have done evil in thy sight but cannot call to minde any particular sin they have done Was it never thus with you that ye did not know what to bewaile to God and what to lament of in his presence this is a Defect that godly men are often guilty of Defect 2 A second Defect in the confession of sin to God is this when men in prayer do confesse many sins to God yet do leave out their master and predominant sins many men are large in confession yet do leave out their master sins Moses though a good man yet was faulty in this regard God commanded him to go to Egypt to deliver his people but saith Moses I am not eloquent I am of a slow speech he did complain of a natural defect but he did not complain of a spiritual defect but God did answer all his pleas in Exod. 4. 19. And the Lord said unto Moses in Midian Go return into Egypt for all the men are dead that sought thy life Vers 20. And Moses took his wife and his sons and set them upon an asse and he returned to the land of Egypt So that God here put his finger upon the sore Moses complained of the peoples incredulity of his own natural infirmity but Moses did not complain of his slavish fear that if he should go to Egypt there were men that would kill him till God did assure Moses that those men that sought to kill him were dead Moses would not go here a good man would not confesse his slavish fear that he did fear death therefore he would not go on Gods command Beloved this is a Defect that doth many times cleave to godly men to leave out their predominant sins and to confesse only those sins which are sins of infirmity and herein men do but dissemble with God and like the lapwing crie lowdest when farthest from the nest Defect 3 A third Defect in confession of sin to God is this to have the heart to hanker after the committing of those sins you do confesse Austin doth ingenuously acknowledg this of himself saith he I did often beg strength of God against the sin of incontinency yet had often an unwillingnesse in my heart that God should hear my prayers lest I should leave my sins Indeed conviction of conscience doth force to a confession of sin yet the strength of thy depraved affection doth make thee hanker after the sin and cause a lothnesse to leave it Defect 4 A fourth Defect in confession of sin to God is this to confesse to God the sins of your life but not the sins of your nature many men will be large in confessing the sins of their life but seldom or never bewail the sins of nature that vicious inclination in the heart to sin very few but David in the Old Testament and Paul in the New who did sufficiently confesse original sin David in the Old Testament Psal 51. there he begins to bewail the root of those sins which he was guilty of So Paul in Rom. 7. bewails the body of sin many men bewail actual sin but not habitual sin but not original sin many men bewail bad actions but never confesse unto God their vicious inclination This Defect good men many times are guilty of Defect 5 A fifth defect is this to confesse grosse and open sins but not to confesse small and secret evils we are commanded to keep the Law as the apple of our eye Prov. 7. 2. Keep my commandements and live and my Law as the apple of thine eye Now you know a man that keeps his eye will not only keep his eye from great blowes but from small motes which may put out the eye as well as a great blow men should not only take heed of great blowes great transgressions but they should take heed of lesser motes small sins Now beloved good men many times commit those sins that are infamous that the natural light of conscience can control them for why those evils are complained of and confest but secret evils wandring thoughts in duties vanity of minde the deadnesse of the heart emptinesse of spiritual meditations inward distrust these evils are seldome bewailed and confest this is many times a Defect found in good men good men are not so apt to confesse omission of good as commission of evil Defect 6 A sixt Defect in confession of sin to God is this to confesse sin more because of its guilt then of its spot my meaning is more because sin hath a damning power then a defiling nature more because sin damns thy soul then defiles thy conscience A child would touch a coal though it be smutty and soily but he forbears to touch it meerly because it is a burning coal we forbeare sin because sin is a burning coale but we doe not forbear to touch it because it is a defiling coal that is a defect in many godly men to be found But we should confesse sin and bewaile it not because it wil damn us but because it doth dishonour God Defect 7 A seventh defect in confession of sins to God is this to confesse those sins to God which if men should charge us with we should deny and be angry This holy Greenham doth take notice of in mens confession of sin thou wilt confesse thy pride to God but if a man should say that thou art proud thou wouldst be angry with him thou wilt confesse thy waies to God but if men should tell thee of thy sins thou wouldst be angry with them this shews there is much defect in your confession Defect 8 The eighth defect in confession of sin unto God is this not to have the heart sensibly affected with those sins that are confessed to God many confesse as if they were telling stories rather what other men did then what themselves did there are few that confesse sin as the Prodigall did that he was ashamed to be called the son of his father We should confesse sin as Daniel did Dan. 9. and as David did Psa 51. But many confesse sin like Pharaoh Exod. 9. 