. Saltmarsh ibid 148. The Gospel commandeth not any thiâ—g by the Antinomian way d Town· asser of grace pag. 140. e Saltmarsh free grace pag. 44. f Honey combe cap. 3 25. That the Gospel both commands and perswades agree friendly together but are not contâ—ary as Antiâ—omians sâ—pâ—ose g Towne asser pa. 40. Libertâ—nes call obedience to God a misâ—rie a yoake and a bondage Wherein Law rigour and Gospel-sweetnesse doe consist h Conference of M Iohn Cotton p. 17. Saltmarsh 155 156. i Saltmarsh Free grace 85. Antinomians reject all inferences and arguing in matters of faith as humane and Legall The Gospel containes precepts as well as patternes to be
of his Christian walking Saltm ibid. 11 Christs example is no paterne to us because 't is externall and voyd of the spirit 12 The soule may have true union with the Father son and spirit justification and sanctification and the person remain a Hypocrite 13. There is no difference between hypocrites and beleevers in their kinde 14. All graces in the regenerating are fading 15. In the Saints there is no inherent grace but Christ is all So also Saltmarsh Sparkles of Glory p. 254.255.256 16 We are united to Christ and justified without faith yea from eternity So Saltmarsh Sparkles of glory p. 190 191 192. as if the decree of Justification and â—ustification it self were all one and the decree of God to create the world and permit sin and redeem the Elect were all one with the creation of the world permission of siâ— Redemption of the Elect. Yea so that which is from eternity and since God was God and that which falleth out in time must be all one 17 Faith is not a receiving of Christ but a discerning that the man hath received him already Saltmarsh ibid. 18 A man is united to Christ by the work of the Spirit on him without any work of his own he being a meer patient first and last Ibi. 19. A man is never really and effectually Christs till he have such assurance as exludeth all doubting 20 The witnesse of the Spirit is merely immediate without respect to sanctification or acts thereof as signes or concurrence of the word So Saltmarsh Spark of glory p. 274 275 276. 21 He that hath once assurance never doubteth again contrary to Ps. 77. Ps. 88. Ps 32.22 Jona 2.4 22 To question assurance of a spirituall good estate upon the commission of murther or adultery is a token of no true assurance 23 Sanctification can be no evidence of a good estate Saltm Spar. of Glor. 275 276 277 278. 24 I know I am Christs because I beleeve that Christ hath crucified my lusts for me not because I crucifie them my self 25 What tell ye me of graces and duties tell me of Christ as if Christ and duties of sanctification were contrary one to another by this meanes Christ and living to him that on the tree bare our sins Christ and walking worthy of Christ Christ and willing and doing by the grace of Christ must be contrary one to another which is an inverting of the Gospel indeed before the tribunall of Divine Justice a wakened conscience hath peace by being justified by Christ but not by duties or works even wrought by grace 26 I am not better accepted of God because I am holy nor the worse because unholy sure he that hath elected me will save me 27 To be Justified by faith is to be justified by works 28 No comfort no ground of assurance or peace can bee brought from a conditionall gospel or gospel-promiseâ— becâ—use all depenâ—s on our free-will which might say something if Grace did noâ— efficaciously work in us to will and to doe and determine irresistibly the will to choose freely and invincibly that which is good 29 None are to be exhorted to beleeve but such as we know to be the Elect of God and to have the spirit working in them effectually Saltmar sparkles p. 256 257. 30 It is true poverty of spirit to know I have no grace at all 31 A child of God is not to sorrow for sin and trouble of conscience for sinne argues a man to bee under a covenant of works 32 To act by vertue of or in obedience to a command is a Law-worke Saltm Sparkles of glory p. 242 243 244. 33 Wee are not to pray against all sin because it cannot bee avoyded but sin must dwell in us 34 The efficacy of Christs death is to kill all activity of graces in his Members that Christ may bee all in all Saltmarsh Sparkles of glory p. 254 255. 35 All the activity of beleevers is to act sinne 36 The spirit acts most in the Saints when they indeavour least 37 Sanctification rather darkens justification the darker my sanctification is the more evident is my justification 38 A man cannot evidence his justification by his sanctification but hee must needs build upon his sanctification and trust to it 39 Frequencie and length of holy duties argue the partie to bee under a covenant of workes So Saltmarsh saith Spark glory pag 224 225 of prayer as if to bring forth much fruit which is to glorifie our heavenly father Joh. 15. To goe about doing good Act. 10. To bee abundant in the worke of the Lord 1 Cor. 15. To pray continually 1 Thes. 5. savored of the law and had nothing to doe with Gospel-grace 40 It is dangerous to close with Christ on a promise Contrary to Joh. 5.25 26. Joh. 11.25 26. Joh 7.37 Joh 3.16 Math. 11.28 29. Rev. 22.17 Rev. 2.7 Rev. 3.20 41 All doctrines revelations and spirits must bee tryed by Christ rather then by the word 42 It is no way of grace that a Christian support his faith in ill houres with the comforts of former experiences contrary to Psa. 18.6 7 8 Psa 34.8 1 Sam. 17.34 Rom. 5.1 2 3 4. Joh 35 10. 43 The soule need not go out to Christ for fresh supply but is acted by the inhabiting spirit contrary to Christs continuated intercession that we fall not Luk. 22.32 Heb 7.25 1 Joh. 2.1 to the prayers of the Saints who are ready to dye if they be not quickened Psa. 119.25.32.35.36 44 Christ works in the regenerate as in those that are dead and passive in all spirituall acts so that Christ loves prayes beleeves prayses formally in them and they are wholly Christed and Goded â—o Saltmarsh sparkles of glory 254 255 256. 45. A Christian is not bound to pray nor to any spirituall acts but when the spirit exciteth and moveth him thereunto As if the impulsion of the spirit were our binding and obliging rule and not the scripture nor any command of law and gospel yea Saltmarsh goeth so farre on with Swenck H Nic. Joh. Waâ—ldesse and Del in this that hee refuseth Scriptures as not necessary to the perfect ones as is clear to the reader in his late peece called Sparkles of glory p. 289 290. c. p. 315 316. and clearely pa. 245. others say Familists in opposition to Protestants that outward ordinances in the letter are not commanded of Christ 246 247 That the new Covenant or God revealed in his and teaching of his is not by any outward 〈◊〉 or ministery or means So the elect of God may burne all the Bibles and packe away Saltmarsh and all Ministers out of the land but by the inward or unction or anoynting ye are all taught of God no man shall teach his neighbour or brother any more saying know the Lord and all conference and discoveries in letters and speech is but mere witnessing to the Lord and the discoveries of God of what we are taught not any ministerie as formerly
by the word they must be the traditions of men and argue the imperfection of the word of God and if they bee another Gospel then though the Apostles or an Angel from heaven preach them let alone Familists we are to pronounce them as accursed knowing wel that the word of God is able to save our souls John 20.31 Luke 16.29 30 31. To make us perfect to salvation 2 Tim. 3.15 16 17. To convert the soule to make wise the simple Psa. 19.7 and that new spirit must involve us under a curse and the breach of a commandement if we adde to the word of God Revel 22.18 19. Deut. 12.32 chap. 4.2 Prover 30.6 And the spirit of God biddeth us not follow a rule cōtrary to the word 3 There is not any in this side of Heaven that need not a Temple nor Ordinances but such as need neither the light of the Sunne or of the Moone or of a Candel Revel 21.22 23. chap. 22.5 and so are freed of their bodies and glorified with the Lambe and such as see God face to face and are not in the dark moone-light of faith 1 Cor. 12 12. 2 Cor. 5.7 We read not of any clothed with clay-bodies all spirit all perfect or that can say they sinne not Pro. 20.9 1 Joh. 1.8 9 10. Eccles. 7.20 nor of any beyond the reach of praying beleeving growing in grace 4 Nor can there be any more in Heaven than the perfection 〈◊〉 Saints and the meeting of us all in the unity of Faith unto a perfect man and the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ. For the most perfect and most spirituall that are all Spirit shall have mortall and corruptible bodies till the blowing of the last Trumpet which must be changed in a moment in stead of dying 1 Cor. 15.51 52. and so cannot be perfect they must be watching and girding up the loynes of their mind and so ruled by ordinances 5. It is true Christ onely perfecteth as the principall cause but the Apostles and Ministers of Christ present men perfect in Christ 2 Cor. 11.2 1 Thess. 2.19 20. and they save themselves and others 1 Tim. 4.16 6. We have not Apostles now so eminent in gifts tongues miracles but a Ministery there is and beleevers till Christs second comming there shall be And if so their faith must come by hearing and hearing there cannot be without preaching and so ordinances of Preaching Preachers Sending Rom. 10.14 else the gates of hell must prevaile against the Church builded on the Rock Matth. 16. and therefore the Scripture warranteth us to think there were Apostles for the first age and Pastors and Teachers till Christs second comming 7. Saltmarsh exponeth or rather depraveth the place Matth. 28.20 with the help of the Greek Tongue then he must be a Legalist and in his Book give us Sparkles of Law Flesh Judaisme not of glory And sure his Interpretation comes not from all spirit nor must we take his allegories types corrupt glosses phansied consequences to be Discoveries of pure glorious light and all Spirit For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the world is not an age containing the life time of the Apostles only but it is the world For the sin that Mat. 12.32 is said not to be forgiven in this world nor in the world to come Mark 3.29 hath not forgivenesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it cannot be that it hath not forgivenesse for that age because it is punished with eternall damnation Matth. 21.19 Let no fruit grow on thee for ever 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Saltmarsh his new Discovery of all Spirit must say the Figge-tree for all this might bring forth fruit the next age Luke 1.55 as he spake to Abraham and his seed for ever John 6.51 If any man eat of this bread he shall live 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for ever And must he but live one Age and die the next John 4.14 He shall not thirst for ever So is the same word John 8.51 ch 8.52 2. Saltmarsh by this new Discovery hath found a good way to make heaven and hell endure but for an age and then have an end For John 10 28. Christs sheep shall never 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perish He that liveth saith Christ John 11.26 and beleeveth in me shall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 never die But doe Seekers and Familists think he shall die the next age and live the first age John 12.34 We have heard that Christ abides for ever John 14 16. The holy Ghost abides with you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for ever Demas hath loved this present world 2 Tim. 4.10 2 Cor. 4.4 Satan is called the God of this world 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in opposition to the world to come 2 Pet. 2.17.17 To whom the mist of darknesse is reserved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for ever The darknesse of hell endureth not for an age onely 3. And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is simply everlasting and that which hath no end John 3.16 He that beleeveth shall not perish 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but hath eternall life that is not life for an age onely So John 3.36 John 4.14 John 4.36 He gathereth fruit to life eternall John 5.24 John 6.40 v. 54. John 10.28 John 17.2 Acts 13.46 and yee judge your selves unworthy of eternall life Rom. 2.7 Rom. 6.22 4. The same expression that is here noteth the end of the world For it is that endurance beyond which there is nothing but heaven and hell Matth. 13.40 So shall it be in the end of the world 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The same expression is v. 49. v. 39. and the harvest is the end of the world And Matth. 24.3 What shall be the signe of thy comming and of the end of the world And here Lo I am with you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 even till the end of the world 5. And if Christ promised to be with his Church for an age so as Apostles doe cease in the next age then must there be no Saints on earth now but onely in the first age after Christs resurrection For this promise of Christs presence is extended not to Apostles only for Christ walketh with all true Churches Rev. 10.2 but to all the faithfull Then certainly Christ is the head of his body the Church Col. 1.8 but he hath no body he is a husband but hath no wife on earth he is a King and a King for ever but hath neither people nor kingdome nor Scepter of Word or Ordinances He reignes in the midst of his enemies by his Word slayeth the wicked with the rod of his mouth hath an everlasting kingdom hath dominion till all his enemies be subdued Psal. 110.1 2. Psal. 2.6.7 Heb. 1.8 Psal. 72.7 8 9. Esay 9.7 ch 11.4 And if there be no Ordinances no Church no word of righteousnesse preached which is the Scepter of his Kingdome no Sword of the Spirit comming out at his Mouth no word of the Kingdome no Embassadours no Ministers of the
