that might greaten my sin thou host forgiven them all J shal onely make a short entrance at this time into the first part of my Text I said I will confesse my transgression to the Lord These words contain in them a holy purpose in the Psalmist to set up the practise of a necessary and Christian duty to wit secret confession of sin to God In them five parts are observeable First the duty it selfe Confession Secondly a deliberate purpose to set on the practise of this duty I said Thirdly the subject matter of this duty Transgression and Transgression with a propriety my Transgression not of other mens sins but my sins I said I will confese my transgressions J remember Ainsworth he saith it should be translated thus more agreeable to the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will confesse adversum me against my selfe my transgression to the Lord. Many men confesse sin but they do confesse sin as against God that is they do confesse sin as if God were the author of sin that charge him to be the patron of their impiety and wickednesse I said I will confesse my transgression against myselfe Fourthly The object of this duty I will confess my transgression to the Lord and this beloved takes off Auricular confession used and stood on much in the Church of Rome Confession that God cals for and the Scripture cals for is in secret between God and your own souls when conscience shall suggest guilt to you in reference to your former misdoings when you can pour out your soul in complaint to God I said I will confesse my transgression unto the Lord. Fifthly and lastly The issue and event of this duty and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin observe the connexion here is a connective particle and thou forgavest he doth not come with an Ergo or a Quare not with a causal but with an et a copulative and thou forgavest not J confesse sin therefore I am forgiven but I confesse sin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and thou hast forgiven me Forgivenesse of sin is not laid down as an effect flowing from a cause but as a consequent flowing from an antecedent Indeed the Papists plead much for merit because sometimes causal particles are used but this is beyond my Text thus much for the explaining of the words Doct. At this time J shall onely raise a Doctrine from the first part of this Text J said J will confesse my transgression unto the Lord. The point of Doctrine is this That justified persons who have their sins forgiven are yet bound to confesse sin to God And here the confession J am to speake of is a private confession of our evils to God between God and our own souls and though it be but a familiar subject yet as God shall enable me J shall labour to make it useful and profitable for your edification in a Christian course in a holy confession of sin before your God There are many Queres to be dispatcht in the handling of this point The first Quere is What are the reasons why persons justified and pardoned are yet bound to make confession of sin unto God in private The Reasons are these following Reas 1 First They are to confesse sin unto God because holy confession gives a great deale of case and holy quiet unto the mind of a sinner concealed and indulged guilt contracts horror and dread on the conscience As wind when it is disperst and diffused through the air doth little hurt but when it is concealed in the bowels of the earth it makes ruptures and earthquakes overthrows things up and down Sin when it is unconfest concealed and indulged makes heart-quakes in the conscience and contracts a great deal of horror and terror Psal 32. vers 3. When J kept silence my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long Meaning David when he kept close his sin he roared by reason of horror when he did not pour out his soul in confession to God but when a man shall with an ingenuous clearnesse confesse his evils unto God this doth alleviate his minde and lighten his burden and ease his conscience and quiet his spirit Origen doth call confession of sin to God the souls spiritual vomit Now you know vomiting doth give ease to a burdened stomach when the stomach is pained and burdened and opprest A man is sick at the heart when meat doth not digest the vomiting of the load off of the stomach doth ease the stomach when the conscience is burdened when a mans spirit is troubled pouring out of complaints and confession to God doth ease the mind A sinner is like a vessel of new wine filled and stopt up close till it hath vent it is ready to burst so is a godly man filled with sin till he can vent by confession to God his heart is ready to burst Psal 119. vers 25. My soul cleaveth unto the dust quicken thou me according to thy word Vers 26. I have declared my waies and thou heardest me teach me thy Statutes As if he should have said My soul cleaves to the dust I am in a very low and sad condition but I have declared my waies I have confest my sins then God heard me then I had peace then I had quiet then I had comfort that is the first Reason secret confession to God it doth give a great deal of ease and holy quiet to the minde Reas 2 A second Reason why