Survey of the Spiritual Antichrist

The Abjuration.

WHosoever teacheth that the dead which are fallen asleep in the Lord, rise up in this day of his judgment, and appear unto us in godly glory, which shall henceforth live in us everlastingly with Christ, and reign upon the earth is a detestabl heretic. But H.N. teacheth so, Evangel. c 37. sect. 9.

Whosoever teacheth that to be borne of the Virgin Mary out of the seed of David after the flesh is to be exponed of the pure doctrine out of the seed of love is a detestable heretic. But H.N. teacheth so, Document. sent. c. 3. sect. 5.

Whosoever teacheth that Jesus Christ is come again unto us according to his promise to the end that they all which love God, and his righteousness and Christ and perfect being, might presently enter into the true rest, which God hath prepared from the beginning for his elect, and inherit the everlasting life is a detestable heretic. But H.N. Evan. c. 1. sect. 1. teacheth so, &c. Having examined these reasons with the books of H.N. we do find that in truth he holdeth these heresies, and we think in our hearts, and of our own knowledge affirm that H.N. is in these heresies a detestable heretic, promising faithfully before God and your honors never hereafter to have any dealing with his books and doctrine, nor to go about to bring any to the love, liking, or reading of them, and that we now speak is the true meaning of our heart, as we look for mercy at his hands which searcheth the heart.

It shall never be well with England till the like abjuration of the doctrine of H.N. of Will. Del, Joh. Saltmarsh, of Town, Eaton, Den, Crisp and the scandalous Antinomians be tendered to most of the Army of Sir Thomas Fairfax, and all the Sectaries in England; but the Arm of the Lord must still be stretched out against the land in fury and indignation, till it be destroyed, and till he thoroughly avenge the quarrel of the Covenant; with so high a hand, and so presumptuously broken by the Kingdom of England.

CHAP. I. Antinomians unjustly aceuse us.

I T cannot be judged, either a wounding of the weak, who side with Familists for a bastard love, with Antinomians for a dead and rotten faith, with Libertines, the enemies of holy walking with God, to answer those that ask a reason of our hope ; especially when we are nick-named Legalists, Antifidians, Pharisees, Antichristian teachers, enemies to free Grace ; because we stand for a rule of righteousness in the Law, repentance from dead works, strict and close walking with God ; against all which, that is to me a wall of brass, As deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known. Yet I give a brief account of those saving and innocent Doctrines of the host of Protestant Divines, if possibly truth may pierce through their eye-lids, who wink, because they will not see. Of old the Albigenses were called Heretics; but (saith an indifferent man) genus haereseos nunquam nominant. So now neither the heresy nor the Protestant Divine can be named, that teach that the Law and Gospel are mixed in the matter of justifitation ; or that tears of repentance wash us from our sins, that the covenant of grace is a covenant of works ▪ that we are to seek righteousness in ourselves.

CHAP. II. Antinomians are Pelagians.

WEe are far from Pelagian grace, that an unconverted man can leave sin, because sin, hath an earnest desire of soul-saving comfort, cannot speak nor do, but in fear of sin ; that an hypocrite under the Law can in good earnest, and down-rightness of heart, yield himself wholly to the law of God, as a wife to her husband, to be instructed and ordered in all things, inwardly, and outwardly, after the mind of God in the Law. So Saltmarsh telleth us of a Legally-Gospel-way of conversion, in which Christ, in truth, is received. Much like to that of Familists of New England, that a Legalist for truth may attain, the same righteousness, that Adam had in innocence before the fall ; and a living faith, that hath living fruits, may grow from the living law.

We judge that an unconvert is so far from a conformity to the Law, that his conscience is burnt with a hot iron, and he never saw his keepers face, he being under the law a captive in thick darkness; and therefore all his fair virtues are white sins. (2.) He is an ill tree that cannot bring forth good fruit. (3.) True mortification is wrought by the Gospel-spirit. (4.) The law cannot give life . 5. An hypocrites faith who is under the Law, is dead .

CHAP. III. We hold no moral preparations with Pelagians, Papists, and Arminians going before conversion.

WEe teach not that, which Saltmarsh falsely chargeth us, that Vowes and undertakings never ascending to Christ, fit us for conversion, nor do we too much burn, or bear the wine of Gospel-grace, with the Law-fire of works and conditions For 1. we deny, against Antinomians and Arminians any such Gospel-promise; he that doth this and this, and is so, and so fitted with such conditions, quallifications, as money and hire in hand, shall be converted, as a reward of his work. The question touching preparations is not, whether an humbled soul, because humbled, hath a good warrant to believe and receive Christ. We conceive the bottom of no man's faith is within himself, but the common ground and Royal charter, warranting all to believe is the free and money less offer of a precious Savior; whoever will have Christ, and pay not a penny of condition or law work for him, take him freely. But the question is, of Christ's order of bringing us to believe and close with Christ; and the question is, whether a damned Pharesee on his high horse of merits and law-righteousness, an undaunted Heifer, a Simon Magus, a despiteful Atheist, Elymas a Witch never broken, nor convinced by the law, must in that distance to Christ and the Gospel, be charged to believe an everlasting love of election toward himself, and without more ado, be led into the Kings chamber of wine, to the slowings of soul-redeeming blood; or must he first be humbled, convinced of sin, burdened with everlasting burning due to him, and so led to Christ. Antinomians say, Sinners as sinners belong to Christ, and have Christ offered to them as sinners, and none can believe too hastily in Christ: but sure, they can believe, or presume, too misorderly, and arrogate Christ to themselves (as you teach them) while they know no sin-sickness for Christ. For 1. some too hastily will be Christ's Disciples, before they make their reckoning what it will cost them. 2. The Lord's order is to cast down, and then convert; first he draweth away some of the ill blood and rank humors, and pricketh the heart, and then bringeth the sick to the Physician, the trembing Publican to his Savior; as the word saith, 3. Christ converteth not sinners as sinners ; so as their sinful condition should be the ratio formalis, the formal reason why they are converted; for then should Christ convert all sinners, all Pharisees, all Americans, Indians, Tartarians ; he healeth none but sick sinners, but neither as sinners, nor as sick sinners; a gracious Physician who healeth the sick without money, healeth none but such as are sick, for that were a contradiction: Yet their sickness is not the formal • eason, why he healeth them, for so he should heal all. So Christ cureth sick sinners, and these only; but not because they are sinners, nor because they are sick, but because, and as they are freely chosen of God, Joh. 17.6. Thine they were, and thou gavest them me ; here the cause and the reduplication, for which he saith, they have kept thy word. But this suiteth with Familists, who will have no new creature at all, no grace inherent in a believer, as we shall hear; and so no real change made, but only a putative or relative change.

CHAP. IV. How we teach a desire of grace to be grace.

WEe never taught that a desire of the grace of conversion, in the unconverted, is conversion; or that a desire in them, to pray and believe, is prayer or belief ; as Antinomians charge us. But in the converted, a real unfeigned supernatural desire of grace goeth for grace. 1. In that its virtually the seed, and of the very nature of grace; the same Spirit that worketh the will, worketh the deed. 2. Its grace in God's acceptation. Abraham's aim to offer Isaac, is in the Lord's books an offering of him. Because thou hast done this thing, &c. 3. Where ever a desire of grace is, concomitantly there is grace. With my soul I have desired thee in the night ; this desire is blessed of God, as saving grace; judge then of Familists, who say tis a vain and delusive Doctrine, that God passeth by our daily infirmities, acccepting our wills for our performances. But they contend for a perfection here in this life.

CHAP. V. How we are freed from the Law, how not.

THree things are to be considered in the Law. 1. The commanding, 2. The promising. 3. The threatening power of the Law. Now as for the mandatory power of the Law; we are to consider. 1. The motives, bands, and helps of obedience to this command of the Law. 2. The quantity of it.

The Law as steeled, and clothed with constraining love, and lovely authority of thankfulness to God-Redeemer, and as due debt to the Lord-Ransomer Jesus Christ, (and this is a moral motive) and as it cometh from the grace of Christ, bindeth us to obedience, not only in regard of the matter, but also of the authority of the Law-giver, though Town say, We are freed from the Law in its dominion, offices, and effects ; and another, the sons of God are not subject to the Law, that is, they are not to be taught what they should do, or leave undone, seeing the Spirit teacheth them : —they need look for no Law, Command, or precept, but are above all ordinances, Reading, hearing, &c. as Christ was: and another, The Spirit of Christ setteth a believer as free from hell, the law, and bondage here on earth, as if he were in heaven, nor wants he anything to make him so but to make him believe he is so.

CHAP. VI. How the command of the Law layeth an obleiging • and on us.

