A92140:600
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 21: Of the Samaritans, and of no compelling of Heathens. How the Covenant bindeth us.
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.
Jezebel is a false Prophetess, Hymaeneus and Phyletus depart from the faith, for Jezebel, Hemaeneus and Philetus may be sound in the faith, and this Pastor, who refuteth them, the false heretic, for there is no peremptory and imposing decision of any of these, till the last judgement, since now the infallible Prophets and Apostles are dead 2. Upon this ground, ye cannot eschew any as a heretic after twice admonishing him of his here•ie, for ye have no faith, nor divine certainty, it is an heresy that he holdeth, it m•y be you who admonish him are the heretic: only upon opinion you admonish him. 3, You cannot rebuke any Heretic sharply, that he may be sound in the faith, for you are not infallible in the bestowing of the lashings of your tongue on a heretic, more then the Magistrate in beating him with the sword, and your rebuking ⟨p. 256⟩of him, may be heretical and unjust, and he the man sound in the saith. 4. Upon the same ground you cannot admonish and instruct him in faith. Nor, 5. Call the opinion of the Magistrates coercing of men with the sword for their conscience, a bloody tenet and persecution of the Saints. Nor, 6. Can you in faith refuse him lodging in your house, and all your 7. Saying in the pulpit, such a way of Familism is a way of heresy, is not resolved in, thus saith the Lord, by such a preacher, but such a preacher so thinketh, possibly fancies, that the Lord saith such a way is heresy. And by the same reason what ever pastors preach, especially except it be two or three fundamentals which all Christians, Papists, Socinians, Lutherans, Protestants, Familists, Arminians, Seekers, &c. Is but the dictates of their own conscience, and so they preach, so they believe, and so they profess not, because God so saith, but because their conscience so dictates to them. And here is the Libertines Creed, Me thinks Christ died for sinners, the dead shall be raised, &c. And so Libertines are very Papists in this, and resolve our faith into the testimony of men, the conjectures of the conscience.1
Jezabel is a false Prophetesse, Hymaeneus and Phyletus depart from the faith, for Jezabel, Hemaeneus and Philetus may be sound in the faith, and this Pastor, who refuteth them, the false heretick, for there is no peremptory and imposing decision of any of these, till the last judgement, since now the infallible Prophets and Apostles are dead 2. Upon this ground, yee cannot eschew any as a heretick after twise admonishing him of his hereie, for ye have no faith, nor divine certainty, it is an heresie that he holdeth, it my be you who admonish him are the heretick: only upon opinion you admonish him. 3, You cannot rebuke any Heretick sharpely, that hee may be sound in the faith, for you are not infallible in the bestowing of the lashings of your tongue on a heretick, more then the Magistrate in beating him with the sword, and your rebuking