A49255:143
The penitent pardoned a treatise wherein is handled the duty of confession of sin…
The penitent pardoned a treatise wherein is handled the duty of confession of sin and the privilege of the pardon of sin : together with a discourse of Christs ascension into heaven and of his coming again from heaven : wherein the opinion of the Chiliasts is considered and solidly confuted / being the sum and substance of several sermons preached by that faithful servant of Christ, Mr. Christopher Love ...The penitent pardoned a treatise wherein is handled the duty of confession of sin and the priviledge of the pardon of sin : together with a discourse of Christs ascension into heaven and of his coming again from heaven : wherein the opinion of the Chiliasts is considered and solidly confuted / being the sum and substance of several sermons preached by that faithful servant of Christ, Mr. Christopher Love ...
London: printed for John Rothwell, 1657
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Caut. 1 First Caution is this, That you are not to confess sin needlessly to men, but when there is a great and an urgent necessity, when you are exceedingly troubled in conscience, and cannot be comforted; in such a case you may go to men to acknowledge what sins trouble your consciences: but to confess sin needlessly to men, you are not called. God doth not love, saith Chrysostom, that we should not go to men to reveal our shame, but go to God; unless the case be very urgent, that by all the means ye can use, ye cannot ease your selves, then are ye to confess sin in that case.
Caut. 1 First Caution is this, That you are not to confesse sin needlesly to men, but when there is a great and an urgent necessity, when you are exceedingly troubled in conscience, and cannot be comforted; in such a case you may go to men to acknowledge what sins trouble your consciences: but to confesse sin needlesly to men, you are not called. God doth not love, saith Chrysostom, that we should not go to men to reveal our shame, but go to God; unless the case be very urgent, that by all the means ye can use, ye cannot ease your selves, then are ye to confesse sin in that case.
Caut. 2 Secondly, That when ye are to confess sin to men, you are not to confess sin to every one; you are to confess sin to those that are compassionate, that are of ability to pray for you, to those who have wisdom and can counsel you, to those who have pity that can compassionate you, to those who have experience that can advise you, to those that can give counsel and keep counsel: you are not to confess your faults to any but to those you think are tender hearted, to be able to pray for you. Beloved, if a man should be in discredit and lavish in confession, and confess his sin to every body, it may be some would jeer and reproach him: Chrysostom in his Homily on Dives and Lazarus, hath this expression, If thou confess thy sin in some mens ears, they will cast thy sins in thy face in a way of scorn: Some men would deal with you as the Pharisees did with Judas; Judas when he was smitten in conscience for sin, came to the Pharisees, and said unto them, Here is your money again, for I have sinned in betraying innocent blood: say they, What is that to us? look you to it, for what you have done: so men will express no pity, and will give no counsel; therefore there must be wisdom in revealing of your sins to other men. Thus you have the Cautions prescribed unto you