27. And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron and said unto them I have sinned this time the Lord is righteous and I and my people are wicked Vers 34. And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder were ceased he sâ—nned yet more and hardned his heart 〈…〉 Defect 9 The ninth defect in confesâ—ion of sin to God is this to content your selves with slight ordinary and generall confessions of sins to come into Gods presence and say you are sinners just as 〈◊〉 the eleventh king of France who when he had blasphemed would take his Crucifix and kisse and cry God forgive me and then sweare again this is the fault which Christians many times are guilty of many men rest contented with a confused and a generall confession of sin when they doe not come to any distinct view of their particular sins there is a tumult in the
conscience some noyse they make in prayer but they know nothing distinctly but like Nebuchadnezzar in a dream he knew he dreamt but he forgot what his dream was many men doe confesse sin but they know not what they doe confesse You are to be humbled for these defects that may be found in youâ— in your confessing sin to God Defect 10 A tenth defect in confession of sin to God is this that they are bold to commit the sin again which they have confest they confesse passion and afterward are bold and adventrous to run into a rage and fury When a man shall confesse on his knees he hath done thus and thus and hath been thus and thus yet afterwards all the impressions of these confessions are defaced and he is bold to adventure on the commission of the sin again This is also a defect that may be found amongst good men in their confession of sin unto God Me thinks I hear you ask me But seeing these defects are found amongst us in confession of sin unto God what should we doe to be healpt against these defects For answer that ye may not be guilty of these defects in confession of sin Rule 1 First Get a cleare insight into Gods Law that it may discover sin to you by the Law is the knowledge of sin Rom. 3. 20. Therefore by the deeds of the Law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight for by the Law is the knowledge of sin Jam. 1. 23. For if any be a hearer of the Word and not a doer he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glasse Vers 24. For he beholdeth himse lf and goeth his way and straight way forgetteth what manner of man he was The looking-glasse will shew you the blemishes in the face which the eye cannot else discern beloved get a knowledge of the spiritualnesse of Gods Law of the extent of Gods Law that the Law doth reach the inward man that Gods law reacheth to those very first motions of the soul those very inclinations to sin that are in thine heart be acquainted with the Law and by that thou wilt come to the knowledge of sin Physicians have used this remedy to their Patients In a Convulsion Fit they would wish them at that time to look their face in a glasse that when the Patient doth see what an ugly countenance he hath and what an ugly posture he is in at that time he might strive the more against it So doe you look your face in a looking-glasse to see those deformities that are within you this will make you confesse and this will bring you on your knees Secondly If you would confesse sin aright observe diligently your own waies and hearts Prov. 4. 25. Let thine eyes look right on and let thine eye-lid look straight before thee Vers 26. Ponder the path of thy feet and let all thy waies be stablished Look right before you and ponder the waies of your feet and that is the way to have the heart so affected with the evil of your waies as you will particularly confesse your sins Thirdly Keep fresh in your remembrance some particular sin or other when you come to prayer it will help you in confession it is barrennesse as I told you that you do not see what matter you have to confesse that makes you so scanted in you confession would you but present some particular sin when you come to God you would be in better plight to confesse sin to God this the Psalmist doth 51. vers 3. For I acknowledg my transgessions and my sin is ever before me He means the sin of Adultetery When David came to prayer he would put before his eyes the sin of adultery now set thy sin before thee Art thou a drunkard set they drunkenesse before thee art thou an adulterer set thy uncleannesse before thee art thou an extortioner then set thy oppression before thee set sin before thine eyes when thou commest to prayer and that is the way to feed thy spirits with confessions to God in a prayer Fourthly Call to remembrance some old transgression of many yeares past before thy conversion and muster up these sins together that so thou mightest have matter of complaint and confession before God Suppose present guilt doth not come up before thee then recollect and review old transgressions sins of an old date this David did when he found his heart dull and sluggish he would call to minde the sins of his youth Psal 35. 