Yet Saul and Judas were both rejected of God; fo that a man may confefs fin, and yet be but almost a Christian.

Object. But is not confeffion of fin, a character of a child of God? Doth not the Apostle fay, if "We confefs our fins, God is juft and faithful to forgive them?" John, i. 9. No man was ever kept out of heaven fo: his confeffed badnefs, though many are kept out of heaven for their supposed goodnefs. "Peccatorum confeffio fynecdoche univerfam penitentiam hoc loco fignificat."

Vorft. in loc.

Judah in the Hebrew, fignifies confeffion, now Judah got the kingdom from Reuben.Confeffion of fin is the way to the kingdom of heaven.

Solution. There are fome that confefs fin, and are faved; there are others that confefs fin, and perifh.

1. Many confefs fin merely out of custom, and not out of confcience: You fhall have many that will never pray, but they will make a long confeffion of fin, and yet never feel the weight or burden of it upon their confciences.

2. Many will confefs leffer fins, and yet conceal greater, like the patient in Plutarch, that complained to his physician of his finger, when his liver was rotten.

3. Many will confefs fin in the general, or confefs themfelves finners, and yet fee little, and fay lefs of their particular fins. An implicit confeffion (as one faith) is almost as bad as implicit faith.,

Where

Where confeffion is right, it will be diftinct, efpecially of thofe fins that were our chief fins So Dávid confeffes his blood guiltinefs, and adultery. Pfal. li, 4, 14. Sò Paul his blafphemy, perfecution and injury against the faints, Tim. 1.13, 19. It is bad to hear men confefs they are great finners, and yet con fefs their fins.

Though the leaft fin be too bad to be committed, yet there is no fin too bad to be confeffed.

4. Many will confefs fin, but it is only under extremity, that it is not free and voluntary: Pharaoh confeffes his fin, but it was when judgment compelled him: I have finned against the Lord, faith he, but it was when he had eight plagues upon him.

Many do by their fins, as mariners do by their goods, caft them out in a ftorm, wishing for them again in a calm. Confeffion fhould come like water out of a spring, which runs freely; not like water out of a still, which is forced by fire.

5. Many confefs their fins, but with no intent to forfake fin; they confefs the fins they have committed, but do not leave the fins they have confeffed.

Mary men ufe confeffion as Lewes the eleven of France did his crucifix; he would Iwear an oath, and then kifs it; and fwear again, and then kifs it again.

So, many fin, and then confefs they do not well, but yet never ftrive to do better. Mr. Torfhel tells a story of a Minister he

knew,

knew, that would be often drunk, and when he came into the pulpit, would confefs it very lamentingly, and yet no fooner was he out of the pulpit, but he would be drunk again, and this would he do as conftantly as men follow their trades.

Now then, if a man may confefs fin merely out of cuftom; if he may confefs leffer fins, and yet conceal greater; if he may confefs fin only in the general, or only under extremity, or if he may confefs sin without any intent to forfake sin, then furely a man may confefs sin, and yet be but almost a Chriftian.

4. A man may forfake sin, and yet be but almost a Chriftian: He may leave his lufts and wicked ways, which he fometimes lived in; and in the judgment of the world become a new man, and yet not be a new creature.— Simon Magus when he hears Philip preaching. concerning the kingdom of God, leaves his forcery and witchcraft and believes, Acts viii. 13.

Object. But you will fay, this feems contrary to Scripture; for that faith, "He that confeffeth and forfaketh sin, thall have mercy, "Prov. xxviii. 13. But I confess sin, yea not only fo, but I also forfake sin; fure therefore his mercy is my portion, it belongs to me..

It is true, that were the foul forfakes from a right principle, after a right manner, to a right end; where he forfakes sin as sin, as. being contrary to God, and the purity of his nature. This declares that soul to be right

with God, and the promise fhall be made good to it; he fhall find mercy.

But now, pray mind, there is a forfaking sin that is not right, but unfound.

1. Open sins may be deferted, and yet fecret sins may be retained. Now this is not a right forfaking, fuch a foul fhall never find mercy. A man may be cured of a wound in his flesh, and yet may he die of an impofthume in his bowels.

2. A man may forfake fin, but not as fin. For he that forfakes fin as fin, forfakes all fin. "Aquatenus ad onme valet confequentia." It is impoffible for a man to forfake fin as fin, unlefs he forfake all that he knows to be fine. 3. A man may let one fin go, to hold another the fafter: As a man that goes to fea, would willingly fave all his goods, but if the ftorm arife that he cannot, then, he throws fome oyer-board to lighten the veffel, and, fave the reft; fo did they, Acts xxvii. 38.

So the finner choofes to keep all his fins; but if a ftorm arife in the confcience, why then he will heave one luft over-board to fave the life of another.

4. A man may let all fin go, and yet be a finner ftill; for there is the root of all fin in the heart, though the fruit be not feen in the life; the tree lives, though the boughs be lopt off As a man is a finner before ever he act fin, fo (till grace renew him) he is a finner though he leaves fin; for there is original fin in him enough to damn and deftroy him. Pfal. li. 5.

5. Sin may be left, and yet be loved: A man may forfake the life of fin, and yet retain the love of fin. Now, though leaving fin make him almost a Christian, yet loving fin vows he is but almost a Christian.

It is a lefs evil to do fin, and not to love it, than to love fin and not to do it; forto do fine may argue only weakness of grace, but to love fin argues ftrength of luft: What I hate, that do I. Rom. vii. 15.

Sin is bad in any part of a man, but fin in the affection, is worse than fin in the coverfation; for fin in the converfation may be only from infirmity, but fin in the affection is the fruit of choice and unregeneracy.

6. All fin may be chained, and yet the heart not changed, and fo the nature of the finner is the fame as ever. A dog chained up, is a dog ftill, as much as if it were loose to devour.

There may be a ceffation of arms between enemies, and yet the quarrel may remain on foor ftill. There may be a making truce, where there is no making peace.

A finner may lay the weapons of fin out of his hand; and yet the enmity against God still remains in his heart. There may be a truce; he may not fin against him, but there can be no peace till he be united unto him.

Reftraining grace holds in the finner, but it is renewing grace that changes the nature. Now many are held in by grace from being open finners, that are not renewed by grace, and made true believers. Now

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