3. The whole frame of the creation here is put out of order v. 10.11 4. It is the day that shall come as a Thiefe in the night which is the day of judgement Matth. 24.43 44. 1 Thess. 5.1.2 5. It is the day before which God will gather in his own willing them to be saved 6. It is called The day of the Lord v. 4.9 10. I should not spend time to refute such new dreames 28. Page 262 263. Saltmarsh censures the Lords Prayer as a legall peece because it sayes Our Father which art in heaven but as we are not to dreame of a locall God so neither should our thoughts be creeping low and clayie in prayer 29. The Spirituall Christian knowes no Sabbath but the bosome of the Father 266. Answ. No wonder Antinomians destroy the fourth Commandement they destroy the other nine and all the letter of the Bible as fleshly and a killing Letter I beleeve the Lords day is morall and perpetually morall till Christs comming from Gen. 2.2 Exod. 20.8 Deut. 5.12 Matth. 24.20 John 19.42 Luke 24.56 1 Cor. 16.1 Acts 20.7 Rev. 1.10 Let Saltmarsh and Familists call for the book of sports on the Lords day I knew never any truly Godly in either Kingdom despise the Lords day 30. The Scriptures or writings are the true Scriptures not as they are meerly in their Grammaticall construction sense or common reading which any that understand the Hebrew and Greek may perceive And according to such and such interpretations are not to be imposed as meere things of Faith and Fundamentals but so farre as the Spirit of God reveales them to be the very mind of God else they are received for the authority of Man The Pharisees had the Scriptures in the Letter Answ. Scriptures are not the word of God but in their Grammaticall sense and reading otherwise Jewes and Pharisees have not the Scriptures in the letter that is in the true literall sense for the Pharisees corrupted the Scriptures and made them null the literall sense is the most spirituall sense because Familisticall and Popish allegories and new-light-senses are wild-fire not Gods word Saltmarsh and H.N. doe as corruptly also expone Scripture as the Pharisees did of old For example 1 Tim. 3. God manifested in the flesh and Zach. 13.3 4 5. and 2 Pet. 3.1 2 3 4 c. and Rom. 5. that notable place concerning the first and second Adam and 2 Thess. 2. and the place Rev. 11.1 2. where Saltmarsh saith p. 17. the outer Court of the Temple troden upon by the Gentiles is the flesh and first creation and all outward administrations and many the like so as they leave off to be the word of God being abused by their phantasticall allegories and senses that are not the minde of the Spirit nor his scope 2. If yee receive not Fundamentals but in so far as the Spirit reveales them in the literall sense yee doe well But a naturall Spirit may receive the Orthodox sound sense and be farre from inward revelation that makes the word effectuall 3. We will no man to receive the Word beleevingly because men or Churches command so to doe But of this before the same is Swenckfields argument CHAP. XXVII How Ordinances and the letter of the Word are Instruments of conveying of Christ and his grace â—o us and neither adored of us nor uselesse to us 31. NO outward Ordinance or Ministration of the Creature or of Letter can convey or conferre any spirituall thing they are but images or shadowes of spirituall things the seeing of things darkly as in a glasse 1 Cor. 13. Sparkles of glory p. 247. Answ. This is that which Swenckfield and Mr. Dell and all Libertines teach that the written read and preached Word is no instrument of saving soules because it is not an effectual instrument without the Spirit but the word internall or the Spirit within teaching must be all then is every mans inward word Spirit Conscience his Bible Rule and obliging Lâ—w and every man is obliged to follow his blind guide his consciencâ— and then he is not infallible Hence no compulsion in matters of Conscience yea nor in Polygamy murther For the Word is no Rule say Familists 2. There is not one faith but every man hath a faith and Religion of his own by which he is saved 32 Saltmarsh now riseth higher for whereas he said Free grace c. 49. p. 179 180. To doe any thing merely as commanded from the power of an outward commandement brings but forth legall and mixt service or at best finer hypocrisie Now hee saith in his Sparkles of glory now the outward Ordinance or ministration of the creature or of the letter cannot convey spirituall things to us and epist. to the Reader p. 6. The other opinion of Protestants is that the letting up of such a forme of worshiping God in ordinances scripture letter of the word praying faith habits of graces c. is an immediate way of fixing God and his Spirit upon it which is indeed a finer kind of Idolatry to conceive that God enters into outâ—ard things and conveys his al-glorious and allmighty spirit by them when as they are onely signes figures and Images of more spirituall things injoyed or to be injoyed and that of Gods appearance and conveyance of himselfe in outward things according to this opinion is such as the Papists hold as to Images c. Or things conferring grace ex opere operato and all Idolaters accordingly conceiving that God immediatly informes and glorifies and spiritualizeth those formes and figures to the beholders as the Israelites when the Calfe was made cryed these are thy Gods O Israel I know Ordinances used in their true nature and as things that are the parables figures and types of spirituall thingâ— are not to be rejected but many Christians doe sweetly partake of them in this their estate of weakenesse or bondage wherein God makes heavenly things appeare by earthly that men as Thomas may see and beleeve though blessed are they that have not seene and yet doe beleeve Thâ—re is something of the mystery of God in this and somâ—thing of a mystery of Sathan in it That of God is this that the Lord doth in much wisdome suffer the weakenesse of some spirituall men to come forth and by this hee carieth spirituall things in more mystery and manageth the glory of his spirit through wayes and things which are an offence and scandal before the world by which some stumble and fall and are broken Christ was set up for the falling as well as rising of many in Israel That of Sathan is this of reproaching the pure spirit of God by reproaches viz. Of praying by the spirit and preaching by the spirit and new revelations and new lights thus making the world blaspheme and the weaker Saints affraid of the glory of the spirit lest it proove delusions Answ. Here is good Reader a more avowed reproaching of the wisdome of
Revelations contrary to the woâ—d for the Scripture saith the justified person can sin must confesse sin because God is faithfull to forgive But Antinomians say the spirit that exponeth Scripture to them without arguing discoursing reasoning or comparing Scripture with Scripture but by an immediate revelation teacheth that the justified cannot sinne are not to confesse sinne and that they are no more to sorrow for sinne then â—o goe backe again to Legall bondage after they are justifiâ—d in Christ which is contradicent to the word of Truth and therefore such a spirit wee know not 11. The weaker are much dâ—lâ—ded by Sâ—ltmarsh and his if they beleeve a Spirit separated from thâ— Word CHAP. XXVIII Of our assurance and comfort from Acts of free Grace 33. THe pure rationall and glorious assurance of salvation comes from the pure manifestation of the Spirit bearing witnesse This is the white stone Rev. 2.17 The unction whereby we know all things 1 John 2.20 and the things freely given us of God 1 Cor. 2.12 There is assurance 1. by Reason or the meere light of nature and works of this creation as in Job and Cornelius but sure there is no salvation out of Christ. 2. By graces gifts or fruits of the Spirit selfe-deniall faith repentance and by the Letter Promises or outward Ordinances or duties this assurance is of no higher and clearer and more glorius certainty then God through these doth afford and that is darkly as the Apostle saith as in a glasse Paul Hobson who speaketh more congruously to Scripture then any of this way I read saith he speaking of our joy It is one thing to rejoyce in an act and another thing to draw our joy from an act It is one thing to rejoyce in our sutable walking up to a Rule another thing to draw our joy and refreshing from the apprehension of a sutablenesse betwixt the Act and the Rule Men may pray and mourne for sinne or perform any other particular duty and have much joy in that opportunity and yet not draw their joy from it but onely their joy is distilled from a sâ—cret in-come of Christ which carries them above it while they are acted in it but these poore soules they onely are joyfull when they see they act suitable to a Rule and they draw their joy from that suitablenesse which appeares in this that if their suitablenesse flagge their joy is destroyed I doe not say but that every sin eâ—ought to produce sorrow in us but it is one thing to mourn for sinne â—nâ—oying faith with peace and another thing to mourn for sin to confirm faith and to beget peace Answ. 1. I deny not but there is a pure and immediate assurance that floweth from the witnesse of the Spirit Rom. 8.16 2 Cor. 1 21 22. Eph. 1.13 14. So as the shining of the Suâ—ne maketh evidenâ— that it is day without a syllogisme and discourse and the seeing of the mother teacheth the Lamb without any argumentative light to follow the mother and to follow no other And the Sun-shine of glory on the soule teacheth it is in a state of happinesse with immediate light but I utterly deny that in every moment of time when the person beleeveth he is assured he is in the state of salvation for this reflect assurance is not essentiall to faith Many beleeve and say My God and yet complain that God forgetteth them and shuttâ—th up their prayers and casteth off their soule as is cleare in prayers put up to God in faith in which the Saints want assurance Psalm 22.1 2 Psalm 31.22 Jonah 2.4 Esay 49.14 15. Cant. 5.4 6.7 Cant. 3.1 2 3 4 5. 2. Many doubt and these both godly and learned of the immediate word and testimony of the Spirit they say it is from signes and effects of saving grace by which as by Arguments the Spirit testifies that we are the children of God as thus He that beleeves and loves the brethren and hath a hope causing a man to purifie himselfe is in the state of salvation But I am such an one therefore I am in the state of salvation Both the Major and Assumption may be witnessed by the Spirit of God and our own sense And the places alledged by Saltmarsh speak not of the way or the manner how the Spirit the white stone the â—unction doth teach us or bear witnes they onely say they beare witnes and teach but say nothing of the manner and if the Spirit teach us to know the things freely given to us of God and the annoynting teach us all things then far more doth the Spirits anointing teach us that we are the Sonnes of God because we love the Brethren because we beleeve and saith is our victory by which we overcome the world 3 There is assurance by reason of the meer light of nature and works of this Creation that there is a God and that hee rewardeth them that seeke him but that men have assurance of salvation or that they are in a state of salvation as Salâ—marsh his title of the Chapter intimateth or that Job and Cornelius have assurance or salvation by reason or the meer light of nature and works of this Creation is the new Divinity of Jesuits but hath no warrant in the Scriptures and that Job and Cornelius were voyd of all Gospell-revelation is contrary to Job 19.25 26.27 Act. 10.1 2 3 4 5 6.34 35 4 Far lesse was it ever heard that Protestants teach that men may have assurance of salvation from the mâ—er letter of scripture Saltmarsh fathers many untruths on Protestants to make his own way of all spirit taketh better with the people 5 I â—â—ove else where that the way of assurance by divers places of Scripture â—s rationâ—â—l and Argumentative and that most of all the Articles of our faith in the new Testament are proved 〈◊〉 from the old nor are the assurance of the spirit and â—ationâ—ll and argumentative discourses of the 〈◊〉 contrary one â—o another For the Holy spirit almost iâ— every 〈◊〉 of scripture is an arguing spirit and infers on conclusion from an antecedent and from an other conclusion 6 Nor did we ever teach men to build assurance on meer outward duties done without the grace of Christ. 7 Nor can the assurance by the immediate testimony of the spirit be more cleare and glorious then God doth afford light more then certainty by signes and effects can be 8 It is a wonder to me that Saltmarsh so undervalueth all assurances by effects and works of grace so as they assuâ—e us darkly as in a glasse Then the immediate Testimony of his all spirit must yeeld an higher â—vidence 〈◊〉 darkely and in a glasse this must be the light of the immediate vision of God in heaven Hence Familists will but have the day light of moâ—â—ing or noone day glory shinâ— on us in this life whereas the Apostle makes all the light we have in this life to be darke and in a
sickely many dead Zachary was stricken with dumbnesse because hee beleeved not the Angels word Luke 1. 2. The Covenant in which perseverance is promised threatning the rod of men to beleevers that transgresse the Lords Law prove the same 3. God was angry and in a mercifull anger punished Moses Aaron Salomon Jehoshaphat Nor is it of weight that God smote men to death in the Old Testament for light sinnes but it s not so in the New he is not so severe now But is not our God even in the New Testament a consuming fire Were there ever more Hell-like vengeance that fell on any then on Jerusalem so as Christ said barren wombs should bee blessed and they should cry hills fall on us and cover us 2. Did beleevers in the Old Testament make satisfaction to revenging justice for their sins that Christ did beare 3. Were there any halfe satisfactions made by men to infinite justice 4. Were they their owne redeemers from Hell CHAP. XXXII Beleevers are to mourne for sinne WEe judge the Spirit of grace to be a mourning spirit They shall looke on me whom they have pierced and mourne They that escape shall be on the mountaines like the doves of the valleis all of them mourning every one for his iniquity 2. As this is promised so is it practised Peter having denyed his Lord remembred the words of Jesus went out and wept bitterly and a woman that was a sinner stood at Jesus feet behind him weeping and beganne to wash his feet with teares Wee roare all like Beares and mourne like doues for our transgressions are multiplied 3. It is commanded Be afflicted and mourne and weepe Let your laughter be turned into mourning 4. Mourners are blessed Antinomians after Adultery rapine bid us beleeve rejoyce for God loveth not heavinesse dulnesse sorrowfull cogitations there is nothing to a beleever but joy comfort rejoycing sorrow for or sense of sinne is sorrow for a shaddow and sinfull unbeliefe for pardoned sinne is no sinne But say wee pardoned sinne is sinne and sorrow for offending him whom we have pierced is the Gospel-groaning of the Turtle and sorrow according to God and this is the Libertines mortification to sinne without sorrow or sense and to know and feele sinne after it is committed said Da Georgius is an act of the flesh and the taste of the apple that Evah did eat say the Libertines CHAP. XXXIII To crave pardon for sinne or to have any sense of sinne denyed to beleevers by Antinomians VPon this ground it s a worke of fleshly unbeliefe say they that a justified David crave pardon of sinnes committed after he is justified 1. But why more of sinnes committed after then before justification for both sorts of sinnes are removed by the bloud of Christs Crosse and cease to be sins as Antinomians teach and if we be justified ere we beleeve a beleever having committed Adultery mustâ—ly when he saith out of the sense of sinne Lord in this I have sinned against thee These that call God Father Mat. 6.12 pray for forgivenesse dayly Sense of sinne is an act of unbeliefe to Antinomians if beleevers judge sinne pardoned to be sinne or any thing but a slip in our conversation before men not a breach of a Law in the sight of God and if they judge of adulteries and murthers committed after they beleeve