A92140:686
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 23: The place Acts 5. v. 34. to wit, the counsell of Gamaliel, discussed, and found nothing…
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. This Dilemma of Gamaliel saith, any way or Doctrine of men must be refrained from; and nothing can be done by Magistrates or Ministers, nor spoken on the contrary, because God himself will have it reserved to him, that he may bring it to nought. Now by this Argument we are not by teaching and Doctrine so much as in us lies, to hinder grievous wolves to draw disciples after them, and corrupt hearers to gather to themselves an heap of teachers, by preaching the contrary sound Doctrine, contrary to Acts 20. 28, 29, 30, 31. 2 Tim. 4. 1, 2, 3, 4. Tit. 1. 10, 11, 12, 13. For 1. we are no more to convince, refute, and rebuke false teachers, except we could do it in faith and assurance, that their way is of men and false (since all we do, or do not, speak, or speak not, must be in the persuasion of faith, else we sin, Rom. 14. 12, 14, 22, 23.) then Christian Magistrates can punish them with the sword. 2. We can no more fight against a way of God (for so the heretic to death under torturing Professeth) and you have no faith, on the contrary (say Libertines) with the tongue, nor with the hand. Yea, we can no more labour to suppress what God only, in his sole prerogative of providence, immediately working ought to suppress, and that in a mediate providence ⟨p. 287⟩of our own making, with preaching, refuting, watching over the flock, stopping the mouths of gain-sayers, then we can endeavour the suppressing of it with the sword.
4. This Dilemma of Gamaliel saith, any way or Doctrine of men must be refrained from; and nothing can be done by Magistrates or Ministers, nor spoken on the contrary, because God himself will have it reserved to him, that he may bring it to nought. Now by this Argument we are not by teaching and Doctrine so much as in us lies, to hinder grievous wolves to draw disciples after them, and corrupt hearers to gather to themselves an heap of teachers, by preaching the contrary sound Doctrine, contrary to Acts 20. 28, 29, 30, 31