A92140:291
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.
4, Though heretics acknowledge a Redeemer, which yet may be questioned whether they do all so, even those who deny the Lord that bought them, yet these arguments of Celsus and Libertines plead for liberty of conscience, not only to heretics, that acknowledge a Redeemer, but to all, to open blasphemers, apostates from the Christian faith to Judaism and Mahometisme, for should any Christian turn Jew (as some have done, and pray to God, and be willing to dye for Judaism and acknowledge the Messiah to come, Libertines can no more make a window in this mans conscience to see his end in so doing, and know infallibly that neither pleasure, profit, nor honour led him, but mere and only principles of Religion, in regard places in the New Testament cite passages of the Old so far, seemingly, to reason contrary to the scope of the Prophets, then you can see to the conscience of a heretic, and Religion is to be compelled in no man, one or other, nor the sword or violence used against any; though Celsus and the Belgic Remonstrants think false teachers may rather be banished and imprisoned, le•t they pervert the faith of others. But if they yield any corporal restraint or violence may be used against false teachers, ⟨p. 113⟩they fall from their cause and lose all their arguments for one degree of one violence (though banishment be cousin Germans to death, and to some who cannot live and subsist but in England, as there are many such, far worse) can no more be used against the conscience, then forcing of ten degrees, or tormenting deaths.
4, Though heretickes acknowledge a Redeemer, which yet may be questioned whether they doe all so, even those who deny the Lord that bought them, yet these arguments of Celsus and Libertines plead for liberty of conscience, not onely to hereticks, that acknowledge a Redeemer, but to all, to open blasphemers, apostates from the Christian faith to Judaisme and Mahometisme, for should any Christian turn Jew (as some have done, and pray to God, and be willing to dye for Judaisme and acknowledge the Messiah to come, Libertines can no more make a window in this mans conscience to see his end in so doing, and know infallibly that neither pleasure, profit, nor honour led him, but meere and onely principles of Religion, in regard places in the New Testament cite passages of the Old so farre, seemingly, to reason contrary to the scope of the Prophets, then you can see to the conscience of a hereticke, and Religion is to be compelled in no man, one or other, nor the sword or violence used against any; though Celsus and the Belgick Remonstrants thinke false teachers may rather be banished and imprisoned, let they pervert the faith of others. But if they yeeld any corporall restraint or violence may be used against false teachers,