TWO SERMONS PREACHED IN St. MARY'S CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE.  
BY ROBERT SHERINGHAM, Master of Arts, and Fellow of GUNVIL and CAIUS College.  
LONDON, Printed by james Young, and are to be sold by John Williams, at the sign of the Crown in Paul's Churchyard. 1645.   

THE PREFACE TO THE CHRISTIAN READER.  
IT is not any excellence that I suppose to be in mine own labour, hath made me expose it to the public view, but the manifold obligations that I own to God and the Commonwealth. My desire is to pay part of a debt, and not to set out a Manifesto of mine own merits, which I know how mean and small they are. The first and greatest debt I own is to God: a debt so impossible to be fully paid, that whilst I offer now to pay it but in part, I shall make it greater: for all that I can render unto the Lord for all his benefits, is, to endeavour what I can to set forth his glory; and when I have done that, I shall by such a payment rather increase my debt, then lessen it, as doing whatsoever I do by his grace and assistance. Howsoever, I shall strive this way to do what I am able; & (when I cannot otherwise) labour by increasing my debt to pay it. The glory of God is, and I hope shall ever be, dearer unto me than my own life, or happiness; were there as many worlds in truth and reality, as some Philosophers have conceited in their fancy, I had rather perform one Act whereby God might be glorified, then be owner of them all. This that I have now done, I confess, is not much; yet by his own blessing, it may in some measure help to set forth his glory: and at the last, when the fruit and succcesse of all men's labour shall be made manifest, be a joy and comfort unto me.  
The second debt I own, is to the Commonwealth; whose good, profit, and advantage, all men are bound to promote, according as their respective callings and abilities shall make them capable. For, although our desires be various, and spring from many several Fountains, yet they ought all to meet in the main sea of public profit. They which neglect the common good, and seek only occasions to spend their time in ease and pleasure, are but the superfluities of nature, and may seem to be born for no other end but to contradict that received principle, that God & nature makes nothing in vain. The light of the Sun is ever in action, it produceth gold and silver, and rich perfumes, and makes the whole earth pleasant and fruitful: the light of knowledge ought to inspire us also with the same activities, he that makes not the light of knowledge as fruitful in spiritual, as that of the Sun is in natural productions, makes not that gain of knowledge which he should: I will therefore endeavour to make my light active; which, how small and weak soever it be, may yet by the gracious assistance of God, and his concurrence with it, further the spiritual progress and advancement of some.  
These are the chief inducements, which, together with the invitation of divers friends (whereof some desired Copies, determining to put them in print without my knowledge) moved we to publish these Sermons, not intended by me at the first to be made public. Many that heard them when they were delivered, have professed that they were much wrought upon, and affected by them: I hope they will have the same influence upon those that read them. The faults that are committed in the printing, are neither very many, nor very material; yet there are some: Some things are set down by way of parenthesis, where they ought not: In some places divers words are omitted, in others mistaken. For, by reason I could not be present to oversee the Press myself, the Composer was forced to guess at the words where the Copy was blotted and imperfect, as it was in many places.— Yet these mistakes have not in any place, that I have observed, either depraved the sense, or altered it, although sometimes they do a little disfigure the phrase; and therefore I have not caused the Errata to be noted at the end. For I desire not to seem curious, but have rather endeavoured to avoid curiosity, especially where I have occasion to reprehend the faults of any, lest I should seem to whip them with a posy. If thou findest any thing that proveth useful and profitable unto thee, give God the glory, to whose protection I will leave thee.   
PSALM 41.4. 
Heal my soul, for I have sinned against thee.  
THese words were uttered by David in the bitterness of his soul, after he had committed the two crying sins of Adultery and Murder: For David, a man after Gods own heart, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, 
In Psa. 50.  as S. chrysostom speaks of him, a man that lived as strictly in his kingly palace, as in a cloister or monastery, fell notwithstanding into notorious and scandalous offences: He that, like an  rock, had broken the waves of all temptations, was now broken himself. In a word; David, that victorious King, whom neither the lion, nor the bear, nor Goliath himself, the terror of a whole army, could overcome, was conquered by his own passions, wounded by his own lust, and brought into that extremity, that neither the balm of Gilead, nor all the physicians there could heal those wounds. But although he sinned, yet he continued not long in his apostasy; as soon as the prophet Nathan moved him to repentance, he confessed his fault, & began a repentance that ended not till his death. There came a traveller (saith the prophet Nathan) unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock, but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come unto him, 2 Sam. 12.4. Sin is there styled but a traveller, for it was none of his domestic followers; Transitus erat, non permansio, as S. Augustine: 
De doctr. Christ. lib. 3. cap. 21.  he did but lodge sin for a time, he did not suffer it to dwell with him for ever; for as soon as he grew sensible of his own distemper, he makes his complaint to God, the only physician of his soul, desiring him to restore and heal him. If there be any here then that have imitated David's sins, learn also to imitate his repentance: Sin came to David but as a traveller; God grant it comes but as a traveller to you.  
The parts of my Text are three: First, here is Designatio partis vulneratae, David's discovery of the wounded part, and that was his soul; Heal my soul. Secondly, here is Petitio remedii, his prayer and petition for a remedy, and that was to be healed; Heal my soul. Thirdly, here is Confessio causae, his confession of the cause of those wounds, and that was his sin; For I have sinned against thee. I will begin with the first; that is, Designatio partis vulneratae, his discovery of the wounded part.  
The part that was wounded, and that David desired to have healed, was his soul, the principal and most excellent part of a man. The Pelagians affirm, that sin can no way wound the soul; for, being a bare privation, it cannot have, say they, a positive and natural act: An error directly opposite to my text. 
De natura & gratia, cap. 19  Quid sanatur, si nihil est vulneratum, nihil sauciatum, nihil debilitatum atque vitiatum? Why doth David desire to have his soul healed, if nothing in it were wounded, nothing debilitated, nothing corrupted? it is S. Augustine's inference out of these words. The Polagians than were full of vain presumption, or else David was full of vain fears: But David's fears were just, and he spoke these words out of experience and a deep sense of his own miseries. For, if we descend into particulars, we shall see his soul had many wounds; it had some as old as itself, his soul was wounded as soon as it was created; God gave him life, and sin death, at the same instant: for David, together with all mankind, sinned in our first parents, and was wounded in his soul by that original sin which he derived from them: Behold, saith he, I was shapen in wickedness, and in sin did my mother conceive me, Psal. 51.5. Here was a sin, and therefore a wound at his first conception. 
Apol. David. lib. 1. cap. 11. Contra Julianum l. 6. cap. 7.  S. Ambrose calls it naturale contagium, a natural contagion. S. Augustine, morbum & languorem naturae, the disease and languishment of nature: And this wound was deep enough, had he had no other; for original sin hath not only wounded the soul, but it hath wounded all her powers and faculties.  
First, it hath wounded the affections; for whilst man stood in the integrity of his nature, all his affections were regulated and governed by reason: the superior faculties of the soul exercised a kind of regal authority and jurisdiction over the inferior, and the inferior did inviolably perform those duties that were required of them: Man was like a perfect Commonwealth, like Jerusalem, that was built as a city that is at unity with itself: but sin hath now so wounded the affections, that they are no longer inclined, or naturally able to execute the decrees of reason; but as a ship is carried up and down by the violence of the waves in a tempest at sea, so a man is carried by the violence of his own affections: he is driven by them, as by strong and impetuous winds, upon many rocks. Now the inferior faculties of the soul resist the superior, the affections (like seditious Tribunes) being always ready to stir up commotions: I see another law in my members (saith S. Paul) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, warring against the law of my mind, Rom. 7.23. The affections are at war with reason, and force it oftentimes to stoop to their unreasonable and unjust commands. This is the first wound of the soul, which is called imbecilitas & naturalis infirmitas, imbecility and natural infirmity.  
Secondly, It hath wounded the understanding, for the understanding did naturally apprehend truth without difficulty; and as the eye looketh upon a beautiful object, so the understanding looked upon truth with delight and pleasure; and the more excellent and eminent the truths were, the greater pleasure had the understanding in the contemplation of them: It was not subject to be deluded by the false insinuations of any affection, but could upon deliberation clearly discern all natural truths; and as for those truths that were supernatural and above its capacity, as many of them as were necessary to be known, were infused, or revealed by God when he first created it: But sin hath likewise so wounded the understanding, as it can hardly apprehend its first principles without difficulty. Now reason, like Achitophel, takes part with rebellious Absolom, the corrupt affections; and is apt to represent things to the will, not as they are in themselves, but as the affections please. Now the understanding is filled with ignorance and obscurity, and hath lost that knowledge that was revealed to our first parents, and which should likewise have been revealed to all their posterity, together with the light whereby it was able to judge and discern supernatural truths. So that there is a double ignorance in the understanding, arising from a double defect and want in the soul. The first kind of ignorance ariseth from want of sufficient revelation; for, naturally, the understanding cannot know the articles of faith. God hath given to every thing a certain circuit, and determinate sphere of activity beyond which it cannot pass; as fire can heat to a determinate distance, but cannot pass beyond that distance: The understanding hath a sphere of activity too, it hath a natural sufficiency to understand some truths, such as are of the law of nature, and such as it can come unto by the knowledge of the senses; but cannot pass beyond them to those that are supernatural. The second kind of ignorance ariseth from want of evidence after sufficient revelation, and is always joined with falsehood, or doubt: Falsehood ariseth from deception, when the understanding apprehends error for truth in things speculative; or in things practical, when it apprehends that goodness to be in some actions which is not; and in others, that goodness to be wanting which is in them. Doubt ariseth from irresolution: I speak not now of irresolution in matters of action, which belong properly to the will; but of irresolution in matters of judgement, which belong to the understanding: for, there is an irresolution in the will, and an irresolution in the understanding; as a Judge sometimes knows the law, and yet suspends judgement out of partiality and affection; and this is called suspensio facti, a suspension of fact: and sometimes when reasons are equal on both sides, he knows not to whom the laws incline, and so suspends judgement for want of evidence; and this is called suspensio juris, a suspension of right. So it is likewise in the soul; sometimes a man knows what he ought to do, but yet, out of particular and private respects, resolves upon nothing; here the suspense is in the will, and is answerable to that which in a Judge is called suspensio facti: and sometimes, when arguments are equal on both sides, he knows not what to resolve upon for want of evidence; here the suspense is in the understanding, and is answerable to that which in a Judge is called suspensio juris: In the first case there is a conflict of several desires; in the last, a conflict of several thoughts. And from this kind of irresolution proceed all doubts and scruples in matters of conscience, which although they be not joined with falsehood, because the understanding hath made no conclusion; yet they are always joined with ignorance. And this is the second wound of the soul, which is called Ignorantia & coecitas mentis, ignorance and blindness of mind.  
