against the flesh in some more in some lesse The time of grace is when the heart is erected and saith why art thou cast downe O my soule c. Hee that knowes this art well is deservedly a Divine I and those like me know scarse the first elements thereof The more godly any is the more he feeles this battle When I was a Monk I thought my heaven gone so often as I felt the concupiscence of the flesh I assay'd much I confessed every day but in vaine while I understood Paul saying The flesh lusteth against the Spirit then I was not so afflicted I thought then as now Martin even thou though godly shalt not want sin and this battle despaire not but fight then thou art not under the Law Staupicius said I have vowed a thousand times to be godlier but I keep not I le vow no more c. Luther That which is truely sin against the Law the Law cannot accuse as sin in the godly Luther Sin that is pardoned is broken through confidence of mercy that it condemne not or accuse not yet because of the flesh it springs up and warres in the flesh Beware to think little or much of the reliques of sin for so the purger the holy Spirit is lightly esteemed The reliques of sin remaine in us which need daily pardon All the beleevers sinnes are pardoned and covered but not yet purged so much pride hatred lust c. yea inward blots unbeleefe impatience murmuring remaine in us The reliques of sin remain in our flesh even when wee are justified least we should be idle that wee may have exercises of godlinesse Sin as Augustine speaks remaineth in us actually and in guilt it passeth away that is the thing it self that is truely sin is both pardoned and tollerated by God and the remnant of it remaines in the flesh and is not close dead except that by Christ the Serpents head is bruised yet his tongue moveth and his taile threatens a stroake What you will say ought not the ten Commandements to bee kept or if they be kept is not that our righteousnesse I answer wee will performe and keepe the ten Commandements but with a large that is with a truly Evangelick dispensation and distinction because we receive only the first fruits of the Spirit and the sighs of the Spirit remaine in our heart also our flesh with the lusts and concupiscence that is the whole tree the whole body of sin in its nature and being say Antinomians what they will with the fruits thereof remains this is the cause why the Law can never be perfectly kept Luther does most excellently deliver the differences of Law and Gospell of which Antinomians are altogether ignorant Luther calleth the Law a letter a dead a condemning letter not as Antinomians say because in the Gospel as Del saith The word and the Spirit are alwayes conjoyned and therefore Christ saith the words that I speake are spirit and life that is they come from the Spirit and carry Spirit with them which the Law doth not but Luther meaneth that the Law as the Law and Covenant of workes hath nothing at all of the Spirit but as a pedagogue to Christ it hath the Spirit conveying it in the hearts of the elect and the Gospel as the Gospel promiseth and hath conjoyned with it the Spirit not alwayes not when preached to Capernaim as Del citeth ignorantly the text Joh. 6. not when preached to Pharisees but when preached to the elect and not alwayes not when their hearts are hardned Mark 6.52 Mark 8.16 17. but when God is pleased to open their hearts and effectually to concurre with the word of the Gospel For Luther saith what ever revealeth sinne wrath and death does the office of the Law whether in the Old or New Testament according to Luther the Gospel may act the Laws part on a hardned hearer and so it hath not the Spirit alwayes accompanying it and the Law when it is made a Pedagogue to lead us to Christ carryeth the Spirit with it but Antinomians mean no other thing but that the Gospel is the very holy Spirit himself A most absurd Doctrine the Gospel is the word of grace the Holy Spirit is God making the word of grace effectuall Luther The Evangell is a word both of power and grace while it beats on the ears within powres in the Spirit But if it powre not in the Spirit a hearing man differeth not from a deafe man Then the Gospel is sometimes without the Spirit as well as the Law Except the doctrine of faith by which the heart is purified and justified be revealed all teaching of all commands is literall and the tradition of Fathers The Law teacheth what is your debt and what you want Christ giveth what you should doe and what you should have Augustine saith the Law of works saith doe what I command the law of faith saith to God grant Lord what thou commandest and again what the Law of works commandeth by threatning that the Law of faith obtaines by beleeving the people of the Law is hauty the people of Faith sighes for pardon Every law especially Gods Law is a word of wrath the power of sin the law of death the Gospel is the word of grace life salvation the word of righteousnesse and peace It is a wonder and unknown to the world to teach Christians to be ignorant of the Law and to live so before God as if there were no Law For except thou be ignorant of the law and conclude in thy heart there is no law no wrath but onely grace and mercy in Christ Jesus thou cannot be saved for by the law is the knowledge of sin by the contrary so the law and works must be pressed on the unbeleeving world as if there were no Gospel promise no grace Luther The Gospel is a preaching of Christ that he pardons sin gives grace justifies and saves sinners Whereas there are Commandements in the Gospel they are not Gospel but expositions of the law and consequences of the Gospel Evangelium verbum virtutis gratiae simul est dum aures pulsat intus Spiritum infundit Quod si Spiritum non infundit nihil differt audiens â surdo Luther Nisi doctrina â—idet quâ cor purificatur justificatur reveletur omnis omnium praeceptorum eruditio Literalis paterna traditio Lex docet quid debeas quo careas Christus dat quod facias habeas Augustinus dicit lex factorum dicit homini fac quod jubeo Lex autem fidei dicit Deo da quod jubes iterum quod lex factorum minando imperat hoc lex fidei credendo impetrat Luther Lex quae cunque presertim divina est verbum irae virtus peccati lex mortis Evangelium verò est verbum gratiae vitae salutis verbum
the Ordinances and hearing untill the day-starre the saving light of the Spirit that goeth before the Sunne and day-light of the vision of glory shine in the heart to make the word effectuall for though candle-light and sunne-light cannot concurre to make one light because the lesser light evanisheth and disappeareth at the comming of the greater light and the moon-light or starre-light of faith cannot be mixt with the noonday-light of glory 1 Cor. 13.11 12. no more then the knowledge of a young child and of the same come to be an aged man can be in one and the same man yet the light of the Scripture the light of the Spirit may and must necessarily be together and are no more contrary as Waldesso and Familists vainely suppose then the light of the Sunne without in the aire is contrary to the visible faculty of seeing within in the eyes the Spirit is by a metaphor called the day-starre for the Spirit is not formally light but effectually only for it is that faculty by which the eyes of the understanding are strengthened to perceive the things of God and therefore called the spirit of Revelation Eph. 1.17 the eye-salve is not properly the light that makes colours visible though I may say to a dim sighted man when I give him an excellent eye-salve see I give you the light of your eyes When I give him but that by which his seeing faculty is strengthened to see perfectly that Scripture is not to be layed aside upon pretended sufficient light of the Spirit without the Scripture light is cleare Rom. 15.4 2. Because the perfectest beleevers have patience and comfort in the Scripture meditating in it day and night Ps. 1. and are strengthened through reading againe and againe the premises lest they faint Ps. 119.49 3. Because the Scripture to every new reading and hearing suggesteth some new thing of God as a fountaine that can never goe dry Ps. 119.96.92 93.72 2 Pet. 1.13 14 15. Phil. 3.1 8. That saying The more of the letter the lesse of the Spirit hath truth as touching the only and meere letter rested on and confided in but is not simply true that the more of the knowledge of the letter the lesse of the Spirit but the more rather of the Spirit 9. The nearer to glory when we shall be all-spirit and have nothing of a Temple and of Ordinances and of the mirror or glasse of the word the lesse literall we are that is we repose the lesse on the letter and are the more spirituall as the nearer to the morning the lesse of starre-light 2 Pet. 1.19 1 Cor. 13.10 11 12 13. But it followeth not that the nearer beleevers are to an immediate vision of glory the lesse knowledge they have of the letter of the Scripture though this knowledge of the letter shall fully be abolished at the dawning of that morning for the nearer it bee to the full harvest the more abundance of the first fruits and yet when the full harvest commeth the first fruits cease and give place to the harvest and the more of the morning twilight the nearer day though the morning twilight evanish when the perfect day commeth yea the nearer that the dawning of the morning face of God shine in at the windowes of our soule when we are in the child-birth paine of eternity the more of the knowledge of the will of God we have in regard we are 1 Pet. 3.14 to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and this knowledge doth include not exclude the knowledge of the letter The Spirit is not a part of the rule of faith or of the word the Spirit is not the word the word is not the Spirit but the Spirit is that which maketh lively and effectuall application of the word to our soules as the Mason is not the art of building but he is regulated by the precepts of art and reason and tyes himselfe to the following of art in all the workes of building the word is that which tyeth us as our guide rule conduct but the Spirit goeth along in a reall uniting of our hearts to Christ as it were enclosed in the word and in applying the word to our heart and so is called the anointing 10. The spiritualty of our soules is in a sort of dominion over the letter of the word when our soules are transformed into the things contained in the Gospell and we are changed into the spiritualnesse of the word so Rom. 6.17 the Gospell is called a forme a mould a signet for looke what letters and characters are in the signet of silver or brasse these same characters in length and breadth and just proportion are instamped on the wax or the paper the Gospell containes the Lord Jesus his image the lineaments of Christ in a new minde new will renewed affections knowledge love meeknesse patience lowlinesse c. it is a morall containing of Christ as the signe containeth the thing that is signified by the signe the Spirit instamps and forms as it were another Christ that is his living spirituall image in our soule Gal. 4.19 a new ingraving of the new worke and new creation of the second Adam 2 Cor. 5.17 on our hearts which is called the Law in the inward parts when wee have the same stampe and image of Christ and are changed over into the Gospel not into the letters of the Gospel or into the externall words but are new-moulded into the Spirit and new spirituall nature of the second Adam and are borne of the Spirit Joh. 3.5 6. the word is called the seed 1 Pet. 1.23 the tree is vertually in the seed the new birth and new Spirit we receive in regeneration is in the word vertually as the thing signified in the signe so are we said 2 Cor. 3.18 to bee changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. And the Spirit lookes to his copy or sampler and looke what lineaments legs limbs proportion of members are in the second Adam these same the Spirit by the word preached draws and frames in us now the second Adam the man Christ in his spirituals is the first borne of every creature Col. 1.15 Christ is the master peece the flower and glory of the Acts of God in creating new creatures after the second creation and there is framed on him holinesse lowlinesse meeknesse humility patience heavenly mindednesse and the spirit according to this glorious mould draws the legges armes and all the severall limbes and members of the new creature in the Saints and he makes efficaciously good that part of the word Learne of me that I am meek and lowly Mat. 11.29 let him take up his crosse and follow me Matth. 16.24 let this minde be in you that was also in Christ Jesus Phil. 2.5 so doth the Spirit change us unto al Spirit and this is the right Christing of the Saints when
the Lord by the word Spiriteth and of new Natureth us over againe into new spirituall children like our brother the fairest among the Sonnes of men holy heavenly spirituall meeke lowly like Christ though because of in-dwelling sin in all all the new Creatures come farre short of the first coppy And when we are thus changed and made spirituall the Gospel is acted on us so are we spiritualized into Christ and made one with him by faith and planted into the similitude of Christ Rom. 6. now the letters and characters or sounds of the written and preached Gospel are transient things but the Gospel and new Covenant in the glorious promises spirituall priviledges contained therin stand stil as the everlasting rule according to which we are daily more and more conformed till we become one spirit with the Lord. And because the continuation of the lif hid up with God in Christ is a protracted thread of continuall dependence by renued acts of faith of patience and comforts through the Scriptures of growing in faith the word must give a daily new objective life to our faâ—th and the renued acts thereof for faith is our victory 1 Joh. 5. and we overcome by the word Rev. 12.11 if Antinomians can give us a time when we shall be secured from the fiery-darts of Sathan on this side of heaven we yeeld that the sheild of the word is to be layed aside but that we know not see Ephe. 6.15 16 17. 1 John 2.14 1 Pet. 5 8 9. Were we indeed made perfect intire without spot or wrinckle of indwelling sin in this life and such as wee can sin no more as Antinomians vainly boast of themselves as Towne Eaton Salmtarsh Den and Crispe will hereafter teach us I could yeeld there were some more colour or hew of reason to say that we are being justified invested in a state of all and pure spirit beyond the orbe and sphere of all necessitie of Ordinances and Scripture because pure spirits need no characters or letters of Scripture seals or other ordinances no more then learned Doctors need the Horn-book to use the vaine comparison of John Waldesso But we must go in over the threshold of heaven holding the booke of the Old and New Testament in our hand growing in knowledge till we be perfected with him who dwells in light inaccessable and so there is not any thing signified and holden forth to us in the scripture nor promised or prophecied in the Covenant of grace Deut. 39. Ezech. 11. Jer. 31. Ezech. 36. Heb. 8. but the coppy extract or the double thereof is written ingraven and created in the souls of the elect in which sense the assumption of this syllogisme Whosoever beleeveth shall be saved But I John Marie beleeve ergo Is in Scripture and the same spirit of faith and the beleeving spoken of by Esaiah Ieremiah Ezechiel c. The same circumcised and new heart that they prophecied of is in Iohn Mary and so the Spirit worketh the same new heart and the worke or act of beleeving in length breadth figure limbes parts to speake so that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament promise as a Painter draweth the portrait head face eyes cheeks mouth whol body in colours al by looking on a liveing man now how the man Iohn or Mary in a reflect knowledge can prove the same to his owne comfortable assurance and peace is another thing But here is no new discovery of God or of the Spirit which Saltmarsh calleth for Sparkles of glory pa. 194 195. for he complaineth that there hath beene no reformation further in this Assembly at Westminster nor any higher attainment in these things points of doctrine as to justification sanctfication faith c. the ministery word Sacraments which they call meanes of salvation then the Bishops made and the Synods in England formerly We grant all we know no new cut nor other new way of justification then the way David and Paul were justified Rom. 4.1 2 3 4 5 6. Psa. 32.1 and we glory that wee adde nothing to Articles of faith contained in the Scripture we only explicate them and vindicate these Articles from the false glosses of Popish Bishops and the same that Saltm objecteth to us might any object against the Canonicall Epistles of Iohn the Apostle and say This fellow tells us only of some outward things and outward Ordinances of Christ precepts of love to the brethren of doing righteousnesse and all these but written with paper and inke too we see no higher attainments then these that the Prophets Christ and Paul and Iames and Peter told us he tells us nothing of any purer or more glorious discoveries of God or the Spirit or Iesus Christ or our union with the Spirit or glory as to spirituall things and Christ risen but as to Christ in the flesh or under the Law of which these Ordinances were a signe we grant ' wee can reveale nothing but old truths and we cannot give to Saltmarsh any other new cut or fragment of truth but what the Scriptures held forth 2. Wee can but hold forth outward things that is truths of ancient faith spoken by sinfull men and printed in paper and these of Christ both dead risen and ascended to heaven and wee confesse we can but baptise with water and can but build plant water and are but underworkmen and instruments of words formes sounds printed books and the Prophets and Apostles received these and no other thing from the Lord but our Master can doe more he can and doth by our weake labours and the foolishnesse of preaching give the holy Spirit If Saltmarsh can give purer or more glorious discoveries of God of his Spirit Christ Jesus c. let him take H Nicholas and Da. George to helpe him let us heare them produce your reasons c. for we ever urge this these new discoveries of God or the Spirit are either revealed in the word or not revealed if in the word then are they but outward Ordinances such as former Synods have discovered and so according to Saltmarsh to be rejected if they be not revealed in the word they must be additions to the word and so unlawfull Rev. 22.18 Deut. 12.32 Prov. 30.6 2. The Spirit that comes with new positive doctrines without the word must prove it selfe to bee from God by signes and miracles as Christ and his Apostles did 3. Isaiah Malachy prophesied of John Baptist though hee did no miracles Let us see the like warrant for these new discoveries 4. This Spirit must be tryed by the word as Christ was willing to make the Scripture judge whether he was the Messiah or no Joh. 5.39 Paul out of Moses and the Prophets proved that Maries sonne must be the only Saviour so did the rest of the Apostles 5. Wee are commanded to judge them cursed impostors and not to receive them in our house or bid them God speed who bring any new discoveries of God
the preaching of Faith by which the Spirit is given which renewes a beleever and makes him the very Law himselfe and his heart the two Tables of Moses For 1. perswasions and commands may wâ—ll stand together and all Law-inforcings are but meere reasonings and morall and objective acts on the minde and will and so the Law no more inforceth then the Gospel 2. Holinesse and Sanctification commeth by the Law animated by the Spirit as well as by the Gospel for the Law converteth the soule but it doth this saith the Antinomians not as the Law but as the Gospel revealing Christ. But I am sure neither can the Gospel â—â—terally onely revealing Christ and being void of the Spirit it cannot convert the soule and the Law as animated by the Spirit leadeth to Christ as a Pedagogue I meane as mixed with the Gospel For the Law without the Gospel can never sanctifie nor lead to Christ and neither of them without Christs Spirit can doe any thing And I find Saltmarshes Euthysiasticall pulse and straine of Familisme when hee saith that the Preaching of Faith is the Spirit given to a beleever and it makes him the very Law it selfe For 1. the Preaching of Faith or the Gospel preached even to hardened Pharisâ—â—s cannot give the Spirit renewing the Pharisees for Faith was preached to them by Christ and his Apostles but they stumbled at Christ and never beleeved 2. The preaching of Faith and the Spirit differ as much as the principall cause and the instrument now who can say the writing of the penne is the writer 3. Antinomians meane by the Gospel or the preaching of Faith here divided from the Law not the glad tidings of peace preached but the renewing Spirit without all letter or word of promise or command that is the teaching spirit and thâ— inward annointing without the Law or Gospel either Now Sanctification in this sense must bee wrought without Law Gospel Precept Command Promise and wee may lay aside the Bible then and all Ordinances and therefore no wonder then Antinomians tell us so often of the Letter and the Spirit for to them old and new Testament and all the sweet promises are a very Letter and in the new Testament we are not to serve God according to the Letter and therefore all Preaching Commands Exhortations Promises Threats of both Law and Gospel must be laid aside The Lord keeps us saith Towne under the Gospel in righteousnesse without all Law Ceremoniall and Morall and every where thâ—y say 〈◊〉 serve God now according to the Spirit not 〈◊〉 to the Letter outward Ordinances then to Antinomians are matters of meere courtesie CHAP. XII Antinomians deny actuall pardon of sinnes to the Jewes ANtinomians deny that the knowledge of actuall and eternall remission was an Article of the Jewish Creed but a mystery not revealed till the Gospell But then David and the Fathers Abraham and others were justified by the impâ—â—ed righteousnesse of Faith as wee are also David must Psal. 2.1 2. describe an happinesse he knew not what David saith Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sinne vers 5 2. We beleeve through the grace of the Lord Jesus we shall be saved as well as they 3. All the Fathers dyed in the faith 〈◊〉 did eat the same spirituall meat and did all drink of the same spirituall Rock and the Rock was Christ. 4. The Scripture foreseeing that God would justifie the heathen thrâ—ugh Faith reached before the Gospel to Abraham Esaiah prophecied of Christ as an Evangelist Daniel of the slaying of the Messiah and everlasting righteousnesse through him The Prophets testified before hand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow actuall remission then was no mystery to them Abraham rejoyced to see Christs day and saw it CHAP. XIII Of the nonage of the Jewes what it was NOr was the tutorie bondage or nonage of the Jewes any thing but 1. A lesse measure of the Spirit then is now 2. A harder pressing of the Law on them 3. A keeping of that infant Church as a child under Pedagogues and Tutors in regard of the Elements of Ceremonies partly teaching them rudely and partly warning them by blondy Sacrifices and diverse washings of the desert of sinne and the filth of it but this is nothing to prove the Jewes were under the Law For 1. then should they be under the curse and so must eternally perish contrary to the Word nor was their pardon of sinnes by halfes and quarters 2. Then must they be saved by works Paul saith They came short of righteousnesse because they sought to establish their owne righteousnesse and stumbled at the stone laid in Zion and sought it not by faith And it was never lawfull for them more then us to seeke righteousnesse and justification by works of the Law so they were in this under no law-Law-Spirit more then we but justified the same way that we are 3. Yea many sweet Evangelike promises are made to them as to us Ho every one that thirsts come to the water c. Behold I lay on Zion a stone c. The just shall live by fath Who is a God like unto thee that pardons iniquity I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine owne sake and divers other Scriptures prove this 4. The Prophets cryed against legall and outward service and pressed washing in Christs bloud and faith and repentance as the Apostles doe And to Christ gave all the Prophets witnesse that through his name whosoever beleeves in him shall receive remission of sinnes There is much of the Spirit of adoption of spirituall liberty in praying wrestling with God giving no rest to God Heavenly boldnesse and accesse to the throne of grace in Jâ—â—kob David Moses and sweet Evangelike and Gospel-familiarity between Christ and his Spouse the Church in the Song of Salomon Feasting and banqueting together only the Lawâ—s administration was wrath by accident through our corruption lesse gloâ—ious because of darke typs and a spaâ—â—r measure of the Spirit 2 Cor. 3. Ephes. 3.9 10. and Paul heightneth Gospelâ—glory and lesseneth the Law in the vaine sense that false Apostles and legall Teachers put on it in over-â—xalting it as if without Christ it could save or with Faith it could justifie 6 All under the Gospel Elect and Reprobate must be freed from the Law if the Jewes were under it all to whom the Gospel is preached must bee freed from it and to Deâ—ne and Moore who are both Arminians and Antinomians all and every one of mankinde must bee under â—race none under the Law of Commandements for the argument holdeth for all in opposition to the Legall Jew CHAP. XIV The old mâ—n or the flesh to Antinomians is under the Law the new Man freed from all Law IT is admirable that Towne will
