Chapter 3, A cabinet of choice jewels, or, A box of precious ointment being a… by Thomas Brooks (1669) | AskReformation

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Secondly, True penitential confession is full as well as free. §2That confession is not sincere that is not full;¹ God loves neither halting nor mincing confessions. These undid the Pharisee, Luke 18.11. As penitential confessions are not extorted, so they are not straitned; sin must be confest in its particular species and parts, all known sins must be confest fully, plainly, particularly, as you may see by turning to these Scriptures, Lev. 26.40, 41, 42 . & 19.21. Judg. 10.10. Psal. 51. 1 Sam. 12.19. 1 Tim. 1.13. Acts 26.10, 11. Dan. 9.5, 6, 7, 8-17. Lev. 16.21, 22, &c. Some there be that deny their sins with the Harlot, Prov. 30.20. Such is the way of an adulterous woman, she eateth and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness. And others there be that father their sins on others, as Adam did, Gen. 3.12. and as Eve did, ver. 13. and as Aaron did, Exod. 32.22. and as Saul did, 1 Sam. 15.22. And many there are that hide their wickedness, that conceal their wickedness, as that proud Pharisee did, Luk. 18.11, 12. That expression of the Prophet Hosea, ²You have plowed wickedness, is rendred by the Septuagint, You have concealed wickedness, and indeed there is nothing more common to a wicked heart, than to keep closs his sin, than to cover and hide his transgressions. And certainly, this is that sore disease, that our first parents were sick to death of, almost six thousand years ago; and therefore 'tis no wonder if ⟨p. 238⟩we are all infected with it.³ Man by nature is a vain glorious creature, apt to boast and brag of the sins that he is free of, but unwilling to confess the sins that he is guilty of. There are no men so prone to conceal their own wickedness, as those that are most forward to proclaim their own goodness. There are many that are not ashamed to act sin, who yet are ashamed to confess sin; but certainly of all shame, that is the most shameful shame, that leads a man to hide his sins. But now the true penitent he makes conscience of confessing small sins as well as great sins, secret sins as well as open sins, Psal. 90.8 Psal. 19.12. David confesses not only his great sins of murder and adultery, but he confesses also his self-revenge intended against Nabal, and of his knife being so neer Sauls throat, when he cut off the lap of Saul's garment.

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A true Penitent is much in confessing and lamenting over that secret pride, that secret fleshliness, that secret worldliness, that secret hypocrisy, that secret vain glory, &c. that is only obvious to God and his own soul. But 'tis quite otherwise with wicked men; for they confess their grosser sins, but never observe their lesser sins; they confess their open sins, but never lay open their secret sins. Cain confesses his murdering of his brother, but never confesses his secret enmity that put him upon washing his hands in his brother's blood. Pharaoh confesses his oppression of the children of Israel, but he does not confess the pride of his heart, nor the hardness of his heart. Judas confesses his betraying of innocent blood, but he never confesses his covetousness, that put him upon betraying of the Lord of glory. And others have confessed their Apostasy, who have never confessed their hypocrisy that hath led them to Apostasy, &c. Well, this is certain, that those little sins, those secret sins, that never break a sinners sleep, do often break a believers heart.

A true Penitent is much in confessing and lamenting over that secret pride, that secret fleshliness, that secret worldliness, that secret hypocrisie, that secret vain glory, &c. that is only obvious to God and his own soul. But 'tis quite otherwise with wicked men; for they confess their grosser sins, but never observe their lesser sins; they confess their open sins, but never lay open their secret sins. Cain confesses his murdering of his brother, but never confesses his secret enmity that put him upon washing his hands in his brother's bloud. Pharoah confesses his oppression of the children of Israel, but he does not confess the pride of his heart, nor the hardness of his heart. Judas confesses his betraying of innocent blood, but he never confesses his covetousness, that put him upon betraying of the Lord of glory. And others have confest their Apostacy, who have never confest their hypocrisie that hath led them to Apostacy, &c. Well, this is certain, that those little sins, those secret sins, that never break a sinners sleep, do often break a believers heart.

