Why rather aggravate thy sins from the Commonness of them Say Lord this sin of mine was a common sin which therefore I should have hated and detested shunn'd and avoided but so vile and sinful a wretch was I that even in those things wherein all the prophane World rise up in Arms against God I desperately joined with them and sided with thy Common Enemy against thee Further yet 3. Is' t usual with Men and has it been so with any one of us to make our Ignorance in any degree a Cloak for our sins and to think that God would hold us guiltless because of our Ignorance Why let such an one now confess his sins to be so much the greater by how much his Ignorance was the grosser And certainly such Men as openly or secretly excuse their sins with their Ignorance are always a great cause of their own Ignorance and therefore have good reason to aggravate their sins from their Ignorance in sinning Let such an one therefore go to God on his knees and take such Words with him as these Lord I have committed my sins in Ignorance but has not most of my Ignorance been wilful and affected I have done many things ignorantly indeed but the fault was my own had I not been wanting to my self I might have had much more Knowledge than I have Had I had but a Will to seek the Truth how easily might I have got the Skill to find it But I would not take pains enough I would not do my best endeavours to be inform'd in my Duty I was ignorant but I * At first Man lost his Innocence only in hope to get a little Knowledge and ever since theâ— lest Knowledge should discover his Error and make him 〈◊〉 to Innocence we are content to part with that row and to know â—â—â—ing that may discover or discountenance our sins We call our selves Christians and love to be ignorant of many of the Laws of Christ lâ—st our Knowledge should foâ—â—e us into shame or into the troubles of a â—oly Life Bp. â—ayloâ— â— Serm. of the deceitf of the Heart p. 95. 97. voluntarily continued in my ignorance I was loth to get out of it I nuzzled my self in it I resolv'd to be ignorant that so I might sin the more freely I thought with my self If I knew this and that more distinctly then I should be bound in Conscience to act more strictly my ignorance greatly proceeded from the very intention of my corrupt Will which was so fully bent and set upon sinning that I was well content to suffer the want of Knowledge and to undergo the damage of Ignorance thereby to procure and enjoy a fancied liberty of sinning without guiltiness I 'm deeply guilty of my own ignorance and consequently wretchedly guilty of all those sins unto which my voluntary chosen delightful ignorance has betrayed me Again 4. Is temptation to sin a common and frequent excuse of the sin in the Mouths of Sinners And has this excuse sometimes lodged in thy Heart if not proceeded out of thy Mouth Hast thou with others excus'd thy sins because thou wast tempted to sin Why now rather aggravate thy sins even from thy being tempted to them Say Lord I was tempted to sin but was I not a Cause as well of the Temptation as of the Sin Did I not many times bring temptations upon my self Did I not * Qui silâ—â—tpâ—s occasiones quaerunt pâ—ecandi eleganter dicâ—ntur suscitare Diabolum See Caryl on Job 3. S. p. 374. 40. raise up the Devil by my earnest and busie seeking occasions of sin Did not I put Satan often upon tempting me Was it not the Tinder within me which Satan knew was so apt and more apt at some times than others to take fire that made him so ready upon occasion to Strike fire Was it not this naughty base corrupt treacherous deceitful yielding Heart of mine that not only tempted me but ev'n tempted and invited the Devil to tempt me Did I not hearten and encourage yea even provoke him to tempt me by giving him fair hopes of prevailing upon me Surely I had not been tempted to this or that particular sin had not it been for such and such a particular Lust in me which he could so fitly and seasonably sort and suit and apply his temptation unto Certainly I had not been tempted so often had I not been tempted so easily my f rmer yielding upon so light and easie temptations animated and emboldned him to set new and greater temptations on soot as well as with the same again and again to assault me 5. And lastly Is it the currant excuse of the World the plea of course And has it at any time been thy excuse and plea Alas it is my Nature to do thus and thus Hast thou ever thought that this did much diminish and take a great deal off from the guilt of thy sin Why rather now confess it is thy Nature thereby to add the greater weight unto thy sins aggravate thy sins even from hence because it is thy Nature Say O Lord this is my Nature I am not only guilty of single acts of sin but I have a natural inclination an habitual disposition to every sin I have a sinful nature which has more fundamental foulness in it than all the actual sins which arise from it a Nature which virtually contains the grossest abominablest sins in the World I carry within me a very Sink and Sodom of sin I have within me the Spring and Fountain the Root and Seeds and Spawn of all the sins that ever I have committed or possibly can be committed It 's my Nature to do thus and thus and it 's a wonder I have done no worse This is my Nature and therefore that my Actions in this kind are no worse than they are I cannot in reason thank my self for it who am prone and apt of my self to sin in the highest degree My Heart by Nature is an evil Treasure of Anger and that my rash Anger did not some time or other proceed to revengeful Murder My Heart by Nature is an evil Treasure of Lust and that my base filthy Lust never broke out in Adultery Incest Sodomy I 'm naturally given and addicted to idle Words and that my vain and idle speaking never grew to Swearing Cursing and Blaspheming it is not by reason of my better Nature The Lord knows I should be as wicked a Wretch as lives had I the like bodily Complexion and Constitution the like Temptations the like Opportunities to commit wickednesses which others have and did not the Soveraign Grace of God daily hinder and prevent me with-hold and restrain me By Nature I 'm as very a Tiger as very a Lion as very a Wolf as any is in the World and that I am not as outragious as others I humbly acknowledge it is because I am tied in or chain'd up by Providence or because my evil Nature is corrected by Common or
entreat you in transitu and by the way to take notice with me who it is that speaks herein the Text who it is these Words you have heard come from The Person that speaks here believe it he is not a meer legal Preacher but an Evangelical a Gospel-Minister an honorable Ambassador a worthy Apostle of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and one that had arriv'd to very high eminent and excellent Attainments that was able really and experimentally to say Truly our Fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ v. 3. It is this blessed Apostle St. John that here requires and calls for Cofession of Sins even in Gospel-Times He makes not the Grace of the Gospel a Principle of looseness and licentiousness he turns not the Grace of God into wantonness He perswades us indeed that God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins but he assures us withal that he is such only to these of us who do confess and acknowledge our sins He does'nt rastly and giddilâ— preach up Priviledges without Duties but wiseh sâ—ceâ—ly and wholsomly joins and couples them both together Neither imposes he Duties upon some inferior Christians only as a task proper for none but those of the lowest Form in Christ's School but he lays them upon all and every one Tho' he himself had gotten to so high a pitch yet he reckons not himsâ—â—f above Duties no not above the Duty of Caâ—â—fâ—ssâ—â—n which some may account 〈◊〉 meâ—â— and low and base for an old and grâ—wn Christian for a Professor of 〈…〉 to â—e employed and exercis'd in He puts not himself out of the number of Consâ—â—ents for he plainly here includes and inserts himself If we says he confess If we â—onfess our sins he is faithful and juâ—t to forgive us our sins In which words you have these two Parts a Declaration of a Divine Promâ—â—e and an express mention of a necessary Condition something to be done for us but withal something to be done by us The Condition you have express'd in these words If we confess our sins The Promise you have declared and laid down in those words He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse c. Where you have considerable 1. The Matter of the Promise or the thing it self promised Forgiveness and Cleansing 2. The Confirmation or Establishment of the Promise you have good Assurance given sufficient Security put in for the due performance of what is thus promised God's Faithfulness and Justice do back and second his simple and single Promise in the foregoing words He is faithful and just to forgive faithful and just Or if you please the words contain a Duty and a Motive or Encouragement to the Duty A Duty in the first words of the Verse to wit Confession of sins If we confess our sins A Motive or Encouragement to it in the following words If we confess he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse c. Which Encouragement to the Duty is taken from or consists of a double Benefit that comes by it a twofold Priviledge that belongs to it 1. Forgiveness 2. Cleansing And this latter commended to us from the Vniversality the Latitude and Extent of it it is cleansing from all Vnrighteousness This Encouragement is here further spirited and strengthned made more valid forcible and prevailing by setting down and holding forth the absolute certainty of these Benefits to be bestowed of these Priviledges to be made good God's Faithfulness and Justice stand firmly bound and engag'd to bring about