The Institution of Christian Religion

But whereas a great part of the world rested them upon such §18flatteries, wherewith so deadly a poison was tempered, this came not so to pass, because they believed that God was satisfied, or because they them selves were fully satisfied: but that the anchor caste as y• were in the mid sea, should rest a little from sailing, or as a wayfaring man weary and fainting, should lye down in the way. I labour not much in proving this. For every man may be witness to him self. I will in a short sum show, what manner of law this was. First simply it is impossible, and therefore it can do nothing but destroy, damn, confound, and cast in ruin and desperation. And then when it hath led sinners from the true feeling of their sins, it maketh then hypocrites and ignorance of God and themselves. For while they are wholly busied in reckoning up of their since, in the mean time they forget the secrete sink of vices, their hidden Iniquities, and inward filthiness, by knowledge whereof they should chiefly have weighed their misery. But this was a most certain rule of confession, to acknowledge and confess the bottomless depth of our evil to be so great as passeth our understanding.¹ After this rule we see that the Publicans confession was made. Lord ⟨image 222⟩be merciful to me a sinner: as if he should say: All that ever I am, I am altogether a sinner, and I can not attain with wit or express with tongue the greatness of my sins: let the bottomless depth of thy mercy swallow up the bottomless depth of my sin. But then thou wilt say, what? are not all our sins to be confessed? is no confession acceptable to God, but that which is knit up in these two words, I am a sinner? No, but rather we must endeavour our selves as much as in us lieth, to pour out our heart before the Lord, and not only in one word confess our selves sinners, but also truly and heartily acknowledge our selves to be such: and with all our thought record, how great and diverse is our filth of sins, not only that we be unclean, but what, how great, and in how many parts is our uncleanness: not only that we be debtors, but with how great debts we be laden, and how many ways charged: not only that we be wounded, but also with how many & deadly strokes we be wounded.