justified persons must confess sin is because God loves to hear the complaints and confessions of his own people lying on the face the best gesture and the mourning weed the best garment that God is well pleased with Jer. 31. vers 18. I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himselfe c. that is confessing his sin unto God Cant. 2. vers 14. O my Dove that art in the clefts of the rock in the secret places of the staires let me see thy countenance let me hear thy voice for sweet is thy voice and thy countenance is comely God delights to see and hear the complaints and the confessions of his servants unto him so David speaks I declared my waies and thou heardest me with pity and complacency God had rather see men come with ropes about their necks and with sackcloth about their loins by a humble confession as the servants of Benhadad did then to see ornaments about their necks by a self-justification Christ loves to hear and see the mourning condition of a justified person Reas 3 A third Reason why justified persons must confesse sin to God is because confession of sin doth help to quicken the heart to strong and earnest supplication to God Psal 32. vers 6. For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him Confession quickens supplication in Dan. 9. vers 20. And
Scribes and said I have sinned in betraying innocent blood If Judas took advantage so much upon the awakening of conscience to confesse sin then a beleever hath much more helpe Beloved the main use of conscience in man is to bring him upon his knees to make him humble in the confession of his waies conscience serves to excuse me when I do well but the main use of conscience is to accuse me when I do ill and so to put me on confession to God therefore mark saith David I roared all the day there was the noyse of Davids conscience for his Adultery then I said I will confesse my transgressions when conscience roars by accusation then let the heart confesse to God I do earnestly beg you to take these fit Seasons you are in a good plight to confesse sin when God doth lay you under afflictions when God doth make conscience accuse you that you do deceive in your trades that you are ingulphed under lust O then pursue these accusations of conscience then you are in a fit plight to confesse sin to God Seas 3 A third Season wherein a man is in a good plight to confesse sin to God is when God sets home the reproofe of the Ministers of the Word upon the the soul with conviction thus you know David in 2 Sam. 12. 13. And David said unto Nathan I have sinned against the Lord And this was after that Nathan had said to David thou art the man The reproofe of Nathans Ministery did so prevail on Davids heart that David said I have sinned and have done very foolishly Could you goe home after every Sermon you hear when ever you hear your sins reproved and pursue that reproofe and blesse God that the Word hath checkt you that the Word hath met you that the Word hath found you out as an enemy could you goe home and pursue a Ministerial reproofe with confession your hearts would then be in good plight to confesse sin unto God Vse The Application First see hence that not only wicked men must confesse sin but regenerate men pardoned men It is no servile no slavish no legal work Though the lowest Beleever be above the power of sin yet the highest Beleever is not above the confession of sin because not above the practice of sin As long as men continue acting of sinne men must never leave confessing of sin as long as sinne leaks into thy soule thou must so long be pumping confession is to the soule as a pump to the ship O what leaks into thy heart by heedlesnesse and carelesness pump out by confession Till thou art above the actings of sinne thou art not above the confessing of sinne as long as the body natural doth gather corrupt humours so long there must be Purges and Vomits if the body should still be gathering corrupt humours nature woulb bestfled by these humours thou art gathering sin to sin thou art adding iniquity to iniquity confession is a spiritual Purge it doth cleanse and purge the heart see therefore the great need that even pardoned men have to confesse their faults Secondly when the Scripture saith that justified persons must confesse sin take notice that every confession of sin will not serve mens turns Lorinus observes out of Bernard on these words I confess my transgressions That Saul made the same confession that David made when Nathan reproved David sayes David I have sinned when Samuel reproved Saul saith Saul I have sinned here is the same confession but here was not the same event David said I have sinned and Nathan said The Lord hath taken away thy iniquity but Saul said I have sinned too but Samuel told him the Lord hath taken away thy Kingdom from thee Saul confest sin yet had his Kingdom taken away but David confest sin and had his sin taken away Beloved thou mayest confesse sin with Saul yet not have thy sin taken away thou mayest lose thy soul as he lost his Kingdome though he confest his sinne The third Quere is this What Theological rules may be given to guide you in your confession of sinne unto God Answ There are seven Rules which I shal lay down to you Rule 1 First Rule in confession of sin unto God is this single out some bosome and master lust that doth most frequently enslave thee and make confession and complaints against that to God do not onely confesse sin in the lump and general but single out the most beloved lust those sins which for the present do most subject and enslave thy spirit which do most overcome thee and prevail over thee in thy Christian course against those thou shouldest bend most of thy complaints and confessions this wisedome Gods people of old did expresse they singled out the present corruptions that they were guilty of Judg. 10. 