and effect all to see all truly perform'd He is Faithful and Just I begin with the Condition of the Promise or our Duty as being first to be done by us and perform'd on our part before we can lay any just Claim or plead any lawful Title to the Promise and the Priviledges and Benefits that are contain'd and wrap'd up therein Now the Condition requir'd by God of us or the Duty to be done by us is Confession of Sins If we confess our sins It is the Duty of every Sinner to confess and acknowledge his sins to God In handling this Doctrine I shall endeavour to do these two things 1. I shall open the Nature of this Duty of Confession 2. Give you the Grounds and Reasons of it 1. Shew you what the Duty of Confession is 2. How it comes to be our Duty and why it is our Duty I. I shall open the Nature of Confession or tell you what it is Take this plain and full Definition or Description of it Confession of Sin it 's the Penitent Sinner's voluntary Accusing and Condemning himself to God with Hatred of Shame and Sorrow for and a full Resolution against his sin together with an earnest Desire of and some good Hope in Divine Mercy We shall take this Definition in pieces and asunder in which you have these two things considerable 1. The Acts of Confession or Parts of which Confession consists 2. The Adjuncts or Properties of true sound unfeigned undissembled Confession 1. The Acts which are two Self-Accusing Self-Condemning 2. Its Adjuncts or Properties which are these 1. It 's voluntary 2. It 's with Hatred of Shame and Sorrow for our sin 3. With a full Resolution against our sin 4. With an earnest Desire of and some good Hope in God's Mercy unto whom Confession is made I shall handle these severals in the same Order I have propounded them and I shall speak first of the Acts beginning with the former of them to wit Self-Accusing CHAP. II. Of the former Act of Confession to wit Self-Accusation Of the Limitation or Restriction of the Object in Self-Accusation The Sinner accuseth himself of his sins and none but himself not God nor the Devil nor Ungodly Men. NOW Self-Accusation in Confession is The Sinner's Charging himself alone as particularly as may be with his sins and his aggravating them wholly upon himself I shall speak to two things out of this Definition wherein you have chiefly observable 1. A Limitation or Restriction of the Object in Self-Accusation 2. A Declaration of the Manner of Self-Accusation in a truly humble Confession The Object in Confessional Self-Accusation is The Sinner himself and none but himself The Manner is double 1. The Sinner charges himself with his sins as particularly as he can 2. He aggravates his sins upon himself so that Self-Accusation is made 1. By a particular enumeration 2. By aggravation of our sins before God 1. You have here a Limitation or Restriction of the Object in Self-Accusation The Sinner accuses himself of his sins charges himself with his sins and none but himself He very truly and justly draws up a Bill of Indictment and puts it in himself only against himself He Fathers not one sin upon God he 's far from making his God the Author of his sins or imputing them to his Decree and Predetermination he declares God to be righteous and pronounces
David was when he fled from his Son Absalom and was in extream danger to lose his Kingdom and his Life 2 Sam. 15.26 If the Lord says he shall thus say I have no delight in thee behold here am I let him do to me as seemeth good unto him I have done with this head of Self-Condemnation so soon as I have intreated you to observed that Particularizing and Aggravation have some place in Self-Condemning as well as in Self-Accusing there is a particularizing and aggravating of punishment as well as of sin for whatever particular threatning and commination is made and denounced in the Word of God against such and such a particular sin or whatever particular punishment is in God's Word or Providence usually measur'd andi proportion'd out unto any sin the penitent Sinner if guilty of that sin takes it up applies and makes use of it in the sentencing of himself Further Whatever sad heavy direful Circumstances of the punishment either of Sin in general or of any particular sin of his are to be found in the Book of God theâ—â— the penitent humble Sinner looks upon as properly belonging to and righteouâ—ly reveal'd against his sin and dares not but acknowledge them justly due unto himself for and by reason of his sins To give an instance of particularizing in Self-Judging Lord says the Sinner I have grieved thy good and holy Spirit resisted and striven against its strivings and thou may'st justly take thy holy Spirit from me and resolve with thy self that thy Spirit shall strive no longer with me Lord I have blinded my own Eyes and shut out the Light and thou may'st justly give me up to judicial blindness to a * 1 Rom. 28. reprobate mind I have wilfully hardned my own Heart and therefore thou may'st justly give me up to judicial hardness of Heart and to a * 1 Tim. 4.2 Seared Cauterized Conscience I have despised the riches of thy Mercies and thou may'st justly now treasure up for me Wrath against the Day of Wrath. I have been incorrigible and unbroken under Judgments and therefore thou may'st justly say unto me in indignation * 1 Isai 5. Why should you be stricken any more you will revolt more and more Therefore thou may'st take away in Wrath that which thou at first didst send in Anger thou may'st now in Judgment with-hold and remove thy Judgments thou may'st now for my greater punishment forbear punishing me and that thou may'st at one blow kill me presently leave off striking me Thus you see the Penitent Sinner judges himself worthy of particular Punishments for being guilty of particular Sins And thus I have done with the Acts of Confession Self-Accusing and Self-Condemning CHAP. VI. The first Adjunct or Property of true confession it is free and voluntary not forced and constrain'd I Now proceed to speak of the Adjuncts and genuine Properties of true Confession which are these 1. True Confession is voluntary 2. It 's made with Hatred of Shame and Sorrow for our sins 3. With a full Resolution against our sins 4. Lastly with an earnest Desire of and some good Hope in Divine Mercy 1. True Confession is free and voluntary not forced and constrain'd The Penitent Sinner is not brought upon his Knees with violence and compulsion he 's mov'd to confess his sins out of a deep of the great wrong and injury that his sin has done to a good God whom he now heartily loves and therefore he goes as willingly and readily about Confession of his sins as ever he went about the Commission of them But now the false-hearted Hypocrite is usually with much ado with a great deal of stir pull'd and haled dragg'd and driven to his Confession he confesses full sore against his Will he confesses only out of feâ—r of imminent danger or sence and feeling of present Punishment I say only out of this for I don't deny but that fear and feeling of Judgments may be an Occasion of a voluntary Confession for the Godly are often brought by Punishments and Afflictions to a true Penitent and voluntary Acknowledgment of their sins but fear or feeling of Judgments tho' it may be an Occasion of their Confession yet it is never the main Principle that acts them in Confession but it is the sight and sence of the evil Nature of their sin and the love they bear to God that makes them voluntarily to accuse and condemn themselves in their Confessions They are indeed sometimes brought to see and feel their sins by some punishment or other yet it is their Sin discover'd to them by the punishment rather than the Punishment it self that makes them willing to confess And these having once a thorow Conviction of the evil of their sin would if their fears were remov'd and their punishment taken off prove notwithstanding as forward and ready as ever to make a full Confession of their sin But now it is not at all the sin but only the Punishment for sin which causeth the Hypocrite to confess who tho' he at present exclaim against his sin yet were he once at ease free from pain and from under the Rod would soon hold his peace and hug his sin that now he cries out against and complains of Many Men's Confessions are but the * 7 Hos 14. Howlings of afflicted Men that cry out meerly because of Pain Possibly some outward troubles and calamities or it may be some laniatus and iâ—tus some scourgings and rendings of Conscience may put wicked Men upon Confession but these confess their sins just as the * S Mat 29. Devils confess'd Christ more out of Torment than any true Love to God these confess their faults just as Sâ—hâ—l-Bâ—ys confess when they are under the Lash and as Traytors confess when they are upon the Rack who would never say a Word were not such violent extraordinary means us'd with them to extort it from them It was only the present smart and feeling of God's severe Plagues and exemplary Judgments that drove Pharaoh to confess and say I have sinned this time the Lord is righteous and I and my people are wicked 9 Exod. 27. 10.16 It 's a sign his Confession was involuntary for so soon as the Plagues were remov'd and he taken off the Rack ruâ—sâ—â— ad ingenium redâ—it Pharaoh was Pharaoh still so soon as he got a little respite he began to Sing another Tune to recant to unsay and call in in a manner his late feigned Confession he strait returned to his wonted hardness stubbornness and refractariness of spirit for the Text says that when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder were ceased he sinned yet more and hardned his heart he and his servants 9 Exod. 34. Thus it was with wicked Balaam 't was the Angel that stood before him with a drawn Sword that forced him to cry out I have sinned who otherwise would have been more dumb than the Ass he rode on Numb