9. When you see that your hearts grow barren of spiritual matter through heedlesnesse go then and ransack your old waies what did you 20 years agoe let conscience gawle you for that that so you may have matter enough to confesse unto God This rule doth not appertain to Christians under trouble of conscience but only to those Christians that are sluggish and barren of any spiritual complaints and confessions in Gods presence A word of Use further for direction If it be so that Justified persons are bound to make secret confessions unto God then First Christians keep a heedfulnesse over your hearts that you may not let sin go unconfest make conscience and be heedful that sin committed by you may not be unconfest a sin unconfest as to the apprehension may be unpardoned a sin unconfest cannot be mourned for cannot be actually repented of Observe that a lesse sin unrepented of may damn a man when a greater sin that is confest to God may be pardoned if you compare Saul and David together 1 Sam. 15. 9. But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fallings and of the lambs and all that was good and would not utterly destroy them but every thing that was vile and refuse that they distroyed utterly Saul did there commit a farre lesse sin then Davids was to wit adultery Saul did only for his private use spare the fattest of his sheep and oxen it was little or nothing in comparison of Davids sin yet behold David was pardoned and Saul damned David had his sin pardoned and Saul not why David did confesse sin and Saul not Saul did delude the reproof of Samuel and told him the people did it and not I Sauls sin unconfest ruined him therefore take heed of letting sin go unconfest a lesse sin unconfest may damn a man when a greater sin that is confest may not damn him A second Direction is this Depend not upon the most inlarged and the most sensible confessions that ever you have made to God suppose thou hast poured out thy soul to God thou art never the better thou O man when thou doest confesse sin thou doest but like a begger shew God thy sores thy botches and scabs do not depend upon your confessions as you must not depend upon your righteousnesse so not upon confession of your sinfulnesse It is worth your observation Saul pursuing David like a Partridge over
behind the back signifies to forget and disregard it so wicked men cast Gods Covenant behind their backs that is they doe not mind it they will not obey it so when God is said to cast sinne behinde his back he will take no notice of it so as to punish it A second expression that illustrates pardon of sinne is this it is called a casting of sinne into the bottom of the Sea Micah 7. 29. He will turn again he will have compassion upon us he will subdue our iniquities and will cast all our sins into the depths of the Sea It is an allusion unto Gods great Judgement on Pharaoh and the Egyptian Host when they pursued the Israelites they came to the Red Sea and thinking to goe through as the Israelites did the Sea fell in upon them and they were drowned in the bottom of the sea so saith God I wil deal with sinne as I dealt with Pharaoh you shall never be troubled more with them not unto condemnation you need not fear the rising of sin again against you sin is not like unto light weeds in the Sea that will swim of themselves but Lead that is cast into the Sea the allusion holds here Exod. 15. 10. Thou didst blow with the wind the Sea covered them they sank as lead in the mighty waters God when he pardons sins and casts them into the bottom of the Sea sin lies like lead it can never rise of it selfe in a way of condemnation to a justified man to a pardoned sinner Thirdly pardon of sin is expressed in Scripture by blotting out Act. 3. 19. Repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out c. Isa 43. 25. I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake This is a metaphor taken from men when a man is not able to pay his debt the Creditor doth cancel the Bond blots out the writing and breaks the Seal that nothing shall prevail in Law against this poor man So the Lord doth cancell the bond and blots out the writing that neither sin nor the Devill shall have any processe against him in a way of condemnation Fourthly Pardon of sin is expressed in Scripture by acquitting of a man from his iniquity Job 10. 14. If I sin thou markest me and thou wilt not or aquit me then not set mee free from mine iniquity Acquitting is a term of Law giving you a discharge and dismission of the Court the Lord in pardoning of sin gives a man a Legall discharge that no proceedings of Heaven shall goe against him Fifthly Pardon of sin is called in Scripture a covering of sin Psal 32. 1. