The Soul's Preparation for Christ

So in Ezekiel, ¹the text saith, They shall remember their ways that were not good, and shall be ashamed. that is, they shall take shame to themselves, they shall not shrink for the same; a gracious heart cannot tell what to do to make sin and it self base enough before God; that his soul and sin may fall out one with another. As in the example of Zacheus, ²whereas the confession of a carnal hypocrite comes not so currently off, it sticketh in his teeth, he begins to confess something, and then he stands; he saith something, and calls it back again, and is loath to take any shame for the evil committed▪ and therefore haply he will come when he is called, and go away and confess nothing at all; Nay, if a minister hear any thing of him, he will hide it and tell a flat lie, rather then take shame to himself for it; it is true, a carnal hypocrite may confess sometimes to give the minister content, as commonly such do; he may confess, to get inward with a man, and to get commendations, nay, he may confess, to sin more freely without suspicion; for charity ⟨p. 224⟩believes this, that when a man hath confessed his sin, he will never sin in that kind again, nay sometimes he doth it to stop the mouth of conscience, and therefore when conscience is full of horror, to quiet conscience and to still the clamour thereof, he is content to reveal his sin, that so he may have some secret peace for his sin: thus far they differ in their ends.

So in Ezekiel, ¹the text saith, They shall remember their waies that were not good, and shall be ashamed. that is, they shall take shame to themselves, they shall not shrinke for the same; a gracious heart cannot tell what to doe to make sinne and it selfe base enough before God; that his soule and sin may fall out one with another. As in the example of Zacheus, ²whereas the confession of a carnall hypocrite comes not so currantly off, it sticketh in his teeth, he begins to confesse something, and then he stands; he saith something, and cals it backe againe, and is loath to take any shame for the evill committed and therefore haply he will come when he is called, and goe away and confesse nothing at all; Nay, if a minister heare any thing of him, he will hide it and tell a flat lie, rather then take shame to himselfe for it; it is true, a carnall hypocrite may confesse sometimes to give the minister content, as commonly such doe; he may confesse, to get inward with a man, and to get commendations, nay, he may confesse, to sinne more freely without suspition; for charitie