Rise raigne er 20. pag. 4. er 32. pag. 6. er 42. p. 8. er 64. pag. 12. er 70. pag. 53. 6. A beleever must have the actuall influence of the Spirit to know these things that are freely given him of God A Moralist needeth no supernaturall light to know that he hath a masse of Morall vertues Temperance Fortitude Justice and his owne Spirit teacheth him that he is a temperate valerous just man 6. A beleever cannot act according to his supernaturall habits except actuall grace stirre him a Moralist needeth but naturall reason the stirring of his owne Spirit with a common influence of God to cause him act according to his Morall habits 7. The Moralists habits of vertue are of no better house then his owne conqueise the new heart and the habits of grace are of a higher and nobler bloud being from heaven and infused by the Spirit of grace Ezech. 36.26 Deut. 30. vers 6. Zach. 12.10 Saltmarsh doth little lesse then blaspheme when hee saith the supernaturall knowledge of the Spirits impression by signes which is wrought by the Holy Ghost 1 Cor. 2.12 1 Joh. 2.3 1 Joh. 3.18.19 Rom. 8.15.16 Is as low as the feelings of flesh and bloud for flesh and bloud cannot assure us that we are translated from death to life because we love the brethren this knowledge is given us by that Spirit which the World knowes not 1 Cor. 2.12 CHAP. LXXXVIII That we are both righteous in the sight of God being justified and yet sinners in our selves is proved against Antinomians ANtinomians hold That we cannot be both righteous in the sight of God and also sinners in our selves It is thus farre true we cannot both be righteous by Christs imputed righteousnesse and freed from the guilt of sinne and not righteous by imputation and not freed that should involue a contradiction 2. It is thus farre true we cannot be both righteous by imputation before God and in our selves sinners by sinne bearing a dominion over us as a Tyrant doth over a slave because whoever are justified they are also sanctified and sanctification abateth the dominion full vigour and lordship of sinne but doth not remove it root and branch so as it doth not dwell in the Saints so long as they dwell in the body 1. David Psalm 51. vers 7. saith Purge mee with Hysope and I shall be cleane wash me and I shall bee whiter then the snow Then he was cleane in the sight of God being pardoned And Rom. 4.6 Psalm 32.1 David describeth the righteousnesse of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousnesse without works 1. Saying Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sinnes are covered And so was Abraham justified and Rom. 4.23.24 Now it was not written for his sake alone but for us Then David and Abrahams sinnes were covered and they freed from the guilt of all sinne in the sight of God yet Paul Rom. 3. proveth that David and the most righteous on earth sinned because there is none that doth good there are none righteous they are all gone out of the way c. all the world was guilty before God verse 19. then they were sinners if David was a Jew and one that went out of the way as the Law of God maketh no exception Antinomians cannot say that before David was justified and converted and while hee was yet in the state of nature he sinned but being once converted and justified he was no more a sinner then Christ but as righteous as Christ as saith Crispe as cleane from sinne saith Eaton as Christ himselfe I confesse this is to helpe the Papists not a little for Paul speaketh of all that are justified by Faith and not by Works now David converted was justified by faith and not by works done either before conversion by the strength of nature or after conversion by the power of saâ—ing grace therefore David must sinne and goe out of the way after conversion when he was free from all guilt of sinne and so justified and righteous before God and yet a sinner though he sinned not as under the full dominion of sinne 2. The Lord pardoned and covered the sinnes of his people in Christ in the Old Testament tooke away their iniquity and purged their sinne blotted out their transgressions and remembred not their sinnes and that as a thicke cloud God described himselfe to Moses not Prophecying what he was to be under the New Testament but what hee was at that time actually as he was then as now the Lord the Lord mercifull and gracious long suffering and aboundant in goodnesse and truth even a God keeping mercie to thousands of the Jewes forgiveing iniquitie trangression and sinne then multitudes were then justified and righteous in the sight of God and freed from the guilt of sinne and yet even then there was not one man on earth justified or not justified who inherently and in himselfe was righteous did good and sinned not or that could say he had made cleane his heart or was pure from sinne or that could stand before God if hee should marke narrowly his iniquities nor was there any flesh could bee justified in his sight Not a righteous Job a none-such on earth and so justified before God yet in himselfe is so sinfull as his owne garments should defile him though hee should wash himselfe with Snow-water Job 9.30 31. 3. Paul a man not under the Law justified and sanctified regenerated and triumphing in Christ as freed from sinne before God as touching the guilt and condemnation thereof yet remaineth a sinner in himselfe carnall sold under sinne sinne dwelleth in him no good dwelleth in his flesh there is rebellion in him against the Law of his minde captivity to sinne wretchednesse under the body of sinne 4. So the Corinthians were justified washen sanctified and yet these of them who were judged and punished that they should not perish with the world did grievously sinne in not descerning the Lords body if there were no sinne in these who were justified and espoused to Christ more then in Christ how could Paul feare that as the Serpent beguiled Evah so their minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ Jesus If there was not sinne dwelling in them how thought they Paul a foole slighted him and extolled the Messengers of Satan the false Apostles 5. The Apostle John and his fellowes and the Saints to whom he writeth Had fellowship with the Father and the Sonne were purged from all their sinnes had an Advocate who interceeded for them in heaven were Fathers young men babes in Christ and so righteous in the sight of God yet sinners For if we say saith John we have no sinne we deceive our selves and make him a lyar 6. This Novatian and Familisticall opinion that we cannot be both righteous before God and sinners
Recantation of the Antinomian errour in an Epistle of D. Luther to Mr. D. Guthel containing the minde of Luther touching Antinomians as a Sect that had their rise from the Devill 69 70 71 72 73 74 Luther is for the Law 70 71 That none is perfect in this life and we are to sorrow for sin 73 74 Islebius recanted his Recantation and returned to spread Antinomianisme after Luthers death 80 81 The tenets of Islebius Antinomians in Luthers time 81 82 The Antinomian way of Paulus Crellius in Luthers time 182 183 184 How Antinomians stated the question of old 83 How the Law is a patient to beleevers 84 Of the Antinomianisme of Michael Neander 84 85 Divers distinctions touching the use of and freedome from the law tending to cleare Luthers mind 86 87 Three speciall uses of the law according to Luther Ibid. Luther refuteth Antinomians in terminis and is most contrary to them 86 87 89 How faith only justifieth as Luther saith 100 How faith and works are contrary 101 How according to Luthers minde the Law hath power over the flesh and not over the renewed conscience 102 103 How Good workes conforme to the law are not necessary 103 The law the same now and under the covenant of works Ibid The law is given properly to the new man not to the flesh 103 104 How the terrified conscience is freed from the law 105 106 How the law condemneth and terrifieth how not 106 107 How the law is given to the New man how not 108 109 Excellent replyes of a beleever to the accusing law 109 110 The tempted beleever freed from challenges of the law 110 111 How a tempted beleever is to comfort himselfe against law-temptations in the conscience 112 113 Luther is for conditions in the Covenant and for preparations before conversion 114 115 Sundry excellent answers to Satan and the law what a sinner is at the brink of dispaire 115 116 117 118 How we are patients in justification how not 118 119 How the law is weak 119 How good workes are naught 120 121 How the law is abolished how not 121 122 That the law is to be preached to all 119 120 Of the union betweene Christ and a beleever opposite to the phancied union of Familists and Antinomians who say that a beleever is Godded and Christed 123 124 125 Of our legall union our union by faith our union by marriage by nature and the intervening of interests and conditions with Christ and a sinner 125 126 127 Luther makes sin to dwell in the justified contrary to Antinomians 129 130 How it is in them and how removed pardoned sinne is essentially sin 131 132 133 134 How we are under the law and under grace in regard of the flesh and the Spirit 134 135 The divers respects of Law and Gospel 138 How the law is a dead Letter 139 Of the Letter and the Spirit 139 140 Luther detesteth allegories 139 How the beleever needeth not the Law in the Letter 142 143 None are perfect in this life as Luther saith contrary to Antinomians 143 144 We must then have patience 144 145 Sin in the beleever rageth to their feeling and yet is made lesse sin 145 146 Luther taught that the Jewes were Justified and actually pardoned by faith as we are contrary to Antinomians 146 147 148 Ch. IX Of Christian liberty and of true false sense 148 149 c. Luther in the point of Christian liberty is against the Antinomians 148 149 How the Law hath nothing to doe with the conscience according to Luther 149 150 151 152 Antinomians distinction that we sinne not against the Law but against Christ removed 151 Luther unduly chargeth these he calleth Sacramentarians with making the Spirit without the word their rule it being the doctrine of Antinomians in his time 153 154 How wee are to judge of our spirituall estate by sense how not 153 154 Luthers minde of freewill and contrary to Antinomians therein 155 156 How the will is a patient rather then an agent in good 157 158 Of the subjective and active power of freewill 158 159 Thirteen considerations of the Author touching freewill 160 161 162 163 An absolute independent power in the will to doe without the predeterminating grace of God neither peculiar to the Covenant of workes before the fall nor to the Covenant of grace after the fall 160 161 Chap. XIV Of the piece called Theologia Germanica and of the Bright starre 163 164 c. Libertines sprang from the Gnosticks Familists from Libertines Antinomians from both 163 164 165 Of John Waldesso who hath sundry principles of Familisme and Antinomianisme in his booke 164 165 God is the creature saith Theologia Germanica 165 To ascribe any thing to the creature is sinne the new man is Christ. 165 166 How creatures are under-causes of their owne working 166 The hell and heaven of Familists 167 The Familists acknowledge no Christ but a metaphoricall Christ. 167 168 So Theol. Germanica and the piece called the Bright-star The workes of H. Nicholas 168 Familists of England dissemble their grossest points Their Petition to King James 168 Vent their malice in the Petition against Puritans were tollerated by Prelates because they railed against non-conformists 169 The contents of the Petition of the Familists in England to King James 168 169 170 Chap. XV. Of the Familists and Antinomians in New England 171 Their rise ib. Their tenets 171 172 173 The Saints suffering are God manifested in the flesh as Saltmarsh and Familists say 172 173 174 Saltmarsh Chaplaine to the Generall Sir Tho. Fairfax goes along with the Familists of N. England ibid. Ordinances of preaching reading hearing Sacraments are not to be seperated from the Spirit nor the Spirit from them 175 Chap. XVI Of the first Authors of Antinomianisme and Familisme in N. England as Mistresse Hutchison M. Wheelwrit their preaching seditious railing and foule tenets 176 177 178 Mrs. Hutchison bold maintained she might preach to a Congregation and alledged the example of Priscilla 178 Her abominable tenets in which she denied the immortality of the soule the resurrection Christ heaven sanctification asserted revelations beside and without the word of God 178 179 A Generall Assembly at Cambridge in N. England confuted and condemned M. Hutchison M. Wheelwright and others 180 M. Hutchison bare thirty formed monsters 181 Was excommunicated banished to the Road-Iland killed by the Indians she and all her house 181 182. as is reported Mrs. Dyer a Familist the wife of William Dyer a prime Familist brought forth a terrible monster 181 182 Chap. XVII Of the late Familists banished out of N. England in Massachusets and now inhabitants of Shaw-omet otherwise called Providence 188 The blasphemous tenets of Sam. Gortyn a wicked Familist who preacheth openly in and about London 183 184 185 Gortyn and these Familists deny God incarnate and say every suffering Saint is Christ and there is not another Christ. 184 185 186 So doth M. Beacon
276 277 Saltmarsh defineth Heresie in relation to the Spirits teaching not to the written Word 279 And Schisme to be in relation to the invisible not to the visible Church 280 Chap. XXXIII Familists minde touching prayer 281 282 Chap. XXXIIII A tast of the wild allegorick interpretations of Scriptures that Saltmarsh fathers on the spirit 282 283 284 c. All in Covenant with God are preachers of the Gospel to Saltmarsh 282 Saltmarsh and H. Nicholas makes Christ's comming againe and judging of the world to have beene these 1640. yeares 284 Saltmarsh would prove by Scripture there should be no baptizing by water 284 285 Christ crucified is nothing to Saltmarsh but the Saints Godded and Christed and suffering with faith patience 285 Ordinances are onely for the unconverted before 〈◊〉 to supply the absence of the spirit 285 286 The story of Adam but a figure to Saltmarsh 286 The Doctrine of John Baptist is gone saith Saltmarsh 286. Saltmarsh with Socinians will have the love of our enemies not commanded in the old Testament 287 Saltmarsh dreames of a Church on earth that shall want Ordinances 287 288 The place Gal. 4.1 Of the Heire under Tutors vindicated from Saltmarsh's glosse 289 The Corinthians called carnall unduely 1 Cor. 3.1 2. by Saltmarsh the place vindicated 290 Christ's disciples not under a stinted liturgy 291 The place 1 Cor. 10. they did all eate c. speakes nothing of the Idolatry of meanes and Ordinances as Saltmarsh phancies 292 The Disciples of Christ not under a carnall ministration but had the revelation of the spirit as well as we 293 2 Thess. 2. touching the Antichrist vindicated 293 294 The place John 17. Father glorifie me c. foully abused vindicated 294 295 Exod. 33. None can see mee and live vindicated from Saltmarsh his glosse 295 296 The place Zach. 13. of killing false Prophets under the Gospell vindicated 296 297 Chap. XXXV Of the anoynting of the Spirit and the Letter 297 298 c. Of the knowledge of such as are under actuall vision in a Trance 297 298 Prophets not ever under actuall visions in actuall prophecying to men as when in a dreame or trance they see the visions of God 298 299 Prophets see not really the things themselves but the speces or images in the opened decree of God 300 301 The spirit opposed to bodily and externall 300 Externall Ordinances in sensu composito and diviso how they suit with the Spirit 301 302 Three wayes of union betweene the word and the spirit 302 303 The reall influence of spirituall operations on the body 303 304 We adore not Characters 304 The spirit because the spirit and seperated from the word nâ—t our obliging rule but the law and the testimony 304 305 We are to wait on God in the use of outward meanes though the spirit worke not ever upon our hearts 305 306 Divers wayes of the spirits concurring with the word 306 307 The places Jer. 31. They shall no more teach his brother and 1 Joh. 2.27 The anointing teacheth you all things cleared and vindicated 307 308 309 We make not the word to have two senses one externall and preparatory another internall and spirituall 309 310 311 The one literall sense the true and native sense of the word 311 312 Divers other considerations of the word and Spirit The Spirit opposed to humane eloquence 312 313 To cold dead and dry speaking 313 314 To that which smells most of our wit 314 To wild logicke 314 315 The characters of a spirituall condition 315 316 The Spirit determines the actions according to the specification and to the exercise 315 316 317 The Spirit how he goes along with the Law 315 316 The obliging Law and the free Spirit consist together 316 The morall compulsion of the Law is exhausted by the freenesse of a Gospel-spirit 318 Threatnings legall had influence on the will of the first Adam not of the second or of confirmed Angels 318 319 The place 2 Pet. 1. Untill the day-starre arise c. vindicated 319 320 How the Spirit is the day-starre 320 How true that is the more of the letter the lesse of the Spirit 321 322 How wee are changed into the same spiritualnesse contained in the Gospel 322 323 324 Familists have no new discoveries 325 326 How duties are spiritually taught in the Gospel 326 327 The Word the formall object of our faith the Spirit the effâ—cient 327 328 The Gospel to Antinomians a meere killing letter 328 329 The word spirituall beyond figures and letters in every consideration 329 330 The spirit determineth the actions of the spirituall man 330 The order of acting in supernaturall actions often from the Spirit 331 332 The assumption of a syllogisme of conscience proven by the Spirit 332 333 How farre the Saints are to leave Rome for new light 334 3â—5 Preaching of duties not contrary to the spirit 335 336 What the Law of the spirit of life is 336 Characters of a spirituall condition 336 337 The written Word to Familists is but a type and a shadow 337 338 Ordinances to continue to the end 338 339 Climbing from ministrations naturall or civill to higher ministrations an unwritten phancy of Familists 340 341 The garment wherewith the Sonne of God was clothed is opeâ—eâ— to consist in six points by Saltmarsh and to bee divers ministrations 339 340 How mortification is a signe of a spirituall condition 341 342 A Petition of the Familists of England to King James anno 1604. 343 344 345 c. Their virulency and malice to Puritans 343 344 Their extolling of H. Nicholas 346 347 They will have us saved by workes of righteousnesse that wee doe 347 Prelates never troubled Familists because they were enemies to Puritans and conforme to the Prelates wayes 341 They clambe to the Apostolicke Church and reject the Apostolick Scriptures 348 Divers of the Court of Queene Elizabeth and King James were Familists 349 Familists are for universall grace 349 They labour to pervert King James to Familisme 350 They condemne all as Antichristian that are not of their way ibid. They professe uncouth phrases that Protestants cannot understand as Libertines did ibid. They professe they will take and imbrace reject or refuse their Religions which is the only true way to salvation as the King and his Laws shall enjoyne 350 351 An abjuration tendred to Familists in England aâ— 1580. the 10th of Queene Elizabeths reigne by the Lords of the secret councell declaring H. Nicholas to be an Heretick 353 354. II. Part Contents of the second Part called a Survey of Antinomianisme CChap I. Antinomians unjustly accuse us p. 1 2 Chap. II. Antinomians are Pelagians Chap. III. Protestants hold no preparations with Pelagians Papists and Arminians going before conversion 2 3 4 Sinners are not healed of Christ as sinners but as such sinners who are freely chosen and loved of God 4 Chap. IIII. How we teach a desire of grace to be grace ibid. Chap. V. How we
