sinnes are forgiuen thee as heere Nathan doth vnto Dauid and yet thou not feele that it is so wee must not therefore bee so discouraged as to thinke wee want that grace alwaie which we cannot Therefore Dauid craues not onely mercy but sense of mercy feele It is now cleare what is the benefit which DAVID here craues To wit not mercie only that he hath sought before but the sense of mercie also make me to heare ioy so that I may feele it For all the inward senses of the soule are in feeling to heare the Lord to see him to tast how good he is is no other but to enioy him and to feele his consolations It is thy praise ô Lord that thou speak'st peace to thy Saints among the rest speake peace vnto mine heart also O what a ioy was it to that man sicke of the palsie when he heard that voice thy sinnes are forgiuen thee And such like to that sinfull woman when shee heard goe in peace thy faith hath saued thee And how was the soule of that conuerted sinner comforted in the middes of the dolors of death when he hard that voice This night thou shalt be with me in paradise This is the exceeding great Great comfort that God not only forgiues our sinnes but telles vs they are forgiuen loue of the Lord toward his children that he hath not only prouided a sure saluation for them through the remission of their sinnes in Christ Iesus but also seales vp in their heart the testimony thereof by his Holy Spirit of adoption and that for their present consolation least they should bee swallowed vp of heauinesse through continuall temptations Though he speake not to all his children as hee did to Daniel by an Angell O man greatly beloued of God nor as he did to the blessed Virgin Marie haile Marie freely beloued yet doth hee witnesse the same to the hearts of his children by an inward testimonie when they heare it they are aliue when they want it they are but dead their soule refuses all other comfort whatsoeuer That the hones which thou hath A troubled mind sore weakneth the bodie broken may reioyce By these Basil vnderstands Ossa animae spiritualia that is as saith Sauanarola and others Vires animae rationalis but as this agrees not with this sense so there is no reason why it should be enforced Dauid his words Psalme 32. serues for a commentarie to this there hee complaines that through extremitie of the anguish of his Spirit the moisture of his body was turned into the drought of Sommer now the marrow we know is the strength of the bones these being so extenuate no maruell his flesh consumed his skinne was parched his face withered his sight dimmed his knees enfeebled and the whole externall man greatly weakned the Spirit of a man sayes Salomon will sustaine his infirmitie but a wounded spirit who can beare it Of this let vs learne that if The miserable state of the wicked who must beare the burden of their owne sinnes the sight of sinne presented to the godly from a iust accusing conscience doe so terrifie them and breede them such excessiue trouble as for a time doth sorely torment them In what state shall the wicked be when the Lord shall present their sins to them wake their conscience vpon them not in mercie as he doth to his owne but in wrath not for a time but for euer O what anguish and remedilesse tribulation shall be vnto them the dayes of wicked mens sinning are compared to the time of a womans conceiuing but the daies of their punishment are compared to the time of her trauelling they conceiue their sinnes with wantonnesse and pleasure but shall beare them with dolor vnspeakeable their dolors shall exceede the dolor of a woman for shee knowes once to bee deliuered of her paine either by life or death but the wicked shall neuer bee lighter of their sinnes nor bee deliuered from the anguish of their accusing conscience from which most miserable condition the Lord deliuer vs for Christ Iesus sake VERSE 9. Hide thy face from my sinnes and put away all mine iniquities DAVID yet from Guiltinesse of sin soone contracted not so soone put away God the fourth time seekes the remission of his sinnes the gilt of sinne is soone contracted but not so soone gotten away wee are happie if the examples of other men may learne vs to be wise he was a man deerely beloued of God and yet how manie requests makes hee before he can get his heart assured of mercy but the presumption Foolish are they who thinke they may get mercy for a word of this age is so great that men feare not to offend the Lord because they thinke mercie may be gotten for a word But let men remember that fearful sentence which the L. pronounc't vpon the people of the Iewes for the abuse of his mercy When they fast I will not heare their crie And againe Thougb Moses and Samuel stood before me yet mine affection could not be toward this people that so our hearts may be humbled with holy feare which may restraine He that seekes not to hide his sinnes prouokes the Lord to inquire it vs from offending our God vpon presumption of mercy Hide thy face All Dauid his care when hee had committed his sin was to hide it from the Lord for this cause he committed murther and slew Vriah thinking if he were not aliue