A92140:696
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
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.
Answ. If so, the Argument is much weaker than it was, for we condemn cruelty and desire of revenge in the matter of justice, as well as of Religion; for Libertines beg the question when they will have no bloodshed for blasphemy; but it must be cruelty and desire of revenge; for there can be no greater cruelty then for a Christian Magistrate to suffer bloody wolves to prey upon the flock, and false teachers to hunt souls, and destroy them. It was justice, not cruelty, yea mercy to the Church of God, to take away the life of Servo•us, who used such spiritual and diabolic cruelty to many thousand souls, whom he did pervert, and by his Book, does yet lead into perdition.
Answ. If so, the Argument is much weaker than it was, for we condemne cruelty and desire of revenge in the matter of justice, as well as of Religion; for Libertines beg the question when they will have no bloodshed for blaspemy; but it must be cruelty and desire of revenge; for there can be no greater cruelty then for a Christian Magistrate to suffer bloody wolves to prey upon the flock, and false teachers to hunt soules, and destroy them. It was justice, not cruelty, yea mercy to the Church of God, to take away the life of Servo•us, who used such spirituall and diabolick cruelty to many thousand soules, whom he did pervert, and by his Booke, does yet leade into perdition.
2. The mature object of the Disciples furious and blind zeal was not Religion, but refusing of lodging most inhumanely to Christ, because the Samaritans did not receive him, for his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem, Luke 9. 51. and the Samaritans so maliced and envied the Jews, that because he aimed to go to Jerusalem, being so glorious a Prophet, and famous for holiness among them, they refused him lodging. Then surely they had an esteem of Christ as a rare and singular Prophet, and would have monopolized him, as a Samaritan, and worker of miracles as their own, and envied that he should go to their enemies; though I deny not that the Samaritans had too base and irreligious thoughts of Christ, yet that was not all the injury they did to Christ.