BUt 1. we say not that the moral Law bindeth under that reduplication, as given by Moses, for then all Ceremonials should bind us also who are Christians. But that God intended by these ten words delivered by Moses, to obleige all Christians, to the worlds end, to perpetual obedience, is clear. 1. Christ, and his Apostles, press the moral Law upon the Gentiles. Paul commandeth the Romans the fulfilling of the Law in love ; the Ephesians the first Commandment (given by Moses, Exod. 20.) with promise. James his hearers the fulfilling of the royal Law, according to the Scripture, (no Scriptures but the writing of Moses and the Prophets) and that not for the matter only, for so a Sabbath day could not obleige the Gentiles, if the Law-giver did not command it; but from the authority of the Law-giver, for verse. 11. He that said (this is the authority of the Law-giver) Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill ; and There is one Law-giver ; so the Apostles add in their Epistles these very things that Moses commanded, to the doctrine of faith, showing that they are Christ's ten Commandments, rather then Moses. 2. Notwithstanding that all Law ( Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, ) should expire in regard of any binding they have from God, just as this, thou shalt be circumcised ; when Christ died and rose again: yet there is Scripture for removing of shadows, Act. 15. Gal. 5. Col. 2. but none for removing the love of God and our neighbor, except in the case of justification▪ Rom. 3. Gal. 3. Act. 15. 3. Paul expressly resolveth the Antinomian question. Do we then make void the Law, through faith? God forbid. Yea, we establish the law. And Rom. 6.1. What shall we say then? shall we continue in sin (that is, in a breach of the Law) that grace may abound? that is, that the riches of pardoning grace in justification may flow largely, God forbid ; and Rom. 7.7. is the Law sin? because it irritateth our corrupt nature, God forbid. For what ever is a sin to the believer, argueth subjection to the Law; as Adultery in a believer, argueth that he is under a commanding Law; to say its a sin against Christ the Redeemer, maketh all the ten but one: love Christ, and no sin in the world but unthankfulness: but this should be no sin to a Tartarian to murder; why? he never heard of Christ. Joh. 15.22. and so can be guilty of no unkindness to Christ; and for sin against the moral Law, if it be abrogated in Christ, as the ceremonial Law is, Murthering his brother is no more sin, then if this Tartarian be not circumcised, it can be his sin to be so. 4. The law of Nature bindeth perpetually, and bindeth the Gentiles, then must also the Moral law bind; for the authority of the Law-giver, for the law of Nature hath all its obligation from God, who wrote it in the heart. When the Heathen were charged by their consciences for great sins, they naturally feared vengeance from a Law-giver, who had written these laws in their hearts; now the Moral law hath all its obliging power from the Law-giver also. 5. The Law, by the operation of the Spirit, is a mean of our conversion. Psa. 19.7. as all the obleiging power that the rest of the Word of God, even the Gospel is useful for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, to make us perfect to salvation ; and the Gospel without the Spirit is a dead letter as well as the Law; and if so, then to sin against any mean of conversion, must be against the law of God; and so this law which commandeth to hear and obey all that God commandeth us, must obleige us perpetually. 6. Christ saith expressly that he came not to loose any from obedience 〈◊〉 , though imperfect to the least jot of the law. The 〈◊〉 covenant of works (for so the Scripture calleth it) is now so far forth abrogated as that we are freed from the necessity of justification, by the Law, and the curse of it; and thus far go the Antinomian Arguments, and no further

Antinomians free us from the Law, as its a beam of Christ in substance and matter, so as we are not to seek the light of one beam; now when the Sun of righteousness is risen himself ; though Master Town be not so strict.

Hence is it that they offend so much, that any glimmering of light should come to us from the letter of Commandments either of Law or Gospel; that to search Christ in the Scriptures is not safe ; and all covenants in the written and preached. Word take men off Christ.

CHAP. VII. How the Law and the Gospel require the same obedience.

BUt seeing the Law cannot contradict the Gospel, and speaketh nothing of a Surety and Mediator, and so is negatively diverse from the Gospel, yet positively it is not contrary, nor denieth that there ought to be a Mediator (for so should there be two contrary wills in God, and so it had been injustice, and against a just law, that God should send his Son to die for sinners.) It is the same very obedience commanded in the Law, as a strict covenant of works, to be done by strength from our own nature, and for the authority of the Law-giver, and the love of God, and now enjoined in a mild covenant of grace, from the strength of the grace of Christ, and now not only acteth on us by Legal motives, the love of God, the authority of the Law-giver, (which the Gospel excludeth not) but upon the love of a free Redeemer and Ransom-payer: as it may be the same debt, which a man payeth of his own proper goods, and of the money borrowed from a rich friend.

1. Perfect obedience, which the Law requireth, and imperfect obedience which the Gospel accepteth (for it requireth perfection as well as the Law doth) are but gradual diffe • ences; as the same sum of gold, though clipped, if accepted by the the creditor as full payment, the rest which is wanting being pardoned, may in grace and value, be as good as the full payment. It is the Law that commandeth the love of God, under pain of eternal death, for the least fail, and by way of a covenant of works. Now the tenure of a covenant of works is an accident of the Law.

2. A new obligation of obedience varieth not the nature of it; as it is the same moral obedience that God commanded to the heathen, and the Jews, but that it was written and preached to Jews, addeth more guiltnesse, when they disobey, and these same duties that Moses commanded of righteousness, holiness, and sobriety, Exod. 20. doth the grace of the Gospel enjoin. Tit. 3.11. and the Apostles command as acts of sanctification; and though Moses should not command them by the motives of the grace of Redemption (which yet is false, except when he presseth the Law as a covenant of works) yet Gospel-motives vary not the nature of duties: as a Master may command the same duties to his son and his servant, upon different grounds.

3. The Gospel abateth nothing of the height of perfection, in commanding what ever the law commandeth in the same perfection; for tis as holy, pure, and spiritual in commanding, we be perfect as our heavenly Father, and holy, as he is holy, as the Law is. In acceptation of grace, the Gospel accepteth less then the law, but commandeth no less, therefore the Gospel granteth pardons, but no dispensations; the Law though it deny not pardons, nor forbid them positively, yet it granteth neither.

CHAP. VIII. Of the promissory part of the Law; the differences between the two covenants mistaken by Antinomians are opened.

FOr the promissory part of the Law. It promiseth life and reward to no obedience, but to perfect and absolute obedience, if there be the least defect in the least jot; the garland and crown promised is forfeited; so as there is no reg • ining of it forever by that bargain. But the Gospel promiseth to the least sincere obedience, were it but a cup of cold water to a Disciple, a reward of glory. Therefore the difference standeth not as Antinomians dream, between the covenants chiefly in doing, and not doing, as if the Gospel or covenant of grace did not also command doing, in relation to life eternal; yea, and with a promise, as well as the Law doth, but in a far other way: for Godliness hath the promises of the life that now is, and that which is to come: and to the followers of Christ, (and though they halt in their walking) and such as forsake all for Christ's name, is promised sitting on thrones, and a hundredth fold in this life, and in the life to come, life eternal. But the difference is, 1. That no obedience is accepted in the Gospel without a Mediator, not so in the Law. 2. That the Law is given in its strictest bargain, to a holy, perfect nature, the Gospel to a lamed, wounded and dead sinner. 3. The Law giveth, by way of debt, not excluding boasting in some measure, not that Adam could merit an infinite crown, by a piece finite-work, or could do beyond obligation, more then we; but because, for holy works, by strict covenant, without the Mediators grace, without pardon, the worker might claim his wages humbly, yet glorying, he had woon them by natures good deeds, and by works, and for works, not of grace. When Paul saith, Rom. 4.2. If Abraham hath whereof to glory, its not before God. He meaneth not, that justification by the works of the Law giveth ground of boasting, or glorying in ourselves. For 1. a conditional proposition can conclude nothing positively. 2. He speaketh of glorying, as chap. 3.27. comparatively. Law-justification is more like glorying, then grace; for Angels cannot boast, Rom. 11.36, • 7. the Gospel giveth of free grace. But 4. the • awe could not accept another man's imputed righteousness, that is supernatural; and to believe this required grace, and strength of a higher strain then Adam had; it demandeth but • man's own personal and perfect righteousness, and curseth the sinner for the least wrinesse or crookedness in the first bud, or spring of the inclinations or motions, 5. The Gospel lea •• th place to repentance (which the Law doth not) and openeth a door of hope, to a lost sinner; and the special condition is Faith, that a ransom paid by Christ shall buy me a title and right to heaven, of which the Law saith nothing. 6. The Law gives a reward as a due debt, though not merit; the Go • pel giveth a reward against merit.

CHAP. IX. Of the threatenings of the Law and Gospel.

TOuching the third part, as the Law is in strict terms divided from the Gospel. 1. The Law-threatenings are on the person for the actions, and for the least fail in thought, word, or deed; but the Gospel-threatenings are rather on the • tate, then the actions; or if they be on the actions, it is for the condition and state ; therefore the learned Pareus saith, that the Gospel, as the Gospel, hath no threatenings at all. For indeed the state of the kingdom of the believer fenceth him from the curse; he is free from condemnation, because he is under another King, then the man that is under the Law. As the man in Scotland is free from Murder which he committed in Spain, not because his act of Murder deserveth not he should die; but because he is a member of the state of Scotland, and no penal law of Spain can reach him in that Sate. Pareus thus far saith true, that it is the Law properly that curseth, and that the Gospel, as the Gospel, curseth not, but is properly glad tidings. For 1. He that believeth not 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , is already condemned ; that is, before his unbelief, sentence is passed on him by the Law, and the Gospel doth but ratify the sentence. For if we suppose there had never been a Gospel, nor a Mediator, the sinner should have been a cast-away and sentenced man; but now because he believeth not he shall not see life, but the wrath of God 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 : abideth on him ; then it was on him before, if he should believe in the Son of God, the sentence of the Law should be taken off, the Prince offereth a pardon of grace to a man that hath 〈◊〉 h • s Son, so he will accept of it, he refuseth to accept of a Pardon, and therefore dieth rather for his blood-sh • d then for his not accepting pardon, it would seem among men too l • w a cause of death, to put him to death, for refusal of a pardon; at 〈◊〉 the sentence was given out for killing the Kings Son, only he dieth more deservedly, that both he killed the Son, and despised his Princes grace; or rather his doom is aggravat • d, and the chains of Capernaum, are made heavy • , because they comparatively justify Sodom, and so the Gospel-vengeance is an addition to the Law-vengeance, as he that dieth of an extreme distemper of body, and by a gracious Physician may be cured, but refuseth the medicine, the distemper is the Physical cause of his death, his contempt of the art of the Physician is the moral cause, and a reason why he dieth without the compassion of his friends, and with greater torment of mind to himself; Yea, Faith is not properly the cause that hath any effective influence on so noble effects, as are free pardon, and free salvation, far less is it any meritorious cause. Christ hath no joint causes with him in this excellent work of saving a sinner; unbelief is a moral cause, non removens prohibens.

2. The Gospel is an exception of grace against the Law; for the Law saith, He that sins shall die ; the Gospel addeth, except he believe ; or, he shall certainly die, except he believe in him who justifieth the ungodly ; so that the Gospel saith Amen to the Laws threatening, and taketh them not off, nor contradicteth them in their own nature▪

3. What ever threatenings are executed against an unbeliever, they are the Law-threatenings; its a Law-death that the unbeliever dieth; for all that eternally perish, do perish under the law, and the covenant of works; never man▪ is lost under Christ; if therefore the Gospel say, Whoremon • ers, Adulterers, Murderers, Drunkards, shall not inherit the kingdom of God, this threatening doth necessarily presuppose a Law-state, if they which do such things, remain under the Law, otherwise the Gospels intent is not that they perish, but that they believe and be saved,

CHAP. X. Of Gospel fear.

