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
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
A Practical Discourse OF Confession of Sins TO GOD As a Means of Pardon and Cleansing By JOHN WADE Minister of Hammersmith LONDON Printed for Iohn Salusbury at the Rising-Sun in Cornhil 1697. To His Grace WILLIAM Duke of BEDFORD My Lord THE kind Entertainment your Grace was pleased to afford to a former Discourse of mine Of the Redemption of Time and Your declared Approbation of it together with the obliging Expressions of Your Favour to it's unworthy Author embolden and encourage me not only to present this small Treatise to Your Grace's Hands but to make a publick Dedication of it to You. The Subject is of daily Use for we are taught by our Lord to pray daily for the Pardon of Sin This is * Heb. 8.12 One of the great Mercies of the Covenant of Grace and an eminent Branch of †Psalm 32.1 2. Blessedness This Tract shews the Way and Means how to partake of this Blessedness and how to obtain Cleansing from Sin as well as Forgiveness of it And fitly serves for the Healing and Recovering of relapsed Souls and tends to the promoting of true Repentance and Holiness and real Reformation of Heart and Life Your noted Sense of Religion and Favour to Goodness and good Men will dispose Your Grace to relish my plain and practical handling of it more than if it were embellish'd and embroidered with Gaiety of Language which would be apt to fix it in the Fancy and hinder it's Passage to the Heart as Painting of Glass hinders the Light Blessed be God that Greatness and Goodness are so happily conjoined in Your Grace Go on my Lord by Your wonted Piety and Prudence Fidelity and Integrity to live and act so as to be more and more beloved by God employed by your Prince and valued by all good Men. That God would command a Blessing upon Your nearest and dearest Relations and all the Branches of Your Honourable and Noble Family That your Days may still be prolonged to serve your Generation according to the Will of God and to perfect a rare Exemplar and finish a fair Copy of Vertue and Goodness to be left and transmitted that God may be glorified and others excited and provoked to a zealous Imitation of Your Laudable Life adorned with worthy and excellent Actions That You may continue to shine as a bright Light in this lower World and when You shall be translated hence to a higher Region and Heavenly Mansion may shine as a Star in the Kingdom of your Father for ever is his most hearty Desire and Prayer who is My LORD Your Grace's in all humble Observance John Wade THE CONTENTS OF THE Several CHAPTERS in the following Discourse CHAP. I. THE Introduction p. 1. The Division of the Words p. 3 4 5. The Doctrine and the Method for the handling of it p. 6. A Description of Confession given containing the Parts and Properties of Confession p. 6 7. CHAP. II. Of Self-Accusation p. 8. Of the Limitation of the Object The Sinner accuseth himself and none but himself not God nor the Devil nor Ungodly Men p. 9. to 19. CHAP. III. Of the Manner of Self-Accusation 1. He accuseth himself of particular Sins p. 20. Especially of his particular Sin p. 26. He acknowledgeth unknown sins in a general and implicit Confession p. 30. 31. CHAP. IV. Of Self-Accusation by Aggravation of Sin p. 33. Confession cannot be full p. 34. And there can be no thorow Humiliation without it p. 35. Several Heads of Aggravation propounded p. 38. One notable way of Aggravation commended which is To take those very things which are too commonly made Excuses and to turn them into so many Aggravations p. 45. How to Aggravate our sins from the Littleness p. 46. Commonness of them p. 47. Our Ignorance in sinning p. 47 48. Temptations to sin p. 49. And our sinful Nature p. 51. A notable instance of Aggravation of sin shewn in St. Austin p. 55. to 58. CHAP. V. Of Self-Condemnation p. 60. It does not at all consist in any willingness to go to Hell or contentedness to be Damn'd but only in a serious acknowledging our selves worthy of Hell and Damnation for our sins p. 64. Two Marks whereby we may judge of our Self-judging 1. We shall humbly submit to any present punishment p. 68. 2. Be willing to bear any further punishment here in this World p. 71. Particularizing and Aggravation have some place in Self-Condemning p. 72. CHAP. VI. The first Property of true Confession it is free and voluntary p. 75 to 81. CHAP. VII The second Property It is made with Hatred of p. 84. Shame p. 86. And Sorrow for our Sins p. 90. These holy Affections must be laid out more upon our Sin than any Punishment p. 91. And must bear some Proportion to the sins confess'd p. 94. The Penitent Sinner does often outwardly express his inward Affection by Weeping p. 95. Weeping is no infallible Sign of an Heart truly sensible of Sin p. 97. But not Weeping in some cases may well be suspected for a bad Sign p. 98. CHAP. VIII The third Property It is made with a full Resolution against our sins p. 101. The Hypocrite is Self-confident in his Vows p. 103. But the humble Confessor is distrustful of himself in his Resolves and seeks to God for strength and power to act his Purposes and perform his Vows p. 105 106. CHAP. IX The fourth Property It is made 1. with an earnest Desire of Mercy p. 108. 2. With some good Hope in Divine Mercy p. 115. The necessity of Faith and Hope here because that unbelieving despairing Thoughts do 1. Greatly dishonour God p. 120. 2. Extreamly deaden and straiten our own Hearts in Confession p. 121. A necessary Caution to join all these Properties of Confession in PracticalVse together p. 123. CHAP. X. The Reasons of Confession p. 125. Two false Grounds rejected We must never confess our sins with any intention thereby to give God Information p. 126. Or make him Satisfaction p. 127. An Objection answered p. 128 129. CHAP. XI Ten positive Grounds 1. God expresly commands it p. 131. 