A92140:807
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. 1. What if a man void of the Spirit cannot pray; ergo, we should not advise him to pray? Is it Popery to advise him so to do; or to pray when he wants the Spirit? sure Peter taught no Popery to Simon Magus, a man as void of the Spirit as any Socinian or Familist, a man in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity, Act. 8. 22. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness (I conceive this is yield obedience to what is taught you, and meditate on it, and your evil ways, and change your mind) and pray God (though thou hast no Spirit of Adoption more then a Familist, who makes you believe honey words, or the very Spirit given to his Anointed ones, such as they only) if perhaps the thoughts of thine heart, may be forgiven thee; and whom does the Lord command, Ezek. 18. that they would make a new heart? I conceive such as were as unable to do it, as to make one hair white or black, 1as the Bounder saith, and this is our advice, not because we think they can do it without the Spirit of Christ, more than those that move the question, Act. 2. 37. What shall we do to be saved? Act. 9. 6. Act. 16. 30. But if unconverted they may be humbled and convinced, that they are in a lost condition. And, I confess, if Antinomians will advise them to believe, and pray, though they have not the Spirit, and to pray as they can, and believe as they can, and without any preparative work of the Law, or sense or knowledge of sin, or sickness for Christ, immediately and forth with, believe Christ dyed for thee obstinate Socinian, and wrote thy name in the book of life, and believe thy election to life, Baptist is a miserable comforter, and how he censureth this; Its Gods absolute will and pleasure you should believe, and that you must necessarily believe upon peril of damnation which he saith is our Catechism. I understand not, except he show us a conditional Commandment to believe the Gospel, and a conditional election and reprobation, suspending Gods decrees on what we are foreseen to do, and except he deny the threatenings in the Gospel which shall find out an unbeliever,