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
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
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
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.
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