"He who covers his sins shall not prosper; but whoever
confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy." Prov. 28:13
True penitential confession is joined with reformation. That
confession of sin which carries forgiveness of sin with it, is
attended with serious desires, and earnest endeavors of
reformation. Confession of sin must be joined with forsaking
of sin—or all is lost. God will never cross the book, He will
never draw the red lines of Christ's blood over the black lines
of our transgressions—unless confessing and forsaking of sin,
goes hand in hand. He who does not forsake his sin, as well
as confess it, forsakes the benefit of his confession.
Indeed, there is no real confession of sin, where there is no
real forsaking of sin. It is not enough for us to confess the
sins we have committed—but we must peremptorily resolve
against the committing again the sins we have confessed.
We must desire as freely to forego our sins, as we do desire
God to forgive us our sins.
Confession of sin is a spiritual vomit. Now you know, a man
who is sick in his stomach, is heartily willing to be rid of that
load on his stomach; and so a man who is real in his confession
of sin, is as heartily willing to be rid of his sin, that lies as a
load upon his conscience, as any sick man can be heartily
willing to be rid of that load that lies upon his stomach.
The penitential confessor does as heartily desire to be delivered
from the power of his sins—as he does desire to be delivered
from the sting and punishment of his sins.
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Thomas Brooks (1608 - 1680)
Much of what is known about Thomas Brooks has been ascertained from his writings. Born, likely to well-to-do parents, in 1608, Brooks entered Emmanuel College, Cambridge in 1625, where he was preceded by such men as Thomas Hooker, John Cotton, and Thomas Shepard. He was licensed as a preacher of the Gospel by 1640. Before that date, he appears to have spent a number of years at sea, probably as a chaplain with the fleet.After the conclusion of the First English Civil War, Thomas Brooks became minister at Thomas Apostle's, London, and was sufficiently renowned to be chosen as preacher before the House of Commons on December 26, 1648. His sermon was afterwards published under the title, 'God's Delight in the Progress of the Upright', the text being Psalm 44:18: 'Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from Thy way'. Three or four years afterwards, he transferred to St. Margaret's, Fish-street Hill, London. In 1662, he fell victim to the notorious Act of Uniformity, but he appears to have remained in his parish and to have preached as opportunity arose. Treatises continued to flow from his pen.[3]
Thomas Brooks was a nonconformist preacher. Born into a Puritan family, he was sent to Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He soon became an advocate of the Congregational way and served as a chaplain in the Civil War. In 1648 he accepted the rectory of St. Margaret's, New Fish Street, London, but only after making his Congregational principles clear to the vestry.
On several occasions he preached before Parliament. He was ejected in 1660 and remained in London as a Nonconformist preacher. Government spies reported that he preached at Tower Wharf and in Moorfields. During the Great Plague and Great Fire he worked in London, and in 1672 was granted a license to preach in Lime Street. He wrote over a dozen books, most of which are devotional in character. He was buried in Bunhill Fields.