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…

Which doth farther evidence the mind of Familists and Antinomians. 1. That they would have the Gospel a body and system of non-senses, and foolish dreams, and all Logic banished, that the Gospel may be a fardel of fancies, under the veil of spiritual and supernatural knowledge for the perfect; like that piece called the Bright Star, and Theology Germanica, and the Power of Love, and the Tree of knowledge of good and evil. 2. All reasonings, and use of Logic, which the Prophets and Apostles make a heavenly and spiritual use of, in the Scripture, to them are Legal, and smell too much of the dead Letter, the sour and killing Law; yea the Letter of written Gospel, because written, and because preached and ⟨p. 58⟩opened in spiritual discourses to Cornwall, and others, is a humane thing, and begets but a humane faith, so that (Faith cometh by hearing) is to Saltmarsh not vocal Preaching, but the very Spirit of grace working faith, as I observed before. 3. All expounding of Scripture, by consequence, is expounding of Scripture in the Letter,¹ saith Saltmarsh; in the Letter to Town, is in a Law-way; to Cornewell, is in a humane, not a Divine way. Then Christ, Matth. 22. must be a Legal Preacher, and must argue after a Law-way, or a humane, not a Divine and Gospel-way, and must much darken the glory of the Gospel; for he proveth the resurrection of the dead, only by a consequence, I am the God of Abraham, &c. Ergo, the dead shall rise, and he sharply rebuketh the Sadducees, as ignorant, both of the Scripture, and the power of God, because they did not thus argue, in the Letter, and in the consequence, to the darkening of the glory of the Gospel. Libertines said also, to reason against committing of Adultery, as Joseph doth; Shall I do this, and sin against God? Is a work of Old Adam, discerning good and evil, as we shall hear, if the Lord will. And Saltmarsh saith, Exhortations, persuasions, conditional promises, and Gospel-commandments are natural, and so conveyances carnal, Legal, and of the Letter. Which to me is a foul aspes•ron laid on the Gospel, and a mixing of Law and Gospel, Works and Faith, according to the Antinomians way, and a rendering of the preaching of the Gospel, which is the ²