Antinomianisme ANATOMIZED OR A GLASSE FOR The Lawlesse Who deny the Ruling use of the Morall LAW unto Christians under the GOSPEL By John Sedgwick B. D. and Pastor of the Church of God at Alphagâ— neer Cripple-gate London It is time for thee Lord to work for they have made void thy Law Psal 119. 126. LONDON Printed for Samuel Gellibrand and are to be sold at his Shop in Pauls Churchyard at the signe of the Brazen Serpent 1643. To the Reader Loving the Law of our God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ Faith and Obedience Beloved WHen I looked upon the old odious Heresie of the Antinomians condemned by the Art 7. Doctrine of our Church taking the advantage of the times Distractions newly to revive it self and to appear with its wonted face that cannot blush I thought at first following Saint Augustine to have said Non Cont. Petil. lib. 2. in venio quomodo te refellerem nisi ut aut jocantem irriderem aut insanientem dolerem And so to have passed them over in silence But finding the Fomenters to prevail and the Gangrene to spread especially among the weaker more ignorant and rude sort and that whilst some did seem to teach they did but infect using this cunning to utter some Truths to make way for their damnable Doctrines v. g. by crying up Free Grace Christs Righteousnesse and Gospel Libertie Doctrines of singular consequence and great use if rightly and purely opened and such as no man would suspect should be held out as Baits and Snares to intangle or draw men aside from the power of Faith to cast down Obedience and keep Christians from their dutie to God which stands in a care of keeping up their communion with him observing of his Minde and Will laid down in his Law Repenting and Mourning for Sin together with a speciall watchfulnesse against all sinfull courses I could do no lesse then shew my self in the Field against them not in respect of their * Magis misericordià digni quam invidià Persons but their Positions and Practises desirous to imitate those two worthy Lights Hierome and Augustine the one saying That Feci ut hostes Ecclesiae mei quoque bostes fierent Hier. Incomparabiliter pulcâ—rior est veritas Christianorum quam Helena Graecorum Aug. Ep. 9. he made the enemies of the Church and Truth his enemies And the other That he made the Truths of God more precious to him then Helene of the Grecians I am already resolved to bear with patience by the strength of Christ the hatred and the railings of the Fathers and Fautors of this Heresie not passing much their judgement Well I know with Hierome The Trueth may be blamed but not shamed Veritas laborare potest vinci non potest And that all their approbrious words the fruits of their Licentious Doctrine are like to the cry of an enemy afar off and as Hail-stones which do fall down about our ears without any harm I wish them soundnesse of head heart speech and Life As for you who know and feel the power of Holy Truthes and do desire to walk in Jesus Christ according to the Rule of Faith and Love laid down in the Law and Gospel Come and see Try all things 1 Thes 5. 21. Beleeve not every Spirit but try the Spirits whether they are of God because many false prophets are gone out into the world 1 John 4. 1. Be not of the fools minde to beleeve every thing Be not of the sick mans minde to be given to changes Neither be of their mindes who love to be picking and scraping in the dirt when heaps of corn are before them So root and ground your selves in the Trueth that you be not carried away like children with every winde of Doctrine and endeavour so to behave your selves That in Agesilaus changes you be not changed I hope that this ensuing Dialogue shall have as good successe as the Sermons themselves The Antinomians about the Citie were startled some of them were convinced confessing that they had been misâ—led other of them began to be ashamed of their own Doctrines affirming That they never taught against the Law it was onely their hearers mistake wherein they have made Sententias ejus prodidisse superasse est good that saying of Hierome It is a sufficient confutation of Heresie to lay it open I hope to hear that those few Ministers whose Parts and Lives are looked upon and into will be made wise and in stead of floods of words and shews of Truth which carry reality of poison to addresse themselves to soundnesse of Doctrine and to a form of wholsome words wherein they may expresse themselves and benefit those poor souls who yet are seduced and hardned by them if they shall continue in this Law-destroying and Dutie-casting-down course still infecting and infesting the people of God do you my brethren beware of them and withdraw your selves from them as enemies to the soveraigntie of God over Christians though they hatch and vent errours yet be not you intangled by them Let no man beguile you with entising words Col. 2. 4. For hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his Commandments 1 John 2. 