360 Direaio1:zs anent quires a broken heart, a Jl)irit really weighted with a . Jenfe of fin. And the marble, that .fweats in foul we'ather, bnt yet is never a whit the fofter, Jball be an emblen;J. of one confc.ffing his fin witha hale heart. 1' et let none fenfible of the hardn,efs of their heart, .be thereby made to Hand aloof from confeffion, .C1ying, TYIJo ·will roll away theJione ? Let them go forward, !n 1 d efiay it: ler them confefs their hardnds of heart, e1nd unfitnefs to make confeffion; for fo they may find the jlone rolledaway to. their hand. · Thirdly, Be as full as you can in your confe.ffioh ; laying all your fpiritual for~s before the Lord, fo far as you know them. One wound concealed from the phyfician, lnay prove fatal ' to the patient: ' and one fin indufirioufly pafl: over in confe.ffion, may prove fatal t~ the 'finner; tor ' he.that ~overeth his fins fhaU not profper,, Prqv. xxviii. I 3· David was aware of this, Pfalm xx~xii. 5· ' I acknowledged m.y fins unto thee, and mine iniquity h~we I not liid.' .h fared ill with ANanias and Sapphira, for that, in another cafe, they ' lied unto God, and kept back a part,' .~cl:s v. And he,s no true penitent,. that delires to hide any fweet morfel under his tongue, and is not willing to take iliame to himfelf for every •known fin. Fourthly, Be very part 1 icular in your confeffion, opening out your fpiritual fores before the Lord, Pfalm li. 4· ' 1have. done this evil in thy fight.' Jo!h. vii. 20. ' I have finned,-·- and· thus and thus have I done.' To confefs the feveral' kinds ,of your fins in general, without def\en<.1ing to particulars; is too . f.operficial work on fuch an occafion. . The particu· htr abomin,ations of your hea~t ane~ life, are raif~d up in meditation, to be laid before the Lord in J'1umble confeffion. I fuppqfe you to '· be at this work in a , fecret plate, where you may freely utter before him, what it would not be propel" you fl1ould (ay in tbe hearing of others. No doubt, a great dea1 of! free– dom may be ufed in fecret prayer, in narrating of tho·ughts
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