A49255:153
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.
This was the fault of Bellarmine, when his Confessor came unto him on his deathbed, Bellarmine did protest unto him, that he did not know one sin that he was guilty of to confess unto the Priest: this was heedlessness in him, for if he had observed his own ways, he would have found sins enough to have confessed: many are heedless that they do not take notice of their own evils, this is a common and an ordinary Defect; there are many when they come to prayer though they have manifold sins in them, yet they are so ⟨p. 34⟩confused, so indistinct in the knowledge of their own ways, that they have only general confessions, Lord we have sinned, Lord we have done evil in thy sight, but cannot call to mind any particular sin they have done; Was it never thus with you, that ye did not know what to bewail to God, and what to lament of in his presence? this is a Defect that godly men are often guilty of.
This was the fault of Bellarmine, when his Confessor came unto him on his deathbed, Bellarmine did protest unto him, that he did not know one sin that he was guilty of to confesse unto the Priest: this was heedlesnesse in him, for if he had observed his own waies, he would have found sins enough to have confest: many are heedlesse that they doe not take notice of their own evils, this is a common and an ordinary Defect; there are many when they come to prayer though they have manifold sins in them, yet they are so ⟨p. 34⟩confused, so indistinct in the knowledge of their own waies, that they have only general confessions, Lord we have sinned, Lord we have done evil in thy sight, but cannot call to minde any particular sin they have done; Was it never thus with you, that ye did not know what to bewaile to God, and what to lament of in his presence? this is a Defect that godly men are often guilty of.
Defect 2 A second Defect in the confession of sin to God is this, when men in prayer do confess many sins to God, yet do leave out their master and predominant sins: many men are large in confession, yet do leave out their master sins. Moses, though a good man, yet was faulty in this regard; God commanded him to go to Egypt to deliver his people, but saith Moses, I am not eloquent, I am of a slow speech; he did complain of a natural defect, but he did not complain of a spiritual defect, but God did answer all his pleas in