believe so Bishop layâ—eâ—'s Sâ—rm of the Deceitfulness of the Heart p. 86. Yet weeping is no Infallible Sign or certain Token or an Heart truly sensible of sin so as that a Man should conclude he is sensible or insensible according as he finds himself weep or forbear for there may be weeping without sence of sin Many can shed Tears for any thing some for nothing Again There may be sence of sin without weeping a soft Heart where there are dry Eyes for as the greatest Joys do not always burst out into Laughter so the deepest sorrows and foulest shame do not always break forth into Tears This expression of our Affection differs and varies very much according to the temper of the Body the Age the Sex and the many accidental tendernesses or masculine hardnesses of the Person Wherefore sence of sin is not to be estimated by our Tears but is to be valued by the Trouble of our Souls for sin seriously apprehending the evil the extream evil of it But yet tho' weeping be not an unerring good Sign yet not weeping in some cases may well be suspected for a bad Sign as if where there is an aptness and proneness to weep abundantly when any outward Worldly evil hath befallen us yet even there we seldom or never shed a Tear in the sorrows and passions of our pretended Penitent Confessions For were but the Affection as great here it would still discover it self in as great a manner and large a measure If thou canst easily shed tears and many tears weep plentifully and pour them out largely in the Confession of thy sins for Tears tho' mute yet speak * Herbert's Poems The 〈◊〉 p. 13â— What is so shrill as silent Tears And surely God will hear the voice of thy weeping Psal 6.8 How acceptable and available are truly Femtential Tears running out of a Soul that is running towards God! O let the Tears that flow from thee be (a) Tears that will pâ—evail must spring from a teâ—dâ—â— and â—râ—â—er â—eart 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 the◠〈…〉 God 's thy which 〈…〉 Mâ—◠〈…〉 to 〈◊〉 the 〈…〉 voluntrary reforming cleansing Tears such as may not only wet thy Face but wash thy Heart But if thou canst not weep or when thou canst no longer weep desire and endeavour to have much of the rational tho' you have not so much of a passionate grief and sorrow Let (b) If thou hast no sight of Graws 〈◊〉 thou hast 〈…〉 Lesser pairs shape greater 〈◊〉 Herbert's Pâ—â—â—s 〈◊〉 p. â—00 Sighs and Groans supply the defect of Tears in thee Let your Heart bleed when your Eyes do not water Take up and use the affectionate words of the Devout Herbert * Herbert 's Poem â—â— Ephâ—s 4.30 Grâ—â— not the Holy Spâ—rit â— p. 129. Yet If I wail not still since still to wail Nature denies And flesh would fail If my Deserts were Masters of mine Eyes Lord pardon for thy Son makes good My want of Tears with store of Blood So much shall suffice to have been spoken to the second Adjunct or Property of Confession It 's made with Hatred of Shame and Sorrow for our Sin CHAP. VIII The third Property of Confession it is made with a full Resolution against our sins The Hypocrite is Rash and Self-confident in his Vows but the humble Confessor is fearful and distrustful of himself in his Resolves and seeks to God for strength and power to act his Purposes and perform his Vows 3. A Third Property of Confession is this True Confession is made with a fall Resolution against our sins From Hatred of Shame and Sorrow for our sins their naturally proceeds and necessarily arises a settled Intention and firm Purpose of Heart for the speedy leaving and ready actual dereliction of the sins we confess and a Resolvedness of Spirit to oppose and resist their consequent Temptations setting aside which Resolution our very Confession are crying provoking Sins and need to he confess'd themselves for he that does not heartily resolve against his sins in Confession does even then secreth intend and purpose to commit them again Wherever there is a real sence and feeling of sin in Confession there is also produc'd an inward serious to feigned Resâ—lâ—tion against the sin confess'd the Sinner thus affected meditates the Confusion and Overthrow of his sin and he often expresses unto God the sincere and honest purposes of his Heart and joins with the Confession of his sins a most solemn Vow Promise Covenant against them Such was the Confession of horeâ— plain-hearted Sâ—heeaniah 10 Ezra 2 3. speaking there unto Ezra We have trâ—spassed against our God says he and have taken strange Wives of the people of the land new therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the Wives and such as are born of them This is observ'd and remark'd by Elihu in that lively and notable description which he makes of a true Confessor that humbles himself before God 34 Job 31.32 Surely says he it is meet to be said unto God I have â—â—rn chastisement I will not offend any more that which I see not teach thou me if I have done iniquity I will do no more Hatred of Shame and Sorrow for Sin do breed and beget in the Sinner an absolute purpose and entire resolution against his sins the Penitent Sinner really intends never to meddle with them again never to have any more to do with them Yet which is very observable this humble Confessor is not too too confident of himself in his resolves but very fearful jealous and suspicious of himself being greatly conscious to himself of his own Spiritual impotency and weakness and of the baseness and falseness of his own Heart which has formerly deceiv'd and betrayed him This is very much Characteristical of a true hearty Confessor whereby he is differenced and distinguished from a meer Counterfeit and Hypocritical Confessor The Hypocrite indeed in some of his good Moods and Fits which usually take him upon some sudden violent flashings of a strong Conviction or the sence and feeling of a present Affliction will be forward to promise any thing in Confession will make marvellous fair protestations and specious resolutions before God O he has done thus and thus but he 'll do so no more no he 'll become a new Man out of hand ay that he will but all this while he confides trusts in and relies on himself for the performance of all Thus rash are the Sick-bed Vows of most Men O says one that 's kept in by a Disease and is fain to lie by 't O says he that God would recover my health and strength again I 'd presently turn over a new leaf I 'd certainly live the New Life if God would grant me any How shall all the World see if ever I live to get out of Doors to go Abroad again that I 'm quite another Man than I was Our Minister all my Neighbors Friends and Acquaintance
the Condemnation of his Sin and Codemnation of himself And presently he said unto Jesus Lord remember me whâ—n thou comest into thy kingdom there 's the real expression of his fervent Desire of Christ's Compassion The Penitent Confitent most humbly and heartily asks forgiveness at the hands of God and seeks most passionately the face and favour the love and friendship and gracious presence of God full and firm reconciliation to him and sweet acquaintance and comfortable communion with him I grant a very Hypocrite may seek God's face out of love and respect to himself only he may seek God's face so far as may serve to free him from Punishment and deliver him from Judgment but he does not sue for peace with God out of love and affection to the blessed and lovely Nature of God he does not seek the special Spiritual presence of God nor holy and heavenly Communion with God he looks not after God's Love of Complacency and Delight he does not care for God's favour unless it be upon his own Terms that God would be at peace with him to let him quietly enjoy his sins he entreats the love and favour of God looking upon God as a merciful God but not considering God as a holy God as the righteous Lord that loveth righteousness He desires forgiveness that he may procure his own Ease and slatter away the Rod from his back that he may be freed and well delivered from what he either feels or fears but he does not seek forgiveness of God that he may fear God that he may serve him acceptably with reverence and godly fear for the future But the sincerely Penitent Sinner chiefly laments after the Lord 1 Sam. 7.2 he seeks the face of God that he may enjoy God he looks more after God's Favour than his own Ease and is more solicitous for the recovering of his Love than for the removing of his Rod he says as Absalom did in another case 2 Sam. 14.32 Let me see the King's face though he kill me Lord says he if thou hidest thy face I am troubled be pacified towards me or else I die even while I live and suffer a very Hell on Earth I weep and mourn I sigh and groan I saint and sink if thou dost not turn to me if thou be'st not kind to me if thou be'st not friends with me I am not able to bear thy Frowns O let me see one smile from Heaven let God speak one kind World to me and give me but one good Look If Natural Light be so very sweet 11 Eccl. 7. and if it be so pleasant a thing for the Eyes to behold the Sun O then how chearing and refreshing a thing is the Heavenly Light of God's Countenance How delectable and amiable is it to behold the pleased face of God the Sun of the Intellectual World The Light of thy Countenance is the Life of my Life yea blessed Lord thy special favor and loving kindness is better than life it sâ—lf 63 Psal 3â— No freedom from punishment will content me without a sight and view of the reconciled face of God Lord let me have but thy favour it is enough Good Lord do but love me and then do what thou wilt with me The poor Penitent enjoys no peace with himself until he be at peace with God He seeks and pursues peace with God and peace with God upon Gâ—d's terms He earnestly desires the favor of God and the favor of God as an holy God and hugely covets the friendship and