A92140:829
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.
So Mr. Dell denies all Reformation, 1but heart-reformation. Other reformation beside this in the heart, I know none, and Gospel-reformation only mindeth the reformation of the heart; then away with Preaching, Laws, the Sword, Synods. Gospel-reformation (saith he) is inward, lays hold upon the heart, soul, and inner man, and changes and renews that, doth not much busy it self about outward forms, or external conformity, but only minds the conformity of the heart; for when the heart is right with God, the outward forms cannot be amiss. Christ saith touching the worship of the New Testament, God is a Spirit, and they that worship him, must worship him in Spirit and Truth; he speaks not one word of any outward forms, so that, God in the Gospel-reformation aims at nothing but the heart.2 So the father of the Familists, impure H. Nicholas. If I could give all my goods to the poor, &c. if I have not love, it is not any thing to me; that is, whosoever hath not Christ, he is without God, and without righteousness in this world, I mean the being like Christ, which is conceived through the power of the Holy Ghost, and not any ceremonial Christ, which one man speaketh to another, or promiseth to another, through his ceremonial service; which he, out of his prudency, according to his fleshly mind setteth up: O no, The work or begetting of God cometh not so slenderly to pass as men now at this time teach each other out of their unregenerate Spirit; he meaneth by men now at this time, Protestants who conjoin Pauls planting, and the watering of Apollos, with the working of the Spirit, whereas this ⟨p. 359⟩Impostor taketh him to the latter, and rails against the former, as a ceremonial and fleshly Christ.
So Mr. Dell denies all Reformation, 1but heart-reformation. Other reformation beside this in the heart, I know none, and Gospel-reformation onely mindeth the reformation of the heart; then away with Preaching, Laws, the Sword, Synods. Gospel-reformation (saith he) is inward, layes hold upon the heart, soule, and inner man, and changes and renewes that, doth not much busie it selfe about outward formes, or externall conformity, but onely mindes the conformity of the heart; for when the heart is right with God, the outward formes cannot be amisse. Christ saith touching the worship of the New Testament, God is a Spirit, and they that worship him, must worship him in Spirit and Truth; he speakes not one word of any outward formes, so that, God in the Gospel-reformation aimes at nothing but the heart.