A92140:448
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.
Again, the assumption is false, for the certainty a believer hath, is thus far infallible (which is enough) that he is persuaded of the truth of it, and may boldly and in faith seal it with his blood. Nor should Libertines suffer for such truths as they hold for truths, to wit, that the Christian Magistrate hath nothing to do with Religion, nor is he warranted now to use the sword against false teachers; nor Presbytery is the way of Christ, but Socinianism, Familism, Antinomini•me, are the only true way, because they will not say they themselves are in believing, teaching or suffering for these truths infallible. But the danger is not so in believing truth or a false opinion for another, or for a true opinion, as in taking a mans life, when ye are not certainly persuaded by the Law of God, he ought to dye.
Againe, the assumption is false, for the certainty a beleever hath, is thus farre infallible (which is enough) that he is perswaded of the truth of it, and may boldly and in faith seal it with his blood. Nor should Libertines suffer for such truths as they hold for truths, to wit, that the Christian Magistrate hath nothing to do with Religion, nor is he warranted now to use the sword against false teachers; nor Presbytery is the way of Christ, but Socinianisme, Familisme, Antinomini•me, are the only true way, because they will not say they themselves are in beleeving, teaching or suffering for these truths infallible. But the danger is not so in beleeving truth or a false opinion for another, or for a true opinion, as in taking a mans life, when yee are not certainly perswaded by the Law of God, hee ought to dye.
Answ. That is no matter of greater or less great danger. It is sin in the Pharisees in heart and word of month to condemn the Lords Disciples of breach of Sabbath, when they are innocent, as to kill them for Sabbath-breach when they are innocent, Matth. 12. 7. the one is a greater sin, the other less; but if we may not venture on a greater sin of shedding innocent blood because of want of infallibility, neither is it lawful to venture upon the least sin, because of the want of that same infallibility, nor is an infallible and immediate oracle our only rule in judging the blasphemer. Suppose a man should wilfully profess there is no God, and rail against such as say there is a God, as our Atheistical age wanteth not a Caligula, and an Anaxagoras, and the like now, if the Parliament should punish such a limb of hell. The thirteenth Proposal of the Army will say the Parliament forces this man to sin, and to believe and profess a truth against his judgement and conscience; and upon this ground, for we know not infallibly such a man to be a damned Atheist.