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A92842 Antinomianisme anatomized. Or, A glasse for the lawlesse: who deny the ruling use of the morall law unto Christians under the gospel. / By John Sedgwick, B.D. and Pastor of the Church of God at Alphag, neer Cripple-gate London. Sedgwick, John, 1600 or 1601-1643. 1643 (1643) Wing S2359; Thomason E63_5; ESTC R4740 39,115 56

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for Justification and the words are as if he should have said When a man shall put himself under the Law for Justification shall promise to himself an estate of eternall life for his obedience sake place his righteousnesse in graces received or duties performed this man puts himself under the curse Now tell me How doth this Scripture overthrow the binding power of the Law to duty May not a man believe in Christ and obey too Obedience hath the blessing not the curse annexed to it As for that place in Timothy I think it maketh nothing at all for you for the Apostle speaks of the right managing of the Law saying That the Law is good if a man use it lawfully 1 Tim. 1 9. opened Vers ● Now how is the Law used lawfully Is it not when it is rightly applyed to the punishing of offenders God nor man ever intended that any Law should be made to punish good men or that such should suffer under the colour of Law this were a great abuse of the Law and in it no small injury is done to an honest man that the Law which should be his protection should become his punishment nay he leads them on to such persons for whom the Law was ordained by way of punishment namely The lawlesse and disobedient for the ungodly and for sinners for unholy and profane c. This being the proper sense of the place How doth it take away the Law as a rule of obedience unto Christians Nay out of this Scripture I do inferre a Christians obedience to the ●aw he is one that walks so regularly unto it that it cannot be justly used against him as a rod to punish him Besides this I answer That the Morall Law is not yet put or given against a righteous man as a Bill of Inditement to accuse him as a Judge to condemn him to punishment or as a rod or whip to compell and force him to obedience he is carried with such an ingenious spirit to obey the Law of God that saepe legem praevenit transcendit as Chrysostome saith i he doth prevent the Law and is potius in illa quam sub illa rather in the Law or a Law to himself then under the Law as Augustine saith I hope Sir you see your mistake and are convinced that the Scriptures will not own your opinion Have you any thing else to say for your self Antinomian Object 3 Yea Sir I must tell you That our Preachers who have brought my self and others into this way teach and tell us Rom. 7 6. Vers 8. 14 That we are led by the Spirit and must serve God in newnesse of spirit and not in the oldnesse of the l●tter That we are to perform all acts of obedience dictamine charitatis i. e. by the instructing power and force of love and not by any Command of the Word much lesse of the Morall Law they resemble Christians unto trees which grow not by arguments and commands Evangelist Sol. 3 Unto what you tell me I shall give you these answers 1. That though the Spirit of grace be the supreme guide yet the Scriptures whereof the Morall Law is a part are a subordinate guide or rule for Christians obedience Our Divines Perkins in Gal. 23. call the one the inward and the other the out ward rule and this I finde That the Spirit and the Word are in such conjunction in this work that he doth guide and leade men into acts of obedience in and by the Law which he himself writes in their hearts God saith This is my Covenant with them My Isa 59 21. Spirit that is upon thee and my Words which I have put into thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy seed nor out of the mouth of thy seeds seed saith the Lord from henceforth and forever Besides David saith Thy Word Psal 11● 105. is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my paths 2. That the serving God in newnesse of spirit and not in the oldnesse of the letter doth onely mean That Christians should yeeld spirituall and soul-obedience to Gods commands and not content themselves with an externall formall and ceremoniall serving of him according to that of Christ The hour cometh Jo. 4. 23. and now is when the true Worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in trueth for the Father seeketh such to worship him 3. For that force and power of love which you make the rule and motive to obedience and dutie give me leave to ask you Whether that love you speak of be not a dutie laid down and required in the word of command Do you love God and Christ without or upon a command I conceive you will say you do it by vertue of a command Again I must tell you that as love springs from the command which enjoyns man to love so it doth manifest its life and soundnesse by looking to the command by way of dutifull Jo. 14 15. observance according to that of Christ If ye love me keep my Commandments And that of the beloved Disciple 1 Jo. 5. 