A92140:721
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.
I Answer there is not the like reason: for God and nature have given to the strongest, a jus and authority over oppressors, to repel unjust violence, with innocent violence but that we should force the true Religion on Idolaters, we have not the like ground, except they did attempt to obtrude their false ways upon us, and injure our souls: for there is a vast difference between a people never receiving the true Religion, and a people who have embraced, and submitted to laws, that have enacted the profession of the true Religion: those that never professed the true Religion, cannot be compelled to receive it by the Sword of another Nation, except they first subdue them in a just war, and be masters of them, and they may educate the posterity of the subdued people, and discharge the duty of parents to them, and impose laws on themselves, to cast away the Idols of their fathers house, and to learn the knowledge of the true God: but they cannot make the not receiving of the true Religion the ground of a war: for we read not of any such ⟨p. 302⟩cause of war in the Scripture. It is true, God did command his people to destroy the Canaanites, but Idolatry was not the quarrel, Josh. 11. 19. There was not a nation that made pe••• with the Children of Israel, save the Hittites the inhabitants of Gibe on all (other) they took in battle, 20. For it was of the Lord to harden their heart, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favour, but that he might destroy them as the Lord commanded Moses. And those that they subdued in the Wilderness, denied them harmless passage through their Land.
I Answer there is not the like reason: for God and nature have given to the strongest, a jus and authority over oppressors, to repel unjust violence, with innocent violence but that we should force the true Religion on Idolators, we have not the like ground, except they did attempt to obtrude their false ways upon us, and injure our soules: for there is a vast difference between a people never receiving the true Religion, and a people who have imbraced, and submitted to lawes, that have inacted the profession of the true Religion: those that never professed the true Religion, cannot bee compelled to receive it by the Sword of another Nation, except they first subdue them in a just warre, and be masters of them, and they may educate the posterity of the subdued people, and discharge the duty of parents to them, and impose lawes on themselves, to cast away the Idols of their fathers house, and to learn the knowledge of the true God: but they cannot make the not receiving of the true Religion the ground of a war: for we read not of any such