10. And the Children of Israel cryed unto the Lord saying We have sinned against thee both because we have forsaken our God and also served Balaam We have sinned there is a general complaint but we have also served Balaam they singled out their idolatry more especially 1 Sam. 12. 19. And all the people said unto Samuel Pray for thy servants unto the Lord thy God that we dye not for we have added unto all our sinnes this evil to aske us a King They were not contented with their old government but they would alter and change it that sin being their particular sin they were guilty of they would single out that sin Thus in 1 Chron. 21. 17. And David said unto God is it not I that commanded the people to be numbred even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed but as for these sheep what have they done c. He singles out a particular sin that he then lay under the guilt of I may say to you as the King of Assyria said to the 32. Captains fight neither against small nor great but against the King of Israel so bend your confession not against small or great onely but against thy kingly lusts against thy captain lusts that do spring from thy constitution Thy Agag thy Dalilah single out them and combat against them and bend most of thy confessions and complaints against them do as men in a garrison though they watch all the Battailments and guard every passage yet to that place where the breach is 〈◊〉 widest and where the storm is most hot they will bend most of their strength doe thou thus watch every sinne and watch every failing of thy life but bend most of thy confession to God against those lusts that do most enslave and subject thee Rule 2 A second rule to guide thee in the matter of confession of sin to God is this Make conscience to confesse your small and secret evils as well as your open and grosser sins Our secret sins saith the Prophet are in the light of thy countenance Psal 90. 8. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee our secret
greatly comfort you Object 3 A third Objection is this Surely I have misgiving thoughts that God hath not forgiven me my sin because after I have committed sin I do not discern that my conscience checks me for my sin therefore I may fear if there be no remorse after the commission of sin I may fear that there is no remission This is the strongest Objection to make a man â—â—ar his pardon As I would say nothing to make a deluded wretch to presume so I would keep back nothing that might any way establish a troubled minde thou sayest thou dost fall into sin yet thou hast no check remorse of conscience for sin therefore thou fearest if sin hath no remorse on thy part it hath no remission on Gods part For answer First in the generall know your case is dangerous but yet it is not desperate Answ 1 First it is possible the conscience of a good man may be so disordered through the impetuousnesse of passion and lust that he may think he doth well when he doth ill therefore his conscience never smites him As it was with Paul Act. 26. 9. I verily thought with my self that I ought to do many things contrary to the Name of Jesus of Nazareth Paul sinned he had his doubts before conversion even as after conversion yet this sin troubled him not he thought he was bound to do many things c. so may thy conscience be so far disordered as to think that thou doest well when thou doest ill Jonah 4. 9. And God said to Jonah doest thou well to be angry for the gourd he said I do well to be angry even unto the death Could Jonahs conscience smite him for his anger when he said he did wel Lord how far wil a godly man go to the very suburbs of hell if God shall let him alone I doe well saith Jonah to be angry even unto death Answ 2 Secondly Thou that makest this Objection take this for thy comfort consider that many pardoned sinners through heedlesnes and in-observancy have not their judgements inlightned to discern sin and if the judgement hath not an eye to see sin the conscience wil never have an hand to smite for sin it is a Proverb What the eye sees not the heart rues not nothing that is unknown can be the object of desire neither can any thing that is unknown be the object of sorrow unknown miseries we weep not for but miseries we know those we mourn for if a mans judgement be not inlightned to see sin he can never mourn for it he may live and dye in a sin that his judgement is not convinced of to be a sin thus the godly in the Old Testament lived in the sin of Polygamie marrying