made perfect and wholly of the essence of God the father said Thou art my son this day have J begotten thee nor is it impossible that God can make his owne sonne a God though unrenewed men understand not this Antinomians speake not so honourably of Christ for Rise Reig. er 11 every beleiver is God incarnate But Christ is here in words made the substantiall son oâ— God by Swenckfield 5 Christ in both natures is the onely begotten son of God and Lord of glorie and King of the Church in both natures 6 Christ now at the right hand of God having obtained fully al the power honor and kingdome and essence of God worketh as much for our salvation as man as he doth as God 7 Whole Christ undividâ—d according to both natures perfects the iustification and washing of a sinner by the spirit and whole Christ according to both natures undevided obtaineth the state of the second person in the Trinity as one and coequall God in power and honor with the Father Familists make God in his nature and essence to dwell and worke in all creatures especially in the regenerate But these are but fanciâ—s 1. Because after Christ was raised from the dead to the glory of the Father and so enâ—red into his glory there is evidence that his manhead was entered in no degrees of communion in the essence power and glory of God equally with God because there remaineth a body with flesh and bones that may be touched and handled Luk. 24.36.37 38 39 40. with the print of the nailes in his hands and sides Ioh. 20 27. now there is nothing of the nature essentiall honor and glory of God an infinite Spirit that fills heaven and earth yea or of any spirit in a body of bones flesh hands and feet and having in it such materiall and sensible qualities as the impression of wounds 2. Christ did eat with his disciples after his resurrection Ioh. 21.12 13 14 and so after he was entered in some degrees of glory and was seene of five hundred brethren at once 1 Cor. 15.6 Of Cleophas of the twelve Apostles of Paul also now what ever partaketh of the essence of a Spirit cannot eat nor be seene with bodily eyes and the disciples with their bodily eyes saw him ascend to heaven even till the clouds tooke him out of their sight Acts 1. 3 The eyes of all beleevers and reprobates even his enemies that peirced him in the generall Iudgement shll see him in which state Swenckefeldius dreames that the manhood is fully changed in the essence of God Rev. 1.7 now that the bodily eyes of men and of Reprobate men shall see the essence of God who is invisible 1 Tim. 1.17 is a dream for He dwels in light which no man can approach unto though we nothing doubt but the man Christ as man is elevated now in heaven to our uncomparable comfort to such eminency of glory above Men and Angels as the capacity of a created thing can receive 4. the Manhood of Christ is a creature having beginning and a cause of being in time Mat. 1. Luk. 2 in the fulnes of time Gal. 4. 4 was borne of a woman Now what is man borne of a woman that he should be equall in essence and nature with God who is like unto God Angels and created powers cannot answer the question God is essentially eternal and eternity differenceth him from all things beside himselfe Esay 9.6 chap. 43.10 Before me there was no God neither shall there be after me c. 40.28 Psal. 99.1 2. Psal. 102.26.27 1 Tim. 1.17 it 's then an everlasting contradiction that a creature in time can be a creator and a God before time or pertake of the essence of the eternall God for God must then create another God different in number from himself 5 our bodies shal be made conform to the glorious body of Christ. Phil. 3.21 if the Manhood of Christ and so his body which is a part thereof be changed into the essence of God we must be like the very invisible and eternall essence of an infinite Spirit and there is no glorifying of our bodyes then nor any resurrection nor any caughting up of our bodyes to the aire to be ever with the Lord but an utter extinction and an anhihilation of our bodyes and the body of Christ. Hence the flesh profiteth not then the manhood does not spiritually quicken give the Holy Ghost justifie as Swenckefield sayes but Christ God doth these 7 The cheife argument of Swenckefeld was because Christ as man obtained a name above all names was adored as man but if â—his stand sure then in the state of humiliation aswell as glorification the manhood was changed in the nature of God which yet Swenckefeldius denyes for in the state of humiliation what is proper to the Godhead is ascribed to the Manâ—hood per 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as God purchased a Church by his blood whereas God hath no blood they Crucified the Lord of glory and by this argument we may well inferre that the God-head in the state of humiliation was changed into the manhood and flesh which is blasphemous for so should God die as man dyed and there was a booke given out in the name of Swenckefeldius that denyes the manhood of Christ after his resurrection to be a creature and calleth all of the contrary minde Creaturistae hence 8 These wilde assertions of Swenckefeldius The Gospell is the Essence of God faith and ioy in the heart is the essence of God 9 He charged Luther with these The preached word is the substantiall word of God the flesh of Christ is not glorified a renewed man hath not free will God dwells not in beleivers Good workes profit not to salvation the preaching of the word and Sacraments are effectuall without God As Famil and Antinâ—m charge us with many of these because we cannot say that a beleiver is so Christed that he is very Christ himselfe and God incarnate and as free from sin as Christ. 10 The doctrine contained in the scriptures is not properly the word of God but improperly by a Metonimy where the signe is put for the thing signified Christ only is properly and essentially the word of God Swenck liber de sacris liberis pa. 27 28. Antinomians say the Scripture and the Law is but a dead letter not the word of God so Del. in his whole sermon rejects all that is externall in the Gospel-reformatinn makes nothing in it but the Spirit and the incommunicable act of Redeeming which is onely in Christ to worke our conversion to God Before I proceed Swenckefeldians and Antinomians erre for its said of the ten Commandements Exod. 20.1 And God spake all these words All the Prophets cry Thus saith the Lord. Luk. 1.70 He hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets 2 Chro. 36.21 The word of the Lord by the mouth of Ieremiah Esa. 1.20 The mouth of the Lord hath
aswell as against arâ—s and tongues for neither doth the Spirit teach immediately and without schooleâ— universitâ—â—â— and humane teaching The way of preaching more then he teacheth arts and toâ—gues yet this the anoynting did 〈◊〉 teach them arts and tongues is impertinâ—â—â—ly 〈…〉 over-plus in the 〈◊〉 which is no◠〈◊〉 conclusion for without the Spirit of reveâ—â—â—ion 〈…〉 maybe and are learned And whereas Iohn saith 〈◊〉 noâ— that any man teach you it is but that which Ier. said 3.1 34. And they shal no more â—each every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying know the Lord in which words Iohn and Jeremiah 〈◊〉 no other thing then there shall be more then onely literall knowledge of man teaching man because they shall be more even inward teaching by the anoynting Esa. 54.19 Ioh. 6.44 45. they shall all be taught of God nor is it the intent of the Holy Ghost to reject the ministery of men which Ephes. 4.11 12 13. Must indure tâ—ll we meet all in the unity of faith in heaven but onely the Holy Ghost speaketh comparatively and denyeth the teaching of men to be reaching if it be compared with Gods inward and effectuall teaching So Psal. 50.8 I will not reprove thâ—â— for thy sacrifices v. 14 Offer to God thanksgiving that is I offend rather at thy unthankefulnesse then that thou multiplyest not sacrifices to mee Obiect 2 God placeth our salvation in enmity to mans wisedome 1 Cor. 1.23 24. We preach Christ crucified to the Iewes a stumbling blocke and to the Grecians foolishnesse the Iewes cryed away with him at Athens the Gentiles mock Christ and Paul and God will have no flâ—sh to glory but in the Lord now this learning is but flâ—shly and carnall Ans. 1. God placeth our salvation in enmity to mans wisedome simply and in the simple naturall and sinnelesse knowledge of arts and tongues It s most false in enmity to to mans wisedome abused gloried in its true and God brings to nothing the wisdome of this world by which Iew and Gentile slighted Christ and denyed him and willed a murthererer Barrabas to be released before him What is this to the Lords condemning of humane learning arts and tongues of which the Apostle 1 Cor. 1. speaketh not but of their carnall abuse of these and glorying in them and it is to begge the question to say that this learning is carnall and fleshly in it self which is now the question 2 Nor was it out of pride of humane learning tongues and arts that the Iewes stumbled at Christ and the wisedome of the Crosse but out of false glosses they put on the Scriptures of the Old Testament seeking by the law salvation Rom. 10 1. and by this argument the Old Testament is condemned as well as arts and tongues as an impediment to faith Obiect 3. We are compleat in Christ. Ans. It is not worthy an answer for as touching spirituall furniture righteousnesse salvation teaching by the Spirit we are compleat in Christ ergo the ministery and teaching of men is no instrument no externall means of our compleatnesse in Christ it followes not at all Obiect 4 Christ sent mee not to preach the Gospell with the wisedome of words least I should make the crosse of Christ of no effect Ans. By the wisedome of mans wordâ— he meanes not learning Rhetoricke eloquence simply for â—aul preached the Gospell with more of that and spake more tongues then they all but the fonde affectate vaine soaring and confiding in these as if they could ad vertue to the Gospell to save soules Obiect 5 The weapons of our warefare are not carnall Ans. None of us are so mad as to say that humane learning arts and tongues can convert soules and lead high thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ but that Rhethorick Logick Tongues learning sanctified fitly made use of by the Spirit being Spiritualized as we see in the Prophets and Apostles may conduce to the opening and due understanding of the Scriptures Other abused scriptures and bablings I will not answer nor trouble the reader with all CHAP. IX Of Henry Nicholas and older Familists and Antinomians HEnry Nicholas was borne at Amsterdam as some thinke he spread his heresie a little after David George about the yeare 1556 he was an ignorant foolish man a craftie hypocrite had a sort of deceiving violence in his smooth eloquence of love he calleth himselfe The first illuminate Elder of the Family of Love was at the beginning austere riged and fasted waked divers nights and prayed and praysed spread his errors through Holland and Lower Germany pretended visions and conferences with the Angels from whom he had his way of exponing scriptures by allegories but turned afterward loose and vaine he came over to England and spread his foule heresies and seduced a number of Artificers and silly women and wrote an Epistle to two daughters of Warwicke disswading them from regeneration by the word of God read or preached and called that regeneration Ceremoniall â—lementish and false and laboured to perswade the maids to a spirituall new birth by the Spirit and internall word and did forbid suffering for the truth or confessing of Christ to the death before men and exponed the laying downe of the life for Christ of the mortifying the body of sinne he had his errors from the Antitrinitarians and denyed Christ to be God This Epistle was answered and râ—futed by H. Ainsworth he wrote a Booke of Documentall sentences another called Evangelium regni The Gospell and ioyfull message of the Kingdomâ— his doctrine and that of David Georgius was confuted by M. Martyn Micronius Minister of the Dutch-church at London under Edward the Sixth of England and by M. Nicholaus Charineus Minister also of the Dutch Church who dyed An. 1563. H. Nicholas his tenents especially his joyfull message was refuted by M. John Kâ—ewstub preacher in Queen Elizabethâ— time the book was printed at London An. 1576. and Dedicated to Ambrose Earle of Warwick H. N. wrote in dark and obscure termes following much that wicked peâ—ce called Theologia Germanica set out by Randall 1646. this forme of writing saith Knewstub is an evident note of a seducing spirit This blasphemous Impostor as if he were an Apostle speaketh of his calling like a false Christ. 1 Chap. Evangelium regni The joyfull message of the Kingdome H. Nicholâ—s through the grace and mercy of God through the holy Spirit of the love of Jesus Christ. Raised up by the highest God from the death Ephes. 2.1 according to the providence of God and his promises Anointed with the Holy Ghost in the old age of the holy understanding of Jesus Christ Ephes. 4.13 Godded with God in the Spirit of his love Illuminated in the Spirit with the heavenly truth The true light of perfect beeing Made Heire with Christ in the heavenly goods of the riches of God Elected to be a Minister of the gracious word which is now in the last times raised
justification in Christs alone imputed righteousnesse nor can the law as it curseth and condemneth justifie or convert the soule but sure what ever Antinomians say on the contrary The Law of the Lord converteth the soule Psal. 19.7 that is the law in the hand of Christ and spiritualized with a Gospell-Spirit converteth which is not to be taken as M. Towne dreameth asser pag. 42. The Law is established in our sanctification but that is in the inward Spirit not in the outward letter for he and Antinomians imagine that we fulfill and obey the law because the Spirit immediately and irresistibly draws us and acts on us as on blocks and that we are not to obey God and abstain from sin out of conscience to the written Law Thou shalt not kill but so all we doe must be will-service wanting all warrant of one letter of the word contrary to Rom. 14.23 These Antinomians descended to a more subtle and finer way of the Laws use they said it was no question but the just man or beleever having received the Holy Ghost doth every thing of the Law and lawfully useth the Law to discipline and represse those that were politically or in a Theologicall consideration unjust or unregenerate or to terrifie and punish their owne flesh or unrenewed part which Towne with them sayes is under the Law and is no better said they then the flesh of the unjust for none on earth keeps the Law but the beleever by the Spirit of Christ for he by faith establisheth the Law In this the old Antinomians are not so grosse as new Antinomians for I make it good in this Treatise that whereas old Antinomians said caro justorum non est melior carne injustorum the flesh and unrenewed part of beleevers is no better then the flesh of unbeleevers and so the Adulteries and murthers of the one are sins as well as the murthers of the other Our Antinomians as Saltmarsh say the Scripture calleth us ungodly and sinners and children of wrath not that we are so but seem so or not so in Gods account but in the worlds then by good Logick the flesh the sins the murthers of the beleever are but seeming sins and sins in the worlds false account not in Gods just and true account Yea they are as clean saith Eaton from sin as Jesus Christ and as Saltmarsh saith as the glorified in heaven and they are sins saith Deâ— to men ward and in the conversation but not to Godward or in the conscience that is right downe they are no sins at all The question is said the old Antinomians whether or no there be a law given to the just man or the new man that is whether or no doth the Law teach the new man or the unrenewed part to doe good works and require them of him or doth it teach him that he must doe good works as a meere patient or doth he without the Law urging teaching commanding doe the Law being created in Jesus Christ to good works or more shortly whether is the Law a meere patient toward a just man or is it active in teaching ruling regulating of him in doing of good works for to teach rule exact require command doe all import some activity or is the law proposed as a teacher and commander onely to the flesh or to the unrenewed part of a beleever this is the cardo hinge of the controversie say they Saltmarsh saith We being once justified have no need of one beam of light from the Law to teach us no more then the world has need of the first dayes light of the creation or of a candle when the Sun is risen and Towne saith the Law in teaching ruling or commanding is a meere patient that is the Morall Law is as close abolished in teaching us what we shall doe as the Ceremoniall Law now if the Spirit should teach us to be circumcised and to keep the Ceremoniall Law that Spirit should be judged to be Enthysiasticall and not of God for the Apostle saith the contrary Gal. 5.1 and calleth it a falling from Christ if then the Spirit teach us to honour our Parents not to kill whereas the Law teacheth us no more that we should doe such a duty then the Law teacheth us to be circumcised or then if a Candle-light should show us what is black we are to beleeve it is so and the light of the sun show the contrary we were to beleeve that black is not black so if the Spirit teach the Mother to kill her childe and offer it in a sacrifice to God because it was baptized as an Anabaptist mother in Dover lately hath done the mother is to beleeve and follow the light of that spirit contrary to the expresse law and the law is by this way a meere patient and the beleever freed from the direction of the sixt Commandement Thou shalt not murther for the teaching ruling commanding thereof are activities and yet is the Law a meere patient to the regenerate part so the womans regenerate part killed the child and sinned not in so doing for the regenerate part say they is under no Law and the Antinomians who did chide with the Minister because he convinced the Mother of sinning against the sixt Command in killing her own childe said right Why speak yee to the beleeving Mother of the Law the Law doth not rule nor teach the regenerate part and she hath killed the childe according to the Spirits dailight and the regenerate part not according to the Laws star-light and the flâ—sh speak say they to her of free grace So Michael Neander a grosse Antinomian wrote in an Epistle to a friend in his time To the just man there is no Law given in any use or office as he is just and liveth in the Spirit as he is one with Christ and converseth in heaven where there is no law that acts in a just man the just dialect of the English Antinomian Towne pag. 129. asser of grace Being Iustified by faith we are admitted to the favour and presence of God there to live and abide for ever here by sense and light in the kingdome of glory c. and Saltmarsh speaketh in the same Grammer as if the beleever were at the right hand of God and the old Antinomians said in the words of Towne read his words the justified man as Schusselburgius relateth their minde is holy just neither male nor female but one with Christ flesh of his flâ—sh and bone of his bone and the same by grace faith and imputation that Christ is by nature in whom Christ liveth speaketh worketh all things for all the workes of the just man are the workes of Christ and he is the meere passive matter of these workes Therefore all the doctrine of love good workes and new obedience which Christ and the Apostles give after the doctrine of justification is given only for the unjust man
or the flesh and old man in every man So say the English Antinomians that the precepts of a Christian conversation doe onely obleige the hypocrites under the law that are mixed with true beleevers so doth Towne all the duties Mat. 5. Blessed are the meeke c. are performed by the beleever in Christ and Christ presseth not these â—uties as obleiging the beleever but that he may destroy all vaine boasting and confidence in mans owne righteousnesse of workes bred by the Scribes and Pharisies which is an abominable doctrine for then there was no beleever on earth blessed through personall meekenesse spirituall poverty hungring for Christ and the Apostles and beleevers were not blessed nor had any reward to looke for in heaven in that they were persecuted and killed for Christs sake the contrary is cleare in scripture The putting on of the new mâ—n said they and walking in newnesse of life is nothing but externall discipline and hath nothing common with the Spirit So Eaton Crispe Den Saltmarsh it s but to walke according to the outward conversation honestly as in the sight of men not as in the sight of God yea walking contrary to new obedience and after the lusts of the old man in beleevers is no sinne which God can see in beleevers say Eaton Towne Saltmarsh in Luthers time Christopherus Petzelius wrote a bitter peece for Antinomianisme against Ioannes Wigandus Crellius in spoâ—gia contra Ioâ—n Vigandum and others as Petrus Paladius in catalo aliquot haereseor relateth Antinomians now as of olâ— pretended that Luther is of their mind and alleadge diverse testimonies out of Luther But Luther instituted six publicke disputations at Wittingburg against the Antinomians but the style of Luther was according to his Spirit and zeale hot hyperbolicke vehement against justification by works and therefore these distinctions are to bee observed to cleare Luthers minde 1 Luther speaketh one way of the Law and the workes of the law in the matter of justification and a far otherway of the Law and workes simply as they obleige all 2 To Luther the law teaching squaring commanding is one thing the law in strict terms commanding perfection under highest eternal paine compelling terrefying cursing condemning is another thing 3 The Law compelling legally and condemning that it may condemne is one thing and the Law compelling and condemning materially not that it may destroy and condemne but condemning to the end it may chase the sinner to Christ and save intentionally is a farre other thing 4 The conscience simply is one thing and the conscience terrifyed crushed shaken with dispaire a far other thing Luther constantly â—aught that the law obligeth the conscience of believers as well as unbelievers and yet that the law ought to exercise no dominion over the terrified affrighted conscience of a believer to presse him to despair 5 The Law according to Luther hath three speciall uses 1 That it may reveale sinne and wrath and by this be a paedagogue 〈◊〉 lead the sinner to Christ. 2 To be a rule of a holy life 3 To discipline and compesce with the fury and feare of wrath hypocrites and wicked men that they may be disciplined externally and not goe with loose raines after their lusts 6 The Law in its rigour as it sounds out of the mouth of Moses and is violated and presseth us to absolute obedience out of our owne strength without a Mediator or a Mediators free grace is to the beleever a rough and bloody enemy and preacheth bloody tragedies and craveth and exacteth hard things but the Law as pacified with the blood of a surety and as it is the sweet â—reathing of the love of Christ through the Spirit and as it saith walke in love through the strength of him that hath loved you to death it is a sweet warme kindly lovely freind and leadeth us being willing 7 The law is eternall the law condemning forceing cursing a believer is not eternall but ceaseth to the believer in that bloody office through the satisfaction of Christ. 8 Luther highly magnifieth good works in themselves but as the agent resteth on them with confidence he abaseth them 9 The law without the Spirit is a poore thin liueles hopeles useles dead letter the law animated with the Spirit and tempered with some ounces of Gospel-breathings of free grace concurreth instrumentally to convert quicken revive us and to promote salvation 10 The law as it teacheth directeth commandeth obligeth bindeth to duties for the authority of the law-giver and is ever an active rule to the believer and never a passive thing But as it condemneth and â—urseth it is to a believer a meere passive and a naked stander by and hath no activity nor can it act in that power upon any in Christ as the law of Spaine is meerly passive in condemning a free borne man dwelling in Scotland 11 The binding authority in the law laying on the sinner an obligation to doe and act is different from the binding power of the law to suffer punishment for transgressing of the law The former agreeth to the Law simply as it is a Law the latter agreeth to the Law aâ— it is violated and disobeyed 2 The former is eternall urgeth the believer unbeliever before the fall after the fall in the life to come the latter is removed in Christ to all those that are in Christ for the law fully satisfied neither condemneth nor can it condemne to eternall suffering for Christs passive obedience removeth all possibility of our passive obedience for sin in a satisfactory way 12 The Law admonishâ—th but helpeth not Hence these conclusions for the clearing of the truth and of the minde of Luther more fully 1 Conclusion Luther expresly declared himselfe against Antinomians by that title and name They are saith Luther pernitious teachers who in our time moved by ways I know not what contend that the law should not be preached in the Church wouldest thou not preach the Law where there is truely a people for Law to wit men greedy proud unclean usurers Idolaters In the Antinomian sect saith Luther this is a peculiar proposion if any was an adulterer a murtherer c. let him only believe that God is gratious to him and that 's enough but what a Church is this in which so horrible a voice doth sound But we must teach that there be two sort of sinners some who acknowledge their sin some who securely please themselves therein I intreat Saltmarsh Eaton Crispe Den Towne Del Randel Simson who are so much against all preparations for Christ and for sole beleeving and cry out so much against strict walking with God to consider this How can the preaching of the Law bee excluded out â—f the Church doe ye not also exclude the fear of God and a great part of the works of God The Antinomians these new prophets contend that men should
