Leo Chap. 31, An ExpofLion upon the Book! of J o is. Verl.;3, Secondly As there is a confeflion ofthe fa&, fo ofthe fault, that is, that in doing fo wee have done aniif e, or done finfully and foolifh!y. WhenDavid made a confc4lion or acknowledge- ment of that fin, his numbring the people,hee doth not only fay, I have done it, but he faith, Ihave done very foolifbly,(a Sam,23 t o. ) Nor did he only confrffe that great finof Adultery, but he confeffed the fault ( Pfal, 51. 4. ) Agáinf% thee, thee only have I finned, and done this oval in thyfight : I havedone this, and in do- ing this I have done evil!. This is the life of Gospel repentance. Some confeffe the faca who yet arenot humbled under the fence of their owne folly and faulcines. Thirdly, There is in Confeflìon not only an acknowledge- ment of the fact and fault, buta f°abmifìion to the puniflimenc;, Confeflon is a judging ofour felves worthyof death ; hee that confeffeth doth as it were put the rope about his owneneck, and tells the Lord he is as a dead man before him. True Confeflìon, is a fubmirting to the sentence ofthe Judge, yea a judging ofour (elves, and a Juftifying of God in all, even in his fharpeft and fe- vereft dispensations. Thu> David (in Pfal: 51. 4.) i bave done evil in thyfight , that thou mayef1 be juf ified roben thou fpeakpf?, and be cleare when thou yudgeg ; That is, when thou judgefi mee as a father, when thoucorredeft and chaftifeft mee (asGod did. wonderfully chaftife him for thole fins, the fword never departed' from his family) Lord I confeffe thou art jnf$ in all thole fharpe . and levere judgements that I have been threarned with in refe- rence to that fin. Daniels heart,was in the fame frame while bee failed and prayed, and confeffed the fins of the people of IjraeL ( Dan: 9. 7, 8, ) © Lord ( faith he) Righteoufnefebelongeth unto thee, but unto ces confuftm offaces, as at this day, to the memo"' fu- dab &c. because oftheir trcfpafe that theyhave trefpafed again.fk thee &c. But force may fay, Is there a neceflity to make such a confeffi- onof fin ? teeing God is already acquainted with and knowes our fins, with all the circumf$ances and aggravations of them,, what need we Confefi`e them ? why fhouldwee tell that toGod. which he knows already I anfwer , Ell, wee doe not Confeffe, to informe God of what he knowes not, but togive glory to God in that which he knowes : So faith yofhua to ticban,,doenot hide thy fin,but con- feffe
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