A92140:276
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.
5. Yea this will make heresy and heretics that are to the Holy Ghost seducers, •a•ching wolves, subverters of the faith of others, thieves, and robbers, foxes, reprobate concerning the faith, self-condemned; to be godly, zealous, innocent, erring against their will; free of malice, and so the Holy Ghost must do a great deal of injury •o […] who go for heretics, in this characterizing them […] us […] titles and characters, which no mortal man can give to them.
5. Yea this will make heresie and hereticks that are to the Holy Ghost seducers, •a•ching wolves, subverters of the faith of others, theeves, and robbers, foxes, reprobate concerning the faith, selfe-condemned; to be godly, zealous, innocent, erring against their will; free of malice, and so the Holy Ghost must doe a great deale of injury •o 〈…〉 who goe for hereticks, in this characterizing them 〈…〉 us 〈…〉 titles and characters, which no mortall man can give to them.
But what surer sign can there be (saith Celsus) of no evil conscience then that a man will spend his blood, neglect his life, drink a cup which was so horrible to Christ, that it caused him sweat blood, and fall on the earth, and yet he will joyfully dye rather, ere he quit the known truth, this he must do for some end? and is there any man who will willingly choose eternal destruction? nor can his and be pleasure, for he is to leave all these; wife, children, goods; nor honour, for an heretic dyes a most infamous man, and full of reproaches.
But what surer signe can there be (saith Celsus) of no evill conscience then that a man will spend his blood, neglect his life, drink a cup which was so horrible to Christ, that it caused him sweat blood, and fall on the earth, and yet he will joyfully dye rather, ere hee quit the knowne truth, this he must doe for some end? and is there any man who will willingly chuse eternall destruction? nor can his and be pleasure, for he is to leave all these; wife, children, goods; nor honour, for an hereticke dyes a most infamous man, and full of reproaches.