A92140:837
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.
Goodwin resolves all our faith into a foundation of Christian Religion (if I may call it Religion) made of the credit, learning and authority of men, he would have mens learning and authority either the word of God, or the essence and nature thereof, which is as good as to include the garments and clothes of man, in the nature and definition of a man, and build our faith upon a paper foundation, but our faith is not bottomed or resolved upon these fallible means.
Goodwin resolves all our faith into a foundation of Christian Religion (if I may call it Religon) made of the credit, learning and authority of men, he would have mens learning and authoritie either the word of God, or the essence and nature thereof, which is as good as to include the garments and cloathes of man, in the nature and definition of a man, and build our faith upon a paper foundation, but our faith is not bottomed or resolved upon these fallible meanes.
But what Arguments have Bellarmine, Stapleton, Gr••serus, Becam•s, […], Valentia, the Council of Trent, and other Papists to make good that the Church of sound Catholics (who if they could fill their chair) are of more authority then Printers or particular men, translators of the Scripture? for they lead us from the written word as Mr. Goodwin doth, and say the Church giveth authority to the word of God, and ⟨p. 364⟩resolve our faith upon the Testimony of the Church (saith Tann• rus) as the infallible rule of faith, 1on the authority of the Church (saith Bellarmine) quoad explicationem & quoad nos, in regard of our believing on God, 2not simply revealing, but so and so revealing (saith Stapleton) by his Church &c. so as we know not that God hath revealed his truth, but by, and for the infallible proposal of the Church saith Gregorius de Valentia) on the authority of the first verity, God revealing himself as the principle and first cause of faith (saith Joan. de Lugo) and Malderus) and on the authority of the Church as they are men eminent for Miracles, as in that which is first beleeved ut in primo creditum, and the only infallible rule of faith, say Suarez, Aegid, Conic, Lod. Maeratius, And. Duvallius, Fr. Silvius, Lod. Caspensis? All which speak fairer for the credit of faith in words,