〈…〉 with Gospel-freedom to fear hell, so we 〈…〉 and punishment more then sin; for sin is a 〈…〉 then punishment. For 1. we are commanded to 〈◊〉 him, who can cast both soul and body into hell . 2. Its not a Law-spirit of bondage, that some tremble at the word of 〈◊〉 , nor for Josiah's h •• rt to melt at the reading of the • awe. 3. Not to be afraid of judgment, is a part of a heart rocky and hardened. Though Felix his trembling at judgment did prove him to be under the Law, because he feared only • udgement, and judgment as a greater evil then sin. Nor is it mercenary to love the reward, so it be not more in our intention, then a holy communion with God. For 1. Moses by Faith had an eye to the recompense of reward . Paul set the garland before him as his end . 2 We are commanded so to run, that we may obtain : to lay up a sure foundation, that we may lay hold on life eternal. Only we are not to make happiness, and our created blessedness, so much out formal end in running our race, as holiness and our objective happiness, which is God himself, If Antinomians would difference between love of a hire, and hireling love; then should not Town condemn the just; nor can the Fathers under the Law, be said to have served the Lord with an upright heart, if they served him for hire, which Satan judged hypocrisy in Job cap. 1. verse. 9.10. See Psalm. 73.25. Job 13.15.

CHAP. XI. Law-fear and Gospel-faith consistent.

NOr doth Master Town and Antinomians infer by good arguing, because believers may be stricken off sins, upon the consideraton of Law-threatenings, that their sins, deserve not wrath, as well as the sins of others, as • Job saith, What then shall I do, when God riseth up? and • Destruction from God was a terror to me. But it followeth not, that therefore to obey God sub paenà ; for fear of the condemning Law, is not free, Gospel-obedience. For its most false, seeing this obedience for fear of the desert of sin was in Paul, though he was persuaded, that eternal wrath should never be inflicted on him, as is clear by his words. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade m • n. And we know if our earthly house be dissolved — we have an house not made with hands, but eternal in heaven. 2. Law-threatening (when Faith assureth the conscience, of freedom from the wrath to come) and love-persuading are most consistent. For most clear it is, that Christ and his Apostles do command, and strictly charge in the Gospel. So Antinomians err, who teach that the Gospel persuadeth rather then commandeth — and reasons and argues us to duties, rather then binds and enforces ; and that holiness and sanctification now is not such, as is fa • hioned by the Law of outward command, but by the preaching of Faith, by which the Spirit is given, which renews a believer, and makes him the very Law himself, and his heart the two Tables of Moses. For, 1. persuasions and commands may w • ll stand together, and all Law-inforcings are but mere reasonings, and moral and objective acts on the mind and will▪ and so the Law no more enforceth then the Gospel. 2. Holiness and Sanctification cometh by the Law, animated by the Spirit, as well as by the Gospel: for the Law converteth the soul ; 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 •• terally, only revealing Christ, and being void of the Spirit, it cannot convert the soul ; and the Law as animated by the Spirit, leadeth to Christ as a Pedagogue, I mean as mixed with the Gospel. For the Law without the Gospel can never sanctify, nor lead to Christ; and neither of them without Christ's Spirit can do anything. And I find Saltmarshes Euthysiasticall pulse and strain of Familism, when he saith, that the Preaching of Faith is the Spirit given to a believer, and it makes him the very Law it self. For 1. the Preaching of Faith, or the Gospel preached, even to hardened Pharis •• 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 believed, 2. The preaching of Faith and the Spirit differ as much, as the principal cause and the instrument; now who can say, the writing of the pen is the writer? 3. Antinomians mean 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 th • inward annointing without the Law, or Gospel either. Now Sanctification in this sense must be wrought without Law▪ Gospel, Precept, Command, Promise; and we 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 Town) under the Gospel in righteousness, without all Law Ceremonial and Moral ; and everywhere th • y say, 〈◊〉 serve God now according to the Spirit, not 〈◊〉 to the Letter: outward Ordinances then to Antinomians are matters of mere courtesy.

CHAP. XII. Antinomians deny actual pardon of sins to the Jews.

ANtinomians deny that the knowledge of actual and eternal remission was an Article of the Jewish Creed, but a mystery not revealed till the Gospel. But then David, and the Fathers, Abraham, and others, were justified by the imp •• ed righteousness of Faith, as we are also. David must Psal. 2.1, 2. describe an happiness he knew not what. David saith, Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin, verse. 5, 2. We believe through the grace of the Lord Jesus, we shall be saved as well as they. 3. All the Fathers died in the faith, 〈◊〉 did eat the same spiritual meat, and did all drink of the same spiritual Rock, and the Rock was Christ. 4. The Scripture foreseeing, that God would justify the heathen thr • ugh Faith, reached before the Gospel to Abraham, Isaiah prophesied of Christ as an Evangelist. Daniel of the slaying of the Messiah, and everlasting righteousness through him. The Prophets testified before hand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow ; actual remission then was no mystery to them. Abraham rejoiced to see Christ's day, and saw it.

CHAP. XIII. Of the nonage of the Jews, what it was.

NOr was the tutorie, bondage or nonage of the Jews anything, but 1. A less 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 sin, and the filth of it: but this is nothing to prove the Jews 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 sins by halfs and quarters. 2. Then must they be saved by works; Paul saith, They came short of righteousness, because they sought to establish their own righteousness, and stumbled at the stone laid in Zion, and sought it not by faith. And it was never lawful for them, more then us, to seek righteousness and justification by works of the Law ; so they were in this under no 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, everyone 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 own sake ; and divers other Scriptures prove this. 4. The Prophets cried against legal and outward service, and pressed washing in Christ's blood, and faith and repentance, as the Apostles do. And to Christ gave all the Prophets witness▪ that through his name, whosoever believes in him shall receive remission of sins. There is much of the Spirit of adoption, of spiritual liberty in praying, wrestling with God, giving no rest to God▪ Heavenly boldness, and access to the throne of grace, in J •• kob, David, Moses, and sweet Evangelike, and Gospel-familiarity between Christ and his Spouse, the Church in the Song of Solomon, Feasting and banqueting together; only the Law • s administration was wrath by accident, through our corruption, less glo • ious, because of dark typs, and a spa •• r measure of the Spirit, 2 Cor. 3. Ephes. 3.9, 10. and Paul heightneth Gospel • glory, and lesseneth the Law in the vain sense that false Apostles, and legal Teachers, put on it in over- • xalting it, as if without Christ it could save, or with Faith it could justify. 6 All under the Gospel, Elect and Reprobate, must be freed from the Law, if the Jews were under it, all to whom the Gospel is preached must be freed from it; and to De • ne, and Moore, who are both Arminians and Antinomians, all and everyone of mankind must be under • race, none under the Law of Commandments: for the argument holdeth for all in opposition to the Legal Jew.

CHAP. XIV, The old m • n, or the flesh to Antinomians is under the Law, the new Man freed from all Law.

IT is admirable, that Town will have the Old man in believers, shut up under the Law, and the New man above all Law, or subject to none at all ; as Familists and Libertines when they sinned, said, Non ego pecco, sed asinus meus ; not I but the flesh doth sin; or sense, reason, the Old man doth sin, because the Old man only is under the Law, not the New man. 2. Guiltinesse and sin, is a thing that falleth on the person, not on a part of man. 3. The command is given to the person, the person is the subject of punishment and condemnation, not his sense only. 4. Thus Den and Saltmarsh say, Faith, righteousness, light, joy, and peace is in conscience, in the sense, f •• sh, conversation is sin; yet nothing that can condemn, because the conscience is washed in justification; but sin is in the conversation, saith Den, and in the sense, reason, or flesh, saith Saltmarsh, so here original sin shall be no sin

CHAP. XV. Antinomians hold the justified to sin before men, and as touching their conversation, not before God, and as touching their conscience.

SO Antinomians say, the justified have no sin in their conscience, nor can God see any sin in their conscience ; yet there is sin in their conversation, and flesh. But 1. sin Original, and the flesh lusting against the Spirit, dwelleth inherently in its essence, being a blot in the conscience, and whole man; though guilt and actual condemnation be removed: so was Paul a wretched man, only for sin, in mind, will conscience, affection, no ill, but the ill of sin, could make him cry out of his wretched condition. 2. The justified must be as perfect as Angels, if no sin dwell in them, and they need not pray for pardon, wanting all sin. 3. Sin in conversation, as murder in the hands, oppressing of men, blasphemy in the tongue, are against the Law of God, and must be sins in the conscience, else they are against no Law of God, which make the sins of the justified and their doing golden graces.

CHAP. XVI. Justification is close mistaken by Antinomians, when they judge it to be an extirpation of sin, Root and branch, as Papists fancy, venials to remain only in the justified.

IUstification to us is not as Antinomians dream an utter extirpation of sin in its essence, root and branch, for Papists conceive of justification, so as nothing that is sin remaineth in the justified, but some gentle venials, which we can satisfy for ourselves: but we judge justification to be a judicial, and law-removal of the guilt or obligation to eternal punishment. 1. It is a judicial and forinsecall Law-declaration that is opposed to condemnation; but this removeth Law-guiltiness to die, not the intrinsical inherent blot of sin, as if the sinner had never sinned, and were now no sinner. 2. By it the sinner is not (as Antinomians say,) as righteous as Christ: because Christ could say in truth, I have no sin, but we even being justified are liars, if we say we have no sin . 3. Sin dwelleth not in Christ at all, nor was there in him flesh and concupiscence, lusting against the Spirit, as in us. For it is clear from the Scriptue that sin dwelleth in the justified.

CHAP. XVII. Christ not formally the sinner, as Antinomians dream.