all sins are taken away and are not to be rebuked nor are men renewed to be terryfied by the Law for Luther 1. speaks comparatively and denies not all subordinate activity to renewed free-will after conversion In every good work the Sons of God are rather acted upon then doe act In omni opere bono potius aguntur quam agunt filii Dei Then Luther meanes that they act but grace rather acts upon them for To. 3. in Gen. in cap. 28. fo 82. Luther saith there is a twofold holinesse in us one imputed by which we are sanctified by the Word and is perfect another by which wee are holy by our work and conversation which is unperfect The other holinesse is of works it is charity that makes us acceptable to God there not onely God speaks to me but I study to follow God speaking When I was a Monk often I desired that happinesse to see a godly man in life and conversation in the mean time I dreamed of an Eremite that abstained from meat and drink and fed on rootes and cold water but they are holy who are holy with a passive not an active holinesse if every man doe his duty by rule according to his calling and obey not the flesh and in the Spirit suppresse the desires and lusts thereof Altera sanctitas operum est charitas gratum faciens ibi non solum Deus loquitur sed studeo ego sequi loquentem Deum Ego Monachus saepe ex animo optabam eam faelicitatem mihi contingere ut possim videre conversationem vitam alicujus sancti bominis Interim somniabam talem sanctum qui in Eremo agens abstineret a cibo potu victitaret tantum radiculis herborum aquâ frigidâ sancti sunt sanctitate passivâ non activâ si unusquisque ex praescripto verbi Dei faciat officium in vocatione suâ carni non obsequatur sed Spiritu reprimat desideria ejus And where ever Luther speaketh of inherent holinesse he calleth it imperfect and active then renewed freewill must be an Agent in it 2 The subjective power of doing good that Luther calleth a passive power and which was in man before the fall in the renewed man is not simply passive for in regard of it saith Luther Voluntas magis est impulsa quam impellens the will rather is drawen then it doth draw and act but inclineth more to bee drawen but it is passive because free will in pure naturalls before the fall or after regeneration is a subject receiving a holy sanctified rectitude of will and before the fall that rectitude was that concreated and naturall Image of God in the first Adam in regeneration it is the supernaturall image of the second Adam which wee call the new heart and before the fall Adam did not love and serve God by free will simply but by free-will gifted with that naturall accident of concreated sanctity and holinesse added to the will as a connaturall gift to make the will compleat in its operations Now the will is a mere patient in receiving a supernaturall active power to will according to Christ and in this regard the will is patient and must bee elevated in its naturall activity by receiving a new infused heart Ezeki 36.26 Zech. 12.10 Deut. 30.6 And because free-will acts according to Christ in beleeving hopeing loving out of faith all by the strength of new supernaturall habits therefore doth Luther call the renewed man a patient and his supernaturall workes like the drawing of a Saw which yet hath its own activity of cutting the tree and hath teeth by art for that effect yet t is called a patient in sawing the tree because it is moved in its motion by him that draweth the Saw 3 In the receiving the active determination of actuall assisting grace the will is a patient in the reception and subjective and passive lying under the actuall motion of him who workes in us to will and to doe for wee can doe nothing more than clay when God infuseth a spirit in it to move the predeterminating wind of the spirit to blow right on us in regard of both these though being acted by habituall grace and by actuall assisting grace being drawen Cant. 1.2 3. and Psal. 119.32 compared with Ezeki 36.26 27. we doe and have our own subordinate active influence in all the workes wee doe toward Heaven and life eternall yet Luther saith wee are patients Luther Heraeseos venenum est quod tribuit libero arbitrio virtutem disponendi se ad gratiam sive habitualem sive actualem recipiendam quale faciunt in illo Zech. 1. Convertimini ad me ego convertar ad vos Homo merè passivè se habet nec facit quidquam sed fit totus Luther Deus in materia privativa non positiva operatur It s a poyson of Heresie that giveth to free-will power to dispose it selfe to receive grace as they say from Zech. 1. Turne to me and I will turne to you Man is a meer patient he doth nothing but is acted or done upon God worketh on a privative not a positive matter 4. Luther holds men to be meere patients because grace and grace onely beginneth all supernaturall works Luther How shall free-will remaine and our doing what we can When we are taught that we are wrought upon and we work not but God works wee are the work not the workers so all the Divinity of proud men utterly perishes Faith is wrought in us not thinking not wisely understanding not willing but who-ever is gifted with faith is prevented by the incomprehensible hid work of the Spirit by the onely hearing of the Word without all work of us Vbi manebit liberum arbitrium ubi facere quod in se est cum hic fieri nos doceamur non facere non nos operemur sed Deus nos operetur facturae non factores simus funditus scilicet ruit omnis Theologia superborum Non nobis cogitantibus sapientibus volentibus sed incomprehensibili occulto opere Spiritus praevenitur quisquis fide donatur in Christo ad solum verbi auditum citra omnem nostram aliam operam 4. Luther is much as he cannot be enough in depressing the glory of nature and free-will and exalting God We are not good by working but by suffering when we suffer the actings of God on us and are quiet Whatever shall give thy â—elfe to thee and permit thee hold that in suspition for it will cause thee finde thy own will in fasting as Esa. 58. Whatever shall take thy self from thy self follow that Luther Non operando sed patiendo boni sumus cum patimuâ— divinas actiones quieti ipsis Quicquid tibi teipsum dederit permiserit tene suspectum quia facit ut inveniatur voluntas tua in Jejunio tuo ut dicitur Esa. 58. quicquid
but the Son of God became flesh in us that is weak in the Saints who beare his image therefore Gorton expounding flesh and blood Joh. 6. saith p. 106 107. By blood is here meant the life Spirit and power of the Son of God as he discends from the Father even as the life spirit power vertue and vigour of the Son of man runnes in the blood in creatures and such is the life discent and power of the Son of man as he is of the life discent and power of the Father from above and so is God blessed for ever Amen So the Apostle this is he that came by water and blood that is by weaknesse and strength that is by weaknesse in us or in our nature then not in Christ personally but by power in God or in that nature divine so is he said in the like sense to be crucified in the flesh but quickned in the Spirit then it s but metaphoricall flesh and blood that Christ took not reall and materiall but in regard the Saints that bear his image are men Christ is a man in them and Christ weak in them that is Christ lives in them according to the wisdome skill strength study and forecast about the things of God that a creature meerly as he is a creature is able to procure and bring forth now the best thing that is in man saith he p. 106. which is his wisdome is enmity with God for it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be so we have from these Familists an imaginary and a Metaphoricall Saviour And if we eat the flesh of Christ and drink his blood saith he p. 107 108. that is if we eat and communicate with that weaknesse and frailty that is naturally in man and which the Son of God assumed and took into unity he saith not unto the unity of the second person with himself without alike drinking in and communication with that spirit and life wherein he visits us and comes into our nature from on high even out of the bosome of the Father then doe we surfeit and suffocate the Spirit so is flesh eaten to the body without drink and dye in our selves and in our sins and so also if we neglect that weaknesse that is in us as though no such thing were and dreame of an high and spirituall estate which doth not arise out of and is the result through the wisdome of God of that weaknesse that is in us then doe we either sink in our folly and become sottish the things of God being drunk up onely with the things of this naturall life else are we puffed up and become giddy in our selves thinking that we know something when indeed we know nothing as we ought In all these Familists 1 Deny the Trinity three persons in on God And if the reader consider it Saltm speaketh the same way with Gortine and H. Nich. Sparkles of glory p. 288. Others say he meaneth himselfe and Familists whom he divideth from Protestants the mystery of salvation is no other then Immanuel or God with us or God in flesh Christ being no more but an anoynted one and that anoynted one is our nature or weakenesse anoynted with the spirit even God himselfe who is strength There is not a word here of God and man in one person and of true God consubstantiall with the Father and man like us in all things except sinne in the unity of one person but Christ is our nature in every Saint and beleever and weaknesse anoynted with the spirit Then every saint is Christ and Christ hath no body and soule of his owne but every beleever Goded deified and anoynted with the spirit is Christ. 2 Christ is not one single man who was crucified on Mount Calvery But every weake beleever made of flesh and a fraile bodie and of a soule Goded and anoynted with the spirit is God manifest in the flesh and another Messiah we have not but every Saint is his owne Saviour Christ is nothing but mysticall Christ by his spirit dwelling in the flesh and weake nature of all Saints is not this the Antichrist who denyeth that Christ is come in the flesh Now Christ suffers in us saith Gortyn p. 105. Because no other creature in the creation was made according to the Image of God but man alone and so no other creature in regard of degeneration can bear the image of death and hell but man alone Then the Father and Spirit suffers in us and our weaknesse because of the unity of images that is in God and in us If this be all here is no incarnation or suffering personall in the Sonne more then of the Father and the Spirit 2 This is but the imaginary and Metaphoricall Saviour of H. Nich. and unclean Familists for if flesh and blood be but Metaphors that is the weakenesse and nothingnesse of man and blood be Metaphorically only the power of the divine nature and if the blood and water that issued from Christs side was not materiall blood and water and if Christs being crucified according to the flesh and his living according to the Spirit be but faire Metaphors as we say the Medows laugh when they are but vigorous greene and flourishing and are not capable of materiall laughter more then of a reasonable soule then surely Christ was not true man borne of the virgine Mary but a Metaphoricall man that is weake in us who alone are his Image by creation 3 Then dyed hee but in phantasie and Metaphorically for his flâ—sh that hee was crucified in is not true flesh nor the true manhood assumed in the unity of his person but only it is Metaphorically the weaknesse that is in us And John saith Hee saw the water and the blood that came out of his side and did beare record and his record is true yea they heard Christ with their ears they saw him with their bodily eyes and looked on him and their hands handled the Lord of life John leaned on his bosome they pierced his hands and his feet they parted his garments among them they tooke downe his body off the Crosse folded it in clean linen layed him in a new Tombe hee truely rose againe eate with his Disciples when they doubted if it was he he called to them to make their senses and fingers witnesses a spirit hath not flesh and bones as yee see I have 1 Joh. 1.1 2 3. Joh. 19. Mat. 26 27 28. Luk. 22.23 ch 24.39 40 41. And he was seene of all the Disciples and was seen of more than five hundred brethren at once 1 Cor. 15.5 6. And hee shewed himselfe to his Disciples after his suffering by many infallible proofes being seene of them fourty days and spake of the things concerning the Kingdome of God yea Paul saith Act. 20. â—28 God purchased a Church by his blood Our Divines with good reason say Here is concluded against the Socinians a real satisfaction a true real not a morall
as well as we know one another by voyce features statures of the outward man then must the light of this new spirit be as certaine as our knowledge by sense why then are we bidden try the spirits and beleeve not every spirit Peter sayth he pag. 150 151 152. walked in his fleshly appearance with his sword not knowing God was to call him out of that dispensation of the flesh to more glory into the same glory he had with God before the world was Eye for eye and wars are from the Law and legal principles Ans. Peter was not called to the glory that Christ had with his father before the world was in this life so long as his flesh needed the defence of a sword except heaven and the resurrection be in this life while we are clothed with flesh as Familists teach 2 Sinlesse Gallesse selfe-defence and defensive warres without malice desire of revenge are perpetuall morall duties under the Gospel oblieging the most spirituall man by the sixt Commandement thou shalt not murther to defend his owne and brothers life from unjust violence Eph. 5.28 1 Chro. 12.1.2.22.36 1 Sam. 26.2 2 Kings 6.32 1 Sam 14.44 Pro. 24.11 So Fortunius Garcias Comment in l. ut vim vi ff de justit jure So the Law l. Gener. c. de decur l. 10. l. si alius § bellissime ubique gloss in vers c. Ferdin Vasquez illustr question l. 1. c. 8.11.18 the Gospel the spirit looseth no man from the Law of nature thou shalt not murther 2 Eye for eye was a judicial Law falsly exponed by the Pharisees to maintatne hatred of our enemie and private revenge which both Law and Gospel forbids 3 If because we are clothed with flesh we may not in an innocent way defend our selves as the wormes and all beasts doe but the Gospel must forbid this the Gospel must forbid to eat drink sleepe cloth our selves 4 Saltmarsh in this condemneth Christians and Familists to beare armes or to be Magistrats the contrary of which is their daily practice preserve thy selfe and deny thy selfe are nor contrary as Saltmarsh imagineth pag. 160. nor did God ever command contraries in Law and Gospel CHAP. XXII The highest discovery Familists have of Christ to wit that he is a man only figuratively not true man OF the highest last discovery of God to man saith Saltm 201. They say speakinge of Familists Adam was a way by which God preached first to man and was not the first man in whom all stood and fell but a way by which this mystery of God was made to appeare first to the creation and Adam held forth nature or a part of this creation in communion with God as to grace and love while hee stood and another part of the creation or nature out of communion with God as to love and grace he should say as to no love no grace but in communion or union to God as to Law and Justice thus they interpret these scriptures of mans first glory fall lesse in the very letter and more in the mystery and in this twofold state were all the rest Cain and Abel c. They say the Gospel or fulnesse of time of the clearer discoverie of this mystery was the Lorâ— Jesus himselfe or God manifested in the flesh or as in one man a figure of the whole mystery as to grace and love or God in flesh or in his or of God in that other part of his creation his Church or Saints And all that Christ did from his childhood to his crucifing death and crosse was a discovery of God by this figure in the whole mystery how God is in all his how he works hath his times of law and of graces and gospel of crucifing and offering up all to death through the eternall spirit which is the blood of the everlasting Covenant or Seale whereby God witnesseth to his people that he is their God and they his people by killing all the strength and life and power of the first creation and carrying it up into a more excellent life his own Spirit And so all Christs birth growing submitting to ordinanecs crucifying death buriall resurrection ascension were so many discoveries as to us in the flesh of the whole mystery of God in the Saints made out in these parts and degrees and severall ages and conditions to shew how God weakens and brings to nothing the life of nature or of this creation in which he will dwell and make his Tabernacle and carry it up into a higher and more excellent life even himselfe and his own glory So as they say all that is spoken of Christ as in that person that was born of a virgin who was crucified dead and buried risen and ascended is spoken in figure in a mystâ—ry an â—llegory not in Christ as a true reall man of the 〈…〉 into which God enters or is born into the world and so 〈…〉 along with him through severall adminiâ—trations into 〈◊〉 Answ. In all this observe a greater and higher mystery of Familists then in Antinomians though they be birds of the same nest Saltmarsh speakes of them in the third person that he may seem not to own them but they are his own Sparkles of vain glory while as he would speake his Antinomianisme and Familisme in so high mysterious suâ—lime a strain so farre above and beyond the Lâ—tter and written Scripture that Mr. Gattaker and those whom he calleth Legaliâ—ts doe not understand him page 320 3â—1 The same very thing saith Calvin of Libertines They used straâ—ge and dark language so prating of Spirituall things that they could not be understood Instruct. adveâ—s Libertinos cap 3. in Opusâ— p 435. Caeterum obscuro peregrino sermone utebantur ut de rebus spiritualibus obâ—annientes minimè intelligi possent Libertini But lest this high and last discovery of the Spirit should not be known to all the Familists of England he will reveale it them and in print too to all Legalists whereas before we heard Familists reveale their secrets but to some few of the perfectâ—â—â— of their own Tribe So H. Nicholas tels us Exhor 1. c. 6. Sect. 5.7 8 9. And in his Elidad Sect. 5. But 1. there is nothing of the first Adams sinne imputed to us that is plainly denied They say Adam was a way that is a figure mystery or example by which God preached first to man Law Justice and Wrath and was not the first man in whom all stood and fell What then He was not a materiall man at all it was no tree no fruit no eating materiall or bodily For all that is according to the Familists way to expone the word in the letter and flâ—sh not in the Spirit For saith he thus they interpret 〈◊〉 Scriptures of mans first glory and fall lesse in the very Letter and more in the mystery So to expone all the histories of the first Adam and of Christ not in the
works of the Spirit and works of all Spirit and perfect according to the rigor of the Law for the acts of the pure Spirit admitting of no retardment pollution or sinne from our nature must be as perfect as pure works of Angels And if our naturall faculties be not wholly dead they are but acts of the creature as the creature then are all our supernaturall personall duties no lesse perfect and sinlesse then the imputed righteousnesse and actings of Christ. 2. Then the holy Spirit onely is to be blamed when either the Saints pray not or pray not in the Spirit or not with that fervor faith feeling and pure spirituality that God requireth in his holy word this if any thing is a pillow of security 3. So all the exhortations to pray continually to act and work out our salvation in feare to love the brethren must be given to the holy Ghost not to us the contrary whereof is evident we the Saints not God not the Spirit of God are exhorted to praying and acts supernaturall which cannot be if the Saints have no more active influence in all these then stones blocks have for that is none at all then are we meere passive and dead in all these then must a praying Christian be God or his Spirit manifested in the flesh as to this and a Christian beleeving praising is the like CHAP. XXIII Praying a Law-bondage the letter of the word no obliging Rule to those that are in the Spirit by the way of Saltmarsh 22. WHile Christians are in bondage and not yet brought into the glorious liberty of the sonnes of God Rom. 8. they are under the ministration of prayer as children are to a Father in nonage vnd â—upillage Sparkles p. 232. A. His sense is that the Saints may be in a state of not praying at all in this life but taking bondage for a state of frailty absence froÌ„ God it is true praying argueth some Bondage want of full and compleat redemption that we as women travelling in birth long after But Saltmarsh meaneth of Legall Bondage and feare of the curse and fleshly and carnall feare and most blasphemously he makes Pauls thrice praying to remove the Messenger of Satan Christs thrice praying O my Father if it be possible remove this cup not be praying in the spâ—irit but in weaknesse or the flesh according to their own wills which must make praying in faith to be in the same act praying out of legall and fleshly unbeliefe and make Christ under a fit of unbeliefe and not to pray in the Spirit when he said Remove this Cup c. Now Saltmarsh could not have brought a place more against himselfe to prove that prayer is not a fit of Legall bondage then Rom. 8. For it is said v. 15. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to feare but the spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father 23. The meere Commandements and letter of Scripture is not a Law to a Christian why he should walk in duties but the law written in our hearts Sparkles page 243 245. Ans. Then the written Gospel and promises of the new Covenant obligeth not a beleever to pray beleeve give almes or not to kill his father or King but when the H. Ghost breatheth in the soule to doe these duties then if a beleever whoore swear kill rob blaspheme misbeleeve c. he sinnes not against any command in Law or Gospel because the holy Spirit acted him not to abstain and God the holy Ghost is the onely cause of all the sinnes of the Saints because he concurres not with more then the letter even with saving grace to prevent these sinnes Wee sinne not in not praying not beleeving when the grace of God joyns not then a man being in Christ may whore rob blaspheme misbeleeve c. if God wil be wanting to him with his flowings and outâ—shinings of free grace let him see to it blame himselfe he fails against no Law Commandement or Obligation Libertines taught the very same to wit That God is the onely cause of sin no creature Man nor Angel is to be rebuked or punished for sin God sinnes in them Oh blasphemy 2. We never said that the meer Commandements and Letter of the Scripture is our obliging rule as the Letter is a thing of Ink and a Paper divided from the naturall and genuine sense but as it includes the things signified and as it expresseth to us what is the good perfect and acceptable will of God which will obligeth Christians with an obligation different from any obligation that the Lâ—w written in the heart layes on us But this is as much as when a Sectary being justified robbeth and killeth the innocent hee fails nothing against this written commandement Thou shalt not murther and a Saint cannot sinne yea if the Law written in the heart excite him not to abâ—taine he sinnes against no commandement of God but the Law written in the heart is the new creation as acting which cannot be a Regula or Rule but a regulatum a thing ruled and this is to make the Spirit within us not the spirit as speaking in the Word the formall object of our faith the Judge of controversies and that is then lawfull that every unwarranted spirit biddeth us doe and beleeve 3. The Law written in our hearts is either an obliging Law to the Christian because it is onely written in the heart or because it is written in the Scripture or agreeable to that which is written in the Scripture If the former be said then is the impulsion of the Spirit in the heart without any relation to the Word our warrant this is nothing but Scripture lesse revelation if then a Spirit in the heart comand Becold Knippeâ—dâ—â—ing to â—oe aâ—ts of murther and Rebellion â—s they did they 〈◊〉 in not obeying these impulsions which yet are contrary to the revealed will of God Now it is a contradiction iâ— one and the same act to obey the revealed will of God and that lawfully and not to obey it and that also lawfully If this heart-law be an obliging law because it is also written in the Scripture then is the meere Commandemement and Letter of the Scripture the last obliging law at least to a Christian. And then yet when the Spirit does not conjoyne his sweetest breathings to procure in us an holy abstinence from murther harlotry perjury but the Christian falls in these sinnes he sinnes not because no man sinnes when he doth what he is not obliged to forbeare or not to doe For every one that sinneth doth against an obliging Rule But when there is no inspiration nor actuall moving or stirring law in the heart there is no obliging Rule at all that the Christian can contravene For if the law in the heart be the onely Rule that obligeth a Christian it must oblige as it stirreth and moveth us then when it stirres or works not it
