The casting down of the last and strongest hold of Satan. Or, A treatise against toleration and pretended liberty of conscience: wherein by Scripture, sound reason, fathers, schoolmen, casuists, Protestant divines of all nations, confessions of faith of the Reformed Churches, ecclesiastical histories, and constant practice of the most pious and wisest emperours, princes, states, the best writers of politicks, the experience of all ages; yea, by divers principles, testimonies and proceedings of sectaries themselves, as Donatists, Anabaptists, Brownists, Independents, the unlawfulnesse and mischeif [sic] in Christian commonwealths and kingdoms both of a vniversal toleration of all religions and consciences, and of a limited and bounded of some sects only, are clearly proved and demonstrated, with all the materiall grounds and reasons brought for such tolerations fully answered. / By Thomas Edvvards, Minister of the Gospel. The first part.

Title: The casting down of the last and strongest hold of Satan. Or, A treatise against toleration and pretended liberty of conscience: wherein by Scripture, sound reason, fathers, schoolmen, casuists, Protestant divines of all nations, confessions of faith of the Reformed Churches, ecclesiastical histories, and constant practice of the most pious and wisest emperours, princes, states, the best writers of politicks, the experience of all ages; yea, by divers principles, testimonies and proceedings of sectaries themselves, as Donatists, Anabaptists, Brownists, Independents, the unlawfulnesse and mischeif [sic] in Christian commonwealths and kingdoms both of a vniversal toleration of all religions and consciences, and of a limited and bounded of some sects only, are clearly proved and demonstrated, with all the materiall grounds and reasons brought for such tolerations fully answered. / By Thomas Edvvards, Minister of the Gospel. The first part.

Author: Edwards, Thomas, 1599-1647.

Collection: Early English Books Online

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are understood. But that that Synecdoche may be rightly explained, before all things the Scope of the Law-giver in every Precept is to be en∣quired after: namely, what he signifies pleases and displeases him: for then we shall aime rightly and refer all things to their true end; Now in these commands Deut. 13. from v. 1. to the 12. if we doe but wel observe the scope and end of the Law-giver, viz how teaching defection from the Lord God highly displeases him we shall plainly see the Synecdoche in these commands, under that turning away by those false Gods, other turning away by false Gods of another sort, and false worships of the true God by Images and Idols, highly provoking him. OfBez. de Hae∣ret. à magistr. puniend. 156. Sunt autem hu∣jus defectionis varia testimo∣nia publica, que rum etsi praeci∣pua tantum, & quae accidunt in legihus com∣memorantur, ipsa tamen legis ratio unversali formula conce∣pta est: itaque in genere vale∣re debet adver∣sus eos qui à vera religione deficiunt, & a∣lies ad defecti∣onem solicitant. de∣fection from God there are many dangerous and damnable wayes, divers publick testimonies of it, of which though one or two Principall of the times and places then may be only particularly named in the Laws, yet such that are worse, and other as bad must needs be meant too, especially when the reason of the Law speaking of defection is delivered in a general way, as tis in this instance of Deut. 13. But of this the Reader may see more in page 31. 32. of this Trea∣tise.Thirdly, under the old Testament Lawes, comman∣ding Magistretes to punish false Prophets, Idolaters Blas∣phemers, are contained false Teachers and Hereticks, who preach Doctrines destroying the foundation, and blasphemers a∣gainst the glory of Christ, although they be not such false Pro∣phets and Apostates as wholly deny God and Christ, and fall to the gods of the Heathens, which besides the judgement of many learned Divines, as Calvin, Beza, Zanchius, Bullinger, Peter Martyr, Philip Melancton, Iunius, Zepperus, with di∣vers others upon that question, stil quotiug those texts to prove that Hereticks and false Teachers ought to be puni∣shed by the Civil Magistrate, appears further thus. 1. Among theHaebreis, Pseu∣do-propheta quemvis falsum doctorem signi∣ficare solet, Ber∣gii Dissert. Octae de Haeres. esus∣que Jud. Iewes a false Prophet used to signifie every false Tea∣cher asFabrit. in Zach. 13. 2, 3.Bergius shows, and I have already shown out of Calvin, Arias Monianus and others that by the false Prophets in Za∣charie are meant false Teachers, and that the word in the He∣brew Nebiim signifies foolish and vaine talkers, that with fai∣ned words make merchandize of People, as well as Prophets; 0