3. This is the Love of God that we keep his Commandments and his Commandments are not grievous 4. For that comparison of theirs I will not say it is sencelesse I am sure it is strained or misapplied what though the principle of bearing good fruit lay in that sap which is inclosed in the root doth not the tree need outward influence and helps from the Sun the Ayr the Soyl c. This cannot be denyed the case is the same here Christ is the root and inward principle without whom a true Believer can do nothing yet you must know that the means of his own appointing are needfull and necessary he hath ordained Ministers and left the Word for the gathering edifying and growth of the body besides to make Christ an inward principle of obedience is to set up a Law and Commandment unto men unlesse you will say there is an obedience without a Law Antinomist Ere I passe from you I will open my heart unto you when we cannot draw men to our opinion against the Law we do use our wits in devising strange expressions which can hardly be understood or we have our distinctious and evasions that when men shall tell us that we are Antinomians we may stoutly deny the same v. g. We tell them that the Morall Law is Evangelized in the hearts of believers by the Spirit of our Lord Jesus nay we take the boldnesse to say That we onely deny the use of the Law as it was in the hand of Moses not as it is in the hand of Christ our Mediatour Evangelist It hath been the manner of Heretikes to draw a cloud over their Tenets by using odde and unusuall expressions and fearing a discovery to speak doubtfully that to they may have a back door to get out at whereas truth seeks no corners and doth
Antinomianisme ANATOMIZED OR A GLASSE FOR The Lawlesse Who deny the Ruling use of the Morall LAW unto Christians under the GOSPEL By John Sedgwick B. D. and Pastor of the Church of God at Alphag● neer Cripple-gate London It is time for thee Lord to work for they have made void thy Law Psal 119. 126. LONDON Printed for Samuel Gellibrand and are to be sold at his Shop in Pauls Churchyard at the signe of the Brazen Serpent 1643. To the Reader Loving the Law of our God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ Faith and Obedience Beloved WHen I looked upon the old odious Heresie of the Antinomians condemned by the Art 7. Doctrine of our Church taking the advantage of the times Distractions newly to revive it self and to appear with its wonted face that cannot blush I thought at first following Saint Augustine to have said Non Cont. Petil. lib. 2. in venio quomodo te refellerem nisi ut aut jocantem irriderem aut insanientem dolerem And so to have passed them over in silence But finding the Fomenters to prevail and the Gangrene to spread especially among the weaker more ignorant and rude sort and that whilst some did seem to teach they did but infect using this cunning to utter some Truths to make way for their damnable Doctrines v. g. by crying up Free Grace Christs Righteousnesse and Gospel Libertie Doctrines of singular consequence and great use if rightly and purely opened and such as no man would suspect should be held out as Baits and Snares to intangle or draw men aside from the power of Faith to cast down Obedience and keep Christians from their dutie to God which stands in a care of keeping up their communion with him observing of his Minde and Will laid down in his Law Repenting and Mourning for Sin together with a speciall watchfulnesse against all sinfull courses I could do no lesse then shew my self in the Field against them not in respect of their * Magis misericordià digni quam invidià Persons but their Positions and Practises desirous to imitate those two worthy Lights Hierome and Augustine the one saying That Feci ut hostes Ecclesiae mei quoque bostes fierent Hier. Incomparabiliter pulc●rior est veritas Christianorum quam Helena Graecorum Aug. Ep. 9. he made the enemies of the Church and Truth his enemies And the other That he made the Truths of God more precious to him then Helene of the Grecians I am already resolved to bear with patience by the strength of Christ the hatred and the railings of the Fathers and Fautors of this Heresie not passing much their judgement Well I know with Hierome The Trueth may be blamed but not shamed Veritas laborare potest vinci non potest And that all their approbrious words the fruits of their Licentious Doctrine are like to the cry of an enemy afar off and as Hail-stones which do fall down about our ears without any harm I wish them soundnesse of head heart speech and Life As for you who know and feel the power of Holy Truthes and do desire to walk in Jesus Christ according to the Rule of Faith and Love laid down in the Law and Gospel Come and see Try all things 1 Thes 5. 21. Beleeve not every Spirit but try the Spirits whether they are of God because many false prophets are gone out into the world 1 John 4. 