Lectures Upon Psalm 51, Part 3 · Lecture 40
Lecture XL. On Psalme 51.3. Novemb 14. 1626.
IT followeth now, that we proceed unto the second use and that is for direction, to try whether wee have yet attained to this grace or no. And this is surely an use of as great profite, and necessity as the former. For if we will call to mind, and consider 1. What promises God hath made to them that can confesse their sins aright. 2. That no man can have assurance, and hope to obtaine pardon of his sins, till he confesse them. 3. How farre many hypocrites have gone in making confession of their sins, as we have seene in the examples of Pharaoh, and Saul, of Cain and Iudas; it cannot be, but it will worke in us a desire both to learne how we may confesse our sins in such a manner, as wee may not loose our labour in it, and how we may try and discerne, whether we have gone any further in this duty, and attained to more grace this way, then ever any hypocrite was able to do. Now there be five properties whereby a sincere confession of our sins may be differenced, and distinguished from that which is counterfeit.
First. The sincere confession of sins is particular. Concerning this first property, three cautions must be premised, to prevent the mistaking of it.
First. That may bee a good confession of sins, which is made in generall words, so that the heart of him that maketh it, doe therein particularize with God. Such was that of Gods people in their publike fast, 1 Sam. 7.6. Wee have sinned against the Lord. And that of the Publican, Luke 18.13. God bee mercifull to mee a sinner. These words were very generall, but the great affection wherewith they were uttered, doth argue, that in their heart, and feeling their confessions were particular, though in words they were not. Secondly, it is not possible for the best man in his confession, to reckon up unto God, and mention all his sins particularly Who can understand his errours? saith David, Psalme 19.12. and 40.12 They are moe in number then the haires of our h…ad. Thirdly, For hidden and unknowne sins, a generall confession may suffice to give a man comfort, and assurance of the pardon of them; as we may see in that prayer of David, Psal. 19.12. Cleanse thou me from secret faults. Yet doth this remaine a certaine truth, that one speciall property to distinguish the sincere confession from the counterfeit, is this, that it is particular, & so is not the other. And this will appeare to you in foure points. 1. All men are bound to do their best endeavour to know, and find out their most secret sins, that so they may lay them open in particular unto God. This is plaine by that speech of the Prophet, Lam. 3.40. Let us search and try our wayes. What needs that, but to find out sins that are unknown or forgotten? And in that speech of Elihu, speaking of a sinner humbling himselfe in confession of his sins, Iob 34.31, 32. Surely it is meet to be said unto God, that which I see not, teach thou me. All men should beg this of God, to discover to them their secret and unknown sins. 2. The more particular a man can bee in the confessing of his sins, the more of his sins hee can confesse against himselfe, the more comfort he may have in his confession. It is with us in our dealing with God in this case, as it is in the clyent or patient, that dealeth with his Lawyers or Physician for counsell, the more particularly (we know) that a man dealeth with his lawyer, in laying open his case unto him, and with his Physician, in discovering his disease unto him, the more good he may receive from him, yea, the concealing of some one circumstance from them, may oft times tend to a mans undoing. Even so it is in our laying open our sins unto God, the more particular we can be, the better it will be for us. This is plaine by that direction the Lord gave to the high Priest in the confession he was to make of the peoples sins, upon the day of atonement▪ Lev. 16.21. Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, the sacrifice (that was to beare & take upon him all the iniquities of Gods people, as it is said ver. 2. a most lively figure of Christ and of the sufferings which hee endured in his soule for our sins) and confesse over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins. 3. Vnlesse we can in our confessions, mention some particular sins, wherin we have offended God, we shall never be able to performe this dutie feelingly, and to the purpose. See this in that commandement God giveth to his people for confession, and the manner of it. Iere. 3.13. OnelyOnly acknowledge that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy wayes to the strangers under every greene tree; as if hee had said, confesse thine idolatry. See this property also in the confessions of Gods people, commended to us in the holy Scripture, Iudges 10.10. Wee have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also serued Baalim. And 1. Sam. 12.19 Wee have added to all our sinnes, this evill to aske us a King. In this manner also did David confesse his sin in the time of the great plague, 1 Chron. 