Thirdly, It hath wounded the will, that supreme faculty of the soul, and mistress of all the other; for the will was once able to rule the affections, and to hold them all in subjection: it had a natural power to love God, and a natural inclination carrying all her desires towards him: But sin hath now wounded the will also, and deprived it of those natural perfections wherewith it was created; it is now inclined to love the creatures, and to desire and long after them more than after God. Can we but penetrate with our bodily eyes into the souls of men, and behold all the several acts of their wills, we should see an admirable diversity and multitude of desires, but all fixed upon the creatures; we should see some desiring riches, others honour, others to spend their days in lust and pleasure; we should see some transported with love, others with jealousy; we should see an infinite number of desires, but all pointed downwards towards transitory and earthly things. How few are there whose desires fly upward? Who is there that will say, I desire to enjoy God, though it cost me my lust, my riches, mine honour, and all that I possess? The name of happiness is pleasing to our ears, but we regard not the thing itself, or at least we pursue the shadow whilst the substance flies from us; our disordered passions do now so overrule our wills, that we prefer lies before truth, vice before virtue, the vain delights of the body before the true and solid contentments of the mind; we prefer the spurious pleasures of our senses before those which are legitimate, which virtue receives and approves: Whilst we should moderate our affections, and establish a durable and lasting peace within ourselves, we rather give way to their disorders, and suffer our happiness to be interrupted by their excess and riot. Our wills are full of inordinate and unsatiable desires, and are become soft and pliable to evil, but hard and impenetrable to every good motion. This is the third wound of the soul, which is called Malitia & duritas cordis, malice and hardness of heart.  
And yet this is not all; Sin hath made another wound in the soul, which troubles it worse than all the rest, and that is in the conscience. In the spiritual conflict between sin and the soul, 
1 King. 22.34.  the conscience may say like Ahab, Take me out of the battle, for I am wounded. There are two effects of sin, macula, & reatus, the stain of sin, and the guilt of sin; the stain of sin is that distemper and vicious inclination that sin leaveth behind it, and this adheres to the faculties before mentioned: The guilt of sin is the obligation to punishment that lies upon every sinner after he hath committed it: for as he that breaks the provincial laws and customs of any commonwealth, is guilty of the punishment which the sanction and penalty of the law provides in that commonwealth; so he that sins against God, is guilty of the punishment appointed by his law: and this guilt adheres to the conscience. Thus sin hath wounded all the powers and faculties of the soul; not by any positive acts, as the Pelagians supposed a necessity; but by depriving it of that original justice wherewith it was created: as a man may overthrow a building as well by taking away a pillar, as by applying outward force. The want of original justice hath made the soul lame and imperfect: he that hath one leg shorter than another, cannot choose but halt, and go unequally in his natural motion; and the soul that is moved by Reason & Affections, tanquam à duobus pedibus inaequalibus, as by two unequal legs, cannot choose but halt and go unequally in its moral motion: for whilst it follows the motion of its longer leg, Reason, it riseth towards heaven; but whilst it follows the motion of its shorter leg, the Affections, it falleth towards the earth: God, to supply this inequality and defect, created the soul with original justice, which did after a manner spiritualise the Affections, and kept the whole soul in such a frame and temper, that all her faculties moved towards heaven. But man sinned, and God, as a just judgement, took from him that original justice that upheld his nature, for want whereof the soul is fallen into that decay, and become subject to those wounds and defects that I have named. This is every finners' condition, and this was David's condition, he was wounded in all the powers and faculties of his soul; he was wounded in his affections, in his understanding, in his will, and in his conscience; and all these wounds were the effects of original sin.  
But David had yet more wounds, David had his personal and actual sins; which, although they did not wound new faculties (for original sin had wounded all before;) yet they made new wounds: but if I should undertake to show you all those wounds, I should undertake that which himself was not able to perform, though more privy to his own actions: 
Psal. 19.21.  Who can tell (saith he) how oft he offendeth? His words have the form of a question, but the force of a peremptory assertion; for there are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, (as the Philosopher speaks) questions which have the force of affirmative or negative propositions, and so hath this here: david's Quis intelligit? is as much as Nullus intelligit; and if no man can number his sins, then surely no man can number the wounds of his soul, for every sin is as deadly as the first, it wounds as deep, though it wounds not so many; and these wounds were dangerous, though but light in comparison of others: for David had sins of presumption also, sins against his knowledge, and against his conscience; but those sins which made the worst wounds, and which he desires in my Text especially to have healed, were his adultery, and his murder. In the next Psalm to my Text he complains of the bitterness of those wounds; Why art thou so full of heaviness, O my soul, 
Psal. 42.11.  (saith he) and why art thou so disquieted within me? here was heaviness and disquietness in his soul, and all this the effect of those wounds: His adultery and murder were sins of an high nature, and most of all destructive to the soul: Whoso committeth adultery with a woman (saith Solomon) lacketh understanding; he that doth it destroyeth his own soul, Prov. 6.31. Adultery (you see) destroys the soul, it wounds it mortally: and murder is no less destructive than adultery; Ye know (saith Saint John) that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him, 1 John 3.15. This sin doth not only deprive the soul of health, but of life itself, it kills the soul outright: this made David complain, My wickednesses are gone over mine head, and are like a sore burden too heavy for me to bear, Psal. 38.4. The cruel and unnatural homicide sheds his brother's blood, and it falls upon the earth, and the earth seems to drink it up; and yet the word of God saith, that it rest upon the head of the murderer, and so it rested upon David's head: that blood that ran in Uriah's veins to preserve his life, sits now heavy upon David's head to procure his death; it was time for David to have his soul healed, it having so many deep and deadly wounds: And yet healing was scarce sufficient; for, in another Psalm, he seems to require more; Create in me a clean heart, O God, (saith he) and renew a right spirit within me, Psal. 51.10. All the faculties of his soul were so wounded by those sins, that he desireth not there a reparation, but a new creation. And these sins considered in abstracto, simply and by themselves, did deeply wound his soul; but if we consider them in concreto, with all their adjuncts, we may find many circumstances that made his wounds the greater; for David was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, both a King and a Prophet; and, as a Prophet, was bound to instruct; as a King, to protect the lives and chastity of his subjects. For Bathsheba, something may be said in her excuse, for it was hard for her to resist the importunity of a King: but all circumstances aggravate David's sin; his holy profession, and the sword of justice which God had put into his hand to punish such offences, aught to have restrained himself from committing them. This sin in David did not only wound his own soul, but it wounded the whole Church, and laid it open to the calumnies and reproaches of the heathen: for, as S. Ambrose witnesseth, In the primitive times of the Church, when the contention was hot between the Christians and the heathen concerning the truth of religion, the heathen objected this against the Christians; Ecce quomodo Christiani innocentiam sequuntur, 
Apoleg. David. lib. 2. cap 3.  fidem praeferunt, religionem venerantur, castitatem docent, quorum principes homicidia & adulteria fecisse produntur: Behold (said they) how the Christians embrace innocence, extol faith, honour religion, teach chastity, whose chiefest masters were both murderers and adulterers. But I will insist no longer upon these particulars, neither will I speak of his other sins appendent to these; of his making Uriah drunk, to conceal and palliate his adultery; of his ingratitude, in rewarding Uriah with death, whose faithful services ought to have been rewarded with honour; of his deep hypocrisy, in being present at the service of God, and offering sacrifice for the space of nine months together, polluted in the mean time with these horrible crimes: these and the rest I will pass over, lest, as Shimei reviled him in his life, so I may seem to revile him after death. Saint Ambrose hath made an apology in his defence; and, for my part, I will not make an invective against him: God himself hath justified him, and then who shall condemn him? I have only named his principal sins, that (according as my Text requires) I might show you the wounds of his soul: Now therefore I will leave him, and come to ourselves.  
And first, since sin doth wound the soul, let us be careful and watchful over it; for the soul is the most noble and excellent part of a man. A man consists of two parts, a body, and a soul; and both these have their natural beauty and excellency: The excellency of the body (if we consider the outward form and workmanship) is very wonderful; I will praise thee, (saith David) for I am fearfully and wonderfully made, Psal. 139.14. He useth two terms here to express the rarity of this work, fearfully, and wonderfully; as if the structure of man's body were so artificially framed, that the sight thereof was not only able to beget fear, but wonder and astonishment. And in the next verse he adds further; I am curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth: the Original hath it, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, that is, I am curiously embroidered; as if man's body were made like a piece of Phrygian workmanship, being variously wrought with veins, and sinews, and bones, and muscles: so that we have reason to be careful of our bodies, and if they be wounded at any time, to make provision for their health. How much more than ought we to be careful of our souls, whose excellency, like Benjamins' mess, is five times as much as the excellency of the body? The soul of man is a divine substance, a rich and noble possession, the greatest gift and most precious that a man ever received from the liberal hand of his Creator; it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, as Gregory Nyssen: by it we know the height, the breadth, and depth of the heavens, the number of the stars, their greatness, distances, & approaches. What should I speak of Divinity, Philosophy, the Mathematics? What should I speak of History, & Poesy, of all the Sciences and Arts, as well liberal, as mechanical, the knowledge whereof we attain unto by the benefit of the soul? By it, a man being but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, (as Saint chrysostom styles him) a short creature, not above a yard and an half long, obtains the government of the whole world: By it, the Patriarches, Prophets, and Apostles spoke unto God, received divine revelations, learned many secret and ineffable mysteries, and knew upon earth what things were done in heaven. He that knoweth not the worth of this jewel, may undervalue it; but a skilful Jeweller that knows the properties and excellency of it, will prise it above the whole world. Such a Jeweller is God; who, for the desire he had to those jewels, assumed our humane nature; and when he could not have them at a cheaper rate, he took them in exchange for his own blood. Such jewellers are the Angels, which watch continually over men's souls, that they may keep and preserve these jewels deputed to their custody. And such a Jeweller (if I may lawfully rank him in this place) is the Devil, who, to get these jewels, goes about continually, and compasseth the whole earth. Seeing the soul than is of so great excellency, let us be careful and watchful over it; let us not suffer such a divine, learned, noble and active creature to perish by our negligence.  
