beats his Breast and sighs out O Lord be mercifull to me a sinner Our Saviour tells us what was the effect I tell you this man went down rather justified than the other As the Pharisees Self-conceit and Arrogance made him pray in such a manner as he did so his Prayer made him more arrogant still It could not but increase his presumptuous Opinion of himself to reckon up and that before God himself all his Religious Qualities and Actions without taking notice of but one small fault and to have compared himself with one so despicable in his Eyes as the poor Publican It is reasonable to believe he went away bigger and statelier from his Prayers than he came to them On the contrary as the Publican's Behaviour Posture and Prayer proceeded no doubt from a due Sense of his sin and guilt and consequent humility So did it likewise dismiss and send him away with a greater Degree of it He saw that before in himself which made him cry out with shame and indignation against himself Lord be mercifull to me a sinner And doubtless he saw it yet more and with deeper impression upon his heart for having made his short but most passionate Confession 4. This confession of sin makes us less censorious and contemptuous of others more backward to publish their Faults or to insult over them We shall not be so ready to censure talk of despise others when we are accustomed to look upon and justly and humbly to acknowledge what is as bad or worse at least bad enough in our selves We are not so forward to reproach others when we permit our own Consciences to reproach our selves We are loth to condemn at least to treat others with Wrath and Contempt when if we are impartial we see too much cause to do the like by our selves No men so ready to proclaim and aggravate other men's Faults as those who take the least notice of their own He who knows his own defects and miscarriages as he pities himself so is he apt to do to others Most men esteem and despise others comparatively or as thy judge them superior or inferior to themselves in worthy and deserving Qualities and Performances We take the Measures of others from our selves Now he that observes most Infirmities and Faults in himself will think himself less above or more under Men than he who though ignorance or self-conceit sees no blemish nor blame in himself The former often despiseth himself comparatively with others the latter foolishly despiseth every one besides himself In the Example just now alledged how haughtily doth the Pharisee hold up his Head and with what Contempt doth he throw his Eye upon the Publican This Publican saith he But we hear no such Language from the Publican who in truth had more reason to have derided the Ignorant and Hypocritical Pharisee 5ly And lastly This confession makes us more sensible of the Divine goodness and disposeth us to greater Gratitude and Love to God The Divine goodness may well be our wonder That the infinite Majesty so provoked hath not yet made us remarkable Examples of his Justice and Displeasure Nay that he hath continued to us Life Health Strength Plenty Power and the like Favours which we ungratefull Wretches have dishonoured him with His lenity and long suffering cannot but be admired by us when we consider that we have grown wanton and proud against him by his own benefits and his bounteous Goodness which should have highly obliged us hath made us careless and presumptuous as if we now wanted him no more and could stand upon our own Legs But that which may justly increase our wonder is that after all this upon our humble confession and actual Change of our Behaviour towards him he is ready to forgive our greatest Crimes and to blot out all our Transgressions So great is his goodness that he is more ready to give us his pardon upon such a Repentance than we are to ask it or by Repentance to render our selves capable of it as if he courted our Friendship and stood in need of our Reconciliation Finally there is something yet more which exceeds wonder and that is that God should be pleased so kindly to accept our late Repentance and Obedience as to take occasion from thence to bestow upon us no less than Eternal life Now the serious and deliberate Confession of our sins giving us a necessary occasion to observe and consider all this so certainly the Truth cannot but deeply affect us with Gratitude and Love to the Authour of such unparallell'd Goodness and Love expressing it self by all ways possible our Words Services whole Lives Of so great and much greater spiritual benefit and profit is a true sincere serious affectionate and free Confession of our sins to Almighty God Which was the fifth Reason for the performance and frequent Exercise of it And now if we put all these Arguments together the just Honour we owe to God and his Laws the Edification and Pleasure of others our own spiritual Comfort and great Benefit one would think they should be sufficient to reasonable Men guided in their opinion and actions by good understanding though we had no Commands from revealed Religion not only to secure this Duty of Religion and Piety from contempt or neglect but especially to recommend it to their frequent and serious Practice from the highest to the lowest For no mortal so high whom it doth not exceedingly become and perhaps better than the meanest For excellent and great Qualities sit best upon the greatest are most amiable in them and most justly expected from them And true Religion the right Knowledge reasonable Worship and Resemblance and Imitation of the Supreme Being and the Universal Parent is the utmost