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven and whose sin is covered Beloved if pardon of sin had consisted in the removing of sin we had been undone pardon of sin doth not consist in the removall of all sin out of a man but in the covering of sin God will hide sin that the fiercenesse of his wrath and the Eye of his indignation shal not look on it to condemnation It is the same word that refers to garments 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If a man hath a Mole or Wenne on his body which his garment covers these infirmities are not seen by men Beloved God covers sin as with a garment to wit with the long robe of Christs Righteousnesse sin is covered in thee by the Righteousnesse of Jesus Christ Sixtly Pardon of sin is expressed in Scripture by washing and purging away of sin Psalm 51. 2. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin he means there in reference to justification That pardon of sin presents a man to God without spot or wrinkle or blemish or any such thing that though you have many spots in regard of your sanctification yet you have no spot in regard of your justification Seventhly pardon of sin is expressed in Scripture by not remembring of sin Jer. 31. 34. For I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more It is an allusion to the Scape-goat which was to bear the sins of the people on his head to carry them into the land of forgetfulnesse Thus the Lord that remembers all things that God is said graciously not to remember the sins of his people not to remember them so as to damn them for them he will forget your iniquities and remember them no more Lastly Pardon of sinne is expressed in Scripture by not imputing of sin Rom. 4. 8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin It is a word drawn from Merchants when they have a friend that owes them money that they care not whether they receive or no they do not put it down in their Book God will not impute sin he will not set sin on the score he will not put sin to thine account though sin be in thee yet it is not imputed to thee Thus these names or expressions do something Illustrate the nature of forgivenesse In the next place to enquire how many wayes a sinne may be said to be forgiven First in regard of Gods decree and so sin is forgiven before all Worlds because God intended to deliver the Elect that such a remnant and number of men should have sin pardoned Thus Christ is the Lamb slaine from the beginning of the World Secondly Sin is said to be forgiven when the Lord doth manifest forgivenesse of sin Thirdly and chiefly Sin is said to be forgiven when the eternall guilt and condemnation due for that sin is taken away when God doth expiate or take off the guilt of sin in that properly lies the nature of forgivenesse In the third place what is considered in sin when God is said to forgive it this is worth your understanding Three things are to be considered in sin First the blot and pollution of sin and this cannot be taken away by pardon the sin is a sin though it be pardoned the pollution of sin is not taken away by pardon the blot remaines Secondly There is considered the desert of sin it deserves damnation and the wrath of God though it be pardoned this is not taken away A Third thing considered is this the Ordination or appointment of a sinner to eternall punishment and this is fully taken away by pardon when God doth give remission of sin he doth take away all obligation to wrath death hell and damnation and this is properly the nature of forgivenesse of sin it is a gracious and a free act of God whereby he acquits a sinner from eternall guilt and eternall punishment that is due to all his sin in an eternall punishment God doth not acquit a pardoned man from externall punishments God may pardon thy sin yet he may punish thee externally for thy sinnes but not eternally and thus much for the first particular Part. 2 The second particular is What kind of confession of sin is it that hath such a necessary
time with his Son so that here you see a good man would not second time joyn with an Ahaziah So likewise you have the instance in Judah that was in father in law to Thamar Gen. 28. 26. And Judah acknowlegded them and said she hath been more righteous then I because that I gave her not to Shelah may son and he knew her again no more It was not again done he knew her again no more so as Divines do usually urge it Noah was drunke but never but once and that before he knew the strength of the grape David was adulterous but never but once This therefore shall be one caution Secondly Take this caution that you might not bee emboldned to run often into the same sin if a man doth often commit the same grosse sin it argues a greater strength and prevalency that sin hath over him then all other sins Physitians say that a disease that a man doth often relaspe into argues the strength of these peccant humours that feed the disease if thou often fallest into lusts it argues the prevalency of a lustfull temper In the third place Relapses into the same grosse sin are very dangerous and deadly symptomes of a man in a lost condition I do not say they are such symptoms that infalibly conclude a man to be an unpardonable man I may say as Physitians say of a relapse into the same disease the second time is more dangerous then the first the reason is because the first sicknesse feeds on the ill humours but relapse into the same sickness feeds on the vitall spirits Beloved the falling and relapsing into the same sin is a dangerous symptome it is a clear symptome of the prevalency of that sin It is worth your notice what symptomes the Lord doth give of the plague of leprosie for the Priest to judge that disease by Levit. 