9óo Chap. 7. Expofitiott;Ion the Boakefj O B. Verl,2o, bean( /Ark, IS. )when he (mote his breaft and faid onely thus, God be merciful to me a fgoer. For fecondly, though to fpeak a general confiflion be an eafie matter, and every mans workr yet to make a general confeffion, is a hard matter a worke beyond man, As co man (in a fpiritual fence ) can fay, lefus io the Lord, but by the Holy Gboft ; (i Cor. I2, 3. ) fo no man can fay (in a Holy manner) I have finned, but by the Holy Ghost ; Good and bad, beleivers and unbelievers, !peak often the fame good words, but they cannot !peak the fame things, nor from the lame principles ; nature (peaks in the one, in the other, grace. The one may fay, very paílionately, he hath finned and, fometimcs almost drown his word fin tearer but the other faith, repcntingly, Ihave finned; and floods his hearts with Godly furrowes. Thirdly, to clear it yet more,the general c cnfuli,n of the Saints, have thetè four things in them. Firlt, Betides the fact, they acknowledge the blot, that there is much defilement and blacknefs in every tin ; that it is the onely pollution and abafement of the creature. Secondly, They confefs the fault, that they have done very ill in what they have done, and very foolifhly, even like a beats that -bath no underfianding. Thirdly, They confefs a guiltcontraLted by what they have done,that their perlons might belaid lyable to the fentence of the law for every fuch a6t, if Chrift had not taken away the curie and condemning power of it. Confcfflon of fin ( in the firm nature of it ) puts us into the hand of jutïice ; though through the grace ofthe new covenant, it puts us into the hand ofmercy. Fourthly, Hence the Saints confefs all thepunifhments threat - ned in the cook of God to be due to fin ;and are ready to acquit God whatfovever he hath awarded against (inners : 0 Lord rigb- teoufucfr belongeth unto thee, but unto us confufton of face, as at this day, to the men ofludah, and to the inhabitaner of jerufalem. Dan. 6.7. And, as in this confeffion, for the matter, they acknowledge the blot, the fault, the guilt, the punifhment of fin : fo for the manner ( which lets the difference yet wider between the general sonfLífi©ns ofwicked and Godly men ) they confefs ; First freely ; Acknowledgements of fin are not extorted by the pain and tro ,,ble which feazeth on them, as in Fharaob, Sera and
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