The truly blessed man, or, The way to be happy here, and forever being…

1. We do not confess all. Our acknowledgement is with reserves: there is some sin that we hide under our tongues; there is something that we come and tell God of, and make a fair show of Religious doing duty in it, but we keep back a part; how frequent a thing is it for us to go about to put God off with half confessions? how apt to think a little piece of a confession is a great matter, and count that we have gone through our duty in this regard, when we have not gone half way in it? and this argueth a false heart, that confesseth some, to hide the rest: but God will not be so mocked. Or,

1. We do not confess all. Our acknowledgment is with reserves: there is some sin that we hide under our tongues; there is something that we come and tell God of, and make a fair shew of Religious doing duty in it, but we keep back a part; how frequent a thing is it for us to go about to put God off with half confessions? how apt to think a little piece of a confession is a great matter, and count that we have gone through our duty in this regard, when we have not gone half way in it? and this argueth a false heart, that confesseth some, to hide the rest: but God will not be so mocked. Or,

2. We do not make our Confession penitently. It is an humble Confession that God looks for; and there is a proud sort of Confession that we are prone to: and it appears in such things;

1. We do not take the whole blame to our selves. We confess the fact, and it may be our folly too, but withal we seek in part to put it off somewhere else, possibly the bigger part, and reserve the least for our selves: we make fearful cries against the Devil; the Devil tempted me, and was too subtle for me; &c. The Devil indeed is called the Tempter, but remember, it is not his, but our fault if we are tempted,