to perceiue it his iniquity should neuer come to light Now he sees it with a vaine labor Vriah is dead but the angry countenance of God looking vpon his sinne troubles him As the fish called Sepia casting forth a black liquor out of hir mouth of purpose to lurke vnder it doth therby giue notice to the fisher of the place wherin they shall finde hir so foolish man while he thinks to hide one sin by another doth but cast himself the more opē to the eye of God who then looks most narrowly to a sin when man most craftily labours to conceale it Euery sinner in sinning takes frō God the praise of righteousnes as if the Lord were like him were not a God that loues righteousnesse and hates iniquity But he that thinkes to hide Hee that seekes to hide his sin from the Lord makes an idole of him his sinne from the Lord when he hath done it takes also from him the praise of wisedome and makes the Lord so far as he may like an Idoll of the Nations that hath eyes and sees not And therefore the Lord as he will be auenged of euery one that offends so principally vpon them who scorne him by hiding their sinnes from him Woe be to them that seeke in deepe We to such to hide their Councell from the Lord their workes are in secret and they say who sees it At this time Dauids sin was vnknowen to the world no lyuing No man knew Dauids
sinne yet is be sore troubled because he knew that God knew it creature but himselfe Bathshabe and Nathan were priuie to it yet this terrifies him that he saw the Lord looking vpon it It is no comfort to a man to haue his sinne hidden from all the world vnlesse hee knew that the Lord also hath couered and forgiuen it alioqui Ambros de paeniten li. 2. cap. 11. ita grauis est culpa conscientiae vt sine iudice ipsa se puniat So heauie is the sinne of any euill conscience that albeit no creature were to iudge it it iudges and punishes it selfe He said in the third verse that God will looke to our sinnes if we looke not to them his sin was alway in his sight and now hee praies that God would put it out of his sight this is a very good ordor if we hold our sinnes in our eies to persue them God will cast them behinde his backe to pardon them if we remember them and repent hee will forget them and forgiue otherwise peccatum vnde se homo non auertit aduertit deus si aduertit animaduertit the sinne from which man turnes not God lookes to it and if he looke to it sure he will punish it Thy face The face of God is The face of God put sometime for his mercy sometime for iustice sometime put for his fauor and with this he lookes on the persons of them who are the children of his good will this Dauid praies may be lifted vp vpon him Psa 4. that God would not hide it from him Psal 27. the hyding of his face did trouble him sore Psal 30. therefore it is his customable prayer Lord cause thy face to shine vpon vs Psa 4. sometime againe it is put for his anger or angry face whereby he lookes on the persons of the wicked when he wil vex them in his displeasure or vpon the sinnes of his owne children when he wil humble them How fearefull a sight this How fearefull a sight Gods angry face is angry face of God is see it in Dauid for his good the Lord who loued Dauids selfe looked with an angry countenance at Dauids sinnes but hee protests hee may not indure it and praies God to hide it from him See it againe in Christ Iesus who endured the looks of that angrie face not for himselfe but for vs how did it make his soule heauy and his flesh so weary that he did sweat blood How miserable then are the reprobates who must endure for euer the sight of Gods angry face looking vpon them for they and their sins are one no maruell they shall cry hils and mountaines fall vpon vs and hide vs from the face of him that sits vpon the throne Let vs feare and looke with anger vpon our sins in time that God in mercy may looke vpon our selues and wee may finde ioy in his face wherein the wicked shall see nothing but terror VERSE 10. Greate in mee a cleane heart O God and renew a right spirit within mee NOw followes Dauids third petition The third ranke of Dauids petitions wherein he craueth the grace of sanctification hee sought before the forgiuenesse of his sin now hee seekes to be deliuered from it in time to come for it is for this end that hee praies for a cleand heart and a renewed spirit that hee should not any more fall to the like vncleannesse This is a good order in our prayer when first we seeke the Remission of sinne and renouation go together grace of remission and then the grace of renouation for these two goe inseparably together to whom the Lord giues remission them hee makes new creatures so that renouation of the heart is alway an vndoubted token of the remission of thy sinnes and by the contrary he whose heart is not renewed but abides stil in his former vncleannesse hee deceiues himselfe if so be he thinkes that his sinnes are forgiuen This is to be marked for the common sort of prophane men They who seeke forgiuenesse and not sanctification seeke but liberty to sinne in this age who seeke from God mercy to forgiue for feare of his plagues but not grace