2. Is greatly glorified and justified by it p. 131 132. 3. 'T is a thing in it self most reasonable p. 133. 4. Confession of Sin is indispensably necessary to Remission of Sin p. 134. How it 's unbeseeming the Majesty p. 135. The Justice p. 137. The Mercy p. 138. The Wisdom and Holiness of God p. 138 139. For God to forgive the Sinner before and without Confession 5. Confession is a proper Act of Mortification p. 140. 6. It testifies unto God And evidences unto our selves the Sincerity of our Repentance p. 141. And gives us good assurance that we are in a fair way of Recovery p. 142. 7. It eases our troubled Spirits c. p. 143. 8. It were unreasonable Folly in us to go about to hide any sins from God p. 145. And the wisest way to conceal them from others is to discover them to God p.
more than our sins barely and simply in themselves considered Circumstances are to Actions much like what Ciphers are to Figures which quickly make 1 the very least of all Figures but the beginning of Numbers by being placed with it stand for a 1000 an 100000 and therefore for thee to confess thy sin without it's appendant Circumstances it is at best to say the least thou canst of thy sin nay to hide any notable Circumstance in thy Confessions it is in effect even to cover thy sin Thus you see our Confessions of our sins can't be full and compleat without the aggravating Circumstances of our sins for sinful Circumstances are the most are the greatest part of our sins without these our sins are comparatively but little and light These are they that swell and double and treble the Accounts that encrease and enlarge the Bill that thicken and lengthen the Catalogue Besides leave but these out of thy Confession and thou wilt not be thorowly humbled in thy Confession thou wilt not be deeply affected with thy sins in thy Confession thy sins won't prick thee at thy Heart won't cut and wound thee in thy Confessions Now as we all wounded our selves with our sins in the Commission of them tho' we did not perhaps presently feel that wound so we should wound our selves with our sins in the Confession of them and indeed this wound tends to healing whereas the other tended to Death but our sins without their Circumstances are as a Sword without an Edge the Circumstances of sin they give it an edge they make it sharp keen and piercing By means of these we are very much mov'd and wrought upon in our Confessions and soundly humbled for our sins when we spread them before the Lord. Thus much for a touch of the Necessity of Aggravation of Sin as being absolutely necessary to Confession of Sin Now as the Duty is in it self necessary so the Performance of it is the great care and serious study of every Penitent Sinner who is so far from disguising masking vizarding or palliating his sin that he brings it in and makes it appear in it's own shape in its proper and natural Colours He acknowledges his sins to be Scarlet sins Camel sins to be sins of the greatest Magnitude of the deepest Dye He does dot savour his sin in the least he studies to make it as bad as it is in it self He readily owns all that in his particular sin which he acknowledges to belong to the ugly nature of Sin in general He strives to make the very worst he can of it He is severe and impartial in Self-Accusing He says as much against sin in himself as he would say against sin in any one else as much as any one else would say against his sin Nay he endeavours in his Confessions to say as much against his sins as God himself says against them in his Word He calls his sins by the same Names be they never so bad as the Scripture calls them He calls his neglect of Brotherly reproof as the Holy Ghost stiles it even * 19 lâ—vit 17. Hating his Brother in his Heart He calls his wilful transgression of God's known command * 1 Sam. 15.23 Rebellion and reckons it as bad as the Sin of Witchcraft and accounts his Stubborness to be as Idolatry He labours to give as strict a Judgment to make as rigid a Censure of his sins as the Just and Holy Law-giver himself does and to speak no more mildly and mincingly of them than he finds the very Spirit of Truth to speak of them When he has made himself vile by particularizing of his sins why he 'll make himself yet more vile by aggravating of them until they become out of measure sinful He thinks he can never say too much never enough against himself he thinks he can never sufficiently vilify and debase himself never lay himself low enough before God Of sinners I am chief says humble Penitent Paul 1 Tim. 1.15 and so says Tertullian in like manner * 〈…〉 perâ—terâ—â—a natâ—â— Tertulâ—â—e â—â—niâ—â—nt 〈◊〉 I am a most notorious Sinner as if I were born to no other end than to confess and repent It is is not here impertinent to propound the several Heads of Aggravation with which the Penitent Sinner amplifies and exaggerates his sins in his Confessions I might instance in these 1. In that he has sinned wilfully and voluntarily and this may contain two very great aggravations in it 1. That he has sinn'd wilfully against Light and Knowledge as against the very Light of Nature against the clear Light of the Sacred Scripture against the Light of good Education against the Light of the Preaching of the Gospel against the Light of his own Experiences against the Light of the wholsom Counsels sober Admonitions and seasonable Reproofs of Christian Well-wishing Friends 2. He aggravates his sins from the wilfulness of them in that he has sinn'd as against his Knowledge so upon no Temptation