The Bloody Tenant of Persecution for the Cause of Conscience, Part 3 · Chapter 56
CHAP. LVI.
Peace.
I Pray descend now to the second evill which you observe in the Answerers position, viz. that it would bee evill to tolerate notorious evill doers, seducing teachers, &c.
Truth.
I say, the evill is, that he most improperly and confusedly joynes and couples seducing teachers with scandalous livers.
Peace.
But is it not true that the world is full of seducing teachers, and is it not true that seducing teachers are notorious evill doers?
Truth.
I answer: far be it from me to deny either: and yet in two things I shall discover the great evill of this joyning and coupling seducing teachers, and scandalous livers as one adaequate or proper object of the Magistrates care and worke to suppresse and punish.
First, it is not an Homogeneall (as we speake) but an Heterogeneall commixture or joyning together of things most different in kindes and natures, as if they were both of one consideration.
For who knowes not but that many seducing teachers, Seducing teachers, either Pagan, Jewish or Antichristian, may yet be obedient subjects to the Civill lawes.either of the Paganish, Iewish, Turkish, or Antichristian Religion, may be clear and free from scandalous offences in their life, as also from disobedience to the Civill Lawes of a State? Yea the Answerer himselfe hath elsewhere granted, that if the Lawes of a Civill State be not broken, the Peace is not broken.
Againe, who knowes not that a seducing teacher properly sinnes against a Church or Spirituall estate and Lawes of it, and therefore ought most properly and onelyonly to bee dealt withall in such a way, and by such weapons as the Lord Iesus himselfe hath appointed gainsayers, opposites and disobedients (either within his Church or without) to be convinced, repelled, resisted, and slaine withall.
Whereas scandalous offendours against Parents, Scandalous livers against the Civill state who they are.against Magistrates in the 5 Command. and so against the life, chastity, goods or good name in the rest, is properly transgression against the Civill State and Commonweale, or the worldly state of Men: And therefore consequently if the World or Civill State ought to be preserved by Civill Government or Governours; such scandalous effendours ought not to be tolerated, but supprest according to the wisdome and prudence of the said Government.
Secondly, as there is a fallacious conjoying and confounding together persons of severall kindes and natures, differing as much as Spirit and Flesh, Heaven and Earth each from other. So is there a silent and implicite justification to all the unrighteous and cruell proceedings of Iews and Gentiles against all the Prophets of God, the Lord Iesus Himselfe, and all His Messengers and Witnesses, whom their Accusers have ever so coupled and mixed with notorious evill doers and scandalous livers.
Elijah was a troubler of the State; Ieremy weakned the hand of the people: yea Moses made the people neglect their worke: the Iewes built the Rebellious and bad City: the three Worthies regarded not the command of the King: Christ Iesus deceived the people, was a conjurer and a traytor against Caesar in being King of the …ewes (indeed He was so spiritually over the true Jew the Christian) therefore He was numbred with notorious evill doers, and nailed to the Gallowes between two Malefactours.
Hence Paul and all true Messengers of Iesus Christ are esteemed seducing and seditious teachers and turners of the World upside downe: Yea and to my knowledge (I speake with honourable respect to the Answerer, so far as he hath laboured for many Truths of Christ) the Answerer himselfe hath drunke of this cup to be esteemed a seducing Teacher.