3. This course of Obedience which is the grace of your Faith the credit of the Gospel the Will of God in Jesus Christ and the main drift of the ensuing Treatise keep up in Sincerity and Constancie hereby you shall rejoyce the soul of Your souls Servant John Sedgwick Perlegi Tractatum hunc cui Tirulus The Anatomie of the Antinomian quem quia singulari usui futurum Ecclesiis judico praelo mandandum censeo Julii 27. 1643. Ja. Cranford This Book intituled The Anatomie of the Antinomian I judge very fit to be Printed and very necessary for these times Edm. Calamy Errata In Pag. 12. l. 7. for command r. declare In p. 23. l. 29. for dot r. doth In p. 24. l. 2. for unfft r. unsit In p. 24. l. 3. for vave r. have In p. 30. l. 7. for adminstration r. administration In p. 35. l. 13. for 12. r. 2. In p. 46. l. 2. for and r. which The ANATOMIE of the ANTINOMIAN The Nomist MY loving friend and old acquaintance you seem by your countenance to be somewhat vexed in minde The Antinomist I have been at your end of the Town hearing one of your Legall Preachers who hath Preached such Stuffe as hath made me almost mad I could have found in my heart to have pluckt him out of the Pulpit Nomist Who are those whom you do stile Legall Preachers Antinomist To speak my minde freely unto you Set aside some six or The Antinomians modest language seven rare Phoenixes sprung out of the ashes of one Mr. Trask Eaton Shaw and others of that stamp I hold all the Ministers in London yea and of the whole Kingdom to be but Legall Preachers for as yet the Light is not revealed to them and they
or making void the Law as can be imagined there are who do reject the whole Old Testament shewing themselves therein adversaries to the Law and the Prophets I mean among our new lights which I thus evidence by their own sayings one of them teacheth That no other Word must be pressed upon men or preached unto men but the Gospel and the promises thereof Another saith That to preach onely the Gospel and to cast away Moses is the true way of preaching with which few of our Preachers have acquaintance Another teacheth He that makâ—th the Law a Rule of his life whatever he be in heart he is a Papist in practice And the same man was bold to vent That the Law was not of force to a believer no not as a Rule And as if he had not spoken enough his learned brother comes up the next day saying I deny that the Law is a Rule for believers nay let me tell you That it is no Rule for the unbelievers to walk by it shall be a Rule for God to condemne him by but it is no Rule for him to walk by Another of them saith That after a man is justified by Christ he is no more subject to the Commandments of the Morall Law he must do nothing in conscience of that Law he must not take himself to be bound to or by it Nay let me tell you beside this and the like stuff vented by them this they hold a Rule That you may not regard any thing that can be said against these or any other of their Tenets which shal be brought out of the Old Testament if you urge them with the Doctrine or examples thereof as against their way they presently give you this answer What do you tell us of these things they concerned Christians before Christs time and were done and spoken by men under another Covenâ—nt and adminstration of grace and life then we are shew me these and these things out of the New Testament and then I will hearken to you I pray tell me Is not this to make void the Law and to be a direct Antinomian 2. Another practicall This you shall observe That a Lawlesse 2. Practicall head a lawlesse heart and a lawlesse life seldome are divided Ministers that preach against the Law do practise against the Law though they carry the matter smoothly and covertly and people who are the followers and admiâ—eâ—s of such lawlesse Preachers do shew themselves to be sons of Belial whose wills are their Laws for they do professe That no Law of Moses shall binde them they trample Gods Commands under their feet saying Lâ—t us break their bands asunder and Psal 2. 3. cast away their cords from us It may be justly said of them as it was of Ephraim I have written to them the great things of Hos 1. 