21.17. Is it not I that have commanded the people to be numbred? even I it is that have sinned. 4. and lastly. Though it be profitable for us (as we heard the last day) when we would humble our soules in the confession of our sins, to call to mind, and confesse unto God some of our most hainous sins. As Paul did, 1 Tim. 1.13. & at many other times. I was a blasphemer and a persecutor. Yet (that we may be particular enough in our confession) it must not content us to do so, but even those sins that seeme smallest, as our worldlines, peevishnes, aptnes to surmise, & speake evill of others, passionatnes, choler, evill thoughts, formality in religious duties, & such like) must also be remembred, confessed and bewailed before God. Davids heart smote him, 1. Sam. 24.5. even for cutting of the skirt of Sauls garment. Cain could confesse (when God had charged him with it) & cry out upon his murder, & say his iniquity was greater then could be pardoned, Gen. 4.13 but his hating & envying of his brother, because he had more grace then himselfe, his formality & want of faith, & feeling in the offrings he brought to God, that he could not confesse or complain of. So could Iudas confesse & cry out of his grosse & capital sin. Mat. 27.4. I have sinned in betraying innocent blood, but his covetousnes, & his hypocrisie in comming with a bad heart to the Lords passeover, which were the roots of the other, he could not confesse & complain of. And indeed mens carelesnes in smaller sins, is a great cause why God giveth men over unto foule, and grosser sins, Ps. 19.12, 13. Cleanse thou me from secret faults keep back thy servant from presumptuous sins, let them not have dominion over me; then shall I bee upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
They therefore that though they can say and confesse in grosse, and generall, that they are sinners,Applic. yet cannot in particular say how or wherein they have sinned but are like to Nebuchadnezar Dan. 2.5. that could say he had dreamed and was troubled with it, but what his dreame was he could not tell; may justly suspect their confession not to be sincere but counterfeit.
Secondly, The sincere confession is free, and full without all desire to cloak or to extenuate, and minse his sinne. See this property also laid open in three points.
First, The true confessour doth so lay open the hainousnesse and odiousnesse of his sins, as it may appeare, that he thinketh basely and vilely of himselfe for them. I am vile saith Iob 40.4. See this in Solomons prayer, 1 King. 8 47, 49, 50. If they shall say, wee have sinned, wee have done perversly, wee have committed wickednes (as if they should say, ô we cannot expresse how hainous our sins are) then heare thou their prayer, & forgive them. Such a confession was Pauls, Acts 26.10, 11. Many of the Saints did I shut up in prison, when they were put to death I gave my voice against them, I punished them oft in every Synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme, and exceeding in madnesse against them, I persecuted them (going beyond my commission) even unto strange cities, and 1 Tim 1.15. Of whom I am the chiefe. As if he had said, No mans sin is so great as mine was. Secondly, To this end he weigheth the circumstances whereby his sin is aggravated, and the hainousnesse of it encreased. Thus did Daniel, Dan 9.5.6. Wee have sinned and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, neither have wee hearkened to thy servants the Prophets. As if he had said; we hauehave sinned against great meanes of grace. So Ezech. 9.7—9. in his confession aggravateth their sins by this circumstance that they had beene committed against manifold experiments they had had both of the severity, and also of the mercy of the Lord. So it is said of Peter, Mar. 14.72. that weighing that with himselfe he wept. He could never have brought his heart to be so deeply affected with and humbled for sin, if he had not weighed with himselfe the circumstances, whereby it was aggravated. No more can any of us certainely, unlesse we take the like course. Thirdly and lastly, The true confessour presenteth himselfe before God as one that standeth wholly at his mercy, and judgeth himselfe worthy of the curse and hatred of God for his sin. It becommeth us when we goe to God to confesse our sins, to come before him as Benhadads servants did unto Ahab, 1 King. 20.32. they came to him with ropes about their neckes as men judging themselves worthy to dye. Thus did Daniel make his confession, Dan. 9.7. O Lord righteousnesse belongeth …nto thee but unto us confusion of faces. As if he had said, thou art righteous in all that thou hast done against us, yea, if thou shouldest confound us for ever, thou shouldest bee righteous in that also. So did the prodigall confesse, Luke 15 21. Father I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthie to bee called thy sonne.
