SER M. times, and in some cases, confeffion to men is not only recommended, but enjoined. CLXI. . II. How far confeffion of our fins is neceffary. That it is neceffary to confefs our fins to GoD, the fcripture plainly declares, and is I think a matter out of all difpute. For it is a neceffary part of repentance, that we fhould confefs our fins to GOD, with a due fenfe of the evil of them; and therefore the fcripture maketh this a neceffary qualification, and condition of pardon and forgiveness. Prov. xxviii. 13. "Whofo confeffeth and forfaketh his fins, fhall have mercy.' 1 John i. 9. "If we confess our "fins, he is faithful and juft to forgive us our fins, "and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness;" implying that if we do not confefs our fins to God, the guilt of them will still remain; to GOD I fay, for of confeffion to him St. John plainly fpeaks, when he fays, "He is faithful and juft;" Who? GoD furely; who though he be not named before, yet is neceffarily understood in the words before; "If we "confefs our fins," i. e. to GOD, "he is faithful "and juft." A general confeffion of our fins is abfolutely neceffary; and in fome cafes a particular acknowledgment of them, and repentance for them, especially if the fins have been great and deliberate and prefumptuous; in this cafe a particular confeffion of them, and repentance for them, is neceffary fo far as we can particularly recollect them, and call them to remembrance: whereas for fins of ignorance and infirmity, of furprize and daily incurfion, for leffer omiffions, and the defects and imperfections of our best actions and fervices, we have all the reason that can be to believe, that God will accept of a general confeffion of them, and repentance for them. And CLXI. if any man afk me, where I find this diftinction in SERM. scripture, between a general and particular repentance; I anfwer, that it is not neceffary it should be any where expreffed in fcripture, being fo clearly founded in the nature and reafon of the thing; because in many cafes it is not poffible that we fhould have a particular knowledge and remembrance of all our particular fins; as is plain in fins of ignorance, fince our very calling them by that name does neceffarily fuppofe that we do not know them. It is impoffible we should remember thofe fins afterwards, which we did not know when they were committed and therefore either a general repentance for these, and the other fins I mentioned of the like nature, must be fufficient, in order to the pardon of them; or we muft fay, that they are unpardonable, which would be very unreasonable, because this would be to make leffer fins more unpardonable than thofe which are far greater. And yet though this difference between a general and particular repentance be no where exprefly mentioned in fcripture, there does not want foundation for it there. Pfal. xix. 12. "Who can understand his "errors? Cleanfe thou me from fecret fins," (i. e.) fuch as we do not difcern and take notice of, when they are committed: and yet David fuppofeth, that upon a general acknowledgment of them, and repentance for them, we may be clean fed from them; though we cannot make a particular acknowledgment of them, and exercife a particular repentance for them, because they are fecret, and we do not particularly understand what they are. As for our confeffing our fins to men, both fcrip.. ture and reafon do in fome cafes recommend and enjoin it. As, Vol. IX. F i. In SERM. CLXI. 1. In order to the obtaining of the prayers of good men for us. James v. 16. "Confefs your fins "one to another," he faid before, "the prayer of "faith fhall fave the fick, and the LORD fhall raise "him up." This in all probability is meant of the miraculous power of prayer, which St. Chryfoftom reckons among the miraculous gifts of the Spirit, bestowed upon Chriftians in the first ages of the church: and this is very much countenanced and confirmed by what presently follows after this command of confeffing our fins one to another, and praying "one for another," and given as the reafon of it; "for the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous "man availeth much," the original is denois EVERyuin, the infpired prayer, which, in the verfe before, is called "the prayer of faith," meaning that miraculous faith, in the power whereof Chriftians did obtain of GOD whatever they were infpired to to ask of him; according to our SAVIOUR's promife in the gofpel, concerning the efficacy of the prayers of Chriftians, which we find mentioned among the other miraculous powers, which were to be conferred upon them by the coming of the Holy Ghoft. 2. Confeffion of our fins to men is likewife reafonable, in order to the eafe and fatisfaction of our minds, and our being directed in our duty for the future. In this cafe common reafon and prudence, without any precept of fcripture, will direct men to have recourfe to this remedy, viz. to difcover and lay open our difeafe to fome skilful fpiritual phyfician, to fome faith ful friend or prudent guide, in order to fpiritual advice and direction, for the peace and fatisfaction of our minds. And then, 3. In case our fins have been publick and scandalous, both reafon and the practice of the christian church church do require, that when men have publickly SERM. offended, they fhould give publick fatisfaction, and CLXI. open testimony of their repentance. But as for private and auricular confession of our fins to a priest in all cafes, and as of abfolute neceffity to our obtaining pardon and forgivenefs from GOD, as the church of Rome teacheth, this is neither neceffary by divine precept, nor by any conftitution and practice of the ancient chriftian church, as I have fhewn in my former difcourfe. Not to mention the bad confequence of this practice, and the impious and dangerous use which hath been made of this feal of confeflion, for the concealing and carrying on of the moft wicked and barbarous defigns; and the debauching of the penitents, by drawing them into the commiffion of the fame and greater fins, than thofe which they confeffed, which the more devout perfons of that church have frequently complained of. I proceed now to fhew briefly in the IIId Place, the grounds and reasons of the neceffity of confeffing our fins to GOD; and I fhall but just mention them. 1. From the precept and command of GOD; for which I have already produced clear proof of scripture. 2. From the nature of the thing, becaufe without this there can be no repentance towards God. He that will not fo much as own the faults which he hath been guilty of, can never repent of them. If we will not confefs our fins to GOD, we are never like to be forry for them. Thus much for the first thing in the text, the confeffion of our fins. I proceed now to the Second ingredient of repentance mentioned in the text, which is forrow for fin; "I will declare mine iniquity, F 2 66 SERM." iniquity, and be forry for my fin." In the hand- I. Confider the nature of this paffion of forrow. IV. How far the outward expreffion of our inward grief by tears is neceffary to a true repentance. I. For the nature of this paffion. Sorrow is a trouble or disturbance of mind, occafioned by fomething that is evil, done or fuffered by us, or which we are in danger of fuffering, that tends greatly to our damage or mischief: so that to be forry for a thing, is nothing elfe but to be fenfibly affected with the confideration of the evil of it, and of the mifchief and inconvenience which is like to redound to us from it which if it be a moral evil, fuch as fin is, to be forry for it, is to be troubled that we have done it, and to wish with all our hearts that we had been wifer, and had done otherwife; and if this forrow be true and real, if it abide and stay upon us, it will produce a firm purpose and resolution in us not to do the like for the future. It is true indeed, that we are faid to be forry for the death and lofs of friends; but this is rather the effect of natural affection than of our reafon, which always endeavours to check and moderate our grief for that which we cannot help, and labours by all means to turn our forrow into patience: and we are faid likewife to grieve for the miferies and fufferings of others; but this is not fo properly forrow as pity and compaffion. Sorrow rather refpects ourselves, and our own doings and fullerings. I proceed in the IId Place to enquire into the reasons and grounds of our forrow for fin; and they, as I have already hinted, are thefe two; the intrinfical, or the confe quent |