A92140:952
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. God will have the means used by every man according to his own light. I distinguish according to his own light and conscience, as a necessary condition that must be in all right judging, it is most true, for he sins grievously who in judging goeth contrary to the indictment of his own conscience, and so God will have the means used by every man according to his own light and conscience, as his obliging rule which layeth a law and a tie upon him to believe and profess that is most ⟨p. 400⟩[…] ⟨p. 401⟩[…] ⟨p. 402⟩false, for the word of God not every mans conscience is the obliging rule of his actions as is proved.1 2. The conclusion is most false, for though we are not to judge who are elect and who reprobate, because we are not upon Gods Cabinet counsel, yet do we not intrude upon Gods secrets to judge who is an Heretic or a false Teacher, or who sound in the faith by his doctrine examined by the law and the Testimony, for how can God say, Beware of the false Prophet, Matth. 7. 15. if it were arrogance and an intruding upon Gods Cabinet counsel to judge a false Prophet by his doctrine to be a false Prophet? how can we avoid an Heretic more then a Saint, if we may not lawfully judge an heretic to be an Heretic?
Answ. God will have the meanes used by every man according to his own light. I distinguish according to his own light and conscience, as a necessarie condition that must be in all right judging, it is most true, for he sins grievously who in judging goeth contrary to the inditement of his own conscience, and so God will have the meanes used by every man according to his own light and conscience, as his obliging rule which layeth a law and a tie upon him to beleeve and professe that is most ⟨p. 400⟩〈…〉 ⟨p. 401⟩