A92140:331
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 10: Of indulgence in fundamentall, or non-fundamentall errors.
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.
6. If the formal is ratio, the only formal reason and cause why the Magistrate is to use corporal coercion against none now under the New Testament, but is to suffer every man to worship God, as he best pleaseth, because the worship of the New Testament is more spiritual, the Law-giver Christ, a meeker Mediator, then Moses, and there is no warrant now to hinder any man, or lay bands and coactive violence upon Christs free subjects, with force of sword, to restrain them in one worship, more then another, what reason an Anabaptists offering his son a sacrifice to God, should be restrained in his sacrificing, more then in other acts of worship? is not the man persecuted for his conscience? is not this a carnal, and no New Testament way of restraining him, when he is restrained by the sword▪ is not the only word of God, and no weapons that are carnal, the way of rescuing men from all false worship, and the only way.
6. If the formall is ratio, the onely formall reason and cause why the Magistrate is to use corporall coersion against none now under the New Testament, but is to suffer every man to worship God, as he best pleaseth, because the worship of the New Testament is more spirituall, the Law-giver Christ, a meeker Mediator, then Moses, and there is no warrant now to hinder any man, or lay bands and coactive violence upon Christs free subjects, with force of sword, to restraine them in one worship, more then another, what reason an Anabaptists offering his son a sacrifice to God, should be restrained in his sacrificing, more then in other acts of worship? is not the man persecuted for his conscience? is not this a carnall, and no New Testament way of restraining him, when he is restrained by the sword▪ is not the onely word of God, and no weapons that are carnall, the way of rescuing men from all false worship, and the onely way.
7. Nor can the bloodiness and cruelty of that worship be a sufficient ground, why the Magistrate may restrain the conscience of the devout worshipper; for who ought to sit ⟨p. 130⟩