fruition of God out of love and affection to God as well as to himself He sincerely and passionately breaths after the reconciliation of his Nature unto God as well as of his Person He begs unfeignedly and affectionately the Image and likeness as well as the love and favour of God He sues for Purifying as well as Pardoning Grace He asks true Holiness as well as free Forgiveness A new Nature a better Temper that he may no more do God such wrong as formerly he has done him And truly whoever seriously and understandingly desires the one must needs desire the other for he that heartily and not only formally and complementally asketh Pardon is really convinc'd of the iniquity of his doings of the baseness and unworthiness of his Actions Now he that truly knows and heartily acknowledges that what he has done he has done amiss that the thing he has done he ought not to have done will ingenuously desire and faithfully endeavour to do so no more and be glad to be kept not only from suffering but also from sinning for the future No Man can really and considerately desire Pardon unless withal he desire Holiness A Man may indeed desire God not to use his Power to destroy him at his pleasure but he cannot properly entreat and beseech God to Pardon him that is to pass by and put up a confess'd wrong unless withal he desire God who alone can do it to give him Grace to prevent such miscarriages for the future for otherwise the sensible Sinner should plainly pray to God to countenance Sin and encourage Iniquity and to do that which would directly and certainly tend to the further dishonour of his holy Nature and the gross contempt and high violation of his righteous Law which would be an absurd and unreasonable desire and such as a rational Creature can never offer considerately to utter to Almighty God That 's the first The humble Confessor importunately desires the Pity and Mercy the Love and Kindness the Favour and Friendship the Purity and Holiness the Image and likeness of God 2. The humble Sinner confesses as with an earnest impatient desire of Mercy so likewise with some dâ—gree and measure of true Faith and real Hope in Divine Mercy The true Confessor indeed is not impudent in God's presence no he 's hugely asham'd of himself as you have heard yet is he somewhat confident for he really believes and hopes he firmly trusteth in his God and â—esolvedly casts himself on his Mercy The Penitent Sinner encourages himself to seek to God in Confession as the Servants of Benhadad encourag'd him to seek to Ahab 1 King 20.31 32. Behold says the Sinner I have heard O my Soul that the King of the House of Israel is a merciful King a King of Mercy humble now thy self and go out to the King of Israel peradventure he will save thy life and with thus much hope at least that it may fare well with it The Soul goes out to God as the Servants of Benhadad did to Ahab and takes with it such words as these Lord thy servant saith I pray thee let me live The desires of the Penitent Consitent are faithful hopeful desires Such was the desire of the Publican he believed and hoped in God when he cried God be merciful to me This was a Prayer of Faith for it had the testimony and approbation of God himself This man went down to his house
â—â—sâ—â—fied * Imâ— eâ—tia est compaâ—â—â—o 〈…〉 The meaniâ—g â—â— â—â—e was â—ustifâ—d 〈◊〉 rather than the other 18 Luk. 14. And such too was the earnest desire of the good Thief upon the Cross it was put up in Faith and Hâ—pe for we find it was well aâ—â—epted and he had no sooner said Lord remember me when thou comest into thy Kingdom but Christ returned him this answer Verily I say unto thee to day shalt thou be with me in Paradise 23 Luk. 42.43 Many are the Scripture-Examples of the Penitent Sinner's believing and hoping in Confession that 's a famous one of holy humble Sheâ—chaniah Ezra 10.2 We have trespassed against our God says he and have taken strange wives of the people of the land yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing hope of God's Mercy in pardoning this sin Look how David puts his confidence in God for the pardon of the sin he confâ—sses Deliver me says he from blood-guiltiness O God thou God of my salvation Psal 51.14 he calls God the God of his Salvation still tho' he had committed so great a sin See with what a believing heart holy Daniel confesses Dan. 9.9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses though we have rebelled against him And v. 19. O Lord hear says he O Lord forgive O Lord hearken and do defer not for thine own sake O my God The reiteration and repetition of his request argues the earnestness and eagerness of his desire and his calling God his God shews and declares his Faith and Hope So the Prodigal in the Gospel owns his Relation notwithstanding his Transgression and is bold to call him Father whom he has offended Father I have sinn'd says he Luk. 15.21 True Confession is made in Faith and Hope He that confesses aright speaks not the Language of Cain he dares not say with him Gen. 4.13 Mine iniquity is greater than can he forgiven but he takes heart to take up those words of David For thy mames sake O Lord pardon mine iniquity for it is great Psal 25.11 He does not with * Mat. 27.4 5. Judas acknowledge he has sinned and presently go and make away himself by Despair and so damn himself indeed for fear God should damn him He rather cries out with * Job 7. â— Job I have sinned I have sinned what shall I do unto thee O thou preserver O thou preserver and nor O thou destroyer of Men He flies for refuge from God's absolute strict Justice to the Throne of his free Grace and rich Mercy in Jesus Christ and cries out with David â— 130.3 4. If thou Lord shouldest mark iniquity O Lord who shall stand but there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared The poor Penitent comes not before God as a guilty Felon before a rigid severe Judge who is fully perswaded that if he confesses all he shall be hang'd and die for 't but as a faulty Son comes before a mild and indulgent Father or as the diseased Patient goes to the skilful pitiful Physician who by opening his Distempers to him looks to get health and cure from him The true Confessor looks not upon God as his Enemy as one that bears no good will to him that seeks all advantages against him and won't be reconciled to him for then he could never hope in him indeed We at once both fear and hate the implacable and inexorable so far are we from trusting and confiding in them but he lays aside all hard thoughts and takes up a good opinion of God he looks upon God as one that is good and ready to forgive and plenteous in Mercy as David describes him Ps 86. 5. he conceives of him as one that is more Merciful than he is Sinful He duly considers the goodness and graciousness of God's Nature as the Scripture represents it to him and also the freeness and fulness of Divine Promises made in the Gospel unto Penitent Sinners for the sake and merits of Jesus Christ He makes not half-representations of God to himself he looks not upon God as All Justice but fixeth one Eye upon his Mercy and Goodness as well as the other upon his Righteousness and Justice and therefore he bears up his spirit cheerfully and comes off comfortably in Confession He that truly confesses he ever confesses with some good hope in Divine Mercy And truly there can be no sound and good Confession without some degree of Faith and Hope and that will appear upon this twofold Account because that unbelieving despairing Thoughts do 1. Greatly dishonour God 2. Extreamly deaden and straiten our own Hearts in Confession 1. Unbelieving despairing Thoughts in Confession do greatly dishonour and disparage God He that confesses without Faith and Hopes does God more wrong than right in Confession for tho' he may seem to glorify God's Justice by acknowledging his Offence yet by despairing of Pardon he derogates from his Grace and is injurious to his Mercy To run into Despair says * Loc. commun collect a Fabricio p. 143. 3 Classis Luther this is to take away God's Divinity from him which he chiefly shews forth in his Mercy To play the Cain or the Judas to despair of God's Mercy in Confession it is in effect even to ungod God it is to rob him of and deny him the Glory of that Attribute which he himself most glories in and would always be most known by among the Children of Men it is to make that God cruel who ever delighted in shewing Mercy it is in deed and truth covertly to strike at the life of God for secretly to conclude that God is unmerciful what is it less than violently to rend away his very Heart and Bowels We find the tender Mercies and Compassions of God * Isai 63.15 Luk. 1.78 so called in Scripture 2. There can be no sound and good Confession without some degree of Faith and Hope because unbelieving despairing misdoubting Thoughts do extreamly straiten and deaden our own Hearts in Confession Diffidence and distrust of Pardon and Forgiveness does not only disparage and discredit God but also exceedingly damps flats contracts and binds up our own Spirits in Confession it makes us have no mind to the Duty and causes us to be unfaithful in the Duty we can't come to God as we ought and be as free with him as we should except we think we shall speed well with him He that desponds in Confession can't so freely unbosom himself nor so fully lay open his whole Heart to God The only seasonable powerful inducement to an open universal acknowledgment of Sin is a present strong apprehension and conceit of Mercy Men are backward and loth to make a thorow Confession of their Sins because they secretly doubt of the free Pardon of all Whereas the Sinner that entertains good hopes of Mercy can easily find in his Heart plainly to declare unto God the very worst he knows by himself without