or upon very little Temptation in that he has sinn'd without any Illecebra from without without any Incentive but from himself And indeed this is as humbling an Aggravation as can be that I have sinn'd when it was easie for me to have forborn sinning that I sinn'd when I was neither blinded with Ignorance nor transported with Passion nor over-born with any kind of Temptation but did this and that deliberately and out of Choice sometimes studying and contriving how I might sin most handsomly and often seeking out Companions Occasions and Inflammations of my Lusts This Aggravation of sinning without any Temptation or with very little Temptation is hugely necessary for such as in ordinary buying and selling will Lye and Cheat for a Farthing for such as in common Talk will Swear out of an idle Custom or for a vain Compliment as if an Oath were the Enamel of a Speech the handsomest grace of a Sentence the chief and only thing that makes it come off cleverly And truly among all the sins in the World there is scarce any one of them mâ—re Temptation-less than Customary Swearing But 2. A second Topick of Aggravation may be this He aggravates his sins as from his wilfulness in sinning so from his sinning against the Means which God has us'd to reduce and reclaim him from his sins namely In that he has sinn'd against the Motions and Strivings Helps and Assistances of God's good and holy Spirit sinned against the Divine Mercies both General and Special both Temporal and Spiritual or in that he has sinn'd against the Divine Judgments either National or Personal either feared or felt either threatned or already inflicted But the Penitent Sinner chiefly and especially aggravates his sins from their being committed against intermixed and interwoven Mercies against the Mercies of God's Mercies and the Mercies of his Judgments compounded conjoin'd and united combin'd and conjugated in his wisest and most Providential Dispensations Lord says he I have now
even pâ—sed and nonplus'd all thy Methods of Cure whatever course thou hast taken with me has been unsuccessful whatever thou hast applied to me has not effectually wrought upon me all the Means thou hast used with me have done me little good Lectures Warnings Chidings Blows have not reclaim'd me vehement joggings and shakings have not rous'd and awaken'd me out of my Lethargical senceless Condition I have refus'd to hearken unto thy voice which came with a Thunder-clap along with it as well as stopp'd my Ears against thy Still-voice Thou hast taken all probable ways with me to little purpose thy Discipline as well as Doctrine thy Rod as well as thy Word thy Threatnings as well as thy Promises thy Corrections as well as Instructions thy Corrosives as well as thy Lenitives thy Causticks as well as thy Oil thy Judgments as well as thy Mercies thy Severities as well as Indulgences have been so much Cost and Pains utterly lost and thrown away upon me I have not only taken some easie gentle Physick but I have been Blister'd Cupp'd and Scarrify'd I have been plied with whatever might be for my good and yet O thou â—â—â—sician of Souls even the last Remedy which thou usest to prescribe has not taken place with me my Corruptions still remain strong in me my Disease is yet very high and often returns violently upon me O! this consideration of having sinn'd against mixed Mercies must needs mightily humble a Sinner in his Confessions who can chuse but lie low before God if he be truly sensible of this heinous Aggravation of his sins 3. The Penitent Sinner aggravates his sins not only from his abusing of those Means which God has us'd to restore and recover him but also from his frustrating and making inessectual those Means which he himself has sometimes used with himself for the correcting and amending of himself from his sinning against the many Ties Engagements and Obligations which not only God but he himself has several times laid upon himself to the contrary from his sinning against his very Confessions of Sins against his own Sacramental Sick-Bed Occasional Vows Covenants Promises and Resolutions against his sins And this is an high Aggravation taken from the greatest Folly and Madness that possibly a Man can be guilty of That notwithstanding I have sometime said of my sin that it was a very evil and a very bitter thing and acknowledged so much in the very presence of God and there resolv'd against it yet after all this I should really love like and chuse that which not long before I profess'd I hated loath'd detested and solemnly condemn'd my former Choice of The serious due application of this Consideration will very much conduce to the Sinner's sound Humiliation 4. Among other aggravations of sin you 'll find it to be none of the least which may be taken from our former excusing and pleading for our sins Thou may'st well aggravate thy sins from thy having excus'd thy sins Say Lord I wilfully committed this and that sin and studied to lessen and lighten it when I had done I did very â—ll in sinning but I did far worse in colouring my sin Let us aggravate our sins from our having excus'd them and from the vanity and sinfulness of our Pleas and Excuses For instance Hast thou excus'd thy sin by saying it was a little one and a small matter Hast thou thus excus'd thy petty Oaths thy officious or merry Lies thy wanton and lascivious Discourses Why now make this an aggravation of thy sins that thou hast thus wretchedly excus'd them Say Lord I have done thus and thus and said It was a little one a petty one as if any sin were little and small which is committed against so great a God such an infinite Majesty I have said It is a little one as if any sin were little which is the