A choice Bed of Spices. 247 J-dense, the lathes of confcience , the wounds of con- : - , 'fcience and the frequent motions of the fpirit, and ftrivings of the fpirit,. that I have finned againft ! &c. But now wicked men confer.; their fins flightly,careleily, trilling- ' iy ; they are careful and skilful to hide their fins, to cloak their fins, and to extenuate and Wien their fins ; and with the uniaft Steward, for an hundred to fet down fifty. All wicked men do commonly flatter themfelves -, that either their fins are not fins when indeed they are, or that they are not great and grievous fins when indeed they are, or that they are not fo great and grievous as other mens fins are, when indeed they are more grievous and hainous than other mens fins are, fO far are they from aggravating of their fins ; the truth is, wicked men are rd far from aggravating of their fins, that they are 1101 extenuating of them, and that by fa- thering of them, fometimes upon their conflitutions, fome- - itimes upon bad company, fometimes upon their callings, b , i con:tmes upon Satan, and fometimes upon chance, as they - - call it, 84c But no more of this, enough is as good as a fe aft , Sixthly, The true penitent confefies his,fins humbly, for- rowfully. In his confeffions he appears before the Lord with ropes about his neck (as Benhadad's fervants) and with tears in his eyes ; his confefsions favour of contrition of heart, and not of oftentation of fpirit; contrition of heart, and confufion of face, is the common refult of a penitential con- fefsion. David waters his couch with his tears, (Pfal. 6. 6.. and he mingles his meat with his tears (PM.. 4 2;3 ,) and ez,-(4' and Daniel confefs their fins with wet eyes and blufhing cheels. Confefsion without contrition, neither pleafeth God nor profiteth man ; confefsion is the language of the tongue, contrition is the language of the .heart, and God 4, looks for both. The Publican does not only confefs his fins, but he fmites alfo upon his breaft, as a roan fUll of grief and.fOrrdw ; lying in the duff, and renting of garments, and putting on fackcloath and aches were bf old required of thoft, that confeft their iniquities. The. fpirit of repthtance is , fpiri Levis, 23.27,28. Ezra y, - Dan. 9,, Luke 18.13,
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