Question. You have showed me, if I will indeed worship God, I must first know him aright; now then to the question in hand. Pray how must I worship him? Answer. In confessing unto him. Nehemiah 9:1-3. Question. What must I confess? Answer. Thou must confess thy transgressions unto the Lord. Psalm 32:5. Question. Was this the way of the godly of old? Answer. Yes. Nehemiah confessed his sins, David confessed his sins, Daniel confessed his sins, and they that were baptitized by John in Jordan confessed their sins. Nehemiah 1:6; Psalm 32:5; Daniel 9:4; Matthew 3:6. Question. What sins must I confess to God? Answer. All sins whatsoever. For he that covereth his sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall find mercy. Proverbs 28:13; 1 John 1:9. Question. But how if I do neither know nor remember all my sins? Answer. Thou must then search and try thy ways by the holy word of God. Lamentations 3:40; Psalm 77:6. Question. But how if I do not make this search after my sins? Answer. If thou dost not, God will; if thou dost not search them out and confess them, God will search them out and charge them upon thee, and tear thee in pieces for them. Psalm 1:21,22. Question. Where must I begin to confess my sins? Answer. Where God beginneth to show thee them. Observe then where God beginneth with conviction for sin, and there begin thou with confession of it. Thus David began to confess; thus Daniel began to confess. 2 Samuel 12:7-14; Daniel 9:3-9. Question. What must I do, when God hath showed me any sin, to make right confession thereof? Answer. Thou must follow that conviction, until it shall bring thee to the original and fountain of that sin, which is thine own heart. 1 Kings 8:38; Psalm 51:5. Question. Is my heart then the fountain and original of sin? Answer. Yes. “For from within, out of the heart of man, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornication, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness; all these evil things come from within, and defile the man.” Mark 7:21-23. Question. When a man sees this, what will he think of himself? Answer. Then he will not only think, but conclude, that he is an unclean thing; that his heart has deceived him; that it is most desperate and wicked; that it may not be trusted by any means; that every imagination and thought of his heart (naturally) is only evil, and that continually. Isaiah 64:6 Proverbs 28:26; Isaiah 44:20; Genesis 6:5. Question. You have given me a very bad character of the heart; but how shall I know that it is so bad as you count it? Answer. Both by the word of God, and by experience. Question. What do you mean by experience? Answer. Keep thine eyes upon thy heart, and also upon God’s word, and thou shalt see with thine own eyes the desperate wickedness that is in thine heart; for thou must know sin by the law, that bidding thee do one thing, and thy heart inclining to another. Romans 7:7-9. Question. May I thus then know my heart? Answer. Yes; that is, something of it, especially the carnality of thy mind, “because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God; neither indeed can be.” Romans 8:7. Question. Can you particularize some few things wherein the wickedness of the heart of man shows itself? Answer. Yes; by its secret hankering after sin, although the word forbids it; by its deferring repentance; by its being weary of holy duties; by its aptness to forget God; by its studying to lessen and hide sin; by its feigning itself to be better than it is; by being glad when it can sin without being seen of men; by its hardening itself against the threatenings and judgments of God; by its desperate inclinings to unbelief, atheism, and the like. Proverbs 1:24-26; Isaiah 43:22; Malachi 1:12,13; Judges 3:7; Jeremiah 2:32; <19A621> Psalm 106:21; Hosea 2:13; Proverbs 30:20; Jeremiah 2:25; Romans 1:32; 2:5; Zechariah 7:11-13. Question. Is there any thing else to be done in order to a right confession of sin? Answer. Yes. Let this conviction sink down into thy heart, that God sees much more wickedness in thee than thou canst see in thyself. If thy heart condemn thee, God is greater than thy heart, and he knows all things; besides, he hath set thy secret sins in the light of his countenance. John 3:20; Psalm 90:8. Question. Is there any thing else that must go to a right confession of sin? Answer. Yes. In thy confessions thou must greaten and aggravate thy sin by all just circumstances. Question. How must I do that? Answer. By considering against how much light and mercy thou hast sinned; against how much patience and forbearance thou hast sinned; also against what warnings and judgments thou hast sinned; and against how many of thine own vows, promises, and engagements, thou hast sinned; these things heighten and aggravate sin. Ezra 9:10-16. Question. But what need I confess my sins to God; seeing he knows them already? Answer. Confession of sin is necessary for many reasons. Question. Will you show me some of those reasons? Answer. Yes. One is, by a sincere and hearty confession of sin thou acknowledgest God to be thy Sovereign Lord, and that he hath the right to impose his law upon thee. Exodus 20. Question. Can you show me another reason? Answer. Yes. By confessing thy sin, thou subscribest to his righteous judgments that are pronounced against it. Psalm 51:3,4. Question. Can you show me another reason? Answer. Yes. By confessing thy sins, thou showest how little thou deservest the least mercy from God. Question. Have you yet another reason why I should confess my sins? Answer. Yes. By so doing thou showest whether thy heart loves it, or hates it. He that heartily confesseth his sin, is like him who having a thief or traitor in his house, brings him out to condign punishment; but he that forbears to confess, is like him who hideth a thief or traitor against the laws and peace of our Lord the King. Question. Give me one more reason why I should confess my sins to God. Answer. He that confesseth his sin casteth himself at the feet of God’s mercy; utterly condemns and casts away his own righteousness; and concludeth there is no way to stand just and acquit before God, but by and through the righteousness of another; whither God is resolved to bring thee, if ever he saves thy soul. Psalm 51:1-3; I John 1:9; Philippians 3:6-8. Question. What frame of heart should I be in, when I confess my sins? Answer. Do it heartily, and to the best of thy power thoroughly. For to feign, in this work, is abominable; to do it by the halves, is wickedness; to do it without sense of sin cannot be acceptable. And to confess it with the mouth, and to love it with the heart, is a lying unto God, and a provocation of the eyes of his glory. Question. What do you mean by feigning and dissembling in this work? Answer. When men confess it, yet know not what it is; or if they think they know it, do not conclude it so bad as it is; or when men ask pardon of God, but do not see their need of pardon; this man must needs dissemble. Question. What do you mean by doing it by the halves? Answer. When men confess some, but not all that they are convinced of; or if they confess all, yet labor in their confession to lessen it; or when in their confession they turn not from all sin to God, but from one sin to another. “They turned, but not to the Most High;” none of them did exalt him. Proverbs 28:13; Job 31:33; James 3:12; Hosea 7:16. Question. What is it to confess sin without the sense of sin? Answer. To do it through custom, or tradition, when there is no guilt upon the conscience; now this cannot be acceptable. Question. What is to confess it with the mouth, and to love it with the heart? Answer. When men condemn it with their mouth, but refuse to let it go; when with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. Job 20:12,13; Jeremiah 8:5; Ezekiel 33:31. Question. But I asked you what frame of heart I should be in, in my confessions? Answer. I have showed you how you should not be. Well, I will show you now, what frame of heart becomes you in your confessions of sin.