Secondly, Seeing sin doth wound the soul, let it be our chiefest care to avoid sin; let us not set our affections upon it, but fly from it as from a deadly enemy. The world sets too high a price upon her own beauty; for her fairest things are but imperfect and defective: her wisdom is but foolishness, her light but darkness, her riches but poverty: What shall we say then of her deformities? her pride, ambition, lust, and all her other vices (which men falsely think pleasures, but are indeed the price of their souls) are so far from being good, as they are the worst of evils: for, how can we reckon those among the number of good things, which destroy the soul? God is the life of the soul, let us set our affections upon him: Why should we turn from God, who is the substance, and run after creatures, which are but images and imperfect adumbrations of his beauty? Why should we embrace the shadow, and let the substance go? It hath pleased God to condescend so much as to love the soul, and to contract it to himself in a sacred and spiritual marriage: the soul is God's wife; and God, like an indulgent and loving husband, hath given her all the creatures to be her servants: but the soul oftentimes sets her affections upon the creatures, as Potiphars wife set her affections upon her servant Joseph; and the creatures, 
Gen. 39.7.  as if they were sensible of the injury which the soul offers to God, fly from the soul, as Joseph fled from his mistress: riches, and honours, and worldly delights do oftentimes fly from the soul that pursues them, as if they were unwilling to be the causes of her adultery: Let us not then fly after our own destruction, or set our affections upon those things whose love brings death, not health to the soul. In heaven there are none of those delights which worldly men use most to admire, and for which they are wont most to hazard their souls; and yet there is perfect and true happiness. Can we not then want those things here for a little while, and not think ourselves miserable, which in heaven we shall want for ever, and yet be most perfectly and truly happy? Me thinks we should rather set our affections upon God, who is the bridegroom of our souls, and who loves us in that excess, that it is impossible we should return him equal love: yet, though we cannot love him equally, let us love him again with the best affection that we can; and, as it did not grieve us to leave the delights of children after we became men; so, let it not grieve us to leave the delights of worldly men after we be advanced to this sacred and holy union with God. And so much of the first part of my Text, which is Designatio partis vulneratae; david's discovery of the wounded part. I come now to the second, that is, Petitio remedii, his prayer and petition for a remedy:  
Heal my soul. I have shown you already that David was wounded in all the faculties of his soul; and therefore this petition must be applied to all: and first, to the affections; Heal my affections: For, except the affections be healed, their distempers work upon the whole soul. A wound in any one part of the body infects the whole; if one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; not only because of the sympathy which one part hath with another, but because the blood, passing through the infected place, carrieth with it some of the corrupt humours: so it is likewise in the soul, if one faculty suffers, all the faculties suffer with it, not only by reason of the sympathy which one faculty hath with another; but because there is a mutual influence between them, by transfusion of their qualities into one another; for, Reason is corrupted by the affections, as blood is corrupted by an ulcerous part of the body, and infects both the Understanding and the Will by their contagion. David found this by experience; for the sensitive part made the rational to transgress; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, as Saint chrysostom: The first hurt which he received was at the eye, and from thence it was derived to the heart; his affections corrupted his understanding and his will, and therefore his affections must first be healed. Heal my soul, that is, change my affections; for the soul cannot be healed till the affections be changed. There is an outward healing, and there is an inward healing; the inward healing causeth a true and real change in the affections, the outward healing causeth a change only in outward appearance, and doth not properly heal the wound, but cover it: for, after this outward healing, the wound is still as great, and the danger greater; as a wound which is healed in the outward skin and superficies of the body, if it bleed inwardly, is so much the more dangerous, by how much it is more inward and unsuspected. Now this outward healing is wrought divers ways:  
First, by time: In old age divers affections seem to be healed, the flame of lust seems to be extinguished; and yet in many it is not extinguished, though it burn less violently, or seems not to burn at all. Tutò tractatur serpens dum riget frigore; non deest illi venenum, sed torpet: a serpent cannot sting whilst his members are numb with cold, and yet he wants not poison, but strength to shoot it forth: and there are many, because of the coldness proper to old age, want strength to execute, but not vicious affections to move them to all uncleanness; had they sufficient heat to cherish their corrupt affections, they are not so healed, but that they would soon break into their former extravagancies and excess of lust.  
Secondly, by place: He that lives in a cloister or call, where the affections want outward objects to work upon them, may think himself healed, and the world may think him a new man; and yet his affections may be still the same. That fire which is buried in ashes, shows not the same fury which another fire doth, that meets with fit matter to kindle it; not because it hath lost its natural property, but because it wants like nourishment: and many that live in retirement, sequestered from all worldly affairs, abstain from many wrongs and insolences that other men commit; not because their affections are less furiously inclined to do wrong, but because they want the same outward matter to incense and kindle them.  
Thirdly, by the persons among whom we live: They that live in a wellordered Commonwealth, where the care and vigilance of the Magistrate suppresseth all vice; or they that converse daily with good men; may, in the former case for fear, in the later, for shame, abstain from all notorious and infamous sins; and may seem (both to themselves and others) to be just, patiented, chaste, and temperate; and yet not have their affections healed. As stones that lie in the top of an high tower have not lost their weight and natural inclination to descend downward, but are sustained by the other parts of the building: so there are some supported by others, not by the soundness of their own affections.  
But this outward healing is not here meant: David desired to have his affections changed and healed inwardly; which neither time, nor place, nor the persons that were about him could effect: it is only grace can heal the affections inwardly; and so grace is here the subject matter of his petition; for the wounds of sin are too deep to be healed by any means less powerful than grace: And if man in his innocency, having supernatural gifts, continued not long in the purity of his nature; how much less shall wounded nature, without supernatural gifts, recover her former purity? Yet I deny not, but that a man may, by the help of nature, obtain habits that may have an inward operation upon the soul, and may change the affections in some degree; but in a degree so weak and imperfect as can never bring him to salvation. A man may by the strength of Reason, assisted only by the general ordinary concourse, acquire habits of virtue, and those habits may cause a readiness in the affections to turn to virtuous actions: yet those acts of virtue will differ much from those that spring from grace. Actions that spring from nature, if they be done out of a love to honesty, and be without the mixture of all private respects, may have a moral goodness; and I think they may truly be called virtues: yet actions that spring from grace will as far excel them, as domestic fruits that are kept and fomented by an husbandman, excel those that grow naturally in the woods and open fields: for grace changes the affections more powerfully, and so makes the work, which is partly measured by the affections, to be of greater value. Our Saviour Christ, having examined this matter by his infallible scrutiny, ascribes more worth to a small gift which a poor widow brought into the treasury, then to the large gifts of many rich men; Of a truth (saith he) I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all, Luk. 21.3. They from their great heaps brought great gifts, she from a small heap brought only two mites; and yet our Saviour Christ, having weighed all their charity against hers, found, that many grains would not make them equal: for, though their gifts were voluntary as well as hers, yet they were not so much voluntary, because their affections were not so ready; for the affections work upon the Will: when the affections are not ready, retardunt, si non impediunt voluntatem, they hinder and stop the Will, if they do not divert her from a right course. There being then great difference between nature and grace in working upon the affections, their effects must needs be different: Nature may cause some change in the affections, and perfect them in some degree; but grace changes the affections powerfully, and makes them as it were new affections: If any man be in Christ (saith Saint Paul) he is a new creature; old things are passed away, behold all things are become new, 2 Corinth. 5.17.  
And yet grace doth not totally heal the affections in this world: there is but a partial healing here, the flesh lusteth against the spirit in the best men; lustful, ambitious, covetous, and an innumerable company of unlawful thoughts and desires will sometimes arise in every man: they which have obtained the greatest measure of grace, had never sufficient to exsiccate and dry up the streams of those impurities; yet this is our comfort, those wounds that remain are not left for our destruction, but our trial; the danger and deadliness of them is taken away, although they be not perfectly healed. As God left the Egyptians, and the Jebusites, and the Ammonites amongst the people of Israel, not to consume his people, but to prove them; so he leaves several kinds of concupiscence in his children, not to destroy us, but to try whether we will abstain from sin for his sake, when our affections move us to the contrary: and as Joshua, 
Josh. 10.18.  having overcome the five Kings that combined against the Israelites, did not presently put them to death, but kept them in a cave, that he might put them to death afterwards in the sight of all the people with greater triumph; so God, having by his grace subdued the concupiscence and inordinateness of the affections, doth not presently destroy them, but keeps them a while in bondage, deprived of their wont liberty, that he may destroy them afterwards in the sight of all the world with greater glory. At the general judgement, when this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and this mortal shall put on immortality, all inordinateness shall be destroyed, the affections shall be totally healed; then the soul, like the sick man in the Gospel, shall take up his bed and walk; it shall take the body, wherein it lay sick as in a bed, and carry it where it please; portabit lectum à quo ante portatus fuerat, it shall carry that whereby itself was carried; then the flesh shall yield to the spirit, and shall rejoice to be overcome. In the mean time, the concupiscence and inordinateness of our affections are so healed, that they cease to reign, though they cease not to be; we may by the help of grace subdue our affections, though we cannot keep them from rebellion. And this is the first thing to which David's petition must be applied; namely, to the affections.  
Now in the next place, this petition must be applied to the understanding, Heal my understanding: for the wound of Ignorance is as great as the wound of Infirmity, and therefore that must be healed too, or else the soul will be never the better. And here two things are required; for, as I shown you before, there is a double Ignorance in the understanding, arising from a double defect and want in the soul; the first ariseth for want of sufficient revelation, the soul having lost the knowledge of those truths that were revealed by God to our first parents. The second ariseth for want of evidence after sufficient revelation, the understanding being not able of itself to assent to revealed truths without some light given her by God, whereby it may discover the certainty of them. And therefore two things are required, I say, to heal these two kinds of Ignorance; The first is divine revelation. The second is divine illumination.  
The first thing necessary to heal the wound of Ignorance is divine revelation: The articles of faith must be revealed immediately by God himself, as they were to the Patriarches and the Apostles; or mediately by the working and administration of the Church, or else they can never be known; Thou art blessed, Simon Barjona, (saith our Saviour Christ unto Saint Peter) for flesh and blood bathe not revealed this unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven, Matth. 16.16. The revelations of flesh and blood do rather enlarge, then heal the wound of Ignorance. Whilst Solomon followed the revelations of flesh and blood, he lost that knowledge that was before revealed; and as formerly for wisdom and knowledge, so afterward for simplicity and foolishness, he became a second time the wonder and amazement of the world. The mysteries of faith must be revealed from above, or they can never be revealed; No man knoweth the Son (saith our Saviour Christ) but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him, Matth. 11.27.  
The second thing necessary to heal the wound of Ignorance is divine illumination: for, after the articles of faith be revealed, if there be not something else added to make the truth evident, the understanding will either be deceived by falsehood, or else perplexed by doubts and scruples. The eye cannot discern an object, though present, except there be light to make it visible: and although the articles of faith be sufficiently presented to the understanding by supernatural revelation; yet if there be not a supernatural light too, to make the truth evident, the wound of Ignorance cannot be healed. Natural Reason is too weak to enlighten the soul sufficiently: for, as Noah's dove could find no rest in the air for the sole of her foot; so when the understanding enters into contemplation of supernatural truths, as in the thin and subtle air, it can find nothing to rest on: or, as Saint Peter had sunk when he walked upon the sea, 
Matth. 14.30, 31.  if our Saviour Christ had not upholden him with his hands; so the understanding sinks when it walks upon the deep ocean of supernatural truths, if it be not upholden by divine assistance. And yet, as Reason may move the affections in order to supernatural goodness, but cannot heal their infirmity; so it can likewise enlighten the understanding in order to supernatural truths, but cannot heal its ignorance. The light of Reason may make supernatural truths so evident to the understanding, that a man may think his faith perfect in all respects; and yet it may be perfect in nothing. The ancient Fathers of the Church, in their Apologies for Christian religion, allege many reasons which may make a natural man believe the articles of our Christian faith. The miracles which were wrought by the Apostles have given their doctrine such authority, that a natural man cannot but assent unto it, unless his understanding be carried away by some private respect and interest of his own: And he that hath this assent may think his understanding is enlightened and healed sufficiently; but he deceives himself, like the Syrians, which thought they had been in the way to the Prophet, 
2 King. 6.20.  when they were in the midst of Samaria; or like saul's messengers, 
1 Sam. 19.16.  which thought they had found David, when they found but an image in his place: For this faith that springs from natural Reason is but imago & simulacrum fidei, the image and representation of true faith; it is like it in show, but differeth much from it in essence. For there are two properties essential to true faith, which nothing but the light of grace can work in the soul. The first is certainty: Nothing but the light of grace can work in us such a certainty as is essential to true faith. He that believes a thing certainly, must have some infallible motive, cui falsum subesse non potest, in which there can be no error or delusion; for an uncertain motive can give a man no assurance of that which he believes: Certainty of faith always supposeth a certain and infallible motive upon which it is built. Now concerning the articles of our faith, nothing but the light of grace can give us an infallible motive of their truth; for many of them being above Reason, cannot by the light of Reason be made evident.  
