The arraignment of errorThe arraignment of errour

God often suffers a corrupt judgement, to be the punishment of a corrupt life. You walk it may be in some way of sin, and as yet though your affections and conversations are corrupted, yet your understandings they are not corrupted, you still retain the truth; But sure it cannot be long before the understanding be tainted, before that light which glows therein is obscured and put out. It is a hard thing to keep a spark of fire alive, in the midst of a sea of water, to keep a beam of light in the understanding, under such darkness in the heart and affection, and such works of darkness in your conversation.

God often suffers a corrupt judgement, to be the punishment of a corrupt life. You walke it may be in some way of sin, and as yet though your affections and conversations are corrupted, yet your understandings they are not corrupted, you still retaine the truth; But sure it cannot be long before the understanding be tainted, before that light which glowes therein is obscured and put out. It is a hard thing to keepe a sparke of fire alive, in the midst of a sea of water, to keepe a beame of light in the understanding, under such darknesse in the heart and affection, and such works of darknesse in your conversation.

This is sure, either the truth will make you leave sin, or your sin will make you leave the truth. Either that light in you will overcome your darkness, or your darkness will overcome your light. Men that hold up affection to sin, though not practise in sin, they will betray the light they have, they will smother it, put it out at last. When men are willing to sleep, they will put out the candle, nay and draw the curtains that no light may come ⟨p. 26⟩in to trouble them: So men that are willing to sleep in sin, they will not only draw the curtains, that is labour to keep out the receiving of more light; but they put out the candle, obscure that light they have, that they may more quietly sleep in sin, sin without disturbance. Sometimes indeed error is the cause of sin, sometimes sin is the cause of error; we will exemplify this. It may be that a man hath walked in some way of sin, and will not be reclaimed of it, he hath some light within, which gives in testimony to his conscience of the evil of his way, this disturbs him now in a way of sin, but this will not reclaim him of his sin, he will sin still, but the light within him disturbs him, he cannot sin with that quiet and peace as others do; and therefore now his corrupt heart begins to undermine the light he hath, the strength of sin in the affection, begins to darken, and blow up or blow out the power of light in the understanding, that he may the better sin with peace. And therefore first he begins to find out some shifts for his sins, he will have some excuses, and this is a sowing of fig-leaves to cover his nakedness: If excuses and pretexts will not do, then he begins to dispute against the light, why may I not do this? is this so much to do? If this will not do, then he falls to deny the light, and say it is a needless scruple, tush its nothing. And at last he comes to take in such an opinion as he may be quiet in his sin, as he may sin without trouble. And as many errors are bred and begotten out of this, they are but opinions that a sinful but troubled heart, have taken up that he may be quiet in his sin. So many errors are received too, because they do correspond and comply with their sinful and corrupt hearts.