A92140:277
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.
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.
Answ. This renders the heretic the most innocent and righteous Martyr that ever was; for if his end be only life eternal,1 and none of the three ends which lead all sinners, neither pleasure, nor profit, nor honour, 1 Joh. 2. 16. and if he ought to follow his conscience, all heresy shall be nothing but a most innocent, harmless, godly and zealous error, why then doth this Author say, it is such a sin as he is self-condemned, that is, as he expoundeth it, though there were not a God, nor any other to condemn him, yet he is condemned of himself? why doth the Holy Ghost bid us turn away from such a godly innocent man, who loveth the truth of Christ, Christ and heaven, better then father, mother, brother, sister, lands, inheritances, his own glory and name, yea nor his own life, sure he must be the man to whom life eternal, and a hundred fold more is due by the promise of our Saviour,