A76988:496
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.
Ans. A Christian makes himself Judge of none, nor is he judged of any, as the Apostle saith, 1 Cor. 2.15. It is one thing, judicare, another thing, judicem agere, one thing to judge of mine own acts, another thing to act a Judge. To judge by way of authority, in foro externo, in public way of doctrine, doth not belong to private Christians: but to judge by way of a Christian in the Court of conscience, in foro interno, what is to be done, what is not to be done, what is according to the will of God, what not; this belongs to every Christian.
Ans. A Christian makes himself Judge of none, nor is he judged of any, as the Apostle saith, 1 Cor. 2.15. It is one thing, judicare, another thing, judicem agere, one thing to judge of mine own acts, another thing to act a Judge. To judge by way of authority, in foro externo, in publike way of doctrine, doth not belong to private Christians: but to judge by way of a Christian in the Court of conscience, in foro interno, what is to be done, what is not to be done, what is according to the will of God, what not; this belongs to every Christian.
It is the duty of every Christian to weigh, perpend, examine the opinions and doctrines of others, so far as they contain any thing to be believed, or done: and in this doing he judgeth not of persons, but of things: not of men, but of doctrines: not as they are the acts of others, but as they are to be his own acts. The Apostles in Acts 5.40. did judge it not fit to abstain from preaching the Gospel, notwithstanding that decree of the Priests, and yet they made not themselves Judges of them. So the Christians judged, notwithstanding the sentences and decrees of Emperors, that Idols were not to be worshipped: and yet they were not the Judges of those Emperors. So the three children, in Dan. 3.