A92140:437
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.
And because many keep their hands from blood and violence, and that out of deep hypocrisy since they lodge in their breast, bloody hearts, only for fear of the Princes sword, yet both the Prince and his sword is innocent of that hypocrisy, Then as coercive power is falsely charged with any kindly begetting of hypocrites in the duties of the second Table, so is it as harmless in matters of Religion, respecting the first Table, nor did the Lord in the Old Testament create hypocrites by straining mens consciences by bloody Laws.
And because many keep their hands from blood and violence, and that out of deep hypocrisie since they lodge in their breast, bloody hearts, onely for feare of the Princes sword, yet both the Prince and his sword is innocent of that hypocrisie, Then as coercive power is falsly charged with any kindly begetting of hypocrites in the duties of the second Table, so is it as harmelesse in matters of Religion, respecting the first Table, nor did the Lord in the Old Testament create hypocrits by straining mens consciences by bloody Lawes.
A third Answer stands thus, 1those laws were made of old against false teachers, Because the Jews had the opportunity of immediate consultation with the mouth of God himself.—and except the Judge had been desperately wicked, and despised the glorious ordinance of the Oracle of God, they could not do unjustice, God ⟨p. 192⟩being always at hand to declare unto them,2 what kind of blasphemer▪ and what kind of Idolater it was that he intended by his law should be put to death. Men are now fallible and the learnedest cannot tell wha••blasphemy or idolatry it was, which was by God sentenced to death under the Law, So Jo. Goodwin.