A76988:213
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.
And this is another wile which Satan hath in the multitude of errors, that thereby he might prejudice the further search ⟨p. 37⟩and inquiry into the mind of God, disadvantage the entertainment of truth, and persuade with us to stick and adhere only in those which are already revealed to us.
And this is another wile which Satan hath in the multitude of errours, that thereby he might prejudice the further search ⟨p. 37⟩and inquiry into the mind of God, disadvantage the entertainment of truth, and perswade with us to stick and adhere only in those which are already revealed to us.
It is good to adhere to those that are revealed, but bad to adhere in them, and seek no further revelation, because we are not perfect in knowledge, therefore must grow. As we say of grace, so of truth; It is good to have a heart stablished in grace, but stinted in grace is nought, stablishing doth keep the heart from going backward, and that is good, but stinting doth keep a man from going forward, and that is nought: You are to aspire to grow in knowledge, as well as in grace.
It is good to adhere to those that are revealed, but bad to adhere in them, and seeke no further revelation, because we are not perfect in knowledge, therefore must grow. As we say of grace, so of truth; It is good to have a heart stablished in grace, but stinted in grace is nought, stablishing doth keepe the heart from going backward, and that is good, but stinting doth keepe a man from going forward, and that is nought: You are to aspire to grow in knowledge, as well as in grace.