A Short and Pithy Catechism Regarding the Lords Supper, Confession
❧ A forme of confeſſyon.
O Lord our God, moſte louing, gracious, and mercifull Father, to whom belongeth righteouſnes, and merciemercy, compaſſyon and forgiuenes, to vsus belongeth ſhame and confuſion of faces, becauſe we hauehave tranſgreſſed, in not obeying thy voice, and in breaking all thy holy commaundementes: for wee acknowledge (O Lord) that euen in our conception we were enfolden in the gylt of condemnation, beeing conceiued in ſin, and borne the children of wrath, and from thencefoorth hauehave wandred in vngodly pathes, and in the wayes of deſtruction: ſin hauing entred vppon all the partes of our whole man, hath wholie corrupted both our wyll and vnderſtanding: our thoughtes are prophane, our imaginations worldlie, our deſyres carnall and vncleane, our iudgments corrupt, whereby wee hauehave beene diſobedient to thy heauenlye wyll, ignoraunt, ſtubborne, malicious, impacient, enuious, full of ſelfe-louelove, full of hypocriſie, finallye, fraught with all euill concupiſcences, and voyde of grace, till thou dyddeſt touch our hartes by thy Spyrite and worde, and calledſt vsus to ſanctification. Yea, and ſince thou haſte called vsus by the preaching of thy Goſpell, O Lorde what ſinnes and corruptions hauehave clouen vntounto vsus ſtil, ſo as the workes of thy grace begunne in vsus, doo ſo ſcarcelie appeare, as that thou mayſt iuſtlie withdrawe from vsus thoſe graces which thou haſt truſted vsus with For we confeſſe we hauehave abuſed thy grace receiued, neglecting the meanes of our ſaluation: Our zeale is colde, our fayth is weake, our hope languiſheth, our repentaunce is maymed and barren, not yeelding ſuch fruite as may plainely approue our ſanctification: VVee are forgetful of thy goodnes, and vnthankfull for thy mercies.
Alas LORD all the coſte that thou haſte beſtowed, and charge that thou haſte beene at, in gyuinge thy ſonne Chriſte Ieſus to ſhed hys deere heart bloode for our ſynnes, hath not gaged our bowelles wyth godlie ſorrowe vntounto repentaunce, nor affected vsus wyth louelove of thee againe. Euen thys (Lorde) is enough to condemne vsus, if wee hadde nothinge els to wytneſſe againſte vsus, that we ſo ſlenderlie account of the death of thy Sonne, and ſo retchleſlye and forgetfullye thinke of it.
Yf thou ſhouldeſt forget all our ſinnes paſt, the vanities of our former daies, and frailtie of our youth, that none of theſe ſhold be thought vppon, yet our preſent ſinnes and ſlippings ſithens our calling, would condemne vsus downe to hell. Yea, if our preſent ſinnes ſhould bee paſſed ouer, yet our readines to ſlide, and tranſgreſſe in time to come, would argue vsus guilty of death. Yea, and more then this (Lorde) in that wee hauehave not rightlie ſorrowed, nor repented vsus vnfeynedlie of theſe euils, we ſtand guiltie before thee, as alſo in that the ſinnes of our forefathers, wherevnto wee ſtand intiteled, remaine vnſorrowed for by vsus, the ſtaine whereof, hath ſet a purple …e vponupon vsus, ſo deepe as wee can neuer waſh off, except thy free pardō: all theſe things call for iudgements not onelie vppon vsus, but alſo vppon our poſterity. Oh how hauehave we deſpiſed thy Lawes? howe hauehave wee neglected the preachinge of thy worde, the inſtrument of our ſaluation? how hauehave we wayted on our owne luſtes, ſeruing as apprentices vntounto ſinne? Howe hauehave we refuſed thy counſell, and ſette inſtruction at naught: we hauehave ſet more by the world then by thy word, wee hauehave ſpent as prodigall children, the ſtrength of our young yeeres in vanitie, and hauehave drunke in iniquitie as water: our cares hauehave beene for the world, and our owne pleaſures and profits, not for thy glorie, vvee hauehave murmured & grudged when thou haſt croſſed vsus