12. my Law but they were counted as a strange thing Mark well the place in the Law there was Honorabilia eximia but the people accounted them aliâ—na vilia I finde a fivefold evill among these men 1. That they break from the Morall Five evills in Antinomians Law by falling into forbidden courses and yet they can cry They sin not To be drunk to whore to lye to steal c. with such persons is no sin in them What saith an impudent creature of their way prostituting her self to unclennesse you do think you should sin if you should lie with me What Law doth forbid it unto us O horrible practise blush you Antinomians who are taught and do believe That being in Christ you cannot sin or if you do God cannot see it and Whether yon râ—pent or not repent it is all one for they are remitted unto you in an indifferent way 2. That they despise in their hearts and scorn in their speeches all such Christians who will not run wilde with them in their loose Opinions and wayes these they reproach under the names of Duty-mongers Duty-doers and followers of Legal Preachers they sit in the seat of the scornful deriding in a publike way that word of the Law and Gospel which doth detect and reprove the Doctrines and courses of licentiousnesse their Principles lead them into most shamefull and rude behaviour whilst they are in hearing of Grave Learned and godly Ministers who are not of their loose cut 3. That they â—all into a dislike of the duties of holinesse and the wayes of godlinesse the madnesse of their mindes is such that they cry out What have we to do with the dungie dirtie duties of sanctification We thank God through Jesus Christ that we have nothing to do with them We have a new Gospel that takes us off from Confession of Sins asking Pardon at Gods hands for Sins Mourning and repenting for Sin Fastings and Humblings these are works for Horn-book Christians Nay they do not stick to tell us That beleevers are to do duties onely in respect of men for God looks for none at their hands 4. That they leave off the Scripture in Sanctification as litigious to evidence their estate in grace they are drawn up to the old way of the Enthusiasts telling us That they are assured by Lights and Revelations one of them reports Delusions That since she came under these Preachers of Free-grace Jâ—sus Christ came and took her by the hand asked her Why she was so sad bid her to leave off her mourning for her sin and to be cheerfull for she did greatly dishonour the Gospel in being troubled for her sins And another of them reports That as she was sitting by the fire Christ came to her and bade her to pray that such a one who was of her acquaintance might have full assurance which she did and presently the partie received by a light from heaven full assurance 5. That they make such head against the Morall Law that they do exceed Papists and Prelates and do equall the fiercest Persecuters that ever the Church of God had the Papists blot out the second Commandment onely and the Prelates the fourth Commandment onely but these uno ictu destroy the whole Law imitating Manasses and Ammon who having drawn the people into Idolatry to hold them the better under it sought to suppresse the book of the Law you hold it to be a bold part in Jâ—hoiakim to cut the Roul in Pieces and to throw it into the fire You will say that the practice of Antio hus and Dioclâ—sian was abominable for they did cut in pieces all the books of the Law which they could come by making a wicked Edict forbidding the same threatning death to all those with whom this Book was found I pray tell me in what is the Practice of the Antinomians inferiour to theirs save in this That they have not the power of Tyrannie in their hands Nomist If this be their Doctrine and their doings that they cast off the binding power of Moses Law as it is a Rule for Service and Obedience I shall
Now if they were not bound to keep the Morall Precepts they did not and could not offend such must hold that beleevers cannot and do not sin who make void the Law unto beleevers the Apostle sheweth that the Morall Law concludes all under sin now that Law which concludes all men to have sinned concludes that all men have broken that Law if it conclude that Jews and Gentiles have sinned and broken it then it extends it self to them 3. If the Commandments of the Morall Law do not equally and universally binde men to their observance then the curse threatned upon the breach of that Law doth not appertain equally and universally to them for we read Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the Law to do them Gal. 3. 10. Here I would ask a proud Antinomist Doth the curse of the Law belong to all men yea or no If it doth then the Law concerns us Christians if he shall say It doth not then I affirm That he denieth his part in Christ it being written Christ hath redeemed us from the Curse of the Law being made a Gal. 3. 13. curse for us Reas 6 Sixthly The spirit of God doth write this Law in the hearts of all God children according to the promise I will put my Law Jer. 31. 33. into their inward parts and write it in their hearts If any shall scruple at the expression and think that by this Law is not meant the Morall Law I would desire them to consider what the Prophet Ezâ—kiel saith I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my Statutes and ye shall keep my judgements and do them Ezek. 36. 