But some perhaps will say, A natural man, by the light of Reason, may believe the Scriptures to be true, and to be the word of God, and so may have an infallible motive: For he that believes the articles of faith because they are grounded upon the authority of God's word, hath a sure and certain motive of their truth, it being impossible that any falsehood should proceed from God.  
To this I answer: Although a natural man may believe the Scriptures to be true, and to be the word of God, yet his faith concerning this matter is but an historical kind of faith, and is grounded upon deceitful and uncertain motives: and therefore though the Scriptures be an infallible motive to those that have certain grounds to believe them to be true, and to be the word of God; yet they can be no infallible motive to him that hath not such grounds: for they that are not sure that the Scriptures are true, and that they are the word of God, cannot be sure that any thing is true which they prove from them. Now a natural man cannot, from the light of Reason, have any other but uncertain and deceitful grounds concerning the truth of Scripture; for he believes them to be true, and to be the word of God, either from the tradition of the Church, from the miracles which were wrought by the Apostles, or from some other humane motive; in which, although there be great probability, yet there can be no infallibility. Such grounds as these can give him no such assurance as excludes all possibility of deceit; he hath but an historical faith of the truth of Scripture, and so can have but an historical certainty. But the light of grace shows us infallibly the truth of Scripture, it gives us an experimental knowledge of it, and makes us as it were to see it with our eyes: so that there is as great a difference between the faith that a man hath from the light of Reason, and that which he hath afterward from the light of grace, as there was between the faith which the Samaritans had of our Saviour Christ from the speech of the woman, and that which they had afterwards when they saw him with their eyes.  
The second property essential to true faith, which nothing but the light of grace can work in the soul, is a pious affection to faith, and to all the truths which it reveals: nothing but the light of grace can work this pious affection in us. The light of Reason, although it cannot make all truths evident that are to be believed, yet (as I said before) there are many truths that may be discovered by it; namely, such as are of the law of nature; but than it cannot, like grace, work a pious affection in the soul towards them. The Devil sees many excellent truths by the natural light of his understanding: he sees that God is infinitely good, and infinitely wise, and infinitely just, and infinitely merciful, and infinitely happy; but he can have no affection to these truths: he sees them all in lumine coacto, in a forced and compelled light; and not in lumine jucundo, in a delightful and pleasant light. A thief may know by the light of reason, that theft is an unjust act, or an adulterer that adultery is unlawful; but they can have no affection to these truths: their faith is like the Devils, they believe them by the force and compulsion of Reason, and not with delight and pleasure. But the light of grace doth not only make truth evident, but it produceth also in the soul a pious affection towards that truth; it makes a man to be in love with it, and to delight in it: I have had as great delight in the way of thy testimonies, as in all manner of riches, (saith David) Psal. 119.14. And so say all they whose understandings are enlightened by grace. He that hath the light of reason, can delight only in such truths as entertain and second his humour: but he that hath the light of grace, delights equally in all truths, though they seem directly to oppose his profit, honour, pleasure, and all his other desires. He that hath this supernatural gift, can say, like David, of all divine truths; Moore to be desired are they then gold, yea then much fine gold; sweeter also than the honey and the honeycomb, Psal. 19.10. Whosoever then finds in himself this pious affection to faith, and to all the truths that it reveals, may assure himself, his understanding is enlightened by grace: but he that finds it not, whatsoever he believes, his soul was never touched by the influence of this divine light. Men do generally love such things as they possess themselves; they which have faith cannot but love faith: it is our Saviour Christ's manner of arguing with his disciples; If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but ye are not of the world, therefore the world hateth you, John 15.19. The sum and abstract of our Saviour's speech is this; The world loves not a spiritual profession, because spiritual things are none of their own; if spiritual things were their own, they would love a spiritual profession. So I may argue with others, If faith be their own, they cannot but love faith, and the truths which it reveals. And this is the second thing to which David's petition must be applied; namely, to the understanding.  
Now in the third place this petition must be applied to the will: Heal my will. For, among all the wounds which the soul hath received, there are none greater or more mortal than those that are in the will: the wound of Malice is worse than either the wound of Infirmity, or of Ignorance; and therefore that must be healed before the soul can be in a safe condition. The will indeed is in a better case after the affections and understanding be healed, than it was before; for, being an indifferent faculty of itself, it is moved by the affections; and therefore when the affections are healed, it hath not such strong provocations to sin: and being a blind faculty of itself, it receives information from the understanding; and therefore when the understanding is healed, it hath not such false dictates to make it err. Yet this is not sufficient to heal the will: the will hath his proper wound, and so must have his proper cure. And here the manner of healing is still by supernatural grace: Grace hath heat for the will, as well as light for the understanding; otherwise it could not heal the soul sufficiently: For the Devil hath light, but he hath no heat: his name is Lucifer, which signifies a carrier of light; but it had been better for him (saith S. Bernard) si ignifer magis esset quàm Lucifer, 
Bernard de verb. Isai. proph. serm. 3.  if he had been a carrier of heat, rather than a carrier of light: light without heat doth him no good; to believe, and not to love, doth but increase his misery. But grace hath both light and heat; light, whereby it begets faith in the understanding; and heat, whereby it begets love in the will: and this love is the chief of all the virtues, the best and most excellent effect of grace. I know there are some which give faith the precedency, whom I leave to enjoy their opinion: for myself, as in all other things, so for my part in spiritual graces, I submit my will to Gods will, as knowing the least is more than I am worthy of, yet my prayers shall always be to have love in the excess; which I will not only desire above all other spiritual graces, but above all them and all the joys of heaven together: Faith is the foundation upon which we must build our love; (for how can we love God as we ought, if we believe not in him as we ought?) and yet love may exceed faith in dignity, as the superstructure may exceed the foundation in rich and costly materials. But I intent not to speak of the excellency of love in general; love hath many operations in via, whilst we are in the way to heaven, besides the healing of the will; and it hath many operations in patria, when we are in heaven, where the will shall be perfectly healed: but all these are out of my Text, and shall be out of my discourse. I will only speak of the operation that love hath in healing the will; and love, when it flows from grace, hath an operation in this respect above all other things: for that alone is able to work true repentance in the will, to melt it with sorrow for sin, to make it flexible, and to mollify that stiffness and that hardness that is in it. Yet, as Reason may work upon the affections, and upon the understanding; so it may work also upon the will, but fails as much in healing this, as in healing the other faculties. There is a natural repentance which springs from natural reason; for he that hath received many temporal blessings at the hands of God, cannot choose (if he follows the dictate of right reason) but love him; and if he loves him, he cannot but be grieved when he sins against him; for he that loveth, will grieve for the least offence committed against the thing beloved. Yet this sorrow that springs from natural reason is not sufficient to heal the will: For first, it fails in the cause: A natural man may be sorrowful for his sins, but he hath not a fountain of sorrow that flows and streams continually: that love that springs from natural reason is soon extinguished; and when the cause ceaseth, sorrow, that is the effect proceeding from it, must needs cease. But that love that proceeds from grace is more durable, it is able to perpetuate sorrow; he that is endued with this love, hath a constant habit of repentance, and if at any time he sins through infirmity, his soul becomes immediately an house of mourning, an Hadad rimmon, a valley of lamentation. Secondly, It fails in the effect: That sorrow that springs from natural reason cannot convert the will, and make it turn from sin: a natural man may be sorrowful for his sins past, and have a full resolution to abstain from sin for the time to come; but he cannot actuate and perform his resolutions; for reason may enable a man to make good resolutions, but only grace can enable him to keep them. Now when amendment of life is not joined with sorrow for sin, it rather makes new wounds then heals the old: Qui plangit peccatum, & iterum committit peccatum, quasi si quis laterem lavet crudum, quem quantò magis laverit, tantò magis lutum fecerit, saith Isidore; he that mourneth for his sin, and yet ceaseth not to commit sin, is like him that washeth a tile stone that is not well burnt, which is made more dirty by being often washed. He that is sorrowful for sin, and resolves to amend, gins well; but if his repentance end where it begun, it is a sign his will is not yet healed. When good resolutions vanish like the morning-dew, and are never put in execution, what fruit can they produce? but when resolutions and actions, like the former and the later rain, succeed one another in their due season, they cause a fruitful increase of glory and happiness; and it is an evident sign that the will is wrought upon by grace; for that love that springs from grace makes the soul affectionate to God, and careful to abstain from all such actions as offend him: When Israel came out of Egypt, and the house of Jacob from among the strange people, the sea saw that and fled, Jordan was driven back, Psal. 114.1, 3. The Israelites departure out of Egypt to worship God in the wilderness, was a type of man's conversion to God by love; and the flight of the waters, was a type of the flight of sin that follows upon it: Ante retrorsum aquae conversae fuerunt, nunc retrorsum peccata conversa sunt, saith S. Ambrose upon that passage: there the waters, but here sins are driven backward; there the course of the flood was stopped within its channel, but here the course of sin is stopped in all the secret passages of the heart. And this is the third thing to which David's petition must be applied, namely, to his will.  
