THE FIRST CHAPTER.

Of an humble Confession of Sinnes, to the Glorie of God.

WHEN I consider, in the bethinking of mine evil and wretched former life, mine obstinate, stonie, and vntractable heart, to haue so much exceeded in cuilnesse, that it hath not onelie neglected, yea contemned, and despised Gods holie precepts and commandements; but, also, imbraced, receiued, and esteemed, vaine, foolish, and feined trifles, I am partlic, by the hate I owe to sinne, who hath reigned in me, and partlic, by the loue I owe to all Christians, whom I am content to edifie; euen, with the example of mine owne shame, forced, and constrained, with my hart and words, to confesse and declare to the world, how ingrate, negligent, vnkind, and stubborne, I have been to God my Creator, and how beneficiall, mercifull, and gentle, he hath been alwaies to me his creature, being such a miserable and wretched sinner. Trulie, I haue taken no little small thing vpon me. First, to set foorth my whole stubbornesse, and contempt in words; the which is incomprehensible in thought, as it is in the twelfth Psalm, 'Who vnderstandeth his faults? Next this, to declare the excellent beneficence, mercie, and goodnesse of God, which is infinite, and vnmeasurable. Neither can all the words of angels and men make relation thereof, as apperteineth to his most high goodnesse. Who is he, that is not forced to confesse the same, if he consider what he hath receiued of God, and doth dailic receiue? Yea, if men would not acknowledge and confesse the same, the stones would crie it out. Trulie, I am constrained and forced to speake, and write thereof, to mine own confusion and shame, but to the glory and praise of God. For he, as a louing father, of most abundant and high goodnesse, hath heaped vpon me innumerable benefits; and I, contrarie, haue heaped manifold sinnes, despising that which was good, holie, pleasant, and acceptable in his sight, and choosing that which was delicious, pleasant, and acceptable, in my sight.

And no maruell it was, that I so did, for I would not learne to knowe the Lord, and his waies, but loued darknesse better than light, yea, darknesse seemed to me light. I embraced ignorance, as perfect knowledge, and knowledge seemed to me superfluous and vaine. I regarded little Gods word, but gaue my selfe to vanities, and shadowes of the world. I forsooke him, in whom is all truth, and followed the vaine, foolish imaginations of my hart. I would haue couered my sinnes with the pretence of holinesse; I called superstition godlie meaning, and true holinesse errour. The Lord did speake manie pleasant and sweet words vnto me, and I would not heare; he called me diuerslie, but through frowardnesse, I would not answere.

Mine cuils and miseries be so manic, and so great, that they can accuse me euen to my face. Oh, how miserable and wretchedlie am I confounded, when, for the multitude and greatnesse of my sinnes, I am compelled to accuse my selfe! Was it not a maruellous unkindnesse, when God did speake to me, and also call to me, that I would not answere him? What man, so called, would not haue heard? Or what man,

hearing, would not haue answered? If an earthlie Prince had spoken, either called, I suppose there be none, but would willinglie haue done both. Now, therefore, what a wretch and caitife am I, that, when the prince of princes, the king of kings, did speake manie pleasant and gentle words vnto me, and also called me so manie and sundrie times, that they can not be numbred; and yet, notwithstanding these great signes and tokens of loue, I would not come vnto him, but hid my selfe out of his sight, seeking manie crooked and biwaies, wherein I walked so long, that I had clean lost his sight: And no maruell, or wonder, for I had a blind guide, called Ignorance, who dimmed so mine cies, that I could neuer perfectlie get anie sight of the faire, goodlie, streight, and right waies of his doctrine; but continuallie trauelled, vncomfortablie, in foule, wicked, crooked, and perverse waies; yea, and bicause they were so much haunted of manie, I could not thinke, but that I walked in the perfect and right waie, hauing more regard to the number of the walkers, than to the order of the walking; beleeuing also, most assuredly, with companie, to haue walked to heauen, whereas, I am most sure, they would haue brought me down to hell.

I forsooke the spirituall honouring of the true liuing God, and wor shipped visible idols, and images made of mens hands, beleeuing, by them, to haue gotten heauen; yea, to saic the truth, I made a great idole of my selfe, for I loued my selfe better than God. And, certainlie, looke how manie things are loued, or preferred, in our harts, before God, so manie are taken and esteemed for idols, and false Gods. Alas! how haue I violated this holie, pure, and most high precept and commandment of the loue of God? Which precept bindeth me to loue him with my whole hart, mind, force, strength, and vnderstanding: And I, like vnto an euill, wicked, and disobedient child, haue giuen my will, power, aud senses, to the contrarie, making, almost, of euerie earthlie and carnall thing, a God.