to renew them to his image for loue of himselfe this in effect is no other but to seeke a liberty to sinne while as men seeke sin to be forgiuen but not to be restrained it is an argument they haue not a right hatred of sin but wee see in Dauid what the disposition of the godly is as they desire mercy for be-gone sinnes so also grace to renew them and preserue them from the power and deceit of sinne in all time to come otherwise to craue that the Lord would pardon these sins which thou art of purpose to commit it is but to mocke the Lord by turning his grace into wantonnesse The vncleanesse of sinne originall encreased by actuall Iob. Dauid his heart was two waies vncleane first by reason of originall sinne wherein hee was conceiued and borne Who can bring a clean thing out of that which is vnclean this vncleannesse of heart is common to al mankind but beside this he had defiled it with many actual sins specially this foule adultery murther for euery sin pollutes the heart leaues a new giltines vpon the conscience wherwith now Dauid finding his heart ouergrowne that it is not like the heart he had before he praieth the Lord to giue him a new heart He had now not only sinned but fallen as Basile expounds it in Senium peccati into Basil the very old age of sin and therefore hee desires that the Lord would begin with him againe and make him to renew his youth like the Eagle Many circumstances are to bee marked heere whereby Sinne seeks the very life of the soule Dauid aggrauateth the greatnesse of his misery as first that his disease was in his heart which is the fountaine of life As the naturall heart is the life of the body which when it is not well vitall humor health beauty ability and all decaies in the body so is the Lord the life of the soule So Dauids meaning is O Lord by my sinne I haue grieued thy holy spirit and forced thee to forsake me Tu proprie cordis The heart of any Christian his heart mei proprium es cor vita thou properly art the proper heart and life of mine heart Come againe Lord and restore life vnto mee without thee I am dead and senslesse and an abominable creature like a body which wanting an heart is an vncleane carion thou art the light of my minde the peace of my soule the life of my heart I haue lost life by my sinne I am like a man wanting his quickning spirit when thou wentest away my life went away Lord come againe and create a new heart within me Againe in that hee craues a Repentance is a new creation cleane heart may bee
benefit is it to mee to bee long spared seeing at the last iudgment will come quo diutius expectat eo districtius iudicabit but this fear is taken away from the godly by God his pardoning mercies he forgiues their sins in Christ he will neuer impute their iniquitie vnto them but taketh them vtterly away Peccatum non imputatum est quasi nunquam fuerit commissum But with these is also giuen 4 Renewing mercies vs the fourth sort that is his renewing mercies There are many quorum infructuosa est poenitentia who repent of their sinnes but are not renewed by amendment of life in whom nouissimus error peior est priori their returning like Dogges to their vomit is worse then their first transgression but the Lord when hee giues to his owne children the grace of remissiō doth also giue with it the grace of renouation whereby hee makes them new creatures abounding in the fruits of righteousnesse to Gods glorie the edification of their brethren and the comfort of their owne consciences in Christ And yet all these were nothing if it were not that the fift 5. Corroborating and continuing mercie ranke of mercies were also heaped vpon vs which I call continuing mercies whereby wee perseuer in that estate of grace whereunto we are once called Adam in his best estate of innocencie continued not would wee stand in grace if perseuerance which hee wanted were not communicated vnto vs. As mercie brought vs to this state of grace so it is by mercie also that we are kept in it And the last ranke is of Gods crowning mercies whereby he 6. Crowning mercies shall perfect his owne worke finish that which hee hath begunne in vs hee shall performe to vs his promised Kingdome feare of euill shall be farre from vs in that Paradise no tempter shall bee to snare vs mercie shall compasse vs no good shall be lacking to vs the Lord shall bee all in all vnto vs and from that blessed fellowship and cōmunion with him shall wee neuer be diuided againe And as this way Gods mercies Compassions in the plurall number are ascribed to God because the proofe and practise of them is manifold are manifold so likewise are the prayses of them in respect of innumerable persons on whom they haue beene declared for miserationes Dei sunt opera processus misericordiae eius and so his meditation is O Lord thou hast shewed compassion to many a penitent sinner since the beginning of the world thou neuer reiectedst any that sought thee with a penitent heart for number they cannot bee told to whom thou hast beene mercifull quot enim iusti tot miserationes let them al be gathered that are in heauen and earth if it be demanded of them how is it they haue