1. Be not of the fools minde to beleeve every thing Be not of the sick mans minde to be given to changes Neither be of their mindes who love to be picking and scraping in the dirt when heaps of corn are before them So root and ground your selves in the Trueth that you be not carried away like children with every winde of Doctrine and endeavour so to behave your selves That in Agesilaus changes you be not changed I hope that this ensuing Dialogue shall have as good successe as the Sermons themselves The Antinomians about the Citie were startled some of them were convinced confessing that they had been mis●led other of them began to be ashamed of their own Doctrines affirming That they never taught against the Law it was onely their hearers mistake wherein they have made Sententias ejus prodidisse superasse est good that saying of Hierome It is a sufficient confutation of Heresie to lay it open I hope to hear that those few Ministers whose Parts and Lives are looked upon and into will be made wise and in stead of floods of words and shews of Truth which carry reality of poison to addresse themselves to soundnesse of Doctrine and to a form of wholsome words wherein they may expresse themselves and benefit those poor souls who yet are seduced and hardned by them if they shall continue in this Law-destroying and Dutie-casting-down course still infecting and infesting the people of God do you my brethren beware of them and withdraw your selves from them as enemies to the soveraigntie of God over Christians though they hatch and vent errours yet be not you intangled by them Let no man beguile you with entising words Col. 2. 4. For hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his Commandments 1 John 2. 3. This course of Obedience which is the grace of your Faith the credit of the Gospel the Will of God in Jesus Christ and the main drift of the ensuing Treatise keep up in Sincerity and Constancie hereby you shall rejoyce the soul of Your souls Servant John Sedgwick Perlegi Tractatum hunc cui Tirulus The Anatomie of the Antinomian quem quia singulari usui futurum Ecclesiis judico praelo mandandum censeo Julii 27. 1643. Ja. Cranford This Book intituled The Anatomie of the Antinomian I judge very fit to be Printed and very necessary for these times Edm. Calamy Errata In Pag. 12. l. 7. for command r. declare In p. 23. l. 29. for dot r. doth In p. 24. l. 2. for unfft r. unsit In p. 24. l. 3. for vave r. have In p. 30. l. 7. for adminstration r. administration In p. 35. l. 13. for 12. r. 2. In p. 46. l. 2. for and r. which The ANATOMIE of the ANTINOMIAN The Nomist MY loving friend and old acquaintance you seem by your countenance to be somewhat vexed in minde The Antinomist I have been at your end of the Town hearing one of your Legall Preachers who hath Preached such Stuffe as hath made me almost mad I could have found in my heart to have pluckt him out of the Pulpit Nomist Who are those whom you do stile Legall Preachers Antinomist To speak my minde freely unto you Set aside some six or The Antinomians modest language seven rare Phoenixes sprung out of the ashes of one Mr. Trask Eaton Shaw and others of that stamp I hold all the Ministers in London yea and of the whole Kingdom to be but Legall Preachers for as yet the Light is not revealed to them and they
of abusing holy Doctrines ariseth First from Satan who bearing extream malice unto all holy Truthes doth not onely sowe tares but blemisheth as much as he can the good grain from the beginning he hath been a disturber corrupter and perverter of all holy and wholsome Doctrines Secondly from mans ignorance of the nature end and use of all holy Doctrines Learning hath no greater enemy then Ignorance Light hath not any contrary but darknesse and wholsome Doctrines no greater depraver or mistaker then ignorance They speak evil of those things they know not Jude v. 10. Thirdly from that horrible pride which is crept into mens mindes and hearts Pride hath been and is the seed of all the Heresies in the world none ever perverted Doctrine more then Hereticks and none have been more proud then those this I have observed That its the nature of Pride to be singular in opinion as well as in action it will be hatching of new opinions and upstart principles then it bends the entire force of all its parts to under-prop and swathe all the wilde and loose births of its own fancie next with a stately insolencie it brings abroad the Brat vents it in publique to the view applause and acceptation of the foolish and ignorant then it begins to wry and wr●st all truths to it self which if it cannot do it doth declaim against and trample under-foot the same scorning Articles of Churches Determinations of Councels Suffrages of Fathers and which is more the Testimony of the Scripture it self Fourthly from mans love of licentiousnesse lawlesse libertie cannot stand within the compasse of sound Doctrine now that men may have a liberty to