A92140:358
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.
Now from all this, it is easy to expound that character which the Holy Ghost putteth upon the heretic,1 Tit. 3. 10. he is judged or condemned of himself, that is, the truth is so clearly opened to him, or he may, if he did not wink, and shut his eyes, clearly see and believe the truth, if he did not knowingly, prudently, and willingly resist the truth, and therefore is condemned by his own heart.
Now from all this, it is easie to expound that character which the Holy Ghost putteth upon the hereticke,1 Tit. 3. 10. he is judged or condemned of himselfe, that is, the truth is so clearely opened to him, or he may, if he did not wincke, and shut his eyes, clearely see and beleeve the truth, if he did not knowingly, prudently, and willingly resist the truth, and therefore is condemned by his owne heart.
But Minus Celsus saith, 1the words carry a far other sense, to wit, That by sinning he is the author of his […] condemnation, ⟨p. 143⟩because in choosing true Religion, be thinks he both made a right choice, when he hath chosen a false Religion, being deceived by his own judgement, he falleth into damnation, which, miserable man, he hath created to himself, and in which he chooseth to persist, and therefore is to be eschewed. So it is said, the Jews judged themselves unworthy of eternal life, but knowingly they judged not so of themselves, but they did so behave themselves as if they made themselves unworthy of eternal life. So I believe the heretic is called self-condemned, because he doth those things that renders himself worthy of damnation. So Castalio, or he is self-condemned, that is, he is damned, though there were none to condemn him but himself. So Erasmus.