it You then saw it in some good measure as God himself sees it You then thought of it as holy Men do when they are enlighten'd by God's Spirit You then judg'd of it as your Saviour himself when he suffer'd upon the Cross and felt the weight of his Father's Wrath for your Sin judg'd of it You then spake of it as the Scripture it self as the Spirit in the Scripture speaks of it As the Righteous and Holy Law-Giver himself expresses himself concerning it in his Word You then felt the pain and smart of it and call'd it an evil and a bitter thing Jer. 2.19 and befool'd your self for medling with it You then had a graat Prejudice of Mind a strong Antipathy of Heart against it and fully resolv'd in the very Presence and Hearing of God himself never to have any more to do with it O keep these severe Thoughts fresh still Never suffer them to wear off again This will certainly sowr and imbitter Sin to you and make you ha' no mind to it and cause you to find no pleasure and delight at all in it no more than in Gall and Wormwood no more than in Wounds and Bruises in Aches and Pains and broken Bones The remembrance of the Bitterness of Sin which we fully felt in Confession of Sin will effectually preserve in our Minds and Hearts a constant disgust and disrelishing of Sin an utter disaffection to it a total condemnation of it and an absolute aversation from it It 's very potent to restrain and deter us from yielding to it or ever closing any more with it 'T will make us disallow it now at present as then we disallow'd it This very Consideration will easily repel that notable Temptation of Satan wherein he goes about to draw us to Sin by perswading us of the Easiness and facility of getting a Pardon upon reiterated Confession Thou maist venture to Sin again says he it is but Confessing again Now the lively Remembrance of what we formerly felt in Confessing assures us that Confession which the Devil makes but a but of is as hard and difficult a Piece of Work as can be That it 's no such easie matter to Confess That this is a grievous Penalty a pungent afflictive Duty When Satan tempts one after Confession if the Man be still sensible of his Sin and of the Evil of it the Devil then finds but poor Entertainment What says the Soul Art thou the Cause of all my Torments come again Surely a bloody Master hast thou been unto me and now thou daily seekest subtilly to devour me What would you have me Sin again and so be wretched and miserable for ever Or say you I may Repent and Confess again afterwards I know then too too well already what it will cost me I well remember the Shame and Sorrow and Self-Revenge that must be acted and exercis'd in that Duty Non tanti emam poenitere I 'll not buy Repentance at so dear a Rate This is the first Rule That you may not Sin after Confession be sure you continue the same Apprehension you had of your Sin under some notable Conviction in any former Confession 2. That thou maist not hereafter wilfully fall into any particular Sin already confest seriously consider and remember That thou art at present in dependance upon God for Mercy and art very fair for 't And therefore think thus with thy Self How dare I do this and dishonour him afresh from whom I expect so much Won't my repeating of this Sin deaden my Hopes and frustrate my Expectations Can I think that God will love and own favour and tender me after this Will God speak Peace to my Soul if I return again to Folly Will God comfort my Conscience and cheer my Spirit if I churlishly sad and grieve his Spirit Will God wash and cleanse me if I wilfully defile and pollute my self This very Meditation will in a great measure discourage and dishearten curb and restrain you from sinning especially from relapsing into any Sin particularly confest 3. That we may not fall into Sins confest Let 's be always imploring Divine Assistance and improving our own Endeavours against them Let 's heartily beg God's Grace and earnestly seek the Lord and his Strength and faithfully use Grace receiv'd and up and be doing and go and act in the Strength of the Lord. Let 's apprehend our selves in danger of every Corruption of every Temptation and be afraid lest any Temptation should blow out the Light of former Conviction and allay the Heat and abate the Strength of former Resolution and draw us to return again to Folly Let 's every Day watch and pray that we enter not into Temptation Let 's be sober and vigilant because our Adversary the Devil as a roaring Lion walketh about seeking how he may devour us Let 's manfully resist the strongest Temptations to the Sins we ha' confest shun all Occasions and abstain from all Appearance of Evil and exercise Self-denial and labour betimes to break our selves of our own Wills Let 's daily observe the very first risings and motions and stirrings of those Sins in