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Thirdly, As true penitential confession is full, so 'tis sincere, 'tis cordial; 'tis not a feigned, nor a formal, nor a mere verbal confession, but an affectionate confession; 'tis a confession that has the mind, the heart, the soul as well as the ⟨p. 239⟩lip in it.¹ The penitent man's confession springs from inward impressions of grace upon his soul, he heels what he confesses, and his affections go along with his confessions. The poor Publican smote upon his breast and confessed. Look, as the sick man opens his disease to his Physician, feelingly, affectionately; and as the Client opens his case to his Lawyer, feelingly, affectionately; so the penitent opens his case, his heart to God, feelingly, affectionately; cold, careless, verbal, formal, customary confessions are no small abominations in the eye of God, Jer. 12.2. Such mens confessions will be their condemnations at last, their tongues will one day cut their throats; though confession to men is a work of the voice, yet confession to God must be the voice of the heart. Sometimes the heart alone is sufficient without the voice, as you may see in Hannah, 1 Sam. 1.13, 14, 15. but the voice is never sufficient without the heart, as you may see in that, Isa. 29.13. Such who make confession of sin to be only a lip-labour, such instead of offering the calves of their lips (as the Prophet requires, Hosea 14.2.) do but offer the lips of calves. Heart-confessions (without words) shall be effectual with God, and carry the day in heaven, when all formal, verbal confessions, though they are never so eloquent or excellent, shall be cast as dung in sinners faces, Isa. 1.12-16. Mary Magdalen weeps, and sighs, and sobs,² but speaks neve• a word; and yet by her heart-confessions she carries it with Christ, as is evident by his answer to her, Luke 7.48. H• said unto her, thy sins are forgiven thee. Penitent souls confess sin feelingly, but wicked mens confessions make no impressions upon them, their confessions run through them as water runs through a pipe, without leaving any impression at all upon the pipe. Wicked men do no more taste nor relish the evil of sin, the poison of sin, the bitterness of sin in any of their confessions, than the pipe does taste or relish the water that runs through it. Such who confess sin formally, or rhetorically, and yet love sin dearly, heartily, shall never get good by their confessions;

Thirdly, As true penitential confession is full, so 'tis sincere, 'tis cordial; 'tis not a feigned, nor a formal, nor a meer verbal confession, but an affectionate confession; 'tis a confession that has the mind, the heart, the soul as well as the ⟨p. 239⟩lip in it.¹ The penitent man's confession springs from inward impressions of grace upon his soul, he heels what he confesses, and his affections go along with his confessions. The poor Publican smote upon his breast and confessed. Look, as the sick man opens his disease to his Physician, feelingly, affectionately; and as the Client opens his case to his Lawyer, feelingly, affectionately; so the penitent opens his case, his heart to God, feelingly, affectionately; cold, careless, verbal, formal, customary confessions are no small abominations in the eye of God, Jer. 12.2. Such mens confessions will be their condemnations at last, their tongues will one day cut their throats; though confession to men is a work of the voice, yet confession to God must be the voice of the heart. Sometimes the heart alone is sufficient without the voice, as you may see in Hannah, 1 Sam. 1.13, 14, 15. but the voice is never sufficient without the heart, as you may see in that, Isa. 29.13. Such who make confession of sin to be only a lip-labour, such instead of offering the calves of their lips (as the Prophet requires, Hosea 14.2.) do but offer the lips of calves. Heart-confessions (without words) shall be effectual with God, and carry the day in heaven, when all formal, verbal confessions, though they are never so eloquent or excellent, shall be cast as dung in sinners faces, Isa. 1.12-16. Mary Magdalen weeps, and sighs, and sobs,² but speaks neve• a word; and yet by her heart-confessions she carries it with Christ, as is evident by his answer to her, Luke 7.48. H• said unto her, thy sins are forgiven thee. Penitent souls confess sin feelingly, but wicked mens confessions make no impressions upon them, their confessions run through them as wate runs through a pipe, without leaving any impression at al upon the pipe. Wicked men do no more taste nor relish the evil of sin, the poyson of sin, the bitterness of sin in any of their confessions, than the pipe does taste or relish the water that runs through it. Such who confess sin formally, or rhetorically, and yet love sin dearly, heartily, shall never get good by their confessions;

