A92140:492
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 16: Prophesies in the Old Testament, especially Zach. 13. 1, 2, 3, 4. 5, 6. for punishing f…
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.
1. It is I grant an easy way to answer places of Scripture that can but bear a literal sense, to change them into Metaphors, so you may give to the Magistrate with some Anabaptists, Rom. 13. a Metaphorical sword, and pay him metaphorical tribute, and give him metaphorical obedience: what more reason to make this a moral slaying, and piercing with words, then a moral or metaphorical Idol, or a metaphorical false Prophet, a metaphorical unclean spirit, and passing out of the land? These words, thou shalt not live, are words of the Law, and the piercing through metaphorical, but those words, again (Thou speakest lies in the name of the Lord) are not metaphorical, but contain a proper truth, such a complication is not in all the Scripture.
1. It is I grant an easie way to answer places of Scripture that can but bear a literall sense, to change them into Metaphors, so you may give to the Magistrate with some Anabaptists, Rom. 13. a Metaphoricall sword, and pay him metaphoricall tribute, and give him metaphoricall obedience: what more reason to make this a morall slaying, and piercing with words, then a morall or metaphoricall Idol, or a metaphoricall false Prophet, a metaphoricall uncleane spirit, and passing out of the land? These words, thou shalt not live, are words of the Law, and the piercing through metaphoricall, but those words, againe (Thou speakest lies in the name of the Lord) are not metaphoricall, but containe a proper truth, such a complication is not in all the Scripture.
2. The words in their literal sense are fair and easy, and not to be wrested to a spiritual or borrowed sense without ground; it much lesseneth the zeal foretold to be under the Gospel, and turns a real zeal over into words of threatening; the Text saith the contrary, his father shall thrust him through, and this works so upon him, that others shall really leave their false prophesying, and shall say, I am no Prophet, but a Herdsman; now if the words be a Prophecy to be fulfilled only in the Jews excluding the Gentiles, as the Objector saith, then is it no zeal at all, but a most sinful and unjust dispensing with the Law, and a zeal far below the Law; for the Law saith,