2. Christ expounding the Parable, passeth that part of it, best while ye pluck up the tares, ye pluck up the wheat also, and that part of the parable that Christ expoundeth not, when he expoundeth all the rest, must belong nothing to the scope of the parable; and we can conclude solidly no controverted point from every limb, joint, or wing of a parable; nor was it Christs scope to show that Magistrates should punish none of the children of the wicked one, because of the danger of cutting off the children of the Kingdom with them, for the words may bear (saith Calvin) then, that all punishments and censures, both Civill and Ecclesiastic rebukes, and excommunication, should cease till the end of the world, and so also saith Bullinger; and the truth is, if the danger of erring in taking wheat for tares, or punishing the good and innocent, in place of ⟨p. 237⟩the guilty,1 should hinder Rulers to punish such as are hardly known to be guilty, we should not so much as rebuke one another, till the day of judgement, for there is danger in sinning, if we rebuke an innocent man in lieu of a guilty man or that the Magistrate kill an innocent man in place of a Murderer, for the danger in sinning in the least, is as good ground of abstaining from a duty, as in sinning in the greatest, and therefore this new point of Divinity, that the Magistrate should punish no false Prophets or Seducers, but let them all grow till the day of judgment, for fear that he punish or put to death a faithful teacher in lieu of a false seducer, as Luther following some of the fathers teacheth, is so far from being in this text, that it is not a truth contained in all the Old or New Testament. Yea, it is openly false, for then should we not avoid and turn away from Idolaters and Heretics contrary to 1 Cor. •. 11. Tit. 3. 10. Rom. 16. 17. But live and converse with them to the end of the world, because we may take some to be Heretics who are no such thing, but sound in the faith then our selves show me a warrant for such an untruth, that we are to do no duties till the day of judgement, for fear of sinful miscarriages in the manner of doing them.
2. Christ expounding the Parable, passeth that part of it, best while ye plucke up the tares, yee plucke up the wheat also, and that part of the parable that Christ expoundeth not, when he expoundeth all the rest, must belong nothing to the scope of the parable; and we can conclude solidly no controverted point from every limbe, joynt, or wing of a parable; nor was it Christs scope to shew that Magistrates should punish none of the children of the wicked one, because of the danger of cutting off the children of the Kingdome with them, for the words may beare (saith Calvin) then, that all punishments and censures, both Civill and Ecclesiasticke rebukes, and excommunication, should cease till the end of the world, and so also saith Bullinger; and the truth is, if the danger of erring in taking wheat for tares, or punishing the good and innocent, in place of ⟨p. 237⟩the guilty,1 should hinder Rulers to punish such as are hardly knowne to be guilty, we should not so much as rebuke one another, til the day of judgement, for there is danger in sinning, if we rebuk an innocent man in liew of a guilty mā or that the Magistrate kil an innocent man inplace of a Murtherer, for the danger in sinning in the least, is as good ground of abstaining from a duty, as in sining in the greatest, and therfore this new poynt of Divinity, that the Magistrate should punish no false Prophets or Seducers, but let them al grow til the day of judgment, for fear that he punish or put to death a faithfull teacher in liew of a false seducer, as Luther following some of the fathers teacheth, is so farre from being in this text, that it is not a truth contained in al the Old or New Testament. Yea, it is openly false, for then should wee not avoyd and turne away from Idolaters and Hereticks contrary to 1 Cor. •. 11. Tit. 3. 10. Rom. 16. 17. But live and converse with them to the end of the world, because we may take some to bee Hereticks who are no such thing, but sounde in the faith then our selves shew me a warrant for such an untruth, that wee are to doe no duties till the day of judgement, for feare of sinfull miscarriages in the manner of doing them.
- 1The danger of punishing the innocent in due of the guilty through mistak is no argument that heretics should not be punished by the Magistrate.The danger of punishing the innocent in due of the guilty through mistak is no argument that hereticks should not be punished by the Magistrate.