NOr was Christ so made sin, as the intrinsical guilt of sin was laid on him, as Crisp saith, Christ was only the Adulterer, the Idolater, the sinner imputatively, not inherently, and formally; in that he did bear the satisfactory punishment of wrath and hell due to our sin. 1. Christ was so made sin, not in the imagination, but really suffering in our person; yet so as sin physically and inherently, in its blot, remains in us, and after we are justified, we have sin. We are sold under sin, and carnal; in many things we offend all. Now its blasphemy to say that Christ was so sinful as we are. 2. Nor is the surety the principal any way, save only legally, penally, imputatively, the debtor: there is no injustice in the surety, as in the principal in borrowing money, and profusely wasting it, and wronging his brother; nor can the surety be called formally the unjust man, the waster; though he be legally the debtor, and holden in justice and really, not in imagination, to pay the sum; so was Christ never inherently and formally the sinner, as the snow is formally white; because Christ in himself, in his physical person and natures, was innocent, holy, harmless, undefiled, separated from sinners, even while he was a surety for sinners. 3. Scripture expoundeth Christ's bearing of our sins, not as if the essence, form, and intrinsical, fundamental, and essential guilt of sin had been on him, then he should have been a sinner as we are, and so not a sinless sacrifice for sin, but in bearing the punishment due to us in his own body on the tree, in being wounded for our transgressions: but its the Antinomian • way to confound Sanctification and Justification, and to make us as inherently and intrinsically, in our very persons, holy, sinless, righteous, free of the indwelling of Original sin, and the old man, and the flesh, as Christ himself: and this is the Famil • sts principle; That Christ hath Goded and Christed a Saint, and Christ is incarnate and maned in the believer ; so that the believer is God manifested in the flesh, and dwelling personally in us: all the sins that a believer commits, are no more sins then the actions of Christ: for all our sins were swallowed up and annihilated in Christ: He that is borne of God (say they) cannot sin ; and M. Town telleth us, that justification is regeneration ; and to faith there is no sin.

CHAP. XVIII. That we are not justified until we believe.

WEe hold against Antinomians that we are never justified till we believe. They say from eternity we were justified ; or from the time that the Messiah died, all sins were finished, and we justified, or from our birrh. But justification in God's decree and purpose from eternity, is no more justification then Creation, sanctification, glorification, the crucifying of Christ, and all things that fall out in time; for all these were in the eternal purpose of God. 2. In justification, our sins are, in their guilt, fully done away, as a thick cloud, cast in the bottom of the sea, remembered no more, sought for, and not found ; if all this was done from eternity, believers were never sinners, never children of wrath, really, as Paul saith; never dead in sins, never enemies to God, or ungodly ; they were only such in a mental consideration. 3. It is true, God loved his chosen ones from eternity to salvation; and from that love, sent his Son to die, to wash, justify, and sanctify them; but this is not their justification, but a fruit of justification in time. When our time is the time of love, and we are dying in our own blood, he washeth us . 4. We behooved to believe from eternity, for we are justified by Faith. 5. All the justified have a real union and interest in Christ, to live by faith, and wait on God in all their troubles by faith; but though their be an union of love in God's mind from eternity, between the elect and God, yet a complete union between us and Christ, without the Spirit, and without any faith, though it be boldly asserted by Familists, is against the Scripture: for then might we be borne again, and not receive Christ by faith, contrary to the Scripture; and be united to Christ, as branches to the Vine-tree, and not abide in Christ, have Christ dwelling in our heart, and not by faith, contrary to Paul ; so might Christ live in us, and we eat and drink him as the true Manna, have the Son, and yet want faith, contrary to the Scriptures. All which, or most of them, prove that we were not justified, when Christ died on the cross. 6. All that are justified, are inseparably sanctified and called, • nd the blessing of justification hath with it, the receiving of the promise of the Spirit, through faith, and peace with God, through the Lord Jesus Christ, access by faith into grace, whereby we stand, rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God, glorying in tribulation, patience, experience, hope ; but many for whom Christ died have none of these, till they be justified by Faith; the distinction of justification in, or before God, or to our own sense by faith, will not help this; for the Scripture nowhere speaketh of justification, but by faith only; the meritorious price of our justification is paid on the Cross, but that is not justification.

CHAP. XIX. God's love of good will, and of good liking, a warrantable distinction.

NOr can we stand to that Antinomian ground: that in Justification there is no change of our state and spiritual condition before God ; and that God hath the same love to us, before and after conversion, and that it is a vain distinction of God's love of good will, called amor, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , vel benevolentiae, and good liking, amor complacentiae because God loveth, because he loveth, and for no cause in the creature, not their most eminent works, done by the influence of Gospel-grace.

But if this distinction be right taken, it hath an evident ground in Scripture. We teach that the love of benevolence and good will is the liking, free delight, and choice of the person to glory, and to all the means, even to share in Christ's Mediatory love, and the fruits of his death: in this love he willeth, and ordaineth, and layeth up good and happiness for us, expecting no payment at our hand, the other love is only denied by Antinomians, but without ground; for this love of complacency is of things, not of persons; and when we say, God loveth his Saints, for their inherent holiness, and delighteth in them for it; we mean no other thing, then that God loves the sparkles of his own rarest work, his saving grace, so far as to make it a means to fulfill the love and gracious decree of good will, of free election; not that any new immanent act of love, arises towards the person loved, that was not in God toward that person from eternity: but the truth is, God first createth a lovely, and love-worthy object, and then out of that love that createth being, and the lovely object, he goeth on to continue the former act of loving and delighting in that object, and rendereth it more lovely. Creatures cannot create the object of their love, but find it created to their hand, and expect to have some perfection added to them in an union of love, with that excellent thing they love, and they are often deceived; and ever their love hath a cause, and hire, and reward in the thing loved. Now, when it is said, that God loveth all that he hath made, then he created his own lover, and his own love. 2. When he loveth the chains and bracelets about the neck of his Spouse, Cant. 4. He there createth, in his Christ, a new rare piece liker to himself, then the works of pure and simple creation; this is not pure love, but a continuation of his creating good will; nor doth the creature engage God to love it; but as divine love gave being to these ornaments of grace, the inherent holiness in his Bride; so that the same love continueth it self in delighting in his own work. 3. So he is said to love his Bride; for, or because of her excellency and beauty, that he putteth on her ; and still he loveth his own in Christ, for his own rare workmanship, not that the creature was cause or begetter of that love; and he crowneth his own gifts, not our merits, saith Augustine, his own work, not our work; for we are mere vessels to contain grace as grace; and mere patients in this love: and so he loveth Christ's imputed righteousness in us; and this righteousness imputed is not simply eternal, but hath its rise in time. If then Antinomians say, we make our time-holiness a cause and condition of eternal love, they must remove this objection themselves; for imputed righteousness which they make the cause of eternal love will stand against them, more then against us. For we say, both imputed and inherent righteousness are mere conditions, no causes of eternal love, and that not simply, but as they are protracted and continued, to carry us on to glory; yea imputed righteousness is no more a cause of eternal love, being only a thing temporary, and not eternal, à parte ante, nor inherent righteousness; so must all these be expounded. The Lord loveth the righteous. The Lord loveth truth in the inward parts, he taketh pleasure in them that fear him. The Lord is ravished with one of his Spouses eyes, with one chain of her neck; to him she is all fair, and not a spot in her. All these include not only inherent holiness, but imputed righteousness, and both have their use in time, but can never prove that our time excellency, whether imputed or inherent, is the cause, condition, reason, merit, or ground of the Lord's eternal, immanent, and unchangeable love; but the fruits thereof and the condition of its continuance. And that our Lord loves us with the same love of complacency, that is, that he driveth on his chariot paved with love, in sweet fruits of free election, the same way, with the same delight; But that when the justified person, whores, swearers, kills the innocent, denieth the Lord Jesus, as did Peter, and David, God loveth us as much as when they believe, pray, walk in all holy conversation, and that God is not a whit displeased with the Saints, for these sins, because all his displeasure, or revenging justice, was drowned and swallowed up in Christ's sufferings, is to us abominable.

CHAP. XX. There is a real change of our state in justification,

YEa, clearly before God, there is an excellent change in the state of the Saints, from ungodliness to justification, so as they were not from eternity, nor before they believed, justified and godly, 1. because the Lord saith, In time past the Gentiles were no people, and obtained no mercy, and now are a people, and have obtained mercy. Jerusalem was once polluluted in her own blood, and the Lord looked on her so, and he washed her, and adorned her. 2. The Apostle was once to God a blasphemer, a persecutor, and God saw him so, else neither was the Apostle so, nor could he speak truth in saying so, but he obtanied mercy. So in other Scriptures a most real change is holden forth, and that in God's eye.

CHAP. XXI. We mixe not works and grace in the matter of Justification.

WEe utterly deny that Antinomians can make good their charge, that we mixe works and the Law in matter of justification, with faith, and the free grace of God.

1. Works done by grace smell of the mired fountain they spring from, they are polluted with sin; now Paul Rom. 3. saith, All Jews and Gentiles have sinned, none doth good. Psal. 14. Psal. 53. Void of sin, therefore by the Law can no flesh be justified; and so the righteousness by which we stand before God must be free of sin, and free of a breach deserving a curse, which must fall on us, if we continue not in all the Law in the most gracious works we can do, yea, if not in all that the Law requires to the least jot or tittle; we are not justified now with such a Gospel-inherent righteousness as no man hath.

2. Christ must be a Savior by halfs and quarters, if we divide the righteousness of our Savior between faith or works, between Christ and our merits. Free grace is a jealous thing, and admitteth of neither compartner, corrival, or fellow with Christ. Paul will have his own righteousness in the plea, but dung.

3. It quite brangleth the peace of God that issueth from justification, that it is a peace that free will createth to myself from my own works, and not a peace dipt in satisfactory blood.

4. It taketh much glory from Christ, that we wear a garment foreternitie of our spinning, better the wedding garment be begged, and all its threads be of free grace, and that full glory be given to the Lamb .

5. Law and Gospel, Grace and Law-payment must be confounded.

6. Christ must die in vain.

CHAP. XXII. Antinomians deny sin to be in the justified.

