grace, which together with Faith makes up the whole duty of the Gospel. 12. That in all ages of the Gospel it hath been taught and practifed refpectively, that all the Penitents made Confeffions proportionable to their Repentance, that is, public or private, general or particular. 13. That God by testimonies from heaven, that is, by his Word, and by a confequent rare piece of Confcience, hath given approbation to this holy duty. 14. That by this instrument those whose office it is to apply remedies to every spiritual fickness, can beft perform their offices. 15. That it is by all Churches esteemed a duty neceffary to be done in cafes of a troubled Confcience. 16. That what is neceffary to be done in one case, and convenient in all cafes, is fit to be done by all perfons. 17. That without Confeffion it cannot easily be judged concerning the fick person whether his Conscience ought to be troubled or no, and therefore it cannot be certain that it is not neceffary. 18. That there can be no reafon against it but fuch as confults with flesh and blood, with infirmity and fin, to all which Confeffion of fins is a direct enemy. 19. That now is that time when all the imperfections of his Repentance and all the breaches of his duty are to be made up, and that if he omits this opportunity, he can never be admitted to a falutary and medicinal confeffion. 20. That Saint James gives an express precept, that we Christians should confess our fins to each other, that is, Christian to Christian, brother to brother, the people to their Minister; and then he makes a specification of that duty which a fick man is to do when he hath fent for the Elders of the Church. 21. That in all this there is no more nitentiam, nec vulnus fu Si tacuerit qui percuf- lies upon him, but if he hides his fus eft, et non egerit pœ- fins he shall not be directed, (so said the Wife man;) but ere long he must appear before the great Judge um fratri et magiftro vo luerit confiteri, magifter qui linguam habet ad cu randum facilè ei prodeffe non poterit. Si enim erubefcat ægrotus vulnus medico confiteri, quod igno of men and Angels: and his spirit will be more amazed and confound rat medicina non curat. ed to be feen among the Angels of S. Hierom. ad caput. 10. Si enim hoc fecerimus, et revelaverimus peccata noftra non folùm Deo,fed et his qui poffunt mederi vulneribus noftris atque peccatis, delebuntur peccata noftra. Orig. hom. 17. in Lu cam. * Plaut. Trinum. light with the shadows of the works of darkness upon him, that he can fuffer by confeffing to God in the prefence of him whom God hath fent to heal him. However, it is better to be ashamed here than to be confounded hereafter. * Pol pudere præftat quam pigere, totidem literis. 22. That Confeffion being in order to Par Tam facile et pronum teftes, Si mortalis idem nemo fciat. Juv. Sat. 13. eft fuperos contemnere don of fins, it is very proper and analogical to the nature of the thing, that it be made there where the Pardon of fins is to be administered: and that of pardon of fins God hath made the Minister the publisher and difpenfer and all this is befides the accidental advantages which accrue to the Confcience, which is made ashamed, and timorous, and restrained by the mortifications and blushings of discovering to a man the faults committed in fecret. 23. That the Ministers of the Gospel are the Minifters of reconciliation, are commanded to restore fuch perfons as are overtaken in a fault; and to that purpose they come to offer their Ministry, if they may have cognizance of the fault and perfon. 24. That in the matter of prudence it is not fafe to truft a man's felf in the final condition and laft fecurity of a man's Soul, a man being no good Judge in his own cafe. And when a duty is so useful in all cases, so neceffary in fome, and encouraged by promises Evangelical by Scripture precedents, by the Example of both Testaments, and prescribed by injunctions Apostolical, and by the Canon of all Churches, and the example of all ages, and taught us even by the proportions of duty, and the Analogy to the power Minifterial, and the very neceffities of every man; he that for stubbornness, or finful fhamefacedness, or prejudice, or any other criminal weakness, fhall decline to do it in the days of his danger, when the vanities of the world are worn off, and all affections to fin are wearied, and the fin itself is pungent and grievous, and that we are certain we shall not escape shame for them hereafter, unless we be afhamed of them here, and use all the proper instruments of their pardon; this man, I fay, is very near death, but very far off from the kingdom of heaven. Qui homo culpam admifit in fe, nullus eft tam parvi pretii quin pudeat, quin purget fefe. Plaut. Aulul. 2. The Spiritual man will find in the conduct of this duty many cafes and varieties of accidents which will alter his course and forms of proceedings. Most men are of a rude indifferency, apt to excuse themfelves, ignorant of their condition, abused by evil principles, content with a general and indefinite Confeffion; and if you provoke them to it by the foregoing confiderations, left their fpirits fhould be a little uneafy, or not secured in their own opinions, will be apt to say, They are finners, as every man hath his infirmity, and he as well as any man: But, God be thanked, they bear no ill will to any man, or are no Adul- Hoc amat, hoc laudat, terers or no Rebels, or they have fought on the right fide; and God Verùm hoc fe amplectitur uno, Matronam nullam ego tango. Horat. Ser. 1. 1. fat. 2. be merciful to them, for they are finners. But you fhall hardly open their breafts farther and to enquire beyond this, would be to do the office of an accufer. 3. But, which is yet worse, there are very many perfons who have been so used to an habitual course of a constant intemperance, or diffolution in any other inftance, that the crime is made natural and neceffary, and the confcience hath digested all the trouble, and the man thinks himself in a good estate, and never reckons any fins, but those which are the egreffions and paffings beyond his ordinary and daily drunkenness. This happens in the cases of drunkenness, and intemperate eating, and idleness, and uncharitableness, and in lying and vain jeftings, and particularly in fuch evils which the Laws do not punish, and public cuftoms do not shame, but which are countenanced by potent finners, or evil customs, or good nature, and mistaken civilities. Inftruments by way of Confideration, to awaken a carelefs perfon, and a stupid Confcience. N these and the like cafes the Spiritual man must IN awaken the Lethargy, and prick the Conscience, by representing to him, 1. * That Christianity is a holy and a strict Religion. 2. * That many are called, but few are chofen. *That the number of them that are to be faved is but a very few in refpect of those that are to descend into forrow and everlasting darkness. *That we have covenanted with God in Baptism to live a holy life. * That the measures of Holiness in Christian Religion are not to be taken by the evil proportions of the Multitude, and com amazement. mon fame of looser and less severe persons, because the multitude is that which does not enter into heaven, but the few, the elect, the holy fervants of Jefus. *That every habitual fin does amount to a very great guilt in the whole, though it be but in a small inftance. That if the righteous fcarcely be faved, then there will be no place for the unrighteous and the finner to appear in but places of horror and *That confidence hath destroyed many Souls, and many have had a fad portion who have reckoned themselves in the Calendar of Saints. *That the promises of Heaven are fo great, that it is not reasonable to think that every man, and every life, and an eafy Religion fhall poffefs fuch infinite glories. * That although Heaven is a gift, yet there is a great severity and strict exacting of the conditions on our part to receive that gift. That fome persons who have lived strictly for forty years together, yet have miscarried by fome one crime at last, or fome fecret hypocrify, or a latent pride, or a creeping ambition, or a fantastic spirit; and therefore much less can they hope to receive fo great portions of felicities, when their life hath been a continual declination from those severities which might have created confidence of pardon and acceptation, through the mercies of God and the merits of Jesus. every good man ought to be fufpicious of himself, and in his judgment concerning his own condition to fear the worst, that he may provide for the better. * That we are commanded to work out our falvation * * That with fear and trembling. * That this precept was given with very great reafon, confidering the thoufand thousand ways of miscarrying. That S. Paul * |