A92140:506
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.
5.1 Its true, Ill-doers here must be such as Magistrates generally may judge, but not all ill-doers, false Prophets, or the like, Magistrates as Magistrates, are to judge ill-doers, but it follows not that all Magistrates whether Heathen or Christian, are to judge all ill-doers, whether Gospel-seducing teachers or murderers, for there wanteth a condition in heathen Magistrates, for the want whereof they cannot actually, and in the capacity of heathens, judge false teachers, Arians, Socinians, and the like, not because they are not essentially Magistrates as well as Christian Magistrates, but because they want the knowledge of the Gospel, even ⟨p. 221⟩as inferior Judges are as essentially Judges in Israel, as the Priests and the great Sanhedrin at Jerusalem, and may judge of their office between blood and blood, but if it be a controversy too hard for them between blood and blood, and the party be willing to appeal, these inferior Judges cannot actually judg that controversy, but it must go to the Sanhedrin, Deut. 17. 12. 13. So a father as a father, whether heathen or Christian, and a Master of a family by his place (the like I say of a husband, a Tutor, a Doctor in their respective places) are by their place and relation to teach their children and servants the principles of the doctrine of the Gospel, by these places, Gen. 18. 18, 19. Exod. 12. 26, 27. Ps. 78. 4, 5, 6, 7. Joel 1. 2. Prov. 4 3, 4, 5. Eph. 6. 4. 2 Tim. 3 14, 15. Deut. 6. 6. 7