A92140:789
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 26: Whether punishing of Seducing Teachers be persecution for Conscience.
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.
The Author of Ancient bonds having forgotten Divinity ⟨p. 341⟩cries, God waited for the Old world 120 years, and when this date of patience is out,1 I would have gathered you, &c. I sent my Prophets early, but where doth the Lord charge the Prophet, that the Magistrate did not force and compel the people?
The Author of Ancient bonds having forgotten Divinity ⟨p. 341⟩cryes, God waited for the Old world 120 yeers, and when this date of patience is out,1 I would have gathered you, &c. I sent my Prophets early, but where doth the Lord charge the Prophet, that the Magistrate did not force and compell the people?
- 1Ancient bonds of Liberty, Reas. 21, 22.
Ans. Will this man let us hear Logic? the Lord waited on the old world 120 years; 1and sent his Prophets early, I dare say, many hundred years; Ergo, The Blasphemer and the false Prophet contrary to Deut. 13. Levit. 24. must be spared 120 years? so Ergo, We must exercise much long suffering in the old Testament while these Laws were in vigour, (for then it must be that the Prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah were never charged that Magistrates compelled not consciences,) toward seducing Prophets: Why, but God using much longsuffering toward the old world, and Israel not a world (I judge) of innocent and godly Heretics, but of men that corrupted their way, despised the Prophets, hardened their faces and hearts, were murderers, oppressors, grinders of the poor, killed their children to Devils; Ergo, the Magistrate should extend long-suffering for as many years as this man will to these ill-doers, no less then to seducing teachers, should not Pastors & Rulers extend long-suffering to all sorts of sinners as well as to Heretics? but where (answers the Prophet) doth the Lord lay it to the charge of Prophet or Magistrate, that they did not force or compel the people, to repent, to leave their murdering, their oppressing their grinding of the face of the poor? We teach not that the Prophet ought to compel any, nor that the Sword is an ordinance of God to convert oppressors, and murderers, to turn meek and righteous judges, co-action by fire and sword in Old or New Testament can convert none to Christ, the word and the Spirit must ever do the turn: By accident God can change the nature of the rod and sanctify it to Manasseh, for to bring him to humiliation and repentance. But were these that Christ would have gathered