Furthermore, the bloud of Christ was not reputed, by me, sufficient for to wash me from the filth of my sinnes; neither such waies, as he had appointed by his word; but I sought for such riffraffe, as the Bishop of Rome hath planted, in his tyrannie and kingdome, trusting, with great confidence, by the vertue and holinesse of them, to receiue full remission of my sinnes. And so I did, as much as was in me, obfuscate and darken the great benefit of Christes passion, than the which, no thought can conceiue anic thing of more value. There can not be done so great an iniurie and displeasure to Almightie God, our father, as to tread vnder foot Christ, his onlie begotten and welbeloued sonne. All other sinnes in the world, gathered together in one, be not so heinous, and detestable, in the sight of God. And no wonder, for, in Christ crucified, God doth shewe himselfe most noble and glorious, euen an Almightie God, and most louing father, in his onlie deare and chosen blessed

sonne.

And, therefore, I count my selfe one of the most wicked and miserable sinners in the world, bicause I haue beene so much contrarie to Christ my sauiour. Saint Paule desired to knowe nothing, but Christ crucified; after he had beene rapt into the third heauen, where he heard such secrets, as were not conucnient and meete to vtter to men,

but counted all his works and doings as nothing, to win Christ. And I, most presumptuouslie thinking nothing of Christ crucified, went about to set foorth mine owne righteousnesse, saieng, with the proud Pharisie: "Good Lord, I thanke thee, I am not like other men: I am none adulterer, nor fornicator, and so forth;' with such like words of vaine glorie, extolling my selfe, and despising others, working as an hired seruant for wages, or else for reward, and not, as a louing child, onkie for werie loue, without respect of wages or reward, as I ought to haue done. Neither did I consider, how beneficiall a father I had, who did shew me his charitie and mercie of his owne meere grace and goodnesse, that, when I was most his enemie, he sent his onlie begotten and welbeloued sonne, into this world of wretchednesse and miseric, to suffer most crueli and sharpe death for my redemption. But my hart was so stonie and hard, that this great benefit was neuer trulie and liuclie printed in my hart, although, with my words, it was oft rehearsed, thinking my selfe to be sufficientlic instructed in the same, and being, in deede, in blinde ignorance; and yet I stoode so well in mine owne iudgement and opinion, that I thought it vaine to secke the increase of my knowledge therein.

Paule calleth Christ the Wisdome of God; and, euen the same Christ, was, to me foolishnesse. My pride and blindnesse deceiued me, and the hardnesse of my hart withstoode the groning of truth within it. Such were the fruits of my carnall and humane reasons, to haue rotten ignorance in price for ripe and seasonable knowledge; such, also, is the malice and wickednesse that possesseth the barts of men; such is the wisdome and pleasing of the flesh. I professed Christ in my baptisme, when I began to kue, but I swarued from him after baptisme, in continuance of my liuing, euen as the heathen, which neuer had begun.

Christ was innocent, and void of all sinne, and I wallowed in filthic sinne, and was free from no sinne. Christ was obedient vnto his Father, euen to the death of the crosse; and I disobedient, and most stubborn, euen to the confusion of truth. Christ was meeke and humble in hart, and I most proud and vaine-glorious. Christ despised the world, with all the vanities thereof, and I make it my god, bicause of the vanities. Christ came to serue his brethren, and I coucted to rule ouer them. Christ despised worldlie honour, and I much delighted to attaine the same. Christ loued the base and simple things of the world, andI esteemed the most faire and pleasant things. Christ loued pouerty, and 1 wealth. Christ was gentle and mercifull to the poore, and I hardharted and vngentle. Christ praied for his enemies, and I hated mine. Christ reioiced in the conuersion of sinners, and I was not greened to see their reuersion to sinne. By this declaration, all creatures may perceiue how far I was from Christ, and without Christ; yea, how contrarie to Christ, although I bare the name of a Christian: Insomuch that, if anie man had said, I had beene without Christ, I would haue stiffelie denied and withstoode the same; and yet, in deede, I neither knew Christ, nor wherefore he came.

As concerning the effect and purpose of his coming, I had a certaine, vaine, and blind knowledge, both cold and dead, which may be had

with all sinne; as doth plainlie appeare by this my confession and open declaration.

THE SECOND CHAPTER.

A Lamentation of a Sinner, with hartie Repentance in Faith, to obtaine Absolution and Remission, through the Merits of Christ.