breach of a most holy and just and good Law I have said It is a little one as if any sin could be accounted little for which the righteous God will certainly call me to a strict Account at the dreadful Day of Judgment I have said It is a little one as if any sin were little which brings along with it so great a danger as if the guilt of the least sin were not far greater than I or any Man can bear were not enough for ever to sink me deep into Hell I have said It is a little one as if any sin were little the guilt whereof can only be done away by the precious Blood of Christ the only Son of God But 5. Methinks there is one notable way of Aggravation yet behind which I have often thought of with my self and cannot but commend unto you I shall speak somewhat largely to it it 's this To take up those very things with which Men ordinarily extenuate their sins and with which it may be we our selves have formerly extenuated our sins and in our Confessions to make those same things serve instead of lessening and diminishing our sins directly to aggravate and exaggerate them Let 's pitch upon those very things with which Men usually qualifie their sins and with which it may be we our selves have formerly qualified alleviated and lightned our sins and let 's improve them and make use of them in our Confessions for the heightning and greatning and amplifying of our sins Let 's chuse out those very Arguments with which Men commonly plead for themselves and with which it may be we our selves have sometimes pleaded for our selves and so let us manage them in our Confessions as that instead of making for us they may flatly and plainly make against us Do Carnal Men customarily make the littleness of their sins the commonness of their sins their ignorance in sinning their temptations to sin their sinful Nature to be so many Excuses of their sins And hast thou thy self sometime taken up and oft been glad of these Excuses Why now in thy Confessions turn these Exeuses I mean those very things which are the Matter of them into so many Aggravations 1. Is' t ordinary for Men to make nothing of their sins because they are but little ones Nay hast thou thy self said of thy sin as Lot did of his Zoar It is a little one Is it not a little one and thus extenuated thy sin Why rather aggravate thy sin even from hence in that it was a little one Say Lord It was comparatively but a little one and yet so unkind was I to a kind God that I would not do a small matter for thee Lord I would not sorbear this little sin O how loth should I be to forgo and part with a greater You see how the smallness and littleness of a sin does sometimes greaten and aggrandize it Further 2. Is the Commonness of a sin frequently pleaded for the sin And hast thou thy self at any time said of thy sins they are but Common ones and thought they were passable for this Excuse
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
shall wonder at the great change and strange alteration that shall be found in me He promises amendment of his life by vertue of his own strength and ability as if his bare purposes were Wit hs or Cords strong enough to bind the Sampsons within him and does not heartily desire Divine Grace to aid and back his Resolutions And hence it is that if God does any thing for such an one he presently forgets himself forgets all his promises which were lately warm upon his Lips his Lusts revive as his bodily strength renews He mends into his old sins again and recovers into his former Follies Too many resolve in their own srength but they have power of themselves to hold their resolution no longer than they are held under some extraordinary Conviction or Punishment and therefore when these cease they return with the Dog to his Vomit and with the Sow that is wash'd to her wallowing in the mire and rush into Sin as boldly as if in Confession they had told God not so much what they had done as what they would do But now the truly Penitent Confessor he 's exceeding distrustful of his own naughty deceitful Heart even in his most solemn Vows and strongest Resolutions and therefore he rather expresses himself in fervent unfeigned Desires and Wishes and Prayers that God would help him to do this and leave that undone than fearlesly and presumptuously concludes and determines that he will or won't do this and that upon over-bold and most proud Confidences in his own strength and Self-sufficiency He uses such kind of Language as this to God Lord thou knowest Lord thou hast given me to know how that I have no power of my self against these my Lusts and Corruptions but I am now through Grace willing to be rid of them O that I might be strengthned and enabled from abâ—ve wholly to conquer and subdue them O that I might have Divine power and assistance granted me whereby I may unweariedly oppâ—sâ— and finally overcome all thine and my Enemies whereby I may be able to resist the Devil and say nay to a Temptation Lord I have no might against this great Company that daily cometh against me I have formerly gone out in my own strength with a Sword and with a Spear and with a Shield Arm'd with my own Carnal Resolutions against these Spiritual Philistines and was worsted and fell by their hands but now I desire to go out in the Name of the Lord of Hosts I know not of my self what to do but my eyes are upon thee help thou Lord help enable me by thy Grace faithfully to keep my Covenants to perform my Vows to be as good as my Promises to be true to my Resolutions The Penitent Sinner does not wish and desire that God would do all and leave him nothing at all to do that God would by an Act of Omnipotency presently subdue and immediately mortify his Lusts and Corruptions without giving