A child of light walking in darknessA childe of light vvalking in darknesse

But he hath another wing of forces to join to these, and they are false accusations of a man to himself, from the guilt of his own heart & ways, misconceits of a mans self, and misapplications to a mans self, another sort of arguments wherein the minors are false. So as although a man be full of knowledge, & through the light thereof hath a right judgement both of the Scriptures, & of the ways & work of grace by which mens estates are to be judged; & so therein Satan cannot be too hard for him with all ⟨p. 72⟩his sophistry: yet by misrepresenting a man to himself, and by perverting his own ways to him, making that which is straight, seem crooked, and all in him to be hypocrisy, a man is brought to pass a false sentence upon himself. So as if this subtle pleader cannot deceive the judge (as I may so speak) with false rules and mistakes in the Law it self; then he endeavours it by misrepresenting the case of the party, and puts in a false bill of accusation, so ordered and coloured as to procure a judgement against him; laying afore the eyes of mens consciences their by-ends, deadness and hardness of heart, and falseness in such and such turning of their lives; excepting against what is good in them; aggravating what is evil, and all to enforce from thence a false conclusion. To instance in some one false reasoning: Satan oft argueth and chargeth the conscience of one distressed in this or the like manner; Those in whom any sin reigneth, or in whose hearts hypocrisy and self-love is the predominant principle, are not in the state of grace: But such an one art thou, &c. for the proof of which minor, he musters up and sets in order in the view of conscience, a multitude of instances, of sins committed, thus heinously, thus oft; of duties omitted, and if performed, yet with such and such pride of heart, self-aims, &c. In which sort of reasoning, the major and first proposition is often true: but the minor, the assumption [such an one art thou] is most false. And although there be a truth in the instances alleged to prove it: That such sins have been committed, and that in performance of duties such particular by-ends, &c. do arise, and are found in the heart, ⟨p. 73⟩yet not in that manner, as he would lay the charge, not as reigning, not as the swaying and prevailing principle in a mans whole course; That hypocrisy is there, cannot be denied:

But he hath another wing of forces to joyn to these, and they are false accusations of a man to himselfe, frō the guilt of his own heart & wayes, misconceits of a mans selfe, and misapplications to a mans self, another sort of arguments wherein the minors are false. So as although a man be full of knowledge, & through the light thereof hath a right judgement both of the Scriptures, & of the wayes & work of grace by which mens estates are to be judged; & so therein Satan cannot be too hard for him with all