our Hearts which at any time we have confest and repented of And let 's remember and consider how they formerly won and gain'd upon us and let 's resist their very beginnings and nip them in the very bud and crush the very Coccatrice Eggs. Let 's not entertain any old Sin so much as in our Fancy Let 's never venture to keep it's Picture nor once offer to wear it's Favor Let 's bear no loving pleasing remembrance of it nor shew any kind respect to it but express the highest dislike of it and the most implacable irreconcilable Enmity against it So much for the Means or Helps in the Use of which we may keep our Selves from foully and wilfully falling into Sins confest CHAP. XIX This fifth Direction concluded with a double Caution 1. While we take heed of falling on the one side into the same particular sin we confess'd let us also beware of falling on the other side into the contrary sin to that we confess'd 2. If through 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 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 I Shall shut up this Direction with these two Cautions 1 Caution While we take heed of falling on the one side into the same particular sin we confess'd let us also beware of falling on the other side into the contrary sin to that we confess'd * Dum vitant stulti vitia in contraria currunt Horat. Satyr 2. Inter caetera mala illud pessimum est quòd vitia ipsa mutamus Judicia nostra non tantùm prava sed etiam levia sunt Sen. de otio Sap. cap.
Paul's cleansing from all filthiness both of flesh and spirit 2 Cor. 7.1 It is a purgation from all moral impurity Further by cleansing you are not only to understand the working out of Sin but the giving in of Grace too God will not only free you from pollution and defilement natural and contracted but he will also inwardly beautifie and adorn you he will not only sweep the dirt out of the House but he will also richly furnish it The Father of the returning Prodigal did not only cause his Son's Rags to be taken off Luke 15.22 but commanded his Servants to bring forth the best Robe and to put it on him and to put a Ring on his Hand and Shoes on his Feet If you return and confess your Faults to your heavenly Father he 'll cause you to put off the old Man which is corrupt according to the deceitful Lusts and presently to put on the new Man which after God is created in Righteousness and true Holiness You shall be comely through his comeliness put upon you He will stamp his own Image impress his own Likeness upon you He 'll give you a real Resemblance of himself in his Attributes in his Affections He 'll make you loving patient merciful faithful as he himself is and cause you to love what he himself loves to hate what he hates to delight in what he delights He will effect and work in you all possible amiable Correspondencies to the Divine Perfections He 'll make you conformable to his most pure and holy Nature which is our great Exemplar and perfect Pattern of Spiritual Purity and to his holy and good Law which is not only the Rule but the very * The filthiness of Sin is a privation of the beauty which the Image of God brought into the Soul with it A deformity to the Holiness and Brightness of the Law The Law was both Holy and Good not only the Rule but the Beauty of our Life and Nature so that as evil is a declination and swerving from the Law as a Rule so it is sin and as it is a swerving from the Law as our Beauty so it is the stain and pollution of the Soul Bp. Reynolds of the Sinfulness of Sin p. 171. fol. Beauty of our Life and Nature The cleansing here it is the changing of the whole Man from Sin to Grace from vicious Habits to holy Customs and vertuous Dispositions it denotes not only a lessening of the habits of Sin but a causing a positive growth in Grace and Righteousness Now this God will work for him and in him that confesses aright God giveth Grace unto the humble Jam. 4.6 We read Luke 17.14 that when Christ bid the ten Lepers go shew themselves unto the Priests It came to pass that as they went they were cleansed If we have it but in our Hearts unfeignedly to confess God will presently send his Holy Spirit into our Hearts and will effectually make clean our Hearts within us he will sprinkle clean Water upon us and we shall be clean he 'll purge the Augean Stable of our impure Souls which has not been made clean for many Years together He 'll cleanse and purifie every part of us he 'll wash not our Feet only as Christ did of Peter's Body but also our Hands and our Heads and our Hearts too He 'll * 1 Thess 5.23 sanctifie us wholly and preserve our whole Spirit and Soul and Body blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ * Eph. 5.26 27. He 'll sanctifie and cleanse us by his Word and Spirit that we may be presented glorious not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that