with any affliction or trouble, we hauehave forgotten thee in our proſperitie, and growen wanton and vnthankfull. Our conſcience in trayning vp our families and children in thy feare, O Lorde how ſmall hath it beene, our ſelues hauehave beene ill preſidents to them, in looſenes of behauiour, in idle talkes and ieſtes that are not comelie. VVe hauehave beene impacient and vnequall in our gouernment, to auſtere in ſmaller offences againſt our ſelues, and ſometime to remiſſe, in ſlender paſſyng ouer of greater offences concerning thy glorie, wee hauehave ſought our ſelues & our own commodities, & not thee, wee hauehave diſobeyed our parents and betters, & ſo hauehave left our ſelues ſmall hope of obedience at the handes of thoſe that are vnderunder vsus. And as for our brethren and neighbours, to whom we ſhould approoue our louelove by all chriſtian dueties, heere Lorde wee ſtand deepely charged of much guiltines, howe vnduetifull to our parents, Princes, Gouernours, Teachers, paſtors, and all our betters, not carefullie praying for them, nor procuring them what honour and good that wee can in our callinges, nor carrying humble mindes toward our equalles or inferiors. We hauehave beene impacient, full of vnnaturall affections, malicious, contentious, yea, howe vncharitable hauehave we beene in iudging others, in taking vnkindnes at eueryevery occaſion, not forgiuing nor forbearing when quarrels hauehave ryſen, but are too readie to gyue occaſion and to prouoke to diſpleaſure: we hauehave not laboured for peace as it became vsus. Howe vnſtayed, vnchaſte, and intemperate hauehave our words & affections been, how vniuſt hauehave wee beene in our thoughtes and meaninges, not ſtudying for trueth and equity in louelove, but through couetous affections hauehave ſometimes intruded into the commodities of others. How hauehave we not ſpared the name of our brethren, not touched with the tender regarde of their credite, ſometime hearing, beleeuing, and publyſhing of ſlaunders, and vntruethes againſt our neyghboures, or els by reuealing the vttermoſt agaynſte them, hauehave ruſſhed agaynſt theyr good name. Yea (Lorde) we hauehave hurte manie by our example, and hauehave not doone that good which we myght hauehave doone to our brethren, nor made conſcience of offences againſt them.
All theſe thinges (O deere Father) argue vsus guiltie, and preſſe vsus, by increaſing the euidence of our accuſation: but if we ſhould (O lord) ſtand to rippe vpp our wants in thy ſeruice, we ſhould not know where to beginne, nor where to ende, they are ſo infinite. In a word (Lord) we hauehave broken the holie league of our obedience, neglected thy worſhip, not fearing, louing, nor truſting in thee as we ought: wee hauehave not ſoughte to thee in our needes, nor harkened to thy word in the miniſtrie therof, we hauehave diſhallowed thy name, tranſgreſſed al thy lawes, and made hauocke of thy heauenly ſtatuts, all our life hath beene a diſhonour vntounto thee: and nowe O Lord euen our God, what remayneth for vsus in thy iuſtice, if thou ſhouldeſt meaſure vsus by our ſelues, but euen thy fearefull curſe, and baniſhment from thy preſence, ſo as thou mighteſt throwe vsus downe to hell, and ſhewe the power of thy wrath vponupon vsus, by heaping on vsus all thy fearefull plagues and curſes, writtē in the law againſt tranſgreſſors. If wee ſhoulde looke to the heauens, they can not helpe vsus, yf wee looked downe to the earth, no comfort can be founde: if we ſeeke for men to be our aduocates, they all ſtand condemned with the ſons of Adam: if wee ſue to Angels, it booteth not, for thou haſt founde follie in them: if we ſhoulde pleade Lawe with thee, loe, the ſentence of death alreadie is paſſed againſt vsus, if wee reſort to thy diuine maieſtie, there terror diſmayeth