A76988:1383
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.
1. And for Churches, in that many of the brethren agree with them, and say, as I told you, a whole Church is not to be excommunicated: and for those that dissent and say, whole Churches may be excommunicated, to them they grant not only the half of it, but the substance of the thing, for what is condemning, forsaking, rejecting of a Church, &c. but Excommunication in the substance of it? and so some of the Brethren take it: the least that can be made of it, is Analogical and proportionable to Excommunication.
1. And for Churches, in that many of the brethren agree with them, and say, as I told you, a whole Church is not to be excommunicated: and for those that dissent and say, whole Churches may be excommunicated, to them they grant not only the half of it, but the substance of the thing, for what is condemning, forsaking, rejecting of a Church, &c. but Excommunication in the substance of it? and so some of the Brethren take it: the least that can be made of it, is Analogicall and proportionable to Excommunication.
2. And for the second, viz. the Excommunication of persons by a Synod, to me, they grant the thing, though not the name; and the Brethren of the other mind say, they think that Excommunication doth not belong to a Synod, Secundum actus elicitos, sed imperatos; It is rather the work of a Synod to enjoin it to be done, then to do it themselves: yet if delivering up to Satan be not of the formality of the sentence of Excommunication, as many of our brethren think, but the consequent ⟨p. 311⟩and fruit of the censure,1 then I see not that there is any difference, as I showed you before.
2. And for the second, viz. the Excommunication of persons by a Synod, to me, they grant the thing, though not the name; and the Brethren of the other minde say, they thinke that Excommunication doth not belong to a Synod, Secundum actus elicitos, sed imperatos; It is rather the work of a Synod to enjoyn it to be done, then to doe it themselves: yet if delivering up to Satan be not of the formality of the sentence of Excommunication, as many of our brethren thinke, but the consequent