Book Description

Excerpt from Select Memoirs of the Lives, Labours, and Sufferings of Those Pious and Learned English and Scottish Divines, Who Greatly Distinguished Themselves in Promoting the Reformation From Popery: In Translating the Bible, and in Promulgating Its Salutary Doctrines by Their Numerous Evangelical Writings, and Who Ultimately Crowned the Venerable Edifice With the Celebrated Westminster Confession of Faith, &C. &C. &C It will readily be granted, that they were not all of precisely the same opinion in regard to some of the less important con cerns of Christianity. In this imperfect state of existence, it has not been, nor can it ever be expected, that any large body of men will hold the self-same opinions; but the Reformers, on all essential points, seem to have been harmoniously agreed. Salvation through grace, and good works as the evidence of that grace; this was the centre around which they rallied, and the magnet that attracted their correspondence; it was this that animated their exertions, and, elevated their hopes. With regard to church-government, however; there existed amongst them variousshades of opinion; and respecting the doctrines of religious liberty, the sentiments of not a few were rather confused and indistinct; but the majority seems to have admitted that, in as much as every individual must account for himself at the final reckoning, so he has the undoubted right also. To judge, think, and determine for himself 111 this his probation ary state. Ori this subject judge Blackstone has judiciously remarked, that our ancestors were much mistaken, when they considered the mere difference of religious opinions a p1'0pel object of coercion and punishment, and that persecution for opinions, however ridiculous and absurd these opinions might be, is at variance with every maxim of sound policy and civil liberty, and unjustifiable on every principle of moral rectitude and true religion. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.