Serm. CVI. in order to Pardon. A 3 their Confciences, to repair to Comedifcreet and faithful Miniflerof God's Word, for advice and fttisfa&ion. And thus all the good ufe, which can be made c1 Confeffion, may be had in the Church, without our ill Effe&s and Confequences of the Romifh Confeflion, and without laying a Yoke upon the Confciences of Men, which our Saviour never laid. And now I have, as briefly and as plainly as I could, ílated this Controverfie between us and the Church of Rome, concerning the neceffity and ufe of fecret Confeffion to the Minifters of God, as the proper Guides and Dire&grs-of our Confciences. But it is grantedon all hands, that Confeflion of our fins to Godis neceffary ; and there is no doubt but it is here intended in the Text, viz. a Peni- tent acknowledgment of our fins ; the nature whereof I (hall briefly explain to you. And it mutt not only be a general Confeffion that we are fanners; but there mull be a particular acknowledgmentofour fins to God, fo far as upon a particu- lar difcuffion and examination ofour Confciences, we can call them to remem- brance ; efpecially our molt heinous fins, which our Confciences will not fuller usto forget, mutt be particularly acknowledged, with the feveral aggravations of them. And thisConfeffion mutt be accompanied with fuch a Shame and forrow for or fins, as produceth in us a fincere refolution to leave them, and to betake our felves toa better courfe. There are the princip l ingredients of a Penitent Confeffion. I. There muff be (name, without which there is no hopeof amendment. Con- feffion always fuppofeth convi&ion of a Fault ; and he that is truly convinced that hehath doneamifscannot but be affiamed of what he bath done. And thus the Penitents inScripture were wont tomake Conief ionof their fins to God ; Ez- ra 9. 6. 0my God (fays he) I am afhamed, and blulh to lift up my face to thee my God. So Jeremiah, Ch, 3. 25, We lie down in our fhame, and oar (onfnfion covereth us; for we have finned againfl the Lord. And fo likewife Daniel, Ch. 9. 5. We have finned, and have committed Iniquity, and done wickedly ; unto us belongeth comfit/on offace. . And thus our Saviour defcribes the penitent behaviour of the Publican, asafhamed to look up to that God whom he had offended, Luke t8. 13. He would not lift up fomuch as his eyes to heaven ; but fmote upon his breafl, faying, God be merciful to me ainner. Confeffion bealways accompanied with great forrow for ourfins, con- fidering the great difhonour we have brought to God, and the danger into which wehave brought our felves; I will declare mine iniquity, {lays David) and Iwill be ferry for myfin. And this Sorrow mull be proportionable to the degree of our Sin. If we have been very wicked, and have -finned greatly againfl the Lord, and have multiplied our tranfgreffions, and continued long in an evil courfe, have negle&ed God, and forgotten him days without number, the mealure of our forrow mull bear £ome pro- portion tothe degree of our fins: If they havebeen as Scarlet andCrimfon, (as the Prophet expreffeth it) that is, of a deeper dye than ordinary, our Sorrowmuff be as deep as our Guilt ; for 'tis not a flight trouble and a few tears that will wafh out fuch (lains. Not that tears are abfolutely neceffary, tho they do very well become, and moll commonly accompany a fincere Repentance. All tempers are not in this a- like; forcecannot exprefs their forrow by tears, even then when they are the moll inwardly and fenfibly grieved. But if we can eafily shed tearsuponother oc- cafions, certainly rivers of tearsought to run down our eyes, becaufe we have bro- ken God's Laws, the Reafónable, and Righteous, and Good Laws of fo gooda God, of fo gracious a Sovereign, of fo mighty a Benefa&or, of the Founder of our Being, and the perpetual Patron and Prote&or of our Lives : but if we can- not command our tears, there mutt however be great trouble and contrition of ' Spirit, efpecially for great fins; tobe fore to that degree as to produce the 3. Property Imentioned of a Penitent Confeflion, namely, a fincere Refoluti- on to leave our fins, and betake our felves to a better courfe. He does not con- fefshis Fault, but (land in it, who is not refolved toamend. True Shame and Sorrow for our Sins is utterly inconuftent with any thought of returning to them. It
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