pardon in Christ as of sins to be mourned or humbled for they judge amisse not by the light of Faith but by the carnall feeling and mis-apprehension of sense reason the flesh So to be deadned to all sense of sinne to have a conscience burnt with a hot yron is mortification CHAP. XXXIV Antinomians hold wee are in the boyling of our lusts without any foregoing humiliation immediately to beleeve on Christ. VPon this ground that we are justified by Christs bearing our sinnes on the Crosse and before that of unbeleevers by the grace of Christ wee be made beleevers without any reall change of our state and condition before God or any humiliation of soule or sicknesse for the want of Christ we are immediatly to beleeve in Christ though remaining Adulterers Murtherers Paricides c. Yea nor is salvation tyed to beliefe nor is Faith a condition without which no man can bee saved And a man may be the greatest sinner imaginable and Christ may be his Christ. So that Christ may bee the Saviour of a beleever and he truely united unto him Christ may dwell in his heart by faith and in that same state and time he be kept captive in the snare of the Devill at his will and hee walke according to the course of the world according to the prince of the power of the ayre that now worketh in the children of disobedience which clearely stateth a communion between Christ and Belial God and the Devill the enemy of God in one and the same soule CHAP. XXXV Of spirituall poverty and how it s mistaken by Antinomians TRue poverty of spirit doth not kill and destroy all sight of grace in our selves as Antinomians say and when we have grace to see we have no grace its grace saith Town But it is true to know that we are poore wretched blinde and of our selves miserable is spirituall povertie and the more we find our nothingness money-lesse and beggarly condition the more grace because the poverty of humility is riches he is neerest to Christ who findeth he cannot buy him 2. It s true that not to bee too quick-eyed in a reflect knowledge to know our graces and not to rest on them nor make bigge undertakings as Peter did that wee can doe all is also spirituall poverty A beleever cannot lay a sowme and a great wodfie on himselfe but grace doth not undervalue grace and belie the Spirit in it selfe 1. The Saints give judgement of their owne graces Lord I beleeve I am black but comly as the tents of Kedar I slept but my heart waked for I am the least of the Apostles and am not meet to bee called an Apostle but by the grace of God I am that I am In which the Saints doe lay low themselves yet not slander the holy Spirit in themselves If I may not slander another then may I not slander Christ in my selfe 2. The office of the Spirit is to know the things that are freely given us of God 3 The Spirit of Christ doth not counter-worke himselfe Now his light lets us see the worke of grace in us for our own comfort grounds of rejoycing and that wee may see our debts and wee may praise Christ because wee cannot pay him CHAP XXXVI Repentance mistaken by Antinomians REpentance is not as Denne saith a part of Faith or a change of the mind to looke no longer for righteousnesse from the Law but from Christ
of grace of justification or of salvation or that the Gospel hath any conditions at all Yea though yee should not beleeve yet God is faithfull and cannot deny himselfe to be your Redeemer So saith Saltmarsh it s not the way of a covenant that the Gospel useth but rather the promise or grace and salvation It is true if we take a condition 1. For an antecedaneous quallification going before Redemption the Gospel is no covenant of grace so as God will neither redeeme us in Christ nor propose a covenant of grace nor transact covenant-waies to be our God while we beleeve So faith is no condition Antinomians ignorant of the doctine of Protestants fancied that of us Nor doth it follow as Crispe and Antinomians say Faith obedience and repentance are not conditions because pardon and justification and salvation goe before them or because by them we purchase not Christ it onely followeth they are not such conditions as are antecedent and purchase Christ which we grant 2. If a condition be taken in Law tearmes for a condition qualification or some thing that issueth from free will without the determining grace of Christ and such a condition as salvation and righteousnesse imputed dependeth on in a proper way of condition so faith is neither strictly a condition of justification nor of righteousnesse or salvation because God of meere grace worketh both the condition faith and the thing conditioned for a condition is properly a qualification or worke to be done by a party by way of contract league and bargaine and done of the parties owne strength as the one side halfe or quarter of a covenant that obleigeth the other party to bestow a favour or reward for the performed condition as Armâ—nians say and neither in this sense doe wee ascribe a condition to men 1. Because Christ as surety undertaketh by promise to fulfill both our part and his owne I will writ my Law in their hearts Christ subscribeth the covenant for me and himselfe and leadeth our trembling hand at the pen and causeth us consent in this notion the Gospel is all promise rather then a covenant or a bargaine and there is neither limbe nor lith nor joynt of the covenant but it s all pure grace both worke and wages Antinomians cannot say that we teach We are redeemed justified saved for faith for works But if a condition be taken Evangelically for a qualification wrought in us by the grace of Christ and without which we are not justified nor saved then to deny the Gospel to be a conditionall covenant is to bely the Gospel For the whole Gospel saith He that beleeveth hath life is freely justified hee that beleeveth not is damned and the wrath of God abideth on him And that repentance and doing of Gods will and new obedience are conditions is evident by Scripture Nor is it a Popish way by works to say We seeke glory and honour and immortality by well doing Workes are not so much conditions of justification as Faith is yet are they conditions required in these that shall be saved And because Christ worketh faith in us it proveth it is not a condition of our owne working but not that it is no Evangelike condition CHAP. XXXIX Of Mortification WEe judge Repentance and Mortification of the old man to be a personall turning from sinne and the abating of the lusts of the old Adam a deading of the heart to the pleasures of sinne a growing in a heavenly disposition to rise with Christ and seeke the things that are above flowing from the death and resurrection of Christ apprehended by faith Antinomians say To repent and to mortifie sinne is to beleeve that Christ repented and mortified sinne for us and obeyed the whole Law for us It is not the not acting of sin nor is it the mortifying clensing and purifying our sinnes out of the sight of God no not by the Spirit of sanctification but it is to purifie out of our owne sight and sense before the world and declaratively these sinnes which the wedding garment hath purified out of the sight of God What is Mortification saith Denne but the apprehension of sinne slaine by the body of Christ What is vivification but our new life the just shall live by Faith I must needs say this is a shorter cut to heaven and a more Hony-Gospel then Christ and his Apostles knew For 1. They command us to mortifie our members which are on earth fornication uncleannesse inordinate affection c. And to forbear lying Antinomians free us from all personall mortifying our selves and put us on an imputative mortification to beleeve that Christ hath satisfied justice for our fornication and that Christ was chast in his owne person and abstained from fornication and lying for us this is to blow away all sanctification and make justification all 2. So may we live in our lusts and beleeve our lusts to be mortified in Christ and they are so and if wee should live slaves of sinnes and sonnes of the Devill and under the dominion of our lusts if we beleeve that Christ hath mortified our lusts our naked act of beleeving without any personall change in our selves maketh us sonnes of God which is nothing else but to turne the grace of God into wantonnesse Antinomians tell us it is but an abusing of grace to wantonnesse to sinne because grace doth abound and he that beleeveth cannot walke still and live according to the flesh if he still lives in his lusts his faith is no faith Answ. It s most true if Faith be taken for the affiance and recumbency of a broken sinner on Christ but the Antinomian faith is a perswasion of a fleshly Pharisie standing on his tiptoes proudly resisting Christ burning in his lusts and beleeving his boyling lusts are pardoned and remitted before ever they were committed and that they are no sinnes 2. Wee grant it is not grace but the abuse of grace that teacheth David Peter to act adultery and deny Christ but if it be the grace of Faith that is to beleeve contrary to sense that Adultery and deniall of Christ are not sinnes because sinnes pardoned are no sinnes then grace it selfe doth teach us to sinne 3. We must be justified by mortification if mortification he the faith or apprehension of our lusts crucified with Christ. 4. When the Holy Ghost biddeth us beleeve repent pray mourne rejoyce in God we have this Gospel-sense of these from Antinomians we doe all this compleatly when wee beleeve that Christ beleeved repented prayed mourned rejoyced in God for us and there is an end for sure the doing of all these came from a Spirit of Faith drawing life and strength out of Christs death and resurrection to doe all these as we draw strength from Christ to mortifie the lusts of the flesh 5. The word expoundeth mortification not to be in relative acts to beleeve Christ mortified
is not imputed to us yet it is in sanctification and acting of holy duties as in the effect in that there is no guile in the Spirit that we are undefiled in our way and are poore in Spirit meeke that wee mourne hunger and thirst for Christ c. 2. We should not oppose Antinomians if they meane nothing but that Christ is the seed floure and Mother-blessing and that our chief blessednesse is in being freely justified in his bloud 2. If their sense be that all blessednesse in acts of Sanctification doe so farre render us blessed as they flow from the free grace of Christ and as we bring forth fruits to God being imped and ingraffed in Christ as a branch of wild Olive is blessed not because it is such a crabbed and fruitlesse branch but because it is ingraffed in the true Olive and partaketh of the sweetnesse life and sappe thereof and from thence bringeth forth fruit but we know Antinomians doe reproch acts of Sanctification as Pharisaicall Poperie 2. That they call so walking selfe-seeking of righteousnesse in our selves which to us is a cursed not a blessed condition and 3. they cannot endure that holy walking should be any thing but a matter of courtesie commanded by no Law nor by any written Gospel-command but a fruit of the immediate acting of the Spirit 4. They censure us for ascribing blessednesse to any acts of Sanctification whereas we say with our Saviour if we know these things happy are we if we doe them they that heare the word of God and doe it are more blessed then the womb that bare Christ and they are blessed who doe his Commandements that keepe judgement that keepe his testimonies that keepe the waies of wisdome that suffer for Christ all which we judge inconsistent with that which Crispe saith that Sanctification is not a jot of the way to heaven CHAP. XXLIII Sanctification crushed by Antinomians ANtinomians while they cleare themselves further then we can see in their writings must be judged grand enemies to Sanctification 1. They confound Sanctification and inherent holynesse which undoubtedly is unperfect and in this life growing more and more into the perfect day with Justification which is perfect for nothing can be added to Christs righteousnesse yea they destroy and utterly cry downe all Sanctification For 1. Towne saith The new birth Joh. 3.3 is our justification or the making of us of unjust just and every true Christian is a fulfiller of the Law It s true in regard of justification but in regard of the inherent new life of grace which is put in us in this life we cannot fulfill the Law except we be justified by regeneration and our owne works done by the grace of Christ which Antinomians will not say therefore all our inherent holynesse to Antinomians must be nothing at all but the imputed righteousnesse of Christ so wee have fulfilled the Law perfectly as Christ hath done and are regenerated though there be no inherent holynesse in us nor any walking with God at all 2. They teach That justification healeth the children of God of the imperfections of Sanctification from before God and that justification alone giveth to our good works both beauty and acceptance so as they are made perfect and free from sinne adherent to or inherent in them and both our persons and works made so compleat that there is no blot of sinne in them nor any in-dwelling of originall corruption that hath the being or essence of sinne Yea M. Eaton saith on these words But now yee are washed c. What can be more plaine then that the time state and condition wherein they were foule and sinnefull was past and gone but the time state and condition wherein they were washed and made righteous to God-ward by justification and also to man-ward by Sanctification was onely present and biding for ever But Eaton Crispe Saltmarsh Denne Towne and all Antinomians contend that there dwelleth no spot of sinne nothing contrary to the holy Law of God in the Saints once justified no more then in Christ himselfe or the glorified in heaven then must our Sanctification be all one with our Justification and as this is perfect so is that and what wonder the Adulteries of the justified their perjuries and lyes committed after their justification be no sinnes nor they more capable of sinning in that case then Iesus Christ for pardoned sinne saith Eaton Honey-combe cap. 7. pag. 139. is not or hath no being before God Antinomians answer Before they be pardoned they are sinnes and their Adulteries are truely then contrary to Gods Law Answ. They were pardoned before they had being or were committed sixteene hundred yeares agoe on the Crosse then were all the elect justified sure all these sixteene hundred yeares the elect could no more sinne before God or doe any acts against a Law then Christ or the glorified Angels not to say that Adulteries of the justified had being before they were committed and had no beeiâ—g when they are committed and have being they have then no being this is to say sinnes are not when they are and have being when they have none at all God must take away common sense and bereave them of reason who detaine the truth of God in unrighteousnesse But if sin be against Sanctification as Fornication is directly yea and a fashioning of our selves according to our former lusts is as contrary to Sanctification by Peters arguing and Pauls as light is to darkenesse and day to night then the Saints Sanctification must be imperfect and farre different from justification and to walke in Sanctification to repent to obey God must be another thing then to beleeve Christ walked for me in Sanctification Christ repented and obeyed for me 3. Sanctification to Antinomians is not our personall walking in holinesse before God because walking in the flesh and sinning Adulteries lying swearing deceiving in justified persons which are opposite to sanctification are not sinnes before God but onely sinnes to our sense and to our reason and experience or to our feeling to our flesh or men-ward or they seeme sinnes to the world but are not to God in his account and in the apprehension of faith which seeth things as they are sinnes at all Now things that seeme to be and appeare so to our unbeliefe and misapprehending sense are not so in themselves so both our sinnes we being once justified and our acts of sanctification upon the same ground must be meere fansies and delusions and if we judge our lies and murthers after we are once justified to be sinnes it is our false apprehension They must then bee lying differences that M. Eaton tendreth betweene justification and sanctification Yea upon this ground the Libertines say if we see graces or sanctification in our selves we are not poore in