him the trouble of a Conflict or putting him to the labour and pains of Practical Mortification or injoyning him the difficult use of a constant course of necessary Means but he so begs the Divine Grace and power and strength as that he resolves to act in the strength he shall receive and by the help of God and assistance of his Grace to strive against to resist and deny the most importunate Temptations to struggle with till he master and conquer his most unruly Lusts and rebellious Corruptions and to use all Means appointed by God for his Mortification and Sanctification And thus much for the third Adjunct or Property of true Confession True Confession is made with a full Resolution against our sins which must be taken with this Caution and Limitation That the Sinner resolve to do nothing in his own strength but all in the strength and by the Grace of God CHAP. IX The fourth and last Property of true Confession It is made with an Desire of and some good Hope in Divine Mercy The necessity of Faith and Hope in a right Confession of Sin upon a double account because that unbelieving despairing Thoughts do 1. greatly dishonour God 2. Extreamly deaden and straiten our own Hearts in Confession A necessary Caution to take one thing with anotheâ— and to be sure to join all these Properties of Confession in PracticalVse together 4. TRue Confession is made with an earnest Desire of and some good Hope in Divine Mercy 1. With an earnest Desire of Mercy A lively sence and feeling of his own present Danger and Misery powerfully excites and stirs up in the Penitent Sinner restless importunate Desires of Mercy He sees his extream great want and need of it and nothing but Mercy will satisfie and content him What would he now give for a Pardon in this case O how highly does he now prize esteem and value the most Soveraign precious Blood of Jesus Christ which was spilt and shed for the Remission of sins How fain would he be made partaker of it He craves Pardon of God and beseeches for Mercy with as strong cries and hearty desires as ever the poor Hunger-biâ—ten Beggar asked for an Alms with as great earnestness and vehemency of spirit as ever the Cast Malefactor begg'd for the Mercy of the Book or the poor Condemn'd Prisoner at the Bar pleaded for his Life before the face of the Judge A formal customary Confession of Sin without this hearty desire of Mercy is as vain and ridiculous a thing as any is in the World O what a gross and monstrous absurdity is it for a Man to go to God and confess his Sin and yet not to look for Pardon not to see any need of forgiveness of those enormities he confesses The truly Repentant Sinner he plainly sees and feels his Sin and Misery he well apprehends and discerns the absolute indispensable necessity of Mercy and always joins most affectionate Deprecation with his unfeigned Confession How very nearly are Confâ—ssion of Sin and seeking after Mercy link'd and coupled together by God himself 2 Chr. 7.14 If my people shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face And 5 Hos 15. I will go says God and return to my place till they acknowledge their offence and seek my face Acknowledging our Offences without seeking God's face and favour will never cause God to return to us what God has thus join'd together the humble Confessor dares not part and put asunder Therefore you frequently find in Scripture the Penitent Sinner at once acknowledging his own faults and imploring Divine Grace and Mercy See this in the poor Publican who standing afar off would not lift up so much as his Eyes unto Heaven but smote upon his Breast saying God be merciful to me a sinner 18 Luk. 13. He acknowledgeth his Sin and with the same breath intreats for Mercy The like we find in the good Thief upon the Cross 23 Luk. 41.42 We says he receive the due reward of our deeds there 's
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
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
him any favour Does it beseem God to pardon such an one as denies his Soveraign Right Power and Authority over him Why Confession of our Sins to God is but our due acknowledgment of a Superior and what less acknowledgment can we make of God's Title to us and Dominion over us than when we have broken the Laws violated the Commands of this our Lord and King as we hope for Mercy not to justifie our illegal Actions but to confess that we have done what we ought not to have done Less than this pray what is it but a plain disowning of God a refusing to have him to rule and reign over us a renouncing of all homage and subjection due unto him God can't in point of Honor pardon such an obstinate Sinner as won't make the least acknowledgment of his sin In civil affairs among Men he 's never judged fit to be admitted into favor who stands in and will not acknowledge his fault and shall we think that God has not good reason to take as much upon him as his Creature Shall we allow a poor simple creature to stand so much upon 't And would we have the great God put up any thing any how Surely God respects and regards himself more than so It 's a thing unbeseeming the Majesty of God for God to pardon sin without the Sinner's Confession 2. It 's a thing not at all beseeming and befitting the Justice of God for God to pardon Sin without demanding any Confession If God should pardon wilful stubborn impenitent Sinners that won't confess but resolvedly retain and hold fast their sins how could his Justice bear it It 's true Confession does not satisfie God's Justice yet sins unconfess'd can't be pardon'd without Injustice for tho' Confession of Sin does not satisfie yet does it greatly glorifie God's Justice and God will never shew himself Gracious in