SERMON X.

CONFESSION.

IV.

PSALM xix. 12, 13.

"Who can tell how oft he offendeth? O cleanse thou me from my secret faults; keep thy servant also from presumptuous sins, lest they get the dominion over me: so shall I be undefiled and innocent from the great offence."

I SHOULD hope that enough has been said, this Lent, to make all of us who are inclined to good thoughts, aware, how very necessary it is, that in confessing our sins unto the Lord we should be as particular as we well can be; not saying simply, I have sinned, great is my sin, but as Achan did, Thus and thus have I done. It is very plain that unless we are thus particular, we shall hardly ever come to be as sorry for our sins, and as humble before God, as we ought to be, in order to obtain full forgiveness. Neither shall we know how to order either our lives or our prayers afterwards, so as to avoid falling again into the same condition, or a worse. On every account it is needful, as the Church says, that we should do much more than own ourselves sinners in a general way. To be forgiven and cured, we must "examine

infirmities: He will forgive and heal you, entirely, partial and imperfect as your confession must needs be.

It may help us to dutiful thoughts of our Lord's dealing with us in this matter, if we consider how those of us who are parents, or in any way entrusted with the care of others, proceed in pardoning the faults of those under their care. Suppose there has been something wrong: what do people expect from the children who have offended? from their scholars, from their servants, from all concerned in the mischief? of course they expect an honest confession without that they cannot forgive with any profit to the penitent: if he confess not honestly, what good will the absolution do? People expect and take trouble to bring it about, that their children's or servant's confessions may leave out nothing particular. They know it perhaps all, themselves, beforehand but they do not less encourage the penitent to repeat it. As I said, it is very like this when grown up sinners are making their confession to God. He knows all, yet He expects them to tell all. As we read in the Book of Joshua, when a certain man named Achan had been secretly taking part of the spoil of Jericho, and had been the cause of sad trouble to the people of God, for, because of that act of his, Israel had to turn their backs before their enemies by and by, upon Joshua's prayer, God made known by casting of lots who it was that had committed the sin, and although he could not be forgiven in this world, yet Joshua advised him what he should do, as the only right thing, having it perhaps in his heart, that on his so doing, he

might be spared and forgiven in the world after death. And what did Joshua advise Achan?" “My son, give glory to the Lord God of Israel and tell me what thou hast done," and Achan's heart was touched, (as we may believe) and he said, "indeed I have sinned against the Lord, and thus and thus have I done:" and with that he told Joshua exactly how he was tempted, what he had stolen, and where it was then hidden: and although Achan by God's commandment was stoned to death for his grievous sin-he could not, as I said, be forgiven in this world—we may well believe that he was in some unknown way, the better for the true and humble confession which he made: God in some unknown way might be merciful to him, as to others, who sinned and repented before they could know of Jesus Christ. But however it was with Achan, we are sure by what was said to him, that God accounts it giving Him glory, when sinners confess what they have done amiss, and put themselves to shame before Him: when in the bitterness of soul we go over our transgressions, the sad and shameful story of that too large portion of our lives, when we perhaps were turned away from God and altogether taken up with helping ourselves in secret to the accursed things of the world, the flesh and the devil-He would have us do this, not once only, when we first turn to God, but from time to time, at solemn seasons especially, and most especially at this season of Lent. He would have each one of us set apart some leisure hours, before we come to the Lord's Table at Easter, to sit alone and keep silence, renewing before God the sad memory of the years of darkness, of which

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we are now ashamed. It should be done in the way of prayer, as to God, and in His especial Presence : it should be done with care and fear, that we sin not by delighting unawares in the thought of any sin, even while we are confessing it to God: it should be done in a way of great thankfulness to Him Who has so far opened our eyes, and in loving hope, that He will by His grace make the future better than the past: and when this our confession is over, and it is time to go into the world again, let the holy sadness so far remain on our spirit, that we may be kept humble and resigned, not allowing ourselves to go on being angry, however ill we are used; nor fretting and repining, how badly soever things turn out; since we are the persons who have just had to make so miserable a report of ourselves to the Judge of all. Thus the sweet savour of our sacrifice of confession will spread over our whole lives: the house will be filled with the odour of the ointment: sin will be hated: holiness most earnestly sought for our Lord will be glorified, and our souls by His mercy, saved.

SERMON IX.

CONFESSION.

III.

JOSHUA Vii. 19, 20.

"And Joshua said unto Achan, My son give glory, I pray thee, to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto Him: and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me. And Achan answered Joshua, and said, indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus, and thus have I done."

SIN is the disease of the soul, the mortal disease, common to every one of us; and the Blood of Christ is the only cure; and that Blood can be applied no way, but only by true Christian penitence; and Confession is a necessary part of that penitence, as you heard last Sunday from our Lord's own beloved Disciple: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us; if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins." You heard also, that Almighty God expects this our confession to be a particular or special one. We are not to make it lightly, and after the manner of dissemblers with God: i. e. we are not to confess as the hypocrites do. How is that? why you know, a 1 S. John i. 8, 9.