A92140:897
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
Chapter 28: Divers other Arguments for pretended Toleration, answered.
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. That was their Error, they knew not the Law of God,1 but it was their duty, that they ratified it. 2. Those Princes did their duty as Magistrates in those Laws, no matter what Conscience, renewed, or not renewed put them on to act, the duties in the substance of the act were lawful, the corruption of nature (they being unrenewed) might vitiate the work, and put them a working to act lawfully, in the duties. Saul as King did fight the battles of the Lord, and led his people, and that lawfully according to the substance of the work, but God knows his motives and end. 3. This ignorant man never hears of a Magistratical act to promote the worship of God in a civill way, but he dreams of a spiritual tribunal given to the Magistrate, which we abhor as much as he; for the material object of the Magistrates power though spiritual, rendereth not his power spiritual, as the Magistrate punisheth spiritual confederacy with Satan, in Magicians, and Sorcerers, a Witch should not be suffered to live, and Sodomy flowing from Gods judicial delivering men up to a reprobate mind, Rom. I. 28. and yet the Magistrate's ⟨p. 385⟩power is not spiritual, nor terminated upon the consciences of men. Not is this Argument of strength, that men cannot be persuaded to cast off opinions of God for fear: For 1. Some must be saved through fear, and pulled out of the fire, Jude v. 23. 2. Augustine answered this argument of Donatists, fear of Princes Laws, 1. compelleth men to come in and hear truth, and truth persuadeth, Epist. 48. ad Vincent. Ali• dicant nos false rumor••• terribam•r […], qu•• false• esse nesciremus, si non intraremus, nec intrarimus, nisi cogere••er, gratias domino qui trepidationem nostram flagello abstulit. 2. Fear of Civill laws may draw men out of the society of bewitching Seducers,2