Perfection and Attainment of humane Nature Nor is there any in this Life so holy and innocent take all our Lives together who have not great cause for and abundant need of this confession of sin Thrones and Shrines Crowns and Glories Soveraigns and Saints are with all just Humility to lie at the Foot-stool of the Almighty and most mercifull Father of his Creatures we may altogether send up with one Heart and Voice our common Cries of Confession of Guilt and Petition for Pardon without fear of offending against the Dignity of our Condition or Sanctity of our Profession None too great none too good to say with this great and good Prince I acknowledge my sin unto thee and mine iniquity have I not hid I said I will confess my transgression to the Lord that he might forgive the iniquity of my sin For a conclusion of this Discourse it may not be amiss to pick out of it and put together a brief Representation of a true penitent Confessour in some such manner as follows The sincere and deliberate Penitent then is no negligent Person of himself to let all things go at random but is desirous to bring things to a Trial and to keep them in order
are set a-part for a longer and more deliberate performance of this Religious Duty This is better surely than when our confession is thrust upon us by a persecuting guilty Conscience which we fly from as much as we can or when it is extorted from us by the urging Interrogatories or undeniable Proofs of our Friends or Enemies and then uttered with coldness and indifferency Such are some of the Directions or Rules for our Confession which was the second general Head 3ly The third is some good for the frequent performance of this Duty of Religion They are many 1. First By a serious affectionate and impartial Confession of our sins we give God and his Laws their just Honour At the same time we acknowledge and bewail our evil doings in sinning against God and transgressing his Laws we proclaim the Righteousness of both nay the Justice of our Punishment which God hath or may inflict upon us When we accuse confess condemn our selves we justifie God in his Nature Commands and Dealings towards us when we seriously cry guilty confess what we have done and deserve we at the same time declare that God's Nature is holy his Precepts right and all his Dealings with his Creatures just and unblameable Like that great Example of Penitents Psalm 51. Against thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight that thou may'st be justified when thou speakest and clear when thou judgest 2ly This confession of sin is very edifying to others both good and bad when it is performed publickly or with others and owned our Duty in secret too We hereby do somewhat considerable towards the Confirmation of the good and Reformation of the bad The mischief we have been the Authors of by our naughty Example we undo again in part by a free and serious Confession we thereby tell the World it was not our discretion or commendation to have lived and done as we have done formerly No! 't was our folly and shame We call now to them not to follow us or if they have adventured after us to retreat presently If they have imitated us in sinning they would do it now in confessing and condemning themselves 4ly This confession of sin is very acceptable to good Men nay I may say generally to bad Men too who have some kindness and good liking for Vertue and Piety but are so entangled and captivated in vicious Courses that they cannot find in their heart to take the pains to leave them The conversion of a sinner of which free and humble Confession is a fair step and a great mark is certainly the joy of Angels and Saints Nothing more melting than the hearty and unaflected Confession of a Penitent sinner It is a sign of so many amiable Qualities as sincere Piety Humility c. that a good Man cannot observe it without joy and even a bad Man without some motion and tenderness It is a more than ordinary pleasure to hear a pious Soul sighing out his confession of his sins and desires of grace and pardon before God when he thinks no body hears or is regardless whether they do or no. 5ly This confession of sin is a very comfortable Duty to us What calmness ease and secret comfort is diffused through the Soul of a devout Man after he hath opened and disburthened himself by a sincere and humble Confession to Almighty God His conscience softly tells him that he hath not in vain disclosed his heart that he hath not confessed his faults to the deaf Ear of too rigid a Master or severe Father that God as great and as high as he is regards the Soul in such a posture with great kindness and compassion and that now the offender may safely put himself into his hands If in our Confession we are conscious to our selves of no Hypocrisie or Formality it creates an humble confidence in God with a free resignation and submission of our selves to him notwithstanding our former sins and contracted guilt Nor is this confidence vain For so far as our confession is a sign and exercise of real Goodness and Piety in us it doth render us more capable of his Favour and truly acceptable to him 6ly Confession of our sins such as I have directed is a Duty of Devotion of great benefit to us and that many ways As 1. It is a certain and notable means for preserving us in that Degree of Holiness and Goodness we may have attained to and of making further progress therein continually For as it brings to remembrance our former known sins nor are we only to confess new sins but old ones and the same very often especially if more heinous