Saturday, May 13, 2006
The Arraignment of error by Samuel Bolton
It may stand with God's merciful ends to the good to those brought in, and to those in His purposeto call.
To those brought in, God allows errors to shift and try his own people. These times are shifting times. As there are times of calamity, when misery abbounds, so there are times of division, when errors abound.They are times of shifting, times wherin God will try what mettle you are made of, whether corn or chaff, wheterh dross or gold, whether wheat or tares. He said in Amos 9:9 to sift the nations: "I will sift the house of Israel, as corn sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth." There is your confort: not a grain shall be lost. Whoever is true grain, whoever is sound and sincere, shall never be lost, God will preserve them; none shall be lost. Every man has his hour of sifting in one way or another; he has his hour of temptations and "blessed are they that endure temptation," who hold out during trials (James 1:12). A soldier's valor and courage are not so well known in the garrison as in the field. There he is revealed. So, a Christian is not known till an hour of temptation comes, and then he is revealed.
p 8-9
Today with such groups as the Jesus seminar and other liberal groups that teach heresy. The Christian needs to depend on God's word to guide him in truth.
God is testing the church to see if it will stay with His word or will it lean on the teachings of the liberals.
To those brought in, God allows errors to shift and try his own people. These times are shifting times. As there are times of calamity, when misery abbounds, so there are times of division, when errors abound.They are times of shifting, times wherin God will try what mettle you are made of, whether corn or chaff, wheterh dross or gold, whether wheat or tares. He said in Amos 9:9 to sift the nations: "I will sift the house of Israel, as corn sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth." There is your confort: not a grain shall be lost. Whoever is true grain, whoever is sound and sincere, shall never be lost, God will preserve them; none shall be lost. Every man has his hour of sifting in one way or another; he has his hour of temptations and "blessed are they that endure temptation," who hold out during trials (James 1:12). A soldier's valor and courage are not so well known in the garrison as in the field. There he is revealed. So, a Christian is not known till an hour of temptation comes, and then he is revealed.
p 8-9
Today with such groups as the Jesus seminar and other liberal groups that teach heresy. The Christian needs to depend on God's word to guide him in truth.
God is testing the church to see if it will stay with His word or will it lean on the teachings of the liberals.
