N00027:226
The heart of N-England rent at the blasphemies of the present generation. Or a…
The heart of N-England rent at the blasphemies of the present generation. Or a brief tractate concerning the doctrine of the Quakers, demonstrating the destructive nature thereof, to religion, the churches, and the state, with consideration of the remedy against it. Occasional satisfaction to objections, and confirmation of the contrary trueth. / By John Norton, teacher of the Church of Christ at Boston. Who was appointed thereunto by the order of the General Court. ; [Four lines from Revelation]
printed by Samuel Green, 1659
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.
We through grace abhor prejudicing the liberty of Conscience in the least measure, and account such report of us to be a slander. And through the same grace; We both dread, and bear witness against, liberty of heresy, liberty to Blaspheme the Blessed Trinity, the Person and Office of Christ, the holy-Scripture, the tabernacle of God, and those that dwell in heaven. Howsoever fallaciously transformed into, & mis-represented under the plausible visor of liberty of conscience falsely so called. We say Religion is to be persuaded with Scripture-reasons, not Civil weapons: with Arguments, not with punishments. But Blasphemies immediate and heresies carried on with an high hand, and persisted in, are to be suppressed with weapons & punishments; where reasons, & arguments cannot prevail.
Wee through grace abhorre prejudicing the liberty of Conscience in the least measure, and account such report of us to be a slander. And through the same grace; Wee both dread, and beare witness against, liberty of heresy, liberty to Blaspheme the Blessed Trinity, the Person and Office of Christ, the holy-Scripture, the tabernacle of God, and those that dwell in heaven. Howsoever fallaciously transformed into, & mis-represented under the plausible vizard of liberty of conscience falsly so called. We say Religion is to be perswaded with Scripture-reasons, not Civil weapons: with Arguments, not with punishments. But Blasphemies immediate and heresies carried on with an high hand, and persisted in, are to be suppressed with weapons & punishments; where reasons, & arguments cannot prevail.
We distinguish between Heresy (Quiet and alone. (Turbulent i.e. Incorrigible, accompanied with soliciting the people to apostasy from the Faith of Christ to defection from the Churches, to Sedition in the Common-wealth, And that after due means of conviction, and Authoritative Prohibition.
We distinguish between Heresie (Quiet and alone. (Turbulent i.e. Incorigible, accompanied with soliciting the people to apostacy from the Faith of Christ to defection from the Churches, to Sedition in the Common-wealth, And that after due meanes of conviction, and Authoritative Prohibition.