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.
it will be greater the Stain deeper the Guilt heavier The longer we hide and cover Sin the more it will one day torment us To cover Sin it is but as if you should cover a Serpent which would but keep it the more warm and so cause it to sti g the more fiercely and to diffuse it's Poison and Venome the more effectually Therefore confess presently upon the commission of any great Sin That 's the 5th Particular 6. And Lastly Confess as presently upon the commission of any great Sin so presently upon the receit of any great Mercy Especially upon the receit of any Spiritual Mercy Upon any saving appearance of God to us or when he has newly lifted up the Light of his Countenance upon us Then is it a fit time for us to remember our ways and to be 〈…〉 shame even when the Lord is 〈◊〉 towards us Ezek. 10. â—3 The Prodigal took this special Season for his Confession and Humiliation Even after his Father had compassion and 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 in his neck and kissed him Then it follows The Son said unto him Father I have sinned against Heaven and in the 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 no more worthy to be 〈…〉 When we taste and see that the Lord is gracious then let 's with Jacob acknowledge our selves to be * Gen. 32.10 less than the least of all God's Mercies For this will set off God's Mercy commend the Divine Love advance and enhance the Riches of free Grace and make us more meet for and capable of further Favour and Mercy So much for the Direction concerning the Time and Season when we should confess 2. Concerning the Place where we should confess take this Direction Let 's especially confess our Sins in secret We ought indeed to take all Occasions and Opportunities to join with others in Publick Confession to bear a part in the ordinary and extraordinary Confessions of the Church and Family to which we belong But let 's chiefly chuse to make Confession of Sin in Secret between God and our Selves alone And that for a Threefold Reason 1. Because private Confession is altogether necessary For every Man has some personal particular special Sins with several Circumstances of them that cannot be mentioned when we pray or join in Prayer with others If any other conceive or compose the Prayer he cannot confess them because he is ignorant of them and a stranger to them For what man knoweth the things of a man save the Spirit of man which is in him 1 Cor. 2.11 Again If you your selves do draw up the Indictment and frame the Confession you will be sure to conceal your most shameful Sins You will never particularize never aggravate them in others hearing Nor is it reasonable you should Secret Confession is therefore necessary for if some secret Sins be not confess'd in Secret they will never be confess'd Others can't and we won't openly confess them 2. As secret Confession is plainly Necessary so it is very Convenient We have a double Advantage in Solitary which we have not in social Confession For 1. We may more fully and freely spread and lay open our Sins before God in Secret than we are likely to do in Company with others We cannot but be hugely loth to uncover our Nakedness before Men. We are afraid to reveal and open our Secrets to others Because if in confession of Sin we should enumerate and aggravate before others such Faults and Miscarriages as we have been guilty of but they suspected nothing at all of before ev'n they who hitherto thought well of us would be apt to abandon their good Opinion of us and might be ready to judge and condemn us and to take up and harbour hard thoughts of us Therefore we find our Selves very much heart-bound and tongue-ty'd in the presence of others as to the confession of personal private particular Sins But now nothing can hinder our Freedom in Secret There we may deal as plainly as we will There we may safely speak all out For we can never make our selves more vile and base in the most ample true Confession of our Sins to God than God himself does know we are more clearly and fully than our selves do before we give him a sad and sorrowful Account of our Selves make any relation of the wickedness of our Lives or utter a word in secret Confession of Sin to him And to be sure he 'll not dislike us and turn away his Face from us for the heinousness of the Sins that are humbly acknowledged by us but will favour us and be well affected towards us for faithfully declaring our Sins and thorowly unbosoming our Selves to him 2. Secret Confession is most Convenient because in Secret we have Liberty to use more Helps of Voice and Gesture and to acknowledge our Sins and complain against our Selves