WHAT cause now haue I to lament, sigh, and weepe, for my life and time so cuill spent? With how much humilitie, and lowlinesse, ought I to come, and knowledge my sinnes to God, giuing him thanks, that it hath pleased him, of his abundant goodnesse, to giue me time of repentance. For I knowe my sinnes, in the consideration of them, to be so greeuous, and, in the number, so exceeding, that I haue deserued, ueric often, eternall damnation. And for the deferring of God's wrath, so manifoldlie due, I must vncessantlie giue thanks to the mercie of God; beseeching also, that the same delaie of punishment cause not his plague to be the sorer, since mine owne conscience condemneth my former doings. But his mercie exceedeth all iniquitie. And if I should not thus hope, alas, what should I seeke for refuge and comfort? No mortall man is of power to help me; and, for the multitude of my sinnes, I dare not lift vp mine eies to heauen, where the seate of iudgement is, I haue so much offended my God. What, shall I fall in desperation? Naie, I will call vpon Christ, the light of the world, the fountaine of life, the reliefe of all carefull consciences, the peacemaker betweene God and man, and the onlie health and comfort of all true repentant sinners.

He can, by his almightie power, saue me, and deliuer me out of this miserable state, and hath will, by his mercie, to sauc euen the whole sin of the world. I haue no hope nor confidence in anie creature, neither in heauen nor earth, but in Christ, my whole and onlie Sauiour. He came into the world to saue sinners, and to heale them that are sicke; for he said, The whole haue no neede of the physician.' Behold, Lord, how I come to thee, a sinner sicke, and grieuouslie wounded; I aske not bread, but the crums that fall from the childrens table. Cast me not out of thy sight, although I haue descrued to be cast into hell fire.

If I should looke vpon my sinne, and not upon thy mercie, I should despaire; for, in my selfe, I find nothing to saue me, but a dunghill of wickednesse to condemne me. If I should hope, by mine owne strength and power, to come out of this maze of iniquitie and wickednesse, wherein I haue walked so long, I should be deceiued. For I am so ignorant, blind, weake, and feeble, that I can not bring my selfe out of this intangled and wayward maze; but, the more I seeke meanes and waies, to winde my selfe out, the more I am wrapped and tangled therein.

So that I perceive my striuing therein to be hinderance, my trauell, to be labour spent, in going backe. It is the hand of the Lord that

can, and will, bring me out of the endlesse maze of death. For, without I be preuented, by the grace of the Lord, I can not aske forgiuenesse, nor be repentant, or sorie for them. There is no man can auow, that Christ is the onlie Sauiour of the world, but by the Holie Ghost; yea, as St. Paule saith, no man can saie, The Lord Jesus, but by the Holie Ghost. The Spirit helpeth our infirmitie, and maketh continuall intercession for vs, with such sorrow full gronings as can not be expressed.

Therefore, I will first require, and praie the Lord, to giue me his Holie Spirit, to teach me to auow, that Christ is the Sauiour of the World, and to vtter these words, The Lord Jesus; and, finallie, to helpe mine infirmities, and to intercede, or intreate for me. For I am most certaine and sure, that no creature, in heauen nor earth, is of power, or can, by anie meane, helpe me; but God, who is omnipotent, almightie, beneficiall, and mercifull, welwilling, and louing, to all those that call, and put their whole confidence and trust in him. And, therefore, I will seeke none other meancs, nor aduocate, but Christes Holie Spririt, who is, onlie, the aduocate, and mediatour, betweene God and man, to helpe and releeue mee.

THE THIRD CHAPTER.

What true Faith worketh in the Soule of a Sinner.

BUT now, What maketh me so bold and hardie, to presume to come to the Lord with such audacitie and boldnesse, being so great a sinner? Trulie nothing, but his owne word. For he saith, Come to me, all ye that labour, and are burdened, and I shall refresh you.' What gentle, mercifull, and comfortable words are these to all sinners? Were he not a frantike, madde, beastlie, and foolish man, that would runne for aide, helpe, or refuge, to anie other creature? What a most gratious, comfortable, and gentle saieng was this, with such pleasant and sweete words, to allure his verie enimies to come vnto him? Is there anic worldlie prince, or magistrate, that would shew such clemencie, and mercie, to their disobedient and rebellious subiects, hauing offended them? I suppose they would not, with such words, allure them, except it were to call them, whom they cannot take, and punish them, being taken. But euen as Christ is Prince of Princes, and Lord of Lords, so his charitie and mercie exceedeth and surmounteth all others. Christ saith, If carnall fathers do giue good gifts to their children, when they aske them, how much more shall your heauenlie Father, being, in substance, all holie, and, most highlie, good, giue good gifts to all them that aske him?'

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It is no small nor little gift that I now require, neither thinke I my selfe worthie to receiue such a noble gift, being so ingrate, vnkind, and wicked a child. But, when I behold the benignitie, liberalitie, mercie, and goodnesse of the Lord, I am encouraged, boldened, and stirred, to aske such a noble gift. The Lord is so bountifull and liberall, that he