'My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.'—Hosea 4:6
Q. Is there anything else that must go to a right confession of sin?—A. Yes, In thy confessions thou must greaten and aggravate thy sin by all just circumstances.
Q. How must I do that?—A. By considering against how much light and mercy thou hast sinned, against how much patience and forbearance thou hast sinned; also against what warnings and judgments thou hast sinned; and against how many of thine own vows, promises and engagements thou hast sinned: these things heighten and aggravate sin (Ezra 9:10-14).
Q. But what need I confess my sins to God, seeing he knows them already?—A. Confession of sin is necessary for many reasons.
Q. Will you show me some of those reasons?—A. Yes, one is, by a sincere and hearty confession of sin thou acknowledgest God to be thy Sovereign Lord, and that he hath right to impose his law upon thee (Exo 20).
Q. Can you show me another reason?—A. Yes, by confessing thy sin, thou subscribest to his righteous judgments that are pronounced against it (Psa 51:3,4).
Q. Can you show me another reason?—A. Yes, by confessing sin, thou showest how little thou deservest the least mercy from God.
Q. Have you yet another reason why I should confess my sins?—A. Yes, by so doing thou showest whether thy heart loves it, or hates it. He that heartily confesseth his sin, is like him who, having a thief or a traitor in his house, brings him out to condign punishment; but he that forbears to confess, is like him who hideth a thief or traitor against the laws and peace of our Lord the King.
Q. Give me one more reason why I should confess my sins to God?—A. He that confesseth his sin, casteth himself at the feet of God's mercy, utterly condemns and casts away his own righteousness, concludeth there is no way to stand just and acquit before God, but by and through the righteousness of another; whether God is resolved to bring thee, if ever he saves thy soul (Psa 51:1-3; 1 John 1:9; Phil 3:6-8).
Q. What frame of heart should I be in when I confess my sins?—A. Do it HEARTILY, and to the best of thy power thoroughly. To feign, in this work, is abominable; to do it by the halves is wickedness; to do it without a sense of sin cannot be acceptable. And to confess it with the mouth, and to love it with the heart, is a lying unto God, and a provocation of the eyes of his glory.
Q. What do you mean by feigning and dissembling in this work?—A. When men confess it, yet know not what it is; or if they think they know it, do not conclude it so bad as it is; or when men ask pardon of God, but do not see their need of pardon; this man must needs dissemble.
Q. What do you mean by doing it by the halves?—A. When men confess some, but not all that they are convinced of; or if they confess all, yet labour in their confession to lessen it (Prov 28:13; Job 31:33). Or when in their confession they turn not from all sin to God, but from one sin to another (James 3:12). They turned, 'but not to the most High,' none of them did exalt him (Hosea 7:16).
Q. What is it to confess sin without the sense of sin?—A. To do it through custom or tradition, when there is no guilt upon the conscience, now this cannot be acceptable.
Q. What is it to confess it with the mouth and to love it with the heart?—A. When men condemn it with their mouth, but refuse to let it go (Job 20:12,13; Jer 8:5); when 'with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness' (Eze 33:31).
Q. But I asked you what frame of heart I should be in, in my confessions?—A. I have shown you how you should not be. Well, I will show you now what frame of heart becomes you in your confessions of sin. Labour by all means for a sense of the evil that is in sin.
Q. What evil is there in sin?—A. No man with tongue can express what may by the heart be felt of the evil of sin; but this know, it dishonoureth God (Rom 2:23). It provoketh him to wrath (Eph 5:5,6). It damneth the soul (2 Thess 2:12).
Q. What else would you advise me to do in this great work?—A. When we confess sin, tears, shame, and brokenness of heart become us (Jer 50:4; Isa 22:12; Psa 51:17; Jer 31:19).
Q. What else becomes me in my confessions of sin?—A. Great detestation of sin, with unfeigned sighs and groans, that express thou dost it heartily (Job 42:6; Eze 9:4; Jer 31:9).
Q. Is here all?—A. No; Tremble at the word of God; tremble at every judgment, lest it overtake thee; tremble at every promise, lest thou shouldest miss thereof: for, saith God, 'To this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word' (Isa 66:2; Heb 4:1,2).
Q. What if I cannot thus confess my sins?—A. Bewail the hardness of thy heart, keep close to the best preachers, remember that thou hangest over hell, by the weak thread of an uncertain life. And know, God counts it a great evil, not to be ashamed of, not to blush at sin (Isa 63:17; Jer 6:15, 8:12).
Q. Are there no thanks to be rendered to God in confessions?—A. O Yes. Thank him that he hath let thee see thy sins, thank him that he hath given thee time to acknowledge thy sins; thou mightest now have been confessing in hell: thank him also that he hath so far condescended as to hear the self-bemoaning sinner, and that he hath promised, SURELY to have mercy upon such (Jer 31:18-20).
Of Faith in Christ.
Q. I am glad that you have instructed me in this part of the worship of God. I pray, tell me also how else I should worship him?—A. Thou must believe his word.
Q. Is that worshipping of God?—A. Yes; 'After the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets,' &c. (Acts 24:14).
Q. Why should believing be counted as a part of God's worship?—A.
Because without faith it is impossible to please him (Heb 11:6).
Q. Why not possible to please him without believing?—A. Because in all true worship, a man must believe that God is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.' Besides, he that worships God, must also of necessity believe his word, else he cannot worship with that reverence and fear that becomes him, but will do it in a superstitious profane manner: 'For whatsoever is not of faith is sin' (Rom 14:23).
Q. But do not all believe as you have said?—A. 'That which is born of the flesh is flesh: and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit' (John 3:6). And again 'the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed' (Rom 9:8).
Q. What do you mean by that?—A. Thou must be born twice before thou canst truly believe once (John 3:3,5).
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