sinne 2. In the other extremity Saltmarsh denieth simpliciter any decree of God so much as permissive touching sinne and gives him no more but a bare fore-knowledge without any decree and makes man onely the occasion of sinne who undeniably is such an occasion as father and mother are of their owne births Man were to bee pittied and excused if hee were an occasion onely of sinne But 1. if the Spirit act immediately on us so as wee we are passive in beleeving praying and in all acts of Sanctification as Towne saith and we must be the same way passive as when God justifies us which he doth ere we be born again and as Crispe saith by forcing grace on us as a Physitian violently stoppeth Phisick in the mouth and downe the throat of a backward patient against his will and if wee bee not obliged to pray beleeve and upon the same ground not to abstaine from Adultery Murther for grace must act in both but when the Spirit doth stirre and excite us then we are no more guilty of sinne in omitting good and committing evill then a stone falling off a towre is guilty of beating out a mans braines for in these the man is a passive block as the stone is in its motion and if we abstaine from praying not being obliged to pray because the Spirit acts not on us wee sinne not judge then who is the father of sinnes of omission by the good leave of Antinomians and upon the same ground it is as unpossible but we must fall into sinnes of commission as swearing lying blasphemie heresie unbeliefe adultery murther stealing except either the restraining grace or the renewing sanctifying Spirit act upon us as wee cannot chuse but sinnefully omit duties of praying beleeving when the winde of the Spirit bloweth not faire on us for these duties and so Antinomians must either be Pelagians and say there is no need of grace to eschew sinne and so they must be un-friends to free grace or then men must be guiltlesse in all sinnes by this opinion and let them then choose upon whom they will father all sinne 2. We are to pray continually and watch thereunto with all perseverance and keepe our selves in the love of God Watch and pray Waite for the comming of the Lord with girded up loynes waite for the day of our redemption Then are wee obliged by the command of Christ whether the holy Ghost breath on us or the wind of the Spirit blow faire from Christs heart on our heart or no to the supernaturall acts of praying beleeving hoping watching Nor is Christs act of free grace in drawing stirring and actuall inliving our obliging rule but the revealed will of God in the Law and Gospel and if we be meere passive as stones and onely obliged to supernaturall acts when the tide of free love and rich grace floweth on the shoare and banks of our whithered Spirits then wee must not onely say we are freed from the Law but from all Gospel-commands all free invitations of rich grace according to the letter or then that the Spirit is obliged to attend and joyne his bedewings and flowing of free love and grace ever when we heare or read the Gospel But when Saltmarsh Towne and others of that Tribe say the Gospel is not in the letter dutie opinion sense reason but in the Spirit life grace faith they meane the same with New England Libertines That the will of God in the word or directions thereof are not the rule whereunto Christians are bound to conform themselves to live thereafter So as old Anabaptists taught wee shall all bee taught of God and the annointing teacheth us all things and therefore the written Scripture Law Gospel the Ordinances of Preaching Reading Praying Sacraments belong not to us to be under them is to be under the Law and the old dead Letter and the livelesse passive Inkie and poore Paper-ordinances of Men and not under the Gospel that is under the immediate actings of the Spirit contrary to the Word of God which maketh an harmonious subordination not a contrariety betweene outward ordinances and the inward working of the Holy Ghost to the Law and the Testimony the weapons of our warfare are not carnall but spirituall and mighty through God Here are both Word and Spirit As for me this is my covenant with them saith the Lord my Spirit that is upon thee and my words which I have put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy Seed c. 2. It is a close rejecting of the Word of God written in the Old and New Testament which the Prophets Christ and the Apostles recommend to us as our onely rule it is to subvert all Ministery and Ordinances contrary to Scripture and to make the Gospel written the holy Ghost himselfe 3. This i◠to loose us from the Commandement and Gospel-exhortations to holy walking delivered by the Prophets Christ and his Apostles 3. And sure if we obey Gospel-commandements as stones and blocks without any action in us or from us at all and must then obey onely when the Holy Ghost acteth and stirreth the fire Commandements and Gospel-promises Reasonings Preaching Ordinances must be as vaine and unreasonable to move men as stones and dumbe wood Upon this ground Saltmarsh with Antinomians would have all Logick abeted But carnall ratiocinations and discourses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That exalt themselves against the knowledge of God wee are more willing should be abeted and exiled from Divinity then Antinomians who set free grace on pinnes of love rather then Faith as if wee were justified by loue as their brethren of the Family of love dreame And 2. who be they who remaining Antinomians turne Arminians and fight for free will and universall attonement and generall Redemption of all and every one upon the meere principles of carnall reason and such a naturall pitie and impotencie of love to all and every one of mankind as God cannot make out and which by naturall principles tendeth to the universall salvation of all and every one of mankinde yea of a world including Devils also And upon this ground Cornwell saith Such a faith as is wrought by a practicall Syllogisme because it followeth from the strength of reasoning or reason not from the power of God is but an humane faith And Saltmarsh The interpreting saith hee of the Scripture thus in the letter and in consequence hath much darkened the glory of the Gospel And the Gospel saith he is formed of exhortations perswasions conditionall promises commandements to the end that divinne and spirituall things might be more naturally conveyed in a notionall and naturall way as the key is made fit to the wards of the locke rather then for any supposed free will in man as some imagine Which doth farther evidence the mind of Familists and Antinomians
the Holy Ghost who saith He that beleeveth shall be saved hee that beleeveth not is condemned already Or they may say Whether men beleeve or no they are saved as D. Crisp saith 2. Remission is but one of the promised mercies of the Gospel and because it dependeth not on works as a condition for the which life is given as Antinomians charge us but most unjustly it followeth not that works are no conditions in any sense this is vaine Logick they are not such conditions of dependencie and causality therefore they are no conditions at all Object 5. Yee strengthen naturall knowledge and the opinion of men that God will justifie none that are unworthy and uncleane freely for every naturall conscience doth require a worthynesse in man the Gospel teacheth the contrary Answ. Towne confoundeth ever justification and salvation and perverteth the state of the question 2. The naturall conscience is a Merit-monger and dreameth of inherent satisfaction and hand-paiment to God for heaven without a Mediator in so farre as it lookes on its owne naturall whitenesse and hellish civility but the naturall conscience doth also presume and fancie an Anti-Gospel on the other hand that God is mercifull so as to carry dogges and swine as meere blocks sleeping in Christs bosome to heaven the Gospel goeth a middle way that we are justified and saved in through and for the righteousnesse of another and these who are thus saved must be new creatures have their fruit in holinesse else they cannot have life eternall and the naturall conscience knoweth neither waies Object 6. It must follow that imputed righteousnesse is not sufficient to make men capable of salvation so that a godly life fitteth us for heaven and the more holy our life is the fitter it maketh us for heaven Answ. Sanctification fitteth us in the owne kind for heaven though not in any sort as the meritorious cause and when the positive is denyed the comparative degree cannot be affirmed a Raven is not white at all therefore it cannot be said to be whiter then snow Sanctification conferreth no meritorious capacity and fitnesse for salvation therefore it cannot adde any higher degree of fitnesse above that which sinners have from the merits of Christ. We grant all but when Paul saith Col. 1.12 Giving thanks unto the Father which hath maedeus meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light The Antinomians are as farre out as carnall Gospellers can be if with Towne they say all this fitnesse was in justification onely for it was in that in the which and for the which Paul giveth thanks to the Father and prayeth for them Now this object of his praying and praising was not for their justification onely but vers 10. Their walking worthy of the Lord unto all wel-pleasing being fruitfull in every good worke Vers. 11. Strenghned unto all patience This was a part of their fitnesse and that holy walking conferreth a fitnesse and disposition for salvation to me is cleare because no uncleane thing can enter within the gates of that higher City and because that love which we have here in our way being the same in nature though not in degree with that which in our countrey shall remaine as a part of our garland and crowne the one must be a fit disposition to the other and when the Apostle saith Follow peace with all men and holinesse without which no man shall see the Lord. It cannot be meant of imputed righteousnesse for by the same reason peace with all men must bee meant of peace with God But the truth is these arguments fall of wll therefore I come to that which is the bottome the mother Heresie of Antinomians CHAP. XLVIX· Antinomians free us from any obligation to Evangelike commandements and exhortations to duties and say faith is onely commanded now THey refuse all Evangelicke holinesse all Commandements and Gospel-exhortations of holy walking and make beleeving and faith the onely Evangelick Command Vnbeliefe the only Evangelick sin and acknowledge no righteousnesse of inherent sanctification imputed righteousness must be all that the Gospel requireth and to bring the Saints under a commandement of holy walking so as they sinne if they neglect so to walke in Christ as they have learned him is to them to bring them back from under the sweet Sommer-Sunne-warmenesse of the Gospel to the coole and darke night shaddowes of the Law and to re-enter them in and shut them up under the old prison as if they had come out from under the Law upon baile and surety to enter in the old Goale againe upon demand For 1. Mr. Towne tells us that D. Tayler and all ours are strangers in the Scriptures as if he and his were the onely domesticks and children of the Prophets and Apostles who grant not that to Faith there is no sinne and hee that beleeves cannot sinne and Eaton that Free justification doth make us so perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sinne in Gods sight that he seeth no sinne in us he meaneth of perfection both of persons and workes both imputed and inherent mortification and saith that the inherent mortification of Protestants by the Spirit of sanctification was the foundation of Eremits Monks Anchorits Nunneries who shut themselves up within walles to mortifie their sinnes out of Gods sight by the Spirit and call Sanctification the very heart of Popery and the essentiall forme of Anabaptisme 2. So we have Antinomians affirming that no Justified person sinneth before God in Gods sight really or if they looke on things with the eyes of Faith but onely they sinne imaginarily before men in their conversation and seemingly to the world or in their owne carnall sense of unbeliefe which is a blind Judge For saith Saltmarsh The Scripture calleth us ungodly and sinners not that we are so but seeme so or not so in Gods account but in the worlds So as the justified mans Adulteries Murthers are but seeming and fancied Adulteries and painted sins in the eyes of the deluded world and the Judge ought not to punish imaginary and fancied felony or paricides so his acts of sanctification and holy walking that followes from justification are meere fancies and and holynesse onely before men for they are no conditions no waies at all to heaven Yea nor commanded so as the justified sinne if they disobey such Gospel-commandements For if we say we have sinne and doe any thing contrary to Gospel-precepts which injoyne acts of Sanctification to the Justified that sinne is no sinne nor against the Law of God or in the account of God saith Eaton Denne and Saltmarsh but onely before men in our conversation or seemingly in our sense saith Towne and in the worlds account as Saltmarsh speaketh 3. Mr. Towne saith to beleeve is to doe all duties and he citeth Rollock on John and Calvine It is Townes aime as it is the
