A92140:575
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.
2 It is against the justice of God,1 that Heretics, since they but simply err, and are innocent, holy, and so fear God, that they had rather suffer torment and burning quick, and are commiseration digni (as say the Belgic Arminians, Celsus, and other Libertines) should be for mere innocency and godliness gathered by the Angels, in the harvest of the world, and cast into the fire and furnace of everlasting vengeance: I grant out of imitation of the fathers, and particularly of Augustine, who retracted his opinion touching heretics, and the coercing of them: Divines use this expression, hereseon zizania, tares of heresy, but alluding to, rather then expounding the parable.
2 It is against the justice of God,1 that Hereticks, since they but simply erre, and are innocent, holy, and so feare God, that they had rather suffer torment and burning quicke, and are commiseratione digni (as say the Belgick Arminians, Celsus, and other Libertines) should be for meer innocency and godlinesse gathered by the Angels, in the harvest of the world, and casten into the fire and furnace of everlasting vengeance: I grant out of imitation of the fathers, and particularly of Augustine, who retracted his opinion touching hereticks, and the coercing of them: Divines use this expression, hereseon zizania, tares of heresie, but aluding to, rather then expounding the parable.
- 1Minus Celsus.
Celsus fol. 52. 53 Magistrates correcting faults, do not purge the Church of tares, but punish the heinous crimes of wicked men, and though ill doers repent and confess their error, yet the Magistrates do punish, but if heretics abjure their false doctrine, the Magistrate pardons them.
Celsus fol. 52. 53 Magistrates correcting faults, doe not purge the Church of tares, but punish the haious crimes of wicked men, and though ill doers repent and confesse their errour, yet the Magistrates doe punish, but if hereticks abjure their false doctrine, the Magistrate pardons them.