27. I pray note 1. That the Spirit The Spirit writing the Law what makes it his work to convey the minde of God in the Law into the minde of every Christian he doth by an enlightning act sufficiently instruct them in Gods authority over them and his will concerning them 2. That the Spirit doth by an act of efficacy engrave and write the Law in their hearts which is no other thing then the fastening of the power and authority of the Law together with a disposition to obedience upon the heart so that the heart shall be no more contrary to it but sweetly concurring with it I mean there shall be found these four things in a Christian 1. Obedientiall apprehension which is the basis and ground of all duty to God for without a clear and distinct knowledge and a spirituall discerning of the inward meaning and binding power of Gods Commandments a man shall never submit to the Law of God as the onely rule of life and obedience 2. Obedientiall disposition the frame of the heart shall be fitted unto acts of obedience and the disposition sweetly inclined to take up the yoke of all Divine injunctions so that with David they shall say I am ready to do thy will O my God Iâ—â—l â— 40. 8. yea thy Law is within my heart 3. Obedientiall desire such have wrought in them solid desires that the goings and steps of their hearts and lives may be answerably suited and matched with the righteous and pure Laws of God and all swerving from the same are grievous to them as being contrary to their minde and will they wish with David O that my wayes were directed to keep thy Statutâ—s Isâ—â— 19 5 and it is with them as it was with Paul Who did consent to the Rom 7 19. Law in his soul though he did swerve from the same in many particular actions the Spirit works this temper in the godly that there shall be an equall latitude between Gods Precepts and his desires i though there be much dutie which a Christian cannot do yet there is no dutie but he would do he saith I would keep good Laws but alwayes I do not keep them or alwayes I do not yet alwayes I would obey 4. Obedientiall expression the life of obedience is the obedience of the life and therefore the Spirit draws them out not onely into an outward profession but a sincere and reall practise of obedience that as the will so the deed as the heart so the hand shall be theirs they shall be made to put out their strength imploy their endeavours and to overcome themselves that they may obey the commands of heaven Now is this the work of the Spirit on the godly and shall we imagine that the Law is made void Reas 7 Seventhly Christ himself hath established and ratified the Morall Law for a Doctrine of obedience he doth professe that he Mat. 5. 17. came not to destroy or to put a period to it but to fulfill it now the fulfilling of it is not the destroying of it and if it be not destroyed by Christ then it remains the Law still and if a Law it bindes us to obedience Nay Christ made it his 4 Actions of Christ about the Law work in his Preaching to vindicate and assert the genuine and proper sence of the Law from the Pharisees corrupt and imposed glosses and interpretations further he became himself a patern and an example of obedience to the rule of the Morall Law in no one point swerving from the direction thereof and in a word he did frequently enjoyn men the right observation of the Law according as Moses had done before him Reas 8 Eighthly The Apostles of Jesus Christ have maintained the Doctrine of the Law in the oâ—ligation thereof unto dutie besides the Text now opening to you Consider how often doth he say Love is the fulfilling of the Law What frequent Rom. 13. recitals are there of the Commandments of God in the Epistles The Apostle presseth on children the dutie of reverence unto their Parents from the fifth Commandment saying Honour Eph. 6. 2. thy father and thy mother which is the first Commandment with promise S. James doth second S. Paul saying If ye fulfill Iam. 2. 8. the royall Law according to the Scripture Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self ye do well and the Apostle John in his Epistle doeth set on this Doctrine as you may easily observe Reas 9 Ninthly Beleevers before and after Christs time have reckoned themselves to be under the dutie and obligation of this Law David Hezekiah Josiah with many others stand upon record for their respect to Gods commandments and walking in the way of his will Zachary and Elizabeth kept them close to the Morall Law Luke 1. 6. And Paul did not onely consent Rom 7 16 22 to the Law that it was good And delight in it after the inner man but he professeth that with his minde he himself did serve the 25 Law of God Mark the phrase he did serve the Law which expresly notes his obligation by it and obedience to it nay the whole seed of the woman with whom the Dragon makes war are said to keep the Commandments
