I come to the assumption, The punishing of a seducing Prophet is moral.1 In that it is commanded to father and mother, not to pity him, Deut. 13. 6. holden forth as the zeal of God, in father and mother, under the Messiahs Kingdom, Zach. 13. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. and every one is forbidden, To bid him God speed, yea, and commanded to deny him an act of humanity, and hospitality, and not receive him in his house, 2 Joh. 1. If we be commanded to put any shame on him, far more must the Ruler be taught of God, what shame he should put on him. For what ever under the New Testament is capable of a command, is moral. And if moral, what the Magistrate should do to him can no more be determined by the will and wit of man, than it can be determined what punishment the Magistrate must inflict upon the murderer, the adulterer, the Sorcerer, the Sodomite; which all the wisdom of God hath determined: in the word, otherways God hath left the Magistrate in the dark, that from the word he hath no direction, when he committeth murder, or when he doth acts of justice. And ⟨p. 311⟩that it is a moral act also to seduce souls is clear, in that, 1. We are commanded to beware of such. Matth. 7. 5. and avoid them, Tit. 3. 10. Rom. 16. 17. 2. That the Lord condemneth them in his word, as such as make their followers the children of perdition, Yea Matth. 22. 15. They subvert the hearers; their word cate as a Canker, 2 Tim. 2. 15, 17. Lead silly women Captive, 2 Tim. 3. are Deceivers, Tit. 1. 10. Now that God hath appointed a punishment for this of old, and hath spoken against this sin so much in the New Testament, and bidden private Christians, cry shame on Seducers, and fly them, and yet left the Magistrate under a discharge, and inhibition to draw a sword against such: who can believe it? except that inhibition given to the Christian Magistrate were written in the Testament of our Lord. To say the new Testament-dispensation is so spiritual that God will have no remedying of seducing, but by the spiritual armour of the word, is said without ground, when the New Testament-dispensation is as spiritual to gain the Sorcerer, the The•fe, the Sodomite, the drunkard, the Reviler, as the Idolater by the spiritual armour of the Word, Act. 19. 19. 1 Cor. 6. 9, 10, 11. and by this reason the Magistrate may draw the sword against no thief, Sodomite, Drunkard, Sorcerer, contrary to Rom. 13.
I come to the assumption, The punishing of a seducing Prophet is morrall.1 In that it is commanded to father and mother, not to pitty him, Deut. 13. 6. holden forth as the zeale of God, in father and mother, under the Messia•s Kingdome, Zach. 13. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. and every one is forbidden, To bid him God speed, yea, and commanded to deny him an act of humanity, and hospitality, and not receive him in his house, 2 Joh. 1. If we be commanded to put any shame on him, far more must the Ruler bee taught of God, what shame he should put on him. For what ever under the New Testament is capable of a command, is morall. And if morall, what the Magistrate should doe to him can no more be determined by the will and wit of man, than it can be determined what punishment the Magistrate must inflict upon the murtherer, the adulterer, the Sorcerer, the Sodomite; which all the wisdom of God hath determined: in the word, otherways God hath left the Magistrate in the dark, that from the word he hath no direction, when he committeth murther, or when he doth acts of justice. And ⟨p. 311⟩that it is a morall act also to seduce soules is cleare, in that, 1. We are commanded to beware of such. Matth. 7. 5. and avoid them, Tit. 3. 10. Rom. 16. 17. 2. That the Lord condemneth them in his word, as such as make their followers the children of perdition, Yea Matth. 22. 15. They subvert the hearers; their word cate as a Canker, 2 Tim. 2. 15, 17. Lead silly women Captive, 2 Tim. 3. are Deceivers, Tit. 1. 10. Now that God hath appointed a punishment for this of old, and hath spoken against this sinne so much in the New Testament, and bidden private Christians, cry shame on Seducers, and fly them, and yet left the Magistrate under a discharge, and inhibition to draw a sword against such: who can beleeve it? except that inhibition given to the Christian Magistrate wer written in the Testament of our Lord. To say the new Testament-dispensation is so spirituall that God wil have no remedying of seducing, but by the spirituall armor of the word, is said without ground, when the New Testament-dispensation is as spirituall to gaine the Sorcerer, the Thefe, the Sodomite, the drunkard, the Reviler, as the Idolater by the spirituall amor of the Word,
- 1The punishing of a seducing Prophet is moral.