13. the first symptome was when the hair was turned white in the fore Divines accommodate that to a continuance in sin to old age that argues you are unclean Lepers Another symptome was when there was raw flesh in the scab Divines accommodate that unto a man being adventurous to sin against a raw a troubled and a wounded Conscience A third sign of the plague of leprosie was when after the sore was healed there should a new scab arise in the place thereof thus when after thou hast healeda sin by vows by fasting and prayer by holy purposes in Christs strength and after the healing the same sore breaks out and the same lust breaks in upon thee this is a dangerous symptome Fourthly that you might not be adventurous on sin and so acuse this comfort consider that falling often into the same sin doth more harden the heart then any thing in the world habituating and indulging a mans selfe into the same road of wickednesse there is nothing in the world doth more harden the heart then when the same sin hath an usual inroad into thy conscience life then all tendernesse and remorse of conscience wil be taken away I speak meerly on this ground that seeing you have instances that men may often fall into the same grosse evils yet let these four considerations keep you from abusing this comfortable point I but you will say if I do fall often into the same sin what may be to stay my heart up that I may be in a pardoned state for all this I say this to you though thou dost fall often into the same sin yet if thy conscience bears thee witnesse thou dost exercise the same grace often in opposition to the same sin thou mayest have a great deal of comfort that thou art in a state of pardon Case 5 The fifth case follows But whether may a godly man that is pardoned pray for pardon of sin Antinomians account this to be needless they account all prayer for pardon to be onely in this sense to wit of pardon and a manifestation of pardon Answ First though it be true that God doth not call a man to pray for those things that are perfectly done so as never to be done again as election and creation yet God doth command us to pray for those things that are still a doing I am not to pray to God to create the world it is perfectly done I am not to pray for Election it is so done as never to be done more I am not to pray for the incarnation of Christ Christ is come into the flesh but though I am not to pray for these things that are so fully and perfectly done yet I am to pray for those things that are still adoing pardon of sin is an act of God that is still in doing therefore the Apostle referrs pardon Rom 3. 24 25. Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his bloud to declare his righteousnesse for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God And as sin is remitted and repented of it is pardoned therefore that reason is not valid to take off men from praying for pardon of sin the Scripture doth express it I acknowledged my transgression and thou forgavest Math. 6. 12. and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debters That Plat-form according to which we are to model our prayers the Antinomians would evade the Text and pretend that in that Text and such Scriptures we onely pray for a sense and manifestation of pardon in the conscience and not for actuall exhibition of pardon in regard of God To take off this first the next words in the Petition are to be taken for a reall forgivenesse not a forgivenesse in sense and feeling for consider the whole Petition Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespasse against us there can be no reason shewen why the first part of the Petition should be taken for sense and feeling of forgivenesse and the other should not be taken so Secondly consider this that in the same sense you must understand a sin to be forgiven as in Scripture language it is spoken not to be forgiven a sin is said not to be forgiven when there is an actuall guilt lies upon a man a guilt abiding upon the person of a wicked man that is not taken away Mat. 12. 32. And whosoever speaketh a word against the son of man it shall be forgiven him but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost it shall not bee forgiven him neither in this world neither in the world to come They that understand forgiving only in sense and feeling must understand this clause not forgiving onely in sense and feeling and so no reall guilt to lye upon the man so that It is against the nature of forgivenesse to be only forgiving sin in a mans own conscience Case 6 A sixt case is this Whether when a man in suing for pardon ought to make any difference between great sins and small