The penitent pardoned a treatise wherein is handled the duty of confession of sin…

Secondly, the smallest sin may be aggravated, if there be a complacency in thy heart to a small sin. A small sin that is indulged, is a more aggravating sin then a greater sin thou doest fall into with resistance. It is very observable in Lev. 13. 12. And if a leprosy break out abroad in the skin and the leprosy cover all the skin of him that hath the plague, from his head even unto his foot, wheresoever the Priest looketh. Ainsworth admires and wonders what God intends by this Law: the meaning is, the leprosy betokens sin. Now if the leprosy, or the plague, or the small pox; if it comes out into a scab, and comes into the flesh, and strikes outward, there is no disease within; but then there is danger when sores strike inward, and do not come out in the flesh: this Law hath this use in it, if the leprosy were only on the skin, the man was not unclean, though there was sin in his life, yet sin was not in his heart: I, but saith God, if the scab be in sight deeper then the skin, then pronounce him unclean; to show, if sin be in thy heart and in thy life too, though it be but a small sin, yet it is a sin that will damn thee: If I regard iniquity in my heart, Psal 66. 18. the Lord will not hear me. Therefore you that are moral men, that say, you thank God, that you have not broke out into gross sins: consider, though sin be small, yet your small sins may have such circumstances, as may make them very great, sinning against your consciences, or else sin seizing upon the heart.

Secondly, the smallest sin may be aggravated, if there be a complacency in thy heart to a small sin. A small sin that is indulged, is a more aggravating sin then a greater sin thou doest fall into with resistance. It is very observable in Lev. 13. 12. And if a leprosie break out abroad in the skin and the leprosie cover all the skin of him that hath the plague, from his head even unto his foot, wheresoever the Priest looketh. Ainsworth admires and wonders what God intends by this Law: the meaning is, the leprosie betokens sinne. Now if the leprosie, or the plague, or the small pox; if it comes out into a scab, and comes into the flesh, and strikes outward, there is no disease within; but then there is danger when sores strike inward, and do not come out in the flesh: this Law hath this use in it, if the leprosie were onely on the skin, the man was not unclean, though there was sin in his life, yet sin was not in his heart: I, but saith God, if the scab be in sight deeper then the skin, then pronounce him unclean; to shew, if sin be in thy heart and in thy life too, though it be but a small sin, yet it is a sin that will damn thee: If I regard iniquity in my heart, Psal 66. 18. the Lord will not hear me. Therefore you that are morall men, that say, you thank God, that you have not broke out into grosse sins: consider, though sin be small, yet your small sins may have such circumstances, as may make them very great, sinning against your consciences, or else sin seising upon the heart.