with more expressions of Shame and Sorrow and Anger and holy Revenge The poor penitent Sinner when withdrawn from others and gotten by himself alone may use Self-punishing troublesome Postures in his Confessions and Prayers He may greatly humble himself not only by the reverent Gesture of Genuflection but by the most lowly self-abasing Posture of Prostration not only fall on his Knees but fall on his Face before God He may give a large vent to his strong and vehement holy Affections in a chosen Place of convenient Privacy and fit Retirement There he may smite upon his Thigh smite upon his Breast There he may sigh and groan mourn and mone weep and wail confess and pray with strong crying and tears weep bitterly and pour out tears abundantly which things he refrains himself from and forbears to do in the presence and company sight or hearing of others 3. Confess in Secret because the most secret is likely to be the most sincere Confession We find in Scripture that meer Hypocrites have made Confession of their Sins before Men. Pharaoh did this to Moses and Aaron over and over and Saul to Samuel and Judas himself before the Priests and Elders publickly in the Temple But you don't read that any of these would ever wait upon God in Secret and there ingenuously pour out their Hearts before him And therefore our Saviour requires and presses Privacy in the Duty of Prayer particularly Mat. 6.5 6. Confess thy sins in Secret where thou hast no other Witness but the Lord himself and nothing is done for gaining the Praise and Commendation of Men for Parts or Piety and Devotion which do not in the least appear and are not at all shewn to others in such private Religious Performances To confess and pray in private to wrestle with God all alone and to supplicate in Secret when no Eye of Man sees thee no Ear of Man hears thee this will more plainly and clearly discover an upright and honest Heart in thee When a Man does it in Secret only between God and his own Soul it is some Sign he confesses voluntarily and freely It shews that the Man
147 148. 9. It 's a dangerous thing for any to attempt to hide their sins from God p. 149. 10. Confession of Sin or Self-accusing and Self-judging it happily prevents or weakens all Satan's Accusations of us to God p. 152. And to our selves especially upon our Death-Beds p. 154. And surely forestalls the just Sentence and Judgment of the great Judge at the last Day p. 157. CHAP. XII The first Vse of Confutation of the Popish Doctrine of Auricular Confession p. 159 to 164. CHAP. XIII The Second of Excommunication and Reproof together p. 165. CHAP. XIV The Third of Exhortation p. 169. Three Mottves taken out of the Text 1. If we confess God will forgive us our Sins p. 170. 2. He will also cleanse us from all unrighteousness p. 179. What is meant by Cleansing p. 180. This Benefit nothing inferior to the former p. 184. 3. God's Faithfulness and Justice do stand engag'd to make good the promised Blessings to us p. 187. God condescends to confirm bis 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 p. 188. 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 p. 195. 2. Be sure to look up unto God for Conviction p. 198. CHAP. XVI Directions given concerning some Circumstances of the very Performance of this Duty 1. Concerning the Time and Season of Confession 1. Confess continually 2. Daily The Equity p. 201. and Advantage of so doing p. 203. 3. Whenever you lie under any notable Conviction p. 206. Or 4. any notable Affliction p. 207. 5. Presently upon the Commission of any great Sin p. 210. Or 6. Vpon the Receipt of any great Mercy p. 212. 2. Concerning the Place especially confess in secret 1. Because it 's necessary p. 213. 2. Convenient p. 214. 3. Most likely to be Sincere p. 217. CHAP. XVII Directions respecting our Behaviour after the Duty 1. Hâ—st thou confess'd Then bless God who has enabled thee to confess 2. Apply the Promise to thy self and make good Vse of it in time of Temptation p. 221. 3. Daily plead the Promise with God and carefully look after the Performance of it p. 222 223. 4. Hast thou confess'd and found the Benefit of it give God the Praise that is due to him p. 223. 5. Take great heed of falling into Sin after Confession p. 224. 1. Of falling wilfully into any Sin 2. Into the same particular Sins p. 225. For 1. There is great danger of it Danger 1. To the formal Confessor in four respects p. 226. to 228. 2. Danger to the Penitent Confessor 1. From Satan p. 228. 2. From our own Corruption p. 229. 2. Great Evil and Folly in it great Guilt and Danger by reason of it For 1. Falling into Sin any gross Sin after Confession does exceedingly aggravate the Sin p. 230. in three respects p. 231. 