Q. Give me one more reason why I should confess my sins to God?—A. He that confesseth his sin, casteth himself at the feet of God's mercy, utterly condemns and casts away his own righteousness, concludeth there is no way to stand just and acquit before God, but by and through the righteousness of another; whether God is resolved to bring thee, if ever he saves thy soul (Psa 51:1-3; 1 John 1:9; Phil 3:6-8).
Q. What frame of heart should I be in when I confess my sins?—A. Do it HEARTILY, and to the best of thy power thoroughly. For to feign, in this work, is abominable; to do it by the halves, is wickedness; to do it without sense of sin cannot be acceptable. And to confess it with the mouth, and to love it with the heart, is a lying unto God, and a provocation of the eyes of his glory.
Q. What do you mean by feigning and dissembling in this work?—A. When men confess it, yet know not what it is; or if they think they know it, do not conclude it so bad as it is; or when men ask pardon of God, but do not see their need of pardon; this man must needs dissemble.
Q. What do you mean by doing it by the halves?—A. When men confess some, but not all that they are convinced of; or if they confess all, yet labour in their confession to lessen it (Prov 28:13; Job 31:33). Or when in their confession they turn not from all sin to God, but from one sin to another (James 3:12). They turned, 'but not to the most High,' none of them did exalt him (Hosea 7:16).
Q. What is it to confess sin without the sense of sins?—A. To do it through custom, or tradition, when there is no guilt upon the conscience, now this cannot be acceptable.
Q. What is it to confess it with the mouth and to love it with the heart?—A. When men condemn it with their mouth, but refuse to let it go (Job 20:12,13; Jer 8:5); when 'with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness' (Eze 33:31).
Q. But I asked you what frame of heart I should be in, in my confessions?—A. I have showed you how you should not be. Well, I will show you now what frame of heart becomes you in your confessions of sin. Labour by all means for a sense of the evil that is in sin.
Q. What evil is there in sin?—A. No man with tongue can express what may by the heart be felt of the evil of sin;[13] but this know, it dishonoureth God (Rom 2:23). It provoketh him to wrath (Eph 5:5,6). It damneth the soul (2 Thess 2:12).
Q. What else would you advise me to in this great work?—A. When we confess sin, tears, shame, and brokenness of heart becomes us (Jer 50:4; Isa 22:12; Psa 51:17; Jer 31:19).
Q. What else becomes me in my confessions of sin?—A. Great detestation of sin, with unfeigned sighs and groans, that express thou dost it heartily (Job 42:6; Eze 9:4; Jer 31:9).