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
the same way at preaching calling it Idolatry as these that were lost break their necks upon the preaching of the Gospell as foolishnesse 1 Cor. 1.18.23 And these that stumbled at the word 1 Pet. 1.2.8 stumbled not at the internal word and the law written in their heart the only word of Swinckefeld and Familists but at the externall word preached for they never knew the internall word 2. When saith he Protestants set up such a form of worshipping God in Ordinances hearing searching the Scriptures reading praying seales it is an immediate way of fixing God and his Spirit upon it and indeed a finer kinde of Idolatry to conceive that God enters into outward things he means the written and preached Scriptures Sacraments praying hearing c. so the Antichristian Beast H. Nicholas speaketh Evangely or joyfull message of the Kingdome chap. 34. But the while now that the Figurative Services and ceremonies of the Christians flourished in their vigor he hath raised up me H. N. H. Nicholas meaneth hearing reading of Scripâ—ures and all outward Ordinances which he calleth Figurative Services and Ceremonies and Saltmarsh saith worshipping God according to the Scriptures is an immediate way of fixing God and his Spirit to this forme To Scriptures and Ordinances then he giveth us his good leave except we would be finer Idolaters to follow the Spirit without and beside the Scripture For the Scripture is but a Form and a thing of Figures and Letters And though the Lord and his Spirit be not tyed or fixed to Scriptures yet are we tyed to the Law and Testimony and if any spirit any Apostle Paul any H. N. or Saltmarsh will lead us by a Spirit with another Gospel we pronounce him accursed Esay 8.20 Gal. 1.8 2 Joh. 10. 3. We confesse if to tremble at the Word as Josiah did 2 Kings 22.19 and these in whom God dwelleth Esay 66.1 2. Esay 57.15 be a making of an Idoll of the Word and a Legall service then did God command and reward Idolatry in the old Testament which is abominable and then we professe that wee under the new Testament worship God after the way which these men call Idolatry but mourning and shedding of teares at the seeing of him in the Word preached whom we have pierced Zach. 12.10 11 12. is no Legall Idolatry but a Prophesie to be fulfilled under the kingdome of the Messiah and when the Saints are pricked in heart and tremble at the Word preached Acts 2.37.38 Acts 9.5 6. Acts 16.29 30. Luke 7.37 38. They adore not the Letters nor sounds of the Word but God that conveyes himselfe to their soules by these meanes of his own appointing 3. It is abominably false that God conveyes himselfe in outward things as Papists say he conveyes himselfe to the soule by Images For Images or Portraits of God are in themselves religious meanes of worship utterly unlawfull and forbidden in the second Commandement when as Ordinances are lawfull conveyances of God to sinners 1 Cor. 1.18 For the preaching of the Crosse is to them that perish foolishnesse but unto us who are saved it is the power of God 21. It pleased God by the foolishnesse of preaching to save such as beleeve 23. But we preach Christ crucified to the Jewes a stumbling-block to the Grecians foolishnesse 24. But unto them that are called both Jewes and Greeks Christ the power of God and the wisdome of God Rom. 1.16 For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that beleeveth to the Jew first and also to the Greek 1 Cor. 2.4 5. 2 Cor. 10.4 5. Rev. 1.16 and this is never said of Images in old or new Testament 4 We utterly deny that God immediatly informes glorifies and spiritualizeth these forms and figures as the Israelites thought that God informed the Calfe If any idolize the preached or written Word it is not our doctrine nor did Saltmarsh ever aim to prove any such thing to be our doctrine or that the Word heard conferreth grace ex opere operato If hearing be not mixed with faith it profiteth nothing the carnall moralist dreameth that formes and Church-service will save him but Protestants teach no such thing 5. Ordinances are not meere figures and signes but holy divine powerfull signes like a Hammer a two edged Sword weapons mighty through God and the life majesty divinity power heaven that is in the Word doe be-ly Familists Therefore it is false that in their nature they are but Parables Figures and Types For the words and letters are so but in their sence as they include the thing signâ—fiâ—d they are another thing of a higher straine 6 These Ordinances are the everlasting Gospel the Covenant the Lords Supper in which we annunciate the Lords death till he come again 1 Cor. 11.26 and therefore are not for the state of bondage onely 7. Nor are Ordinances earthly things but lively spirituall heavenly treasures 2 Cor. 4.7 8. Who ever exponed Scripture as Saltmarsh and Familists doe For he calls the seeing groping and feeling of the holes in Christs side and the print of the nailes in his hands and feet the ordinances of the written and preached Word and Seales or Sacraments by which he clearly insinuates that some never enjoy ordinances of Word Scripture and Seales and yet beleeve in Christ as â—hriâ—t saith that â—ome never saw never gropâ—d the holes in his 〈◊〉 and side â—s Thomas did yet do beleeve and so are more blâ—ssâ—d theâ— Thomas But let Saltmarsh shew who are these who beleeve and yet their faith came not by hearing contrary to Rom. 10.14 9. It is true Christ preached and conveyed to the soules of men by the foolishnesse of preaching is a scandall to many But not that only but that Christ onâ—y so low despicable as a Saviour shamed crucified cursed rejected should be the Saviour of the world and the way to eternall happinesse is the great scandall so it is not the Letter or sound â—f words or the foolishnesse of Figures and Signes that occasioneth mens stumbling at Christ but the thing signified in this letter and sound of words For the Grecians and great wits of the world did convey their happines they promised to men by Characters Letters and figures namely by the Divine writings of Plato Aristotle Cicero Seneca Socrates and so did the wise Philosophers who by words and grave sentences would make their Disciples and their Sectaries happy Then Christ is not appoynted for the ruine of men and to be a snaâ—e because he conveyeâ—h himselfe his Spirit and faith salvation and grace by words but by words of so despicable and base a Redeemer as Maâ—ies Son hanged on a tree 10. We cast no reproaches on the Spirit but are as much for praying by the Spirit preaching by the Spirit as he but not by the Spirit separated from the Word Revelations Such 1. as the Word knoweth not 2.
unity but imaginary unity because outward and in visible formes before men not inward not spirituall not most glorious so are whoring lying chambering sinnes in the justified only before men and done by the flesh not sinnes before God nor against any Law all that preach duties and against such sinnes to our Familists are literall outside carnall and legall preachers to H. Nicholas Evang. c. 4. s. 4. unilluminated unregenerated unrenewed ungodded unsent all because they are Scripture-learned and to these men the Scripture is but as formes and outward things and so no sin to neglect it there is no unity of professing hearing speaking the same truth of walking as the Redeemed of the Lord. Love in the heart is all H. Nich. 1 Exhor c. 16. s. 2. calleth all Ordinances and Chriâ—tian walking in Christ false exercises or usages which beare a godly shew 1. The Author will have no reall unity but inward and spirituall What then is become of all outward Ordinances that have an outside by Christs appointment answering to an inside and these two united make but one and the same spirituall Ordinance for the body followeth the soule and both follow the Spirit of Jesus according to the written word and the vocall praying the preaching the hearing visibly acted by a beleever in the outward is no lesse spirituall when inside and outside both joyne with the word and Spirit then the inward acts of the minde transacted only within the soule This Author following H. Nicholas and Mr. Del and Saltmarsh would exclude all unity in the body to the head that consists in outward Ordinances as if Christ were not the head of the body visible and of the true visible Church as well as of the invisible Church and as if Christ as the head of the Church did not command and appoint there should bee a visible Ministery an externall Church-government which is spirituall and outward Ordinances of hearing preaching praying Sacraments written word of the old and new Testament but had left all these free to men therefore H Nicholas condemns all knowledge of the Scriptures as Ceremoniall false literall and fleshly wisdome So his Epist. to the two daughters of Warwicke speakes and Evangel ch 34. he rejects the figurative services and Ceremonies that arise from the knowledge of the Scriptures as contrary to the spirituall and inward service of the holy being of God in love and godly wisdome Therefore these Authors call the word of God and externall Ordinances nothing but formes the letter characters figures flesh or externall fleshly Ordinances that perish with the using and are no better then the Ceremonies of Moses Law that are gone and buried and may not be used Saltmars Sparkles of glory p 293.287 288 243 244 245 246 247. Del uniformity examined pag. 7.8 wee know Familists and especially Mr. Dels Sermon before the House of Commons p. 7 8 9 10 18 19 c. cryes downe all Reformation but that which is of the heart and inward and spirituall So Saltmarsh Sparkles p. 217. And this Antichrist is one who denyes Christ comming in the flesh or God in his people who is comming and comming that is ever flowing out in fresh and glorious discoveries and manifestations of himselfe forbidding all beyond them as new lights and false revelations and fixing God and his appearances in their conceptions votes and results and councels and consequents and Lawes of worship In which you see these are one and the same denying Christ comming in the flesh and denying his comming in fresh and glorious discoveries of himselfe then must God incarnate and manifested in the flesh and borne of a woman and of the seed of David be nothing but God by his Spirit opening a new light of Familisme as H. N. taught every spirituall man was Christ and there was not another second Adam and every sinning man the first Adam 2. Christ in the flesh is but a forme and flesh and to bee under his heavenly and spirituall teaching as he preacheth Matth. 13. Joh. 13. Joh. 15 16 17. c. is to bee under the Law and the bondage thereof as under a more legall Christ then that of all Spirit and pure and glorious Spirit It is most considerable that Familists and Antinomians who make every Saint to be Godded and Christed with the godly being make every beleever to be God manifested in the flesh And as Papists make as many hosts as many Christs in their dreame of Transubstantiation so only Familists and Papists multiply many Christs to us and no doubt Christ had an eye to both but specially to Familists Matth. 24.23 then if any man say unto you Loe here is Christ or loe there is Christ beleeve it not 24. For there shall arise false Christs and false Prophets c. 3. The forbidding of new lights and new discoveries of God beyond what is revealed in the Scripture to which under pain of a curse we may not adde Rev. 22.17.18 is unlawfull because the scripture to Saltmarsh is but a forme that perisheth with the using and to Familists a fixing of God Idolatrously wâ—thin created formes Vnion in formes commonly called Vniformity every Christian for peace sake will study Why should the Authour speake of Uniformity with such an estranging and detestable expression for with his hand lifted up to the most high God he swears to endeavour to bring the Churchâ—s of God in the three Kingdomes to the nearest Vniformity in Religion confession of faith forme of Church government Now by uniformity we understand not figures words characters which we tye no man too so they speake not as Hereticks and Familists who tell us of an incarnating of God in every Saint or a Godding a Christing of a Creature see H. Nicholas Evange c. 34. Nor doe we meane union in time places persons as Mr. Del ignorantly phancies in his Vniformity examined he may examine his owne examination for he speakes he knowes not what by Vniformity we meane union in the things and in the true Doctrine and substantial practises of faith worship government of the Church in the fundamentals But the Arguments of Del and other Familists prove that the Saints are not to be taught by any ordinances preaching reading hearing I should be glad this Authour were neither of the faith of Del nor Saltmarsh but hâ—s letter smellâ—th rankly of them Yea by this way all England are licenced 〈◊〉 doe what they list on the Lords day and the Booke of spoâ—â—s licencing all Plays and pasttimes from morning till night on the Lords day must be called for agaâ—ne which 〈…〉 Bishops were ashamed of for Vniformity of all Christians and Churches to â—eâ—pe the Lords day is but a form and no spirituall worship to Familists Del saith the spirituall Church is taught by the anoynting the carnall Church by councels By this the Familists dâ—ny all Oathes and Covenants and abjuration of false Doctrine under the new Testament in which they will
truth of God he should thinke they minister as they received all the Familists and Antinomians in England if they should sit down in a Synod and all the Papists in another Synod all the Socinians in third Synod all the Arrians in a fourth all the Prelatic all Reconcilers in a fifth all the Anabaptists in a sixt and propound such things only as they have received or they are in conscience perswaded of to all the Kingdome they should then all minister as they had received and should be good stewards of the manifold grace of God for so Peter speaketh 1 Pet. 4.11 for sure Saltmarsh cannot say the commandement of the Parliament must be required to make a Synod if men speake their owne drunken perswasions to M. Saltmarsh they fulfill the Apostle Peters rule Let every one minister as he hath received Now by this to minister as we receive is not to minister as we receive from the Lord 1 Cor. 11.23 nor according as Ministers Heare the word at the mouth of Gâ—d Ezeck 2.8 ch 2.10 or as the anointing teacheth us 1 Joh. 2. â—â— Joh 6.45 46. because the Lord or his Spirit or the anointing cannot teach men lyes contrary to the word of truth but the perswasions of men often are lyes errors mistakes then shall every mans erroneous conscience and his owne dreaming spirit be the rule of his owne faith and his teaching of others And 2. This is cleare from his words in the former Epistle to the Parliament if such as conforme not to doctrine and discipline of the Church and preach without ordination shall be proceeded against by fines imprisonment then all the glorious discoveries of God above or beyond that systeme or forme of doctrine shall be judged and sentenced as heresie and schisme and so God himselfe shall be judged by man Now this consequence is nothing that God must be judged by man except the perswasions of the consciences of Familists Antinomians Socinians Arminians Arrians and all the sects that say they are the godly party be very God beleeving professing teaching in them then if such can no more be judged then God what ever their spirit perswadeth them must be truth for God cannot but perswade truth then I confesse the Sects must be infallible because the Scriptures say no more of the Prophets and Apostles then God spake in them and the mouth of Prophets is called the very mouth of God Luke 1. 3. Why These judges the Saints now called Sectaries are not infallible but when Sectaries come twenty thousand armed men against the Presbyterians who in conscience beleeve and have proved that the Sectaries speake lyes in hypocrisie must not they be infallible in both judging them to speak against their conscience and in opposing Liberty of conscience and also in killing them or then they kill men upon fallible conjectures Then if Presbyterians be perswaded in their conscience that liberty of conscience is Atheisme not true liberty then must Sectaries who are but men judge God and punish us because we minister to others what wee have received for we are perswaded of the truth we teach 4. This way promiseth salvation in all Religions so men in these be perswaded in their conscience of the truth thereof against which the Assembly hath determined according to the word of God ch 20. Sect. 3. and. c. 10. Sect. 4. CHAP. XXXII What certainty of faith the Saints may attaine to beyond the Familists fluctuation of faith of Heresie and Schisme 5. FAmilists and Antinomians goe one with the Belgicke Arminians and all our late English Independents who are for Liberty of conscience and a Catholicke toleration and punishing in a coercive way no kinde of men never so blasphemous for their conscience teach print what they will there being no infallibility now in any since the Apostles expired But this is a most false ground for there is a twofold infallibility one in teaching flowing from immediate inspiration proper to the Prophets and Apostles and another infallibility and certainty of perswasion common to all beleevers Now Libertines turne all our faith in a topicke and conjecturall opinion so most of them are turned Scepticks and affirme that we know nothing with any certainty yea the more supernaturall and sublime that fundamentalls of salvation are the more indulgence and latitude of liberty is to bee yeelded to the consciences of all men because the higher the subject is the ranker is our propension to erre God having given a thinner and more scarce measure of knowledge in supernaturall things that doe so farre transcend the sphere and orbe of naturall reason then of knowledge in naturall things our mindes being in their owne element and in a capacity to reach their connaturall and proper object wheÌ„ they are among natural things knowable by the light of nature hence that opinion now so prevailing that all and every Religion is to be Tollerated and an indulgence yeelding to all in superstructurs in foundamentals though a man should deny that Christ is the Saviour of the world therfore Saltmarsh takes on him Sparkles of glory as p. 185 186 187 188 to reckoÌ„ out the articles of our faith especially concerning the first Adams sin sin originall of Christ borne of the Virgin Mary made under the law bearing our sins dead buried ascended into Heaven siting at the right hand c. speaketh of the highest attaintments of the Protestants generally in the mystery of salvation but speaketh not one word of the generall resurrection of our bodies of Christ comming to judge all men of a Heaven and Hell after this life as if these were none of the highest attaintments of the Protestants generally in the mystery of salvation And Saltmarsh as I conceive with Hymeneus and Philetus and other Libertines in the Armie doubt of or deny these therefore not owning these points of faith nor the doctrine of faith repentance love new obedience praying preaching sacraments as if hee professed himselfe no Protestant in these points saith these are beleeved by Protestants but doth not owne them as a part of his owne beleefe but he goeth on p. 190. and teacheth us of a further discovery as to free grace as if Protestants had never attained to a further discovery as to free grace and here he falles in on his owne secrets of Antinomianisme and contradicteth the Protestants and debaseth the confession of the late Anabaptists the seaven Churches of the assembly of Divins at Westminster speaks not one word in this new discovery of Christ God-man born of a womaÌ„ under the law c. or of the Articles of the faith of Protestants yea pa. 198 199 c. he tels us of the last and as some say of the highest and most glorious discovery concerning the whole mystery of God to men and his creation in which hee againe saith nothing of the Protestant faith not one word of Christ God and Man of the Resurrection of the last Judgement of the