2. â— It brings along with it great Punishment both internal and external Punishments p. 233. 3. 'T will make you Self-condemn'd when God punisheth you p. 234. 4. 'T will break our present Peace and dash our Hopes of future and further Comfort 5. Thou wilt thus cut out for thy self new Work and make the Severities of a New Repentance necessary p. 235. 6. 'T will make us more unapt and unable to rise again and recover out of it 7. 'T will very much dishearten us when we would beg Pardon of our Sin and hugely discourage us when we would renew our Resolution against it p. 236. 8. 'T will make God loth ever to take your Word again p. 237. and will render him harder to Pardon you upon anew Confession p. 238. CHAP. XVIII Some Means or Helps for avoiding of Sins confess'd 1. Let such as have formerly confess'd their Sins without any true Sense of Sin now labour speedily to get a thorow Conviction of the Evil of their Sins p. 242. 2. Let such as have confess'd their Sins with a true Sense of Sin upon their Spirits observe these Rules 1. Labour to preserve in the course of thy Life the same Apprehensions thou hadst of thy Sin in any former serious Confession p. 243. 2 Consider and remember that thou art at present in Dependance upon God for Mercy and art very fair for 't 3. Be always imploring Divine Assistance and improving your own Endeavours against your Sins p. 247. CHAP. XIX A double Caution 1. While we take heed of falling into the same particular Sin we confess'd let us also beware of falling into the contrary p. 250. 2. If through strength of Corruption or violence of Temptation thou shouldst at any time fall into the same Sin again thou must not for all this run into Despair but thou must renew thy Confession as thou renewest thy Transgression This gives no License at all to sin p. 252. 253. CHAP. XX. The sixth Direction Have we confess'd our Sins to God that we might be forgiven them by God Let us then freely forgive those that have trespass'd against us upon their Confession of their faults to us and so forgive them as to testito them our pardoning of them p. 258. ERRATA PAg. 9. l. 22. read their sins p. 13. l. 17. Job 31 p. 19. l. 7. dele in p. 41. last l. dele one r p. 42. l. 26. r. of his p. 48. l. 10. many sins p. 101. l. 5. there p 108. l. 2. of the Contents an earnest p. 157. l. 8. at p. 172. l. 2. for them p. 176. l. 5. dele he p. 185. l. 12. and 13. dele when shall p. 194. l. 11. r. Per p. 196. l. 24. dita p. 209. l. 9. for it p. 211. l. 17. to do A DISCOURSE OF Confession of Sin 1 John 1. ix If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness CHAP. I. The Introduction The Division of the Words The Doctrine laid down and the Method propounded for the handling of it The Nature of Confession open'd or a Description of it given containing the Acts or Parts and the Adjuncts or Properties of Confession THe Apostle having shewn in the Verse foregoing that no Man living is without Sin he presently propounds a general Remedy of this Malady declaring Confession and acknowledgment of Sin to be a means of obtaining Remission of Sin and Sanctification at the hands of God If we confess our sins c. In the Words themselves there 's no Knot to be untied no Difficulty to be resolv'd they are very plain and easie and intelligible enough to any one that will but understand them Take but those Words Faithful and Just in the same sence with reference and relation to the Divine Promise and the whole Verse doth need no more Explication it wants no other Explanation at all Only let me
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
Manner of it namely as it is made 1. by a particular Enumeration 2. by Aggravation of our sins before the Lord. CHAP. V. Of the second Act of Confession to wit Self-Condemnation Self-Condemnation does not at all consist in any willingness to go to Hell or contentedness to be Damn'd but only in a serious judging esteeming and acknowledging our selves worthy of Hell and Damnation for our sins Two Marks or Characters whereby we may be able to judge of our Self-Judging If we truly condemn our selves for our sins then 1. We shall humbly submit to any present punishment that the hand of God has already laid upon any of us 2. We shall be willing to bear any further punishment that God shall lay at any time upon any of us here in this World Particularizing and Aggravation have some place in Self-Condemning as well as in Self-Accusing I Now proceed to the second Act of Confession to wit Self-Condemnation which is the Sinner's passing Sentence upon or pronouncing Sentence against himself and judging himself worthy of all the Punishments legally due unto his sin namely of Corporal Spiritual Temporal and Eternal Judgments If we look into the Scriptures we shall easily find evident examples of this Self-Condemning or Self-Judging You may hear David making such a kind of Confession as we have all along described 1 Chron. 