of God to our selves that is the free favour and love of God that is onely grace objectively in God not in us or yet grace inherent We professe before the Lord and his Angels that that is an other Gospel and though an Angel and Paul teach it let him be accursed 2. Let him answer us if any Protestant Divine or if hee himselfe beleeveth his owne penne doth any other but lye when it scribles that the Law-straine and Divinity of the Jewes vnder the Law did worke God down to such an old way as for fasting and praying and other acts of obedience they got some love from God which Christ himselfe had not gotten for them Fasting and praying was never since God had a Church on earth a hire a bribe to free grace nâ—ither Jew nor Gentile could by doing nay not Adam before his fall nor the Elect Angels could ever buy prize or morgage the free love of God 3. Wee conceive the love of God to bee the sole cause fountaine well-head and adaequate reason why the Lord chuseth some to glory rather then others why the Lord sent his Sonne Christ to die even because God extremely and freely loved the lost world and therefore fasting and praying was never the cause of Gods chusing and electing love either to Jew or Gentile either under the Old or New Testament except they say there was another way of election to glory in the Old Testament and another way in the New and that the love of God was at a dearer rate under the Old nor New it was then for hire and for works but wee had not in Esaiahs daies wine and milke without money and price the Market was dearer then it is at a lower rate now But I perceive Antinomians miserably mistaken in confounding the error of the Jewes and the state of the Jewish Church Paul Rom. 4. saith right down Abraham and David payed not a farthing more for justification and freely imputed righteousnesse then we doe and it was the error and sin of men not the state of the Church in its non-age under Tutors nor the dispensation of God that The Jews followed after the law of righteousnesse but obtained not the Law of righteousnsse Wherefore Because they sought it not by faith but as it were by the works of the Law for they stumbled at the stumbling stone Yea being ignorant then it was their pride and error not their state of non-age of Gods righteousnesse and going about to establish their owne righteousnesse have not submitted themselves to the righteousnesse of God It was never lawfull for the Jewes to dreame they could get or earne Gods free love and undeserved grace by fasting and praying and other acts of obedience no more then it was lawfull for them to stumble at and breake their necke upon Christ the stone laid on Sion it was never lawfull for them to goe about to establish their owne righteousnesse and not to submit to the righteousnesse of God this was their sinne But sure it was not their sinne to bee under Tutors and the Pedagogie of the Law for that was Gods holy and innocent dispensation as the Scripture saith And it was not any Legall justification by works But it was 1 in that they were kept 1. under shaddowes elements of the world Ceremonies representing forth Christ to come and 2 God kept them under a greater terror because of Law-transgressions and 3 a sparer measure and dyet of grace then wee have But 1. it was never lawfull for them or us to seeke justification by works and by fasting and prayer 2. The Lord cryed out against Merit and placing all godlinesse in their new Moones and in saying We have fasted and thou seest it not So there was no Legall straine in getting the love of God by fasting praying c. To the Jewes more then to us 3. It was never a Legall straine nor a way approved of God under the Old Testament that they should serve God for hire which the Devill acknowledgeth to be hypocrisie and that they should pray or rather howle like hungry dogs for corne and wine or follow Christ for loaves 4. Nor was the obeying of God for feare of the curses of the Law and plagues rather then out of love to God as a Father a way of the Old Testament-worship approved of God as Towne imagineth it being a sinne for their duty it was to feare him as a Father no lesse then ours to rejoyce in trembling to feare his goodnesse his mercy to esteeme God rather then his gifts their reward their portion their soules love so were they to love and worship him as a Husband to admire and praise him as God and for his essentiall perfection beauty lovelinesse and all mercenary love and service for feare of punishment not out of love and for hire and rewards was damnable then as now Now what was Gods active dispensation in severe punishing of them for an irreverent looke into the Arke and his hiring them with a good and fertile land and many temporall blessings to serve him was another thing and can never prove it was lawfull for them to serve God for hire and in a mercenary way and that it is a Legall and Old Testament way of serving God now under the New Testament to beleeve that godlinesse hath the promises of this life and of that which is to come and that now under the new Testament yea we may looke to the reward of life eternall as a motive to blow wind in our sayles in our journey to heaven though not as the formall object of our desires in serving God for we are onely and ever now and then to serve God for himselfe not for hire 2. If wee speake comparatively a created Crowne of incorruptible glory is to be laboured for rather then trifles and feathers of corruptible clay and that both to us and to these under the Old Testament 4. How Prayer revealeth the love of God I know not Saltmarsh by the next may expound it Christ saith his Father giver the Holy Ghost to those that pray and seek him and he avengeth the bloud of his Saints and he giveth whatever we aske the Father in his name We pray Lord increase our faith is this nothing but Lord reveale the Holy Ghost to us which wee had before And are these prayers that God should give us no new thing but reveale what we had before So then we desire God would reveale the glory of his justice on the enemies of the Church which he had wrought before and reveale the gift of illumination growth of Faith victory against temptations dayly bread destruction of Satans kingdome the propagating of the Gospel deliverance from warre the pestilence insight in the mystery of the Gospel the Spirit of revelation c. All which things we had before
Holy Ghost and that none can doe these works in them but Châ—ist and the inference made from them are the reasonings of the Holy Ghost and the result is an infallibly assurance Antinomians thinke both they may be counterfeit works and the reasoning and inference from thence to be a worke of our owne Spirit onely We say of the Spirit of grace joyning with our Spirit as is cleare 1 Cor. 2.12 3. The inference say they breeds no certaine and infallible assurance but probable onely and conjecturall evidence 4 If these works were not done in faith and known by us to be so done I should grant they could give but an uncertaine and controverted evidence Antinomians say wee separate them from faith and saving grace and that thus separated they beare testimony that wee are in Christ which is a calumny of theirs not our Doctrine Asser. 6 The assurance of our spirituall acts resulting from our Christian walking is a mediate assurance collected by inference not immediate as when we see the Sunne 2. It is called knowledge and assurance in the Word 1 Joh. 2.3 1 Joh. 3.14 vers 18.19 but it is not properly Faith but sense therefore we doe not build assurance of justifying faith on works of grace Antinomians say that we make our works the pillars and causes of our Faith But the promise the sufficiency of Christ the free grace of God to us are the onely pillars of our faith and our works of grace are the ropes by which the ship and passengers are drawne to the rock that is higher then themselves but they are not the rocke they are not the formall objective Sunne-light by which we passe our judgement and determination of Christ the Mediator his sweetnesse and power to save nor the causes of the soules resting on the bloud of attonement as Sunne-light is the formall reason and medium without of our judging of colours and their beauty They are onely land-marks by which we may the better judge of our state and not the shoare the land-marke onely sheweth how neere wee are to shoare by them we know that we know and beleeve in Christ. Finally they are rather negatives against unbeliefe then positive evidences of faith and serve for incouragements that we cast not away our confidence For if I doubt of my state whether I be translated and in Christ or no I cannot but doubt of my actions if I doubt if the tree be a naturall Olive I cannot but thinke the fruit must be but wild Olives and when we shall be unclothed with our darkenesse of body we shall not need such crutches to walke by Faith for sight shall leade us CHAP. LVI How duties and delight in them take us not off Christ. HEnce Antinomians when they say we must not so much as see our good works for not to see them is spirituall poverty and we cannot see them but we must trust in them and build on them And therefore best remove such chalke stones and rotten foundations as holy walking and live loosely that wee sowing sinne may reap pardoning grace So they say I know I am Christs because I doe not crucifie the lusts but beleeve that Christ hath crucified them for mee And our sanctification when darke and lesse maketh justification brighter And frequencie and length of holy duties are signes of one under a covenant of works and so under the curse of Law And to take delight in the holy service of God is to goe a whoring from God And the Spirit acts most in the Saints when they endeavour least All these say to be rich in works of sanctification is to be poore in grace 2. To doe and act nothing and so sinnefully to omit the duties that the grace of God calleth for Tit. 2.11 is the way to have the Spirit acting graciously then sinne that grace may abound be sicke and exceeding sicke that Christ may bestow on you much Gospel-physicke To be aboundant in the worke of the Lord to delight in the Law of the Lord in the inner man to labour more aboundantly then they all to bee rich in good works are nothing else but to goe a whoring from God So Saltmarsh expoundeth these words I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me Such were yee but yee are justified but yee are sanctified c. That Christ beleeved repented sorrowed for sinne mortified sinne perfectly for me and this saith hee is sanctification and the fulnesse of his the All in All. Then to doe nothing my selfe but sinnefully to omit all duties and let Christ doe all is full sanctification and the lesse yee doe the more Christ doth for you Object 1. Christ saith not Peter be encouraged to beleeve because thou art an holy obedient loving Apostle But I have prayed that thy faith faile not Saltmarsh Free grace pag. 32.33 Answ. In that place he doth not shew Peter how he should know by such and such signes that hee beleeved but for Peters comfort and faith he sheweth him the true cause why he should not fall away to wit because his Advocate interceedeth for him Object 2. Christ saith not to his Apostles O my Disciples though I be from you yet yee have been thus and thus humble penitent obedient and let this be your ground and assurance when I am gone but hee layes in promises yee beleeve in God beleeve also in me I will send the Comforter Saltmarsh pag 33. Answ. We make no qualifications object or ground or cause of faith but onely signes to know wee have faith therefore might Christ haue said ye shall know yee love me and beleeve because you love those begotten of me 1. But we thinke though naturall sweating at duties setteth not the Spirit on edge to worke graciously yet to worke by the grace of God increaseth both talents and grace 2. Nor the frequent actings of grace nor the simply looking on them especially under sad houres to wine to our feet againe are ill but the abuses to bee avoided As 1. the comparative poring and the more frequent living on the comforts of our owne gracious actings more then on Christ himselfe and his death is as if I would live to much on a sight of a new created birth in my selfe and the Image of the second Adam when I have Christ himselfe to live on 2. Excessive out-running and over-banke-flowings of wondring at what is done in our selves by the grace of Christ cannot want a great deale of mixture of our selfe for we are not so found on acttings of grace in others and that is a token there is a selfe-reflection in the worke and that I sit downe and write of my selfe a hundred in stead of fifty 3. All comparative over-loving of created comforts must take the heart in so farre off Christ. 4. We should wonder more at the depth and height of free grace in the Creator and in Christ the well-head then in our selves for
was not in onely beleeving that GOD walked with God or the Sonne Christ with the Father for him as Antinomians say making imputative sanctification all in all that is required in us but also in Enochs personall holy and sincere conversing with men Hence that goeth as a description of the good Kings of Israel and Judah He did right in the sight of the Lord. Which includeth their conversation on earth with men as well as their faith in God So to walke as the children of the day As wise men not as fooles in Christ as we have received him and to live no longer the rest of our time in the flesh to the lusts of men but to the will of God to have our conversation in the world by the grace of God in simplicity and godly sincerity All these and many the like hold forth necessarily a sincere walking before God as in his sight in our dayly conversation with men and the Antinomian doctrine in this is that though beleevers walke as carnall men serve their lusts whore lye cousen deceive yet they are strongly to beleeve that God seeth them not nor any fleshly and sinnefull walking in them God seeeth not their whoring lying cheating cousening to bee sinne and their beleeving that God seeth not their wickednesse is their living by faith and walking in the Spirit with God up in heaven as Enoch did 2. Nothing of beleeving Antinomians sinneth but their flesh as the Libertine said in Calvines time I sinne not but mine Asse the flesh the conscience the justified person that is in Christ sinneth not because the flesh is under the Law as Towne saith nor is this sinning of the flesh sinne because sinne essentially is against a commanding Law and cannot but in the sight of God be accounted sinne for God cannot seeing all his judgements and wayes are according to righteousnesse but account Adultery to be Adultery Murther to bee Murther but Antinomians say nothing that a beleever doth no Adulteries nor Murthers are sinnes nor can God see them as sinnes For how can the Lord see sinne saith Eaton where there is none There is no more sinne in a beleever then in Christ himselfe 3. It is no matter saith Eaton that we feele sinne and death still in us as if Christ had not taken them away because God thus establisheth the Faith of his power and therefore that there may be place for Faith we feele the contrary for it is the nature of Faith to feele nothing but letting goe reason shutteth her eyes and openeth her eares to that which iâ— spoken by God and cleaveth to the word spoken both living and dead It s true Faith beleeveth pardon and freedome from the guilt and obligation to eternall wrath which is a Gospel-truth farre from sense but faith closeth not its eyes to beleeve a lye that Adultery is no sinne before God because a justified man committed it The glory of God needeth not to begge helpe of a lye that it may be manifested 4. By this the justified man liveth and abideth as Towne saith for ever by faith in the sight of God But what haste The Resurrection is not past yet except Antinomians with Familists follow Hymeneus and Phyletus nor are the justified yet glorified they abide not ever under Gods eye sinnelesse and as cleane as Christ as Eaton blasphemeth to his everlasting shame for the Jebusite saith Towne remaineth in the Land the Law of the members and sinnefull corruption of the flesh dwelleth in them 2. They must say dayly Forgive us our sinnes if God be their Father else they neede not pray dayly Hallowed bee thy name thy Kingdome come c. 3. The flesh of sinne dwelleth with the Spirit Rom. 7. while they live 4. Death is not an imaginary lye and fancie so as Faith must beleeve the contradicent that is that beleevers breath goeth not out they returne not to their dust they are to beleeve sure beleevers see corruption Acts 13.36 Act. 2.27 28 29. 