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 carried rolled moved acted immediately by the Holy Ghost for God used not reason or humane discourâ—ing as an intervening organ or acting instrument to the devising and inventing of spirituall or Gospell truths 2 Pet. 1.20 21. but yet this immediately inspiring Spirit spake written Scripture commanded the Ordinance of actuall prophesying commanded the Prophets to write and the people to hear and to read the words of the Prophesie Antinomians and Familists conceive that now when divine truths are framed and come forth to the immediately inspired Scripture that the same immediately inspired Spirit must act the Saints as meere passive organs to preach in the Spirit immediately to pray to heare to write in the Spirit but then Familists should be as infallible as the Prophets both in preaching praying interpreting Scripture but the ordinary actings of the Spirit doth include and carry along the actings of reason minde will and affections but elevated above themselves The Spirit is opposed to carnall and wilde logicke and ratiotinations and so all carnall thoughts and sinfull 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 discourses are Sathans fortifications and Souldier-works against the knowledge of God 2 Cor. 10.5 6. 1 Cor. 2.1 2 3 4. 1 Cor. 1.17 but the Spirit siteth upon and acteth reason to make our whole service 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reasonable service yea and all the Scripture is a masse and booke of discoursive refined reason unbeleevers are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 absurd unreasonable men going against sense and sound reason And the spirit goeth on in a perswading way 2 Cor. 5.11 Gal. 1.10 Paul Act. 13.43 perswaded them to continue in the grace of God Act. 18.4 he perswaded the Jewes and Greeks Act. 19.8 hee perswaded the things concerning the Kingdome of God So doth the Spirit carry us along with exhorting Act. 2.40 2 Cor. 9.5 2 Thess. 3.12 2 Tim. 4.2 Heb. 3.13 1 Pet. 5.1 Jude v. 3. 5. Amongst the characters of a spirituall state and condition Some concerne the state some the actions For the state a renewed man is said to be in the Spirit Gal. 5.25 If ye live in the Spirit let us also walke in the spirit So as the Spirit is the life of the man in his spirituall walking so are we as touching our state said to receive the Spirit Gal. 3.2 Rom. 8.15 to be borne of the Spirit as receiving a new spirituall nature Joh. 3.6 Gal. 4.29 and the Spirit said to dwell in us Jam. 4.5 and the spirit is given to us Rom. 5.5 For the actings the Spirit determineth the action according to the nature and specification and rendereth the action spirituall so as they are led in their conversation by the Spirit and so are knowne to themselves to be the Sonnes of God Rom. 8.14 If ye mortifie through the Spirit the deeds of the flesh ye shall live Rom· 8.13 Paul was pressed in Spirit and testified to the Jewes that Jesus was Christ Act. 18.5 Apollos fervent in Spirit spake and taught diligently Rom. 8.25 For wee through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousnesse by faith 6. The exercise of spirituall acts is managed most from the Spirit when there is more Spirit and lesse Law in our acts of obedience But that this may be rightly understood give me leave to distinguish in the Law 1. Directive and obliging light revealing the binding will of God 2. The setting of it on with power and life upon the minde will and affections 3. The compelling rigor of the Law in exacting highest and superlative perfect obedience in thought word and deed and the terrifying threatning Directive and obliging light being the commanding will of the Lawgiver revealed to us in the written word is not contrary to the Spirit but written to us by a divinely and immediately inspiring Spirit as all Scripture and as the written letter of the Gospel 2 Tim. 3.16 17. though to us naturally fallen in sinne in the second respect or in regard of the setting on of this directive obliging light upon the soule with power and life to produce actuall obedience the written and preached Law as Law and as a Covenant of workes is void of the Spirit and hath no more power to cause us obey then dead and spiritlesse figures and characters written on â—â—one can worke men to bow their necke to obey the Law of God 2 Cor. 3.6 7. yea but so the written and preached Gospell externally proposed without the Spirit is a dead letter also I grant the Gospell in its letter both promiseth a new heart and a new spirit which the Law as the Law doth not and when the Spirit joynes with the preached Gospel and the Law also doth prepare the sinner for Christ by the word of the Gospell the Spirit is given and so the Apostles and Pastors are Ministers of the New Testament not of the letter but of the Spirit But 3. The Law in compelling under the paine of eternall death to superlatively perfect obedience hath the Spirit by accident and extrinsecally conjoyned with it as it is the Spirit of the Mediator that makes use of it to cause the broken man see his unpayable and to him impossible debts and cause him heare the tinkling and noise of the fetters and chaines of hell that he may flye to the Gospell-surety which the same Spirit reveales to him in the Gospell Now this is an extrinsecall use of the Law For 1. The Law should have its intire and perfect essence and full operation in rewarding or punishing if we suppose there never had beene a surety for sinners nor a Gospell 2. It s a Gospell-spirit that makes this use of the Law above its nature for that which can but reveale to the broken man debts unpayable by him and incloseth him in an eternall jayle and gives no strength nor way of redemption cannot have of it selfe any influence to lead the broken man to a surety But this the Law doth of it selfe hath not of it selfe one fourth part of an ounce of Gospell-courtesie or grace to bestow on the sinner But 2. The compelling rigor of the Law as touching perfect and eternally active and passive obedience must bee considered in its severall branches as it commands perfect active obedience or as it obligeth to passive obedience it respects two sorts of persons the man Christ in the dayes of his flesh and the elect Angels or 2. fallen sinners In the former consideration the Law in it selfe as the Law eternally and immutably presseth perfect active obedience but gives not strength to obey but supposeth strength to these to whom it is first given but if so be that these to whom it is given have abundance of the Spirit and strength to obey perfectly as Christ in the dayes of his flesh and the elect Angells have the Law in its highest rigor of commanding perfect obedience it is not properly rigor though we must use the word but strictnesse hath no compulsive power
condemning rigor in the old heart for the Gospell is but a form to them and these Gospel-promises of pure free grace as opposite to the Law of works in their gramaticall sense are but carnall legall fleshly outward visible formes 271. now to us the promises of free grace in that which they signifie and promise are no killing letter as the Law is but the ministration of the Spirit and of life except wee say the promises of the Gospell are but faire lying words and that God intends to keep nothing he promises to us and no more to give a new heart in Gospel-promises nor in the Law which undoubtedly is false when we consider the word of God especially the Gospel the spirituality thereof above and beyond all letters and characters appeareth in that 1. The Author can be none other but God an infinite and glorious Spirit 2. The matter spirituall so heavenly as the imputed righteousnesse of a slaine Saviour justifying the ungodly eternall life by a despised and crucified man bosomed in an union with God a spirituall communion with God mortification to every thing eminent to the creature the hidden manna the white stone the new name the flesh lying down in the dust with the seed of the hope of a glorious resurrection the invisible imbracements of Christ love-sicknesse for him joy in tribulation c. all smell beyond characters paper inke or any thing visible 3. The forme is spirituall if we consider the Majesty Divinity the omnipotencie of God as it were instamped on it 4. The end and intrinsecall effects are most spirituall for it changeth men into spirituall and heavenly Citizens of another world deadneth them to the created glory of the creature peirceth between the marrow and bones even the Law part of it is sharper then a two-edged sword peircing even to the dividing asunder of the soule and spirit and to the joynts and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart Heb. 4.12 carrieth along Christ to the soule casteth in a lumpe of love in the heart that contrary to nature and all the strong impressions of nature it stampeth and sealeth eternity heaven apprehensions of glory beyond all the visible sensible borders of time dayes life royalty fathers mothers children wives lands inheritances and that on the tables of the soule It is in upon the Spirit downe in the reines and yee know neither doore window nor passage it came in at then how doth the Spirit act with the word so all the actings motions turnings ebbings flowings various ups downes high tydes hell-downe-castings heaven-visits raptures of love signes of joy actings of morning-dawnings of eternities glory are more hardly discerned then the growing of the bones in the wombe of the woman with childe 14. For the exercise of spirituall acts through the Spirit we then testifie a spirituall being in Christ when the straine of our conversation runneth most in a heavenly communion with God and we have our City-dwelling and conversing in heaven our love our heart our life our Lord being there and upon these grounds as risen with Christ wee are there Phil. 3.20 21. Col. 3.1 2 3. Matth. 6.20 21. Heb. 10.19 20 21. 2. When we savour much of the Spirit and the breath that comes out of the mouth comes from the abundance of the Spirit in the heart the speech is much the language of Canaan Isa. 19.18 smelleth of a savoury heart Col. 4.6 Eph. 4.29 30. And though humane wisdome learning in the Scriptures that is meerly literal be not of it selfe not idolized contrary to the Spirit but is capable of being spirituallized heightned above it selfe and is actually gilded skied with saving light comming from God in the face of Christ yet when the Spirit reignes all knowledge learning and arts are hunted for only in order to a saving communion with God and when in the creature and gifts the spirituall man feeleth and tasteth nothing of Christ but misseth Christ in all these they are as tastelesse to him as the white of an egge yea all dry sapelesse dead his Lord Jesus is not in that empty grave and therefore his heart lodgeth not a moment there Cant. 3.1 2 3 4. Phil. 3.7 8 9. yea the spiritual man fathers no good upon the empty creature 1 Cor. 3.8 the creature smels of flesh and vanity to him Zach. 4.6 2. Ordinances inherent righteousnesse saving grace created because creatures are saluted by him as creatures he gallops by them as a Post that seeth them not to be his home but a far other poore lean and despised nothing in comparison of Christ in point of confiding or glorying for the gold-bracelets are not the bridegroome the Spirit aimes pants and breaths after a personall enjoyment of God himselfe in Christ. The joy and comforts of the Holy Ghost to him are but accidents created chips and fragments that fall from Christ. 3. The Spirit carrieth the soule from the sight of all things as from visible objects things created of God up to the bosome of God and there the spirituall soule loves lives breaths dwells 3 When the outward senses suck spirituall apprehensions out of earthly things from the Well of Iacob Christ draws a consideration of the Well of life Iohn 4.13.14 Paul possibly from his Tent-making draweth thoughts of the falling of this Tabernacle of clay and our being closed with our house from above 2 Cor. 5.1 2. so the outside of the creature the skin of it that lyes before our senses is turned into inward and spirituall thoughts of God Because the beleevers sense of smelling is spirituall and draws all in to God And mind will affections thoughts intentions tongue yea and the naturall actions of eating and drinking are spiritualized and for God and his glory Nor could I thinke that as touching the order of marshelling and drawing up our spirituall thoughts and actions as why we doe this spirituall action first this second this third why we marshall this Petition first this second but this ranking is not so bound up by the rule of Scripture but a spirituall soule in the order of his acting secundum prius posterius is carried on by the only free blowings of the spirit of grace It 's true the acts must be regulated by the word that what we petition for must be lawfull and must be warranted from the sound Doctrin of the Gospel according to the proportion of faith but the ordering of them often cometh from the Spirit of utterance and so immediatly as it 's hard to say at least ordinarily in a set constant rule there is any consulting with Scripture reason memory art but the immediate breathing of the spirit ordereth and ranketh all And these fit words like apples of gold not others which meets hic nunc at this time with the heart of a sinner and catcheth Matthew Peter Saul floweth from Spirit-worke 2 This Major Proposition whoever
but a change of the endeavours to please God whereas before selfe was our God and an endeavour to turne from dead works 2. True repentance is sorrow according to God and hath acts different from Faith 3. To repent is out of godly sorrow to endeavour new obedience and amendment of life Faith is an apprehension of Divine truth to which wee give credit or an heart-dependance and recumbence on God through Christ 4. Wee are justified by faith never by repentance Wee thinke not that teares wash away sinnes Protestants speake not so 2. Nor that they make peace with God by teares they make way to sense of peace or awake us to runne to a promise the formall bottome of our peace in regard that the Lord promiseth to revive the contrite Spirit to accept broken bones to comfort mourners in Zion and wee thinke neither repentance nor good works proper and formall conditions of the covenant of grace but rather conditions of the covenanted CHAP. XXXVII How good works are necessary FOr good works 1. We call not these good works that are extorted by the terrours of the Law as a captive keepeth the high way because his Keeper leadeth him in an iron chaine Nor 2. these which flow from the sole authority of God as Lawgiver Or 3. which issue from meere morall principles without saving grace but these we call good works in an Evangelicall sense that not onely are done from the authority of the Law-giver but also from a mediatory and Evangelike obligation from the sweet attractions and drawing coards of the secrets of Christs love And 2. from Evangelike faith that purifieth the heart 3. From Physicall principles and supernaturall habits of grace good works are this way necessary 1. That as grace and glory differ not in nature but gradually as the morning dawning of twy-light and the noone-day-light so the good works done by the grace of Christ and that perfect love of God and our brethren in heaven are of the same nature different in degrees and the one degrees and waies to the other especially when from Gods free promise of the blessings of this life and that which is to come the Lord hath made a passe betweene the one and the other and the Lord hath tyed himselfe to himselfe not to us to carry on grace out of meere grace Every branch that bringeth forth fruit in me saith Christ my Father purgeth that it may bring forth more fruit unto every one that hath shall be given and he shall have abundance He that soweth to the spirit shall of the Spirit reape life everlasting There is a harvest promised to this sowing as to a speciall furtherance of our reckoning in the day of Christ hee that soweth bountefully shall reape bountefully yea sent once and againe unto my necessitie not because I desire a gift but I desire fruit that may abound to your account if ye through the spirit doe mortifie the deeds of the flesh yee shall live But being made free from sinne and become servants to God yee have your fruit unto holinesse and the end everlasting life Blessed are they that doe his commandements that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter in thorow the gates into the city And lest we should think the commands are all but one only precept of beleeving hee addeth for without are Doggs and Sorcerers and Whoremongers and Murtherers c. He that hath my commandements and keepeth them he it is that loveth me and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and manifest my selfe to him All these evidence to us that holy walking is a way to heaven as sowing is to harvest and that Christ maketh a promise of life eternall to him that doth his Commandements onely the question is in what tearmes the promise is made to the doer of Gods will as a doer or as a beleever whose faith is fruitfull and with childe of Evangelike doing But wee may say the formall promise of the covenant of grace is made to beleeving as the Law-promise is made to doing Legally and perfectly out of our own without grace and that the Gospel as it is larger then the covenant of grace and as it containeth the whole doctrine of grace taught by the Prophets and Apostles is a promise of life eternall made to Evangelike and unperfect doing through the strength of grace And that because 1. God commandeth good works through the whole New Testament 2. They are so necessary as without them our faith is a dead and vaine faith and cannot justifie us 3. They are the end for which Christ redeemed us that we should live to him bee redeemed from our vaine conversation from the present evill world that we should bee a purified peculiar people to him zealous of good works and in this title also they are commanded 4. They are conditions without which wee cannot bee saved For John Baptist taught this with the Gospel Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewen downe and cast into the fire What shall we doe to be saved receiveth this answer Repent and be baptized every one of you Except yee repent yee shall all likewise perish 5. They are commanded as acts of the new creature and partly as contrary to sinnefull fiery and mighty temptations of Satan and the flesh as mortification to fleshly lust faith to unbeliefe Partly as expressions of thankfulnesse for the free redemption in Christ and commanded in the Law in the great Commandement of the loving of God with all our heart just as this Law of loving God did oblige Abraham to offer his Sonne Isaak for God and Judah to be thankefull to God for redeeming them out of the Babylonish Captivity though the Law neither commanded any father to offer his Sonne nor the people to returne from Captivity yet the eternall Law of love commandeth both these and us to doe what ever God-Redeemer commands us as well as what ever God the Law-giver injoyneth onely we cannot say Good works doe merit salvation or purchase right to life eternall Christs bloud is onely so a ransome of life 2. Nor have they any proper condignity to such a high reward being so imperfect 3. Nor can they have any effective influence or proper causality thereunto nor are they causes or conditions of justification but that which Crispe saith is not of God But withall saith he I must tell you that all this sanctification of life is not a jot of the way of a justified person to heaven it is true they are not the meritorious the efficient cause or way nor the formall covenant-condition but a way they are as sowing is to harvest running to the garland wrestling to the victory CHAP. XXXVIII The Gospel is conditionall ANtinomians deny all conditions of the covenant
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
only the illuminated Elders in the godly wisdome which walk in the house of love And in the Epistle Let no man saith he boast himselfe in any of the works of righteousnesse or take on the same to salvation neither to condemnation before that hee in the Spirit of Christ through the love of the Father be renewed in all righteousnesse of life not that I meane in the Elementish Ceremoniall righteousnesse which the man setteth forth or occupieth out of his owne prudency but I meane in that righteousnesse which according to the heavenly truth is in the being of Christ and is set forth through the Spirit of God So this abominable wretch maketh all reading or hearing or beleeving the Scriptures to be Elementish carnall righteousnesse and that wee are to doe no good works to obtaine salvation nor to eschew any evill to be freed from condemnation but to study an inward righteousnesse in being Goded and Christed and in communicating with the essence and godly being M. Towne also maketh the Law a sort of directorie of walking as doth H. N. Assert grace pag. 38. I know not where to learne my duty to my Superiour but in the matter of the fift Command nor what Murther or Adulterie is but in the sixt and seventh But Towne forgetteth himselfe and pag. 3. saith We are from under the Law in all its authority dominion offices and effects yea hee denyeth that wee are under the power and teaching of the Law And Saltmarsh will have us not to borrow one beame of directing light from the Law so as he seemeth to stomach and to bee angry that the old Testament but especially the ten Commandements are printed in the Bible Yet what ever direction of walking wee have from the Law I find them in all their writings grudging at any Law or Gospel written because writing speaking vocall covenants are the dead and killing Letter fruitlesse and livelesse and that the Spirit immediatly acting is all our rule Paral. VII Libertines speake disgracefully of the Pen-men of Scripture and called Paul a broken vessell John stolidum juvenem a foolish young man Peter a denyer of God Mathew an Vsurer The Church was in her infancy said Da. Georgius Vnder Abraham and the Prophets in its young age under John Baptist Christ in the flesh and the Apostles it s grown and now presently under David the Christ its spirituall and perfect So many Antinomians turne perfectists Who say they having the Holy Ghost as well as the Prophets and Apostles can pen and speake Scripture from the same Spirit The New England Libertines are so farre on this way that they disgrace the Apostle Peter as a halfe-Legalist and say Peter leaned more to a covenant of works then Paul and that Pauls doctrine was more for free grace then Peters And Saltmarsh maketh all the Prophets in the Old Testament Legall men and Christ in the flesh and his Apostles preached free grace but in degrees and parts but we dare not saith hee preach the Gospel so in halves and quarters as yee doe And Christ and the Apostles preached grace faith repentance new obedience in scantling of Doctrine as they are meerely and barely revealed in the history of the Gospel or Acts of the Apostles where onely the Doctrine is not so much revealed as the practise But we Antinomians preach Christ the power of all the fulnesse of all that we may exalt him whom God hath exalted at his owne right hand Hence Saltmarsh 1. saith the Antinomians in England reveale more free grace and fulnesse of Christ in their Sermons then Christ and the Apostles did in the halfe of the New Testament or all the Prophets in the Old 2. Christ and the Prophets and Apostles except in the Epistles were Legall Preachers What be Legall Preachers that I wrong not Saltmarsh as he doth Christ the Prophets and Apostles I give it in his owne words Legalists are 1. such as compound and bargaine with God for salvation and submit not to the righteousnesse of God and lye downe in the sparks of their owne kindling are Christ his Prophets and Apostles such Such as from the notion of a covenant conceive a little too Legally of free grace Such as have neither the use nor freedome of the heavenly inheritance that are subject to death and bondage Such to whom God appeared onely as it were upon tearmes and conditions of reconciliation Such as in fasting and other acts of obedience dealt with God to get some love from God which Christ himselfe had not gotten for us So belike the Prophets that dyed before Christ went not to heaven but to some chamber or higher roome in hell called Limbus Patrum or to some other place for Saltmarsh saith they had neither the use nor freedome of the heavenly inheritance whither then went their soules after death 2. They were chosen to salvation some other way then Jaakob Rom. 9. they purchased the love of free election by fasting and pennance 3. Their sinnes were not pardoned nor they reconciled to God a belying of the Old Testament 4. The Prophets submitted not to the righteousnesse of God but sought righteousnesse by the works of the Law All these how they agree in part to Christ John Baptist and the Apostles in the first halfe of the New Testament let Saltmarsh and Antinomians see and consider Paral. VIII Libertines said The whole Scripture was nothing but the Spirit of God and the Letter of the Scripture not Scripture but the Spirit was both Christ and the Scripture and a godly life must be the Spirit So the Libertines of New-England There is a Testimony of the Spirit and voice unto the soule meerely immediate without any respect unto or concurrence with the Word And from this Wee are not to keepe a constant course of praying at set houres or alwayes but as the Spirit move us And all doctrines and revelations must bee tryed by Christ that is Christ dwelling in us in a spirituall manner not by the Word of Christ or the Scripture In this same Grammer speake Antinomians So Saltmarsh The Law now is in the Spirit What is that And in the Gospel for a beleever to walke by nor is saith he holinesse and sanctification now such as is fashioned by the Law or outward Commandement but by the preaching of Faith by which the Spirit is given which renewes and sanctifies a beleever and makes him the very Law of Commandement in himselfe and his heart the very two Tables of Moses This is to say the Word begetteth not Faith but onely Historically instructeth the flesh and expressely in terminis the Libertines sense and minde is that the Word is changed in a Spirit without Scripture and the Christian in his walking and conversation which to Antinomians is all in faith is the Spirit it selfe Towne is much in this through his whole booke to