21.17 2 Sam. 24.10 17. And David said unto God I have sinned greatly because I have done this thing but now I beseech thee do away the iniquity of thy servant for I have done very foolishly I have done this thing there is his Self-Accusation and that in particular too as was before observ'd I have done this thing to wit numbred Israel and you have his Aggravation of it in those expressions I have sinned greatly I have done very foolishly greatly indeed against the Counsel of his friend Joab v. 3. of 21. of 1 Chron. and foolishly too for it was meerly out of a vain and proud humour And this he confesses with an Asseveration Which further aggravates Even I or lo I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed And then you have his Self-Judging Let thy hand I pray thee O Lord my God be on me and on my father's house v. 17. See this also clearly in the Example of the Prodigal 15 Luk. 21 Father I have sinn'd says he There is his Self-Accusing He accuses only himself here I have sinn'd he lays it not upon any of his idle Companions I have sinn'd particularly in my Prodigality Against Heaven and in thy sight there 's the Aggravation of his sin Against Heaven that is by an Hebraism sinn'd against God who dwells in Heaven and is the King of Heaven and whose Power is most conspicuous and glorious in Heaven Or I have sinn'd against Heaven the meanning may be says A. Lapide I have sinn'd grievously so as my sins cry aloud to Heaven for Vengeance Or I have sinn'd against Heaven because being call'd by God to Heaven I preferred Earth before Heaven earthly things before heavenly as 't is well known that wretched Cardinal did who preferred his part in Paris before a part in Paradise I have abus'd and offer'd affront to Heaven so that if Heaven had Reason and a Voice it would cry out against me and would accuse me to God that I have preferr'd earthly Delights and sinful sensual Pleasures before the Kingdom and Joys of Heaven I have sinn'd against Heaven and in thy sight that is thee seeing and beholding me I have been bold to sin when the Eye of God was upon me to sin in the very view of my Judge in the sight of the Living and All-seeing God who is highly offended with sin and can sufficiently avenge and punish it This Aggravation is usual in Scripture to signify and set forth the presumpâ—uousness of a sin It 's said that Nimrod was a mighty Hunter before the Lord or in the face of the Lord 10 Gen. 9. 38 Gen. 7. you read that Er Judah's eldest Son was wicked in the sight of the Lord and the Lord slew him the phrase denoteth he was a bold presumptuous impudent Sinner He goes on and am no more worthy to be called thy Son there is his Self-Condemnation as if he should have said I have walked unworthy of such a Father I have serv'd my own Vices and Lusts and I don't deserve to be called any more by thy Name I deserve to be for ever disown'd by thee to be quite cast out of thy Favor and Family and to be utterly Disinherited I am no more worthy to be called thy Son * Vers 19. Make me as one of thy hired servants Let me be any thing so I may be thine The Penitent Sinner comes before God as Benhadad's Servants did before Ahab 1 King 20.32 who came to him with Ropes about their Necks as Men judging themselves worthy to Die The poor Sinner as soon as he has arraign'd and accus'd himself presently passes on to the Sentence and represents in a Judicatory of his own even himself being Judge That a Sinner merits an high Calamity He unfeignedly stands on God's side and takes God's part against his sin and against himself giving God the glory of his Righteousness and Justice if he should condemn him and of his unsearchable rich Mercies if he shall be pleas'd to forgive him He uprightly and sincerely owns Damnation and charges himself with it as his due Portion and most just Inheritance Observe here by the way that Self-Condemning does not at all consist in any willingness to go to Hell or contentedness to be Damn'd To condemn our selves is always our bounden Duty but to be contented to be Damned is no where commanded nay if taken withâ—ut limitation it is prohibited because to be willing and contented actually to be Damn'd is in effect to be willing and contented to be for ever in a state of Enmity and Hatred and Sin against God and in an utter meâ—â—â—â—tâ— ever to glâ—râ—fy God or to do him any Service all which the condition of the Damn'd necessarily includes But Self-Condemâ—ing consists only in a