A76988:314
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. Fear, it should be a fence to preserve us from error, but Satan often makes it a means to keep out truth; fear is oftentimes a cause to keep us in error, as well as a fence to preserve us from error. Many are afraid of new opinions, not because they are errors, but because they are new. I say fear is a means in many to keep out truth, as well as to fence out error: It should only be the guard of the soul to keep out error, but Satan makes use of it to keep out truth, and to let in error.
1. Fear, it should be a fence to preserve us from errour, but Satan often makes it a means to keep out truth; fear is oftentimes a cause to keep us in errour, as well as a fence to preserve us from errour. Many are afraid of new opinions, not because they are errours, but because they are new. I say fear is a means in many to keep out truth, as well as to fence out errour: It should only be the guard of the soule to keep out errour, but Satan makes use of it to keep out truth, and to let in errour.
2. And as he abuseth fear, so doth he that tenderness of spirit: It would be strange to tell you, how Satan doth take occasion to enslave a soul by his very tenderness; if the chain of sin be broken, he labours to make a chain of our graces; if he cannot keep us in bondage by our sins, he labours to bring us into bondage by our graces. You will think this strange, but there is nothing more evident in men of tender spirits at their first bringing in; when they are tender of every thing, they are tender of such things which indeed is their bondage to be tender of; they are tender not only of things indifferent, which are of a temporal nature, but of things lawful and commendable. A thousand cases there are wherewith Satan doth perplex their souls, they can do nothing now without a temptation, and most of temptations are raised upon this ground, and helped on by this advantage, their tenderness.
2. And as he abuseth fear, so doth he that tendernesse of spirit: It would be strange to tell you, how Satan doth take occasion to enslave a soule by his very tendernesse; if the chaine of sin be broken, he labours to make a chaine of our graces; if he cannot keep us in bondage by our sins, he labours to bring us into bondage by our graces. You will think this strange, but there is nothing more evident in men of tender spirits at their first bringing in; when they are tender of every thing, they are tender of such things which indeed is their bondage to be tender of; they are tender not only of things indifferent, which are of a temporall nature, but of things lawfull and commendable. A thousand cases there are wherewith Satan doth perplex their soules, they can doe nothing now without a temptation, and most of temptations are raised upon this ground, and helped on by this advantage, their tendernesse.