we may be holy and without blemish If we confess our Sins to God he 'll Spiritually cleanse us cleanse us from Vnrighteousness yea more than so he 'll thorowly cleanse us cleanse us from all Vnrighteousness †Vid. Calvinum in loc Estium in Text. in v. 7. He 'll presently cleanse us from all kinds of Unrighteousness and at last he will compleatly cleanse us from every degree from all the Reliques of Unrighteousness This Consideration should powerfully induce us to confess and acknowledge our sins because then God will not only forgive but cleanse us And truly this Benefit is nothing inferior to the former but it may be some of us had rather be without it and would more prize and value the first alone I 'm afraid some of us without all respect to the Word or Promises of God would have Pardon from him without Grace and Forgiveness of sin without Purgation from sin It may be some of us are so deeply in love with our Lusts that we had rather put God's Mercy to the venture than receive and admit his Grace into our Hearts rather still keep our Guilt than not keep our Sin but know that whenever you refuse internal Grace you are cruel to your own Souls and forsake your own Mercies for Purity is the lovely resemblance the beautiful Image of God a real participation of the Divine Nature the greatest Perfection of our own Nature and a main part of our Happiness Sanctity and Holiness qualifies us for Heaven and makes us meet to be partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in light * Heb. 12.14 Without holiness no man shall see the Lord. Cleansing is as necessary to Salvation as forgiving If I wash thee not said Christ to Peter if I purifie not thy Affections which is meant and signified by my washing of thy feet thou hast no part with me thou canst receive no benefit from me Now whoever thou be'st that art thorowly convinc'd of sin and so art desirous of Purity as well as Pardon of freedom from Filth as well as from Guilt thou see'st here the ready way to obtain it is to go to God in Confession If any won't freely and fully confess God will in Judgment pronounce concerning him when shall He that is unjust let him be unjust still and he which is filthy let him be filthy still Confess and bewail thy filthiness that thou may'st be purged and cleansed from it and not suffer'd to lie and die in it * Isa 6.5 As the Prophet cried Woe is me I am undone because I am a man of unclean Lips So do thou say Wo is me I am undone because I am a Man of an unclean Heart of an unclean Life and therefore unfit to stand before a holy holy holy God unfit to see and enjoy him and draw nigh to him If thou would'st be cleans'd thou must * Levit. 13.45 cry out with the Leper in the Law Vnclean Vnclean and †Mat. 8.2 with the Leper in the Gospel too Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me clean thou canst heal and dry up the Fountain of leprosie in my heart thou canst prepare new Jordans of Grace beyond all the Rivers of Damascus in the World thou canst bathe and wash me in a
Heaven and reconcile our selves to our Adversary day by day we shall not be afraid of appearing immediately before God's Tribunal and the Judgment-seat of Jesus Christ but shall be well prepar'd and equally provided for longer Life or present Death and the Judgment to come after Death Confess Daily That 's the second 3. And more particularly Then make an humble and hearty Confession whenever you lie under any notable Conviction Confess thy sin upon any strong and stirring Conviction of the Spirit whether in the hearing or reading of the Word or in the use of Meditation or upon Admonition or occasionally by any Providence as when you see others punished for the same sins you are guilty of When ever your Heart smites you and Conscience checks you for sin then it is a fit time to confess When David's Heart smote him after that he had numbred the People David presently said unto the Lord * 2 Sam. 24.10 I have sinned greatly in that I have done And so when Nathan clearly convinc'd David of his sin and told him plainly * 2 Sam. 12 7 13. Thou art the man then presently David said unto Nathan * I have sinned against the Lord. Confess thy sin upon any sound Conviction of the Spirit for the quenching of the Spirit is the ready way to make you sin on till you are past feeling and to provoke God to resolve that his Spirit shall strive no longer with you 4. Then make a serious and solemn Confession when ever you lie under any notable Affliction This is a special Opportunity of Confession As the Light of Conviction leads us to confess so the Voice of the Rod lessons us to confess too Thus Joseph's Brethren when they were under a strong Conviction and in a great Strait then they confess their Sin in selling their Brother Gen. 42.21 And they said we are verily guilty