been saued they will all answere Not vnto vs O Lord but vnto thy name be the praise And therefore seeing thou O Lord art the same And no shadow of change is with thee I beseech thee close not that dore of mercie on me which hath opened to receiue so many sinners before me and these Riuers of cōpassion which haue flowed so abundantly toward others let them not bee dryed vp to mee This earnestnesse of Dauids Feeling of our wants make earnest Prayer praier flowes from the feeling of his great sinnes he knew his sinnes were great and therfore craues he great mercies magna siquidem vulnera paribus indigēt Basil Pharmacis yea that in this one transgression manifold sinnes were included and that therefore hee needed not one but a multitude of diuine commiserations Vniuer sam in se Dei gratiam effundi totum miserationum fontem in peccati sui vlcera euacuari orat But how soeuer the mercies The mercies of God are plentifull yet not extended to all and why of God bee plentifull yet are they not extended vnto all they are free indeede I haue mercie saith the Lord on whom I will haue mercie but so that if there be any man to whō they flow not he may alwaies finde the cause in himself in his hard heart that cannot repent it holds true in all the reprobate which the Apostle speakes of the rebellious Iewes Yee put it from you meaning the word of the Gospell wherein mercie and grace is offered and iudge your selues vnworthie of euerlasting life therefore that mercie which is here craued by Dauid Act. 13. 46. by a most fearefull decree was denied vnto them God gaue that people a name Lo-Ruchamah I will no more haue pitie Hos 1. 6. on them whereupon followed another name expressing their Such as will not be Gods people shall not find Gods mercy miserie after that once God for their sins had cast them away Lo-Ammi that is to say they are not my people and I will not bee theirs No tongue can expresse the miserie of that man who for his proud continuance in sinne and contempt of grace offered vnto him receiues most iustly from the Lord that decree of Lo-Ruchamah I will haue no mercie on him where the Fountayne is stopped the Springs of necessitie must drie vp where mercie is denied all good things flowing from it must decay This will be the cursed condition of the damned All fat and excellent Reuel 18. 14. things shall depart from them from which the Lord deliuer vs. Put away mine iniquities Hitherto Dauid enters to his particular petitions we haue heard Dauid his generall petition for mercie now followes his three particular petitiōs expressing what mercie it is hee craued as wee shewed in the beginning of the Verse His first particular petition Whereof the first is a petition for the remission of his sinnes is for forgiuenesse of his sinne the fact was past but the gilt remained the pleasure of it was soone done but the terror of it still vexed him all the comfort of his Kingdome could not make him merry the torment of an accusing conscience for sin was more strong to deiect him then all the pleasures of Canaan were to sustaine him yea it is most sure that externall comforts are so far from comforting a troubled conscience that by the contrarie they encrease the trouble thereof and the more worldly comforts be presented the greater is the heauinesse of that soule which is afflicted for sinne and therefore now when hee comes to The griefe of sinne can not be asswaged by any worldly comfort the point hee tels where his sore was what grieued him most iniquitie iniquitie hee cryes out for this in the 32. Psalme Blessed is the man whose wickednesse is forgiuen whose sinne is couered and to whom the Lord imputes not iniquitie As if he would say hee that hath not this hath no blessing all comforts without this are comfortlesse Where wee haue to take vp What a fear full euill sinne is what a cursed and miserable thing sinne is a sparkle of fire come from hell that burnes vp all
as a preseruatiue to keepe Gods children from the like sinnes in time to come And thirdly it teacheth vs to haue compassion on others when they fall in the like sinnes and to restore them with the spirit of meekenes considering also our selues VERSE 4. Against thee against thee onely haue I sinned and done euill in thy sight that thou maiest be iust when thou speakest and pure when thou iudgest NOw Dauid breks forth and giues Confession of sinne most needfull glorie to God by an open and plain Cōfession of his sins he knew it was needfull for him to doe so Because remission of sinnes is promised vpon a condition of the confession of them He that hideth his Prouerb sinnes shall not prosper but he that confesseth and forsake them shall haue mercie And againe If we confesse our sinnes God is faithfull 1. Iohn 1. 