A92140:861
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.
Let the error be never so great,1 if it be not against an article of the Creed, if it be simple, and have no confederation with the personal iniquity of the man, the opinion is as innocent as the person; though perhaps as false as he is ignorant, and therefore shall burn, though he himself escape. The man cannot by humane judgement be counted an heretic, unless his opinion be an open recession, from plain demonstrative authority (which must needs be notorious, voluntary, vincible, and criminal) or that there be a palpable serving of an end accidental and extrinsical to the opinion, but these ends spiritual are hard to be discerned. The opinion of Purgatory though false, being neither fundamentally false, nor practically impious, is no heresy.
Let the errour be never so great,1 if it be not against an ar••cle of the Creed, if it be simple, and have no confederation with the personall iniquity of the man, the opinion is as innocent as the person; though perhaps as false as he is ignorant, and therefore shall burne, though he himselfe escape. The man cannot by humane judgement be counted an heretick, unlesse his opinion be an open recession, from plaine demonstrative authority (which must needs be notorious, voluntary, vincible, and criminall) or that there be a palpable serving of an end accidentall and extrinsecall to the opi•ion, but these ends spirituall are hard to be discerned. The opinion of Purgatory though false, being neither fundamentally false, nor practically impious, is no heresie.
- 1The causes of heresy.The causes of heresie.
Ans. 1