Applic.Now in this second property the hypocrite is also (for the most part) grosly defective; for even when he seemeth most humbled, and most willing to confesse against himselfe his wickednesse, yet hath he a desire to hide somewhat to cloake and extenuate his sin, and with the unjust steward, Luke 16.6. for an hundred to set downe fifty. Though he can confesse himselfe to be a sinner, yet that he is an hainous sinner, or in any great danger for any sin that he is guilty of, that he cannot believe. Sundry conceits he hath whereby he is apt to keepe his sins off from comming to neere his heart, or lying too heavy vponupon it. Some few of them I will name unto you. 1. Though I bee a sinner (saith hee) and have my faults, yet am I not so bad as such, and such, I thanke God. This conceit spoiled the Pharisee, Luke 18.11. God I thanke thee I am not as other men are. 2. Though I be a sinner, (saith he) alas, I cannot helpe it, it is my nature, I am flesh and bloud aswell as others, I am not the first that did so, neither shall I be the last; who is it that doth not sin, and for this he is apt to pervert the Scripture to his owne destruction, Iames 3.2. In many things wee offend all. 3. Though I have fouly fallen sometimes, yet I thanke God it was not out of any disposition or liking I had in my selfe to that sin, it was company that drew me to it. Thus said Adam even to the Lord himselfe, Gen. 3.12. The woman whom thou gavest me drew me to it. 4. and lastly, If he can lay the fault no where else, he will to extenuate his sin, lay it upon the deuill, as Eve did, Gen. 3.13. The Serpent beguiled mee, and I did eate. Whereas indeede, our sin is our owne, and no body in so much fault for it, as our selves. Iames 1.14. Every man is tempted when he is drawne away of his owne lusts, and enticed. From within (saith our Saviour, Marke 7.21.) out of the heart of men proceed evill thoughts, adulteries, &c. But let us all take heed of this subtilty of Satan, and of this deceitfulnesse of sin, and whensoever we goe to confesse our sins unto God, let us remember what is said, Pro. 28.13. He that covereth his sins, shall not prosper.
Thirdly, Sincere confession is hearty, it is made with feeling and affection, and is not verball and formall onelyonly. When we confesse our sins to God, we must worke our hearts to doe it with feeling, with hearts touched and troubled with sence of sin, with shame and sorrow and indignation of heart against our selves for our sins. O my God (saith Ezra, Ezr. 9.6.) I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, for our iniquities are encreased over our heads. So the Publican in that confession which our blessed Saviour giveth such testimony unto, Luke 18.13. for shame would not so much as lift up his eyes to heaven; and in indignation against himselfe smote upon his brest. So did Iob 42.6. I abhorre my selfe, and repent in dust and ashes. The true confessour feeleth his sin to be a burden to his conscience. Mine iniquities (saith David, Psal. 38.4) are as an heavy burden, too heavy for me to beare.
And surely this griefe of heart for sin even without words,Applic. is a more effectuall confession in the sight of God, then all the most excellent words in the world, without an humble heart. Such as was Mary Magdalens, of whom it is plaine by Christs answer to her, Luke 7.48. He said unto her thy sins are forgiven, that she had confessed and complained of her sins, yet spake she never a word, but wept and sobbed aboundantly, verse 38, And on the other side, this is that that maketh the confessions the hypocrite doth make of his sins odious unto God; yea, that maketh the confessions most of us make, utterly fruitlesse and uncomfortable unto us, that they are verball onelyonly, and from the teeth outward, our hearts are not at all affected with that we say. We declare our iniquities often unto God (as David said he would doe, Psal. 38.18.) but wee leave out the other, and I will bee sorry for my sin. And what man would not thinke himselfe mocked, and scorned by him that had done him wrong, and will pretend a desire of reconciliation, and confesse the wrong he had done him, but without all shew of sorrow for it?