of many wives they knew not it was a sin but they took liberty to take as many wives as they would A godly man that holds an error conscience may never smite him for it because his judgment is mistaken his judgment thinks he holds the truth and therefore conscience cannot smite him for holding an error Answ 3 Thirdly take this by way of answer that the conscience of a pardoned sinner may be so farre benummed that a man may continue under the guilt of known sins and conscience never check him for it for a long time this is a further gradation that when he knoweth he sins against God yet I say conscience may be so far benummed that for a season not be tortured and smitten in conscience for his sin David could not be so ignorant of Gods Law that lying with another mans wife was a sin yet David did continue nine moneths at least without remorse for it when Nathan came and reproved him then said he I have sinned I have sinned O beloved if God doth but let a sinners conscience alone though he be a good man yet he may continue for a long time under a known sin and conscience not work remorse or trouble in him And the like instance we have in the sons of Jacob who were not sensible of their sin in selling Joseph untill 20. yeares after they fell into trouble for it in Egypt Answ 4 Fourthly take this for comfort that there is nogodly mans conscience in the world that is alwayes alike in office but sometimes it may be in office sometimes out of office sometimes a roaring gawling awakening conscience and sometimes a stupified a benummed and a â—eared conscience no mans conscience is alwaies alike in office it is sensible at one time and â—eared up another time Pregnant instances David at one time his heart smote him for but the appearance of an evill viz. Cutting off Sauls lap yet at another time his conscience did not smite him for murdering Vriah Again at another time Davids conscience smote him but for vainglory in numbring the people it was onely vainglory that he would please himself in a mustered Army yet at another time Davids conscience did not smite him for adultery O beloved how wil a mans conscience lye asleep not trouble him for an evill if God lets him alone Answ 5 Fifthly a step further It is possible that the conscience of a pardoned sinner may be in so deep a sleep and so much out of office for a while that he may rather put his wits a work to hide his sin then his conscience on work to check him for sin to give you an instance for this plain in the case of David David committed adultery with Bathsheba but he did not put his conscience on work to check him for his sin but he did put his wits on work to hide the sin Four projects David had to hide the sin First He sent for Vriah Bathsheba's husband that so Vriah might come and lye with his wife that so he might hide Davids uncleannesse 2. Sam. 11. Secondly He made Vriah drunk and so thought that surely when he was drunk that drunkennesse would provoke him with a desire to go to his own house Thirdly He did plot Vriah's death that so there might be no clamour on his part for the defilement of his wife Lastly David would have fathered his plot on providence for David himself had plotted the death of Vriah mark Davids project a good man did put his wits on work and made shifts to hide his sin yet all this while did not put conscience on work to check him for his sin O how near the suburbs of hell may a godly man go and yet go to heaven Sixthly This is the furthest step of all take this for thy comfort it is possible that the conscience of a pardoned sinner may not smite him for those very sins that a Heathen man by the light of a naturall conscience may be ashamed of and this is clear in the case of Abraham Gen. 20. 9. Then Abimelech called Abraham and said unto him What hast thou done unto us and what have Loffended thee that thou hast brought on me on my kingdom a great
was at Jerusalem it was where Paul should have learnt to know better things for there the Apostles were and taught the Doctrine of Christ and of Christianity Sixthly If you consider the extent of Pauls malice saith he When they were put to death I gave my voice against them Pauls vote was against the Christians to put them to death Seventhly Pauls rage did goe against their soules as well as their bodies for saith he I did compell them to blaspheme Christ he laboured to damn their souls as well as destroy their bodies Eighthly saith he I was exceeding mad against them he was even mad with rage and exceeding mad with rage Ninthly He drove them from house to house I drove them into strange Cities And then Tenthly which was worst of all he did through their sides strike at the honour of Jesus Christ for why did Paul doe this to the Saints saith he I thought with myself to doe many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth there was the person he aymed at yet Paul a man forgiven for all this for he saith when he aggravates his sin in 1 Tim. 1. 