serious judging esteeming and acknowlâ—dging our selves worthy of Hell and Damnation for our sins And with such a mind as this with such an holy humble broken frame and temper does every truly Penitent Sinner go to God in Confession Lord says he I confess I am indebted ten thousand Tâ—leâ—ts to thee and am unable to pay thee any one Penny I acknowledge thou may'st justly cast me into Prison and there keep me until I have paid the utmost farthing altho' I should lye there to â—il Eternity Lord I am become guilty before thee and have made my self liable to the Divine Wrath the deserved * Rom. 6.23 Wages of my sin is Death I acknowledge there is Matter enough of my Damnation and I cannot but wonder that the Sentence of the Law is not executed against me The Lord knows there are many
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
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
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
mine iniquities and sins make me to know my transgression and my sin to know it in the Kind in the Nature in the Effects and issues of it to know it so as to be sufficiently sensible of the great Evil and Danger of it Go to God for a sight of your sins when you go about to confess them * Prov. 16.1 The preparations of the heart in man are from the Lord. So much for your Direction before Confession Give your self to Meditation in order to Confession and look up unto God for Conviction CHAP. XVI Directions given concerning some Circumstances of the very Performance of this Duty 1. Concerning the Time and Season of Confession 1. Confess continually 2. Confess daily The Equity and Advantage of so doing 3. And more particularly Confess whenever you lye under any notable Conviction 4. Confess whenever you lye under any notable Affliction 5. Confess presently upon the Commission of any great sin 6. Confess presently upon the Receipt of any great Mercy 2. Concerning the Place where we should confess Let 's especially confess our sins in secret and that for a threefold Reason 1. Because private Confession is plainly necessary 2. 'T is very convenient There is a double Advantage in it 3. The most Secret is likely to be the most Sincere Confession I Shall in the second place direct you concerning some Circumstances of the very performance of this Duty And first Concerning the Time when 2. Concerning the Place where we should confess 1. Concerning the Time and Season of Confession take these Directions 1. Confess continually As the Apostle says * 1 Thes 5.17 Pray without ceasing So say I Confess without ceasing Be always in a confessing frame and temper Frequently send up Ejaculatory Confessions to the Throne of Grace Continually walk humbly with thy God under a deep sence of thy own vileness sinfulness and unworthiness 2. Confess daily This is a Debt that every day grows due to God Thou art a daily Sinner and if every day thou findest time to sin O be sure you spare time to confess your sin We daily add sin unto sin and therefore let 's daily add sorrow to sorrow and renew our Confession as we renew our Transgression Let 's pitch upon some set and stated Times for the daily solemn sisting of our selves before God and the making a faithful acknowledgment of our sins to him Under the Law there was appointed both * Exod. 20.39 a Morning and an Evening-Sacrifice every Day of which the Hebrew Doctors say The continual Sacrifice of the Morning made atonement for the iniquities that were done in the Night and the Evening Sacrifice made atonement for the iniquities that were by Day This daily double Sacrifice and Service is a good Pattern for double Devotion every Day We must acknowledge every Day the sins of that Day and we should do well daily to make a particular Confession of some of the greatest and foulest most heinous and gross sins which we know we have committed in any part of our Lives These we must confess again and again till we have gotten some Assurance of their Pardon some comfortable Evidence of God's Love and if we attain to this in some good measure yet let us confess our sins still to get further and higher degrees of it to get stronger and clearer confirmation of it as we see David does Ps 51. Yea tho' we be never so fully perswaded of the forgiveness of our sins yet let 's confess them still that so our Pardon may be continued and our Humility encreased by often remembring what we were as well as considering what we are and that the Riches of God's free Grace may be thankfully acknowledged and deservedly magnified in that he was pleas'd to remit and forgive such heinous and provoking Offences Let 's every Day pray and say This Day forgive us our Trespasses We shall reap and receive