vsus, thou art iuſt and canſt not away with iniquitie, and we Lorde, what are wee to ſtand in thy ſight, whether then ſhal we flie from thy preſence, and wher ſhal we be reſkued from the terrour and guilt of our ſinnes, and the feare of thy iudgments: Beholde Lorde thy deere ſonne Chriſte Ieſus, that immaculate Lambe, he is our redeemer and ſauiour, our iuſtifier, our aduocate, who as a louing Samaritane hath ſalued our woundes, ſatiſfyed thy Lawe, borne thy curſe for vsus, and ſtepping out betweene vsus & thee, hath payd the raunſome of all our treſpaſſes: in him wee knowe thou canſt not bee diſpleaſed with vsus. O Lord heauenlie father, wee therefore moſt humblie pray thee for his ſake to be mercifull vntounto vsus, in pardoning all our ſinnes, and turning all theſe iudgements from vsus, which we confeſſe wee hauehave deſerued to be executed vponupon our ſoules and bodies, for wee acknowledge thou mighteſt iuſtlie plague vsus, for that we hauehave not vſed the faculties and powers of our ſoules & mindes to thy glory, our wits and wiſedome hauehave warred againſt thee, and wee hauehave ſpent our counſels in vayne thinges, ſo as thou mighteſt depriue vsus of our wittes, and poſſeſſe vsus with follie and madnes, or throw vsus vppe to errors and ſtronge illuſions, becauſe wee hauehave not beleeued thy trueth, thou mighteſt alſo with drawe from vsus the vſe of our members, which wee hauehave too long lette out to Satan and vncleanenes, and hauehave not ſerued thee in our ſences and members as wee ought. And whereas thou haſt heaped benefites infinitelie vponupon vsus, haſte truſted vsus with life, health, wealth, proſperitie and peace, wee hauehave beene vnthankfull for them, & abuſed them, ſo as thou mighteſt Lord turne our life into death, our wealth into woe, our health into dangerous ſicknes, and diſeaſes, our proſperitie into aduerſitie, our peace into warre, our plenty into ſcarcitie & dearth, & ſo puniſh the earth for our ſins as thou haſt by ſome pettie iudgements begun oft to call vsus to repentance, but we hauehave not regarded, neither bene fittes nor ſcourges can mooue vsus to humble and tame vsus, except thou O Lord put to thine hand.
O deere Father, ſuffer vsus not to ſinne in hardneſſe of hart, and in vnkindnes towards thy maieſtie, or againſt the meanes & offers of grace but touch vsus, we pray thee with a true remorſe of conſcience for our ſinnes, which we heere vnfaynedlie cōfeſſe before thee, frame our harts to true repentaunce, accept this Sacrifice of our confeſſyon & ſorrow for our iniquities, pardon all our ſinnes, burie them in the graue of thy Sonne, forget and forgiue them and cauſe vsus to turne vntounto thee, for we are aſhamed of our ſelues, and abhorre our ſelues, repenting vsus of all our ſinnes from our harts: wherfore (Lord) heare, O Lord forgiue, O Lord conſider and ſhew mercy, & receiue vsus vntounto fauour, for wyth thee onelie is mercy and compaſſyon: thou onelie forgiueſt ſinnes, we renounce our ſelues wholie, and all our owne worthines, wee appeale from all others to thee alone, therfore accept of vsus in thy beloued ſon Chriſt Ieſus, renue vsus by thy ſpirit, guyde vsus in thy wayes, ſanctifie vsus in thy trueth, keepe vsus in awe, that we may ſpende all our time in thy ſeruice, doing dueties to thee & our brethren in our callings, all our life, that ſo we feeling of thy grace, working in vsus vntounto ſanctification, and a newe life, may gather aſſuraunce of the full forgiuenes of all our ſinnes, and ſo with comfort and ioy, finiſh our chriſtian courſe, giuing good example to our brethren, and glorifying thy name vppon the earth, and finallie may praiſe thee in the heauens, without all corruption, in perfect holines, and ſo be glorified with all thy ſaintes, through Ieſus Chriſt our Lorde. Amen.