A76988:876
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.
2. Because learning, without grace, is but the forge of error, such men they are for the most part self-conceited, part-proud, and the pride of the head is a dangerous engine for error.
2. Because learning, without grace, is but the forge of errour, such men they are for the most part self-conceited, part-proud, and the pride of the head is a dangerous engine for errour.
3. The most learned and the most gracious men may err, as I showed before.
3. The most learned and the most gracious men may erre, as I shewed before.
I see this spirit in many men, that they are great admirers of learning: indeed some give too little to it, as well as others too much to it; some wildly cry down all learning, as if it were a prejudice, and utterly disserviceable to the finding out of truth in divine things. Indeed learning without grace is a forge for error, and an engine against the truth; but if you take learning only, as we speak it, for the improvement of holy reason, by the helps of Arts, of Sciences, tongues and the writings of men; there is no Question to be made of it, but that learning, viz. holy reason thus improved, is a great, a mighty advantage to the finding out the mind of God, and the want of this is the cause why men run headlong into many errors; and for ought I see to the contrary, that place of St Peter, 2 Pet. 3.16.1 where the Apostle speaks of some things hard and difficult in Pauls Epistles, Which unlearned and unstable men do wrest, as they do other Scriptures, to their own perdition; I say, for ought I see to the contrary [unlearned] in that place may be taken in this latitude, which I speak; though it's true, those who have not this learning, if they have this inward teaching, shall never wrest Scriptures to their perdition, they shall never err and continue to err damnably, yet may they err dangerously. And we see