1Psal. 51.31. Jer. 18.19, 20. Isa. 26.8, 9. Ezra 9.6. Psal. 38.4. Job 42.6 Luke 18.13.
2Luke 7.38.

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and this sin they confess distinctly and particularly before the Lord and Samuel. And so David in that, 1 Chron. 21.17. And David said unto God, is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed; but as for these sheep, what have they done? Thus that princely Prophet confesses that particular sin that he then lay under the guilt of. And so Zacheus makes a particular confession, he does as it were point with his finger at that wrong and injustice that he had been guilty of; Behold Lord, half my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man, by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. Thus you see that true penitents make a particular confession of their right eye sins, and of their right hand sins; and indeed, what is confession of sin, but a setting our sins in order before the Lord? and how can this be done but by a distinct and particular enumeration of them? But to prevent mistakes, this must be taken with a grain of salt, this must be understood with this limitation; we are to confess our sins distinctly, particularly, so far as we know them, so far as we are acquainted with them. There are many thousand sins which we commit, that we know not to be sins, and there are many thousand sins committed by us, that can't be remembered by us. Now certainly it is impossible for us to recount or confess those sins that we know not, that we remember not; so that our particular confessions can only reach to known sins, so far as we can call them to mind; for indeed our particular acts of sin are innumerable, they are more in number than the hairs of our head; and indeed, we are as well able to tell the stairs of heaven, and to number the sands of the Sea, and to recount all the sparing mercies, the pitying mercies, the preventing mercies, the succouring mercies, the supporting mercies, and the delivering mercies of God, as we are able to tell, to number, to recount, the individual particular acts of sin that we are guilty of; yet so far ⟨p. 242⟩as the knowledge and memory of a penitent Christian reaches, so far his confession reaches. But now, wicked men confess sin in the general, in the lump; as Tharaoh, I have sinned; and their con•essions are commonly confused, and at random. When and where do you find wicked men confessing their sins distinctly or particularly before God or man?

and this sin they confess distinctly and particularly before the Lord and Samuel. And so David in that, 1 Chron. 21.17. And David said unto God, is it not I that commanded the people to be numbred? even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed; but as for these sheep, what have they done? Thus that princely Prophet confesses that particular sin that he then lay under the guilt of. And so Zacheus makes a particular confession, he does as it were point with his finger at that wrong and injustice that he had been guilty of; Behold Lord, half my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man, by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. Thus you see that true penitents make a particular confession of their right eye sins, and of their right hand sins; and indeed, what is confession of sin, but a setting our sins in order before the Lord? and how can this be done but by a distinct and particular enumeration of them? But to prevent mistakes, this must be taken with a grain of salt, this must be understood with this limitation; we are to confess our sins distinctly, particularly, so far as we know them, so far as we are acquainted with them. There are many thousand sins which we commit, that we know not to be sins, and there are many thousand sins committed by us, that can't be remembred by us. Now certainly it is impossible for us to recount or confess those sins that we know not, that we remember not; so that our particular confessions can only reach to known sins, so far as we can call them to mind; for indeed our particular acts of sin are innumerable, they are more in number than the hairs of our head; and indeed, we are as well able to tell the stairs of heaven, and to number the sands of the Sea, and to recount all the sparing mercies, the pitying mercies, the preventing mercies, the succouring mercies, the supporting mercies, and the delivering mercies of God, as we are able to tell, to number, to recount, the individual particular acts of sin that we are guilty of; yet so far ⟨p. 242⟩as the knowledge and memory of a penitent Christian reaches, so far his confession reaches. But now, wicked men confess sin in the general, in the lump; as Tharaoh, I have sinned; and their con•essions are commonly confused, and at random. When and where do you find wicked men confessing their sins distinctly or particularly before God or man?

