A92140:257
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
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.
3 Such opinions and practise ••as make an evident schism in a Church, 1and set up two distinct Churches, of different forms of Government, and pretending to different institutions of Christ, of which the one must by the nature of their principles labour the destruction of the other, cannot be tolerated, &c. for each pretending their fellow Churches to be of man, and so of the devil, though they should both make one true invisible Church, agreeing in all fundamentals, and many other truths, yet sure the whole ⟨p. 99⟩should be a Kingdom divided against it self, […] destroyeth peace much […] the divisions of one and the […] Church of […] though they pretended not to be different Churches, for those that said they were of Paul professed they could not be disciples of Peter, but he sharply rebuked them […] man, and such as divided Christ, and by consequence must say, Paul was crucified for them, and was their redeemer, and so, if obstinately they had proceeded […] that separation, Paul would have none on to higher censures of the Church: far more could he not end••e gathering of true Churches out of true Churches, which is the professed practise of Independents: and yet both sides pretending the spirit of discerning; could say, the spirit testifies to my soul that Paul is the only called preacher, and the other, nay but to my discerning Cepha• or Peter is the only man, that I can hear or follow. And a third, nay, not any on earth, nor any ministry will I acknowledge, but Jesus Christ whom the heavens must contain till the last day, […] my only, only preacher, now if a Jezebel come in and say no ministry is to be heard but Christ, and turn away all from hearing the word, and not suffer Sergiur […] or any other to hear Paul or any godly minister, sure Jezebel should be a perverter of the right ways of the Lord, and so not […] suffered.
3 Such opinions and practise ••as make an evident schisme in a Church, 1and set up two distinct Churches, of different formes of Government, and pretending to different institutions of Christ, of which the one must by the nature of their principles labour the destruction of the other, cannot be tollerated, &c. for each pretending their fellow Churches to bee of man, and so of the devill, though they should both make one true invisible Church, agreeing in all fundamentals, and many other truths, yet sure the whole