A76988:720
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.
It was the error of the Jews, that they would follow the custom, but they would reject the command. You may see it in Jer. 44.17, 18, 19. We will bake cakes, and burn incense to the Queen of heaven, as our Princes, and Fathers have done before us: and they have an argument for this custom too; for then it was better with us then now, then we had plenty of victuals, and were well and saw no evil, but since we left off to do this, we have wanted all things, we have been consumed by the sword and by the famine. Just the same argument that men have for their customs now.
It was the errour of the Jews, that they would follow the custom, but they would reject the command. You may see it in Jer. 44.17, 18, 19. We will bake cakes, and burn incense to the Queen of heaven, as our Princes, and Fathers have done before us: and they have an argument for this custom too; for then it was better with us then now, then we had plenty of victuals, and were well and saw no evil, but since we left off to doe this, we have wanted all things, we have been consumed by the sword and by the famine. Just the same argument that men have for their customs now.
So the woman of Samaria, she pleaded custom too against Christ, Joh. 4.20. Our Fathers worshipped in this mountain, and you say, that in Jerusalem men ought to worship: Here she pleads a custom, and one more ancient then the other, only it wanted prescription, which the other had. Ancient custom without prescription will not hold.
The Pharisees they dealt the same way with Christ, &c. and Christ with them, as you see at large,