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Fifthly, The true penitent does not only distinctly and particularly confess his sins, but he does very highly aggravate his sins,¹ by confessing not only the kinds and acts (so far as he knows and remembers them) but the circumstances of them also. There are (sometimes) some circumstances that may somewhat lessen a penitent mans sins; now these he readily and easily passes over, but then there are other circumstances which do exceedingly heighten and aggravate his sins, and that makes them more heinous and dangerous; and these he carefully and faithfully acknowledges. The penitential confessions recorded in the old and new Testament, are full of exaggerating expressions, as is evident in these instances. Ezra at once heightens and aggravates their sins by this circumstance, that they had been committed against manifold experiments that they had had, both of the severity, and also of the mercy of the Lord, Ezra 9. and so does Nehemiah also, Neh. 9. The like instance you have in Daniel, Chap. 9. 5, 6. We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts, and from thy judgments: neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the Prophets which spake in thy Name, to our Kings, our Princes and our Fathers, and to all the people of the Land. In these words you have seven circumstances that Daniel useth in confessing of his and the peoples sins, and all to heighten and to aggravate them. First, We have sinned. Secondly, We have committed iniquity. Thirdly, We have done wickedly. Fourthly, We have rebelled against thee. Fifthly, We have departed from thy precepts. Sixthly, We have not hearkened unto thy servants. ⟨p. 243⟩Seventhly, Nor our Princes, nor all the people of the Land. These seven aggravations which Daniel reckons up in his confession, are worthy of our most serious consideration. The same spirit you may find working in Peter, Mark 14.72. When he thought thereon be wept; or nearer the Original; When he cast all these things one upon another, he wept. Ah wretch! that ever I was born, that ever I should deny the Lord that bought me; that ever I should deny him who hath, not only externally, but also internally called me; that ever I should deny him that made me an Apostle, that fed me at his table, that beautified me with his grace, and that in the Mount showed me some glimpses of his glory;

Fifthly, The true penitent does not only distinctly and particularly confess his sins, but he does very highly aggravate his sins,¹ by confessing not only the kinds and acts (so far as he knows and remembers them) but the circumstances of them also. There are (sometimes) some circumstances that may somewhat lessen a penitent mans sins; now these he readily and easily passes over, but then there are other circumstances which do exceedingly heighten and aggravate his sins, and that makes them more hainous and dangerous; and these he carefully and faithfully acknowledges. The penitential confessions recorded in the old and new Testament, are full of exaggerating expressions, as is evident in these instances. Ezra at once heightens and aggravates their sins by this circumstance, that they had been committed against manifold experiments that they had had, both of the severity, and also of the mercy of the Lord, Ezra 9. and so does Nehemiah also, Neh. 9. The like instance you have in Daniel, Chap. 9. 5, 6. We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts, and from thy judgments: neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the Prophets which spake in thy Name, to our Kings, our Princes and our Fathers, and to all the people of the Land. In these words you have seven circumstances that Daniel useth in confessing of his and the peoples sins, and all to heighten and to aggravate them. First, We have sinned. Secondly, We have committed iniquity. Thirdly, We have done wickedly. Fourthly, We have rebelled against thee. Fifthly, We have departed from thy percepts. Sixthly, We have not hearkened unto thy servants. ⟨p. 243⟩Seventhly, Nor our Princes, nor all the people of the Land. These seven aggravations which Daniel reckons up in his confession, are worthy of our most serious consideration. The same spirit you may find working in Peter, Mark 14.72. When he thought thereon be wept; or neerer the Original; When he cast all these things one upon another, he wept. Ah wretch! that ever I was born, that ever I should deny the Lord that bought me; that ever I should deny him who hath, not only externally, but also internally called me; that ever I should deny him that made me an Apostle, that fed me at his table, that beautified me with his grace, and that in the Mount shew'd me some glimpses of his glory;

1Psal. 32.5. Levit. 16.21.

