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…

4. Conclusion.

Luther and our Divines say, that we are patients in the business of justification,¹ which tendeth not to favour the Antinomian dream, that we are justified without faith, and before we believe, or that we are •locks and dead passive creatures in the act of believing, or in other supernatural acts. The Antinomians of old, as ⁿnow t Town, and others teach that the Law hath no activity over the new man, by teaching▪ ruling, commanding, requiring, exacting or demanding obedience of him, because the Christian man is Lord of the Law and the Sabbath, and doth all without a Law teaching or commanding; for the new man, as new, doth good works by nature, as the fire casteth heat then not by law, or teaching or command. But Luther will have justification to be passive, and the Law in justification a patient in a far other sense. 1. Because the broken debtor is free in Court for nothing he doth himself; but because the rich surety did all, and paid his debt. 2. Because the Law, and the fulfilling thereof in the person of the justified is utterly unpossible, and he is justified freely in Christs rich grace, without Law or works, and the Law makes him no help for justification at all, but is a mere patient. 3. Because Christ that justifieth the ungodly, and is the head of the justified, oweth nothing at all to the Law, and needed not to be teached what to do by the Law, and did and over-did, and out-suffered more ⟨p. 119⟩abundantly by grace, then the compelling, cursing and threatening Law can teach or command, had we suffered for the breach of one Law, and done all the rest of the Law most perfectly and exactly, yet could we never have given such glory to God, nor such exact payment and satisfaction to the Law, both by doing and suffering, as Christ did, we should have payed to the Lord and his Law, but copper and brass. Christ payed our Law-debts in fine and precious gold. And what our new obedience wants in quantity (for we cannot by Grace keep the Law exactly, nor thereby be justified) it hath in quality, being wrought by Grace, and perfumed with the glorious merits of Christ in these respects; saith,