ANtinomians will have no sin remaining at all in a justified person, and nothing contrary to God's holy Law ; And Crisp saith, Its close removed, as if it had never been. All which is true of the Law-guilt, and actual obligation to eternal wrath, but of the Essence, being, or blot of in-dwelling-sin in us, its most false. 1. Pardoned sin, that Christ paid for, is so sin, that if we who are pardoned, John and the rest of believers, who have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (2.) Who (even of the justified) can say I have made my heart clean, I am pure (inherently) from my sin? there is not a just man on earth, that doth good, and sinneth not. There is none that doth good, (not David who is justified by faith) no not one. 3. The flesh, in the regenerate, sins and lusts against the Spirit, and the holy Law of God, and the body of sin, though subdued, having lost the Kingly dominion, as a Tyrant, though not the nature; and being (as Augustine saith) of sin, as an underling dwelleth in all the justified, but is not imputed. 4. What we want of the perfection that God requireth to be in our sanctification, and mortification, which are but in growing, while we are in this life , must be sinful imperfection. 5. For we daily ask of our Father which is in heaven, forgiveness of sins ; which we could not do, except sin remained in us: nor do we with Papists say, that Christ but covereth, but washeth not away our sins in his blood, for the guilt obleiging to satisfactory punishment, is fully washen away not covered only.

CHAP. XXIII. Antinomians say, to faith there is no sin.

WEe judge that unsound, which Town saith, To Faith there is no sin, nor any unclean heart ; for then should Christ dwelling in the heart by faith, and sinning, be inconsistent, which is known to be contrary to Scripture; to the experience, weaknesses, complaints of the Saints groaning under a body of sin, as captives in bolts and iron fetters. 2. And must argue, that whoever believe, are as perfect as Angels in heaven. 3. That a justified person believeth not only pardon, but the perfection of Angels, and that he sinneth not, and must be perfectly sanctified, if he believe a lie, to wit, that he sinneth not, but is perfectly holy; and this fancy they build on Luther's words perverted, who saith, I believe that there is a holy Church, which is indeed nothing else, but I believe there is no sin, no malediction, no death in the Church. Whereas Luther speaketh not of sin, in its in-dwelling blot, but of sin as in point of Law, it doth actually curse, condemn, and inflict the second death; in which sense, in point of free justification, there is no sin in the invisible Church of the justified and effectually called Saints. Saltmarsh Free grace, pag. 154. Thus the Scripture calleth us ungodly, and sinners, and children of wrath: not that we are so, but seem so: or not so in God's account, but in the worlds.

CHAP. XXIV. The reign of Faith not absolute, as Antinomians say.

ANtinomians will have the reign of faith so absolute, that in faiths kingdom of grace, there is no sin, which were more then a golden heaven on earth: for so 1. Faith were perfectly strong, and in the highest pitch of fullness of perfection in all the justified. 2. If, withal, the whole moral acts of a justified person, should flow from no other spring, but this strong faith, ever acting us to good. But we cannot yield to either Libertines, or Antinomians, that Faith is so absolute a Prince, as that all sin, rout, and branch, not only in its fullest dominion, but also in its being, and simply indwelling must be banished out of Faiths dominions, so as once believing, we could no more, as sinful men, but must act as believers forever; but we think under faiths reign, sin dwelleth as an underling, as of old the Gibeonites dwelt, under conquering Joshua, and victorious Israel, as hewers of wood, and drawers of water. Yet these Canaanites were said to be spewed out of that good land. 1. Jure bell • , by the Law of conquest, and of victorious inheritors, as sometime they were. 2. They make the state of justification, a state of sinless and absolute perfection, and of complete sanctification, to which nothing can be added, which is not possible in this life, and then we should yield a scepter of highest royalty to faith. 3. If the Law of Faith did free us from the Law, as a rule of righteousness, good works were not our convoy and friends to accompany us to heaven.

CHAP. XXV. The Antinomians ground, that God seeth no sin in the justified, refuted.

WEe judge it abominable to say, that God can seen no Adultery, no lying, no blasphemy, no cozening, in believers, though they do fall in such enormities. It is true, he seeth no sins in believers, as a just Judge to condemn them, therefore; but will Antinomians, who deny that the Jews under the Old testament, and first covenant had a complete and full pardon of all their sins, say, the Jaakob of God, with whom God was in covenant in Balaam's time, and therefore that false Prophet could not be able to use enchauntment against them, were capable of such a complete remission, as that God could see no iniquity in them? God then must see some iniquity in Jaakob, and no iniquity in Jaakob. But sure, God must as God, that knoweth all things, and as a Father see all the sins that justified persons commit. But Antinomians deny, that the sins of believers, committed after they are justified, are sins at all, and so God cannot see them to be sins, which are not sins; but so we cannot see sin in ourselves, except by the sight of unbelief, which is a false sight. And that is their meaning, which I prove. Because saith Eaton of that which is not, there is no temporal punishment, correction, or pain; forgiven sin is not, or hath no being before God, Joh. 1.29. Therefore of forgiven sin, there is no punishment. I assume. But David's Adultery, Peters denial, all the sins that the justified, yea, of all the elect, are (say Antinomians ) pardoned and remitted, before they be committed, and taken away on the Cross, by Christ's blood ; then the sins committed by justified persons, are no sins. 2. To faith there is no sin (saith Town. ) 3. There is no sin under the reign of faith. 4. Nothing remaineth in a justified person that is sin.

But that God seeth sin in the justified, though not as a Judge to condemn them for sin, is clear. 1. He seeth the thoughts a-far off, and knoweth all things, and so must know evil and sinful thoughts. 2. He forbiddeth David's Adultery in the 7. Command, and Peters denial of his Lord in the 3. Command, even after they are justified persons, except David, because justified, have a dispensation to sin under the Gospel, contrary to the Word . 3. The Lord rebuketh sins in the justified, in David, . in Peter, Get thee behind me Satan. 4. The Lord punisheth sins in the justified . 5. He is displeased with them, do ye provoke the Lord to jealousy. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord. Sure not so as to condemn David eternally, then there must be in God another displeasure, for sin, by which he must see it as sin, then his everlasting displeasure. 6. The Lord recordeth the sins of justified persons in his Word; as of Moses, David, Peter, John. 7. He hateth them. 8. Giveth his Saints grace to see and bewail them. 9. Directeth them as sins to his own glory, which he could not do, if he saw them not as sins committed by his elect, to manifest the glory and riches of his free grace.

CHAP. XXVI. Confession required in the believer.

TO confess sin in the justified, cannot be a work of unbelief. I have sinned, saith David. 2. And forgiveness is promised to the sins confessed by believers nor can it be said, that the justified may confess their sins committed before their effectual calling, as Paul doth, or that the Church may confess their sins, according to the unjustified and unregenerated number that are mixed with the visible Church; because these truly, as they make one visible body with the justified, have sinned. To which I answer. 1. By the Antinomian grounds, Paul's sins which he confesseth, 1 Tim. 1.13, 14, 15. were pardoned before they were committed, and so taken away, as if they were no sins, before they can be named blasphemy, or persecution, and so Paul must lie in calling himself the chief of sinners ; for he could never truly say to God, he was a sinner; pardoned sins to Antinomians are no sins. 2. Antinomians must say, there were not one elect nor regenerated of that part of the Church, of which Moses speaketh; and Isaiah, Daniel, Jeremiah, when the Church saith, Thou hast set our sins in the light of thy countenance; and our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us ; which Antinomians can never prove, and is a mere conjecture, and manifestly false, for that company confesseth▪ Psalm. 90. Who had God their God from everlasting to everlasting, Vers. 2. and that saith Isaiah. 64.8. But now, ô Lord, thou art our Father ; and who acknowledgeth God to be their hope and Savior, Jer. 14.8. Nor is it confession, that we have sinned, as Crisp saith, to acknowledge that Christ hath satisfied for our sins. 1. Because confession is an acknowledging, what we have done against the law of God; that is, to acknowledge not what we have done against the Law, or what we are, but what Christ hath suffered, according to the Law and will of God. 2. Confession is an act of sorrow expressed in words; But that is an act of Faith flowing from joy and assurance, that Christ hath died for our sins.

CHAP. XXVII. The Law is yet to be preached to believers.

THe Law is yet to be preached, as tying us to personal obedience, whatever Antinomians say on the contrary; in the covenant of works, personal and perfect obedience was craved. Antinomians judge that by the Gospel, Christ hath done all for us, which is most true in the kind of a meritorious and deserving cause, satisfying justice, but they do loose us from all personal duties, or doing ourselves, or in our own persons, so as we should be obliged to do, except we would sin. We think the same Law-obligation, but running in a Gospel-channel of Free-grace, should act us now as if we were under a covenant of works, but not as if the one were Law-debt, and the other wages that we sweat for, and cometh by Law-debt; Antinomians make all duties a matter of courtesy. Yet would we wish 1. Preachers to extol Christ, and study Christ as their daily Text, and heighten free grace. 2. Preach Christ the garland, crown, and flour of all duties. 3. Press duties as taking their rise from Gospel-grace, and running as in a channel of free grace, and into Christ's bosom. 4. Let people often know, doing is no merit. 5. That self-righteousness is the great Idol, the bosom and breast-God brought up with us from our youth, and warmed with us in Egypt with our first life-heat. 6. That imputed righteousness is a way too high for a fool, from the womb, while grace casts us in a new mould. 7. That literal, and moral preaching of dead and letter-works, too Seneca -like, is far from the Gospel-free-Spirit, and the subduing of corruption; that Moral Philosophy of virtues and vices cannot draw blood of a wounded conscience. 8. That Antinomians vainly argue from the strength the Law giveth, to obey (which is as good as nothing of it self, without the Spirit) to disannul all binding power of the Law. 9. Beware of license to the flesh, under the coat of liberty of the Spirit; and let none think that Law-curses, looseth us from all Law-obedience; or that Christ hath cried down the ten Commandments ; and that Gospel-liberty is a dispensation for Law-looseness; or that free grace is a lawless Pope. Grace is active, dutiful in acting, thankful, holy, solicitous in doing, as if there were not a Gospel; free, fearless, bold; as if there were not a cursing Law; tender of the honor of the Law-giver, and of Gospel-glory due to him who justifies the ungodly.

CHAP. XXVIII. Strict and precise walking, a necessary and commanded Gospel-duty.