11 12 13. According to the glorious Gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who hath enabled me for that he counted me faithfull putting me into the Ministery who was before a blasphemer and a persecuter and injurious But I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly its unbelief Thus I have done with the Doctrinal part of my Text laying down to you an induction of instances I am the larger in this because I know perplexed consciences in trouble of mind are apt but to greaten their own sins but can you aggravate it worse then David Paul or Peter could do yet behold those sinnes and those aggravated sinnes were forgiven by Jesus Christ I have four words to say in this Sermon by way of Application there may be in such an Assembly as this is whom God might suffer either before conversion or after conversion to be unclean with David to deny Christ with Peter it may be to swear to a lye to swear to a falshood nay it may be to engage to a lye to a falshood O take heed of false Oathes it may be to persecute the Saints of Christ with Paul Four Consolations First O know it for thy comfort O thou disconsolate heart let thy sin be never so great yet the mercies of God are greater A learned Interpreter gives to my hand which is his instance Lord my fault is great but thy mercies are greater Beloved I may say to you though thy sin be great yet the mercy of God is greater then thy sin and thou canst not have so many circumstances to greaten thy sin as can be produced in God to greaten his own mercy you shall read what he saith himselfe in Isa 44. 22. I have blotted ouâ— as a thick cloud thy transgressions and as a cloud thy sins return unto me for I have redeemed thee Suppose thy sin be not onely a little cloud but suppose it be a great cloud a thick cloud saith God I doe not only blot sins out like a little cloud but I will blot ouâ— transgressions that are like a thick cloud great sins as well as small doth the mercies of God cover The Sea can as well cover great rocks as little peble stones high mountaines as well as mole-hills Gods mercy is an Ocean that can cover great enormities as well as lesser infirmities The glorious body of the Sun in the Heavens can scatter the greatest mist as well as the thinnest vapours great sins as well as small are pardoned by infinite mercy It is worthy your notice what Moses speaks of the Mercy-seat It covered the whole Ark wherein the Law was kept To note saith a Divine though thou art a man or a woman guilty of all the Lawes breach not onely of one command but of all the commands yet the Mercy-Seat covered all the commands to teach you this that the mercy of God can pardon the greatest violation of the Law therefore that wherein the Law was kept was all covered by the Mercy-Seat 2. Take this for thy comfort O thou perplexed Conscience it may be when thou art in a corner none but God and thine own soule together thou dost aggravate thy sin and thinkest no mans sin so grievous as thine then take this for thy comfort let thy sin be never so great yet the satisfaction and sufferings of Christ are far greater The blood of Christ saith the Apostle cleanseth us from all sin the Red Sea did with as much ease drown Pharaoh and all his hoast as it could doe a single man the red Sea of Christs blood can drown a whole hoast and a huge multitude of sins as well as a small lust Though thou hast need to shed more teares for sin in a way of contriâ—ion yet Christ need not shed more blood for sin in a way of redemption for he hath saved them to the utmost that come unto God by him the Apostle triumphing in the 5. of the Romans he meanes there that there is not so much evil in sin to damn us as there is good in the gift in Christ for to save because thy sin is he guilt of a creature and Christs satisfaction is the satisfaction of a God thy sin the sin of a finite creature and his sufferings the sufferings of an infinite Mediator Third Consolation is this to you that are perplexed in conscience that you have committed hainous and aggravated sinfulnesse yet that Jesus Christ doth wipe away the infamy and the ignominy of thy most horrid and scandalous sins committed before conversion Suppose thou hast been a notorious infamous creature yet Christ takes off the ignominy and the infamy of thy sin when he justifies thy person and doth sanctifie thy nature It is observable of Mary Magdalen as is conceived she was a notorious whore every one that saw her knew she was a common harlot there was a woman that was a sinner the meaning was she was an infamous notorious harlot What is done when Christ converted this woman Luk. 7. 47. Wherefore I say unto thee her sins which are many are forgâ—ven for she loved much Christ did delight to wipe away the ignominy of her harlotry in her after-life It is worthy observation that four women are reckoned in the Genealogy of Christ what women were they they were women that were infamous the best of them did fill into much scandal and gave much offence there you find mention of Thamar Rachab Ruth and Bathsheba no more in the Genealogy but these what were all these women Begin with Thamar she committed uncleannesse with her Father in Law an infamous woman as you have the story in Gen. 38. 18. And he said What pledge shall I give thee and she said thy Signet and the Bracelets and thy Staffe that is in thine hand and be