A76988:288
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. It stands with mans end, the broachers and actors of this: St John divides all that is in the world into lusts of the flesh, lust of the eye, and pride of life, 1 Joh. 2.16. And I may rank all the men in it into these three. 1. Some are proud and ambitious. 2. Some are worldly and covetous. 3. Some are profane and luxurious or voluptuous.
2. It stands with mans end, the broachers and actors of this: St John divides all that is in the world into lusts of the flesh, lust of the eye, and pride of life, 1 Joh. 2.16. And I may ranke all the men in it into these three. 1. Some are proud and ambitious. 2. Some are worldly and covetous. 3. Some are profane and luxurious or voluptuous.
1. In case a man be a proud and ambitious man, it will suite with his temper and his ends, to broach erroneous opinions, to make himself a Rabbi, one greater in esteem, honour and applause then other men: he would be taken notice of for one to see further then others, one that hath greater light communicated to him then others have; he is a man that desires to be singular, and loves no greatness but what is gotten by making others little, nor no esteem, but what is wrought out of the disesteem of others; he is a man that loves to enrich himself ⟨p. 54⟩by making others poor, and to swell himself and make himself some body, by making others no body, he cannot be taken notice of in the crowd, and therefore he thinks himself best seen, when he goes alone: Of this spirit was Diotrephes, who you read of in Joh. Epist. 3. Who because he could not be great enough, subordinate to the Apostles, for saith the text, he loved the preeminence. Therefore he endeavoured to blast the Apostles, and make himself great, by making them little among the people, he laboured to work up his own esteem, by bringing them into disesteem. Joh. Epist. 3. ver. 9, 10. Diotrephes who loveth to have the preeminence, and prated against them with malicious words, and not content therewith, &c. And therefore it is hard for a proud man to find out truth. God saith, the humble he will teach, and Christ saith, how can you believe when ye seek honour one of another; so how should you discern of truth, when you carry an eye to your own applause and glory, and not the glory of God.