Fourthly, The sincere confession is holy, and honest, joyned alwayes with an unfeigned hatred of sin, and resolution to forsake it. The true confessour doth as heartily desire to be disburdened and delivered from the power and dominion of his sins, as from the sting and punishment of them. Marke this in the confession that good Shecaniah maketh, Ezra 10.2, 3. Wee have trespassed against our God, and taken strange wives, now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these strange wives. See this also noted by Elihu in the description that he maketh of a true confessour that humbleth himselfe before God, Iob 34.31, 32. Surely it is meet to bee said unto God, I have borne chastisement, I will not offend any more, that which I see not, teach thou mee, if I have done iniquity I will doe no more. This is also very observable in that antithesis that Solomon maketh, Pro. 28.13. The covering of sin, and not confessing it, is enough he saith to bring Gods curse upon a man, he that covereth his sin, shall not prosper: but the confessing of sin is not enough to obtaine mercy from God, hee that confesseth and forsaketh them, shall finde mercy.
Applic.And on the other side this doth greatly discover the hypocrisie of most men, in the confessions they make of their sins to God. 1. They confesse them but they forsake them not; they returne with the dog, (as the Apostle speaketh, 2 Pet. 2.22.) greedily to those very sins which they seemed to loath and cast up. Thus did Saul, he confesseth his sin against David sundry times, and that with teares, 1 Sam. 24.16, 17. and yet Chap. 26.2. he pursueth him againe as eagerly as ever he did. 2. Yea, many a man emboldneth himselfe to sin the more freely, even by this because he is perswaded that by confessing his sin, (as the drunkard by his vomiting) he shall be eased of all, and freed from the burden of his sin. This is the confidence that the dissolute Papist putteth in his confession, and I would that none did so but they. Surely the Lord in his justice doth use to punish an hypocriticall confession of sin this way, even by giving men up to sin with more greedinesse after it, then they did before. See an example of this in Pharaoh. Ye read of an ample confession he made of his sin, Exod. 9.27. but verse 34. of the same Chapter, you shall finde he became worse after that confession then ever he was before, he sinned yet more (saith the text) and hardened his heart, he and his servants.
Fiftly and lastly, The sincere confession is filiall, and groweth not from slavish feare but from love to God, and hope of his mercy. He goeth to God in confession of his sin not as the felon to the Iustice, who knoweth if he confesse, he shall die for it; but as the sicke man to the Physitian, who by laying open his griefe unto him, looketh for health and comfort by it. Thus did Daniel in that large confession he maketh, Dan. 9.9. To thee O God belongeth mercy and forgivenesse, though we have rebelled against thee. Thus did Shecaniah, Ezr. 10.2. We have transgressed against our God, and have taken strange wives, yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing. So the prodigall, though he had so despised and provoked and forsaken his father as he had done, yet goeth in this manner, and with this affection of heart unto him, Luke 15.18. I will arise, and goe to my father, and will say to him, Father I have sinned. And indeed it is the spirit of grace onelyonly that maketh us able to supplicate, and confesse, and humble our selves in a right and kindly manner. As you may see, Zach. 12.10. I will powre upon them the spirit of grace, and of supplications, and they shall looke upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourne.
Applic.On the other side, If a man never confesseth his sins but when it is extorted from him by some judgement of God, by feare of death, and damnation; like the traitor that will confesse nothing but upon the racke; though he crye never so much out of his sin then, (as you shall heare some on their death beds doe) it is a shrewd signe that it is but counterfeit. Thus did Pharaoh as wee have heard. Thus did cursed Baalam when he saw the Angell stand before him with a drawne sword, Num. 22.34. cry out, I have sinned. 2. If a man confesse never so much against himselfe, and aggravate his sin, yet if hee conceive not of God as of his father, if he have not hope of mercy, his confession is counterfeit. So was Cains, Gen. 4.13. And so was that of Iudas, Mat. 27.4,