A92140:348
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.
Answ. There can be no reason, why conscience, because conscience, or because wicked, more obligeth; then why Will, because wicked will should oblige, since in every wicked conscience actually drawing men to ill, of either heresy or practise, there is something of wicked Will, and though there were nothing of will, or of the affections in an erroneous conscience, yet since conscience as a knowing faculty is under the law of God, an erroneous conscience must be a transgressing conscience, and it is a contradiction, that a faculty sinning should oblige to obedience to the law of God, in the same consideration, because it sinneth. But these School-••• ties do not oblige us, we shall be unwilling in any terms to say that God, or, which is all one, the law of nature, layeth on us an obligation to that which is sinful, or […] if any think he is obliged to be circumcised, sure he must think himself obliged to eat the passover also, and to ⟨p. 137⟩keep the whole Ceremonial law, but that the law of nature obligeth him either so to think, and erroneously believe and practise, the whole Ceremonial Law is another thing. It is true, a doubting conscience, that thinks he is obliged by the law to abstain from eating swines flesh, is either obliged to eat swines flesh, or not to eat, for to eat, or not eat, are opposed by way of contradiction, but there is no apparent contradiction but admiteth of some qualification, and modification, set the contradiction in an evangelical sense, as you must, and then it shall be, there be none in the visible Church, but he must either eat in faith, or not eat in faith, he must either be circumcised in faith, and in a certain persuasion that circumcision is acceptable to God, or he must not be circumcised in faith, &c. For both the Law and Gospel oblige to the action and to all the manner, way, and requisite circumstances of the action, to wit; that it be done in faith, sincerely for God, in a due manner, &c. Now so we say; he is neither to eat simply, nor not to eat simply, but either to eat in faith, or to abstain from eating in faith, and without an erring and doubting conscience:
Answ. There can be no reason, why conscience, because conscience, or because wicked, more obliegeth; then why Will, because wicked will should obliege, since in every wicked conscience actually drawing men to ill, of either heresie or practise, there is something of wicked Will, and though there were nothing of will, or of the affections in an erroneous conscience, yet since conscience as a knowing faculty is under the law of God, an erroneous conscience must bee a transgressing conscience, and it is a contradiction, that a faculty sinning should obliege to obedience to the law of God, in the same consideration, because it sinneth. But these Schoole- ties doe not obliege us, wee shall bee unwilling in any tearmes to say that God, or, which is all one, the law of nature, layeth on us an obligation to that which is sinfull, or if any thinke he is oblieged to be circumcised, sure he must thinke himselfe oblieged to eate the passeover also, and to