A76988:132
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.
6. A sixth merciful end, to make us prize truth more while we live, nothing doth so much inh•nch and raise the esteem of truth, then error; It may be before you had low esteems of the truths of God, you did not value them and pri•e them as you ought, you cast them aside; but now you take them, lay them up, hide them in your hearts; you value of a truth as your best riches, your honour, your treasure, the comfort in life, and support in death. When there are many false pearls, false stones abroad, it will make men gather up the true ones, and if he have such, to value of them; When there is much counterfeit and light gold abroad, it will make men to value of good gold, you shall see good gold, such as hath abidden the touchstone, it is all gathered up and preserved at such a time as this is. So when errors are abroad truth is then of value, oh then every truth is entertained. Before truth was looked upon, but found little entertainment, if it got any, it was in our houses, in books, or in our heads only; but now it finds welcome and entertainment in the heart. Naked truth, suffering truth, persecuted truth, it is now entertained, truth is welcome any way. And it is now owned in the authority of it, in the Majesty of it, as a King to rule and govern us, we will not rule it no more, but it shall rule us. It is owned in the latitude of it, in the extensiveness of it, extend it as far as you will, its welcome in its largeness, it is owned in the universality of it, all truth, such as makes against you, as well as such as makes for you, they make for you in that they make against you, for your souls, though against your sins. If ever truth be valued, if ever it appear worth something, it is at those times when errors abound. You see how the many false relations abroad, doth make men value of a true relation, if they can meet with a friend or a book that speaks true and impartially, they value much of it; and what's the reason, because of the false relations ⟨p. 18⟩abroad, this heighteneth the esteem of truth. So here, the many errors abroad, is a great means to heighten and advance truth, and to make that great. And therefore God doth permit error to advance truth, that truth may be more glorious in it self, and more glorious to us.
6. A sixth mercifull end, to make us prize truth more while we live, nothing doth so much inh•nch and raise the esteeme of truth, then errour; It may be before you had low esteemes of the truths of God, you did not value them and prie them as you ought, you cast them aside; but now you take them, lay them up, hide them in your hearts; you value of a truth as your best riches, your honour, your treasure, the comfort in life, and support in death. When there are many false pearles, false stones abroad, it will make men gather up the true ones, and if he have such, to value of them; When there is much counterfeit and light gold abroad, it will make men to value of good gold, you shall see good gold, such as hath abidden the touchstone, it is all gathered up and preserved at such a time as this is. So when errours are abroad truth is then of value, oh then every truth is entertained. Before truth was looked upon, but found little entertainment, if it got any, it was in our houses, in bookes, or in our heads only; but now it finds welcome and entertainment in the heart. Naked truth, suffering truth, persecuted truth, it is now entertained, truth is welcome any way. And it is now own'd in the authority of it, in the Majesty of it, as a King to rule and governe us, we will not rule it no more, but it shall rule us. It is own'd in the latitude of it, in the extensivenesse of it, extend it as farre as you will, its welcome in its largenesse, it is own'd in the universality of it, all truth, such as makes against you, as well as such as makes for you, they make for you in that they make against you, for your soules, though against your sins. If ever truth be valued, if ever it appeare worth something, it is at those times when errours abound. You see how the many false relations abroad, doth make men value of a true relation, if they can meete with a friend or a booke that speakes true and impartially, they value much of it; and what's the reason, because of the false relations