But David's soul is not yet perfectly healed, his conscience was wounded too, and therefore in the last place this petition must be applied to his conscience, Heal my conscience. And here the manner of healing is something different from the former: grace can heal the stain of sin, but it cannot heal the guilt; it can sanctify, but it cannot justify the soul: nothing can take away the guilt of sin but forgiveness of sin; but sin being forgiven, the obligation to punishment is taken away, than the conscience is healed, and guilt is turned into innocence, fear into gladness. In the 102. Psalm David laments his own case very passionately; My days are consumed away like smoke, and my bones are burnt up as it were a firebrand: my heart is smitten down and withered like grass, so that I forget to eat my bread. For the voice of my groaning my bones will scarce cleave to my flesh, etc. In the 103. Psalm he seems to rejoice as much, and breaks forth into eulogies of praise: Praise the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. What was it that transported him so suddenly from one passion to another? If you read the Psalms, you shall soon see the cause; his conscience was wounded when he made the 102. Psalms, and healed when he made the 103. Psalms; his sins lay heavy upon his soul when he made the one, and were forgiven him when he made the other. As long as the guilt of sin disquieted his conscience, not all the glory of his Kingdom, nor the pomp of his Court, not all the delights of Canaan, though a land flowing with milk and honey, could content his mind: but when his sins were forgiven, he found a sudden alteration; that heaviness that possessed his heart vented itself, and gave place to joy: O Lord my God, (saith he) I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me, Psal. 30.2. And what ensued upon this? Thou hast turned (saith he afterwards) my heaviness into joy, thou hast put off my sack cloth, and girded me with gladness. That contentment of mind, that tranquillity of conscience, that circle of joy wherewith his soul was girt, followed immediately upon the healing of his conscience and forgiveness of his sins: forgiveness of sin is as proper to heal the guilt of sin, as grace to heal the stain: In the Scripture, to heal sin, and to forgive sin, are termini aequipollentes, terms which signify the same things, and are promiscuously taken the one for the other: Return, ye back-sliding children, and I will heal your back-slidings, Jer. 3.22. Here you see, to heal their back-slidings, is to forgive their sin. And so again; I have seen his ways, and will heal him; I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him, and to his mourners, Isa. 57.18. I have seen his ways, and will heal him: that is, I have seen his sins, and will forgive them. But was not David healed before he made this Psalm? did not the Prophet Nathan tell him, The Lord also hath put away thy sin, 2 Sam. 12.13. He did: but David being assured by the Prophet, desired yet a greater assurance: The richest of God's saints always suspect their own poverty, and think that which they have nothing, in respect of that which they have not, and of that which they desire to have: David was healed, the Lord had forgiven him all his sins, and yet for all that he desires still to be healed.  
Let us then learn, by David's example, to be thus careful and solicitous to have our souls healed. Pharaoh desired to be delivered from the plagues of Egypt, but not from his hardness of heart: Let us rather desire the last, for the wounds of sin are the worst wounds. The Scripture hath in many places very artificially painted out the nature of sin; but it always borrows colours from noxious and hurtful creatures: it compares it to the basilisk, to the viper, to the asp, whose poisonous qualities are destructive to the life of men: And it hath also in many places allegorically expressed the nature of sin by many deadly diseases; by the leprosy, by the palsy, by the bloudyflux, and sometimes by death itself in the abstract. By these, and many other expressions in the Scripture, ye may learn the nature of sin, and see how dangerous her wounds are if they be not healed. Let us then do as David did, let us seek unto the Lord, who is the Physician of our souls; he only is able by his grace to heal the stain, and by his mercy the guilt of our sins.  
The time will not permit me to enter into the last part of my Text, I will therefore conclude all with that of the Prophet Jeremiah; Heal us, O Lord, and we shall be healed: save us, and we shall be saved; for thou art our praise.  
FINIS.   
PSALM 41.4. 
Heal my soul, for I have sinned against thee.  
I Have formerly begun to speak of these words in this place. I divided my Text then (as you may remember) into three parts; First, here is Designatio partis vulneratae, David's discovery of the wounded part; and that was his soul: Heal my soul. Secondly, here is Petitio remedii, his prayer and petition for a remedy; and that was, to be healed: Heal my soul. Thirdly, here is Confessio causae, his confession of the cause of those wounds; and that was sin: for I have sinned against thee. I have already spoken of the two first parts; where I shown you the wounds of his soul, and the manner how they were to be healed. I come now to speak of the last part, which is, His confession of the cause of those wounds, in these words, For I have sinned against thee.  
The right method of healing requires that we show the cause of the malady, as far as we are able; for, the cause being removed, the effect will cease: that David doth here in these last words, For I have sinned against thee. And this last part of my Text is that which we are chief to look upon, and to take into consideration. For before (as I have showed you) he gave occasion to those that were of the Church, to sin; to those that were out of it, to blaspheme: first, he commits adultery; and after that, as if adultery were to be purged by murder, or as if Uriah's lost honour had been to be repaired by the loss of his life, he commands him to be unjustly murdered: But here you may see him marking out the way to repentance, and going himself before to direct us. For, as he was not ashamed to commit sin, so he was not ashamed to confess it, and to make public satisfaction to the whole world; for my Text, and many other places of the Psalms, remain as it were so many public registers of his sins; he sighed, and wept, and lamented day and night, and (in a word) shown all the marks and tokens of an humble and contrite heart, broken with the sense of his sins, and the apprehension of God's anger against them. If a gold ring be broken, it loseth part of its grace and lustre; but if ye set a diamond, or a saphyr, or a ruby in the broken place, it gives a greater lustre than it did before: so David, by his sins, lost part of that grace and lustre that made him shine so brightly in the Church of God; but his confession, humility, repentance, and other virtues (like so many precious stones set in a gold ring in the place where it was broken) hath made him shine brighter after his fall, then in his former times of innocence; for, as his sins were great, so was his sorrow and repentance: and I would to God that all men which have eyes to see the one, had eyes also to see the other; and could learn, not to love that in David, which David hated in himself.  
This general confession containeth in it three particular confessions, which are the heads I purpose at this time, by God's help, to insist upon. First, here is a confession in respect of the subject. Secondly, here is a confession in respect of the act. Thirdly, here is a confession in respect of the object. The subject, I. The act, Have sinned. The object, Against thee. I will begin with the first; that is, his confession in respect of the subject.  
I have sinned: that is, I alone; not as a partial and less principal cause, necessitated and compelled by a cause more active and powerful than myself; but by the free and full consent of my will: I have so sinned, that these sins are properly and only mine. It is the custom of many to excuse themselves, and impute their sins to others; or at least, they will charge others to have had such a causality and influence upon them, that they will seem themselves to be but partial causes at the most. In Solomon's time two mothers contended for one child, and both of them challenged it to be their own; but when sin is borne and brought into the world, the contention is, who shall not have it: in this case the true mother would have the child divided; as in that, the false: the Will, whose child it is, will not acknowledge it for her own; and when she cannot wholly impose it upon others, she desires at least to have it divided between them.  
Some impute their sins to the Devil, and to the violence of his temptations, as if he did forcibly and irresistibly procure them to sin: and this is a kind of hereditary disease, which we take from our first parents; for after Eve had transgressed the commandment of God by eating the forbidden fruit, to excuse the matter, she laid the fault upon the Devil, The Serpent (said she) beguiled me, and I did eat. But David here useth no such evasions; I have sinned, saith he: he condemns himself, and not the Devil; and yet the Devil sinned as well as David: and, if Saint Augustine's opinion be true, the Devil sinned worse than David; 
Lib. 3. de libero arbitrio, cap. 10.  Gravius est peccatum alteri per invidentiam dolúmque suadere, quàm ad peccandum alterius suasione traduci, saith he, speaking of the temptations of the Devil. But yet David accuseth not the Devil, who did only tempt, but could not constrain him to sin; for all that the Devil can do, is to allure and induce men by moral persuasions, he cannot physically determine their wills to evil; he may 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, 
Tom. 6. Homil. 91.  (as Saint chrysostom speaks) supplant, cousin, and deceive a man, but he cannot force him to do evil. When the Devil tempted our Saviour Christ in the wilderness, without question he employed all the power he had to make him sin; and yet he could not force him to it, nay, he did not so much as offer to make him sin by force; for, if ye consider all the passages between them, ye shall find great Boldness, great Pride, and great Malice in his temptations, but no force at all: his first temptation (as they are writ in order by Saint Luke) was this, 
Luke 4.3.  If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread: Here is great boldness in this temptation; What, will nothing but a miracle serve the turn? Must Christ turn stones into bread to satisfy his curiosity? This was a bold request indeed; but yet you see he doth not force his consent, but beg it. The second temptation (after he had set him upon a mountain, and shown him all the kingdoms of the world) was this; All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them; for that is delivered unto me, and to whomsoever I will, I give it: if thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. Here is great pride in this temptation, a pride greater than that that made him fall from heaven; for than he said, Ascendam super excelsa nubis, similis ero Altissimo: I will ascend above the highest of the clouds, I will be like the most High, Isa. 14.14. but here his pride reacheth a degree higher, he desires to be greater than God, and requires of him, that he would fall down and worship him; but yet you see here is no force in this temptation, If thou wilt worship me (saith he) all shall be thine: he leaves him here to his own free choice, if he will, he may; if he will not, he offers not by any violent assault to make him. His third temptation (after he had set him upon the pinnacle of the Temple) was this; If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence. Here is great malice in this temptation; for if he would have cast himself down, the Devil thought that in all probability he should perish by the fall: but yet you see no force in this temptation; Persuadere potest, praecipitare non potest (saith S. Jerome upon this passage,) the Devil might persuade him to throw himself headlong, but could not throw him headlong by force: and this is all that the Devil can do; if we will not cast ourselves headlong, the Devil cannot. For sins are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, (as St. Cyrill calls them) they are plants set by the Will, and are not planted by the Devil in the soil where they grow. For God hath not only given a man the government of the world, but also the government of himself, and hath made him so independent in respect of all other creatures, that if all the powers of hell should set themselves in opposition against one single man, they could not force his Will: the Will, like Samson, cannot be bound either with ropes orwiths; her liberty sits on her like a coat of male, and like the scales of the Leviathan, it is impossible to offend her or hurt her by force. It is true, I confess, that humane nature is corrupted and depraved, and cannot, without the help of supernatural grace, perform a good action: it cannot work out of faith or love, which are necessary qualifications required in all that we do; but yet it is free in evil, it is flexible to this or that object, and can do or not do any natural action, according to the outward substance and matter of it. No man is bound to follow the suggestions of the Devil, but may follow the dictate of his own reason; all that the Devil can do, is, by applying his temptations, to move the Will to this or that object; he cannot determine or fix her upon it: the Will indeed doth usually go as it is moved by outward objects, being won with the charms and delights which it hopes to find in them; but yet her election is free in this case, and not wrested from her by force. There is a difference between men and beasts: beasts are carried away with the outward bravery of every object that presents itself unto them, and cannot refuse their appetite those things which it requireth: but men are moved by inward reason, as well as by outward objects, and may, by the help of the one, beat back the impulsions of the other. We must not therefore make the Devil the author of our sins, for his temptations do only move, but cannot determine the Will to this or that evil: The Devil is a suitor to the Will, and not her ravisher; Non enim cogendo, sed suadendo nocet, nec extorquet à nobis consensum, sed petit, saith Saint Augustine: the Devil hurts us by persuasion, not by constraint; and when we commit a sin, he doth not ravish our consent, but sues for it. No man is driven by the Devil to desperate courses, but goes willingly and of his own accord; the Devil drives no man, but makes use only of our own corruption to persuade us.  
