Chapter 4—Confession
“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth
and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”
Proverbs 28:13
.
The conditions of obtaining mercy of God are simple and just and
reasonable. The Lord does not require us to do some grievous thing in
order that we may have the forgiveness of sin. We need not make long
and wearisome pilgrimages, or perform painful penances, to commend
our souls to the God of heaven or to expiate our transgression; but he
that confesseth and forsaketh his sin shall have mercy.
The apostle says, “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one
for another, that ye may be healed.”
James 5:16
. Confess your sins to
God, who only can forgive them, and your faults to one another. If you
have given offense to your friend or neighbor, you are to acknowledge
your wrong, and it is his duty freely to forgive you. Then you are to
seek the forgiveness of God, because the brother you have wounded is
the property of God, and in injuring him you sinned against his Creator
and Redeemer. The case is brought before the only true Mediator, our
great High Priest, who “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet
without sin,” and who is “touched with the feeling of our infirmities,”
and is able to cleanse from every stain of iniquity.
Hebrews 4:15
.
Those who have not humbled their souls before God in acknowl-
edging their guilt, have not yet fulfilled the first condition of accep-
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tance. If we have not experienced that repentance which is not to be
repented of, and have not with true humiliation of soul and brokenness
of spirit confessed our sins, abhorring our iniquity, we have never truly
sought for the forgiveness of sin; and if we have never sought, we have
never found the peace of God. The only reason why we do not have
remission of sins that are past is that we are not willing to humble our
hearts and comply with the conditions of the word of truth. Explicit
instruction is given concerning this matter. Confession of sin, whether
public or private, should be heartfelt and freely expressed. It is not to
be urged from the sinner. It is not to be made in a flippant and careless
way, or forced from those who have no realizing sense of the abhorrent
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