A88592:58
The souls cordial in two treatises. I. Teaching how to be eased of the…The souls cordiall in two treatises. I. Teaching how to be eased of the…
The souls cordial in two treatises. I. Teaching how to be eased of the guilt of sin. II. Discovering advantages by Christs ascension. The third volum. / By that faithful labourer in the Lords vineyard Mr. Christopher Love, pastor of Lawrence Jury, London.The souls cordiall in two treatises. I. Teaching how to be eased of the guilt of sin. II. Discovering advantages by Christs ascension. The third volum. / By that faithfull labourer in the Lords vineyard Mr. Christopher Love, pastor of Lawrence Jury, London.
London: printed for Nathaniel Brooke, 1653
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
Use. First see hence, that not only condemned Malefactors, not only damned men must confess sin; but regenerate men, pardoned men. It is no servile, no slavish, no legal work. Though the lowest Believer be above the power of sin, yet the ⟨p. 18⟩highest Believer is not above the confession of sin; because not above the practise of sin. As long as men continue acting of sin, men must never leave confessing of sin; as long as sin leaks into thy soul, thou must so long be pumping by confession to the soul as a pump to the ship. O, what leaks into thy heart by heedlessness and carelessness, pump out by confession. Till thou art above the actings of sin, thou art not above the confessing of sin: as long as the body natural doth gather corrupt humours, so long there must be Purges and Vomits: if the body should still be gathering corrupt humours, nature would be stifled by these humours; thou art gathering sin to sin, thou art adding iniquity to iniquity: confession is a spiritual Purge, it doth cleanse and purge the heart; see therefore the great need that pardoned men have to confess their faults.
Ʋse. First see hence, that not only condemned Malefactors, not only damned men must confesse sin; but regenerate men, pardoned men. It is no servile, no slavish, no legall work. Though the lowest Beleever be above the power of sin, yet the ⟨p. 18⟩highest Beleever is not above the confession of sin; because not above the practise of sin. As long as men continue acting of sin, men must never leave confessing of sin; as long as sin leaks into thy soul, thou must so long be pumping by confession to the soul as a pump to the ship. O, what leaks into thy heart by heedlesnesse and carelesnesse, pump out by confession. Till thou art above the actings of sin, thou art not above the confessing of sin: as long as the body naturall doth gather corrupt humours, so long there must be Purges and Vomits: if the body should still be gathering corrupt humours, nature would be stifled by these humours; thou art gathering sin to sin, thou art adding iniquity to iniquity: confession is a spirituall Purge, it doth cleanse and purge the heart; see therefore the great need that pardoned men have to confesse their faults.