A92140:521
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.
Answ. 1All these lean upon a castle beyond the moon, to wit, that Paul speaks, Rom. 13. of no powers but the Roman Magistrate, and that he is to be obeyed at the only minister of God, and then having laid this most false and vain ground, he cries out, O England, England make much of thy Scriptures, but take heed of the glosses of thy teachers. Which we may retort, but this is an impious gloss: For though Paul aimed at obedience to Magistrates, even to persecuting Nero in things lawful, because some then, as Anabaptists now, said the Gospel freed Christians from subjection and obedience to lawful Magistracy. But I prove that the Apostle speaks of the Magistrate, such as he is by Gods appointment, and such as he ought to be, whither he be Heathen or Christian,2 and he speaks of a Magistrate in general. Now the Roman Emperor and Senate were not such powers in all their Government, Laws and Edicts, as every soul should be subject unto. For they made laws in acts of the second Table, and accordingly practised them, with violence and unjustice, to join not only house to house (but not being provoked by any wrong) Kingdom to Kingdom, the Isle of Britain, and all the people of the world, and in that every soul (I conceive) ought to be subject to superior powers. If the Objector render this sense, let every soul on earth be subject to the Roman Emperor Nero, for he is the minister of God, for thy good, that is, for the good and peaceable Government of all and every one that hath souls, because he would raise war and tyrannically subject them all to him. We wish England to beware of such glosses.
Answ. 1All these leane upon a castle beyond the moone, to wit, that Paul speakes, Rom. 13. of no powers but the Roman Magistrate, and that hee is to bee obeyed at the onely minister of God, and then having layd this most false and vaine ground, he cryes out, O England, England make much of thy Scriptures, but take heed of the glosses of thy teachers. Which we may retort, but this is an impious glosse: For though Paul aymed at obedience to Magistrates, even to persecuting Nero in things lawfull, because some then, as Anabaptists now, said the Gospell freed Christians from subjection and obedience to lawfull Magistracy. But I prove that the Apostle speakes of the Magistrate, such as he is by Gods appoyntment, and such as hee ought to bee, whither hee bee Heathen or Christian,