1 Cor. 15.42 43 44. Then Antinomians cannot say true that there is no more sinne in beleevers nor any thing having the nature and being of sinne then is in Christ. 5. They are not yet enjoying God in a vision of glory as Christ did even in the dayes of his flesh for he was both viator and comprehensor a traveller to the Crowne and an enjoyer of the crowne and therefore though justified they must walke here below and cannot chuse but sinne though they be not forced to sinne as Towne saith CHAP. LIX How Justification is one indivisible act not successive as Sanctification and yet God dayly pardoneth sinnes WEe make no question but we are at once justified and not by degrees and succession as wee are sanctified because justification is a foreinsecall and Law-change or judiciall sentence of God absolving the person of the sinner from all punishment or obligation to punishment due to him for sinnes past present and to come according to the rule of revenging and Law-persuing justice and that for the alone righteousnesse of the surety Christ freely imputed and by faith received of him and the bloud of Jesus Christ shall purge you from all your sinnes in whom wee have redemption the remission of our sinnes in his bloud Now the Scripture no where intimateth a favour of free grace in purging us from sinnes by halves or quarters as if some were halfe washen halfe delivered from the wrath to come and halfe unwashen and half under wrath 2. There is no condemnation to a soule once in Christ and justified Rom. 8.1 then there can be no re-acceptation or second receiving of a soule into the state of a justified person from the state of an ungodly man as if he had fallen from the former state and there can bee no second deliverance from eternall wrath to be inflicted for a new committed sinne Yet doe I not see that one and the same justification negagatively because it is never retracted is therefore a successive and graduall worke that groweth more and more as sanctification doth for so predestination to glory which is negatively one and the same should bee a graduall growing worke for as no shaddow of change can fall on God so neither can Predestination be retracted Yet is there no cause to deny that sinnes are dayly pardoned and remitted as they are committed for God is said to remit sinnes dayly when he reneweth the sense of the once passed act of attonement and applyeth what he once did to the feeling and comfort of the beleever for we never taught that Faith is a cause or so much as an instrument or condition without which Christ doth not on the Crosse by the power of his bloud take away sinnes now he that denyeth that God by his Spirit reneweth the lively apprehension of this act of attonement must deny that a beleever can oftner then once lay the weight
Beleeve and be saved Yet must we not fancie that the way is shorter then Christ hath made it and that it is not a puzling worke to flesh and bloud Saltmarsh with his Antinomians maketh it but one step at the very next doore I rather beleeve Christ who saith it is a way of many miles strait narrow and thorny The meritorious way to us is easie beleeve by the grace of Christ but the way of a Christian conversation whether Antinomians will or no lyeth through duties doing the will of God it s not words Lord Lord but working sweating running wrestling fighting bleeding suffering abounding in the worke Sowing Selling all the sweetest delights many tribulations night-watching which yet all are honyed and sugared with the love of Christ so as his yoake is easie and his Commandements not grievous yet not so easie as that the onely naked bare act of beleeving should be the only Gospel-worke and yee might lye in an yvory bed and sleepe and be carried into an Antinomian fancied Paradice being under no Law no obligation of doing no danger of sinning and incurring the rodde of men and the fatherly and sad displeasure of God for sinnes no broken bones no terrors no sense of our sorrow for sinne no progresse in personall repentance and mortification no care of watchfull walking to perfect holinesse in the feare of God no abstaining from worldly lusts no strictnesse of blamelesnesse of conversation for feare of sin onely beleeve that as Christ hath suffered for all sinne and so you are as cleane as Christ from all sinne originall and actuall and Christ hath done all these for you and beleeve hee hath repented for you mortified lusts for you walked strictly and holily for you this is an easie worke and no puzling businesse and there is an end Object 2. Saltmarsh It s the Gospel-way of dispensation to assure and passe over salvation in Christ to any that will beleeve Answ. True But wilt thou know ô vaine man that faith without works is dead and faith is effectuall by love See the Scriptures laying other Commandements on us under the Gospel then beleeving onely and threatning disobeyers Object 3. Saltm There needs no more on our sides to worke or warrant salvation to us but to bee perswaded that Jesus Christ dyed for us because Christ hath suffered and God is satisfied Now suffering and satisfaction is that great worke of salvation Answ. Here is the worke of salvation abridged to a narrower compasse to onely suffering at least Saltmarsh was wont to take in the actions of Christ and to will us to beleeve that Christ beleeved repented and mortified sinne for us and that is all our beliefe repentance mortification Object 4.5 They onely are justified who beleeve Rom. 1.17 Acts 13.39 We are justified by grace not of workes Rom. 3.24 Answ. And who denies that but Papists and Antinomians Antinomians say from eternity and from the wombe wee are justified and from Christs time of dying on the Crosse and sure the date of our beleeving is not from eternitie or from the wombe or from 160. yeares agone when Christ dyed then they onely cannot bee justified who beleeve for so thousands who beleeve not are justified 2. Wee are justified by faith without works True Ergo Wee are carried to heaven being once justified under no comand of God to doe good works or to eschew evill and so as wee cannot sinne it followeth not CHAP. LXXI The Justified obey not God by necessitie of nature as the fire burneth as Antinomians fancie ANtinomians say the justified cannot sin they obey God necessarily as it is the nature and quality of fire to burn the grounds of the New-England Libertines are 1. The Holy Ghost comming in the place of naturall faculties of understanding will and affections doth all the works of these naturall faculties and Christ and grace working all the supernaturall works of beleeving repenting and that immediatly the free will must have lesse liberty in loving God and beleeving then the Sunne hath to give light and the fire to cast forth heat for fire and Sun are thought to be agents in their naturall actions but free will is a meere patient in these 2. None are to be exhorted to beleeve say they but such whom wee know to be elect or to have the Spirit in them effectually and there is neither inherent righteousnesse nor grace inherent in the Saints but Christ immediatly and onely worketh all their works in them so all the faculties of the soule lye as dead passive creatures and powers void of freedome and action and Christ immediatly as the humane nature and the faculties thereof doth act and worke in the Saints as Christ is made flesh and incarnate in the Saints and doth in them beleeve repent rejoice love and beleevers have neither freedome nor action at all more then blocks in their actions Hence say they all the beleevers activitie is to act sinne So saith the Libertine If Christ will let mee sinne let him looke to it upon his honour be it But 1. there remaineth true liberty in the regenerate man his free will is not destroyed If the Sonne make you free then are yee free indeed But God be thanked that ye were the servants of sinne but yee have obeyed from the heart that forme of doctrine which was delivered you being then made free from in yee became the servants of righteousnesse Now the Lord is a Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty I will walke at liberty for I seeke thy precepts Hence rejoycing in God delight in his Law rejoycing in his word choosing of God above all other lovers and his testimonies argue a sanctified elective power of free will in the soule 2. The justified can sinne otherwise they should no more be capable of exhortations to walke in Christ and grow in grace and of dehortations from sinne then the fire and the Sunne can be requested or exhorted to cast out heate and light 3. This foolish opinion is bottomed on this conceit That a beleever as a beleever walketh by faith perpetually is admitted saith Towne to live and abide for ever by sense and sight in the kingdome of glory And wants nothing of heaven saith Saltmarsh but to beleeve hee is in heaven is as cleane from sinne saith Eaton as Christ himselfe Nothing sinneth in the regenerate but sense the flesh the members of the body of sinne or the Asse nor is it more sinne that they doe before God then the burning of the fire or the illumination that commeth from the Sunne for they are no more under any commanding or restraining Law of God then the fire or the Sunne 4. The immediate rapt and pull of the Holy Ghost removeth all freedome reason
deliberation knowledge action from the soule in either supernaturall works of grace or sinne as if the soule were turned in a rock or a stone 5. All the sinnes of beleevers their Adulteries murthers lying cousening must be counted on the Lords score I tremble to speake it upon his honour be it if he will suffer perfect Angels to sinne more then he can suffer Angels and the glorified that stand before the throne to fall or transgresse CHAP. LXXII Glorifying of God in sanctification needfull ANntinomians tell 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 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 Christ to Smyrna and tribulation and poverty but thou art rich That wee might serve him without feare in holinesse and righteousnesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 before him all the daies of our life And whatsoever yee Servants doe doe it heartily as to the Lord not to men Commending our selves to every mans conscience 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 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 It s 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 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 onely 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 onely righteousnesse before God his beleeving in God should be as fleshly a glorifying of man as any his works of Sanctification CHAP. LXXIII Sanctification concurs as well as Justification to make Saints THough Sanctification say Antinomians make men Saints declaratively to men-ward yet the true cause that makes them Saints in the sight of God is justification To this wee say 1. Take Sanctification as Eaton and Saltmarsh and Denne say Protestant Divines whom they are pleased to call Legalists doe for such holinesse as they say is in Anchorits Eremits and Monks for externall works done without faith it makes men neither Saints before God nor men but meere faireded hypocrites such a sanctification wee disclaime But take Sanctification for holy walking in the strength of the grace of justification and grace inherent in us so we say Justification and Sanctification ought not to bee separated but both concurre to make us Saints the one as the cause the other as the unseparable effect And most false it is that Eaton saith That Sanctification is so farre from being the cause of making us Saints to God-ward that properly it doth but declare that we are Saints to man-ward for so Antinomians make Sanctification nothing but a poore shaddow like an Yvie bush that is no cause of wine but a meere signe to declare and shew in this there is wine Now sure by Sanctification we are partakers of the Divine nature and the Spouses beauty not onely in regard of imputed righteousnesse but also a holy and sincere walking and blamelesse profession of the truth in a chaine of the Spouses necke and in her personall acts of praying and praysing and the sweet ministery of the Gospel in regard of
