“The fifth ground of abounding errors is the great
connivance, nay, encouragement that errors find among the people of God – this is
a great ground of broaching opinions. We say a receiver makes a thief; your
readiness to comply with opinions, and to receive all, gives great
encouragement to broach them.”
“There is much connivance, too much contentment, too much
pleasure among the godly themselves in variety of opinions, though none under
the notion of error. Indeed, there is
this much good in it, that things come to be debated and scanned, and by this
we come to search upon what grounds we stand; we come to sift out the truth of
God, which certainly was never more clearly revealed than when some errors have
been the occasion to discover it and bring it forth.”
“Indeed, were they undoing errors that are preached and held
forth by any, St. John’s rule comes in (2 John 10-11): “If there come any unto
you, and bring not this doctrine [that is, that Jesus is the Christ, as he
showed before in verses 7-8], receive him not into your houses, neither bid him
Godspeed, for he that biddeth him Godspeed is a partaker of his evil deeds." So
then, if you know any to hold forth fundamental errors, such as are the
overthrow of faith or destructive to the power of godliness, there is no
countenance to be given to such. You make yourselves sharers with him in his
sin, and bring upon yourselves the same guilt.”
“These are the rules for undoing errors. Nay, and were they
defiling though not damning errors, were they but sinful though not destroying
errors, yet if they were evidenced to us and manifest to us to be errors, we
ought not to connive at them to countenance them in their way, but to admonish,
to reprove them, to exhort them, and to use all possible ways offered by Christ
to reclaim them.”
“But now when things held forth are merely opinions, or, if
more, yet they are not in any way injurious to faith or hurtful to the power
and practice of godliness, then there may be more agreement. The difference of
judgment should not in this case alienate affections; though you are not all of
one mind, yet you are all of one heart, and here you differ only about the way
to advance God’s glory. You both have cordial affections to God and Christ; you
desire to bring Him glory, only you differ in the way. One thinks this way, and the other this, and
in both, it may be, the Scripture is silent or holds out as much for one as the
other. Now, in this case, why should there be a falling out? Certainly,
diversities of opinion may be countenanced, and yet without sin, provided that
they do not arise either from fickleness, unsettledness and inconstancy in us,
or pride; that we do not love to take issue with others; and they do not tend
to disturb the peace of the churches of Christ.”
Bolton, Samuel. The Arraignment of Error. Morgan, PA:
Soli Deo Gloria Publications, 1999. 86-88. Print.