a threefold benefit and advantage by it 1. By daily Confession we shall keep our selves constantly humble and daily renew and strengthen our Obligation to continual Mortification Watchfulness and Holiness and shall by degrees even shame our selves out of our sins and follies And this will make us every day afraid to sin when we know we must go before the Judge and accuse our selves and aggravate our sin the very day the fault is done 2. The more we do now the less we shall have to do hereafter If we confess our daily sins every day of our life the less work we shall have lying upon our hands at the day of our Death And truly to be before-hand in this Duty this is one way to go quietly out of the World When Men put off all to a late and Death-Bed Confession this makes them have such an hard time of it this makes their passage troublesome then they have the Devil and a guilty Conscience to deal withal which is worse than to grapple and conflict with their Diseases then their neglect and shameful omission of former Confession will torment and terrifie them and the great uncertainty of their present Sincerity and a strong Suspicion lest the Principle of their action should only be the passion of Fear will dishearten and discourage them distract and confound them Don't make the time of thy Death the only time for thy full Confession perhaps then thou may'st not be able to speak for thy Sickness nor to think of any thing as thou shouldst do O what wilt thou do to remember thy sins then when thy Memory fails thee When we lie upon a Sick Bed when our Bodies are weak and our Memory crasie is that a fit time to go over our Life and to review the several parts of it Therefore that we may have the less to do when we shall have enough to do to struggle with Sickness that we may have nothing to do when we die but to die and comfortably to yield up our selves to God let us take this good Counsel To be punctual in daily Confession and Self-Condemnation 3. Yea to accustom our selves to daily Confession a contrite not a meer customary Confession it would be an excellent means to free us from the Fear the slavish afflicting tormenting fear of sudden Death To make all even Morning and Evening between God and our own Consciences by humble acknowledgment of all our Offences and hearty Prayer for Pardon and Grace for the sake and Merits of the Mediator this is the way to walk abroad with Comfort and Confidence every day without any fear of a sudden Stroke and hasty Arrest by the Hand of Death and to lie down in peace and sleep most quietly every Night without one anxious distracting thought where we shall awake the very next Morning whether ever any more in this or whether speedily or unexpectedly in the other World If we judge our selves in the presence of God and sue out a Pardon at the Throne of Grace and wisely make our peace with
28. While Fools avoid one Vice they commonly rush into the contrary Vice Let 's therefore take heed that sin don't in again in our very Revenge of those sins which we ha' confess'd Here Satan always seeks his Advantages and often gets them of us and makes too good use of them when he has got them Let 's therefore so be zealous against a sin that formerly we have been guilty of and made confession of as that we don't unwarily run into the contrary Extream If thou hast confess'd thy Covetousness and resolv'd against it in avoiding of that take heed thou dost not turn Prodigal If thou hast confess'd thy Prodigality take heed in shunning of this that you fall not into Covetousness If you made Confession of your Presumption beware now of Vnbelief under the shew and colour of Humility If you confess'd your Vnbelief then now take heed of fearless bold Presumption cloak'd with the specious Name of Affiance and Confidence in God Do'st thou acknowledge thou hast been formerly Profane and Atheistical O then take heed of needless Ceremoniousness and downright Superstition let not that impose upon you under the plausible Notion of exemplary Piety and singular Devotion Do'st thou confess thou hast been too too Ceremonious and plainly Superstitious O now take heed of Atheism and Profaneness of Looseness and Licentiousness let not Looseness creep upon you under the Notion and Title of Christian Liberty It may be you may be very tender of falling into the same sin again because your Conscience may judge a Relapse into that sin to be very dangerous but this fear of falling into the same sin may cause you too much to lean and encline towards the contrary sin This Caution therefore is very necessary After Confession so take heed of falling into the same sin as that you fall not into the clean contrary sin 2 Caution We must