for Justification and the words are as if he should have said When a man shall put himself under the Law for Justification shall promise to himself an estate of eternall life for his obedience sake place his righteousnesse in graces received or duties performed this man puts himself under the curse Now tell me How doth this Scripture overthrow the binding power of the Law to duty May not a man believe in Christ and obey too Obedience hath the blessing not the curse annexed to it As for that place in Timothy I think it maketh nothing at all for you for the Apostle speaks of the right managing of the Law saying That the Law is good if a man use it lawfully 1 Tim. 1 9. opened Vers â— Now how is the Law used lawfully Is it not when it is rightly applyed to the punishing of offenders God nor man ever intended that any Law should be made to punish good men or that such should suffer under the colour of Law this were a great abuse of the Law and in it no small injury is done to an honest man that the Law which should be his protection should become his punishment nay he leads them on to such persons for whom the Law was ordained by way of punishment namely The lawlesse and disobedient for the ungodly and for sinners for unholy and profane c. This being the proper sense of the place How doth it take away the Law as a rule of obedience unto Christians Nay out of this Scripture I do inferre a Christians obedience to the â—aw he is one that walks so regularly unto it that it cannot be justly used against him as a rod to punish him Besides this I answer That the Morall Law is not yet put or given against a righteous man as a Bill of Inditement to accuse him as a Judge to condemn him to punishment or as a rod or whip to compell and force him to obedience he is carried with such an ingenious spirit to obey the Law of God that saepe legem praevenit transcendit as Chrysostome saith i he doth prevent the Law and is potius in illa quam sub illa rather in the Law or a Law to himself then under the Law as Augustine saith I hope Sir you see your mistake and are convinced that the Scriptures will not own your opinion Have you any thing else to say for your self Antinomian Object 3 Yea Sir I must tell you That our Preachers who have brought my self and others into this way teach and tell us Rom. 7 6. Vers 8. 14 That we are led by the Spirit and must serve God in newnesse of spirit and not in the oldnesse of the lâ—tter That we are to perform all acts of obedience dictamine charitatis i. e. by the instructing power and force of love and not by any Command of the Word much lesse of the Morall Law they resemble Christians unto trees which grow not by arguments and commands Evangelist Sol. 3 Unto what you tell me I shall give you these answers 1. That though the Spirit of grace be the supreme guide yet the Scriptures whereof the Morall Law is a part are a subordinate guide or rule for Christians obedience Our Divines Perkins in Gal. 23. call the one the inward and the other the out ward rule and this I finde That the Spirit and the Word are in such conjunction in this work that he doth guide and leade men into acts of obedience in and by the Law which he himself writes in their hearts God saith This is my Covenant with them My Isa 59 21. Spirit that is upon thee and my Words which I have put into thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy seed nor out of the mouth of thy seeds seed saith the Lord from henceforth and forever Besides David saith Thy Word Psal 11â— 105. is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my paths 2. That the serving God in newnesse of spirit and not in the oldnesse of the letter doth onely mean That Christians should yeeld spirituall and soul-obedience to Gods commands and not content themselves with an externall formall and ceremoniall serving of him according to that of Christ The hour cometh Jo. 4. 23. and now is when the true Worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in trueth for the Father seeketh such to worship him 3. For that force and power of love which you make the rule and motive to obedience and dutie give me leave to ask you Whether that love you speak of be not a dutie laid down and required in the word of command Do you love God and Christ without or upon a command I conceive you will say you do it by vertue of a command Again I must tell you that as love springs from the command which enjoyns man to love so it doth manifest its life and soundnesse by looking to the command by way of dutifull Jo. 14 15. observance according to that of Christ If ye love me keep my Commandments And that of the beloved Disciple 1 Jo. 5. 