Christian Prayer and Fasting

3. Of the humble Confession of Sins.

In this action thou must deal plainly with God, and acknowledge all the sins thou knowest, not only in general, but also in particular (1 Samuel 7:6, Ezekiel 9:4, Daniel 9, Nehemiah 1). This has been the manner of all God’s children in their fasts—First, because that without confession, thou hast no promise of mercy or forgiveness of sins (Proverbs 28:13 & Psalm 32:5) secondly, that so thou mayest acknowledge God to be just, and thyself unrighteous (Psalm 51:4) thirdly, that by the numbering of thy sins, thy heart may be the more humbled and pulled down; fourthly, that it may appear that thou art truly penitent; for till God has given thee grace to repent, thou wilt be more ashamed to confess thy fault, than to commit thy sin. The plainer thou dealest in this respect with God, the more graciously will God deal with thee; for if thou dost “acknowledge thy sins, God is faithful and just to forgive thee thy sins; and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son shall cleanse thee from all thy sins.”

To help thee the better to perform these three parts of penitency, thou mayest diligently read such chapters and portions of the holy Scriptures, as chiefly concern thy particular sins; that thou mayest see God’s curse and judgments on others for the like sins, and be the more humbled thyself.

Thus far of the first part of repentance, which is penitency.

The other part, which is amendment of life, consists, First, In devout prayer; Secondly, In devout actions.

This devout prayer, which we make in time of fasting, is either deprecation of evil, or craving needful good things.

Deprecation of evil is, when thou beseechest God, for Christ the Mediator’s sake, to pardon thee thy sins which thou hast confessed, and to turn from thee those judgments which are due to thee for thy sins: And as Ben-hadad, because he heard that the king of Israel was merciful, prostrated himself to him with a rope about his neck (1 Kings 20:31) so, because thou knowest that the King of heaven is merciful, cast down thyself in his presence, in all true signs of humiliation (especially seeing he calleth upon thee to come to him in thy troubles), and doubtless thou shalt find him most merciful.

The craving of needful good things, is, First, a fervent and faithful begging of God, to seal, by his Spirit in thy heart, the assurance of the forgiveness of all thy sins. Secondly, to renew thy heart by the Holy Ghost, so that sin may daily decay, and righteousness more and more increase in thee (Philippians 1:6). Lastly, in desiring a supply of faith, patience, charity, and all other graces which thou wantest (1 Timothy 1:5) and an increase of those which God of his mercy has bestowed upon thee already. Thus far of Prayer and Fasting.

The devout actions in fasting are two—First, Avoiding evil. Secondly, Doing good.

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