hiding or concealing any of his Sins This Man resolves to confess all that he may be forgiven all to cover none that none may be uncover'd I have now done with the last Property of Confession True Confession is made with an earnest Desire of and some good Hope in Divine Mercy Yet let me leave what has been spoken with this necessary Caution Let us all be sure to take one thing with another let 's join all these Propeâ—ties of Confession in Practical Use together In Confession of our Sins let 's earnestly desire and as firmly trust in Divine Mercy for the Pardon of them all but let us know that if we would do this warrantaâ—ly and safely we must at the same time confess our faults voluntarily and freely with a perfect Hatred of them an Holy Shame and Sorrow for them and an hearty full Resolution against them otherwise we may encourage our selves if we please with fond Thoughts of an infinite Mercy and call that Faith and Hope if we will which is meerly our wild deluded Fancy but God accounts such ungrounded Confidence nothing but Impudence and Presumption and will deal with us accordingly And thus I have as fully and clearly as I could open'd and discover'd unto you the whole Nature of the Duty of Confession and explain'd at large this full Definition or Description of it viz. Confession of Sin is the Penitent Sinner's voluntary Accusing and Condemning himself to God with Hatred of Shame and Sorrow for and a full Resolution against his Sins together with an earnest Desire of and some good Hope in Divine Mercy CHAP. X. The Grounds and Reasons of Confession Two false Grounds of Cofession rejected We must never confess our sins with any intention to give God Information or to make God Satisfaction by our Confession An Objection answered I Now proceed to give you the Grounds and Reasons of Confession and to shew you how it comes to be our Duty or why it is our Duty And I shall give you the Reasons of Confession 1. Negatively then Positively 1. I shall shew you what we are to account no Reason 2. What we ought to judge a good Ground and sufficient Reason for our Confession 1. Negatively We must never confess our sins to God thereby to give God either Information of or Satisfaction for our sins 1. We must never confess our sins with any intention to give God Information by our Confession as if he were ignorant of them before we told him of them for surely the Lord knows all our sins better than our selves do and needs not our help for the discovery of any He takes strict notice of all our Thoughts Words and Actions Psal 139.1 2 3 4. O Lord says David thou hast searched me and known me thou knowest my down-sitting and my up-rising thou understandest my thoughts afar off thou compassest my path and my lying down and art acquainted with all my ways for their is not a word in my toâ—gue but 〈◊〉 O Lord thou knowest it altogether God is privy to all our secret Contrivances he knows what is done in the Chamber and Closet what we muse and meditate of upon our Beds he knows what is forg'd in the very Heart God has no need to be inform'd of our defaults to be certified by us of our miscarriages he sees the very first motions and inclinations of our Souls he beholds us in the very act of sin and he bears in Mind all our Wickednesses and lacks no body to be his Remembrancer They are indeed too frequently out of our own Memories unless he keep them in or recal them to our Minds of his free Grace and Mercy We must not therefore confess with any intention thereby to let God know and give him to understand what we have done as if otherwise he would be ignorant of every thing or any thing 2. We must never confes our sins with any intention to make God Satisfaction by our Confession The most submissive penitent Confession does not at all satisfy the Justice of God for the wrong we have done him nor merit a Pardon from him no God is infinitely merciful when he pardons sin upon Confession Confession of Sin can't in any measure satisfy for Sin For Confession of Sin becomes it self our necessary Duty presently upon the Commission of Sin but Duty is not satisfactory Again The best Confession of our sins is it self tainted and mingled with sin and needeth another Confession and therefore can deserve nothing at God's hands nor make him any Compensation Further The goodness of Confession if it were perfectly blameless and faultless were yet but a finite Good whereas the Evil of every transgression is an infinite Evil because committed against an Infinite God but a finite Good can't make God recompence and amends for an infinite Evil. Obj. If you ask why Confession of Sin has not as much good in it as the Commission of Sin has evil in it why the one does not as much honour God as the other dishonour him for when it is said Sin has an infinite Evil in it it is meant only Objectively because God against whom it is committed is an infinite God Now if Sin be called infinite because it wrongs and injures an infinite God why should not a Penitent Confession be accounted infinite since it honours and glorisies an infinite God Answ I answer Offences arise according to the Dignity of the Object because the Dignity of the Party offended is there hurt and wronged as an offence against a Nobleman or King is greater than against a private Man but Satisfaction increases according to the worth of the Subject for here the giving of Honor is look'd at which depends on the Dignity of the Person that gives it therefore it suffices to make Sin infinite that God who is the Object of it is infinite But there is not enough to be sound in any Confession to make it of an infinite worth and value because Man who is the Subject of it is but finite and therefore the most exactly and thorowly Penitent Confession because it proceeds from a finite Person is not able to make God â—atisfaction for hence it is that Christ only could effectually satisfie because he only was an infinite Person Thus I have remov'd and rejected the wrong and false Grounds of Confession We must never go about Confession with any purpose thereby to give God Information or make him Satisfaction CHAP. XI Ten positive Grounds and proper Reasons of the Duty of Confession 1. God expresly commands it 2. God is greatly glorified and justified by it 3. 'T is a thing in it self most reasonable and equitable 4. Confession of Sin is absolutely and indispensably necessary to Remission of Sin so as that God can't well pardon us without Confession How it 's unbeseeming the Majesty the Justice the Mercy the Wisdom the Holiness of God for God to pardon and forgive the Sinner before and without the Confession and
Acknowledgment of his sin 5. Confession of Sin is it self a proper act of Mortification 6. Confession testifies unto God and evidences unto our selves the sincerity and unfeignedness of our Repentance and gives us good assurance that we are in a fair way of Recovery 7. Confession eases our troubled Spirits and disburdens our oppressed Consciences 8. It were unreasonable Folly in us to go about to hide any sins from God and the wisest way to conceal them from otheâ—s is to discover them to God 9. It 's no only a foolish but an unsate and hazardous a desperate and dangerous thing for any to attempt to hide and conceal their sins from God 10 And lastly Confession of Sin or Self-accusing and Self-judging it happily prevents or weakens all Satan's Accusations and surely forestalls the just Sentence and Judgment of the great Judge at the last Day I Come now positively to lay down and propound the true and proper Grounds and Reasons of the Duty of Confession 1 Reas And the first Reason shall be taken from God's express Command I will give you but two Scriptures for it 5 Num. 6 7. The Lord spake unto Moses saying Speak unto the children of Israel when a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit to do a trespass against the Lord and that person be guilty then they shall confess their sin which they have done This was the first thing that was to be done before Restitution or the offering of his Sacrifice he must confess his Sin And Jer. 3.12 13. Go and proclaim these words towards the North and say Return thou backsliding Israel saith the Lord acknowledge thine iniquity that thou hast transgress'd against the Lord thy God That 's the first Reason God plainly commands Confession therefore we must confess * Vid. Tertul de Paenitent cap. 4. God's Soveraign Authority must be regarded and his Precept observed tho' we that did our Duty should never receive any Commodity or Advantage by it 2. Reas We must make Confession of our Sins because hereby God is glorified and justified Joshuah makes this a ground of Confession in his Speech to Achan Josh 7.19 My son says he give I pray thee glory to the Lord God of Israel and make Confession unto him And this reason David gives of his Confession Psal 51.3 4. I acknowledge my transgressions says he that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest and be clear when thou judgest Now true Penitent Confession does very much glorifie and justifie God for it 's our owning of God's Soveraignty and Authority our approving of his holy and just and good Law our acknowledging our own obnoxiousness to Divine Justice for the breach of that Law It is a subscribing to the great Equity of the Divine Commands and to the absolute Righteousness of the Divine Threatnings It is a clearing of the Holiness a vindication of the Justice of God It 's a freeing of God from being the Author of our Sin and a declaring of him to be righteous in being the Author of any punishment of sin It 's our meek and humble lying down at his feet and professing our selves to be wholly at his mercy It 's an act of the greatâ—st stooping yielding submission in the World It 's a Man's becoming mean low vile little nothing in his own Eyes that God may be all in all It 's our shaming and disgracing of