A92140:851
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.
Dr. Jer. Taylor layeth down the same ground for tolerating Papists, 1Socinians, Familists, and all the dreaming Prophets on earth, because of the difficulty there is of expounding Scripture, and all the means and ways of coming to the true sense thereof, are fallible. There is variety of reading, various interpunction, a parenthesis, a letter, an acce•• may much alter the sense.
Dr. Jer. Taylor layeth downe the same ground for tolerating Papists, 1Socinians, Familists, and all the dreaming Prophets on earth, because of the difficulty there is of expounding Scripture, and all the means and wayes of comming to the true sense thereof, are fallible. There is variety of reading, various interpunction, a parenthesis, a letter, an acce•• may much alter the sense.
- 1Dr. Tailors liberty of prophesying, Sect. 4. p. 73, 74 75, &c.Dr. Taylors liberty of prophesying, Sect. 4. p. 73, 74 75, &c.
Answ. May not reading, interpunction, a parenthesis, a letter, an acc•m, alter the sense of all fundamentals in the Decalogue? of the principles of the Gospel? and turn the Scripture in all points (which Mr. Doctor restricts to some few darker places, whose senses are off the way to heaven, and less necessary) in a field of Problems, and turn all believing into digladiations of wits? all ou• comforts of the Scriptures into the reelings of a Wind-mill, and pha• cies of seven Moons at once in the firmament? this is to put our faith and the first fruits of the Spirit, and Heaven and Hell to the Press. But though Printers and Pens of men may err, it followeth not that heresies should be tolerated, except we say, 1 That our faith is ultimately resolved upon characters, and the faith of Printers. 2 We must say, we have not the clear and infallible word of God, because the Scripture comes to our hand, by fallible means, which is a great inconsequence, for though Scribes, Translators, Grammarians, rimers, may all err, it followeth not that an erring providence of him that hath seven eyes, hath not delivered to the Church, the Scriptures containing the infallible truth of God. Say that Baruch might err in writing the Prophecy of Jeremiah, it followeth not that the Prophecy of Jeremiah, which we have, is not the infallible