(Diffidence)By Diffidence, not adhering to him with all our hearts, not casting our burden upon him; Not trusting him in the want of outward means, (Ps. 55.22) full of carking and solicitous thoughts; Apt to put our confidence in armes of flesh, (Jer. 17.5) broken reeds, lying vanities.

⁶By want of Love, not loving of him with all our affections and might, preferring the love of our selves, of pleasure, riches, honour, and the like earthly vanities, before the infinite, and absolute good that may be found in him. Suffering our shame, worldlinesse, security, hopes, fears, dependancies, want of leisure, and such like poore respcts, to seduce our affections from him, and to hinder our communion with him. Loving his creatures, his enemies, any thing, rather then himself, forsaking the Fountain of living waters, and hewing out unto our selves broken Cisterns that will hold no water. (Jer. 2.13) Spending our time, and our money for that which is not bread, and our labour for that which satisfieth not. (Isa. 55.2)

By want of zeale, not being zealous for his glory in the forward and cheerful use of such meanes whereby it may be promoted;⁷ in a fervent and resolute opposition of those things that may hinder it; in an hearty sense and sorrow for those reigning corruptions, either publike in the times, or private in our own souls, whereby it hath been abused; wronging good causes, either by our lukewarmnesse, or else by our blinde, indiscreet zeale.

By want of rejoycing in him, not serving him with gladnesse of heart: Not rejoycing in the Lord;⁸ Not finding any such relish in his holy Word and Ordinances, whereby they may seem sweeter then the honey and the honey-combe, but rather counting his wayes grievous and burdensome unto us.

By Vnthankfulnesse for those great mercies which are freely bestowed upon us;⁹ not rendering unto the Lord according to the benefits we receive, failing in the acknowledgment of them, letting them slip by us without any regard or notice; Being too apt to ascribe Gods blessings unto our owne deserts and endeavours; Sacrificing to our own nets; (Hab. 1.16) Subject to forget his favours, though he doth renew them every moment: And amongst those few that we do take notice of, and remember, yet our thankfulnesse for the receipt of them, is no way proportionable to our importunity in the want of them: Expressing our slighting of them, even in our very thanksgiving for them: Not mentioning them with any hearty sense or affection: Not willing to acknowledge them by charity towards his distressed members, according to our abilities and opportunies; But rather returning evil for good, and hatred for his good will.¹⁰ Like Jeshurun, waxing fat and kicking with the heele. Abundance making us wanton, and contemptuously to spurne at his laws. Lading and wearying him with our sins, whilest he does continually heap upon us his unwearied mercies.

¹¹By our Impatience under those small crosses that are justly inflicted upon us. Not behaving our selves humbly and cheerfully under Gods fatherly chastisements.¹² Not accepting the punishment of our iniquity, though it be much lesse then we have deserved. Not bearing the indignation of the Lord, as considering how we have sinned against him. Being subject to murmuring, and repining, to fainting and despaire, to seek help and deliverance by unlawful means.

¹³By want of submission and obedience unto him, according to our duty and profession, very inconstant in our holy services, temporary, and by fits, subject to backslide, and revolt upon every slight temptation. (Hos. 6.4) Our goodnesse being as the morning cloud, and as the early dew which passeth away. Not Vniversall in our obedience, but partial, and by halves, apt to pick and chuse in our duties, according as they may best suite with our own humours, and the course of the times, not having respect to all his commandments.¹⁴ Not hating every false way. Not hearty and sincere in our performances, doing them with all our might, but Hypocritically, Perfunctorily, Negligently.

¹⁵By our not fearing of God, according to the infinite power, justice, majesty, of the divine Nature; or according to those manifold sinnes whereby we have provoked his wrath: Behaving our selves with much security, and inadvertency, under all the various dispensations of his providence, as if we our selves were not at all concerned in them. Not regarding the works of the Lord, nor considering the operation of his hands, (Isa. 65.2) still going on after the imagination of our own hearts, as if we had made a Covenant with death, (Isa. 28.12) and with hell were at an agreement; very apt to promise to our selves peace and impunity, though we do still persevere in our wonted rebellions; very subject to slavish worldly fears, of men that shall die, and the sons of men that shall be made as grasse: (Isa. 51.12, 13) Forgetting the Lord our Maker, who stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth: Not grieving when he strikes us, refusing to receive correction, though he does consume us, making our faces harder then a rock, and refusing to return.

By not demeaning our selves humbly before him, according as our own vileness, (Jer. 5.3) (Pride) and the greatnesse of his mercy does require.

Behaving our selves in our general course, as if we were desirous to live without God here, and content to be annihilated hereafter, so we might but in this world enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.

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← Chapter 7. Confession of sins, by enumeration of them, and first of Original sin · Contents · Chapter 9. Sins against the second Commandment →

Footnotes

1. ↩
2. ↩

3. See Bishop Downhams Abstract. ↩

4. Bishop Andrews Catechis. Master Brinsley’s Watch. 1. Part. ↩

5. Job 21.14 Mat. 4 16 ↩

6. Want of Love, ↩

7. Want of zeale. ↩

8. Want of joy. Deut. 28.47. Is. 61.10. ↩

9. Unthankfulnesse. 2 Chron. 32.25. ↩

10. Ps. 109.5. Deut. 32.15 ↩

11. Impatience. ↩

12. Levit. 26.41. Ezra. 9.13 Mich. 7.9 ↩

13. Disobedience. ↩

14. Ps. 119.6. Vers. 128. ↩

15. Security and Presumption. ↩