A survey of the spiritual antichrist opening the secrets of familism and antinomianism in…A survey of the spirituall antichrist opening the secrets of familisme and antinomianisme in…

CHAP. XXX. Familists will have all externals indifferent.

2. Saltm. saith, Christians should live in the unity of the Spirit under their several forms and attainments. Now by forms and attainments he means Prelacy, Presbytery, Independency, yea Popery ▪ and all outward worship and ordinances of which he saith, there is no form nor model in the letter of the Scriptures, and so he maketh the Scriptures as unperfect as the Papists do, the one dreaming of a Spirit in the breast of the Pope and cursed Clergy to be the master of our faith, the other an Anabaptisticall Spirit of unwritten revelations to be our leader, and they reproach the word of God, as forms, characters, figures, a faith Ceremonial, and figurative services out of the knowledge of the Scripture, as H.N. saith, Evang. ch. 34. sent. 10. And by Christians he means Saints of divers and contrary sects, ways, Religions, such as is the Chaos of a Church in the Sectaries Army, in which there are Arians that say Christ was but a mere godly man, Antitrinitarians, Socinians, Arminians, Seekers, Anabaptists, most of them all ⟨p. 250⟩being Arminians, Familists, Antinomians, Enthusiasts, and all these should agree in the unity of the Spirit; and as he saith after pag. 20. in these outward things, they ought to please one another to edification, Rom. 13.10. Rom. 8.2. Col. 2.20. the Law of love, and spirit, or life, being more royal and excellent then any worldly rudiments whatsoever. Now it is clear that his meaning is they should keep the unity of the Spirit, and please one another in all outward things, as Rom. 15.1.2. (so I think he should cite the place) that is, do as Anabaptists among Anabaptists, be a Presbyterian among Presbyterians, an Independent among Independents, Prelatical among Prelatical men, that we offend not one another, because the Law of loving our neighbour, is above being baptised or not baptised, and using of the sign of the cross or not using it; and all the five Popish bastard Sacraments are less then loving our brother: upon this ground Familists make all externals free and indifferent; and so doth Oliver Cromwell in his letter to the House of Commons 1645. which I set down here, that many in both Kingdoms who looked on him as a godly man may be satisfied toward him, whether he favour Familism or no, for it smelleth rankly of that fleshly sect, it was printed before by Authority.