nor even to forget them to our lives end so it discovers to us many before unknown Before especially a more deliberate Confession we are to reflect upon and examine our selves carefully and that will hardly be done without some further knowledge and discovery of our faults and which is of great use of their temptations and occasions And even in the times themselves of our devout Confession usually the temper of our minds is such that some sins then may first appear which before we had never observed or suspected Now all this is necessary for our amendment and the prevention of the like again For how shall we avoid that which we never knew or have forgot Add to this that every serious and hearty not customary Confession impresseth upon us some more dislike and aversion from the sins confessed Insomuch that by the frequent practice of it we may at last become utterly ashamed to confess our sins so often but not to forsake them to sin on in a round perpetually committing and confessing the same sins by turns Our consciences will be apt so to reproach that we shall leave off either to commit or confess Thus as an hearty and unconstrained Confession is a sign and effect of an ingenuous and generous Dislike and Hatred of sin so doth it confirm heighten and increase it 2. Another benefit and advantage of this Religious Duty is a right Understanding a true and just Opinion of our selves to know what is bad and defective in our selves as well as what is good and usefull This is one principal Branch of that most excellent Grace humility which containeth many other The great Errour of the World is on that hand to be arrogant and presumptuous Foolish Self-love renders us wilfully blind so as to see no faults spy no defects observe no sins in our selves We deny all or excuse all or justifie all We all know the Behaviours of the Pharisee and the Publican in their Devotion Luke 18. 9. They both went up into the Temple to pray The Pharisees Prayer was so far from any confession that it was all boasting God I thank thee that I am not as other men c. The Publicans contrary was all Confession Shame Sorrow begging for Mercy He stands a far off with a dejected Countenance He with a revengefull hand
IMPRIMATUR Carolus Alston R. P. D. Hen. Episc Lond. Ã Sacris Febr. 12. 1694 5. SIX SERMONS Preached before the Late Incomparable PRINCESS QUEEN MARY AT WHITE-HALL WITH Several Additions and large Annotations to the Discourse of Justification by Faith By GEORGE BRIGHT D. D. Dean of St. Asaph and Chaplain in Ordinary to His Majesty LONDON Printed by J. H. for Walter Kettilby at the Bishop's-Head in St. Paul's Church-Yard MDCXCV TO THE KING's Most Excellent MAJESTY SIR THIS small Volume was designed humbly to crave the Acceptance of your late Royal Consort that most truly Excellent Princess who not only heard but relished Discourses proper for her Edification These present ones dare pretend only to an Attempt and endeavour for such a Purpose But she is for ever gone from hence where her vertuous and pious Soul had neither Books nor Company good enough for its Entertainment May her just Character be preserved fresh and fair to the last of Time may her goodly Presence strike the Imagination of every one who enters into your Royal Palaces that her exemplary Vertue Piety Prudence and Sweetness may never be forgotten there Forgive me Great Sir if I for once lightly touch the Wound not only of your own Royal Heart but also of the Hearts of all your Subjects except here and there a Self-interested weak and peevish thing or two in this matter whatever they may be else-where But as this severe Providence hath brought with it a mighty Loss and not reparable to Your Majesty one way so hath it given you a mighty Advantage another for all the Affections and Hopes which your People had divided between two are now publickly vested in and settled upon Your Majesty's Person alone And we hope and pray that as God will continue your own Portion of his Blessings to you so he will not withhold hers from you So that now your force being doubled and united too cannot probably be much longer resisted by your haughty and malicious though puissant Enemy That God would continue and multiply his Blessings upon Your Royal Head fill your Heart with Piety Wisdom and Integrity in all your Counsels prosper your Arms for the Chastisement of Tyranny Violence and Injustice for the Peace Safety and Universal Happiness of your People and all Europe is the constant Prayer of Your Majesty's Most obedient Subject and Chaplain George Bright THE PREFACE TO THE READER IT hath been my Aim in these ensuing Sermons as it hath been always my Endeavour in all Discourses of the like Nature to represent the Duties and Doctrines of our Religion plain and reasonable that the real and great Advantage which it hath above all others may be manifest and the Cavils and Contempts of irreligious Men may be put to silence and shame Nor can I think whatever some Difficulty may do that Vnintelligibility or Absurdity in any Religion ought to commend it to any I am sure it never will to inquisitive considerate and honest Men who are the best though infinitely the least part of the World Such I mean who ask Questions and examine things in Religion not to shew their Subtilty or pose Men not to disgrace anothers Profession or to get room and ease for Licentiousness or to make themselves and others greater Scepticks and doubt and droll more but like the Noble Beraeans to see whether things are so or no that they may know more and be satisfied in matters of so great Concernment