this, what ever Sinner comes to God in Christ, confeffing their owp Guiltiness in Sincerity, and fupplicating for Pardon, he cannot in Juftice refufe to give it out unto them, fince he hath taken complete Satisfaction of Chrift. When a Sinner feeks a Discharge of all Sin, by Virtue of that Blood, the Lord is bound by his own Juftice to give it out, and to write a free Remiffion to them; fince he is fully paid, he cannot but difcharge us, and cancel our Bonds. So then a poor Sinner that defires Mercy, and would forfake Sin, hath a twofold Ground to fuit this Forgiveness upon Chrift's Blood, and God's own Word, Chrift's Purchafe and Payment, and the Father's Promife, he is juft and Righteous, and therefore he cannot deny the one, nor yet take two Satisfactions, two Payments for one Debt; and be is faithful, fo he cannot but ftand to the other, that is his Promnife, and thus is Forgivenefs afcertained and affured unto the confeffing Sin

unable to relift, and have yielded themfelves to Mercy. Now, fhall I not much more apprehend that of God, which I admire in a finful Man? Shall not that be moft perfect in him, which is but a maimed and broken Piece of his Image in loft Man? Certainly, it is the Glory of God to conceal an Offence, as well as to publish it, and he can fhew as much Greatness and Majefty in Mercy, as in Juftice; therefore I will wholly commit my felf to him. I think a Man ought to reafon fo, from the very natural Knowlege he hath of God; but when ye have not only his Name and Nature published, but his Word and Promise fo often pro claimed, himself come under fome Tye to receive and accept graciously all Sinners that fly in under the Shadow of his Wings of Mercy; then O, with how much Perswasion and Boldness should we come to him, and lay open our Sins before him, who not only may pardon them, and not only is likely to do it, seeing he hath a gracious Nature, burner. If any would take this in Relation certainly will pardon them, cannot but do it, because his Faithfulness requireth it. Certainly, he hath fuperadded his Word to his Name, his Promise to his Nature, to confirm our Faith, and give us ample Ground of ftrong Confola

.tion.

There is another more fuitable Notion about the Juftice of God, in forgiving Sin; it hath fome Truth in the Thing itself, but whether it be imported here, I dare not certainly affirm. Some take his Faithfulness in Relation to his Word of Promife, and his Juftice in Relation to the Price and Ranfom payed by Christ; importing as much as

to Confeffion, as if it reflected upon that which preceeded; and the Meaning fhould be, if any Man confefs his Sin, he is just to requite Confeffion with Remiffion, he cannot in Righteousness deny one that deferves it fo well, he is just to return fome fuitable Recompence, to fuch a humble Confeffion: This Senfe were a perverting of the whole Gofpel, and would overturn the Foundations of Grace; for, there is no Connection between our Confeffion and his Remiffion, but that which the abfolute good Pleasure of his Will hath made; befides, that Repentance is as free Grace given from the exalted Prince, as Remiffion of Sins is.

SER

SERMON XIX.

1 John i. 9, 10. If we confess our Sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our Sins, and to cleanfe us from all Unrighteousness.

If we say that we have not finned, we make him a Liar,

fake, you in fo far declare that you know not Sin, what it is you confefs, and fo, that you have mocked him who will not be mocked; for, what a Mockery is it, to confefs these Faults, which we have no folid effectual Purpose to reform? To vomit up your Sins by Confeffion, that we may with more Defire and Luft lick up the Vomit again, and to pretend to wash, for nothing elfe, but to return to the Puddle and defile again. My Brethren, Out of the fame Fountain comes not bitter Water and sweet, James iii. 11. Since that which ordinarily proceeds from you, is bitter, unfavory to God and Man, carnal, earthly and fenfual, your Ways are a difplayed Ban

Account, all your Profeffions and Acknowledgments are of the fame Nature, they are but a little more fugared over, and their inward Nature is not changed, as unacceptable to God, as your Sins are.