indeed take heed of sinning after Confession yet if thro' strength of Corruption or violence of Temptation thou shouldst at any time fall into the same sin again thou must not for all this run (a) In case we do catch a fall and the tempter without lust within do blow and push us down yet we must not make the matter worse by despairing for to despair is a greater fall than the fall it self this were to leap into the fire to save our selves from the flame Capel of Tentat 1 Part p. 123. into Despair but thou must renew thy Confession as thou renewest thy Transgression This gives no License at all to sin but is the best Preservative and Antidote against it †It is a dangerous case for a godly Man to sin the same great sin after Repentance What if it do not put him out of Christ What if it do not hang him yet it burns him in the Hand whips him up and down the Town My meaning is That it doth cast him into a Bed of miserable sorrow â—ut withal we must say that it may possibly be that after true and hearty Repentance for such a fault a Child of God may fall into the same gross sin He may as well fall into the same gross sin as another as great because that another Sin as great is as contrary to the Habit of Grace and Act of Repentance as the same He may chance to fall into the same gross Sin again and again how often I cannot tell but this I can tell that how often soever he sinneth let him repent and return and his Pardon is ready They wrong God in his Mercy and Men in their Comfort who do say the contrary Capel on Tentations p. 127 133 134. You can't from hence encourage your selves to sin for I told you before that the Pardon of sin committed after Confession will be more difficult to be obtain'd God won't presently smile upon you he won't so quickly give you a good word or a good look It will cost you many a Sigh many a Tear many a Prayer before you make your Peace with him He will see you deeply and soundly penitent before he will quite be friends with you But tho' the case be dangerous yet it is not desperate tho' you be further from Pardon than ever upon so doing yet God can pardon you in and through Christ There is not any one word in Scripture that affirms or intimates that Persons relapsing tho' again and again into the same sin can never truly and sincerely repent Nor is there any one word to be found there that denies the benefit of Gospel-pardon to those that humbly confess and unfeignedly repent of such sins as these Yea there are such sweet passages and precious promises contain'd in Scripture as will undoubtedly support and uphold any poor Soul in this state and condition and keep him from utter despairing of Pardon Jer. 3.12 13. Go and proclaim these words toward the north and say Return thou backsliding Israel saith the Lord and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you for I am merciful saith the Lord and I will not keep anger for ever Only acknowledge thine iniquity that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God And v. 22. Return ye backsliding children and I will heal your backslidings This is the gracious Promise and merciful Invitation of God Now do but observe their Answer Behold we come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God The greatness of their Sin does not drive them to Despair but the greatness and graciousness of God's Promise does embolden and encourage them to come to God by Faith and Repentance they presently lay hold of God's Favor and thankfully take the benefit of it And Hos 14.1 2 3 4. O Israel return unto the Lord thy God for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity take with you words and turn to the Lord. And then it follows I will heal their backsliding I will love them freely God in the Gospel has required us to forgive those who repeat their Trespasses against us as often as they renew their Repentance towards us to forgive an offending Brother * Luk. 17.4 seven times in a day Yea to forgive not only till seven times but †Matth. 18.22 until seventy times seven that is four hundred and ninety times which is not a determined number but signifies infinitely and intimates to us that we must Pardon continually Or the meaning may be as * Hieron in Matth. 18.22 St. Jerom expounds it that we should be ready to forgive our Brother oftner in a Day than ever he can stand in need of our Pardon Now can we think that the Father of Mercies will ever prove less merciful to us than he has commanded us to be to others Has not he himself plainly told us that in the case of shewing Mercy †Isai 55.8 9. His thoughts are not our thoughts neither are our ways his ways for as the Heavens are higher than the Earth so are his ways higher than our ways