The Arraignment of Error, Title page – Dedication
THE ARRAIGNMENT OF ERROVR: 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.
foreign. Chryſoſt. in 2 Tim. 1 hom. 2.
1 Joh. 4.1. Beloved, believe not every ſpirit, but try the ſpirits whether they be of God, becauſe many falſe Prophets are gone forth into the world
London, Printed by G. Miller for Andrew Kembe, and are to be ſold at his Shop at the Talbot gate in Southwark, M.DC.XLVI.
TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE And eminently Noble Patriot, JOHN, Lord ROBERTS, Baron of TRURO.
Right Honourable,
I Have had the opportunity to ſpeak often to your ear, and have now the happines to preſent ſomething to your eye: The acceptance my weak endeavours have found in the former way, is my encouragement to ſucceed in this later. I have long thirsted after ſuch an opportunity, wherein I might impreſſe ſome of thoſe deeper engravings which are upon my breaſt, and by that perpetuate my juſt eſteems and valuations of your Honour: the hour is now come, and I rejoyce in it; yet now I am in a ſtrait; ſhould I give out the full counterpane of what is in my heart, and by that tranſcribe my whole ſoul; it would but create envy on you, and be interpreted weaknes in me; though in ſo doing, I ſhould no way be conſcious to my ſelf, either of over-rating or over-ſpeaking your worth. Your vertues, as they have not been ambitiouſly publiſhed; ſo neither can they be enviouſly ſecreted: you have not been an ambitious ſeeker of glory, rather deſiring to do, then to be ſeen to do: nor can envy it ſelf conceal, and keep down your deſerved praiſe.L. Verulā. It is laid down for a maxime by a learned Stateſman, That envy is a wholſome Ostraciſme in a State; I am ſure it would be the canker of ours, the preſent exigencies of which, cals out for emulations and out-doings of others worth, rather then ſuppreſsing and concealing the deſerts of them who are worthy. It is true, Fame is oftentimes a better Nuncio, then a Judge: but when worth it ſelf is the foundation of fame, and the praiſe of men is not meerly the breath of men, but the reflexed beams of vertue, though it ſhould not be ambitiouſly courted and deſired, yet it may be kindely entertained, and friendly embraced, being Gods report in men, heavens eccho, an encouragement in our work, and an earnest of our reward. And though it be Machivils principle, and is too much the foundation of practick wiſdome in more politick men, That the appearance of vertue is better then the truth; the one, being helpfull, the other, hurtfull to ſecular deſigns, yet that honour will never hold, whoſe foundation is in a ſhadow; it is but glory writ in clay, but honour engraven in the duſt, which will not laſt long; we have ſeen the experience of it in our daies; many, who yet had the garments of vertue,Rev. 16.15 but now walk naked, and their ſhame is diſcovered. My Lord, you have not courted the ſhadow, but adored the ſubſtance: which, as it was your honour before: ſo now it hath been your ſtrength and muniment in theſe daies of diſtreſſe. Long before theſe times of trouble, you were troubled for the times, looking on them, as the womb of all theſe preſent births of calamity, fore-ſeeing (as it were in viſion) the ſad harveſts which thoſe ſeed times did portend, if God did not avert them. Since theſe times of trouble you have ſate in counſel, as a faithfull unwearied Steerſman, whom neither frowns nor favours, promiſes, nor threats could make to deſiſt in your duty, or decline your ſtation. All temptations being too little for that ſpirit, which was too big for the world. In the Armies, you have not only been helpfull in councel, exemplary in converſation, but active in imployment, and have continued in the midſt of all diſcouragements, bin fellow-commoner with them in their wants, ſharer in their neceſſities, patient of heat and cold, of drought and moiſture, and born a part, both in the greateſt ſufferings, and mightieſt ſervices. Whoſe exemplary doing and ſuffering, as it was ſaid of the L. Howards in that exigent of time in 88. though his ſervice was but ſmall,Camb. Eliza in an. 1588. the towing of a Cable, yet in that little, becauſe that little was exemplary, he did more then many men. In the field you have encountred with difficulties, undergone hazards, confronted dangers, faced death, as if nothing were fearfull but fear,Vitam quamvis non poſuit, depoſuit tamen. ſtanding up when ſo many have fallen on both hands, though a monument of Gods preſerving merciemercy, yet a ſacrifice readie to be offered up for this Cauſe, and for that God whoſe glory you eſteemed more dear, and precious then your life.Aurum igne probatū dicitur is, cujus fides rebus adverſis exp…rata ſpectata que eſt. Quid ſunt merita noſtra niſi munera Dei. Aug. Thus you have every way ſhewed your ſelfe, foreign, approved gold, all your trials rendering you more approved. My Lord, I reckon up theſe; though your honours, yet your duties; though your adornments, yet your engagements; though your riches, yet your debts, for which you are bound to more thankfulneſſe, and more ſervice. As theſe are acts of differencing grace; ſo they call forth for acts of diſcriminating duty. And bleſſed be that God who will ſingle us out to make us any way inſtrumentall for his glory; if he will truſt us with work, we may truſt him with reward, where he cals forth to the one, he hath ſurely deſigned the other.
