{5} We are informed that Church belongs to that sect called ANTINOMIANS,
which is that described by the Rev. John Evans in his “Sketch of the
Denominations of the Christian World”:—
“The Antinomian derives his name from ANTI and NOMOS; signifying,
against, and a law, his favourite tenet being, that the law is not a
rule of life to believers. It is not easy to ascertain what he means
by this position, but he seems to carry the doctrine of imputed
righteousness of Christ and salvation by faith without works to such
lengths as to injure, if not wholly destroy the obligation to moral
obedience. Antinomianism may be traced to the period of the
reformation, and its promulgator was John Agricola, originally a
disciple of Luther. The Papists in their disputes with the
Protestants of that day carried the merit of good works to an
extravagant length; and this induced some of their opponents to run
into the opposite extreme. “This sect (say the Encyclopedia) sprung
up in England during the protectorate of Oliver Cromwell, and
extended the system of libertinism much farther than Agricola, the
disciple of Luther. Some of their teachers expressly maintained,
that as the elect cannot fall from grace nor forfeit the divine
favour, the wicked actions they commit are not really sinful, nor are
they to be considered as instances of their violation of the Divine
Law; consequently they have no occasion to confess their sins, or to
break them off by repentance. According to them it was one of the
essential and distinctive characters of the elect that they cannot do
any thing displeasing to God, or prohibited by Law.”
{7} Though Mr. Garrett wrote to me I had never seen him but once in my
whole life, but he knew I was at Banbury.
{8} This Meeting was held at the house of Mr. Hall, at Banbury, whose
letter will be found in page 8, of the Life of Church, published by us.