concerning our Brother in that we saw the anguish of his Soul when he besought us and we would not hear therefore is this Distress come upon us David thought this a fit Season to confess When the Plague lay upon his People for his Sin then he acknowledg'd it 2 Sam. 24.17 And David spake into the Lord when he saw the Angel that smote the People and said Lo I have sinned and I have done wickedly but these Sheep what have they done So David again when his bones waxed old thro' his roaring all the day long when day and night God's hand was heavy upon him and his moisture was turned into the drought of summer then says David I acknowledged my Sin unto thee and mine Iniquity have I not hid Psalm 32.3.4 5. The Children of Israel assembled themselves with fasting and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their Fathers when God's hand lay heavy upon them Nehem. 9. And so the Prodigal when he was in want and ready to perish with hunger then he said I will arise and go to my father and will say unto him Father I have sinned against heaven and before thee and am no more worthy to be called thy Son Luke 15.17 18. The time of Affliction is as proper a time for Confession as any God does then call on us aloud to set upon the Duty When our sin has found us out and we eat the fruit of our own way this is a time to glorifie and justifie God by accusing and condemning our selves and acknowledging our selves to be the only Authors and Causes of our Sin and our Sin to be the only Meritorious procuring Cause of all our Punishment Yet let 's be sure here that we make our Punishment and Affliction not the Ground and Principle but only the Occasion and Opportunity of our Confession The time of Affliction is a seasonable and an accept ble time of Confession as then God looks it so has he then a most gracious and savourable Respect to it We find God pities the penitent Sinner that falls to Confession in a day of Affliction He has promis'd * 1 Pet. 5.6 to exalt and lift up them that humble themselves under his mighty hand And that of Elihu is a great truth Job 33.27 28. He looketh upon men and if any say I have sinned and perverted that which was right and it profited me not yea it was the Cause of my sore Sickness or sad Trouble and so was not only simply unprofitable but very hurtful and prejudicial to me If any Sinner sincerely and seriously say thus to God he will deliver his Soul that is himself from going into the pit or grave and his life shall see the light A Periphrasis of †Ver. 30. Life or of Prosperity which is often in Scripture compar'd to Light which is the most beautiful delightful exhilarating chearing thing in the World God will bring the humble Confitent out of Trouble and prolong his Life He shall recover of his Sickness or escape his Danger and live longer to behold the Light of the Sun 5. Confess presently upon the Commission of any gross and great Sin For here speedy Confession will be an effectual means to keep Conscience tender and will certainly prevent that hardness which would otherwise easily be contracted O suffer not thy Sin to rest upon thee lest thou beest hard'ned thro' the deceitfulness of it Confess thy Sin as soon as ever thou hast committed it Make no delays here Mute and irrational Creatures as the Hart the Swallow as ‖ De Poenitent c. 12. Tertullian observes will timely use the Medicines and Remedies which God has provided and natural Instinct leads and prompts 'em too A Man that has swallowed down Poison is not to linger but presently to expel it And one that has great Guilt lying on him and infectious Filth cleaving to him ought to use the surest means for the sudden removal of it We may be soon undone except we use this present Remedy and shall we then refuse it Nauseabit ad antidotum qui hiavit ad venenum says Tertullian excellently What shall a Man lothe and nauseate and be sâ—ueâ—mish at the Antidote who was greedy and gapemouth'd after the Poison Don't defer or drive off the Confession of any gross Sin It cost David dear enough the mere putting of it off I was silent and roar'd says he Psalm 32.3 So dear did the very Procrastination of Confession cost David that even after he had confess'd and was pardon'd he got not suddenly such a full sence of God's loving kindness as formerly God did not presently look so pleasantly on him as he was used to He had not yet so many Smiles from God as he had before It 's a sign he wanted the Comfort he once enjoyed for he prays to God for 't even after he was pardon'd and absolv'd by Nathan Psalm 51.12 Restore unto me the Joy of thy Salvation If he had thorowly confess'd at first probably he would not have been so long without Comfort If Sin remain unconfess'd the Power of
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
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