The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Bloudy Tenent of Persecution for Cause of Conscience Discussed and Mr. Cotton's Letter Examined and Answered, by Roger Williams
CHAP. X.
CHAP. X.
Peace. Now the last distinction is this: “Persecution
for conscience is either for a rightly informed conscience,
or a blind and erroneous conscience.”
Answ. Persecutors oppress both true and erroneous consciences.
Truth. Indeed, both these consciences are persecuted;
but lamentably blind and erroneous will those consciences
shortly appear to be, which out of zeal for God, as is pretended,
have persecuted either. And heavy is the doom
of those blind guides and idol shepherds, whose right eye
God’s finger of jealousy hath put out, who flattering the
ten horns, or worldly powers, persuade them what excellent
and faithful service they perform to God, in persecuting
both these consciences; either hanging up a rightly
informed conscience, and therein the Lord Jesus himself,
between two malefactors, or else killing the erroneous and
the blind, like Saul, out of zeal to the Israel of God, the
poor Gibeonites, whom it pleased God to permit to live;
and yet that hostility and cruelty used against them, as
the repeated judgment year after year upon the whole
land after told them, could not be pardoned until the death
of the persecutor, Saul [and] his sons, had appeased the
Lord’s displeasure, 2 Sam. xxi.