The penitent pardoned a treatise wherein is handled the duty of confession of sin…

First, Whether God may forgive a man his sin, and yet the man himself not know it: here David had sin forgiven him, and David did know it, I acknowledge, and thou forgavest: but whether may a man have sin forgiven him, and yet not know he is pardoned? I answer, in the affirmative, that a man may have sin forgiven him, and yet not know that his sin is pardoned; though David did know his pardon at this time, yet he did not know his pardon at other times, Psal. 51. Restore unto me the joy of thy Salvation. God broke Davids bones for his Adultery, and David was driven to shed a River of tears before God did pour in one drop of joy, Job 33. 10. Behold he findeth occasions against me, he counteth me for his enemy. Job thought that God was an enemy unto him: and you have not only the confession of one man, but the doubts and fears of the Church in general, Lament. 3. 42. We have transgressed and have rebelled, thou hast not pardoned, we have rebelled, &c. Yet God had pardoned, and God had forgiven them; yet here was their fear and their doubt, they lay under suspense of pardon; ⟨p. 92⟩God may pardon a sin unto the Elect, and yet they not know that they are pardoned, and in the manifold Wisdom of God there are divers reasons for it; first by keeping them under a suspense of pardon, they may sympathize with and carry more tenderness of compassion towards them that are troubled in mind; it was one end of Christs sufferings, his soul was in an agony and under a desertion, crying, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? what was the end of it? it was for this, that Christ might carry more compassion, and more bowels of tenderness towards persons that are under deep desertions; Let a scholar that studies many things, read in a Book, of the storms and distresses that sea-men are subject unto; yet by all he reads he cannot pity men in a storm, if he have never been in a storm himself; let one read what the scripture mentions of the pangs of a woman in travel, she cannot so compassionate a woman in travel, unless she hath had the pangs her self; so in Divine things, it is experience that makes men have compassion.

First, Whether God may forgive a man his sin, and yet the man himselfe not know it: here David had sin forgiven him, and David did know it, I acknowledge, and thou forgavest: but whether may a man have sin forgiven him, and yet not know he is pardoned? I answer, in the affirmative, that a man may have sin forgiven him, and yet not know that his sin is pardoned; though David did know his pardon at this time, yet he did not know his pardon at other times,