he confeffeth it without Sense or Feeling, he declares that he takes it not up as Sin, hath not found the Vileness and Loathfomnefs of the Nature of it, nor beheld it as it is a Violation of the most high Lord's Laws, and a Provocation of his glorious Holiness. Did a Soul view it thus, as it is reprefented in God's Sight, as it difhonours that glorious Majefty, and hath manifeft Rebellion in it againft him, and as it defiles and pollutes our Spirits; he could not I fay, thus look upon it, but he would find fome inward Soul-abhorrence and Difplicence at it, and himfelf too. How monftruous would it make him in his own Sight? It could not but affect the Heart, and humble it in Secret before God; whereas your for-ner against God's Will, then lay your ced and ftrained Confeffions made in publick, they are meerly taken on then, and proceed from no inward Principle; there is no Shadow of any Soul-humiliation in Secret, but as fome ufe to put on Sackcloath when they come to make that Profeffion, and put it off when they go out; fo you put on a Habit of Confeffion in publick, and put it off you when you go out of the Congregation. To ly mourning before the Lord, in your fecret Retirements, that you are Strangers to. But I wonder how you fhould thus mock God, that you will not be as ferious and real in confeffing, as in finning? Will you fin with the whole Man, and confefs only with the Mouth? Will ye act Sin with Delight, and not confefs it with a true Sorrow that indeed affects the Heart? Now, do you honour. God by confeffing, when the Manner of it declares, that you feel not the Bitternefs of Sin, and conceive not the Holinefs and Righteoufnefs of God, whom you have to do withal? Even fo, when You confefs Sin, which you do not for

I would give you some Characters out of the Text, to discover unto you the Vanity and Emptiness of your ordinary Confeffions. The Confeffion of Sin muft be particular, univerfal, perpetual, or conftant; particular, I fay, for there are many Thousands who confefs that they are Sinners, and yet do not at all confefs their Sins: For, to confefs Sins, is to confefs their own real actual Guiltinefs, that which they indeed have committed, or are inclined to do. So the true and fincere Confeffion of a repenting People is expreffed, 1 Kings viii. 38. What Prayer or Supplication foever be made by any Man, which fall know the Plague of bis own Heart, and Spread forth bis Hands, then hear thou in Heaven, and forgive every Man whofe Heart thou knoweft. Now con

fider whether or not you be thus acquainted with your own Hearts and Ways, as to know your particular Plague and Predominant. Are you not rather wholly Strangers to yourselves, especially the Plague of your Hearts? There are few that keep so much as a Record or Register of their Actions done againft God's Law, or their Neglects of his Will; and therefore, when you are particularly pofed about your Sins, or the Challenge of Sin, you can fpeak nothing to that, but that you never knew one Sin by another; that is indeed, you never obferved your Sins, you never knew any Sin, but contented your felf with the Tradition you received that you were Sinners; but if any Man be used to reflect upon his own Ways, yet generally, the most Part of Men are altogether Strangers to their Hearts; if they know any Evil of themfelves, it is at moft, but fomething done, or undone, fome Commiffion or Omiffion, but nothing of the inward Fountain of Sin is difcovered. I beseech you then, do not deceive your felves with this general Acknowledgment that you are Sinners, while in the mean Time your real particular Sins are hid from you, and you cannot choose but hide in a Generality from God. Certainly, you are far from Forgiveness, and that Blessedness of which David fpeaks, Pfal. xxxii. for this belongs to the Man that bideth not his Sins, in whofe Heart is no Guile. And this is the Plainnefs and Sincerity of the Heart, rightly to discern its own Plagues, and unfold them to him. David, no doubt, would at any Time have confeffed that he was a Sinner, but mark how heavy the Wrath of God was on him for all that, because he came not to a plain, ingenuous and humble Acknowledgment of his par

ticular Sins. I confeffed my Sin, and mine Iniquity I bid not. While you confefs only in general Terms, you con fefs others Sins rather than yours; but this is it, to descend into our own Hearts, and find out our just and true Accusation, our real Debt, to charge ourselves as narrowly as we can, that he may dif charge us fully, and forgive us freely.

Next, I fay, Confeffion must be univerfal, that is, of all Sin, without Partiality or Refpect to any Sin. I doubt if a Man can truly repent of any Sin, except he in a Manner repent of all Sin, or truly forfake one Sin, except there be a Divorcement of the Heart from, and forfaking of all Sin; therefore the Apoftle faith, If we confess our Sins, not Sin fimply, but Sins, taking in all the Body and Collection of them; for it is oppofed to that, if we say we have no Sin, &c. Then there lyes a Neceffity upon us to confefs what we have; we have all Sin, and fo fhould confefs all Sins. Now, my Meaning is not, that it is abfolutely necessary that a Soul come to the particular Knowledge and Acknow ledgment of all his Sins, whether of Ignorance, or Infirmity; nay, that is not poffible, for who can understand bis Errors? (faith David) Cleanfe thou me from fecret Sins, Pfal. xix. 12. There are many Sins of Ignorance, that we know not to be Sins, and many Escapes of Infirmity, that we do not advert to, which otherwise we might know. Now, I do not impofe that Burden on a Soul, to confefs every individual Sin of that Kind; but this certainly must be, there must be such a Discovery of the Nature of Sin, and the Loathsomness of it in God's Sight, and the hainous Guilt of it, as may abafe and humble the Soul in his Prefence; there must be some distinctK kk 2

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