THe quitting of our own righteousness is scarce a toe, or an inch of that large body of strict, precise, and accurate walking in all manner of godly conversation; so far is the strait and narrow way from being nothing, as Antinomians say, but only believing and disclaiming our own righteousness ; Nor did the Spirit of God speak that for want of the knowledge of love; we walked very uncomfortably spending our time in fasting, weeping, mourning, praying, reading, and hearing, and in performance of other duties, and all to get Christ. Suppose that heat be natural, holy fire, from a right principle. Rom. 12.15. in a right object. Gal. 4.18. in a right manner, and due end, Numb. 25.15. ye cannot be too holy, except God be too holy. 1 Pet. 1.15, 16. if the path be hell-ward, the fervor of the pace makes it worse. If it were to merit Christ, and make purchase of him, I should say this weak man saith right; and Town also who saith, away with your strict injunctions ; as if he would nick-name Gospel-grace to be a sour and uncomfortable Puritan. But 1. sure the needles eye is a strict way, 2. Travelers must sell all, and buy the pearl; hate father and mother —yea, and their own life: so run that they may obtain, strive for the mastery, resist unto blood. As strangers and Pilgrimes abstain from fleshly lusts, (this is more then lusting after selfrighteousnesse) that war against the soul; fight, endure hardness, overcome, die in the cause, and war your mothers son on, walk 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , accurately, Puritanically; beware of the • east spot of the flesh ; and of the very wrong use of the lip, or glimpse of the eye. 3. Many seek to enter in, and shall not be able; and the righteous shall scarcely be saved. Antinomians say, we are Pharisees in all this; and that God ever intended to man a pleasant and a comfortable life ; he meaneth, loosed from the sour life of a Precisian. But Antinomians shall wish to die Puritans. Matth. 5.47. what over-banck or singular thing do you?

CHAP. XXIX. God is truly angry with the sins of elect, and believers.

ANtinomians hold, that God cannot be angry at the sins of the justified, because they are done away, and abolished in Christ. Anger is in God (saith Saltmarsh) only by way of allusion and Allegory. God is not angry at the sins of the elect (saith Town, ) and Eaton. Its true of anger flowing from justice, which Christ hath fully satisfied, and removed; but not true of Anger and displeasure against the sins of the justified, both to hate, rebuke, and correct their sins, though God hate not their persons. 1. Because then God should be angry at no sins committed by the elect, before their effectual conversion, as well as after; for both these sorts of sins are abolished in Christ's blood, ere they be committed. 2. The Adultery and murder committed by David, when he is justified by Christ's imputed righteousness, the same way that we are, displeased the Lord. The Lord covered Zion with a cloud in his anger. How long Lord, wilt thou be angry forever? How long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people; all our days are passed away in thy wrath. The Lord was angry with me (saith Moses) for your sake. The Lord was very angry with Aaron. Though thou wast angry with me (saith the Spouse of CHRIST) thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. And in the New Testament Christ rebuketh Peter in Anger, Get thee behind me, Satan, for thou art an offense to me. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger then he? 3. The command laid upon believers, Thou shalt not Murder, cannot not be an Allegorical command, nor was it a figurative sword that followed David's house for his sin; nor doth the Lord speak by figures, after the manner of men, when he saith to believing Ephesians, Honor thy Father and thy Mother. And the Lord's hatred of, and displeasure at the sins of a son, may well stand with love to his person, except the Adultery of the justified be no Adultery.

CHAP. XXX. The justified countable to God for sin.

ANtinomians hold that the justified are not countable to God for sin. Its true, they are not thus far to be countable for sin, that they must suffer eternal wrath and answer the Law-suit and plea of sin-revenging justice, which Christ answered; but they are so countable for their sins, as if they receive five talents, they sin, if they gain not ten. 2. They are to fear sin, before it be committed, as being under the Law, and to look for the rod of men, and temporary corrections after it. 3. Nor can Antinomians deny but temporal punishments, as well as eternal are threatened in the law.

CHAP. XXXI. God punisheth sin in believers.

SO doth the Lord inflict temporary punishments, and spiritual, on unbelievers, though David for his Adultery, felt not the stroke of revenging justice; yet sure it was Evangelike justice; that he who took another man's wife secretly, that lay in his bosom, and killed the innocent husband with the sword of strangers, that another should take his wives openly, and lie with them before the Sun, and that the sword in his own house should persue him; and the one brother kill the other: and it was just, that Peter who proudly trusted in his own strength, should fall on his own weight, and deny the Lord. And these that eat unworthyly, should eat judgment ; and for this cause many among the Corinthians were weak, many sickely, many dead. Zacharias was stricken with dumbness because he believed not the Angels word, Luke 1. 2. The Covenant in which perseverance is promised, threatening the rod of men to believers that transgress the Lord's Law, prove the same. 3. God was angry, and in a merciful anger, punished Moses, Aaron, Solomon, Jehoshaphat, Nor is it of weight, that God smote men to death in the Old Testament for light sins, but its not so in the New; he is not so severe now. But is not our God (even in the New Testament) a consuming fire? Were there ever more Hell-like vengeance that fell on any then on Jerusalem ; so as Christ said, barren wombs should be blessed, and they should cry, hills fall on us, and cover us. 2. Did believers in the Old Testament make satisfaction to revenging justice for their sins that Christ did bear? 3. Were there any half satisfactions made by men to infinite justice? 4. Were they their own redeemers from Hell?

CHAP. XXXII. Believers are to mourn for sin.

WEe judge the Spirit of grace to be a mourning spirit, They shall look on me whom they have pierced, and mourn. They that escape shall be on the mountains, like the doves of the valleis, all of them mourning, everyone for his iniquity. 2. As this is promised, so is it practiced; Peter having denied his Lord, remembered the words of Jesus — went out, and wept bitterly: and a woman that was a sinner stood at Jesus feet, behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears. We roar all like Bears, and mourn like doves, —for our transgressions are multiplied. 3. It is commanded Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning. 4. Mourners are blessed. Antinomians after Adultery, rapine, bid us believe, rejoice; for God loveth not heaviness, dullness, sorrowful cogitations: there is nothing to a believer but joy, comfort, rejoicing; sorrow for, or sense of sin, is sorrow for a shadow, and sinful unbelief, for pardoned sin is no sin. But (say we) pardoned sin is sin, and sorrow for offending him whom we have pierced, is the Gospel-groaning of the Turtle, and sorrow according to God ; and this is the Libertines mortification to sin, without sorrow or sense; and to know and feel sin after it is committed, said Da: Georgius, is an act of the flesh: and the taste of the apple that Eve did eat, say the Libertines.

CHAP. XXXIII. To crave pardon for sin, or to have any sense of sin denied to believers by Antinomians.

VPon this ground, its a work of fleshly unbelief, (say they) that a justified David crave pardon of sins committed after he is justified, 1. But why more of sins committed after, then before justification? for both sorts of sins are removed by the blood of Christ's Cross, and cease to be sins, as Antinomians teach: and if we be justified ere we believe, a believer having committed Adultery, must • lie, when he saith, out of the sense of sin, Lord, in this, I have sinned against thee. These that call God Father, Mat. 6.12. pray for forgiveness daily.

Sense of sin is an act of unbelief to Antinomians, if believers judge sin pardoned to be sin, or anything but a slip in our conversation before men, not a breach of a Law in the sight of God, and if they judge of adulteries, and murders committed after they believe pardon in Christ, as of sins to be mourned, or humbled for, they judge amiss, not by the light of Faith, but by the carnal feeling, and mis-apprehension of sense, reason, the flesh. So to be deadened to all sense of sin, to have a conscience burnt with a hot iron, is mortification.

CHAP. XXXIV. Antinomians hold, we are in the boiling of our lusts, without any foregoing humiliation, immediately to believe on Christ.

VPon this ground, that we are justified by Christ's bearing our sins on the Cross, and before that of unbelievers, by the grace of Christ, we be made believers, without any real change of our state and condition before God; or any humiliation of soul, or sickness for the want of Christ, we are immediately to believe in Christ, though remaining Adulterers, Murderers, Paricides, &c. Yea, nor is salvation tied to belief, nor is Faith a condition, without which no man can be saved. And a man may be the greatest sinner imaginable, and Christ may be his Christ. So that Christ may be the Savior of a believer, and he truly united unto him; Christ may dwell in his heart by faith ; and in that same state and time he be kept captive in the snare of the Devil at his will; and he walk according to the course of the world, according to the prince of the power of the air, that now worketh in the children of disobedience ; which clearly stateth, a communion between Christ and Belial, God and the Devil, the enemy of God, in one and the same soul.

CHAP. XXXV. Of spiritual poverty and how its mistaken by Antinomians.

TRue poverty of spirit doth not kill and destroy all sight of grace in ourselves, as Antinomians say, and when we have grace, to see we have no grace. its grace (saith Town. ) But it is true, to know that we are poor, wretched, blind, and of ourselves miserable, is spiritual poverty: and the more we find our nothingness, money-less, and beggarly condition, the more grace: because the poverty of humility is riches; he is nearest to Christ, who findeth he cannot buy him. 2. Its true, that not to be too quick-eyed in a reflect knowledge, to know our graces, and not to rest on them; nor make big undertakings, as Peter did, that we can do all, is also spiritual poverty. A believer cannot lay a sowme and a great wodfie on himself; but grace doth not undervalue grace, and belie the Spirit in it self. 1. The Saints give judgment of their own graces; Lord I believe I am black, but comely as the tents of Kedar, I slept but my heart waked; for I am the least of the Apostles, and am not meet to be called an Apostle, — but by the grace of God I am that I am. In which the Saints do lay low themselves, yet not slander the holy Spirit in themselves. If I may not slander another, then may I not slander Christ in myself. 2. The office of the Spirit is to know the things that are freely given us of God. 3, The Spirit of Christ doth not counter-work himself, Now his light lets us see the work of grace in us, for our own comfort, grounds of rejoicing, and that we may see our debts, and we may praise Christ, because we cannot pay him.

CHAP XXXVI. Repentance mistaken by Antinomians.

