A92140:525
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. Most false it is, and a begging of the question that evil doing is contracted and hampered in here, to subjection to the higher powers, that is, to the Roman Laws and Edicts only; for it is opposed to the lawful subjection due to the Parliament of England, and to the King of Britain, and to all lawful powers as well as to Roman Magistrates, as is clear; for there is no power but of God, and the powers that be, are ordained of God; and Paul speaketh of all Magistrates, Christian and heathen, that are lawful Magistrates, and commandeth subjection to every power, Roman and Christian, in the Lord. What? Are there no powers ordained of God, but Roman Magistrates? Then may Anabaptists well say, we owe not subjection to Christian Magistrates by this text, but only to the Roman Magistrate, who made no Laws against spreading of heresies, and when the Apostle faith, Let every soul be subject to superior powers, 1shall every soul, by this text, be subject to none but the Roman Magistrate? I am sure, the Reformed Churches, and all our Writers argue, that as many as have souls, Popes, Prelates, and Roman Clergy ought to be subject, by this text, to the good laws of the Christian Emperors, and that all men, none excepted, neither ⟨p. 228⟩Clergy (as they call them) nor others, but are obliged by this Scripture, and 1 Pet. 2. and Tit. 3.
5. Most false it is, and a begging of the question that evill doing is contracted and hampered in here, to subjection to the higher powers, that is, to the Roman Laws and Edicts onely; for it is opposed to the lawfull subjection due to the Parliament of England, and to the King of Britaine, and to all lawfull powers as well as to Roman Magistrates, as is cleare; for there is no power but of God, and the powers that be, are ordained of God; and Paul speaketh of all Magistrates, Christian and heathen, that are lawfull Magistrates, and commandeth subjection to every power, Roman and Christian, in the Lord. What? Are there no powers ordained of God, but Roman Magistrates? Then may Anabaptists well say, wee owe not subjection to Christian Magistrates by this text, but onely to the Roman Magistrate, who made no Lawes against spreading of heresies, and when the Apostle faith, Let every soule bee subject to superiour powers,