themselves in sinning they raise Objections against and study the diversions of holy Truths the Whore blows out the candle that she may not be espied the fish Polypus muds the water that she may not be taken and men of loose spirits do cry down and pervert holy Truths that they may the more freely sin and be wicked But I pray you what is the other thing you took notice of Nomist. Doct. 2 2. The second is this The right temper of a gracious and well informed spirit which is to make all unsound and licentious Inferences from holy Doctrines hatefull and displeasing to it self I see the tendernesse of Pauls spirit rejecting with Apostolicall indignation the lawlesse Inference of vain men Evangelist You have spoken the truth and each Christian should learn from the Apostle 1. In his judgement to disallow 2. With his heart to abominate 3. By his speech to declaim against 4. By all endeavours to suppresse and silence all false deductions from holy Doctrines Truth should be precious and lovely to us but errour vile and abominable we are enemies to Truth so far as we are friends with errour Oh that men would know That it is a great sin to be taken with odde and new Opinions and to forsake old Truths for new errours I wish that you and all my friends would try before you trust winter and summer new men and their new doctrines Bring them to the Law and the Testimony Nomist I thank you for this help and now I shall desire you to open to me the tearms of the Text which being truely done will give much satisfaction to such who seek the truth in love I pray tell me what doth the Apostle mean by faith which is the thing that doth not make void the Law Evangelist There can be but one of these two meanings in the word either we take it for habituall and actuall faith which is called A double Faith 1. Habituall fides qua namely That grace wrought by the Spirit in the soul inclining it to the application of Jesus Christ and his righteousnesse which grace is the condition of the Covenant of grace and the appointed Instrument to apprehend justifying righteousnesse as along in this Scripture the Apostle sheweth Or we must take it for Doctrinall Faith which is called 2 Doctrinall fides quae namely That Gospel or Covenant Doctrine which propounded free grace sets up Jesus Christ in all his Offices Merits and Vertues to poor believing sinners Now take the Apostle either way and he holds That neither the grace of Faith nor the doctrine of Faith doth make void the Law of God Nomist. Tell me what is that Law which this Faith doth not make void Evangelist You must know that there were three sorts of Laws delivered A threefold Law by God to Moses 1. Ceremoniall which were temporary Ordinances and Rites really pointing to Christ of whom they were figures and shadows and by whose presence and death they were all fulfilled terminated and abrogated Christ was finis inter ficiens legis Ceremonialis so that the law of Ceremonies was made void by the Doctrine of faith and therefore this law cannot be here meant 2. Judiciall which were peculiar Ordinances given by God to Moses for the well ordering of the Common-wealth of Israel This Law concerned the Jews not simply as men but as Jews the Nationall personall or particular binding right of this Law rested so in them that it died with the decay of their Common-wealth onely the common equity or right hereof remaineth i as far as it was grounded on the Law of Nature served directly to confirm any of the Ten Commandments or to uphold the good of Family Church or Common-wealth it is still in force and of good use but of this Law the Apostle in this Scripture makes no mention Now if he speak not of the Law Ceremoniall nor of the Law Judiciall it followeth that we must understand him speaking of the Law 3. Morrall and that not as it is a rule of Justification but a rule of Service and Obedience the whole compasse of mans duty respectively to be manifested is principally contained in the Law Morrall which is no other then the revealed Copy of The Morall Law what Gods will touching mans dutie laid down in the ten Commandments if we do cast our eyes upon the scope of the Apostle it will be very evident that he speaketh of this Law for he deals against such who sought to be justified and saved by the works of the Law and not by faith in Jesus Christ they went about to set up the Law of Works and to destroy the Law of Faith Now Paul sheweth that no mans conformity to the Morall Law could be matter of life and justification unto him in Gods sight The Law by sin is become weak and unprofitable to the purpose of righteousnesse it could not be a covenant of life unto man now having excluded it from being a covenant of life to sinners there were those who would have it to be disannulled from being a rule of life unto men which the Apostle will not admit of so that its plain that the vindication is of the Morall Law that as a rule of life is not made void unto Christians Nomist How shall I understand