A76988:512
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.
In this therefore the Papists are miserably deceived, that they esteem that which one man judgeth to be the judgement of a mans private spirit, but what a multitude and Council do determine, that they call the judgement of the divine Spirit, and so take up their judgement of a private spirit, or divine Spirit, rather from the authority of the determiners, •en from the truth of the t•ing determined, rather from the multitude, then from the original of it; when yet it may happen, that the judgement of many, even of a Council, may flow from a private spirit, and the judgement of one single man, from the Spirit ⟨p. 110⟩of God.a You see in the Council of Nice who denied marriage-society to Ministers, certainly they followed the judgement of their private spirits, it was not the judgement of the Spirit of God: and on the contrary, unus Paphnutius, one Paphnutius, who defended against them all, the lawfulness of marriage to Ministers, and the bed to be undefiled, followed the judgement of Gods Spirit. Truth may be alone, and not with a multitude; one Paphnutius may have the truth, and the whole Council be in an error. Truth is not tied to multitudes, to learning, nor to multitudes of learned, nay holy men; yet there would I seek it, when at a loss.
In this therefore the Papists are miserably deceived, that they esteem that which one man judgeth to be the judgement of a mans private spirit, but what a multitude and Councell doe determine, that they call the judgement of the divine Spirit, and so take up their judgement of a private spirit, or divine Spirit, rather from the authority of the determiners, •en from the truth of the t•ing determined, rather from the multitude, then from the originall of it; when yet it may happen, that the judgement of many, even of a Councel, may flow from a private spirit, and the judgement of one single man, from the Spirit ⟨p. 110⟩of God.a You see in the Councel of Nice who denied marriage-society to Ministers, certainly they followed the judgement of their private spirits, it was not the judgement of the Spirit of God: and on the contrary, unus Paphnutius, one Paphnutius, who defended against them all, the lawfulnesse of marriage to Ministers, and the bed to be undefiled, followed the judgement of Gods Spirit. Truth may be alone, and not with a multitude; one Paphnutius may have the truth, and the whole Councel be in an errour. Truth is not tyed to multitudes, to learning, nor to multitudes of learned, nay holy men; yet there would I seek it, when at a losse.