any such way wherein he shall lose the glory of his Justice no God consults the Honor of every Attribute and won't exercise one Attribute to the damage and detriment of another God's Justice won't suffer him to pardon but upon Confession therefore Confession is necessary 3. It 's unbeseeming the Mercy of God to give a Pardon where there 's no Confession for Mercy will never be taken for Mercy if Sin be not acknowledged to be Sin He that won't confess his sins will never acknowledge his need of Mercy will never magnifie Divine Grace will never desire it or seek after it will never account himself really beholding to God for it When we heartily acknowledge our offences and our sins abound in our sence and feeling then Pardon is most precious Grace is most glorious God's Mercy won't give out a Pardon but upon Confession for certainly God's Mercy would not be enough esteem'd and valued were not our own Sin and Misery first own'd by us and acknowledged 4. Lastly It 's unbeseeming the Wisdom and the Holiness of God for God to pardon Sin without requiring the Sinner's Confession for this would be to give countenance and encouragement to Sin this would be to open a Flood-gate to all Impiety and Profaneness this would be a plain Confirmation of the Sinner in his sin and a ready way and means of making him grow every day worse and worse It would be much like as if a Physician should prescribe a Cordial to one that has a very foul Stomach before he had taken a Vomit which would be so far from restoring and recovering the Patient that it would strengthen and fortify the humor and so increase and heighten and nourish the Disease Confessio Vomitus Confession is ordinarily compared to a Vomit now if God should give in a Pardon which is as a strong Cordial to a Sinner before the filth were fetch'd up and cast out of his Soul by a free and full Confession of his Sins this would but enhearten him to sin more presumptuously and animate him to go on more confidently in his wickedness it would but make him multiply to Sin as God multiplied to Pardon so far would it be from stopping and interrupting the course of his sin and breaking him of from it Now this does not at all consist with God's Wisdom nor with his Holiness to do that which would give the greatest encouragement to sin and be a direct means of making the Sinner to grow worse and worse Thus you see it 's neither agreeing with the Majesty nor with the Justice nor with the Mercy nor with the Wisdom nor with the Sanctity of God to remit and pardon Sin before and without Confession And that is the fourth Reason Confession of Sin is indispensably necessay to remission of Sins so as that God can't well Pardon without it 5 Reas We must confess because Confession of Sin is it self a proper act of * Exomologesis prosternendi humilificandi hominis disâ—iplina est conversationem injuâ—gens miserâ—â—ordiâ—e illecem Tertul. de Paenitent cap. 9. Mortification It 's a voluntary retracting revoking undoing as far as in us lies what formerly we have done and a hopeful prevention of the future commission of our sin As often as we confess we give sin as it were a new blow In every true Confession we renew our sence of the Evil and Danger that is in sin and strengthen our resolution against our sins and fasten an Obligation upon our selves to leave and forsake our sins so that we cannot now sin again so freely and easily as before Confession of our Sins does in the very nature of it solemnly engage us against sin and lay a strong tye upon us to the contrary it 's apt by way of Motive and Argument to hinder and restrain us from sinning after we have confessed it 's a direct means of making sin more uneasie and unpleasant to us for the future and so becomes a fit and proper Instrument of beating us off from our sins and making us wholly to depart from them Thus Confession is an Act of Mortification and therefore there 's good reason we should confess That 's the fifth ground of Confession 6 Reas We must confess because 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 It testifies unto God and evidences to our selves the Sincerity of our Repentance 'T is a plain Token that the Man bears a strong Affection to his sin and it 's sweet and pleasurable to him when he hideth it under his Tongue and spareth it as Zophar speaketh Job 20. 12 13. But it 's a good Sign that a Man is out of love with his sin when he 's ready to discover it and disposed humbly to confess it The Sick Man that will not truly declare to his Physician what the Meat or Drink was that proved prejudicial to his Health and caused his Distemper has no intention to forbear and abstain from it and that 's the very reason
enough to confess over all our Confessions and to humble our selves for all our Humiliations CHAP. XIV The Third Vse of Exhortation Three Motives taken out of the Text 1. If we confess God will forgive us our sins 2. He will also cleanse us from all our unrighteousness What is meant by Cleansing This Benefit nothing inferior to the former 3. God's Faithfulness and Justice do stand engag'd to make good the promised Blessings to us God condescends to confirm his Promises because there are two things which make us prone to distrust especially his Pardoning Mercy 1. Our own contrary Nature and Practise 2. The due consideration of our heinous Sins and high Provocations Vse 3 A Third Vse shall be of Exhortation seriously and earnestly to provoke and press you to the practice and performance of this necessary Duty As there are in points of Faith fundamental Doctrines so there are in points of Practice fundamental Duties and among them none more necessary to Salvation than this of true Confession Having already given