The dying man's testament to the Church of Scotland, or, A treatise concerning scandal…

Now in the Scripture-language, all deluders and seducers are Antichrists, being led with the same spirit, and driving the same design against the Kingdom of Jesus Christ; Can there be therefore any reason to make such difference, where the Lord hath made it? 5. Consider if it can be accounted single zeal, that persuadeth to permit the Name of God to be dishonoured, when any reflection upon our own, doth so much move us; for, it doth infer, that either there is an indifferency as to truth and error, So that in the one, the Lord is not more dishonoured than in the other, which will be found exceeding contrary to His own expressing of Himself in Scripture, and will not, I suppose, be pleaded in the day of judgement, when He will avenge Himself on such seducers; or, it must infer, that men are not to take notice of what dishonoureth Him, even though many things be within their reach to impede it. And indeed, if a conscience seriously pondering the thing, will not be provoked out of zeal to God, whose glory suffereth, out of respect to the salvation of many souls, that are hazarded and destroyed by such means, and to prevent the many offences that wait necessarily upon such ills, and the many inconveniences, divisions, jealousies, rents, &c. that follow in Families, Congregations, Cities and Nations, and the great prejudice that the Commonwealth suffereth, by the distracting of her members amongst themselves, the incapacitating of many for public trust, the fostering of diverse interests and ⟨p. 246⟩contrary principles in one body, to the marring of honest public designs: If by these, I say, the zeal and conscience of these who are concerned, be not provoked, by what will, or can, they be?

Now in the Scripture-language, all deluders and seducers are Antichrists, being led with the same spirit, and driving the same design against the Kingdom of Jesus Christ; Can there be therefore any reason to make such difference, where the Lord hath made it? 5. Consider if it can be accounted single zeal, that perswadeth to permit the Name of God to be dishonoured, when any reflection upon our own, doth so much move us; for, it doth infer, that either there is an indifferency as to truth and errour, So that in the one, the Lord is not more dishonoured than in the other, which will be found exceeding contrary to His own expressing of Himself in Scripture, and will not, I suppose, be pleaded in the day of judgement, when He will avenge Himself on such seducers; or, it must infer, that men are not to take notice of what dishonoureth Him, even though many things be within their reach to impede it. And indeed, if a conscience seriously pondering the thing, will not be provoked out of zeal to God, whose glory suffereth, out of respect to the salvation of many souls, that are hazarded and destroyed by such means, and to prevent the many offences that wait necessarily upon such ills, and the many inconveniencies, divisions, jealousies, rents, &c. that follow in Families, Congregations, Cities and Nations, and the great prejudice that the Commonwealth suffereth, by the distracting of her members amongst themselves, the incapacitating of many for publick trust, the fostering of diverse interests and