A92140:161
A free disputation against pretended liberty of conscience tending to resolve doubts moved
A free disputation against pretended liberty of conscience tending to resolve doubts moved by Mr. John Goodwin, John Baptist, Dr. Jer. Taylor, the Belgic Arminians, Socinians, and other authors contending for lawless liberty, or licentious toleration of sects and heresies. / By Samuel Rutherfurd professor of divinity in the University of St. Andrews.A free disputation against pretended liberty of conscience tending to resolve doubts moved by Mr. John Goodwin, John Baptist, Dr. Jer. Taylor, the Belgick Arminians, Socinians, and other authors contending for lawlesse liberty, or licentious toleration of sects and heresies. / By Samuel Rutherfurd professor of divinity in the University of St. Andrews.
London: printed by R.I. for Andrew Crook, 1649
Chapter 3: The Church may complain of Heretics.Chapter 3: The Church may complain of Hereticks.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Answ. The Author saith the question is not of transmitting of such things to the Magistrate as belong to manners, but to conscience, as if an heretic failed against no manners. Yet all his Arguments prove that Ministers should not complain to the Magistrate of ill manners and the scandalous conversation of any, and this he instanceth from the example of Christ, who Joh. 8. would not accuse a woman of adultery. 2. The Magistrate is as properly the Minister of God for good, for the praise of well-doing, as the Minister of God for wrath, and if the ⟨p. 44⟩Church should tell the Magistrate his duty, as watchmen should do to all under their care Ezek. 3. 16, 17, 18, 19. Magistrate or other, if the Magistrate spare the life of a murderer, the watchmen are unfaithful, if they complain not openly and tell the Magistrate he does not his duty, and upon the same ground, if the Magistrate must coerce with the sword seducing wolves and Jezebels, the Pastors ought to admonish him. And its Atheistical to say the Magistrate is conscious of sins against manners, and of his duty and obligation he needs no instigation. Because no Magistrate be he an Ahab or a David, but he needs be quickened to his duty, and will send a murderer away, and a bloody Joab whom God will have not to live, and should the Prophets be called instigators, and savientes per alios, such as destroy mens lives when they tell the Magistrate he is a murderer and guilty of innocent blood, if he suffer the bloody man to live?1 or should this be called tale-telling, and the Pastor thrusting of himself into a more disaffecting office to be a Tale-teller an Apparitor or summoner of men to the Civill Magistrates court, he made such a poor man be fined and wife and Children be starved because he is not of his opinion. What would this author give an Atheist leave to say? but so s•ander free preaching or free Synodical complaining to the Magistrate? such a man of our charge is damned by his own conscience and devours the flock, as Arrius and Manes did, such a one is a bloody murderer, a Sorcerer, the Magistrate bears the sword to execute vengeance on evil doers, and yet suffer known murderers to live and be grey-haired, are Ministers, who are to warn Fathers, Teachers, Masters, Judges, Kings