you Ten Reasons which may well serve as so many Motives I shall now use no other inducements to excite and quicken you to the Duty than those which the Apostle brings here in the Text and methinks those great Benefits and blessed Privileges of Confession may easily and effectually prevail with you to put you upon the practise and exercise of it 1 Mot. First then Let us confess because if we confess God will forgive us our sins God both can and will forgive sincere Self-humbling Penitents God can forgive sins by reason of his Sovereign Authority And his Wisdom hath pitch'd upon the most convenient way of Pardoning Sinners admirably providing therein for the greatest Honour of his Attributes and Laws which otherwise would have been in great danger of being slighted and contemn'd and for his attaining the ends of Government by deterring Men from sin which he this way plainly testifies and demonstrates his extream hatred of and severity against by the most notable Example of his Vindictive Justice and by engaging Men to Holiness and new Obedience for the future God hath an eye and respect to all this in Relaxing the Penal Law and taking off its Obligation upon a valuable Consideration sc the bitter Sufferings and bloody Death of the Holy Jesus his only and dearly beloved Son when at his Fathers Commandment he voluntarily assumed our Guilt and substituted himself a Sacrifice for Sin in our room and stead Now God can as Rector and Governor of the World and the Supream Judge offended most Honourably dispence with the Law which says The Soul that sinneth shall die upon Account of Christ's perfect sufficient Satisfaction and the compleat Compensation and full Amends made by him for the wrong done to God by the sins of Men. Which Dispensation does not in the least invite and encourage Men to continue in Sin but leads them to Repentance Reformation and Amendment of Life to a dying to sin as Christ died for it and to a * 2 Cor. 5.15 living henceforth not unto themselves but unto him which died for us For since God has taken this Course and used this Method Men have reason to conclude which is the excellent arguing of the learned * De Satisfact Christi cap. 5. Grotius That if God would not pardon the sins no not of Penitent Sinners unless Christ did stand in their stead to bear the punishment much less will he suffer contumacious Sinners to go unpunished And further God can forgive sins by reason of his abundant Mercy None may despair and say Their sins are greater than can be forgiven And as God is able so he is willing to forgive If God would not upon any terms have remitted the Eternal Punishment and Death due to Sinners all Religion had been extinguished the Fear and Worship and Service of God had for ever utterly perish'd from off the Earth thro' Mens despair of future Felicity but God is good and gracious propense to Pity Mercy and Clemency and ready to help relieve and make sinful and miserable Man happy Mercy pleaseth him He delighteth in Mercy Mic. 7. 18. If it were not so he would not have sent his Son into the World to make Satisfaction and purchase Remission He would never have made and established a New Covenant a Covenant of Grace never have offered Mercy so freely in the Gospel as he does commanding his Ministers to preach Remission of Sins and proclaim a General Pardon to all that will accept of it upon the necessary reasonable mild and gentle Terms and Conditions of Faith and Repentance and beseeching Sinners to accept of Pardon and be reconciled to himself and recording and transmitting such Illustrious Examples of his marvellous rich pardoning Mercy as we find evidently set forth in the compassionate Father's kind carriage towards his wild loose extravagant Prodigal Son Luk. 15. in the Parable of the two Debtors Mat. 18. and particularly and eminently in St. Paul who for this cause obtained Mercy that in him first Jesus Christ might shew forth all long-suffering for a Pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting 1 Tim. 1.16 It is part of God's Name by which he makes himself known the Lord God forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin Ex. 34.7 God is strongly inclined and fully resolv'd to pardon all sorts and kinds of sin which we humbly and heartily confess to him 2 Sam. 12.13 David said unto Nathan I have sinned against the Lord and Nathan from God said unto David the Lord hath also put away thy sin thou shalt not die Nay what saith David himself Psalm 32.5 I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord says he and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin I said in my heart I firmly purposed and resolved I said I will confess not I have confessed and thou forgavest No Word of Confession was yet in my Mouth but God's Ear was already in my Heart So * Enar. 2. in Ps 32. St. Austin descants and paraphrases on the Words Note further in David it is only actus inchoatus but it is actus consummatus in God There was no sooner a sincere purpose on David's Part but there was a real effect an actual performance on God's Part David did but say he would confess and God forgave the Iniquity of his Sin And so the Prodigal did but say I will arise and go to my Father and will say unto him Father I have sinned and we find that when he was yet a great way off his Father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him Luke 15.18 19 20. So ready and forward is our heavenly Father to be friends with us and reconciled to us upon our humble Submission and penitent Confession And hence it is that David makes his readiness to confess a ground of his hope in Prayer Psalm 51.1.2 3. Have mercy upon me blot out my
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.