9. to forgiue them But here we haue first to consider Before men confession defileth before God it cleanseth why is it that God requires confession is it to get knowledge of that which wee haue done Or to get out of our owne mouth a point of Dittie against our selues Nouit omnia Deus sed expectat vocem Amb. de paenitent li. 2. cap. 7. tuam non vt puniat sed vt ignoscat He knowes all things when thou committedst thy sinne in secret hee saw thee what then craueth he nothing but that thou in thy heart mayest know thy sinne In thy mouth maiest confesse it to the end that he may forgiue it Optat soluere confitentes ne contumaces punire cogatur The best Augu. medicine for a sinne is not to hide or excuse or extenuate it but humbly to confesse it Quēadmodum nobis peccatorum vulnera nunquam desunt sic confessionis medicamenta deesse non debent For it is not with the Lord as it is with men before earthly Tribunales confession of sinne defileth the confessor makes him guiltie and culpable but before the heauenly it absolues him And this is the cause why the Lord requires confession of a sin from man Now we haue to see what Priuate sins in what case should they be publikely confessed sort of confession pleaseth God seeing it is certaine confession of sinne hath beene made by many which the Lord hath not accepted here first wee must distinguish the sinnes to be confessed publicke sinnes whereby God is openly dishonoured and his Church slandered out of all doubt required a publike confession to God and before men In priuate sins the confession is required to God only Plerumque non expedit Ber. m. Cant. ser 42. innotescere omnibus omnia quae nos scimus de nobis atque ipsa charitatis veritate veritatis charitate vetamur palam fieri velle quod noceat agnoscenti yet with this exception that when the priuate sin is done in such a maner as that the euill thereof redounds to the hurt of many and that for this cause also God persewes it to bring it to light in this case priuate sinnes committed by thee knowen to none but to thy selfe should be publikly confessed that thou mayest giue glory to God and doe good to his Church as is euident in the example of Achan and Dauid Next wee must take heed to Three things required in the trew confession of sinne Ber. the manner of the confession if it be trew it must haue these three properties First it must proceed from contrition of the spirit for sinne Primum opus fidei 1. Contrition per dilectionem operantis compunctio cordis est è quo sine dubio eij ciuntur daemonia cum eradicantur è corde peccata confession of sin in the mouth which proceedes not from contrition for sinne in the heart will neuer draw downe mercy to thee more then it did to Saule whose mouth said I haue sinned but his heart was not grieued for sin Secondly true confession 2. Faith proceedes from faith in Christ Iesus for there is a confession which is the daughter of desperation and can not profit thee An example wherof we haue in Iudas I haue sinned in betraying of innocent blood but wanting faith he got no remission of his sinne And thirdly true confession hath alway 3. Correction with it an amendment of life otherwise Confessio sine emendatione vitae est professio peccati confession of sinne without amendment is a profession of sinne thou that euery day confessest sin and yet walkest on in the same sinnes art no other but a plaine professor of sinne A threefold happy fruit of true confession Now confession of sin with these properties brings downe to the penitent sinner a threefold fruit first vnion and reconciliation with God ensewes for sin the cause of diuision betweene God and man is now remoued quasi duaeres sunt homo Augu. in Ioan. Tract 12. peccator quod audis homo deus fecit quod audis peccator homo ipse fecit dele quid fecisti vt saluet deus quod fecit Man and sinne are two sundry things destroy sinne which is man his 1. It reconciles thee with God worke and God can not but loue and embrace man as his owne worke So long as man keepes his sinne he workes directlie against the Lord hyding that which God will discouer and harbouring within him the rebel whom God is persewing but when man turnes against sin confessing it bringing it to light that it may be destroyed then works he with Ibid. God qui Confitetur peccata sua et accusat iam cum deo facit accusat deus peccata tua si tu accusas iam coniungeris deo Yea he that in humble manner confesseth giueth to the Lord the praise of iustice that knowes if hee did continew in these sinnes the Lord ought to punish him he giues him also the praise of wisdome that no secret thing can be hid from the Lord and the praise of power hee knowes there is no way to flee from the Lord and therefore in time he flies to him and at last he giues him the praise of mercy that hee is gracious and readie to forgiue Bis deum laudamus vbi pie nos accusamus The second fruit of it is confusion 2. It brings Confusion to Satan to Sathan it is a chiefe point of his labour to accuse vs night and day for in one of these three he is alway exercised either to tempt or to accuse or to torment when hee tempts let vs resist him that we sinne not if we haue sinned let vs preuent the accuser and bee the first accusers of our selues so shall we stop the mouth of our aduersarie that hee shall haue nothing to say Non circumueniet te ante iudicem cum enim tui ipse fueris accusator dominus liberator quid erit ille nisi calumniator The third is that true confession which brings comfort It brings peace and quietnesse to