REpentance is not (as Den saith) a part of Faith, or a change of the mind, to look no longer for righteousness from the Law, but from Christ ; but a change of the endeavors to please God, whereas before, self was our God, and an endeavor to turn 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 endeavor new obedience, and amendment of life. Faith is an apprehension of Divine truth, to which we give credit; or an heart-dependence and recumbence on God through Christ 4. We are justified by faith, never by repentance. We think not that tears wash away sins; Protestants ▪ speak not so.

2. Nor that they make peace with God by tears; they make way to sense of peace, or awake us to run to a promise: the formal bottom of our peace, in regard that the Lord promiseth to revive the contrite Spirit, to accept broken bones, to comfort mourners in Zion ; and we think neither repentance, nor good works, proper and formal 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 terrors of the Law: as a captive keepeth the high way, because his Keeper leadeth him in an iron chain. Nor 2. these which flow from the sole authority of God as Lawgiver. Or 3. which issue from mere moral principles, without saving grace: but these we call good works in an Evangelical sense, that not only are done from the authority of the Law-giver, but also from a mediatory and Evangelike obligation, from the sweet attractions and drawing cords of the secrets of Christ's love. And 2. from Evangelike faith that purifieth the heart. 3. From Physical principles, and supernatural 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 noon-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 ways to the other; especially when from God's free promise of the blessings of this life, and that which is to come ; the Lord hath made a pass between the one and the other; and the Lord hath tied himself to himself, not to us, to carry on grace out of mere grace. Every branch that bringeth forth fruit in me (saith Christ) my Father purgeth, that it may bring forth more fruit, unto everyone that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance. He that soweth to the spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. There is a harvest promised to this sowing; as to a special furtherance of our reckoning in the day of Christ; he that soweth bountefully, shall reap bountefully, yea sent once and again unto my necessity; not because I desire a gift; but I desire fruit that may abound to your account, if ye, through the spirit, do mortify the deeds of the flesh, ye shall live. But being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in thorough the gates into the city. And lest we should think the commands are all but one only precept of believing, he addeth for without are Doggs and Sorcerers, and Whoremongers, and Murderers, &c. He that hath my commandments, 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 myself 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 eternal to him that doth his Commandments: only the question is, in what terms the promise is made to the doer of God's will, as a doer, or as a believer, whose faith is fruitful, and with child of Evangelike doing.

But we may say the formal promise of the covenant of grace is made to believing, 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 eternal, made to Evangelike and imperfect 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 vain faith, and cannot justify us. 3. They are the end, for which Christ redeemed us, that we should live to him, be redeemed from our vain conversation, from the present evil world, that we should be a purified peculiar people to him, zealous of good works, and in this title also they are commanded. 4. They are conditions without which we cannot be saved. For John the Baptist taught this with the Gospel, Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be hewn down, and cast into the fire. What shall we do to be saved, receiveth this answer, Repent, and be baptized everyone of you; Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish. 5. They are commanded as acts of the new creature; and partly, as contrary to sinful fiery, and mighty temptations of Satan, and the flesh, as mortification to fleshly lust, faith to unbelief. Partly as expressions of thankfulness for the free redemption in Christ, and commanded in the Law, in the great Commandment of the loving of God with all our heart, just as this Law of loving God did oblige Abraham to offer his Son Isaac for God, and Judah to be thankful to God, for redeeming them out of the Babylonish Captivity; though the Law neither commanded any father to offer his Son, nor the people to return from Captivity; yet the eternal Law of love commandeth both these, and us to do, what ever God-Redeemer commands us, as well as what ever God the Law-giver enjoineth; only we cannot say, Good works do merit salvation, or purchase right to life eternal, Christ's blood is only so a ransom 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 Crisp saith is not of God; But withal (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 formal 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 conditional,

ANtinomians deny all conditions of the covenant of grace, of justification, or of salvation, or that the Gospel hath any conditions at all. Yea though ye should not believe, yet God is faithful, and cannot deny himself to be your Redeemer. So (saith Saltmarsh ) its not the way of a covenant that the Gospel useth, but rather the promise or grace and salvation. It is true, if we take a condition. 1. For an antecedaneous quallification going before Redemption, the Gospel is no covenant of grace, so as God will neither redeem us in Christ, nor propose a covenant of grace, nor transact covenant-ways to be our God, while we believe. So faith is no condition. Antinomians ignorant of the doctine of Protestants, fancied that of us; Nor doth it follow, as Crisp and Antinomians say, Faith, obedience, and repentance are not conditions, because pardon, and justification, and salvation go before them; or because by them we purchase not Christ, it only followeth, they are not such conditions as are antecedent, and purchase Christ, which we grant. 2. If a condition be taken in Law terms for a condition, qualification, or something that issueth from free will, without the determining grace of Christ, and such a condition as salvation and righteousness imputed dependeth on, in a proper way of condition; so faith is neither strictly a condition of justification, nor of righteousness, or salvation; because God of mere grace worketh, both the condition, faith and the thing conditioned; for a condition is properly a qualification, or work to be done by a party, by way of contract, league, and bargain, and done, of the parties own strength, as the one side, half, or quarter of a covenant, that obleigeth the other party, to bestow a favor or reward for the performed condition, as Arm • nians say, and neither in this sense, do we ascribe a condition to men. 1. Because Christ as surety undertaketh by promise to fulfill both our part, and his own, I will writ my Law in their hearts. Christ subscribeth the covenant for me, and himself, and leadeth our trembling hand at the pen, and causeth us consent; in this notion, the Gospel is all promise, rather then a covenant, or a bargain; and there is neither limb, nor lith, nor joint of the covenant, but its all pure grace, both work and wages. Antinomians cannot say that we teach, We are redeemed, justified, saved for faith, for works. But if a condition be taken Evangelically for a qualification wrought in us, by the grace of Christ, and without which we are not justified, nor saved; then to deny the Gospel to be a conditional covenant, is to bely the Gospel. For the whole Gospel saith, He that believeth, hath life, is freely justified; he that believeth not, is damned, and the wrath of God abideth on him. And that repentance and doing of God's will, and new obedience, are conditions, is evident by Scripture. Nor is it a Popish way by works, to say, We seek glory, and honor, and immortality by well doing. Works are not so much conditions of justification, as Faith is; yet are they conditions required in these that shall be saved. And because Christ worketh faith in us, it proveth it is not a condition of our own working, but not that it is no Evangelike condition.

CHAP. XXXIX. Of Mortification.

WEe judge Repentance, and Mortification of the old man, to be a personal turning from sin, and the abating of the lusts of the old Adam, a deading of the heart to the pleasures of sin, a growing in a heavenly disposition, to rise with Christ, and seek the things that are above ; flowing from the death and resurrection of Christ, apprehended by faith. Antinomians say, To repent, and to mortify sin, is to believe that Christ repented, and mortified sin for us, and obeyed the whole Law for us ; It is not, the not acting of sin, nor is it the mortifying, cleansing, and purifying our sins out of the sight of God, no not by the Spirit of sanctification, but it is to purify out of our own sight, and sense, before the world, and declaratively, these sins which the wedding garment hath purified out of the sight of God. What is Mortification (saith Den) but the apprehension of sin slain by the body of Christ? What is vivification but our new life? the just shall live by Faith. I must needs say, this is a shorter cut to heaven, and a more Honey-Gospel then Christ and his Apostles knew. For 1. They command us to mortify our members which are on earth, fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, &c. And to forbear lying, Antinomians free us from all personal mortifying ourselves, and put us on an imputative mortification, to believe that Christ hath satisfied justice for our fornication, and that Christ was chaste in his own person, and abstained from fornication, and lying, for us; this is to blow away all sanctification, and make justification all. 2. So, may we live in our lusts, and believe our lusts to be mortified in Christ, and they are so; and if we should live slaves of sins, and sons of the Devil, and under the dominion of our lusts, if we believe that Christ hath mortified our lusts, our naked act of believing, without any personal change in ourselves, maketh us sons of God; which is nothing else, but to turn the grace of God into wantonness. Antinomians tell us, it is but an abusing of grace to wantonness, to sin, because grace doth abound, and he that believeth cannot walk still and live according to the flesh, if he still lives in his lusts, his faith is no faith.

Answ. Its most true, if Faith be taken for the affiance and recumbency of a broken sinner on Christ; but the Antinomian faith is a persuasion of a fleshly Pharisee, standing on his tiptoes, proudly resisting Christ, burning in his lusts, and believing his boiling lusts are pardoned, and remitted before ever they were committed, and that they are no sins.

2. We grant it is not grace, but the abuse of grace, that teacheth David, Peter, to act adultery, and deny Christ: but if it be the grace of Faith, that is to believe, contrary to sense, that Adultery, and denial of Christ, are not sins; because sins pardoned are no sins, then grace it self doth teach us to sin.

3. We must be justified by mortification, if mortification, he the faith or apprehension of our lusts crucified with Christ.

4. When the Holy Ghost biddeth us believe, repent, pray, mourn, rejoice in God, we have this Gospel-sense of these from Antinomians, we do all this completely, when we believe that Christ believed, repented, prayed, mourned, rejoiced in God for us ; and there is an end: for sure the doing of all these, came from a Spirit of Faith, drawing life and strength out of Christ's death and resurrection to do all these; as we draw strength from Christ to mortify the lusts of the flesh.

5. The word expoundeth mortification not to be in relative acts to believe Christ mortified our, or his own lusts for us, but in real and personal acts of obedience, to be deadened to to the world, Gal. 6.14. To abstain from fleshly lusts, that war against the soul, from fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and such sins, for which the wrath of God cometh on the Children of disobedience, to wit, on the Gentiles that never heard the Gospel; now in reason, wrath cannot come on the heathen, who never heard of Christ, because they believe not that he, of whom they never heard, hath crucified those sins for them on the cross▪

CHAP. XL. Antinomians, the perfectists of our time, say, we and our works are completely perfect.

