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…

So ch. 2. Faith and Scripture saith, sin is nothing else but that the creature doeth divert it self from the immutable God and adhereth to a mutable thing that is, doth turn it self from that which is perfect, and to that which is in part and imperfect, and especially to it self. Now this observe, when the creature doth challenge any good thing to it self, as to be, to live, to know, briefly to be able to do any thing that can be termed good, as being in it self that good ⟨p. 166⟩thing, or as though that good thing were appertaining to it, then it averteth it self, what other thing then did the Devil? This arrogancy to be I, to be my self, to be me, and to be mine, was the devils aversion and fall.

So ch. 2. Faith and Scripture saith, sinne is nothing else but that the creature doeth divert it selfe from the immutable God and adhereth to a mutable thing that is, doth turne it selfe from that which is perfect, and to that which is in part and imperfect, and especially to it selfe. Now this observe, when the creature doth chaleng any good thing to it selfe, as to bee, to live, to know, briefly to be able to doe any thing that can be tearmed good, as being in it self that good ⟨p. 166⟩thing, or as though that good thing were appertaining to it, then it averteth it self, what other thing then did the Devill? This arrogancy to be I, to be my self, to be me, and to be mine, was the devils aversion and fall.

I answer nothing is a being of it self, by heritage, essentially, and without dependence on another, as its father, cause, Author, Creator, but God; and nothing lives, worketh, doth good, independently, infinitely, immutably, from and of it self, but God only. And all Creatures, Angels, and Men, are but borrowed beings, beings by adoption, gift, loan, and little shadows,¹ remaining shadows, by the essence, goodness, and free pleasure of God. And as their being is dependent, so are they Gods dependent tools, and instruments of working, they do, and do good, but dependently and so as both power and actual doing, and doing good is from God principally, by moving, exciting, and determinating them to do, and from, ego, egoitas, ipseitas, from themselves actively as instruments and tools in Gods hand, if the creature seek a world of its own, in being and working without God, that egoitas, that I, that my self, is the great Lord of pride, but otherwise the creature is not in its essence God. There was a comparative self-denial required in Adam, and is in the man Christ and the elect Angels, though no sinful self was in any of these three, and it is that the sinless creature should yield its being, lust, will and desires, rather to be trampled on, despised, or turned to nothing, before God be dishonoured; All the essential attributes of goodness, holiness, wisdom, grace, justice, power, sovereignty, &c. that are all infinite in God, proclaim that there is an infinite distance between the Creature and the Creator, but if we speak of a borrowed being, and a borrowed working, at the second hand, and by loan, then it is no sin, for creatures to say they are creatures, for the Holy Ghost saith it, and biddeth man say, that he is clay, and a living soul, nor is it sin to the Creature to ascribe doing of good to it self, as the Church saith, I have sought thee, O Lord,