neither reading of Scripture nor hearing the Word Preached nor vocall praying in the Spirit of adoption for sure though these must come from the heart yet essentially they are externall worship and something in the outward man beside that which is onely in the heart and something of formes they must have for they are externall visible and audible acts of worship The same was taught by a Silesian Casparus Schunenckfeldius in Luthers time as saith Conradus Schlusdelburgius Catologo Hereticorum lib. 10. pag. 30. Per externum verbum Dei ministerium praedicationem homines non converti non esse homines obligatos ad audiendam praedicationem verbi externam praedicationem non pertingere ad eos tantum herere in externis sensibus testificari duntaxat de Christo fidem aliam non esse praedicationem verbi nisi historicam neque esse fidem accidens aut qualitatem sed esse essentiam Dei Scripturam non esse verbum Dei verbum Dei non esse aliud quam substantiale nempe Christum Luther Tom. 2. in Gen. cap. 19 fol. 133. Answereth externall Ordinances invented by God profit to salvation not these that are invented by men 4. When the heart saith Del is reformed all is reformed and when the heart is right with God the outward form cannot be amisse It is cleare that Del and Antinomians mean there is no externall worship commanded in the New Testament neither hearing reading praying confessing of Christ before men so as we sinne in omitting these or that the Letter of any Command obligeth us to obedience as the Letter of the Law from the authority of the Lawgiver obliged Adam before he fell and the Jewes in the Old Testament For Del saith If the heart be reformed all will be reformed that is If the Spirit be in the heart and act us to reade heare pray confesse Christ before men receive the Seales wee are then obliged to acts of externall worship and not otherwise so that no Command written in Old or New Testament no authority of God speaking in the written word or speaking in the Ambassadors of Christ either preaching the Gospel or commanding by the Holy Ghost in Synods Acts 15.28 doe lay any obliging Commands on us to any externall worship outward Reformation or confession of Christ for the Spirit speaking in the writings of the Prophets and Apostles is but litterall outward externall to beleevers except the Spirit be in their heart acting and immediatly stirring and working there is no obliging power laid on us to externall worship or outward reformation by the Familists and Antinomians way For we know their Doctrine The Holy Ghost comes in place of the naturall faculties of the soule and acteth us immediately to all internall acts of loving and beleeving and to all externall acts of outward worship or reformation and wee are not bound to pray in our Family but when the Spirit moves and stirres us thereunto and Christ works in the Regenerate as in these that are dead and therefore all commands and exhortations are in vaine seeing we have no activitie to obey but the Spirit and Christ onely doth all in us in as much as no written word is an obliging rule to us but the immediate actings of the Spirit onely leadeth us in all wee doe M. Del Pag. 26. denies there should be any Lawes in Christs kingdome but Gods Lawes hee knowes wee are against mens Lawes within the Church and service of God to wit that of a new nature the Law of the Spirit of life that is in Christ the Law of love All these are Lawes within men there is not one word of the Scripture here or of the Gospel preached or of Church-censure Excommunication or rebukes either from the Word preached or the authority of Church all these are without and are not the inward Law of a new nature or of the Spirit or of love 5. If when the heart is reformed all bee reformed the outward man must be under no command or Law of reformation but by a result of curtesie the free Spirit and no written Law must lead the outward man but hee who said purifie your hearts gave a Commandement for the outward man clense your hands and Paul forbids the Saints who are sealed to the day of Redemption of corrupt communication of bitternesse wrath anger clamour evill-speaking and that all fornication uncleannesse covetousnesse should not be once named amongst them as becommeth the Saints yea and filthinesse and foolish talking and jesting which are not convenient because sinnes of the outward man doe also exclud men out of the kingdom of heaven aswell as want of heart-reformation and consider this is an Argument of the Familists for faith and love in the heart onely without all works of Sanctification or walking in Christ and of the Nichodemits who denyed any necessitie of confessing of Christ before before men and of the Anabaptists and their head Muncer as Bullinger tells us that they in his time said The first reformers were not sent of God nor preached the true word of God and that the Letter of the Scripture was not the Word of God but the inward word that commeth immediatly out of the mouth of God should be taught inwardly not by the Scripture and Sermons and that whoredome was the bed undefiled they held all these externals indifferent at least such things as defiled not the conscience They said Dreames and Visions under the New Testament was Gods revealed will and boasted of revelations beside the Scripture and that the Scripture was a dead Letter And so said that prophane Popish Priest the monstrous Libertine Anton. Pocquius Who called the Word of God the Spirit because Christ said The words that I speake are Spirit and life So saith Del. pag. 19. citing the same Text. Pocquius said also That Christ was Spirit that we and our life must bee spirit and that the Scripture taken in its naturall sense doth kill and is but a dead Letter and therefore wee must leave the Scripture and come to the quickning Spirit Bullinger also tells us of a sort of Anabaptists called Libertini or Liberi Anabaptistae free or Libertine Anabaptists who taught That Baptizing of Infants Magistracie Oathes were things free and indifferent which wee may use or not use at our Libertie they judged the Scripture and Preaching of the Word was not necessary because wee are all taught of God beleevers have the Spirit and need not externall Signes or Sacraments it is free to us to confesse or not to confesse Christ if danger be imminent it s enough to keepe the truth in the heart for God delights not in our death and torment After the same manner the best argument that Del hath from the nature of inward reformation will conclude If Gospel reformation because it is the internall destroying of the body of sin and is spirituall changeth the
life honour happinesse a long reigne but not one word of life eternall and the blessings of the life to come we know the doctrine of H. N. is that the resurrection the last judgement all the happinesse of Saints is closed with in this life the day of judgement of resurrection is even now in this present day H.N. Evang. c. 1. sent 9 ch 33. c 34. sâ—nt 1 2 3. the immortality of the soul the resurrection of the body heaven hell or judgement beyond this life there is none n This confession was seene by few it is said to be Printed an 1575. It cannot be known that ever either this petition or that confession was offered to the eye and view of King Iames how ever that confession was not theirs for the word of God to them is the only internall word in the minde the word as they expone it but not the Scriptures of the old or new Testament But it were good that the Familists and Antinomians now in England would publish to the world a confession of their faith But I expect it not this yeare they that doe evill hate the light a The Antinomians and Familists now in England especially Randel Saltmarsh Del Eaton 〈◊〉 disseminate in printed books and Sermons the same very doctrine a 1 Pet. 3 1â— b 2 Cor. â—â— â—â—ltmarsh 〈◊〉 12 45 〈…〉 Pag. â—6 17 Pag. â—6 〈…〉 13. There is a new birth undâ—r the covenant of works The Scripture knoweth no such birth d Towne assertâ— of free grace pag. 7. e Saltmarsh Free grace pag 34. f Rise râ—igne ruiâ—e of the Antinomians Familists Lâ—bâ—rtines of N. E. eâ— 12. pag. â— g 〈◊〉 Vnsavory speeches er 6. pag. 19. h Rom. 6.13 14 15. i Gal. 3.21 Rom. 7.8 9 10 k Jâ—m 2. â—7 a Saltmarsh Free grace b â—tate of the questiâ—n â—ouâ—hing the 〈◊〉 of conversion with Antinomians c Crisp 〈◊〉 ser. 7 p. â—9â— While 〈…〉 thus sinnefull with all sinfulnesse that can be imagined in a 〈◊〉 Christ may be your Christ. Ans. In Gods dâ—arâ—e its trâ—e so the world was 〈…〉 laid but Christ is never 〈◊〉 yours so loâ—g as you have the Devil reigning as a Prince in your soule nay never till you beleeve d Saltmarsh Free grace pâ— 184. e Pag 98. Câ—ispe vol. â— seâ— 7.210 f Luke 14.28.29.30.31.32.33 g Acts 2.37 Acts 9 6 7. Acts 16.27.28.29 Zach. 12. â—0 Jer. 18.19 g Lukâ— 19 8. 〈…〉 3 7. 〈◊〉 61. â—â— Acts â— 6 7 8. 〈◊〉 9.12 13. 〈◊〉 15. â— 2 3 4 5 6 7. 〈…〉 Christ as sinners nor as or because repenting or sick sinners but as freely 〈…〉 grace to thâ—â— blâ—ssed translation from death to life Saltmarsh Free grace 17 18 19. b Dâ—nns conference betweene a sick man and a Minister Pâ— â— 3 c 〈◊〉 â— 3 d Gen. 22.16 〈◊〉 11.7 â— Cor 8.12 e Esaâ— 26.9 Neb. 1 1â— f Power of 〈◊〉 p. 21. The full commanding â— the promising 3. the threatniâ—g power of the law a 2 Cor. 5. â—4 Rom. 12.1 2. b Towne asser 3. c Theoâ—oâ— Gâ—rmanica cap. â—8 pag. 70.71 72. d Saltmarsh cap. 29. Free grace pag. 140 a Rom 13.8 9 10 b Ephe. 6. â— â— c Jam. â— 8.9.10 d â—am 4.12 Rom. 3.31 f 〈…〉 1 Cor. 5.1 Rom. 1.19.20 Rom. 2 14. g 2 Tim. 3.16 h Math. 5.18 19 i Deut. 4 13 Hee 〈◊〉 unto 〈◊〉 his covenant even ten Commandements Deut. 19.11 â—â— 13 â— King 18.12 k Gal. 3. â—0 13 〈◊〉 3 â—9 â—0 c. Gal. 3.10 l Heb. 7.18.19 Hebâ— 8.6 7 8 9. m Saltmarsh Free gr 146. o Rise reigne 35. Er. 74. Thâ—ol Ger. 70.71 7â— The Law and Gospel are not positively contrary 〈◊〉 to â—nother a Hos. 3.11 Pâ— 9.19.20 The Gospel commandeth all that the â—aw 〈…〉 b Mat. 5.48 Pâ— 1. â— Deut â—7 26 Gal. â— â— 1 Tim. 4. â— b Maâ—h 19 2â— 29. c Rom. â— â— d Rom. 1. â— a b Rom. 8. â— Ioâ— 3. â—8 d a b c d e f g Saltmarsh 〈◊〉 4â— 14â— Psâ—l 19 â— Antinomâ—aâ—◠〈…〉 〈…〉 away but some sinnes were upon them for that time which was 〈…〉 of their complaint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 g cap 35. h 1 Pet. â— â—â— Iâ—h â— â—â— The Jewes were not under the Law but under grace though more 〈…〉 Gal. 3 1â— Heb. 11.13 Râ—m 10.3 Rom. 9. â— Rom. â— 9 10 11 12 13 Rom. 4 2 3 4 5 23. Is 5 â— 1 2 3. Isaâ— 2â— 16 Hâ—b â— 2 4. k Mat. 7 1â— Esay 4â— 25 Psal. 130. 7 â—â— Psâ—l 10â— 8 9 â—0 11 12 Exoâ—â—4 67 Isâ—â— 1â— 12 16 Psal â— 5 1.8 16 17. Esay 6â— 12 Aâ—ts 10 4â— p Psal. â—â— 1 Psal 88.1 2. Ps. 69.1 2 3. Psal. 63.1 2 3 4. q Gen. 32.26 27 28 29. Exod. â—â— 10 Isai. 62.6 7. a Dâ—nne ibid. Saltmarsh Free grace â— 42 40. compaâ—ed together Power of love pag 28 29. b Rom. 7.23 a Câ—â—spe vol. 2. Ier. 3. pag. 89. Christ himselfe is not so compleatly râ—ghteous but we are as righteous as he was b 1 Joh. â— 9. c Rom. 7.18 19. â—0 Gal. 5.17 d Eccl. 〈…〉 Prov. â— 9 Psal. 14.3 Râ—m â— 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17. 1 Iohn 1.8 9 10. Rom. 7 19 20 21 22.23 Matth. 6. â— a Crâ—spe vol. 2. 〈◊〉 3 pag. 90.91.92.93 b 1 Ioh. 1.8.10 c Rom 7.14 17. d Iam 3.2 e 1 Pet 2.4 f Esa. 53.5 Rom 4 25 Rom. â— 6 We are not as innocent and sinnelesse as Christ. g Towne asser pag 3â— h Asser. 71.72 a The Author of the Faithfull Messenger sent after the Antinomians relateth this of them pag. 1.2.3 and bringeth their arguments for it and answereth them fully b Crispe vol. 2 â—er 5. â—56 157.158.159 c Esâ— 43. â—5 d Mic. 7.19 e Ieâ— 31.34 f Iâ—r 50. â—0 g Ephe. 2.1 2 h Col. 1.21 Rom. 5.6 i Ephes. 1.2 k Ioh. 3.16 l Revel 1.5 m Ezech. 16.6 8. n Ezech. 16.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 c. o Rom. 3. cap. 4. cap. 5. p Habak 2.4 Rom. 1.17 q Rise reigne er 37. r Ioh. 1.11 12 Antinomians hold an union with Christ before we beleeve Ioh. 15.1 2 3 4 5 6. t Ephes. 3.17 u Gal. 2.20 Rev. 2 7â— Ioh. 6.35 40.4 47.54 55. x Rom. 8.30 1 Câ—r 6. â—1 â—2 Râ—m 6.18 y Gal. 3.14 z Rom. 5.1 2 3 4 5. a Denne Ser. of grace mâ—râ—y 33.34.35 Gods love of good will toward our person and of good liking toward our faith and holy walking a necessary distinction grounded on Scripture God createth a love-worthy object to himselfe freely and loveth it freely b Ezech. 16 14. c Psal 146.8 d Psal. 51.6 e Ps. 147.11 f Cant. 4.9.7 a Hos. 1.10 1 Pet. 2.10 b Ezech. 16.1 2 3 4 5. c 1 Tim. 1.13 d Rom. 6.17.18 Tit. 3.3 Ephes. â— 1 2 3 4 Ephes. 4.20 2 Tim. 1.9 a Gal. 3.10 Deut. 27 26. b Rom. 4. â—â— 2. vers 20. Rev. 5.9 a Eato Hony combe
followed k Saltmarsh Free grace 170 p 2. c. 37. Though we be regenerate and spirituall 〈◊〉 need we scâ—iptural teaching and the written Scriptures are not given to the flesh onely and the unrenewed part as Antinomians fancie l 1 Tim. 4.14 15. m 2 Tim. 3.14 15 16 17. n 1 Tim. 4.16 o â— Tim. 3 â—7 p Col. 3. â—6 q Rom. 1.6 r Rom. 15.4 s 1 Pet. 1. t 2 Pet. 1.3 u Vers. â— x Luk. 10 39.40.41.42 43. y Ier. 31.34 z 1 Ioh. 2 17. a Thâ—oâ—og Germanica cap. 28. p. 72. b Rise raigne er 4.5 c Town â—sser grace pag. 35. d Saltmarsh Free grace pag. 148.149 Every thing singular and rare in the covenant of grace a Saltmarsh Free grace pag. 15â— 153 Saltmarsh findeth fault with the holy Ghost because he termeth the Gospel a Covenaâ—t b Saltmarsh Freâ— grace 〈◊〉 153.154 a Saltmarsh Free grace 127. There are no conditions in us moving God to be our God but the covenant takes its rise and spring from free grace in God No antecedent condition on mans part in the covenant of works as Antinomians dreame 2. Mistake how the covenant of grace is eternall b Sâ—ltmarsh Free grace pâ—g 123. Crispe Ser. on the Cove c Ephes. 2.1.2 d Tit. 3.3 See 1 Tim. 1 13. 1 Cor. 6 9 10 11. e Honey combe cap. 5.87.95 Saltmarsh Free grace 57 79. Denne Ser. Of the Man of sinne pag. 9.10 11.12 â— Towne asser grace pa. 39.40 f Saltmaâ—sh Free grace 125 126.3 Mistake How the covenant is made with Christ in the Antinomian way of Libertinâ—sme g Saltmarsh Free grace pag. 84. The Antinomians Conversion Saltmarsh Free grace pag. 177.178 b Saltmarsh How meer commands from the Word cannot worke a chaâ—ge How the Law is in the heart by nature c Saltmarsh Free grace 178. Naturall men cannot propose a supernatuend to themselves Pag. 179. How our performances prevaile not or prevaile with God b Iam. 5.16.17 c Mat. 17.21 d Rom. 8.23.24.25 e Saltmarsh Free grace 179. Who looke on Christ in the by f Rise reigne g 1 Thes. 5.17 18. h 1 Cor. 1â— 5â— i 1 Tim. 6. â—7 k Luk. 16.9 Antiominans hold it legal service to be obliged in holy performances to any written rule of the Word but only to the Spirit l Saltmarsh Free grace 180. m Phil. ver 18 n Rom. 1 3â— o 2 Tim. 3.3 p 1 Thes 4 6. q Simplicities deâ—ence against Siâ—ver headed 〈◊〉 p. 22. r Pag. â—3 s Act. 1â— 9 s Act. 1â— 9 t Act. 15. â—1 u Rom. 4.1.2 3 4 5 6 7 8. x Saltmarsh 189. How sin and sanctifâ—catio is a measure of forgivenes and how not and the Antinomian 〈◊〉 thereof What Peace is y Rise raigne er 68. The doctrine of saving faith utterly corrupted by the Antinomians a Ier 2 3â— Antinomians teach presumption in stead of faith b Ier. 31.8 Hosea 8.9 c Ier. 2.23 24. d Ioh. 9.41 e Ioh. 9 2.39.10 Math. 13 14.1â— f Ioh. 5 44. g Saltmarsh Free grace 192. Faith only and no other duty commanded in the Gospel by the Antinomian way Antinomians dissemble in that they say not downe right that the beleever cannot sin and the beleevers lying and whoring is not lying and whoring h Rise raigne unsavo speech er â— i Saltmarsh Free grace p. 185. Antinomians faith is to beleeve the universall Election and Redemption all and every one k Saltmarsh fr. gr 1â—2 Saltmarshâ—s reasons for immediate beleeving without all preparations removed Saltmarsh fr. gr 186. Who invited immediatly to come Esa. 55.1 Saltmarsh 186. Object 6. How Christ calleth not the righteous but sinners to repentance Christ calleth not sinners as sinners nor all sinners to repentance We teach not that men are converted because they are in their apprehension sinners Pag. 187. Onely free grace preparations neither before time nor in time are the cause or condition or reason for which sinners are converted or ordained for conversion Saltmarsh Free grace pa. 192. Doing because Christ hath redeemed and saved not contrary but sweetly subordinate to doing that wee may be possessed in the purchased Redemption a Gâ—lat 6. b Col. 3. â—â— c Ioh. 21.17 d 1 Pet. 5.4 e 2 Ioh. 8. How the way to heaven is sweet and easie yet not so short as â—ntinomians say f Math 7.21 Maâ—h 12 50. g Phil. 3 12 13. h 1 Cor. 9.23 24 25 26. i Lâ—k 13.24 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 k 2 Tim. 4 7. Rev. 2.7.17.26 Rev. 2 12.21 Rev. â— 9 n Hebr. 12 4â— o Mâ—t. 16.24 25. Iâ—m 1.12 p 1 Cor 15.58 q Gal. 6.6.8 Math. 13. ver 4. â—6 Acts 14.22 s Râ—â— 2.9 Act. 20. â—9 t Math. 24â— 2.43 Mâ—â— 1â— 29 u 1 Ioh. 5.3 Saltmarsh 194. x Iam 2.20 y Iam 2 13 14 15. c. 1 Ioh. 3.17 1 Ioh. 2.9 10 11. Rom. 12.1 2 3 4. 1 Thess. 4. â— 2 3 4. Col 3 1 2 3 4 5 c. Ephes 5.1 2 c. Saltmarsh Free grace 19 4. a Eaton Hâ—ney combâ— câ— 8. pag. 163. Towne assert of grace 131. Saltmâ—rsh Free grace pag. â— 6. b Rise raigne er 1.2 c Rise raigne er 7.8.15.18 d Rise raign er 22. e Rise raigne er 2. e Râ—se raigne er 2. f er 11. g Rise raigne e. 36. h Rise raigne unsavory speech er 4. i Ioh. â— 6 k Râ— 6.7 18 l 2 â—or 3.17 m Psal. 119. vers 45 n Rom. 5.2 1 Pet. 1 8. o Pâ—â—l 3.4 Psal. â— 1 Rom. 7. â—2 p Psalm 119 q Psal. 16.7 â— r â—sa 119.30 s Towne asser grace pag. 129. t Saltmâ—rsh Free grace 140. u Honey combe cap. 3. pag. 25. x Towne asser grace pa 39.40 Honey combe cap. 5. pag 87. Denne Ser. Of the Man of sinne pag. 9.10 11. Saltmarsh Free grace p. 74.75.142 a Honey combe ca. 13.394.395.396.397 Our active glorifying of God in acts of sanctification accepted in the sight of God b Revel 2.9 c Luk. 1.74.75 d Col. 3.13 e 2 Cor 4.2 f Psal. 130.3 Psal. 143.2 a Honey combe ca. 1. p. 339.340 341. Sanctification makes Saints as well as justification b Honey combe ca. 1â— 340 Saltmarsh borrowing Eatons words hath the same free grace pa. 62.63 Dennes ser. of the Man of sinne pag. 9.11 c Honey combe 339. d Câ—nt 4.9 e Cant 7. â— 2 â— 3 4 â— f Phil 4.8 g Heb. 13.16 h Psal. 51.10 i Iam. â— 16 1 Ioh 1.9 k Math. 6.11 l Psal. 119.1 m Psal. 12.1 n Psal. 106.3 o Iâ—h 13 77. p Rev. 22.14 q Mat. 14.23 â—4 a Paral I Libertines Familists Antinomians agree in that all deny there should be sense of sinne in belâ—evers Câ—lvin in iâ—struct adv Libâ—rt ca. 8 450 451.452 Si Deâ— sumus veterem hominem in nobis crucifgâ—â—oportere veterem Adamâ—m inteâ—ire Calvin Ibid. 451. Quia hoc Adami peccatum suit commedere de fructu scientiae boni ac mali fic ex liberâ—inorum sententia veterem Aâ—amum mortificare