our selves that God may be glorified and extolled Our lessening and debasing of our selves that God may be magnified and exalted Free hearty Confession faithfully provides for God's Honour and therefore is a Duty carefully to be perform'd and put in practice by us otherwise we rob God of his Honour and cut him short of his Glory 3 Reas We must confess our sins because Confession is a thing in it self most just and reasonable and equitable The very Law of Nature commands and enjoins real acknowledgment in case of real offence Confession of Sin is in strict Justice due to God who is the wronged and injur'd Party Every sin we commit is an act of the highest Injustice in the World and therefore Confession of Sin must needs be an act of the greatest Justice that possibly can be done by any Man We all of us do God very much wrong by sinning it 's therefore meet and fit for us to do God right by Confessing That 's the third Reason We must confess because Confession is an act of Equity and Justice 4 Reas We must confess because Confession of Sin is absolutely and indispensably necessary to remission of Sin so as that God can't well pardon us without Confessâ—â— Penitent Confession of Sin tho' it do not merit yet it makes fair way for forgiveness of Sin It does in the very nature of it make a Capacity and found a Possibility of Pardon It makes the Sinner vas capax a Vessel capable tho' not worthy of any Grace Whereas the Sinner's obstinate wilful hiding and covering his sins and resolved continuance in them does void and destroy the very case of Mercy Here it is rather worthy of God not to forgive but to punish and destroy Such Persons as won't acknowledge their sins are not within the Limits and Possibilities of Pardoning Grace God won't God can't forgive him that won't confess And therefore we find that when God makes the largest promises of Mercy to guilty Sinners he warily interposes Confession of Sin as a necessary Condition without which his Pardon cannot be afforded See this clearly in that notable place Jer. 3.12 13. Return thou backsliding Israel saith the Lord and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you for I am merciful saith the Lord and I will not keep anger for ever Comfortable and precious Promises indeed But mark but mark the necessary Condition of them in the very next words Only acknowledge thine iniquity that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God Only acknowledge thine iniquity as if he should say It cannot be else otherwise no hope of finding Mercy I cannot by any means pardon you unless you confess It 's unbeseeming and misbecoming the Majesty the Justice the Mercy the Wisdom the Holiness of God for God to pardon and forgive the Sinner before and without the Confession and Acknowledgment of his sin 1. It 's a thing not at at all becoming the Majesty of God God has already yielded as far as he can with safety to his Honor in condescending to such low Terms and fair Proposals as this is of giving our pardon upon our Confession He can't stoop any lower without doing prejudice to himself and being injurious to his own Honor and Greatness God is good but yet so as that he 's great too now his Greatness and Majesty which he is bound to maintain unless he could deny himself I say his Greatness and Majesty requâ—res the sinful Creatures humble submission of himself and acknowledgment of his sin before his Mercy can do him any good or shew
transgressions for I acknowledge my transgressions If the poor Sinner will but go to God in Confession as the Servants of Benhadad went with Ropes about their Necks to Ahab in behalf of their Master with such Words as these Lord thy Servant saith I pray thee let me live then Christ who is King of Kings the Lord of Life and Judge of Life and Death he presently returns the same Answer to the Sinner that Ahab did to Benhadad 1 Kings 20.32 Is he yet alive he is my Brother God the Fatherr says Is he yet alive he is my Son And Jesus Christ our Elder Brother he says Is he yet alive he is my Brother And here 's a sweet and comfortable Entertainment of a poor returning penitent Confessor If we confess God will not only reprieve us but fully pardon us he 'll not only defer Punishment but remit it wholly and quite absolve us If we remember our Sins in the presence of God God will forget them if we set them before our face before his face he 'll cast them behind his back he 'll never look upon them more so as to take Vengeance for them tho' he he cannot but by reason of his Omniscience see and discern them If we with Shame and Sorrow accuse our selves he 'll cancel the Bills of Accusation and throw the Records of Shame and Sorrow from the Court of Heaven He 'll fully dissolve our Obligation to Eternal Punishment and certainly give us a right to Impunity and eternal Life If we take with us Words and turn to the Lord he will take away all Iniquity and receive us graciously Tho' he leave our Sin in our Memory to keep us from relapsing yet he will take it out of our Conscience that our Hearts may not accuse us for it But that we may call our Sins to mind * Quid retribuam Domino quòd râ—â—olit haec memoria mea snims meavoâ— metuiâ— inde August Confes L. 2. c. 7. § 1. without being affrighted at the Consideration of them And is no the pardoning pacifying Grace and Mercy of God Argument enough to us to draw us speedily to confess We are deeply indebted to God We owe him a vast Sum not an hundred Pence but ten thousand Talents Matth. 18.24 And we can never work our selves out of Debt Our Creditor can prove every Particular of the Debt and we are wholly in his Hands and at his Mercy he has us in his Power and can take what Course he will with us Now if he cast us into Prison we shall lie there long enough and never come out again for we are never able to pay and discharge our Debt Augustus the Emperor when a certain Roman's Goods were to be sold after his Death sent to buy the Pillow on which that Person greatly indebted could in his life-time take his rest and sleep 'T is a wonder that we who are clogg'd with so many and great Spiritual Debts can sleep or eat or drink or take any ease or rest content or pleasure in the World till we have used the means to procure a Discharge from them Certainly the longer we lie in our Debts the more they will encrease upon us But how do we deserve to be arrested imprisoned and there to lie and perish to all Eternity if we won't so much as confess our Debts to have them forgiven When as God calls upon us to acknowledge our Sins and is ready to blot out as a thick Cloud our Transgressions and as a Cloud our Sins We are greatly guilty before God and if Guilt lie upon us it will surely sink us as low as Hell We are obnoxious to the Divine Justice and it 's a fearful thing to fall into the Hands of the living God O let us timely confess our Sins that so we may get into God's Favour and be delivered from the Wrath to come and may escape the Damnation of Hell Let 's be like some ingenuous Children and Servants who when they have done a Fault or broken any thing they can't go about their Business quietly till they have first gone and made known their Fault and told it their Father or Master themselves and when once that is past and over then they can follow their Employments chearfully without any fear of Anger or Chiding O go and tell your God the Truth tell your Heavenly Father and Master whatever you have done amiss and he 'll be pacified towards you and then you may walk chearfully and comfortably in your Christian Vocation Let this move you to confess because then God will forgive if you impute Sin to your self God will not impute it to you And this is a happy Priviledge Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven whose sin is covered says the penitent Prophet * Psal 32.1 2 David who had tasted and seen how good the Pardon of Sin is What Solace Comfort and Heart's Ease what a sweet refreshing Repose and Rest Day and Night has he who is upon good grounds perswaded that all his Criminal Debts are freely forgiven him all his sins remitted by God for the sake of his Surety Jesus Christ the Righteous 2 Mot. A Second Motive or Encouragement shall be taken from that other precious Priviledge here in the Text because if we confess our Sins God will not only forgive us our our Sins but will also cleanse us from all unrighteousness which cleansing is another Benefit * Vid. Calvin in loc plainly differing from that of forgiving Kings may pardon guilty Rebels and Traitors but they cannot turn or change their false and disloyal Hearts Judges may save condemn'd Malefactors from Execution but it 's quite beyond their Power to mend or alter their evil Qualities and naughty Disposition But behold the King of Kings doth always both together When ever he reconciles Men's Persons he also reconciles their Natures to himself Whom he frees from Punishment them he ever makes most faithful and obedient Whom he saves from suffering them he also preserves from sinning Whom he justifies them he sanctifies Where he takes off the guilt there he takes out the filth Whom he pardons them he purges Whose trespasses he freely forgives them he effectually cleanses from all unrighteousness Cleansing speaks motion and tendency towards Purity To cleanse us from all unrighteousness is to cleanse us from all impurity Now that is double * See Dr. Hammond's Sermon Of the Nec ssity of the Christiaâ—'s Cleansing p. 121. and his Pract. Cat. p. 95. in 4â— either of filth or of mixture as Water is impure when it is mudded and defiled and as the Wine is impure both before it 's fetcht off from the Lees or Dregs and when it is mingled with Water So the cleansing here it is the purging out of our Carnality and also the freeing of us from Hypocrisie St. John's cleansing here from all unrighteousness it is the same with St.
