A92140:720
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.
2 Every just war is some way defensive, in regard every act of Magistracy, is an act of defending of the peace, life, and liberty of the society, or the members thereof, and a propulsion of violence, by violence; and this is the intrinsical and of Magistracy, to hold off unjust violence, by just and harmless violence; for if the life of a murther•r be not taken away by the sword of a Magistrate, he will still take the life of another man, qui semel •alus, semper malus presumitur, •e that is once wicked, is still presumed to be wicked, except his wickedness be restrained, and to offend a nation or person that hath not offended us, must be unjust violence, and unlawful war: and to make war against a nation that ⟨p. 301⟩hath worshipped a strange God, and injured God, and not us, supposeth that we must instruct them of a wrong done to God, by teaching them, and instructing them in the true Religion: for suppose they worship the works of mens hands, and worship Satan as some Indians do and so by their own conscience may be convinced, and so are inexcusable in foro Dei, before Gods tribunal, yet are they not so inexcusable, in foro humano, before mans tribunal, as we can make war against them, till we inform and instruct them positively of the true Religion. But they that shed our blood, and invade our peace and liberties, are by the Law of nature convinced, and by demands of reparation made to them, quickly silenced, and need not to be instructed in the principles of the law of nature, which are written in their hearts. But it may be said, What if that Nation will not be informed of the true Religion, and will go on contumaciously to dishonour God, and reproach the true God? Shall we not upon a mere quarrel for Religion, make war against them, and avenge the injuries done to God, and defend his truth, no less then with the sword, we defend our own lives and liberties?
2 Every just war is some way defensive, in regard every act of Magistracy, is an act of defending of the peace, life, and liberty of the society, or the members thereof, and a propulsion of violence, by violence; and this is the intrinsecal and of Magistracy, to hold off unjust violence, by just and harmelesse violence; for if the life of a murther•r be not taken away by the sword of a Magistrate, he will still take the life of another man, qui semel alus, semper malus presumitur, e that is once wicked, is still presumed to be wicked, except his wickednesse be restrained, and to offend a nation or person that hath not offended us, must be unjust violence, and unlawfull war: and to make war against a nation that