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that ever I should deny him who has brought me out of a state of death and wrath, into a state of life and love; that ever I should deny him that has been the best, the wisest, the holiest, the tenderest, the faithfullest, and the noblest Master that ever man served. Ah, wretch that I am! he forewarned me of this sin before-hand, that I might be not only cautioned but armed against it, and yet I denied him; I promised him beforehand, that I would never deny him, that I would never forsake him, that I would never turn my back upon him, and yet like a base coward, I have denied the captain of my salvation; yea, this very night, and no longer ago, did I say again and again, that I would not deny him, and yet now, even now, I have most shamefully denied him; yea, I told him, that though all others, should deny him, yet would not I deny him, and yet in all the world there is not such another to be found, that has so sadly, so desperately denied him, as I have denied him, and that before a silly Maid; nay, more beast that I am to my denying of him. I have added a most incredible lye, saying, I know not the man, when there was not a man in all the world that I was so well acquainted with as I was with Christ, feeding constantly at his table,¹ and drinking constantly of his cup, and living constantly upon his purse, and waiting constantly upon his person, and being a constant eye-witness of all the famous miracles that were wrought by him; nay, yet more monster that I am, I did not only lye, but I also bound that lye with an hideous Oath, I ⟨p. 244⟩did not only say that I knew not the man, but I also swore I knew not the man; nay, yet more than all this, I did not only basely deny him, I did not only tell an incredible lye against my own light and conscience, I did not only bind a fearful lye with a hideous oath, but I also fell a cursing and damning of my self, for so much the Greek word [Greek or Hebrew] imports; I wished that the curse, the wrath or vengeance of God might fall upon me if I knew the man, I wished my self separated from the presence and glory of God if I knew the man: And woe and alas to me, all this I did when my Lord and Master was near me, yea when he was upon his trial;

that ever I should deny him who has brought me out of a state of death and wrath, into a state of life and love; that ever I should deny him that has been the best, the wisest, the holiest, the tenderest, the faithfullest, and the noblest Master that ever man served. Ah, wretch that I am! he forewarned me of this sin before-hand, that I might be not only cautioned but armed against it, and yet I denied him; I promised him beforehand, that I would never deny him, that I would never forsake him, that I would never turn my back upon him, and yet like a base coward, I have denied the captain of my salvation; yea, this very night, and no longer ago, did I say again and again, that I would not deny him, and yet now, even now, I have most shamefully denied him; yea, I told him, that though all others, should deny him, yet would not I deny him, and yet in all the world there is not such another to be found, that has so sadly, so desperately denied him, as I have denied him, and that before a silly Maid; nay, more beast that I am to my denying of him. I have added a most incredible lye, saying, I know not the man, when there was not a man in all the world that I was so well acquainted with as I was with Christ, feeding constantly at his table,¹ and drinking constantly of his cup, and living constantly upon his purse, and waiting constantly upon his person, and being a constant eye-witness of all the famous miracles that were wrought by him; nay, yet more monster that I am, I did not only lye, but I also bound that lye with an hideous Oath, I ⟨p. 244⟩did not only say that I knew not the man, but I also swore I knew not the man; nay, yet more than all this, I did not only basely deny him, I did not only tell an incredible lye against my own light and conscience, I did not only bind a fearful lye with a hideous oath, but I also fell a cursing and damning of my self, for so much the Greek word 〈non-Latin alphabet〉 imports; I wisht that the curse, the wrath or vengeance of God might fall upon me if I knew the man, I wisht my self separated from the presence and glory of God if I knew the man: And wo and alas to me, all this I did when my Lord and Master was neer me, yea when he was upon his trial;

1There was scarce any Jew, which knew not Christ by sight, he being very famous for the many miracles that were wrote by him.