The spiritual watchThe spirituall vvatch

To pass by here that conceit of some Schoolmen,¹ that a man cannot keep himself free from all sin in general; but that he may from any one ⟨p. 118⟩sin whatsoever in particular; that he may, though not from all, yet from this or that sin. Which they express by a similitude ^aof a man enclosed in a barrel full of holes let down under water, that may with his finger or some other help stop any one hole and keep the water out at it, which yet he cannot avoid but that it will come in the whilst at the rest, any of which yet also he may stop if he will. But to pass by this, which I take to be not all out so sound; for answer hereunto some distinction must be made.

To passe by here that conceit of some Schoolemen,¹ that a man cannot keepe himselfe free from all sinne in generall; but that he may from any one ⟨p. 118⟩sinne whatsoeuer in particular; that hee may, though not from all, yet from this or that sinne. Which they expresse by a similitude ^aof a man enclosed in a barrell full of holes let downe vnder water, that may with his finger or some other helpe stop any one hole and keepe the water out at it, which yet hee cannot auoide but that it will come in the whilest at the rest, any of which yet also he may stop if he will. But to passe by this, which I take to bee not all out so sound; for answer hereunto some distinction must be made.

1. 1Answer.
2. aExemplum ponitur de existente in vase perforato, qui licet possit quod libet singulorum foraminum obstruere, non tamen omnia: dum enim unum obstruit, aliud pattens relinquitur. Scotus in 2. dist. 28. q. 1.Exemplum ponitur de existente in vase perforato, qui licet possit quod libet singulorum foraminum obstruere, non tamen omnia: dum enim vnum obstruit, aliud patens relinquitur. Scotus in 2. dist. 28. q. 1.