that they may not be abused led into Errour and kept there by Force Confidence or bare Authority Such as these I think are to be taken care of that they be not justly scandalized or offended at Religion Nay they are in the first place to be regarded who are not only intended surely by God to be saved as well as the Vulgar but may also be great Instruments of the Instruction and Confirmation of others and the Establishment of the due Esteem and Reputation of Religion Strange it is that the weak the ignorant and the peevish should be treated with so much Tenderness but these should be rudely put off with the wise Application of Not many wise according to the Flesh c. And Where is the wise where is the Disputer of this World or perhaps with the Reproach and Backbites of Indifferents and Vnderminers of Religion This way of teaching and preaching the Christian Religion as it is at all times just and of solid Advantage to it so is it now become necessary There are very many in this Age more than formerly inquisitive knowing used to a more accurate Exercise of their Vnderstanding every where in Divine matters as well as Natural Moral and Political These will not be put off with general confused figurative and obscure Notions nor with false uncertain remote Reasonings they will know what and why they believe And hitherto is very well the present Age being happy in it whatever others may please to think And had it been thus for some Centuries before us a Thousand Falsehoods and Fopperies had never crept into Christian Religion which have already and yet will cost the World so vast an Expence of Labour and fill it with infinite Troubles and Vnquietnesses to drive them out again and restore our Excellent Religion to its native and primitive Beauty But as that Occasion of the Necessity of Clearness and true Reasoning in Religion is good so hardly any thing can be worse than the Licentiousness of our Time when the generality of Men especially of those who pretend to any Wit or Breeding have not only rescued themselves from the Slavery of Superstition and usurped Authority but shaken off even the natural Reverence of Mankind to true Religion the sublimest Perfection and Glory of Humane Nature Nay they have run further yet and pertly taken up a mean Opinion and Contempt of it and all that belongs to it as being nothing but Craft or Pedantry Now these Men must be knocked down by weighty Reason for they slight the Holy Scriptures and exposed to contempt themselves for gentler Dealing will not do It must be shewn that if they will make good their Title to the Man they must be Religious and Christians too And that there is nothing more Reasonable than a Christian's Belief and nothing in his genuine Religion not adulterated unbecoming of God and disagreeable to Reason if rightly sensed and understood that it is the weakness or ignorance of its Doctors and Commentators and perhaps ever will be in some Degree if any thing in it appear or be represented otherwise and that they have been infinitely to blame who have been the Causes of Grudges and Dissatisfactions in the minds of men between Religion and Reason and even made irreconcileable Quarrels between them which should cohabit with constant and mutual Endearments and Assistances I hope and am apt believe that such will be the next turn of Divine Providence which invisibly governs the World that the Holy Writings will every Day
and Decency towards him acknowledged their Sins thrown themselves at his Feet and humbly implored his Pardon and Grace Nor was there ever recorded a more eminent Example of this than David as great a Prince as Saint He wanted not surely that Courage which is so magnified and adored by the World who when scarce got out of his Childhood killed the Lion and the Bear and when a Stripling armed only with a Sling ventured upon the prodigious Bulk of a Giant a Man of War from his Youth and laid him dead at his Feet and returned to the Camp lugging his Head the Trophee of his Victory who from a simple Swain was advanced to the Alliance and then Possession of a Throne for his Prowess and Wisdom And yet lo this is the Man who cries out Psalm 51. Have mercy upon me O God according to thy loving kindness according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot put all my transgressions Wash me thoroughly from my sin for I acknowledge my transgression and my sin is ever before me Against thee only have I sinned c. This is the man who in this Psalm proclaimeth the Blessedness of the Innocent or the Pardoned and telleth us That while he kept silence his bones waxed old through his roaring all the day long This is he finally who in the Verse of the Text acknowledged his sins unto God who said and did accordingly That he would confess his transgressions unto the Lord. And because it is and ought to be a daily Religious Duty enjoyned and recommended in our publick and private Devotion and Worship it ought also more especially to be well understood prudently directed and shewn to be most agreeable to natural Reason and Justice as well as expresly commanded and constantly practised by good Men in the Holy Scripture Accordingly we shall chuse out three things for the Heads of our Discourse concerning it First the Nature and Parts of it Secondly the Rules for it Thirdly the Reasons of it 1. And very briefly in a more solemn and deliberate Confession of Sin especially and it is best to take into its signification more than one single Act three Three Parts parts may be observed and that in this Order 1. Self-accusation The Penitent having