is convinc'd he has wrong'd God and is sorry for the Wrong he has done him and would fain be Friends with him Let 's bring our Selves to the Test here Let us try our Sincerity by this very Mark. We can go in Secret to commit Sin but do we get into Secret to confess it We can be vile and wicked in private but can we be penitent in private too Do we know what belongs to secret Confession I 'm afraid the most of us are practically ignorant of this Duty But if we can enter into our Closet and when we have shut the Door be free with our Father in Secret This is likely to be an Argument and Testimony of our Sincerity So much for your Direction concerning the Place where you should confess CHAP. XVII Further Directions respecting and ordering our Carriage and Behaviour after the Duty 1. Hast thou confess'd Then bless God who has enabled thee to confess 2 Hast thou confess'd and so perform'd the Condition Then apply the Promise to thy self and make good Vse of it in time of Temptation 3. Hast thou confess'd Then daily plead the Promise with God and carefully look after the Performance of it 4. Hast thou confess'd and found and felt the Benefit of it Why then give God the Praise that is due to him 5. Hast thou confess'd thy sins Then take great heed of falling into sin after Confession And here 1. Take heed of falling wilfully into any sin after Confession 2. Beware especially that you fall not wilfully into the same particular sins you have confess'd For 1. There is great danger of it Danger 1. To the formal Confessor in four respects 2. Danger too to the Penitent Confessor 1. From Satan 2. The greatest danger from our own Corruption 2. There is great Evil and Folly in it great Guilt and Danger by reason of it For 1. falling into sin after Confession does exceedingly aggravate the sin Sin after Confession a great sin in three respects 2. As this is a great sin so it brings along with it great Punishment both internal and external Punishments 3. Sinning wilfully after Confession will make you Self-condemn'd when God punisheth you 4. 'T will break our present Peace and dash our Hopes of future and further Comfort 5. Thou wilt thus cut out for thy self new Work and make the Severities of a New Repentance necessary 6. Falling into sin after Confession will make us the more unapt and unable to rise again and recover out of it it will strengthen Sin and weaken Grace in us 7. 'T will very much dishearten us when we would beg Pardon of our sin and hugely discourage us when we would renew our Resolution against it 8. 'T will make God loth ever to take your Word again and will render him harder to Pardon you upon a new Confession I Shall in the last place direct you in your Carriage and Behaviour after the Duty And here I shall commend to you these following Directions 1. Hast thou confess'd Then Bless God who has enabled thee to confess who has put it into thy Heart to confess And tho' thou art not yet sensible of the Receipt of Pardon yet look upon it as a Sign and Token that God intends more good to thee in that he has inclined and enabled thee to confess 2. Hast thou confess'd and so perform'd the Condition Then apply the Promise to thy self and make good use of it in time of Temptation 1. Lay hold upon the Promise look upon the Promise as belonging to thee in particular reckon thy self really and truly interested in it and be bold to challenge a part and share in it as well as any one else 2. And further Make good use of it in time of Temptation If thou hast been truly sorrowful for thy sins and hast heartily confess'd them to God why then when Satan vexes and molests thy Conscience by laying the Law to thee it will be profitable and comfortable to oppose Satan to answer him and reply upon him as * Luther loc com de Paver Conse in Tentat p. 130 131 3. Clas Luther Counsels excellently and to say thus to him True I have done thus and thus but what 's that to thee Satan I a'n't thy Sinner What power then hast thou over me If I have sinn'd I han't sinn'd against thee I han't sinn'd against any Man against any Angel but only against my God have I sinn'd who is Merciful and Long-suffering Here 's enough indeed to answer all the Devils in Hell withal If the Devil object thy unworthiness to thee tell him That God does not Pardon any because they are Worthy or Deserving but because he himself is Faithful and Just If Satan tempt thee to distrust here take the course that †Lâ—â— â—itat p. 131. Luther advises to Say Tho' I am unworthy to receive so great a benefit yet God is not unworthy to be believ'd that he will Pardon sin as he has promised in his Word 3. Hast thou confess'd Then daily plead the Promise with God and carefully look after the Performance of it When Guilt affrights thee and Filth troubles thee then plead God's Promise with him Say with David * Psal 2.3 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin for I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is ever before me Lord I confess do thou pardon do thou purge me Take away all iniquity Create in me a clean Heart O God Extend thy Grace and Mercy fulfil thy Word and make good thy Promise to me Plead hard the Gospel-Promise and diligently look after the Performance of it * Ps 85.8 Hear what God the Lord will speak for he will speak peace unto his people and to his Saints Say with the Church †Mic. 7.7 I will look unto the Lord I will wait for the God of my salvation my God will hear me Expect from God the making good of his Word Non-expectation argues great Carelesness and Vnbelief 4. Hast thou confess'd and after Confession found and felt that God has forgiven thee thy sins and in some measure cleans'd thee from thy unrighteousness Why then give God the Praise that is due to him break into Thanksgiving with holy David and take up his Doxology Say * Ps 1â—3 1 2 3. Bless the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me bless his holy name Bless the Lord O my Soul and forget not all his benefits who forgiveth all thine iniquities who healeth all thy diseases †Luk. 17.15 12. With the good Leper in the Gospel when thou seest that thou art heal'd turn back and with a loud voice glorifie God and fall down at his feet giving him thanks 5. Hast thou confess'd thy sins Then take great heed of falling into Sin after Confession all is lost without observation of this Direction If thou hast the true Spirit of Confession of Sin it will rest upon thee and abide in thee
afterwards as the Spirit of sincere Obedience to God's Commands and Universal compliance with his Will Let me exhort you in the Words of Ezra Ezr. 10.11 Now therefore make confession unto the Lord God of thy fathers and do his pleasure Confession of our Sins to God and doing the Divine Pleasure must go together our Confession must be like that of David's Psal 119.26 I have declared my ways and thou heardest teach me thy statutes After we have confess'd we should desire and endeavour to walk uprightly and to learn God's Laws and Statutes and should abhor to live carelesly and loosly and to run into sin fearlesly and presumptuously Confession and Repudiation and Renunciation of sin Confession and Confusion of sin must go together it is not who so barely confesseth but Who so confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall have mercy Prov. 28.13 We are too ready to think that we have done all as soon as ever we have confess'd and that what remains is only God's acting of his Part when as you see the Promise runs thus Who so confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall have mercy The Advice I shall give you I shall lay before you in two Particulars Let me fasten this double Word of Counsel on you 1. Take heed of falling wilfully into any sin after Confession for he that confesses sin aright confesses Sin as Sin with a real hatred of shame and sorrow for Sin as Sin and so is engag'd against all Sin whatsoever Hate even the Garment spotted by the flesh Hate every false way But 2. Beware especially that ye fall not wilfully into the same particular sins ye have confess'd Let 's take heed of the Repetition and Recommission of the very same fault after Confession Take heed of this for 1. There is great Danger of it 2. There is great Evil and Folly in it great Guilt and Danger by reason of it 1. There 's great danger of it of returning to the same Sin again after Confession Danger to the formal and Danger too to the penitent Confessor 1. Danger enough to be sure in respect of the formal customary Confessor For 1. Such an one is ready to think that he has made even and compounded with God by his last Confession and so is ready to sin afresh and to run on a new Score having now no old Sins to answer for as he thinks Or 2. The formal Confessor is somewhat eas'd by confessing as the Drunkard is by his vomiting and so is apt now to take heart to fall to 't again having no trouble upon his spirit to restrain him Or 3. He reckoning with himself that his formal customary Confession does without any more ado presently obtain his Pardon he therefore encourages himself to sin by conceiting and fancying the extream easiness of getting and procuring a Pardon at the cheap rate of reiterated Confession And so makes a small light trivial matter of sinning again by thinking thus with himself I may venture to sin again it is but making another Confession God is a merciful God If I confess again he 'll forgive again †Vid. Tertul de Paenitent c. 7. Thus he turns the Grace of God into wantonness and makes the Divine Mercy a Principle of looseness and licentiousness And thus he annihilates God's Wisdom and Holiness and makes God but a Mock-God a credulous easie contemptible petty Deity This is much like * Philip de Com. B. 2 c. 8. Lewis XI of France who carried a leaden Image or Crucifix on his