A free disputation against pretended liberty of conscience tending to resolve doubts moved

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, Deut. 13. If the seducing Prophet which were as near to thee, as a Brother, Son, Daughter, or Wife in thy bosom, thou must not smooth him, and oil ⟨p. 215⟩him with sharp words, and mere threatenings; yea, but thou must act against him, v. 8. Thine eye shall not pity him, thou shall not spare him, neither shalt thou conceal him. 9. Thou shalt surely kill him, thine hand shall be first upon him, to put him to death. Now this cannot be a metaphorical putting to death, but the Objectors metaphorical, and minatory piercing of him through with sharp and piercing words, imply necessarily that ye must conceal him, and pity him, and not kill him, nor stretch out any hand against him, first or last to hurt him, but only stretch your tongue against him, and barely threaten him, and terrify him, but let him live: If the Prophecy be extended to Jew and Gentile, under the Gospel, which against the Text the Objector denies, then it argues, 1. That there is such a Law under the Gospel, else if it be an unjust Law, and out of date now under the Gospel, the threatening and piercing through must be with lying words, and father must utter to the lying Prophet lies to terrify him; and say, son if thou desist not from prophesying lies, thou shalt be thrust through with the Magistrates sword, and die according to the Law; that is, I foreshow and threaten according to the Law (but it is an unjust, and an out-dated Law to Libertines that obligeth not under the New Testament) that thou shalt be thrust through and die; that is, I fore-show and prophesy a lie, that thou ought to be put to death, and persecuted for thy conscience; whereas no such thing ought to be now, when the Law, Deut. 13.