ANtinomians ascribe not only an imputative perfection, in that Christ's perfect righteousness is made ours, but also an inherent perfection to the Saints. But we judge our state and persons through Christ to be perfect, but our duties, and begun sanctification are not perfect, but is so in growing as the Moon, as a vessel not full to the brime and banks of the soul, it receives quarts and gallons more. Its true justification removeth the evil of works, as touching all guilt, or obligation to eternally revenging justice. But as Christ's grace addeth to our good works no dignity and perfection of meriting, as Papists say, so doth it not remove the inherent blot of sin, that cleaveth to our good works, so as it should give to these works, inherent perfection, and remove their sinful defects; for as sin dwelleth in our persons after we are justified, though it be not imputed: so doth sin cleave to our most gracious acts, but is not accounted on our score, because the surety hath answered our bill, and removed the sinful imperction from them, but hath not made them inherently perfect, so as there should remain nothing in the works of the justified, that is contrary to the Law of God.

But the truth is, Antinomians, with no face of truth, can say, that Christ removeth the sinful imperfections that adhere to our good works done by the Grace of Christ, when we are in the state of justification, because if nothing we do in the state of justification be sin; since pardoned sins to Antinomians are no sins, and have lost the nature and being of sin, being remitted and pardoned before they be committed, these sins that cleave to our good works are no sins, and so the good works must be perfect, as the person is perfect.

1. Because Antinomians go upon this ground, that nothing inherent in the persons, not the in-dwelling corruption of nature, nor the adherent sins that cleave to our works, nor anything a justified man can do, is sin, or contrary to the Law; but that person, or works, being pardoned, both are as perfect as the person and works of Christ. A most blasphemous ground; for what we want of perfect sanctification, (and we want much in this life) so far are we sinnefully imperfect. 2. Paul acknowledgeth his sinful imperfection, I find a Law in my members, rebelling against the Law of my mind, not as if I were already perfect 3. In many things we offend all: If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man. Hence the man that is perfect, sins not; but there is none in the earth that sinneth not, and doth good. 4. We crave pardon of sins, as we seek daily our daily bread? Its contrary to Christian humility, to say we are perfectly clean.

Object. God can accept nothing that is imperfect and sinful because they are accursed, Gal. 3.10. For God is verity it self, and will not suffer the loss of the least jot of the righteousness the Law requireth. But all our best works are polluted with sin. Town.

Answ. This proveth with the Papists, that God cannot judge us righteous by faith, because we are sinners in ourselves. 2. God cannot accept sinful works, as no sinful works at all, he cannot accept of sins as no sins, and of our good works as not polluted with sin in themselves, his judgment then should not be according to truth, true; but he can well accept our works, though polluted with sin, as pardoned and washen, not from their sinful imperfections, inherent, or adherent to them, (for then they should be intrinsically perfect, and God should judge amiss of them) but as washen from their guilt, and obligation to eternal wrath; so he can well judge them perfect in Christ. 3. Legally clean, so as they shall never actually condemn us; and 4. that of mere grace.

CHAP. XLI. Antinomians say, we are completely saved in this life as in heaven.

SO we think Antinomians fail wickedly with Libertines, who say, We are as actually saved, and as perfectly, as the glorified in heaven; and not in hope only, or in real beginning, in regard of Christ's sitting in heaven, and therefore good works can no more be the way to heaven (saith Town) then my walking in the City, in which I am already, can be my walking to the City. But so while we are absent from the Lord in the body, even in this life we should be in heaven, whereas the dissolution of our earthly tabernacle, the raising of us up at the last day, are between us and the full redemption of our bodies. And this is that which Libertines and Familists say, that all the resurrection of the body, and life eternal, they know is our union with Christ in this life, the Grammar of Hymenaeus and Philetus, who said, the Resurrection was already past. 3. We know but in part, our love is not perfected in this life, 1 Cor. 13.11, 12, 13. And we are not perfect men in Christ, till we meet all in the unity of Faith, Ephes. 4.13. (3) The general assembly of all the first borne, is not yet convened; we need a Temple, and Ordinances, and a Sun, and a Moon; in the other life the Lamb shall be our Temple. 4. The other life is such, as in it we can neither marry, nor die, but are as the Angels, Luk. 22.36, 37. Phil. 3.20, 21. 1 Cor. 15.40.41. (5.) Antinomians say, this dreaming that we are as clean of sin as Christ, and so Christed and Goded with Christ, as the Libertine Pocquius, said; Calvin. in Opus. pag. 463. and Nicholas the Libertine, cap. 34. (6.) Paul saith, We are saved by hope, and we hope not for what we have already. Our life is hid with Christ in God. 1. He that believeth hath life, not in the complete and full fruition; yet really, in the certainty of faith and hope. 2. In the right claim purchased by Christ. 3. In the beginning, first fruits, and the degrees of grace tending to glory.

CHAP. XLII. Our happiness is in sanctification, as well as in justification.

OUr happiness is not merely passive, as Town saith, and in being justified as if that were all; for though our blessedness be in justification, as the cause and fountain, in that sin is not imputed to us, yet it is in sanctification and acting of holy duties, as in the effect, in that there is no guile in the Spirit, that we are undefiled in our way, and are poor in Spirit, meek, that we mourn, hunger, and thirst for Christ, &c. 2. We should not oppose Antinomians, if they mean nothing, but that Christ is the seed, flour, and Mother-blessing, and that our chief blessedness is in being freely justified in his blood. 2. If their sense be that all blessedness in acts of Sanctification, do so far render us blessed, as they flow from the free grace of Christ, and as we bring forth fruits to God, being imped and engraffed in Christ, as a branch of wild Olive, is blessed, not because it is such a crabbed and fruitless branch, but because it is engraffed in the true Olive, and partaketh of the sweetness, life, and sap thereof, and from thence bringeth forth fruit; but we know Antinomians do reproach acts of Sanctification, as Pharisaical Popery. 2. That they call so walking, self-seeking of righteousness in ourselves; which to us is a cursed, not a blessed condition: and 3. they cannot endure that holy walking should be anything but a matter of courtesy commanded by no Law, nor by any written Gospel-command, but a fruit of the immediate acting of the Spirit. 4. They censure us for ascribing blessedness to any acts of Sanctification, whereas we say with our Savior, if we know these things; happy are we if we do them, they that hear the word of God, and do it, are more blessed then the womb that bare Christ, and they are blessed who do his Commandments, that keep judgment, that keep his testimonies, that keep the ways of wisdom, that suffer for Christ ; all which we judge inconsistent with that which Crisp saith, that Sanctification is not a jot of the way to heaven.

CHAP. XXLIII. Sanctification crushed by Antinomians.

ANtinomians while they clear themselves further then we can see in their writings, must be judged grand enemies to Sanctification. 1. They confound Sanctification and inherent holiness, which undoubtedly is imperfect, and in this life growing more and more into the perfect day, with Justification which is perfect; for nothing can be added to Christ's righteousness, yea, they destroy, and utterly cry down all Sanctification.

For, 1. Town saith, The new birth, Joh. 3.3. is our justification, or the making of us of unjust, just—and every true Christian is a fulfiller of the Law. Its true in regard of justification, but in regard of the inherent new life of grace, which is put in us in this life; we cannot fulfill the Law, except we be justified by regeneration, and our own works done by the grace of Christ, which Antinomians will not say; therefore all our inherent holiness to Antinomians must be nothing at all, but the imputed righteousness of Christ; so we have fulfilled the Law perfectly, as Christ hath done, and are regenerated, though there be no inherent holiness in us, nor any walking with God at all.

2. They teach That justification healeth the children of God, of the imperfections of Sanctification from before God, and that justification alone giveth to our good works both beauty and acceptance; so as they are made perfect, and free from sin adherent to, or inherent in them, and both our persons and works made so complete, that there is no blot of sin in them; nor any in-dwelling of original corruption, that hath the being or essence of sin. Yea, M. Eaton saith on these words, But now ye are washed, &c. What can be more plain then that the time, state, and condition, wherein they were foul and sinful was past and gone, but the time, state, and condition, wherein they were washed and made righteous to Godward by justification, and also to man-ward by Sanctification, was only present and biding forever. But Eaton, Crisp, Saltmarsh, Den, Town, and all Antinomians contend that there dwelleth no spot of sin, nothing contrary to the holy Law of God, in the Saints once justified, no more then in Christ himself, or the glorified in heaven ; then must our Sanctification be all one with our Justification, and as this is perfect, so is that; and what wonder the Adulteries of the justified, their perjuries, and lies committed after their justification, be no sins, nor they more capable of sinning in that case, then Jesus Christ; for pardoned sin (saith Eaton, Honey-comb, cap. 7. pag. 139.) is not, or hath no being before God. Antinomians answer, Before they be pardoned they are sins, and their Adulteries are truly then contrary to God's Law.

Answ. They were pardoned before they had being, or were committed, sixteen hundred years ago, on the Cross; then were all the elect justified; sure all these sixteen hundred years the elect could no more sin before God, or do any acts against a Law, then Christ, or the glorified Angels: not to say, that Adulteries of the justified had being before they were committed, and had no beei • g when they are committed, and have being, they have then no being: this is to say, sins are not, when they are, and have being, when they have none at all. God must take away common sense and bereave them of reason, who detain the truth of God in unrighteousness. But if sin be against Sanctification, as Fornication is directly; yea, and a fashioning of ourselves according to our former lusts, is as contrary to Sanctification by Peters arguing, and Paul's, as light is to darkness, and day to night; then the Saints Sanctification must be imperfect, and far different from justification, and to walk in Sanctification, to repent, to obey God, must be another thing, then to believe Christ walked for me in Sanctification, Christ repented, and obeyed for me.

3. Sanctification to Antinomians is not our personal walking in holiness before God, because walking in the flesh, and sinning, Adulteries, lying, swearing, deceiving, in justified persons, which are opposite to sanctification, are not sins before God, but only sins to our sense, and to our reason and experience, or to our feeling, to our flesh, or men-ward, or they seem sins to the world, but are not to God, in his account, and in the apprehension of faith (which seeth things as they are) sins at all. Now things that seem to be, and appear so to our unbelief, and misapprehending sense, are not so in themselves; so both our sins, we being once justified, and our acts of sanctification upon the same ground, must be mere fancies and delusions, and if we judge our lies, and murders, after we are once justified to be sins, it is our false apprehension. They must then be lying differences, that M. Eaton