Tuesday, August 29, 2006
"The arraignment of error" by Samuel Bolton
"Divine truth advances God; it sets up God and lays man low; it raises God upon the ruins of self and sin; it makes God great and man little, God all and man nothing; it empties man of himself and makes him seek his fullness in God. That which does this has good evidence that it is truth of God.
Error may advance the creature; it may advance a man's self, but it does not advance God. Nay, error may seek God in the creature, but cannot seek itself in God; it may give the creature tht which is God's but not give to God that which is the creature's; it may take from God to give to the creature, but does not take from the creature to give to God. And error may lessen itself to make the creature greater, but it cannot make itself nothing to make God great. You can see this in Colossians 2:18. Some, in a voluntary humility, worship angels. Here man lessens himself to make a creature great, but he does not make himself nothing to make God great. Here he takes from himself and from God to give to a creature, but he does not take from the creature or from himsself to give unto God. This is genuine property of truth: it advances God; it makes God all and itself nothing; it empties itself of its truth that does not draw the heart up to God, and does not bring the soul to live in Him as its upmost happiness. And that which does so must make all things little and God gret, and be content to lose itself in God and for God that it may find itself in God." p. 268-269
Today a lot of people want to raise man up at the expense of lowering God. They want God to fit in the image they want Him to fit. They do not realize this is idolatry. God is a jealous God and will not stand for this.
(Exodus 34:14) For you shall worship no other god. For Jehovah, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God;
Related Tags: Samuel Bolton, The arraignment of error, God, self, worship, truth
Error may advance the creature; it may advance a man's self, but it does not advance God. Nay, error may seek God in the creature, but cannot seek itself in God; it may give the creature tht which is God's but not give to God that which is the creature's; it may take from God to give to the creature, but does not take from the creature to give to God. And error may lessen itself to make the creature greater, but it cannot make itself nothing to make God great. You can see this in Colossians 2:18. Some, in a voluntary humility, worship angels. Here man lessens himself to make a creature great, but he does not make himself nothing to make God great. Here he takes from himself and from God to give to a creature, but he does not take from the creature or from himsself to give unto God. This is genuine property of truth: it advances God; it makes God all and itself nothing; it empties itself of its truth that does not draw the heart up to God, and does not bring the soul to live in Him as its upmost happiness. And that which does so must make all things little and God gret, and be content to lose itself in God and for God that it may find itself in God." p. 268-269
Today a lot of people want to raise man up at the expense of lowering God. They want God to fit in the image they want Him to fit. They do not realize this is idolatry. God is a jealous God and will not stand for this.
(Exodus 34:14) For you shall worship no other god. For Jehovah, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God;
Related Tags: Samuel Bolton, The arraignment of error, God, self, worship, truth
