A choice Bed of Spices. 239 lip in it. The penitent man's confeifion fprings from inward impreifions of grace upon his foul, he heels n,v hi the confeffes, and his affeaions go along with his confeilions. The poor Publican finote upon his breaft and confeffed. Look, as the lick man opens his difeafe to his Phyfician, feelingly, affe&i- onately ; and as the Client opens his cafe to his Lawyer, feelingly, affeaionately ; fo the penitent opens his cafe, hi.. heart to God, feelingly, affeolionately ; cold, carelefs, ver- bal, formal, euftomary confeffions. are no fmall abominations in the eye of God, fer. 12.2 Such mens confellions will cut their condemnations at 'aft, their tongues will one day ut their throats ; though conceit-ion to men is a work of the voice, yet confefilon to God mull be the voice of the heart. Some- times the heart alone is fufficient without the voice, as you may fee in Hannah, t Sam. I. 13,14,15. but the voice is ne- ver fuflicient without the heart, as you may fee in that, ifa. 29. 13. Such who make confer ion of fin to be only a lip- labour, fuch inflead of offering the calves of their lips (as the Prophet requires, Hofea 14. 2.) do but offer the lips of calves. Heart-confeCilons (without words) shall be effeaual with God, and carry the day in heaven, when all f,:rm.::1, ver- bal confellions, though they are never fo eloquent or excel- lent, (hall be caft as dung in inners faces, Ifa. i. 12-16. Mary Magdalen weeps, and fighs, and fobs, but fpeaks never a word ; and yet by her heart-confeifions the carries it with Chrift, as is evident by his anfwer to her, Luke 7. 48. H laid onto her, thy fins are forgiven thee. Penitent fouls cor:ff fin feelingly, but wicked mens confefsions make no impref lions upon them, their confefsions run through them as water runs through a pipe, without leaving any impref,ion at al upon the pipe. Wicked men do no more tafte nor relifh the evil of fin, the poyfon of fin, the bitternefs of fin in any of their confeffions, than the pipe does tafte or relifh the Nat-el that runs through it. Such who confefs fin formally, or rhe- torically, and yet love fin dearly, heartily, fnall never get good by their confefsions ; certainly fuch confefsions will never reach the heart of God, that do not reach our own hearts ; nor fuch confefsions will never affeec the heart of God, Pfal. f E. ;2. Jer. 18.19, 2.0. 16. 8, 9. Ezra 9.6. Pfal, 38. 4, Job 42.6 Luke IS. Lute 7. 3$.
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