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Show How farreeviD dotrsmay 6e tolertzted. over: fo men of riper yea res, when they are lol!h to !loop to the Authority of the Truth, they thinke it bell to paile it over in fi. lence. Buc what is it, the Difcuffer is p!eafed to anfwor to ? Dilcuffer. In thi< Propojition, [that it u evil/to tolerate notoriom <"IJili dam flducing Teachm .• fcandalom livers: J I obftrve two evillt. ' Firjl, rb.1t thi< Propofition i< too large and gpmJll, b,cJufo the R~tl< admitteth o[.lxception, and that according to the will of God. Defender. And to prove that this generall Propofition admitteth fomeex· ception, the J?ifcuffir fpendeth the reli of this 53· chapter : as al· fo the '54th. chapter, and '5'5th. . But becaufe I would not fpend time , nor weary the Reader \~ith following the Difcuffer in impertinent, and copioU! digref· fiont, I returne briefly this Reply, Firfr~ it is wholly impertinent, whatfoever the Difcuffir is plea· fed todtfcourfe of Gods permiffion, ortoleration of any evill. For firfr, God is his owne Rule, and what he doth is good,~ caufe he doth it. Not his All:, but hit word, is a Rule to us. He may tolerate Cain, a Murtherer to live; buc that is no precedent to a Civill Magillrate. Secondly, I willingly grant, it maybe lawfull for a Civill Ma· gillrate , to tolerate notorious evill doers in two cafes, undu which, all the Examples will fall, which the Difou§er alleadgetb iu any word ofT ruth. Asfirll,in regard of the efficient caufe of punifhin~; when the · Magifrrates hand is too weake and feeble, and the offendors Ad· he rents fo great and llrong , that Jullice cannot be done upon him, without m~nifefr perill to the whole State, there the Magi· firate may mlerate a notorious evill, even murther it felfe, asp,. vid upon this ground did tolerate in Joab and Abijbai, the murtber of Abner. 2 Sam. 3· 39· . And fecondly, in regard of the fin all caufe, an evill may be ttl' lerated to prevent other greater evills : As Mofes tolerated divorce of unpleafing Wives, to prevent the murder or other Iwd ' and cruell ufage of them. · ' In either of thefe cafes, I would not deny but a murderer maY 'be tolerated·: if ather the Magillrate want fufficient Power, with fafay How farre evzU dotrs may 6e roierated. -f11fety of the State, to oot him off: or· if a forraine State be fo affefted and addil:l:ed•tO th .. Murderer, that in .cafe the M.gifi.rate here cut off him, they will cut off fundry of our innocent and ne• celfary members, whom they have gotten into theil'cufrody in revenge of him. And if either·of thefe be the·cafe, I eafily-grant that it is not evill to tolerate a notorious feducing falfe Teacher, or other fcandalous liver: But fuch an extraordinary doth not hinder the due ·la-rgenclfe, and generality of the Propofition, th•t it is ev11l to tolerate feditious evill doers, feducing T eachert, fcandalous Livers. Ar. in a paralcll cafe, this Propofition is not too large, nor too ge!' erail, it is evill to tolerate a bloudy murderer: notwithfranding an fomecafes ( fuch as have been named, but thofe are extraordi-nary) It may be lawful! to tolerate him. . Now that in ordinary cafes, it is not lawfull-to tolerate a fedu• cing falfe Teacher, the Commandcment of ·God is cleare, and firon~, Deu~. 13· 1!, 9· $hine tyt fba!lnvtpity him, neitherjhalt thou Jt.~re h~m, ~tther jhalt th•u conceale hzm, but thou fbalt Jure I] Jill him. If the Difcuffir fhall except, ·chat ftritl: Commandement was in force. in Ifrael, becaufe their Land was typically holy , Ql' their Magtllrates were Types of Chrift. · T·beRep}y is plaine and jull, G~ h!mfelfe alledgeth no .fuch reafon of hi• Law : But another qutte different, but·common with them to all Nations, profeffingtheworfhipof thetrueGod Thou Jhalt put him to death, becaufe he fought to thrujlthee away ft;m the Lord thy G•d, ver. 10. Neither can anyinllance be given of any Capitall Law of Mofi1 '·but isof.Mor~U, ( thatis of ~en~rall, and perpetuall) Equi. ty, m all Nauons. mall Ages, Capztalza Mofis Politic~ font .etern •. CHAp. S4· .A Reply to his Chap. 56· I Difculfcr. Come no'!' to tbe ft.contl Evil/, "':hicb 1 obferve in the A,fwerert (ormer PoJ!tton, that zt would be ev•ll to toltrat< jed11cingTocheu ICaiJ· dalom L 1vm. 'r In t,..o things, 1/hall difciver the great evil/ of tbi1 j"Jninz, and ,oup· Q Jj,,!. |