A76988:122
The arraignment of errorThe arraignment of errour
The arraignment of error: or, A discourse serving as a curb to restrain the wantonness of mens spirits in the entertainment of opinions; and as a compass, whereby we may sail in the search and finding of truth; distributed into six main questions. Quest. 1. How it may stand with Gods, with Satan's, with a mans own ends, that there should be erroneous opinions? Quest. 2. What are the grounds of abounding errors? Quest. 3. Why so many are carried away with error? Quest. 4. Who those are that are in danger? Quest. 5. What are the examens, or the trials of opinions, and characters of truth? Quest. 6. What ways God hath left in his Word for the suppressing of error, and reducing of erroneous persons? Under which general questions, many other necessary and profitable queries are comprised, discussed, and resolved. And in conclusion of all; some motives, and means, conducing to an happy accommodation of our present differences, are subjoined. / By Samuel Bolton minister of the Word of God at Saviours-Southwark.The arraignment of errour: or, A discourse serving as a curb to restrain the wantonnesse of mens spirits in the entertainment of opinions; and as a compasse, whereby we may sail in the search and finding of truth; distributed into six main questions. Quest. 1. How it may stand with Gods, with Satans, with a mans own ends, that there should be erroneous opinions? Quest. 2. What are the grounds of abounding errours? Quest. 3. Why so many are carried away with errour? Quest. 4. Who those are that are in danger? Quest. 5. What are the examens, or the trials of opinions, and characters of truth? Quest. 6. What waies God hath left in his Word for the suppressing of errour, and reducing of erroneous persons? Under which generall questions, many other necessary and profitable queries are comprized, discussed, and resolved. And in conclusion of all; some motives, and means, conducing to an happy accommodation of our present differences, are subjoyned. / By Samuel Bolton minister of the Word of God at Saviours-Southwark.
London: printed by G. Miller for Andrew Kembe, 1646
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
2. God would now exercise your zeal of love, if you have any love in you, show it to the Lord, love is a zealous affection. We say the fire burns the hotter for the cold weather, the colder the weather, the hotter and more scorching is the fire, it is per Antiperistasin: so the more errors abroad, the hotter will your love and zeal burn to the truth, and in the truth. As the bellows blow the fire and intend it, so doth this opposition intend our affections the more, or love to God, to truth, to others.
2. God would now exercise your zeale of love, if you have any love in you, shew it to the Lord, love is a zealous affection. We say the fire burnes the hotter for the cold weather, the colder the weather, the hotter and more scorching is the fire, it is per Antiperistasin: so the more errours abroad, the hotter will your love and zeale burne to the truth, and in the truth. As the bellowes blow the fire and intend it, so doth this opposition intend our affections the more, or love to God, to truth, to others.
3. God doth it to exercise a dependentiall faith upon God, that he would not suffer us to be carried away with error. If you have any faith, you will now exercise it, faith to believe promises; he hath said, we shall be taught of God, he hath said, he will lead us into the way of all truth &c. here is faith exercised to close with promises, to sue out promises, and to depend on God for the performance of them. Oh now the soul ⟨p. 15⟩gets to a promise, finds sweet there, and some stay it the midst of his unsettledness, now he esteems a promise above a world.
3. God doth it to exercise a dependentiall faith upon God, that he would not suffer us to be carried away with errour. If you have any faith, you will now exercise it, faith to beleeve promises; he hath said, we shall be taught of God, he hath said, he will leade us into the way of all truth &c. here is faith exercised to close with promises, to sue out promises, and to depend on God for the performance of them. Oh now the soule