A76988:171
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.
Object. But doth God punish one sin with another?
Object. But doth God punish one sinne with another?
Answ. As God doth make one evil the cure of another to the godly, so he suffers one sin to be the punishment of another to wicked men. As you see plain, Rom. 1.24, 27. 2 Thess. 2.10, 11. ⟨p. 29⟩So in Psal. 81.12, 13. My people would not obey, here was their sin: Therefore I gave them up to their own hearts lusts: there was their punishment, yea and sin too. And woe be to that man, to whom God makes one sin the punishment of another. It is not so much to make sicknesses, losses, death, prison, &c. punishment of sin, as to make one sin the punishment of another. It is better to have any judgement the punishment of sin, then to have one sin the punishment of another, then to have sin punished by it self. And is it not so with you? your ignorance is a sin, and is it not the punishment of neglect of means, contempt of means, the slighting of it? This is a still punishment, but God keep us from it: better any evil, then sin to be our punishment.
Answ. As God doth make one evill the cure of another to the godly, so he suffers one sinne to be the punishment of another to wicked men. As you see plaine, Rom. 1.24, 27. 2 Thess. 2.10, 11. ⟨p. 29⟩So in