8.56 There has not fallen says he or fail'd one word of al his good promise which he promis'd by the hand of Moses his servant And therefore God's Mercies are call'd the sure mercies of David And God stiles himself †Exod. 34.6 abundant in goodness and truth * 1 Jam. 17. With him is no variableness neither shadow of turning If God has promis'd he will perform †Nam 23.19 God is not a man that he should lye neither the son of man that he should repent Has he said it and shall he not do it Or has he spoken and shall he not make it good * Mat. 5.18 24.35 Heaven and earth shall pass away but not one jot or tittle of God's word shall pass away unfulfilled Yea for our further and fuller security and satisfaction God has not only expresly promis'd it but has also sworn it that †Ezek. 33.11 as he lives the penitent Confitent shall not die but live When God says As I live he earnestly desires to be believed O happy we says * De Paenitent c. 4. Tertullian for whose sake the Lord does swear O miserable we if we won't believe him when we have not only his Word but Oath Now since God has so graciously condescended to our weakness and has so fully satisfied us of his love and good will towards us let not us be wanting in performing the Condition on our part because God can never be wanting in making good and performing the Promise on his part For if we confess our sins God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness CHAP. XV. A double Direction by way of Preparation to the Duty of Confession 1. Premeditate as much as you can in order to Confession 2. Be sure to look up unto God for Conviction HAving hitherto perswaded you to set upon the performance of this Duty I shall now give you some Directions about it that so the performance of it may be the more acceptable unto God and the more profitable to your selves I have thought upon somewhat which may serve to direct you 1. before the Duty in your Preparation to it 2. Concerning some Circumstances of the very Peformance of it 3. And lastly In your carriage and behaviour after the Duty 1. Before Confession take these two Preparatory Directions 1. Premeditate as much as you can in order to Confession 2. Be sure to look up unto God for Con-Conviction 1. Meditate before you confess Much is the fruit great is the benefit of this Direction I shall shew you a fourfold Benefit of it 1. Previous Meditation works the heart into a solemn serious confessing frame and temper Confession it 's the pouring out of the Heart before God now previous Meditation even melts the Sinner's Heart fits and prepares it to be poured out Alas our Stomach at first is too big to confess our sin to acknowledge our selves in a fault for this is an act of Humility of yielding and submitting to another which we naturally scorn to do and won't be brought to till our Heart be broken till our Stomach be pull'd down which is kindly wrought effectually done by Meditation by considering the Sovereignty of God over us his Power to make a Law and to command us the observance of it by bethinking our selves how much to our own Advantage the keeping of this Law would have been both here and hereafter and yet that we have wilfully broken this holy and just and good Law and so made our selves obnoxious to Divine Justice Considering after all this that it is not in vain to confess what we have done our Heart cannot but be now ready our Mouth cannot but be open to confess the extream sinfulness of our sins Thus you see how Premeditation puts us upon Confession and makes us willingly buckle to the Duty by shewing us the Reasonableness and Profitableness of the performance of it 2. Meditation as it puts the Sinner upon Confession so it affords and ministers abundant Mat er for Confession He that meditates before he confesses is very well furnished in his Confession He is not at a stand he is not to seek for what he should confess next he sees enough in himself to complain of himself for unto God It 's this Mediation that fills up the Bill of Indictment with so many Items Meditation it fully and clearly discovers our sins to us It 's the bringing the Elephant to the Water and the shewing of him there the ugliness and deformity of his * Lerg Scout Proboscis The Water is the Law now by Meditation we compare our selves with the Law of God and our Practises with its Commands and Injunctions and so we see how hugely deficient how very far short we are of our several Duties Meditation is the Hand which holds the Glass of the Law before us in which we plainly behold our own Faces and see all the spots and blemishes we have contracted Meditation is the perambulation of the Mind thro' the whole course of a Man's old Life It 's a reflection upon a recollection and recognition of our former actions When we have by solemn Meditation read over the Book of our past life turn'd over and examin'd the several leafs of it and so made good observation of our former Conversation then shall we be best able in our Confession to set down justly our Errata's and to give our God a penitential relation of our miscarriages 3. Meditation as it brings in Matter so it begets Affection * Psal 39.3 While I was musing says David the fire burned then spake I with my tongue It holds true in Confession as well as in any other part of Prayer 4. Meditation as it gives us a sight of our sins and so lays in Matter for Confession so it gives us a sight of God's Promises freely made unto penitent Confessors and so chears and strengthens and bears up our Hearts in Confession by shewing us what Attribute of God what Promise in his Word is most suitable most comfortable to us in our present condition and fittest to be pleaded with God in Confession Let us therefore prepare our selves to Confession by premeditation without which we can never confess as we ought But yet 2. Let 's not rest in our Premeditation but let 's be sure to call in the Assistance of the Spirit in our very entrance upon the Duty of Confession Let 's beg of God that he would give us his holy Spirit to convince us of sin We can never be able to tell our Dreams unless we be well awaken'd by the illightning convincing Spirit of God Let 's look upon our selves as poor dark blind Creatures and seek to God to be anointed with Spiritual Eye-salve that we may see Let every one of us cry to God * Job 34.32 That which I see not teach thou me and say with Job †Job 13.23 How many are