first enquired into his past Temper and Behaviour consulted his Conscience concerning his Duty and observed his Aberrations from the Rules of it He proceeds as a Person different from himself to accuse and bring an Endictment against himself and here he acts like a Plaintiff 2. But Secondly Follows an ingenuous and free Acknowledgment of the Truth of what with the greatest Impartiality he judgeth to have been bad in him or ill done by him Neither by Superstition or Timidity vainly frighting nor by Boldness or Partiality favouring himself Here he acts the part of a guilty Defendant and an upright Witness against himself 3. Thirdly He pronounceth himself guilty and deserving of the Punishment which God hath threatned for the Transgression of his just Laws And so he leaves himself to God whether he will execute the Sentence and punish him as he deserves or else be pleased upon his humble Confession and other parts of a compleat Repentance to shew him mercy reprieve and forgive him Thus the true Penitent in this part of Repentance termed Confession acts as a Prosecutor guilty Defendant and Witness and an inferior Judge In such manner may be in short distinctly conceived the Nature and Parts of Confession 2ly The Rules follow Some of which may be these 1. Let our Confession be made with exact Truth We are at no time and with no Person to say that which is not true Least of all when we address our selves to God This fault can only be on one side viz. by confessing those things to be sinfull in us which are not so or to deserve a greater Punishment than they truly do For if we falsly think any thing really sinfull in us not to be so we do not confess that at all The number and evil Deserts of our Sins are truly great enough in themselves we need not to multiply or magnifie them in our Confession by imagination and passion As those for example have always seemed to me to do who in their Prayers acknowledge all their Actions before their Conversion to be sins i. e. before Grace was generally the ruling Principle in their Hearts or their lives were governed by their Consciences For a bad man generally speaking may now and then drop a good Action Nay there are those who have been so humble which is excellent when it speaks truth and not despisable even when it is mistaken if sincere in their Confession as to say That all the very best Actions of the best Men after their Conversion are sins too but pardoned in Christ which I do not well understand Defective indeed they may be and so is the most perfect love to God in the highest Angel for no Creature can honour and love him in that degree which he deserves defective I say they must needs be but not sins He who loves God with all his might strength and understanding as I doubt not hath been done often by pious Souls surely sins not nor need ask any pardon for it though he may justly acknowledge that the greatest affection our hearts are capable of to him are infinitely below the infinite Excellency of his Nature The Confession of the neglect of a more than Jewish Observation of the Sabbath in some men's Phrase is upon this account blameable but such an Observation of the Lord's Day and other Festivals as is prescribed by the Church of England in one of their pious and grave Canons is most agreeable to Christian Piety and Prudence and the general wilfull neglect of it more than savours of Prophaneness There are other strange things too which in the depth of a seeming or mistaken humility have been uttered especially in some men's ex tempore Confession without countenance from Scripture rightly interpreted and shocking the common Reason of Mankind Numerous also are the Instances of this Errour among the Romanists who out of ignorance or design unreasonably oft-times rack and vex men's Consciences But these things need not to be too subtilly searched into It is too much that the best of us have too many and too great faults to confess to Almighty God The most usual Causes of this Fault in confession is such a degree of Self-revenge Indignation and Contempt against our selves as to cause us to forget Truth and Justice to our selves as they would ordinarily be the Causes of false Judgment on the worst side against others whom we are apt in such Fits to accuse of much more than they are guilty of But of this Cause though surely it be a fault I am almost tempted to wish we could see more But there is a second Cause very dangerous and that is a Design to flatter Almighty God It is not impossible but that some
without reflection may conceit that the Honour they do to God by confessing all and more than all the sins they are guilty of may procure a Connivance for some sins though they never forsake them It is enough or very well to load themselves with the heaviest Accusation though they do not or perhaps think they cannot grow better Much like a great Debtor who will readily own greater Summs than he really owes if for that his Creditor will permit him to run further into his Debt and not be angry But the most frequent Cause of this Miscarriage is Superstition i. e. a groundless Timidity by reason of mistake in the Nature and Degrees of Sin which is a thing of bad consequence when our Judgments are deceived and our Affections abused we may swallow that which is truly wicked and greatly mischievous and be frighted at that which is really so far from being evil that it may be good and commendable Let our confession therefore of sin be truly informed and well advised Which is the first Direction 2dly The second is to confess our sins most impartially