A92140:520
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.
But (saith the Objector) by him that doth evil,1 is not meant the spreading of errors or heresies. 1. They had no reason to fear the Magistrate spoken of here, Rom. 13. for spreading and publishing the most orthodox truths, for they might without any danger at all from the Magistrate, here spoken of, have taught that the Roman Idols were true Gods. They had ten times more cause to be afraid of the power of publishing orthodox truths, as that there is but one God, and the Roman Gods are dumb Idols, or speaking Devils. 2. That doing of evil, against which the Magistrate, here spoken of, IS THE MINISTER OF GOD to execute wrath, is opposed to that subjection to higher powers. ver. 1. And of the same consideration with resisting of powers so sharply reproved. Vers. 2. Then by it is only meant the doing of evil, which was prohibited by the Roman laws and edicts: and no man resists the power who lives in an orderly subjection and obedience to all their laws, now the Romans in their laws never forbade the publishing of error and heresies in Religion, then doing of evil in spreading of heresies, can be no resisting of the Roman powers and laws. Again that doing evil, ver. 4. Is opposed to doing of good, ver. 3. Unto which there is a premise ⟨p. 226⟩of a reward promised, even praise from the magistrate. […] the doing of good, for which the Apostle undertakes, they shall have praise from the Roman magistrate, was not the preaching and publishing the great and Orthodox truths of Christian Religion, yea, they were enemies to that good doing.
But (sayth the Objector) by him that doth evill,1 is not meant the spreading of errors or heresies. 1. They had no reason to feare the Magistrate spoken of here, Rom. 13. for spreading and publishing the most orthodox truths, for they might without any danger at all from the Magistrate, here spoken of, have taught that the Roman Idols were true Gods. They had ten times more cause to be affraid of the power of publishing orthodox truths, as that there is but one God, and the Roman Gods are dumbe Idols, or speaking Devills. 2. That doing of evill, against which the Magistrate, here spoken of, IS THE MINISTER OF GOD to execute wrath, is opposed to that subjection to higher powers. ver. 1. And of the same consideration with resisting of powers so sharpely reproved. Vers. 2. Then by it is only meant the doing of evill, which was prohibited by the Roman lawes and edicts: and no man resistes the power who lives in an orderly subjection and obedience to all their lawes, now the Romans in their lawes never forbad the publishing of errour and heresies in Religion, then doing of evill in spreading of heresies, can be no resisting of the Roman powers and lawes. Againe that doing evil, ver. 4. Is opposed to doing of good, ver. 3. Ʋnto which there is a premise