3. This is the Love of God that we keep his Commandments and his Commandments are not grievous 4. For that comparison of theirs I will not say it is sencelesse I am sure it is strained or misapplied what though the principle of bearing good fruit lay in that sap which is inclosed in the root doth not the tree need outward influence and helps from the Sun the Ayr the Soyl c. This cannot be denyed the case is the same here Christ is the root and inward principle without whom a true Believer can do nothing yet you must know that the means of his own appointing are needfull and necessary he hath ordained Ministers and left the Word for the gathering edifying and growth of the body besides to make Christ an inward principle of obedience is to set up a Law and Commandment unto men unlesse you will say there is an obedience without a Law Antinomist Ere I passe from you I will open my heart unto you when we cannot draw men to our opinion against the Law we do use our wits in devising strange expressions which can hardly be understood or we have our distinctious and evasions that when men shall tell us that we are Antinomians we may stoutly deny the same v. g. We tell them that the Morall Law is Evangelized in the hearts of believers by the Spirit of our Lord Jesus nay we take the boldnesse to say That we onely deny the use of the Law as it was in the hand of Moses not as it is in the hand of Christ our Mediatour Evangelist It hath been the manner of Heretikes to draw a cloud over their Tenets by using odde and unusuall expressions and fearing a discovery to speak doubtfully that to they may have a back door to get out at whereas truth seeks no corners and doth
〈◊〉 ◠◠of the Lord blamelesse We are to look to one and all the Commandments of God we must set the whole Law of God before us taking heed of making any difference by obeying in greater and refusing in lesser Commands or yeelding to those Commands which have a comparative easinesse and refusing in those which have a Spirituall strictnesse or harshnesse surely we must equally hate all sin and love all vertue remembring that of the Apostle For whosoever shall keep the I am 2. 1◠whole Law and yet offend in one point he is guilty of all Thirdly To be sincerely obedient We must let our hearts bear their part in duty take care that the heart be single and one no way suffering it to mix with sin and be sure that it be rightly byassed in its aims and ends and this will declare the uprightnesse of our spirits in our obedience to Gods will Fourthly To be cheerfully obedient We must be willing and glad to obey serving God with a royal and from a free spirit being ready to put our selves upon his work assoon as his minde is revealed to us Psal 27. 8. and 110. 2. Fifthly To be tenderly obedient Which tendernesse doth appear in these things 1. A holy fear to do any thing against the Law because it will offend and displease God hence saith David My heart standeth in awe of thy word And Joseph Tendernesse of obedience in 4 things durst not do wickedly because of Gods displeasure Gen. 39. 9. 2. A manifest grief and heart trouble upon apprehended breaches of Gods Law a gracious disposition is a mourning disposition it dares not say as doth our Libertines It doth greatly trouble me that ever I was troubled for my sins 3. A speedy care to take off the offence and to make up the breaches between God and a mans self which can no way be done but by running to Jesus Christ who is our Peace-maker 4. A precise watchfulnesse against future offendings and displeasings Ezra 9. 13 14. Sixthly To be constantly obedient We are not to change our master or our work whilst we are here below but in all times in all places in all companies and in all conditions strive to manifest our obedience to Gods Law keeping it to the Ps 119. 33. end knowing that the Commands of God are perpetuall to us even such as no time or age can wear out and our whole life is a time of dutie and ought to be spent in acts of obedience Say therefore with David I will alwayes keep thy Law for ever and ever Psal 119. 44. 6. That each Christian should resolvedly and resolutely according to his place maintain and preserve the authoritie and puritie of Gods Laws I know that Gods Law is able to defend it self against the oppositions or risings up of all the sons of Belial yet Christians must in this shew themselves to be friends unto Gods Laws when men rise up against it and endeavour to detract from its use Now to quit and clear it a man must know no friend if he be not a friend to the Preaching and practise of Gods Law We give out that we fight for the Laws of the Land Ought we not much more to contend for the Laws of our God Shall we see men mangle and spoil them and be no way moved therewith Rather learn to stand on Gods side which is the best side Nomist Sir the day is far spent and all our occasions do call us away I and my friend owe you thanks and for my part I am resolved to establish the Law in its authority by making it the rule of my life Antinomist For my part I intend to acquaint my teachers with what you have said and if they do not give you a confounding answer then I resolve to be of your minde In the mean time I will not allow the Law to be a rule of my life Evangelist A good evening I wish unto you both with an happy successe of this conference not fearing any true report that can be made of my Doctrine and if any of your Teachers shall be pleased to answer me with Arguments from the Truth I shall be ready to make a Reply FINIS