Secondly, there are some that impute their sins to destiny; that is, to a necessary concatenation of second causes, which are so subordinate one to another, that all things happen by necessity; inferior causes, and amongst them the wills of men, being carried and moved irresistibly by their superior: and this force of moving men's wills irresistibly they attribute chief to the planets, and to several constellations of the heavens; as if men were necessitated to evil by their malignant influences, or as if the stars ruled over men's wills (as Dionysius over the Syracusians) by an arbitrary and tyrannical kind of government. Saint Augustine, in his Commentaries upon the 31. Psalm, makes mention of some that were of this opinion, which did undertake to foretell the sins that any man should fall into, by looking upon the stars that ruled at his nativity; Et dicunt, quis quando vel peccet, vel bene vivat, & quando Mars faciat homicidam, & Venus adulterum: they took upon them to declare who should be good or bad, when Mars should force a man to commit murder, or Venus to commit adultery. But David here accuseth not the stars; he clears them, and condemns himself. Uriah might have grown gray-headed in the chaste embraces of his wife; he might have long enough enjoyed his breath, and she her honour, had David done no more but what the influence of the heavens compelled him to; for the heavens force no man to sin: Had they the conduct of our wills, there would not be so many sins committed as there are; they would govern us better than we do ourselves. When our Saviour Christ was crucified, the sun and the stars withdrew their light, and were ashamed to look upon the cruelty and ingratitude that was committed by men. Can we think then the stars were the authors of those evils which they blushed to behold? Can deeds of darkness spring from the fountains of light? Without doubt, the stars are so fare from constraining any to sin against God, that they would sooner withdraw their virtue from the world, then afford a sinner either light or influence, had not God commanded them to shine upon the unjust, as well as upon the just. Let no man then accuse the stars, for their influence is not hurtful, but good; they are the cause of all action and motion, the spring of joy and delight; they shed abroad their virtue through all inferior bodies, and add strength and vigour to all things living; and if at any time they stir up our inclinations to any excess or defect, yet they offer no violence to the Will, but leave her in possession of her full liberty: And indeed, if the Will were necessitated by the heavens, it were in vain to consult, in vain to search reasons and motives for those acts whereunto we are violently carried by destiny. In this constraint, as there should be no place left for liberty; so there could be none for virtue or vice: all punishments, how equal soever in outward appearance, yet in substance and truth should be unjust, seeing they could not reach the principal author of any sin. What can be more unjust, then that a man should bear the punishments of those sins which are committed by the heavens? If the stars be the principal cause of sin, the stars should bear the punishment; heaven should go to hell, and men, which are but subordinate instruments, whose wills are overruled and overtopped by those superior powers, should be dismissed and freed.  
Thirdly, there be some that impute their sins to God: Saint Augustine (in the place before quoted) makes mention of those too; affirming, that there were divers that gave themselves free scope and liberty to sin, and then said, they committed those sins, quia Deus sic voluit, because God would have it so; making God the first mover and principal actor, and themselves only his under agents in sinning: and this indeed hath always been a common custom, as Solomon (long before St. Augustine's time) complained; The foolishness of man (saith he) perverteth his way, and his soul fretteth against the Lord, Prov. 19.3. But David here accuseth not God, he clears him as well as others; and indeed, it had been the most intolerable and unjust excuse that he could have invented: for, do but look upon the world, and ye shall see it the sum of perfection; it is as a table whereon the divine Wisdom hath expressed many rich inventions, and displayed them all in such colours, as it is impossible any thing should be more complete, absolute, and perfect: if there be any disorders, or any thing imperfect in it, they are the effects of second causes, and were not made so by God; and if no disorder or no imperfect thing can come from God; then surely no sin, which is nothing else but disorder and imperfection. Let no man then pin his sins upon God, or think within himself, that God constrained him to sin; Say not thou, It is through the Lord that I fell away: for thou oughtest not to do that which he hateth. Say not thou, He hath caused me to err: for he hath no need of the sinful man, Ecclus 15.11, 12. God created not the world, because he wanted a place to be in; neither did he create men, because he wanted some to set forth his goodness by their praises, and others to underprop his glory by their sins: for God was in himself before he created the world, and was both the Theatre and the Judge of his own action; his own applause and approbation of himself was sufficient to his own happiness, though men had never been created. God was as happy before he made the world, as he hath been since; and should be as happy if it were turned into nothing, as he is. Let no man therefore think, that God hath need of the sinner, or that it is he which procures his fall; for whosoever sinneth, pulls down ruin upon himself; he is not God's instrument, but the principal cause of his own wickedness: Lo, this only have I found, (saith Solomon) that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions, Eccles. 7.29. David therefore here lays all the fault upon himself, he clears God, nay, he clears all the world: I have sinned; not God, nor the stars, nor the Devil, but I alone: It is only I that have sinned.  
And this is the first part of David's confession, wherein he confesseth his sin to be his own: and thus must we do too. The first thing that we are to confess, is, that our sins are our own; we must not seek to another author for them, nor ascribe them to any predominant cause: if our souls be wounded as david's was, the fault is our own. Other things may hurt our bodies, but they cannot hurt our souls; the soul hath an immunity and privilege in this respect above the body, nothing can hurt it but itself: Therefore now thus saith the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, Wherefore commit you this great evil against your souls, to cut off from you man and woman, child and suckling out of Judah, to leave you none to remain? Jer. 44.7. Wherefore commit you this great evil against your souls? The Prophet condemns them here (you see) as the only causes of their own ruin, they were the contrivers of their own destruction, they committed evil against their own souls, and were not subservient instruments to another. Let us not then strive to excuse our sins: our sins are our own, committed willingly and freely by us; and therefore we must not blame others, but ourselves. Yea, our sins are so truly our own, that there is nothing in the world so much our own as they: for, in respect of all other things we are stewards, not owners; the dispensation is ours, but not the propriety: but our sins are truly ours, we are the owners and proprietaries of them. Other things are none of ours; we ourselves are not our own, our bodies and souls are none of ours, 
1 Cor. 6.19, 20.  but Gods, and he may dispose of them as he pleases: and when our bodies, or souls, or any thing that we possess are called our own, it is not in respect of an absolute and independent, but in respect of a limited and dependent right which we hold under him; for we gave not ourselves a being, but received it of God; yea, we were so fare from giving ourselves a being when we were not, that we cannot continue our being now we have it: the world hath no less need of his assistance now, then at the first creation; and when it shall have lasted ten thousand years, it shall be still in its minority; it must be no less sustained by God when it is old, then in its first infancy. And, as we ourselves are not our own, but Gods; so our actions are none of ours, but his: he co-operates with all his creatures, and gives them virtue and strength to perform their actions. Had they not a continual supply and contribution of power and strength from him, the stars would lose their light, the heavens their influence, all things would become naked, disarmed, and stripped of all their qualities; all the old elements would be dissolved, and in stead of them darkness, silence, horror, and confusion would be the new elements of the world. We cannot so much as eat, or drink, or move, or speak without him; for in him we live, and move, and have our being, Acts 17.28. not only our being, but our life and motion; that is, all our actions are from him. Now, if we be neither owners of ourselves, nor of our actions, then surely those things which are without us, as riches, honours, and whatsoever else is in the world, is none of ours, we cannot call ourselves the proprietaries of them: But for our sins, they are truly our own, God hath no right at all in them; we produce them, and give them a being of ourselves, and therefore they are as truly ours, as any thing is his which he created. But some perhaps will say, that God concurres as well to evil actions as to good; and therefore if our good actions must not be imputed to ourselves, but to God; our evil actions ought likewise to be imputed to him. To this I answer, that God concurreth to evil actions in such a manner, as they cannot without injustice be imputed to him. It's true, when a man sins, God assists the sinner, and concurres with him in all subservient actions that are requisite to the sin; yet the concourse of God is so innocent, so pure, so void of all malice, that no man can (without execrable blasphemy) call God the author of that sin. For there are two different things to be considered in every evil act; the first is the substance and matter of the act, and this (considered apart by itself) is neither morally good nor evil: The second thing to be considered in every act is the obliquity and defect which accompanies it; that is, the disorder which is in it, which makes it an evil act, and which doth as it were set a bias upon it, that draws it awry: For the substance and matter of the act, God goes along with it, he gives it the free contribution of his help and concourse; but for the obliquity and defect of the act, to that he doth not contribute at all; for it hath no efficient cause, but a deficient only. When a lame man goes, there are two things in that act, his going, and his lameness; his going proceeds from his soul, but his lameness from some defect in the matter: And so it is in evil actions; the actions themselves proceed from God, as motion proceeds from the soul; but the obliquity of the actions proceeds from some defect in men, as lameness proceeds from some defect in the matter. So that God's concourse to our actions doth not (as you see) suppose his concourse to the obliquity and defect which is in them; the evil of every action is our own, though the action itself be Gods. And this is the first thing we are to acknowledge when we make our confession; namely, that our sins are our own, and that we are not necessitated to commit them by any overruling power. And so much of the first part of David's confession, which is his confession in respect of the subject. I come now to the second, which is his confession in respect of the act.  
I have sinned: David proceeds here (you see) to confess the act. Before he confessed the efficient cause of his hurt, and that was himself: he goes forward now, and confesseth the instrumental cause, and that was sin; he wounded himself by sin, For I have sinned. And in this confession he lays open the nakedness of his soul, without using vain excuses to defend himself: For although this confession be delivered in general terms, so that he seems not by it to acknowledge himself so notorious and scandalous a sinner as he was: yet if ye read over the whole Psalm, and consider it well, you shall find, that this confession must have reference of necessity to his worst sins; namely, to those particular and individual sins of Adultery and Murder, and it is generally by Expositors chief applied to them: For those sins which this confession hath reference to, are those which were publicly known, and which made him be evil spoken of amongst his enemies, as we may read in the rest of the Psalm; now those were chief his Adultery and Murder: so that though they be not named in express terms, yet if ye consider the reference my Text hath to other things contained in the Psalm, there is enough expressed to make them known. And this must we do also in our confession; it is not enough for us to confess our sins to be our own, but we must confess the act also; we must lay open, as far as we are able, every particular and individual sin which we commit. There are two ways, as it hath been observed by some, to procure the favour of a Judge in civil Courts and Consistories of justice, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, either an open confession, or else some colourable excuse: but in God's court there is but one of these ways available; we may make him propitious and favourable by confessing our sins, and relating all circumstances that do aggravate them; but not by using colours to extenuate and lessen them: they that deny or excuse their sins, must look for no favour at the hand of God; Behold, (saith God) I will plead with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned, Jer. 2.35. Behold, I will plead with thee; that is, I will allege all that I can against thee, I will give thee the very extremity and rigour of justice, I will prove thee faulty, and convince thee to thy face. But on the other side, if men confess their sins, then is God ready to acquit and pardon them; If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, 1 Joh. 1.9.  
