A choke' Bed of S.picer. Seventh ly, Penitential confeffion 'tis believing and fidu- , 7. dal, 'tis mist with fome faith, though not alwayes with a Ele.fea 14. 2. ftrong faith ; 'tis not like the confellion of 4 Malefactor to the Judge, but like the confeffion of a child to his father, or like the confeffion of a fick man to his Phyfician. As a peni- tent man has one eye of forrow upon his fin, fo he has ano- ther eye of hope upon pardoning grace. Thus David, though Pfal. 51. he ha3 finned greatly, yet he hangs upon free mercy, and begs his pardon believingly. Thus Daniel,ro the Lord our -God Dan. 9.9. leiongs mercies and forgiveneffes, though xe have rebelled againfl him. Thus Sechaniah, Etra 10. z. And Sechaniah the fon of Ezra.'" Jehiel, one of the font of Elam, anfwered and laid unto Ezra, we have trefliajfed agabeft our god, and have taken f frange 'wives of the people of the Land, yet now there is hope in Ifrael concerning this thing. If it were not for hope the heart would break; there was hope among them that Ifrael would repent, and there was hope among them that God would have mercy upon their repentance. And the fame fpirit was working in the Prodi- gal ; I will arife and go to my father, and will fay unto him, fa- ther, I havefinned againfi heaven-and before,thee. Though he was Luke 12. VI. a Prodigal; yet he would go to God as to a father, wholnew how to pity and forgive the mourning and repenting child. When confeffions of fin are mingled with hopes of mercy, and the foul draws neer to God as a father, then the heart breaks moil', and melts and mourns moft. That confeffion of /fin that isnot mixt with fome hope of pardon, and with force I faith in the mercy of God is not penitential but defperate. !Cain in fome fort confefies, but then he files into the Land of Gen' 4. 16' I Nod ' and there he falls a building and planting, partly in con- .. , tempt of the dreadful doom God had pall upon him, and partly to drown the noife of his confcience, and defpairing of ;ever obtaining pardon in this world, or-enjoying a houfe 2 c""-'2: not made with hands in another world. TRIOS likewife con- Ifeges his molt hainous fin ; I have finned in betraying innocent lblood ; but having.no hope of pardon, no faith in that inno- l'44t.17. 37 4. scent blood he had flied, he goes out and hangs himfelf. 114,14,5 lhad no faith to mingle with his confeffion, he confeffes de-. lfpairingly not believingly, and fo goes forth and-strangles K k 2 himfelf
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