As we must not on the one side make or magnifie our Sins through Self-revenge Flattery of Almighty God Superstition or Timidity So we must on the other hand take great care that we do not excuse connive at or extenuate any Such are our most profitable and delightfull Sins Those which by corrupt Nature or evil Custom and Practice are deepest in our Hearts and therefore most difficult and painfull to forsake We must be in all sincerity most willing to see acknowledge and amend what is truly faulty in our selves and what is most so The Design of a true hearted Christian is to be better and his hearty desire is to reform universally and in order to that he must know what is really amiss and out of order Like the wounded or sick Man who longs for his Cure and Health He is not willing to conceal or forget any of his Ailments from himself or his Physician So far from that that he beseecheth his Physician 's care as well as useth his own observation to discover all least through ignorance or neglect something may prove fatal to him And what a foolish thing is it to say nothing of or slubber over some sweet some darling Sins we are loth to leave when we are upon our knees before God He needs not our confession for his information He seeth the most secret and dark Corners of our Hearts and knows full well whether we hide any thing there or no. He observes whether we deal truly or hypocritically with him and if he find the last will reject us and our confession too Follow we that great Example David Cleanse me from my secret sins Psalm 19. 33. prays that holy Man and see if there be any way of wickedness in me and lead me in the way everlasting He that thus prayed for the discovery of all his sins without reserve no doubt in his Confession spared none 3dly A third Rule of our Confession is that it be performed seriously and affectionately The confession here meant is not uttering a few words with our Mouths though never so good but it is in the mind and spirit though we should not speak a syllable Nor is it to be slight and careless as if it were a thing of no great moment whether it were true or no and we indifferent whether it were done at all No! It is at the same time to be expresly assented to by our Judgment owned by our Consciences and thence pass further into our affections We are to be really troubled ashamed disordered and tremble at the mention and remembrance of our sins according to the various Degrees and Aggravations We are to be affected with them in our Devotion when our own Conscience only can accuse us as if men of Gravity and Authority should openly and publickly charge us Nay setting aside the difference which the hopes of pardon here may make as if God himself instead of our Consciences was judging of us And do we think at that terrible Day when Jesus Christ shall appear with all the Ensigns of Justice and Majesty with Rewards and Punishments in his hands we shall be looking another way Shall we then stand unconcern'd and confess our sins in such a manner as if neither God nor our selves need take any notice of it No then with sinking Hearts and trembling Knees we shall see believe and confess that we are miserable Sinners indeed And yet all in vain because it proceeds only from the Terrour of the Sentence and Punishment just ready to be executed not from the hatred of sin from the dread of the Judge not from the love of him or hatred of our Crimes But now in this Day of Grace our passionate Confession and Cries from a truly penitent that is changed Heart to the Judge of all the World that indeed we have presumptuously and ungratefully offended against his holy Laws and that he would have mercy upon us miserable offenders shall through Heav'ns Goodness find a gracious Audience and Acceptance Of such temper and in such manner should be our confession in the third place 4ly Our confession ought to be suitable and proportionable I mean our confessions is to be proportionable to our sins Thus we ought between God and our own selves most frequently and passionately to confess those sins which are in themselves really the greatest and which we most frequently and deliberately commit To be always with great vehemency filling our Prayers with smaller Faults though none are to be slighted and indulged for small sins known weaken conscience and make way for greater but more rarely or faintly to mention those sins which are truly more provoking is to offend against this Rule Thus to confess impertinent and wandering Thoughts in Religious Duties vain use of God's Name though these things are by no means to be allowed or neglected but never to say any thing of Pride Covetousness Injustice Fraud Hypocrisie Malice or the like or so coldly as if we scarce thought them any sins I say this is to perform this Duty with great indiscretion if not Hypocrisie For it is a shrewd sign we can be very favourable to sin when it is agreeable or profitable and therefore painfull to subdue and mortifie it When we are clamorous against the sins we get little by or which cost us little of expence or pains to forsake but otherwise silent or soft it is very suspicious that there is not in us that hearty Zeal against sin which we would seem to be possessed withall 5ly And lastly Our confession will be the more commendable if it be voluntary and from pious Motions in our heart allowed by our judgments when we freely open and disclose our Souls to God and earnestly desire witness and judge God and our Consciences to inform and remember us of our Faults As may be more especially done at those times which