ΜΝΗΜΟΕΤΝΟΝ Pientiſſimae, Honoratiſſimae que HEROINAE Dominae LƲCIAE ROBERTS, Ʋxoris Nobiliſſimi Dom. Dom. JOANNIS ROBERTS Baronis Truroenſis, filiae Triſ-honoratiſſimi Comitis WARWICENSIS.And now, my Lord, among all your noble doings, I cannot but ſadly reſent your eminent ſufferings; among which, though the ſeparation from your intereſts, relations, poſſeſſions, be things of great weight and concernment, and might much heighten and ſwell your ſufferings, yet they are drowned and ſwallowed up in this, which is the ſummum genus of all, the incomparable loſſe of a precious Conſort, a beloved companion, a dear yoke-fellow, a loſſe, I ſay, incomparable, being one of whom the world was not worthy; and a loſſe incompenſible, unleſſe made up by Chriſt alone. She was a branch of a noble ſtock, but yet more nobly born then of fleſh and blood, being born from above; and more happy in her ſecond, then ſhe was eminent in her firſt birth; it was my happineſſe to have large and inward experience of her ſpirituall worth, which indeed was obvious to all with whom ſhe did converſe, and could be no more ſecreted then the light of the Sunne: a jewel ſhe was which after God had poliſhed, ſhewed to the world, and made your adornment for a time, he took unto himſelf, where now ſhe is one of thoſe beautifull ſtones, which adorns the new Jeruſalem: while ſhe was upon the earth, ſhe breathed after, or rather breathed heaven, as if ſhe had been but a piece of glory, ſojourning in grace, and a ſpark of immortality fallen down to kindle our more earthly ſubſtance. She lived in the world, but as much above the world, as we poore creatures live below heaven; Chriſt was her onelyonly element, upon whom her ſoul in it's right actings did as naturally feed, as do our bodies upon our daily bread, being no more able to live without him, then the body without the ſoul. Her whole life was nothing elſe but a continued deſign drawn out for the advancement of Chriſt, the ſpring of whoſe motions was the grace of Chriſt, and the end of whoſe movings was the glory of Chriſt. She was alwaies (being ſpirited with life from above) very active, and indeed (her body, not being able to keep pace with her ſoul) ſhe often out-went the ſtrength of her body; yet towards the end of her daies (as all naturall motions drawing nearer to their center) ſhe moved, as if every motion ſhould put her into her reſt, and as if by every ſtep ſhe would reach the Garland, and apprehend the prize. She was one, who ſcarce had another, no fellow but her fellow, who indeed were a pair of ſuch noble Siſters, as England could hardly match; in whoſe two bodies, lived one ſoul; and in whoſe two ſouls, lived one Chriſt: between whom, if I would make any difference, it ſhould be ſuch an one as Alexander made between his two friends, the one was, foreign, a lover of Alexander; the other was, foreign, a lover of the King; or elſe ſuch an one, as another makes between Peter and John; the one was, foreign, a lover of Chriſt; the other, was, foreign, a lover of Jeſus: or, if you will take it in this; the one excelled in knowing and doing; the other in doing and knowing; the one, in light and heat; the other, in heat and light. In a word, they were both of them the glory of their family, the comfort of their Parent, the crown of their Conſorts, the adornment of Religion, the rejoycings of the godly, the refreſhment of the Saints, and are now both entred into the poſſeſsion of that which was their breathings in grace, and is their ſatisfaction in glory. And ô that their examples might ever live as paterns to thoſe, who doe yet ſupervive!
And now, my Lord, having breathed out my ſad reſentments of your loſſe, give me leave to put into your hands theſe weak, but willing labours deſigned to the ſervice of theſe times, and ſeeking your Patronage in them, they flee to you for protection, and yet I know no reaſon they ſhould fear harm; their great deſign is truth; the meſsage they bring is peace; the language they ſpeak is accommodation: In which word me thinks I pleaſe my ſelf, though I ſee leſſe and leſſe hopes of ſeeing the thing accompliſhd. Some Eſsaies I have attempted to lay down in relation to ſuch a happineſſe, which were they brotherly undertaken, ſweetly managed, faithfully purſued, might either procure our agreement, or leſsen our difference; either make us one, or not ſo much two. I caſt them down, ſuch as they are, at your feet, as one able to judge of things. And when you take them up, take up theſe thoughts with them, that he that penned them, is one who while he can ſpeak, will ſpeak peace; and while he hath a being, will deſire to be,
Your humble Servant in the ſervice of Chriſt to be commanded, S. BOLTON.