without cause and Marrying another and in robbing the Widdow and Orphane and taking the Oxe away from the fatherlesse and so followeth his calling 2. Sinning according to sense and the flesh as lying and whoring are not sinnes according to Faith and before God sense is unbeliefe and a blind judge and reputeth that to be sin which is not sinne saith Eaton For Faith seeth them above sense to be utterly abolished 3. The beleever following his sense in Adultery rapine lying is under no law Ergo his following of his sense his being present at a Masse his robbing his brother cannot be a sinne then it must either be in it selfe lawfull and a following of his calling as the Libertine said or it is unlawfull The Antinomian must speake condictions to call that unlawfull which is against no Law 2. Randell a Familist setting forth a peece of Cusanus Intituled The Vision of God hath a Familists conscience to picture God himselfe and Clouds encircling him expressely forbidden in the second Command but it is no Command to him Master Denne Doctrine of John Baptist 65. retaineth the destinction of Clergy and Laicks condemned by all Protestant Divines and Pag. 66. hee saith Hee will condemne the removall of Images Idols Crucifixes of Wood Glasse of Stone but he mentions no command of God to justifie it for we are commanded no worship externall in the New Testament but Faith that is no sinne as sinne is forbidden but unbeliefe to this Towne assert grace pag. 94. cannot answer one word So H. Nicholas in his joyfull message of the Kingdome cap. 31.33.34 highly extolleth the Romish Church Pope Cardinals Bishops Priests c. Service Ceremonies till hot contention arose about them 3. We know Antinomians thinke nothing of Idolatry adding to the worship of God and that some of them speake their conscience when deterred from Adultery Murther Rapine they have said What Adultery God seeth no sinne in beleevers One of them in Scotland said hee would take the Lords Supper on the crowne of his head if Authority should command him Another said once dipping or ten times were indifferent Most of them are for libertie of all blasphemous religions and their saying is Beleeve in Christ and sin against the Law if thou canst This is to make sense that which Libertines call naturall inclination Yea all outward Commandements to Towne and Saltmarsh are but shaddowes the Spirit is all the beleevers obliging rule No externall Command can oblige a Beleever under perill of sinning against God in his court in foro Dei and wee know how broad and large their consciences bee in the matter of Marriage and Divorce CHAP. LXXXI Sundry Antinomians say Irish Papists ought to have liberty of conscience and to injoy their religion Parall XIII LIbertines said they knew that their soules were immortall and live for ever in heaven but Christ by his death hath taken away that opinion and hath restored life to us in that now wee know wee shall not die Antinomians cannot deny but wee die but they will have no death to be the execution of the righteous Lords sentence for sinne to the godly but that they returne to dust beleeving and neither feeling nor fearing sinne or punishment for sin for that is against the power faithfulnesse providence free grace sufferings of Christ faith all religion and Archer Saltmarsh Crispe upon the same grounds that the beleever committeth Adultery to his owne sense but his Adultery really and to his faith is no sinne so they are not to feare or feele any afflictions or death but to beleeve them to be shaddowes Now the removall of feare and the opinion of dying is imputed to Christs death so as Saltmarsh saith The Spirit of Christ sets a beleever as free from hell the Law and bondage here on earth as if hee were in heaven nor wants he any thing to make him so but to make him beleeve he is so for Sathan sinne sinnefull flesh and the Law are all so neere him that he cannot so walke by sight and in the cleare apprehension of it but the just doe live by Faith and Faith is the evidence of things not seene Then beside that it s his happinesse not his bondage that the Law is is so neere him that is it written in his inner parts and heart it must bee his sinne and feeling contrary to Faith which was one opinion and sense that hee knoweth and beleeveth hee must lay downe this tabernacle of clay And Towne saith Faith banisheth all the mists and vapours arising from these earthly members out of Gods sight and presence Thus I am a sinner and no sinner dayly I fall in my selfe and stand in Christ for ever But Towne lyeth in saying Hee is a sinner in himselfe and no sinner in Christ. For sinne in himselfe or to his flesh or sense is no sinne at all and against no Law his sense lyeth and deceiveth Faith by which he should walke doth truly say he is in himselfe and really no more a sinner then Christ is a sinner in himselfe and upon the same grounds sense of death and sicknesse and paine and feare are but deceiving opinions and errors contrary to faith and Christ came to dye and remove from us feare feeling opinion of all affliction and paine as contrary to faith Now it s a sinne not to walke by Faith then must the feeling of paine and death bee a sinne and Christ came to give us a sense dedolency and dulnesse of apprehending either sinne or ill of affliction and so say Libertines CHAP. LXXXII Libertines and Antinomians doubt of the Resurrection and life to come Paral. XIV LIbertines denyed the Resurrection and said with Hymeneus and Philetus That it was already done and in this life they mocked salvation in hope of the comming of the Lord they said To walke in newnesse of life was the Resurrection with Christ and all the resurrection wee are to looke for David Georgius saith As there was a revelation under Moses and the Prophets and a more cleare one under Christ and the Apostles So under himselfe the true David the Lyon of the tribe of Judah the stone hewed out of the Mountaine without hands there was now a farre more glorious revelation and most spirituall that he exceeded so farre Christ according to the flesh and the Apostles as that all Ordinances and externall worship and seales should cease when he comes because of the efficacie and spiritualnesse of his doctrine above Christ in the flesh and all the Apostles as the Spirit is above the flesh And the clouds in the which Christ was to come to judge the quicke and the dead must bee Allegorically expounded of the mindes of the Saints The Archangell that shall sound the Trumpet is the Doctrine and discipline of this David the Christ. And that the place of happinesse was in this earth not
his working 3. And the law of Love the Spirit of Christ. And Henry Nicholas forbiddeth all his to boast of any righteousnesse or take on the same either to salvation or condemnation before a man be in the Spirit of Christ and bee renewed not saith hee that I meane in the Elementish Ceremoniall righteousnesse which the man setteth forth or occupieth in his owne prudencie but I meane in that righteousnesse which according to the heavenly truth is in the being of Christ and is set forth through the Spirit of God and the Christ of God and the Christ of God is not yet declared to you according to the heavenly truth but weell according to mans wisdome or industrie which to the litterall Scripture adde their own prudencie and even so goe forth or occupie their own righteousnesse without the Spirit of Christ which is a miserable doctrine being taught without the Spirit of Christ. Henry Nicholas Sect. 5. Epist. These that are not taught by the Spirit of life expound the Scriptures upon an earthy or Elementish foundation where-through the man cannot attaine any renewing of the heart Sect. 17. They that are Baptized to Christ have put on Christ. But I would gladly aske of these that say They have put on the Christianlike Baptisme how or after what manner Christ hath a shape or fashion in them they shall find themselves not mighty in the being of Christ that is in love by which they become God incarnarnate and that they haue received not the Baptisme of Christ but their owne The like he saith of the Lords Supper Sect. 19. Sect. 20. Sect. 21. When the Scripture saith we must forsake our lives for Christs sake understand I doe meane of the forsaking of our owne life When God had created the man then was the man in subjection to the life of God and not to his own life for thereunto God had created the Man that he should be of one life and being one Spirit and of one nature with God but when the man desired in his heart to love some other thing beside the life of God namely the concupiscence of the sinne then went he into his owne life and contention and forsooke the life of God and lived even so his owne life and the life of the Devill Sect. 23. The whiles now that the office of Christ hath its Ministration for to bring the man againe to God so cannot Christ bring the man to the Father unlesse that the man forsake his owne life which he hath lived so long to the Devil and to himselfe which is all the same wherein he hath lived so long to himselfe Sect. 24. Is not this now a great overshooting or mis-understanding that the children of men can say and teach that Christ meant hereby the naturall or Elementish man Sect. 25. We our selves have not made the naturall man therefore he cannot belong unto us Sect. 26. What then shall the man forsake that he might be reconciled unto God Not any thing else but his owne life that is the man of sinn which hath so long lyen hid in the heart of man which is the Temple of God and hath said that he was God 2 Thess. 2.27 they are grosely deceived who apply this to the Pope the Antichrist therefore he forbids the two Daughters to suffer for or confesse Christ and highly extolleth erring Sect. 10. Sect. 14.15.16 cap. 31. Bishops as Pastors of the Sheep and Lambs of Christ Parish Priests or Curats as signifying Leviticall Priests Pastors and Elders as the holy understanding Sect. 28. Oh what a slight and earthly understanding is this that God should be appeased with an Elementish body even like as though God were fleshly even as an vnregenerate man So M. Del Ser. p. 6. The Kingdome of Christ is Spirituall so all things that belong to it are also spirituall So David Georgius in the end finding many of his to be killed discharged all his to suffer in the body or goods or name any thing for his Christ and truth but willed them in externall profession to be of any Religion all Gospel-reformation was in the heart As Bullinger in the same place sheweth us that the ninth kind of Anabaptists in his time that were called Liberi Anabaptistae said That Baptizing of Infants Magistracie oathes swearing were things free and indifferent that the faithfull may use or not use at their pleasure they esteemed nothing of the preaching of the Word and the assemblies of the people of God because that the Saints were all taught of God and that there was no need that one should teach another and that Sacraments were needelesse and had little fruit for when they had the Spirit they needed not externall signes and that it was free to confesse the truth of Christ or not to confesse it as perils for the Gospel might carry men on that God delighted not that men should be tormented or die for him it was enough if they kept God in their heart Now you see Henry Nicholas held 1. That the externall written Word was Ceremoniall fleshly Elementish that the Spirit was all 2. All externall obedience and Reformation was fleshly and the being Goded and Christed with love and the lovely being of God was Christ was the being and nature of God in the Saints and regeneration 3. That by love and the works of righteousnesse which we doe we are regenerated and reconciled to God 4. That Christ seemed to die but dyed not but onely in an Allegoricall Figurative and Exemplary way he suffered as a patterne and copie for us that we might reconcile our selves to God as sonnes of the house of love after his example but as Socinus so the Nicholaitans taught That Christ really satisfied not the justice of God nor obtained everlasting righteousnesse for us any other way but in a figure coppie and good example 5. That Christ incarnate was nothing but H. Nicholas Godded and manned by Christ or God in the lovely being of God and that every one that is inhabited by love was renewed and made partaker of the substance and nature of God and that a childe of the Family of love was the very Christ and God manifested in the flesh and incarnate 6. That the regenerated in England of which number M. Ainsworth saith were the two daughters of Warwicke that H. Nicholas wrot to and all the godly in England not of his way were regenerated onely according to the litterall Scripture not according to the being of God in love and the Spirit or as the Familists of New England say That some are so converted that they may and doe attaine the same righteousnesse for truth that Adam had in innocency And Saltmarsh his Legall converts who may eternally bee damned are of the same size if yee diligently compare the tract of his dangerous booke together and with the principles of Familists and H. Nicholas 7. That the Word and the Spirit are
pag. 145. Nemo negare potest sub V. T. nec vitam aeternam promissam fuisse à Deo nec modum illam consequendi fuisse patefactum Ostorodius Inst. lib. 1. cap. 5. pag. 21. Promissiones veteris Testamenti tantum corporales fuerunt spiritualibus in N. T. promulgatis Non autem spirituales eternae fuerunt consequenter non accidentale tantum sed substantiale discrimen inter Vetus Novum Testamentum si res promissas spectes statuendum est Smalcius de Divin I. C. pag. 25. â— 6 Fatentur omnes Judaei hodie nullum vitae aeternae apertum extare in ipsorum lege ut ut apertius loquar in faedere quod Deus cum iis per Mosem pepigit promissum M. Del boldly saith They are all Antichristian that are not Antichristianly Popish and of the Socinian way with him to teach there was no conversion no inward reformation no promise of salvation and life eternall nor the same covenant of grace in the old Testament that is now under the New Testament and that there was no saving grace nor operation of the Spirit accompanying the Sacraments of the old Testament but onely temporall things promised them He hath Arminians also on his side as Episcopius Disp. 11. th 5. The promises of the Law were touching temporall felicity of the Gospel concerning the everlasting inheritance â—h 7. The doctrine of the Old Testament was known by nature as agreeable to right reason the doctrine of the Gospel was unknown to the Princes of this world it is evident there is no precept say the Belgick Remonstrants Apol. cap. 22. cap. 24. clearely delivered in the Old Testament for beleeving in Christ nor in terminis any promise of life eternall It s sure Arminians are limbs of Antichrist and enemies to free grace Yet Antinomians with Del joyne hands with them against Protestants who all teach to this day the same Saviour the same promises of life eternall the same free grace of imputed righteousnesse the same covenant of grace was revealed darkely in shaddowes and types to the Jewes and more sparingly and to us more clearely and abundantly in the New Testament and that Abraham was saved as we who now are Antichistian whether Del and his Antinomians or wee These that teach the same with Antichrist and contend for perfection and freedome from all sinne in this life are not the men who must fight the battels of the Lambe But 1. was there then no Spirit and life in the Patriachs Prophets Moses David till Christ came in the flesh and reformed them inwardly What became then of the soules of those that dyed in peace and entred into their rest before Christ came in the flesh Esa. 57.1 2 3. Dyed they under the curse and severity of the second death as never inwardly converted Hee belyeth the Old Testament who saith so and doth the Letter of the Gospel without the Spirit save and inwardly reâ—orme and justifie before God more then the Letter of the Law I thinke Judas and the people whose hearts were fatted and heardned and yet heard Christ in the flesh and the Apostles preach Gospel were as farre from inward heart-reformation as uncircumcised Jewes and Heathen Mat. 13.14.15 16. Act. 28.26 27. 1 Pet. 2.7 8. Rom. 11.8 9. Joh. 8.21 Joh. 9.41 Job 5.40 Then Del must meane by the spirit some other thing then the Gospel as opposed to the condemning Law For the Gospel is a condemning Gospel to thousands who stumble at the stone laid on Zion as well as the Law 3. Del saith No outward Law of Synods Councels of men can make men perfect as pertaining to the conscience more then Leviticall Lawes could doe and so the Gospel abolisheth all such outward Lawes imposed on conscience as well now as heretofore under Moses Gospel-reformation saith he is the mortifying destroying and utter abolishing out of the faithfull and elect all that sinne corruption lust evill that did flow in upon them through the fall of Adam Or it is the taking away and destroying the body of sinne out of the faithfull and elect by the presence and operation of the righteousnesse of God dwelling in their hearts by faith This is true Gospel-reformation and beside this I know no other Esai 1.27 Zion shall be redeemed with judgement and her converts with righteousnesse Againe Christ as hee makes us righteous with his owne righteousnesse and makes us the righteousnesse of God in him so hee is called our righteousnesse not in himselfe onely but in us And therefore you see how grossely they are mistaken who take Gospel-reformation â—o bee the making of certaine Lawes and constitution by the sacred power or Clergie for externall conformity in outward duties of outward worship and government and to have these confirmed by civill Sanction and inforced upon men by secular power when in the meane time all that inward corruption and sinne they have brought with them into the world remaines in their hearts and natures as before so the old Prelats reformed His reasons are 1. All things belonging to Christ a Spirituall King having a spirituall Kingdome are spirituall a carnall Reformation is not sutable to a spirituall Kingdome The reformation of the Civill and Ecclesiasticall state is but carnall wrought by the power of flesh and bloud and stands but in outward things 2. Gospel-reformation is inward layes hold on the heart soule and inner man and changes and renewes that dâ—th not much busie it selfe about outward formes or externall conformitie but onely mindes the conformity of the heart for when the heart is right with God the outward formes cannot bee amisse Christ saith touching the worship of the New Testament God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and truth hee speakes not one word of any outward formes So that God in his Gospel-reformation aymes at nothing but the heart according to Jer. 31.33 I will put my Law in their inward parts c. So that they shall not onely have the word of the Letter in their bookes but the living word of God in their hearts But now Civill Ecclesiasticall reformation is outward and so industrious and elaborate about outward formes outward orders outward governing outward confession outward practises like the Reformation of Scribes and Pharisees notorious hypocrites who made cleane onely the outside of the cup or platter leaving them all filthy and uncleane within So Civill Ecclesiasticall reformation makes a man cleane outwardly with an outward confession of Faith when inwardly he is all filthy thorow unbeliefe and whites him over with new handsome formes of worship Object But is there no change of outward things in the Gospel Ans. Yes an outward change that flowes from an inward but not an outward change to inferre an inward c. Answ. 1. Master Del must lay downe a ground that outward Lawes were imposed on the conscience and forced on them with violence of Magistrates and Synods
