A92140:552
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
Chapter 20: The parable of the Wheat and the Tares, discussed and cleared.
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.
4 Since the tares are all that work iniquity, it shall follow that the Magistrate, by express command of God, is to suffer all the children of the wicked one, and all that work iniquity, all adulterers, sorcerers, parricides, murderers, perjured persons, traitors, robbers, thieves, and all evil doers punishable by the Magistrate (for sure all these as well as heretics, are such as offend and work in iniquity in this Kingdom) to grow and live till the end of the world, then sure the Magistrate may go hunt Goats and hang up his sword.
4 Since the tares are all that worke iniquity, it shall follow that the Magistrate, by expresse command of God, is to suffer all the children of the wicked one, and all that worke iniquity, all adulterers, sorcerers, paricides, murtherers, perjured persons, traytors, robbers, theeves, and all evill doers punishable by the Magistrate (for sure all these as wel as hereticks, are such as offend and work in iniquity in this Kingdom) to grow and live till the end of the world, then sure the Magistrate may goe hunt Goats and hang up his sword.
5 If we sift every grain of the text, we must say that the Magistrate makes a doubt, Lord, shall I draw the sword against bloody men and traitors? And the Pastors and Church, shall we cast out the leaven that leaveneth the whole lump? and how carnal must they imagine the Lord to be,1 who first went on a way of forcing the consciences of men, and converting men by the bloody sword, & rooted out wheat & tares in the old Testament, and now is become a little more just and meek, and will have the consciences of none to be forced, but all to grow to harvest? Whereas the Rulers and Pastors make no such question; but the godly wonder at a providence in God, not in Magistrates, that good and il should grow together. But God rebukes mens carnal •eale that murmur at his longanimity, that he throws not all the wicked in hell fire, long before the harvest, and burns not chaff ere ever it grow to blade; and makes not harvest, ere summer be well begun.