Now, confession is either public, or private: public confession is when the people at a public congregation confess their sins together; or, when some Minister of the Church confesseth in the name of all the people: and this may be either ordinary, or extraordinary; ordinary confession is at ordinary times, as upon Sabbath or festival days, when the people meet together to confess their sins: extraordinary confession is when the people meet together at extraordinary times, upon special emergent occasions; and we have divers examples in the Scripture of both these kinds of confession, which I cannot now stay to mention. Private confession is when a private man confesseth his sins; and it may be done publicly at a solemn assembly, or in private before a Minister of the Church, or to a friend, or before God. The first kind of confession was much in use in the primitive times of the Church; and it was performed many several ways, which are frequently mentioned by the Fathers. The second kind of confession is exacted by the Church of Rome with great strictness and severity, and imposed upon men's consciences as a thing absolutely necessary to salvation. The third kind of confession hath been always practised by good Christians, as a thing conducing to the glory of God. The last kind of confession is of absolute necessity, and is generally exercised in the Church. As for our Church, we allow all these kinds of confession: for the first kind of confession, which is to be made before a public assembly, our Church in many cases commands it, and enjoineth public and scandalous sinners (which cause the Church wherein they live to be evil spoken of) to do penance, to make an honourable amends, and to give a public testimony of their sorrow and repentance for it. For the second kind of confession, which is to be made privately before a Minister of the Church, we enjoin it not; but yet our Church in some cases counsels it: as namely, when the conscience is distressed and perplexed, and cannot free itself from fears and doubts. For the third kind of confession, that is to be made to a friend, it is approved also and commended by our Church, and is counselled by the Apostle Saint James, who admonisheth the children of God to confess their sins one to another. For the last kind of confession, (as I said) it is of absolute necessity, and is taught by our Church as a doctrine fundamental, and necessary to salvation. Now if I should speak of all these kinds of confessions, first, of public confession, both ordinary and extraordinary; and then of private confession, and all the several kinds of it; if I should speak of the manner how they are to be performed, and of the profit and benefit that is in them, I should too much exceed the limits of the time: I will speak therefore only of the last kind, that is, confession before God; because that is necessary to salvation, and is a duty that cannot be dispensed with. Whosoever looks to have his soul healed, must first confess his sin to God, and lay open the cause of his distemper. And surely we cannot desire a more cheap, or a more easy remedy: we shall not need to represent our spiritual diseases in plates of gold, as the Philistines did their emerods; 
1 Sam. 6.4.  that was a costly remedy, and yet they thought it cheap enough, when they considered what an happiness it was to have their health. But we shall not need (I say) to use such a costly remedy, we shall not need to represent our spiritual diseases in plates of gold; let us but represent them in words, and we shall be healed: David did but confess his sin, and presently obtained pardon; the prodigal child did but confess his sin, and presently the cloud of his father's anger was dissolved into a mild shower of tears; the thief upon the cross, confessing his sins, was canonised before he was dead, and found a better paradise by confession, than Adam lost by sin: Let us then acknowledge our sins, and we shall have pardon; let us lay open and discover the cause of our wounds, and we shall be healed.  
But some perhaps will say, All this is done already; I have and do confess my sins before God every day. It is well done: yet take heed thou dost not content thyself with the shadow of confession. What if thy confession be nothing else but an empty sound of words? What if it want substance? What if it be but a mere formality? then thou art miserably deluded: Yet such is the confession of most men; for there is a formal verbal confession, which is but a mere shadow; a man may confess his sins every day, and yet be never the better, for there are divers conditions necessary to a true confession, which, if they be absent from thine, it will not be available.  
The first condition necessary to a true confession, is a due examination of ourselves, and of our former life; all the kinds of sin, and all the circumstances that do aggravate them, are to be discussed: we are not to take our sins in the gross, and so to make a light perfunctory confession, and say, that we are miserable and wretched sinners; but we must take a perfect view (as far as we are able) of all our particular and individual sins. It is for want of this examination that many a man's confession is invalid; they confess only such sins as come suddenly into their minds, and make no reflection upon their former life. But whosoever desire to make such a confession as may be pleasing to God, must take more pains, and do it more exactly; Stand in awe and sin not, common with your own heart, and in your chamber, and be still, (saith David) Psal. 4.4. As if he should have said, In the silence of the night, when thou enjoyest thine own privacy, when thou art free from the cares and distractions of worldly employments, enter into secret communication with thine own heart, examine thine own ways, and search out thine own corruptions. And, lest he should seem to exact that of others, which he did not perform as rigorously himself, he shows it in another Psalm to be his own practice; I call to remembrance (saith he) my song in the night, I common with mine own heart, and my spirit made diligent search, Psal. 77.6. The Prophet Jeremiah likewise exhorts his brethren the Jews, in the time of their captivity, to the performance of this duty; Let us search and try our ways (saith he) and turn again to the Lord, Lam. 3.40. Saint Paul also (writing to the Corinthians) lays this as a necessary injunction upon them, that no man should have access to the holy Sacrament, without diligent examination of himself; But let a man examine himself (saith he) and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup, 1 Cor. 11.28. As if he should have said, It is not sufficient to make a general confession of your sins when ye receive the holy Sacrament; but every man must search accurately, that, if it be possible, he may see the very bottom of his corruption, and confess all his sins, and be humbled for them in that measure that their number or quality do require. It is for want of this examination, that many men think themselves better than they are, they take no notice of their sins; or, if they do take notice when they commit them, yet, for want of a timely examination, they forget them afterwards: so that when they would confess, their sins (like Nebuchadnezar's dream) are quite gone out of their mind; and if some Daniel do not bring them back again to their remembrance, they shall never be confessed. But this slight and superficial kind of confession is not available; they that would confess their sins effectually, must be intentive and diligent in examination of themselves, that so they may discover the whole mass of their own corruption: and as divers artificers examine all their work by the line and plummet, so they must examine all their actions by the exact rule and strait line of God's word. And here (would the time permit) I would a little enlarge myself, because there are many that never yet performed this duty; and many others that know not how to do it: there are many that never yet performed this duty, which are so fare from taking any strict account of their own ways, and from searching diligently into their own lives, that so they might discover their own imperfections, and judge and condemn them in themselves, that they are not very well content when others would take the pains to do it for them, and to lay open their sins and corruptions before their eyes; but if their pastor or teacher (whose office it is to do it, and who shall answer God for not doing it) take notice of any sin, and discover it to them, they think him too uncivil and importunate. If there be any here that have been thus negligent in confessing their sins, and examining their own lives, be exhorted, I beseech you, to begin this duty before your souls be too far overspread with sins: I went by the field of the slothful (saith Solomon) and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding, and lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone-wall thereof was broken down, Pro. 24.30, 31. His words are allegorical, and imply thus much, that they which neglect this duty, and do not seriously examine, and often confess their sins, their souls will soon be overgrown with vices, as the field or vine-yard of a fool or slothful person useth to be overgrown with weeds. There are some again that know not how to perform this duty, which are subject to deceive themselves, to let many sins pass undiscerned, and oftentimes to mistake them for virtues. If there be any such here, (as I am afraid there are too many) let me desire you to observe these two rules for your direction: First, when ye examine your actions, take heed you weigh them not by a false balance; that is, by a defiled conscience, for a defiled conscience is as a false balance; it is impossible to weigh an action rightly by it. The Jews having a defiled conscience, preferred Barrabas before our Saviour Christ. And this is that which deceives many, when they examine themselves, and find they do nothing against their conscience, they think themselves very upright and just; but they know not that their conscience is defiled, they consider not that their affection sways their conscience, and can make it judge any thing lawful or unlawful, as it please. But you will say, How shall I know when my conscience is defiled? The Apostle Saint Paul will resolve that doubt; Unto the pure (saith he) all things are pure; but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure, but even their mind and conscience is defiled, Titus 1.15. Whosoever therefore lives in any habitual sin; whosoever alloweth himself to do wickedly in any thing, his conscience is defiled, and it is in vain for him to consult with it concerning the lawfulness or unlawfulness of any action. Secondly, when you examine your actions, favour not yourselves, but give the same judgement upon your own sins, and pronounce the same condemnation against yourselves, which at other times ye have pronounced against others that have committed the like offences. There are many, for want of observing this rule, which think themselves to be much better than they are; they will censure and scoff at others for those sins and infirmities which they commit every day without seeing them in themselves. Would these men but look upon their own actions with the same impartial eye that they look upon others, they would be able to judge better of their own ways, and would discover the same corruptions in themselves, which they can so easily discern in another. And this is the first condition necessary to a true confession; that is, a due examination of ourselves, and of our former life.  
The second condition necessary to a true confession, is, sorrow and contrition of heart: They that confess their sins, and are not grieved for them, may be said rather to relate or to describe their sins, then to confess them. Sorrow is a condition so inseparable from this duty, that where it is wanting, it is as good to deny our sins, as to confess them: and this condition is expressly required Levit. 26.40. where God makes a promise to the Jews when they shall be in captivity, saying, If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that they also have walked contrary unto me; And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity: Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember, and I will remember the land. This promise (you see) which God made to the Jews upon their confession, is a conditional promise, and the condition expressed is this, If their uncircumcised hearts be humbled; that is, if they be broken and rend with sorrow for their sins: he doth not promise to remember them whensoever they should formally confess, but if their uncircumcised hearts were humbled when they made their confession. And therefore wheresoever you find the children of God confessing their sins in Scripture, ye shall find them usually in an humble and mournful posture: In such a posture shall you find Daniel, at the ninth chapter and third verse of his own Prophecy; where you may see, that he first humbled himself, and, by putting on sackcloth and ashes, expressed deep signs of sorrow and contrition, and then he proceeded to make confession of his sins. In such a posture shall ye find Ezra, at the 9th chapter and 5th verse of his own book; where you may see, that he also, by the outward gesture of his body first testified the inward heaviness and affliction of his mind, and then proceeded to make his confession to God. And this is the true manner of confessing sin; our confession is then available, when our hearts are ready to break with sorrow: we may be confident the Lord will not despise us, when our tears lift up our confession as the waters lifted up the Ark. I will not here dispute the question concerning the quality of sorrow, whether a sensible sorrow be always necessary, or whether an appreciative rational sorrow will serve the turn, as our Romish Doctors do generally affirm. For my part, I take their appreciative rational sorrow to be a mere figment, a feigned and forged invention of their own, as many other of their distinctions are: Sorrow is a passion of the mind, and I think an appreciative rational passion is a new kind of passion, that was never known to any but themselves. True sorrow, without doubt, hath always some sensible motions, some convulsions of heart to attend it; it could not be a passion of the mind, if it did not infer passionem animo, some ways or other sensibly affect the soul. I will also omit the question concerning the quantity of sorrow which we ought to have; namely, whether sorrow for sin ought to be the greatest sorrow. Bellarmine's determination is, that it ought to be the greatest appreciative, but not intensive. I will not at this time examine this determination; I say only in general, that true sorrow, proceeding from the grace of God, and not from the fear of punishment, or any other sinister respect, in what degree or quantity soever it be, is sufficient to make our confession available before God. Many, when they compare their own sorrow with the sorrow of David, or with the sorrow of divers other holy men and women which are mentioned in the Scriptures, are much troubled in mind, because they cannot equal them. What are my tears (say they) compared with David's tears? What is my grief, compared with the grief of Mary Magdalen? Thus they discourse within themselves, and are ready almost to despair, because they cannot arrive at their perfection. But such comparisons as these, beloved, are offensive and unprofitable; for why should every one compare himself with David, or Mary Magdalen, which were God's especial favourites, and had a greater measure of grace conferred upon them, than is ordinarily conferred upon others? Every one cannot hope to be so perfect as they were. I speak not this to dishearten any, or inclining to an opinion, that it is not lawful for you to desire to equal those worthy examples of repentance; for I think it not only lawful, but commendable for every one to desire the best gifts: we may desire to equal, and (if we can) to excel David, Mary Magdalen, or any other, provided always, that we submit our wills to the will of God; and when we see that it is not his pleasure to confer upon us such gifts as he conferred upon them, we must not therefore murmur against him, nor work our own disquiet and trouble by making such unprofitable comparisons, but giving thanks to God for what we have, let us comfort ourselves with that; considering always, that all sorrow, whether it be in a great or small quantity, if it proceeds from grace, is able to save our souls. And this is the second condition necessary to a true confession; that is, sorrow and true contrition of heart.  
