A76988:317
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.
Satan makes use of this disposition; 1. Sometimes to fence out truth, they dare not entertain such a thing for fear it is an error. 2. Sometimes he makes use of it to let in error, they dare not reject such a thing, for fear it should be a truth. 3. Sometimes he makes use of it to overdo actions. 4. Sometimes to underdo them. 5. Sometimes to scruple the doing of them. 6. Nay to neglect the doing of them; he will prevail it may be with a man not to pray, because he sins in praying, there is so much deadness, coldness, &c. that he will tell you it is better not pray at all then so to pray; or prevail with a man not to preach, because he sins in preaching, because there is much pride, ostentation, hypocrisy in his preaching: So not to give alms, not to converse with men, not to serve God with his talents, because so much pride in the exercise of his gifts, so much ostentation in his alms, &c. thus he will labour and sometimes prevails to bury up a mans talents, and make men unserviceable to God, or to their brethren.
Satan makes use of this disposition; 1. Sometimes to fence out truth, they dare not entertaine such a thing for fear it is an errour. 2. Sometimes he makes use of it to let in errour, they dare not reject such a thing, for fear it should be a truth. 3. Sometimes he makes use of it to overdoe actions. 4. Sometimes to underdoe them. 5. Sometimes to scruple the doing of them. 6. Nay to neglect the doing of them; he will prevaile it may be with a man not to pray, because he sins in praying, there is so much deadnesse, coldnesse, &c. that he will tell you it is better not pray at all then so to pray; or prevaile with a man not to preach, because he sins in preaching, because there is much pride, ostentation, hypocrisie in his preaching: So not to give almes, not to converse with men, not to serve God with his talents, because so much pride in the exercise of his guifts, so much ostentation in his almes, &c. thus he will labour and sometimes prevailes to bury up a mans talents, and make men unserviceable to God, or to their brethren.
You had need to know the wiles of Satan, that you may avoid them. In vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird, saith Solomon: so in vain will he attempt this way, when you once know his wiles.