Hat and when he had done any act his Conscience check'd him for he pluck'd off his Hat and bowed to the Image or Crucifix asking forgiveness for it upon which he reckoned and made account that God and he were Friends Or 4. Lastly There is danger enough of this to thee that art but a meer formal Confessor because the Lord may justly punish thy hypocritical Confession by leaving thee to thy self and giving thee up to sin with more greediness afterwards than before as you know he dealt with Pharaoh But 2. As there is danger to the formal Confessor so there is danger also to the penitent Confessor of relapsing and falling back into the same sin again There is danger here 1. From Satan who becomes himself more * Vid. â—â—rtul aâ—nit c. 7. watchful when once he sees the Sinner awaken'd We have an Adversary always studying Advantages against us The Devil when he departs he departs but for a Season he leaves a Man with a purpose to return to him again at a convenient time and fit opportunity There is real danger of our falling again into sin confess'd because Satan is resolv'd not to give over yet he 'll set upon us with a new Temptation he 'll try new Devices with us There 's danger from Satan but 2. The greatest danger here is from our own Corruption and the falseness and deceitfulness of our own revolting backsliding Hearts which are apt upon the performance of Duty to draw us into Carnal Security and to give Satan considerable Advantage against us After Confession we are prone to Self-Confidence and ready to think our selves strongly enough Arm'd and sufficiently Fortified against any temptation to those sins which we have confess'd To conclude that having taken such Physick we are well enough antidoted against all Infection not to doubt but that we have now put on Armor of proof that will resist and repel the sharpest Weapons of our Spiritual Enemies We are apt to be safe upon our Confessional Resolutions and ready to think that we have shewn such high dislike of our sin in our Confession that the Devil is now discourag'd from medling with us and thinks it in vain to offer to have any more to do with us and therefore we neglect our Watch and draw off our Guards as no way fearing the return of our Enemy Thus we are apt to be secure upon Confession and the Devil now takes the greatest Advantage that can be by our Negligence and Presumption to draw us into sin afresh and deal with us as he pleases Thus you see there 's great danger of falling into sins confess'd therefore take heed of it be watchful and vigilant over thy self If thou hast not a special care sin will soon get into thee again as cold easily gets into a Man's Body who was just now very hot or has newly vomited But 2. As there is great danger of wilful falling into the same particular sin again so there is great Evil and Folly in it great Guilt and Danger by reason of it For 1. Falling into sin again after Confession especially into any gross sin does exceedingly aggravate the sin In the old Law * Levit. 13. â— 8. if the Scab did spread much abroad in a Man's â—kin after that he had been seen of the Priest for his cleansing then the Priest pronounc'd him unclean for it was a Leprosie Even so if after we have shewn our selves unto God for
28. While Fools avoid one Vice they commonly rush into the contrary Vice Let 's therefore take heed that sin don't in again in our very Revenge of those sins which we ha' confess'd Here Satan always seeks his Advantages and often gets them of us and makes too good use of them when he has got them Let 's therefore so be zealous against a sin that formerly we have been guilty of and made confession of as that we don't unwarily run into the contrary Extream If thou hast confess'd thy Covetousness and resolv'd against it in avoiding of that take heed thou dost not turn Prodigal If thou hast confess'd thy Prodigality take heed in shunning of this that you fall not into Covetousness If you made Confession of your Presumption beware now of Vnbelief under the shew and colour of Humility If you confess'd your Vnbelief then now take heed of fearless bold Presumption cloak'd with the specious Name of Affiance and Confidence in God Do'st thou acknowledge thou hast been formerly Profane and Atheistical O then take heed of needless Ceremoniousness and downright Superstition let not that impose upon you under the plausible Notion of exemplary Piety and singular Devotion Do'st thou confess thou hast been too too Ceremonious and plainly Superstitious O now take heed of Atheism and Profaneness of Looseness and Licentiousness let not Looseness creep upon you under the Notion and Title of Christian Liberty It may be you may be very tender of falling into the same sin again because your Conscience may judge a Relapse into that sin to be very dangerous but this fear of falling into the same sin may cause you too much to lean and encline towards the contrary sin This Caution therefore is very necessary After Confession so take heed of falling into the same sin as that you fall not into the clean contrary sin 2 Caution We must indeed take heed of sinning after Confession yet if thro' strength of Corruption or violence of Temptation thou shouldst at any time fall into the same sin again thou must not for all this run (a) In case we do catch a fall and the tempter without lust within do blow and push us down yet we must not make the matter worse by despairing for to despair is a greater fall than the fall it self this were to leap into the fire to save our selves from the flame Capel of Tentat 1 Part p. 123. into Despair but thou must renew thy Confession as thou renewest thy Transgression This gives no License at all to sin but is the best Preservative and Antidote against it †It is a dangerous case for a godly Man to sin the same great sin after Repentance What if it do not put him out of Christ What if it do not hang him yet it burns him in the Hand whips him up and down the Town My meaning is That it doth cast him into a Bed of miserable sorrow â—ut withal we must say that it may possibly be that after true and hearty Repentance for such a fault a Child of God may fall into the same gross sin He may as well fall into the same gross sin as another as great because that another Sin as great is as contrary to the Habit of Grace and Act of Repentance as the same He may chance to fall into the same gross Sin again and again how often I cannot tell but this I can tell that how often soever he sinneth let him repent and return and his Pardon is ready They wrong God in his Mercy and Men in their Comfort who do say the contrary Capel on Tentations p. 127 133 134. You can't from hence encourage your selves to sin for I told you before that the Pardon of sin committed after Confession will be more difficult to be obtain'd God won't presently smile upon you he won't so quickly give you a good word or a good look It will cost you many a Sigh many a Tear many a Prayer before you make your Peace with him He will see you deeply and soundly penitent before he will quite be friends with you But tho' the case be dangerous yet it is not desperate tho' you be further from Pardon than ever upon so doing yet God can pardon you in and through Christ There is not any one word in Scripture that affirms or intimates that Persons relapsing tho' again and again into the same sin can never truly and sincerely repent Nor is there any one word to be found there that denies the benefit of Gospel-pardon to those that humbly confess and unfeignedly repent of such sins as these Yea there are such sweet passages and precious promises contain'd in Scripture as will undoubtedly support and uphold any poor Soul in this state and condition and keep him from utter despairing of Pardon Jer. 3.12 13. Go and proclaim these words toward the north and say Return thou backsliding Israel saith the Lord and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you for I am merciful saith the Lord and I will not keep anger for ever Only acknowledge thine iniquity that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God And v. 22. Return ye backsliding children and I will heal your backslidings This is the gracious Promise and merciful Invitation of God Now do but observe their Answer Behold we come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God The greatness of their Sin does not drive them to Despair but the greatness and graciousness of God's Promise does embolden and encourage them to come to God by Faith and Repentance they presently lay hold of God's Favor and thankfully take the benefit of it And Hos 14.1 2 3 4. O Israel return unto the Lord thy God for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity take with you words and turn to the Lord. And then it follows I will heal their backsliding I will love them freely God in the Gospel has required us to forgive those who repeat their Trespasses against us as often as they renew their Repentance towards us to forgive an offending Brother * Luk. 17.4 seven times in a day Yea to forgive not only till seven times but †Matth. 18.22 until seventy times seven that is four hundred and ninety times which is not a determined number but signifies infinitely and intimates to us that we must Pardon continually Or the meaning may be as * Hieron in Matth. 18.22 St. Jerom expounds it that we should be ready to forgive our Brother oftner in a Day than ever he can stand in need of our Pardon Now can we think that the Father of Mercies will ever prove less merciful to us than he has commanded us to be to others Has not he himself plainly told us that in the case of shewing Mercy †Isai 55.8 9. His thoughts are not our thoughts neither are our ways his ways for as the Heavens are higher than the Earth so are his ways higher than our ways