The third condition necessary to a true confession, is, amendment of life: Although a man confesseth his sins every day, yet if he forsakes them not, his confession is but a mere formality; and this condition is required in many places of the Scripture; but I will only name a place or two: In the 28th chapter of the Proverbs and the 13th verse, it is said, He that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. Not every hypocrite that makes a formal confession, but he that confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall have mercy. And again, Ezra 10.11. Ezra saith unto the people, Now therefore make confession unto the Lord God of your fathers, and do his pleasure, and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives. He doth not only stir up the people to confess their sins to God, but to do his pleasure also, and to separate themselves from the people of the land with whom they had contracted affinity, and to put away their strange wives, without which their confession had been but vain. It is (I know) a common opinion at this time, that an actual amendment of life is not necessary and essential to confession; but that a purpose of amendment, with faith in Christ Jesus, is sufficient: and although they commit the same sins every day, yet, if they resolve to amend after they have committed them, many think themselves (if they should die after such resolutions) in a good and safe condition. But this, beloved, is a gross and manifest delusion, and contrary to those places of Scripture that have been already alleged, and to many other which might be alleged to this purpose. It is true indeed, that faith in Christ Jesus, if it could be in any man without an actual amendment, is able to save him: but herein they deceive themselves, in that they think true faith consistent with bare and naked resolutions, and not always accompanied with an actual amendment; for true faith will show itself in action, and cannot be perfected and known by bare and naked resolutions: Whatsoever is born of God (saith Saint John) overcometh the world; and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith, 1 John 5.4. By true faith therefore a man overcometh the world: now, how can he be said to overcome the world, that hath not forsaken his sins? for a victory is won by action, and not by bare and naked resolutions. Have drunkards (think you) overcome the world? Have adulterers, unclean persons, swearers, and usurers overcome the world? No, they are overcome themselves, and have not overcome the world. Take heed therefore ye deceive not yourselves; think not ye have faith, before ye find the fruits of faith in your life and conversation. I presume there are none here but will say they have faith; but I pray God many amongst you be not deluded. Should I demand of you, whether you believe in God, or whether ye believe an heaven, and an hell, and a resurrection from the dead; I dare say, you would all answer, Yes: But then, if I could look into your lives, and see your secret practices, I am afraid I should find many of you to be such, as if yet believed no such matter. I say, If I could look into your lives, I am afraid I should find many of you to be such, as if ye believed neither heaven, not hell, nor the resurrection of the dead, nor any other article of faith: for wherein do many amongst us exceed an infidel, that believes none of these things? Is it possible that infidelity should produce as good effects in them, as faith in you? Is faith so sluggish a virtue, that it can he still, and not be active? No, be sure, if thy faith breaks not into action, it is but a dead faith. In the 11th chapter to the Hebrews there are many commended for faith; but they are all said to have done something by it: It is said, By faith Abel offered a better sacrifice than Cain; and so of all the rest: it is said, they did something by faith; but there are none which are said to have made good resolutions by faith, and to have kept none of them. True faith therefore must be known and perfected by action, and not by bare and naked resolutions. And this is the third condition necessary to a true confession; that is, amendment of life.  
The fourth condition necessary to a true confession, is, satisfaction. I shall not need to prove this condition necessary, because it is manifestly included in the former; for there can be no amendment without satisfaction: he that doth wrong another, and doth not repair the injury, cannot be said to amend, but sinneth against justice; for justice giveth to every one his due, which he refuseth to do, that will not restore his neighbour's goods, or his neighbour's credit, when he hath wrongfully deprived him of them. Now therefore let every one examine his confession, and see whether it hath all these conditions or no: First, whether he hath made a diligent examination of his whole life, and confessed all his particular and individual sins, as far as he is able. Secondly, whether his confession be joined with true sorrow and contrition of heart. Thirdly, whether he hath forsaken the sins which he hath confessed. Fourthly, whether he hath made satisfaction (as far as he is able) for all the wrongs and injuries he hath done: if his confession hath all these conditions, it is good; but if it want any of them, he hath but played the formal hypocrite. And so much of the second part of David's confession, which is his confession in respect of the act. I come now to the last part, which is, his confession in respect of the object.  
I have sinned against thee. The object against whom this sin was committed is not expressed in the words of my Text, but is implied in this word thee: yet we shall not need to go fare to seek it, for it is expressed in the same verse; I said, Lord, be merciful unto me; beale my soul, for I have sinned against thee. It is the Lord God (you see) to whom this petition was directed, he it is to whom this thee hath reference: God then was the object against whom he sinned; and this is that wherein he doth most of all set out his own ungratefulness: for if they that partake of the favours of Princes, cannot dispense with their service, if children own great respects to their parents, scholars to their master; then how could David neglect this service, withdraw this respect, and sin against God, without committing (in one act) all the ingratitudes that can be committed. This is that which did most of all increase his guilt, and which (without question) did most of all increase his sorrow, who, like a zealous penitent, inflamed with divine love, and hating sin in many respects, was yet most of all enraged against it, because it was committed against God, who had obliged him to himself by many special and extraordinary favours: for it was he, that (like a father) brought him up of a little child, and which had many times (as it were) carried him in his arms; it was he, that pulled the crown from off the head of Saul, to set it upon his, and entailed it upon him and his posterity for many generations; it was he, that (like a master) instructed him in the law, and (like a King) protected him in all danger; and therefore, to sin against him, was to slain his soul with the deepest colours of ingratitude.  
But why did David confess only that he sinned against God? Did he not sin also against Uriah, who (by his secret practices) lost his life? Did he not sin also against Bathsheba, who (by his subtle persuasions) lost her honour? Did he not sin also against Joab, whom he had made confederate to his purpose? And did he not sin also against the whole army, whose lives were all exposed to the sword of the children of Ammon? I answer, that he sinned against God, both in respect of himself, and in respect of all these: for sin is against God in a double respect, respectu sui ipsius, & respectu communitatis, as the School speaks, both in respect of himself, and in respect of the community; that is, in respect of all the creatures. First, sin is against God respectu sui ipsius, in respect of himself, for it is against his chiefest attributes; against his wisdom, and against his justice, and against his mercy: first, it is against his wisdom, for wisdom enjoins order; but sin is always accompanied with disorder and confusion: Secondly, it is against his justice, for justice commands that every one should have his due; but sin is also joined with wrong and injury: Thirdly, it is against his mercy, for mercy desires the preservation of the world; but sin tends to the ruin and destruction of it: to dishonour our parents, to commit murder, or adultery, or to bear false witness against our neighbours; what do all these sins, but tend to the subversion of mankind? Men subsist by observation of the moral law, and would soon perish without it: and therefore sin, which tends to the ruin of mankind, is as much against God's mercy, which wils their preservation, as against any other of his attributes; so that the malice of a sinner is terminated immediately upon God himself, he is the object against whom sin is committed, respectu sui ipsius, in respect of himself. But that I may make this reason a little more clear than the School hath made it, I will lay down this ground, That every sinner wisheth that it might be lawful for him to commit those sins whereunto he is addicted, and that there were no eternal punishment prepared for them. This that I have laid for a ground, I think, will be easily granted; for all men desire happiness: the Will, that is free in the means, is not free in the end; it cannot but desire happiness, and abhor all things that are destructive of it, and consequently, cannot but abhor an eternal punishment, which it knows to be incompatible with happiness. Now then, if every sinner wisheth that it might be lawful for him to commit those sins whereunto he is addicted, and that there were no eternal punishments provided for them; what is this, but to wish that God were not so wise, or so just, or so merciful as he is, (for sin, as I said, is contrary to wisdom, justice, and mercy) and consequently, to wish that he were not God; for it is impossible he should be God, and not be infinitely wise, and infinitely just, and infinitely merciful. They that would have God want those perfections, would have him want his being, for his being is made up of those perfections: so that all sinners do inclusively (though not expressly) desire God's ruin, and that his very nature and being were destroyed; for it is all one in substance, to desire a thing directly, or by way of consequence: As for example, he that desires that it were night, doth in substance, and inclusively desire the sun were down, although he doth not expressly and actually think upon the sun. In like manner, they that desire it might be lawful for them to sin, and that there were no eternal punishment appointed for sinners, do in substance and inclusively desire, that God were not so wise, or so just, or so merciful as he is, although expressly and actually they do not think upon his wisdom, or justice, or mercy.  
Secondly, sin is against God, respectu communitatis, in respect of the community, or in respect of all the creatures; for the whole world is one community or incorporation, whereof God is the governor and protector: the creatures are as it were the members, and he is the head; and therefore whatsoever is done against the community, or against the creatures, is done against God. Our Saviour Christ is the head and protector of the Church, and therefore whatsoever is done against the Church, is done against him: Saul persecuted the Church, and our Saviour Christ esteemed that persecution as an injury offered to himself; Saul, Saul, (saith he) why persecutest thou me? Act. 9.4. In the general carriage of affairs in all Commonwealths, that which is done against the Common wealth in general, or against any particular member thereof, is done against the King: if one man kill another, the King will presently be plaintiff, and take the injury done unto himself, because the party slain was under his protection, and was a member of that body whereof he is the head: As Christ is in respect of the Church, and a King in respect of his kingdom; so is God in respect of the whole world: and therefore what injury soever is offered to any of the creatures, is an injury to God; so that David sinning against Uriah, and against Bathsheba, and against Joab, and against the whole army, may be said in that respect also to have sinned against God. And thus you have seen all the parts of David's confession, both in respect of the subject, in respect of the act, and in respect of the object.  
Now to God the Father, God the Son, and God the holy Ghost, three persons, and one God, be ascribed all glory, and honour, and power, and wisdom, now and for ever. Amen.  
FINIS.