without any foregoing teaching under paine of corporall punishments to the Jewes as he and his saith Presbyterians doe now urge consciences how shall Del prove that 2. Hee must say that outward and meerely litterall observing of Lawes and Synodicall Decrees according to the Word of God for any others beside or against the Word the Presbyterians know none without Faith in Christ doe make men perfect as pertaining to conscience which is Dels dreame not our doctrine 3. Hee and his condemne all Lawes of the Civill Magistrate yea all the written Scripture Law and Gospel and say an Arbitrary and Enthysiasticall Spirit in the Christian Magistrate without all Civill Lawes inacted or written should conclude of the heads and lives of Christians without the Law Morall or Gospel and so condemnes all Acts of Parliaments Answ. 2. You could not have heard more if Henry Nicholas or Anton. Pocquius or David Georgius had beene preaching to the Honourable House for Del followâ—s them at the heeles For Henry Nicholas if you but change Dels word of Reformation into the word regeneration or begetting in the same Spirit debaseth Christ in the Scriptures and all outward worship as if there were one Christ in the Scripture and another contrary Christ in the Spirit and inward working for sure hypocriticall and meere externall reformation and the inward reformation are by Protestants made two contrary reformations the one from God the other not from flesh and blood onely but from the Devill So Henry Nicholas If I could give all my goods to the poore c. If I had not love it were not any thing to me that is whosoever hath not Christ he is without God and without righteousnesse in this world I meane the being like Christ which is received through the power of the Holy Ghost and not any Ceremoniall Christ which one man speaketh to another or promiseth to another through the Ceremoniall service Dels Grammar is Pag. 6. through the word of the letter in their bookes in outward formes outward worship outward confession which he out of his prudencie according to his fleshly minde hath set up ô no the worke or begetting or procreating of the children of God commeth not so slenderly to passe as men now at this time teach each other out of their unregenerate Spirit Del out of a Spirit not inwardly reformed the bodie of sinne not being destroyed no reformation can come Henry Nicholas condemning all Scripture as a Literall and carnall thing and an Elementish Ceremoniall and fleshly service yea and confession with the mouth as carnall outward hypocriticall and Pharisaicall and doth expressely reject all the teaching of men or by the ministery of men which the Apostle asserteth Ephes. 4.11 1 Cor. 4.2 2 Cor. 4.7 And the Lord Jesus the great Apostle of our profession Math. 28.19 20. Act. 1.6 8. and pronounceth the Ministery of one man teaching another to be fleshly prudence and not such a way by which the begetting or procreating of the children of God commeth to passe Now that Monster of men knew Protestants whom hee refuteth in this taught against Pelagians and the Pope whom he denieth to be the Antichrist and Papists that we utterly deny that the Scriptures of themselves yea that the Man Christs teaching in the flesh or Paul or the Apostles Preaching or any mans externall instructing of another man most soundly according to the Scriptures can without the hearing and learning of the Father Joh. 6.45 and his omnipotent drawing of men to the Sonne Joh. 6.44 and the inward teaching of the Spirit inwardly reforme or beget men over againe to God So his condemning of one mans teaching of another as Fleshly Ceremoniall Elementish is a simple rejecting of the Scriptures and all outward and externall worship And just as David Georgius rejected the Literall Christ and asserted himselfe to bee the Spirituall Christ and true David In the same manner M. Del speaking of inward Reformation that is conversion of a sinner to God that onely being his Gospel-reformation hee knoweth well Presbyterians and the Assâ—mbly of Divines who are if they shall condemne his Gospel for the substance of it the enemies of the truth of Christ and the last prop of Antichrist in the Kingdome doe teach that inward reformation or destroying of the body of sinne is not wrought by the onely Letter of the Word and the teaching of men or Lawes or Constitutions of Synods but that wee conjoine with all outward meanes the inward and omnipotent power of the Holy Ghost without whose grace all other meanes are nothing yea Pauls planting and Apollo his watering are nothing effectuall to an inward reformation M. Del argueth against the Holy Ghost and Paul who Preached the Gospel to the blaspeming Jewes and scoffing Athenians Act. 13 Act. 17. for all he could say to them was but outward and litterall preaching the Apostles were but men and not Lords of the heart and therefore could but worke outward conformity to outward duties when the heart remained corrupt Nor is it much that Dell saith there is neede of an outward change in the Gospel which indeed is a belying of himselfe for an outward change is an outward reformation and hee saith Pag. 4.5 Gospel-reformation is a destroying of the body of sinne in the faithfull and elect by the presence and operation of the righteousnesse of God dwelling in their heart by Faith besides this I know no other An outward change is an outward reformation besides this But this is nothing Del acknowledgeth neither Ministery outward worship or outward ordinances as Familists did before him For the Author of that blasphemous Peece called Theologia Germanica saith Just men have neede of no law are led by the Spirit and are not to bee taught by any Law what they should doe or leave undone seeing the Spirit of God which is their instructer will teach them sufficiently neither is any thing to be commanded or injoyned them as to doe good to shunne evill or the like but Pag. 72. Yet hee saith more then Del doth to wit That both the life of Christ as also all Commandements Lawes Ordinances and the like ought not to be laid aside and cast off and to be neglected contemned and derided And Henry Nicholas saith The Lord speaketh in the Scripture but he saith withall that the Spirit is the Word not the Letter So Del maketh an opposition betweene the Letter in the bookes and the living Word of God in the heart 3. Del speaketh exclusively Other reformation beside this of the heart saith he I know none 2. Gospel-reformation saith hee onely mindes the reformation of the heart If only then it minds not externall reformation 3. Christ speaking touching the worship of the New Testament saith saith he Not one word of any outward forme So that God in his Gospel-reformation aymes at nothing but the heart Then hee aymes at no outward change nor any externall worship
inner man only and mindes onely the reforming of the heart and that doth change the outward man then he excludeth all Civill Externall and Ecclesiasticall power which is busied about outward formes outward orders outward government outward confession of Christ before men or confession of sinnes before men and outward practises For as Del saith Pag. 6.7 Gospell-reformation medleth not with reforming the externall man and so not with the preaching of the Word receiving the Sacraments reading Scriptures praying in publike confessing Christ before men if in the heart or the inward man a beleever have the Spirit and retaine God in his heart Dels reformation medleth not with outward practises to forbid and rebuke such practises as Paricides Murthers Incests Adulteries Thefts Opressions Lying Blasphemy Idolatry Sorcerie Sodomie neither the Preachers of the Gospel can reforme these with the Word nor the Magistrate with the sword by any warrant of the Gospel the Magistrate by the Gospel Rom. 13. beareth not the sword to take vengeance on ill doers for Gospel-reformation meddles not with outward practises nor outward order then it medleth not with the outward man nor commandeth it the outward man to walke circumspectly nor to walke in Christ nor to confesse Christ before men as we desire Christ to confesse us before his father and his holy Angels nor to observe externall order in the worship of God nor to abstaine from fornication evill speaking clamours bitternesse for all these be outward practises contrary to the rule of the Gospel and though the soule and spirit not the body nor whole man should be sanctified wholly as the Apostle prayeth Yet by this way I see not but all externals of either worship or conversation that concerneth our outward walking must be things indifferent and free neither commanded nor forbidden under the Gospel It is free to kill our brother or not to kill him to whore sweare worship Idols cousen and deceive steale robbe oppresse if the Faith of imputed righteousnesse bee in the heart then is the body of sinne destroyed saith Del and another Reformation that is outward he knowes not and Dels argument runnes thus The onely true Gospel-reformation is spirituall not carnall But the Civill and Ecclesiasticall Reformation is not spirituall but carnall and wrought by the power of flesh and bloud c. Answ. The Major is doubtsome and the Assumption false 1. For civill Reformation as civill is not spirituall formally but onely materially and objectively spirituall But to say that Ecclesiasticall Reformation should be spirituall as spirituall is opposed to externall and outward and onely spirituall and in the heart Satan could not fancie a more wicked untruth to destroy all godlynesse and holynesse as it appeares in the outward man in the duties of the first and second Table for Gospel-reformation as touching Gods part is inward spirituall invisible done by him that is Lord of soule and conscience but this is but the halfe though the choisest halfe of Reformation but as touching mans part it is externall and also spirituall and done by the Preaching of the Word and discipline of the Church For sure the Apostles and Elders Acts chap. 15. Reformed the Churches of Antioch Hierusalem Syria and Silicia and that spiritually and externally for these are not contrary when they send to them commandements not to bee circumcised nor to keepe the Ceremoniall Law but to abstaine from bloud and things strangled as at that time scandalous and from fornication as a sinne against the Morall Law because they that held the contrary opinion were lying Teachers and perverted soules and so deformed with a spirituall deformity the Churches of God as Del and Familists now doe Now the Assumption That Ecclesiasticall reformation is carnall as done by men and not spirituall is most false for carnall it may bee in some part and in some sense that is standing in outward externall Commandements and yet spirituall given by the Law-giver an infinite Spirit tying and obliging the Spirits of men and leading to a spirituall end so the Ceremonies of Moses are carnall not sinnefull not unlawfull vicious fleshly as Del pag. 2.3.4 foulely ignorant of the sense and meaning of his owne Text he preached on expoundeth it in opposition to Gospel-reformation which is spirituall lawfull not fleshly and sinnefull For then to obey the Ceremoniall Law had been sinnefull and unlawfull to the Jewes and God must have given Commandements to the Jewes which were sinnefull and unlawfull judgements and statutes and ordinances which is the blaphemy of old Manicheans So the Reformation done by the Gospel preached and by lawfull Assemblies holding forth the truth and condemning contrary errors is carnall that is externall and wrought by flesh and bloud Del meaneth by the word carnall the corruption of flesh and bloud as the phrase is taken Math. 16.17 which is a manifest untruth it is wrought by men consisting of flesh and bloud in a carnall that is in an externall outward audible and visible manner and yet spirituall also it is in that very externall Reformation is according to the Word of God who is a Spirit 2. It layes an obligation on the consciences and spirits of men both actively to reforme in that outward way though God must make it effectuall by an inward reformation it leadeth men even as it is externall to a spirituall end obedience to God in Christ according to the rule of the Gospell The Church and men take not on them to reforme hearts but instrumentally by going about an outward reformation by Planting Sowing Watering and labouring the Lords husbandrie his Church I might borrow Dels Argument and say true feeding and nourishing of men and upholding their life with bread is from the omnipotent power of God Deut. 8.3 For man liveth not by bread onely and inferre that they are grossely mistaken who take true nourishing of men to be outward plowing harrowing sowing earing grinding for all these are carnall fleshly and wrought by flesh and bloud and by the power of man but true effectuall nourishing commeth not from the plough or the husbandman but from the mighty power of God and therefore if God nourish plowing sowing earing cannot bee amisse So the Libertines made God the onely author of sinne Del citeth Joh. 4. God is a Spirit c. A place that Gnosticks Enthusiasts Libertines Anabaptists abused to deny all externall worship and acts of Sanctification and Towne cannot answer Doctor Taylor who objecteth that Antinomians deny all externall worship for he saith A man is a fulfiller of the Law in Christ who dyed for him so that faith is all and the same saith Del pag. 4.5 Gospel-reformation is a destroying of the body of sinne by the presence and operation of the righteousnesse of God dwelling in their hearts by faith He speakes not one word of sanctification and personall mortifying of the body of sinne and of walking with God but saith He knoweth no
the Lord against the mighty for sure God onely and Christ gives a peaceable and quiet life in all godlinesse and honesty to his Church as well as God onely Redeemeth onely Governeth onely Protecteth his Church and so we are not to pray for Kings and all that are in Authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life under them in all godlinesse as the Word saith 1 Tim. 2.2 3. then away with Magistrates Swords Gunnes warres yea away with Castles Houses Forts for if the Church bee to bee protected Christ onely must protect it So if the Church be to bee fed in Egypt or on earth by bread away with Joseph and his victuall away with tilling sowing earing trades labouring with our hands Let the Millinaries fleshly Paradice or the Adamits world returne for sure Christ onely in his way feedeth cloatheth protecteth saveth his Church 2. So Anabaptists Libertines argue God onely teacheth the heart Christ onely breaketh not the bruised reede then preaching of the Gospel and the sweet comforting promises thereof are not lawfull Let there be no Watchmen no Pastors under the New Testament for sure the Watchmen that goes about the walles will wound and smite the weake ones seeking Christ and the Letter of the Scripture is dead carnall lifelesse Christ is a quickning Spirit 3. And just so reasoned the Libertines to prove That sinne was nothing but an opinion and that wee should not rebuke any for sinne nor praise any for wel-doing Quia Deus efficit omnia in omnibus because God worketh all in all things and the sinner the Creature doth nothing Christ reformeth onely and in a better way then all the Preachers of the world and therefore none are to be rebuked for not reforming nor doe any sinne in not Preaching Law and Gospel For M. Del saith p. 12. As none can redeeme but Christ onely so none can reforme the Church but Christ onely for he onely takes away transgression and is made righteousnesse and wisdome to his people and he onely Esa. 2. Layeth low the loftinesse and hautinesse of men So he onely reformeth inwardly Angels and men cannot doe that but it followeth not therefore men by preaching the Gospel doe not reforme outwardly for then if Pastors turne dumbe dogges and reforme not outwardly they no more sinne nor are they more under any woe if they preach not contrary to 1 Cor. 9.16 Act. 20.28 2 Tim. 4.1.2 1 Pet. 5.1.2.3 then they sinne or are under a woe because they redeeme not the world and take not away transgressions and are not made to the Church righteousnesse wisdome and redemption And M. Del layeth no lesse blasphemy on the Parliaments of both Kingdomes and on the three Kingdomes when they sweare to endeavour in their severall places and callings the reformation of Religion in Doctrine Discipline and Government according to the Word of God and the example of the best reformed Churches then that they have sworne to usurpe the worke of Redemption and the offices of the Mediator By Dels way and the Antinomians in our callings and places wee shall bee Kings heads of the Church Redeemers great high Priests to offer a Propitiatory Sacrifice for the sinnes of the World Prophets by the Spirit to open one anothers heart and inwardly reforme the Churches of Christ in these three Kingdomes which all are onely incommunicable and proper to Jesus Christ the onely reformer as he is saith Del the onely Redeemer and then how durst Del usurpe Christs office in Preaching to the Parliament of England what way they should redeeme the world For sure preaching touching the right of reformation is an act of outward reformation but he did in this in the name of God as a Nathan forbid them to reforme the House of God or build the Temple because they were men of bloud But 1. knowes M. Del of a Parliament of peaceable Salomons that shall arise and build the Temple and intrude on Christs sole prerogative to redeeme and reforme inwardly 2. It was both Typicall Positive and Temporary for Salomon to build and for David not to build nor reforme that way But I hope Gospel-reformation is Morall Perpetuall not Typicall for Salomon was in that a Type of the Prince of Peace 3. He knows the Ministers of the Gospel and the Assembly of Divines by Preaching and Synodicall conclusions doe reforme as did the Apostles and Elders Acts 15. should he not say the Apostles and Elders who reformed externally were either men of bloud or intruded on Christs chaire of Lord Redeemer and the great and true and onely high Priest and that the Divines are men of bloud also and bee they men of peace or men of bloud they must bee too bold to sit in an Assembly as so many sacrilegious intruders and usurping Lord-Redeemers and that by Authority of Parliament For Del applyeth to himselfe in preaching Familisme Socinianisme Popery Libertinisme calling them all the props of the Antichrist who are not Familists Socinians with himselfe that which is peculiar to Christ Joh. 7.12 That some will say Del in Preaching thus is mad as they said of Christ and hee is more then a Nathan but I thinke the truely godly will confesse Christ to be the wisdome of God and thinke him spiritually mad as other Familists and Antinomians are Del Ser. pag. 13. I doubt not saith hee of the Churches Reformation because it is Christs owne worke and hee hath undertaken the doing of it As none can helpe him to redeeme so no power of hell shall bee able to hinder him to redeeme and reforme by his Spirit all belonging to his care and charge the rest of the world he lets lye in sinne as not belonging to his charge so I am at rest and quiet Christ will reforme Answ. So doe the New England Familists who abusing the absolute decrees of grace say None are to bee exhorted to beleeve but such whom we know to bee the elect of God or to have his spirit in them effectually Then the reprobate because absolutely reprobate are not to heare the Gospel nor should the Gospel be preached to them who stumbled at the stone laid on Zion contrary to the expresse Word of God and Gods absolute decrees must take away all industry care paines praying seeking of God for if we be chosen to life Christ hath undertaken to redeeme us if not we must lie and perish in sin M. Del saith He is at rest and quiet because Christ is as able for the reformation of his Church as for the redemption of it Now he meaneth inward reformation and conversion to God then may we all say we are at rest and quiet and will not study inward reformation and conversion of our selves or others and will no more heare the Word pray repent beleeve or preach the Word to others nor labour to bee converted or to convert others then to redeeme them with our bloud we will be at rest and quiet what Christ
a trance Prophets not ever under actuall vision as Prophets when they preach their visions to men and in a far other case then when they are in a â—rance aâ—d actuâ—â—ly see the visions of God Prophets see not really the things themselves present offered to them in the visions of God but only the speces or images therof in the decree of God or some other way The Spirit opposed to that which is bodily and to that which is externall How externall Ordinances are contrary to the Spirits acting and how not Three wayes of unâ—â—n between the word and the Spirit How the word remaineth in the new birth and how it passeth away We are to wait on God in the use of outward Ordinances though the Spirit worke not ever with the word nor upon our hearts Divers wayes of the Spirits concurring with the word How the Spirit is opposite to the letteâ— and to externals The spirit contrary to human eloquence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To speake drying and coldly is not to speake in the Spirit That which is most spirituall excludeth most of us yet not alwayes our discoursing and arguing part The Spirit is contrary to wilde and carnall logicke The expressions of the spirituall estate The Spirit determineth the actions of the spirituall man according to their specification or nature and kinde How obliging Law and a free Spirit consisteth together How morall compulsion of the Law is exhausted by the freenesse of a Gospel-spirit of love Threatning had influence on the will of the first Adam not of the second or of confirmed Angels The place 2 Pet. 1. untill the day-starre arise vindicated as making nothing for a naked light of the Spirit without the Scriptures How the Spirit is called the day-star how true that is to be taken the more of the letter the lesse of the Spirit and what truth is in it How we are changed into the same spiritualnesse contained in the Gospel Jer. 31. We know none of the Familists new discoveries of the Spirit that are not warranted by the word Act 9.23 Act 26 23. Luk 4 20 21 22 23. How duâ—ies are 〈…〉 in the Gâ—spel Aâ—l the Gospell to Antinomians a mâ—ere killing letter as the Law is The word spirituall beyond figures and letters in every consideration The Spirit determineth the actions of the spirituall man according to the exercise of them The order of acting in supernatural actions often from the spirit· The assumption of a syllogisme of our reflect acts of knowledge of our spiritull state is at lengh proven only by sense and the testimony of the spirit without discoursing How far the Saints are to leave room for new light Many new deductions from ancient truths may be known which were knowne before only implicitly and in the an eâ—edent not distinctly Preaching of duties or of externall worship not contrary to the teaching of the Spirit as Antinomians dreame What the Law of the Spirit of life â—s Characters of a spirituall condition Other characters of a spirituall disâ—osition Sparkles of glory p. 271. The written word to Familists is as a type or shadow of the ceremonial law that perisheth but wee hold the word written and preached to be the everlasting Gospel Ordinances of the written word and preaching are to continue to the end Sparkles of glory 314 315. Divers wayes and formes of worshipping of God and of leaving these formes and ascending higher and higher from natuâ—â—ll to civill and morall Religion frâ—m thence to Law then to Johns baptism then to Christ in the flesh then to pure Gospel then to poore and all-Spirit or Familists phancies How mortification is a signe of a spirituall condition a There is nothing in this Petition the smels of Christs ointments nothing that looks with any face like the anointing that teacheth all things nothing to heighten Christ much to flatter K Iames all to lift that abominable impostor H. Nichoâ—as up above Christ the stile and words full of gall against Puritans and the truly godly in England thâ—e words base earthly low devilish hereticall temporizing a Basilicon Doron wâ—itten to Prince Henry b Their fleshly and abominable doctrine as especially that the Familists may wallow in adulteries blood rebellion perjury and if the Spirit helpe them not against these sinnes they are as innocent as the maid forced in the field who did cry and there was none to helpe and so by no Law can be guilty See their tenets as H. Nicholas taught b Their foule opinions may here be read in this Treatise and in H. Nicholas writings c King Iames was misinformed in that for Familists and the godly unjustly called Puritans are as contrary as light and darknesse d The unjustly so called Puritans did never owne Browne nor Penry who set on foot the old doctrine of the Anabaptâ—sts in England and Enthusiasticall revelations beside the word of God e It is not unlike that such fleshly teachers who crave Libertâ— of conâ—cience to themselves will petition the Prince that the tyrannous laws of Prelates be executed against the truely godly and that liberty be denied to all save to themselves only a proper character of Hereticks and Schismaticks e The Familists and Antinomians because Purirans are esteemed the godly party now call themselves but most unjustly the true successors of the Puritans and all the godly opposite 〈◊〉 their way who strive to walke with God they call Legalists Pharisâ—es literall Doctors but because they change all colours with the court and wind oft times they are enemies to old non-conformists calâ—ed sometime Puritans in that 1. against Puritans they make all externalls indifferent 2. They reject Scripture and imbrace revelations 3. They contemne close walking with God as pharaisme and law-living f But I noted before that Familists will have no Magistrates over them and we may see it to be their practise this day g The Familists subjection of their consciences to the spirituall Popish lawes of Prelates prove them to bee men of more wide consciences then Puritans they need not feare to bee called Puritans g Deceivers as Simon Magus and others take godly titles to themselves for H. N. saith fidelitas docl c. 4. sect 11. beside Gods service of love there is not another in heaven or in earth here they call themselves the family of God h They knew well that Prelates imbittered the mind of K. James against Puritans his faithfullest subjects i They say it to the praise of their Mr. Henry Nicholas that he names no mans name but here they name both sects and names k Protestants know Puritans to be godly and sound in the faith Familists turne their backe then on the Protestants and the soundest of them l Reader iudge how the Familists and Antinomians now in England shall deale with Puritans and the truly godly what a bloody heart they beare toward them since their fathers the old Familists do persecute them with so bloody a tongue before their