not ergo the invisible Church at all times and finally may simply fall from the sound faith of fundamentalls necessary for salvation more then this is a good consequence this particular beleever may in one particular fundamentall point erre fouly and grossely for a time ergo he is not infallibille simpliciter but may finally and totally fall away And that of our Saviours I have prayed for thee that thy faith faile not Luke 22.32 though it free not Beleevers from particular failings both in doctrine of faith and conversation of life and that grossely and fouly yet it secures them by Christs intercession in a state of infallibility in fundamentalls and in a condition of indeclinability in conversion so as beleevers are infallible in point of faith touching fundamentalls necessary to salvation except Familists hold the Apostacie of the Saints or that all may goe to heaven finally doubting Pag. 174.175 Sparkles Saltmars tells what are the tradions of man and for Mark 7.9 he citeth Matth. 9. or heresies Now a heresie saith he is something against the doctrine of faith in the word or Scriptures not against any interpretations doctrins conclusions glosses comments or preaching of men who speak not Scripture originally nor infallibly as the Apostles did but so far as that is the very Scripture they speak so far as they speak the truth in Jesus and in the Spirit of God else they teach for doctrines the traditions of men Answ. Traditions of men are not necessarily errors in fundamentalls except only by a remote consequence as all errors are against the fundamentalls 2. There are heresies that are by good consequence against fundamentalls else the Saduces their denying of the resurrection Mat. 22. was no heresie for Christ proveth by a good consequence that they denyed the Scripture I am the God of Abraham when Abraham was then dead when God spake out of the bush to Moses Exod. 3. yet they denyed but conclusions deduced from Scripture 3. There is another strange ingredient in heresie according to Familists and that is because God speakes not now immediatly his word to us as he did to the Apostles no man is an hereticke that denyeth the whole faith except he that denyes the Scripture as the Scripture and except he deny it in so farre as teachers speake the truth in Jesus and in the Spirit of God else that is if they be not Familiâ—ts that teach and speake not in the Famisticall spirit they teach for doctrines the traditions of men that is heresies for Gods truth then to speake heresie is to speake only against fundamentall truths when a Familist in the Spirit of God speaketh them 2. But then when a hereticke readeth in the word this fundamentall Christ came in the world to save sinners 1 Tim. 1.15 though he deny it and spit at it that is no heresie because the paper and printed booke speaketh not in the Spirit of Jesus 3. The written word of God is not the word of God but only the word is spoken by a Familist in the Spirit of Christ. 4. When Preachers void of the Spirit speake that which is the very word of God and fundamentalls of faith these truths are not the word of God but the traditions of men and heresies so his Master H.N. taught the Scripture preaching to be but figurative service the word of God was never published to the world till H.N. the least among the holy ones of God was made alive through Christ anointed with his godly being manned himselfe with H N. and godded H.N. with himself published the light of glory H. Nicholas Evangelic c. 34. sent 9. Pag. 175. Schisme is a dividing from Christians who are in an outward profession of truth Now there may bee schisme iâ— visible Churches or fellowships of Saints upon this account but there can bee none in the true body of Christ or the spirituall Church for they that are joyned to the Lord are one spirit and they are made perfect in one Answ. There is no outward Schisme or renting but it begins at the heart Schisme is a dividing of the hearts as well as a visible parting with the Church or a part thereof else schisme were no sinne which yet Paul reproveth as a sinne 1 Cor. 1. 1 Cor. 3.1 2. The Church of Corinth and these that made a rent were both the visible and the invisible Church that they were the visible Saltm cannot deny they were the invisible Church also 1 Cor. 1.13 Christ was crucified for them and they were babes in Christ fed with milke 1 Cor. 3.1.2 and built upon one only foundation v. 10. Saltmarsh must say they were all unconverted that made the schisme 3. Familists will have none the true body and spirituall Church of Christ but the invisible Church so that upon this account they that beleeve and visibly professe neither Christ nor his truth before men yea who all their dayes deny Christ and so shall be denyed of Christ before the Father and his holy Angells Matth. 10.32 33. may be and are the true body of Christ and the Spirituall Church so H. Nicholas Epistle to the two daughters of Warwicke 4. May not a schisme and seperation fall in these that are both the true body and spirituall Church when of a Church of beleevers effectually called consisting of foure hundred two hundred seperate from two hundred I think they may as well as Barnabas a good man and full of the Holy Ghost seperated from Paul But in so farre as they are saith he in that one Spirit they cannot be divided Ans. True but Saltm speakes lyes in hypocrisie when he saith the spirituall Church are made perfect in one Lord in this life upon the same reason as they are one and as united to the Lord they cannot lye whore steale murther but out of some remnants of corruption they can sinne But Familists put them in a condition they can in this life sinne no more or if they sinne their transgression is not sinne it is not they but their Asse the flesh that sinnes as Libertines said but that is no violation of the Law of God CHAP. XXXIII Saltmarsh Sparkles pag. 22â— Familists minde touching Prayer ALL constant speakings to God in this as they call a conceived way or impremeditate or extemporary way is taken commonly amongst Christians for prayer in the Spirit and for that Spirituall way which the Disciples of Christ used in the Gospel who were growne up from the infancy and childishnesse of formes or words taught them which is but a meer natural or outward thing as they say which any may perform by strength of naturall parts as wit and memory and affections Saltmarsh here first condemneth prayer morning and evening under the words of constant speakings to God because he will have no praying but when the Spirit acts immediatly 2. All extemporary prayers goe not for praying in the Spirit among Christians commonly he belyeth Protestants and the truly
our or his owne lusts for us but in reall and personall acts of obedience to be deadned to to the world Gal. 6.14 To abstaine from fleshly lusts that warre against the soule from fornication uncleanesse inordinate affection evill concupiscence and such sinnes for which the wrath of God commeth on the Children of disobedience to wit on the Gentiles that never heard the Gospel now in reason wrath cannot come on the heathen who never heard of Christ because they beleeve not that he of whom they never heard hath crucified those sinnes for them on the crosse CHAP. XL. Antinomians the perfectists of our time say wee and our works are compleatly perfect ANtinomians ascribe not onely an imputative perfection in that Christs perfect righteousnesse is made ours but also an inherent perfection to the Saints But wee judge our state and persons through Christ to be perfect but our duties and begunne sanctification are not perfect but is so in growing as the Moone as a vessell not full to the brime and banks of the soule it receives quarts and gallons more It s true justification removeth the evill of works as touching all guilt or obligation to eternally revenging justice But as Christs grace addeth to our good works no dignity and perfection of meriting as Papists say so doth it not remove the inherent blot of sinne that cleaveth to our good works so as it should give to these works inherent perfection and remove their sinnefull defects for as sinne dwelleth in our persons after wee are justified though it bee not imputed so doth sinne cleave to our most gracious acts but is not accounted on our score because the surety hath answered our bill and removed the sinnefull imperction from them but hath not made them inherently perfect so as there should remaine nothing in the works of the justified that is contrary to the Law of God But the truth is Antinomians with no face of truth can say that Christ removeth the sinnefull imperfections that adhere to our good works done by the Grace of Christ when we are in the state of justification because if nothing wee doe in the state of justification be sinne since pardoned sinnes to Antinomians are no sinnes and have lost the nature and being of sinne being remitted and pardoned before they be committed these sinnes that cleave to our good works are no sinnes and so the good works must be perfect as the person is perfect 1. Because Antinomians go upon this ground that nothing inherent in the persons not the in-dwelling corruption of nature nor the adherent sins that cleave to our works nor any thing a justified man can doe is sinne or contrary to the Law but that person or works being pardoned both are as perfect as the person and works of Christ. A most blaspemous ground for what we want of perfect sanctification and wee want much in this life so farre are we sinnefully imperfect 2. Paul acknowledgeth his sinnefull imperfection I find a Law in my members rebelling against the Law of my minde not as if I were already perfect 3. In many things we offend all If any man offend not in word the same is a perfect man Hence the man that is perfect sinnes not but there is none in the earth that sinneth not and doth good 4. Wee crave pardon of sinnes as we seeke dayly our dayly bread It s contrary to Christian humility to say wee are perfectly cleane Object God can accept nothing that is unperfect and sinnefull because they are accursed Gal. 3.10 For God is veritie it selfe and will not suffer the losse of the least jot of the righteousnesse the Law requireth But all our best works are polluted with sinne Towne Answ. This proveth with the Papists that God cannot judge us righteous by faith because wee are sinners in our selves 2. God cannot accept sinnefull works as no sinnefull works at all he cannot accept of sinnes as no sinnes and of our good works as not polluted with sinne in themselves his judgement then should not be according to truth true but he can well accept our works though polluted with sinne as pardoned and washen not from their sinnefull imperfections inherent or adherent to them for then they should be intrinsecally perfect and God should judge amisse of them but as washen from their guilt and obligation to eternall wrath so he can well judge them perfect in Christ. 3. Legally cleane so as they shall never actually condemne us and 4. that of meere grace CHAP. XLI Antinomians say we are compleatly saved in this life as in heaven SO we thinke Antinomians faile wickedly with Libertines who say We are as actually saved and as perfectly as the glorified in heaven and not in hope onely or in reall beginning in regard of Christs sitting in heaven and therefore good workes can no more bee the way to heaven saith Towne then my walking in the Citie in which I am already can be my walking to the City But so while we are absent from the Lord in the body even in this life wee should be in heaven whereas the dissolution of our earthly tabernacle the raysing of us up at the last day are betweene us and the full redemption of our bodies And this is that which Libertines and Familists say that all the resurrection of the body and life eternall they know is our union with Christ in this life the Grammar of Hymeneus and Philetus who said the Resurrection was already past 3. We know but in part our love is not perfected in this life 1 Cor. 13.11 12 13. And we are not perfect men in Christ till we meet all in the unity of Faith Ephes. 4.13 3 The generall assembly of all the first borne is not yet convened we need a Temple and Ordinances and a Sunne and a Moone in the other life the Lambe shall be our Temple 4. The other life is such as in it wee can neither marry nor dye but are as the Angels Luk. 22.36 37. Phil. 3.20 21. 1 Cor. 15.40.41 5. Antinomians say this dreaming that we are as cleane of sinne as Christ and so Christed and Goded with Christ as the Libertine Pocquius said Calvin in Opus pag. 463. and Nicholas the Libertine cap. 34. 6. Paul saith Wee are saved by hope and wee hope not for what wee have already Our life is hid with Christ in God 1. He that beleeveth hath life not in the compleat and full fruition yet really in the certaintie of faith and hope 2. In the right claime purchased by Christ. 3. In the beginning first fruits and the degrees of grace tending to glory CHAP. XLII Our happinesse is in sanctification as well as in justification OUr happinesse is not meerely passive as Towne saith and in being justified as if that were all for though our blessednesse be in justification as the cause and fountaine in that sinne