John Trapp on Proverbs 28:13

Verſ. 13. He that covereth his ſins, ſhall not proſper] Sin is a Traytor, and muſt not be hid: for if ſo, now it ſucks a mans breaſt, ſhortly it will ſuck his bloud. Sin is a ſore, and muſt be opend; a ſickneſſe, and muſt be declared to the Phyſician; the concealing of one circumſtance may endanger all. Sin is a deformity that muſt be uncovered, or God will never cover it: ſee it wee muſt to confeſſion, or ſee it we ſhall to our confuſion. If Job had covered his tranſgreſſion as Adam (or after the manner of men) hee had undone himſelf, Job 31.33. It is the manner of men (and they have it from Adam) to palliate their ſins, and plead for them, to eleviate and extenuate them, to mince and excuſe them. Sin and Shifting came into the world together. Sin and Satan are alike in this, they cannot abide to appear in their own colour. Some deal with their ſouls, as others doe with their bodies: when their beauty is decayed, they deſire to hide it from themſelves by falſe glaſſes, and from others by painting: ſo their ſins,3 Joh. 2. from themſelves by falſe gloſſes, and from others by excuſes. Theſe muſt not look for Gaius's proſperity. The Sun-ſhine alſo of their outward proſperity ripens their ſin apace, and ſo fits them for deſtruction. Never was Ephraims caſe ſo deſperate,Hoſea 4. as when God ſaid. Ephraim is joyned with Idols, let him alone. Nor Jeruſalem ſo neer deſtruction as when God ſaid, My fury ſhall depart from thee, I will bee quiet, and no more angry, Ezek. 16.42. To proſper in ſin, is the greateſt unhappineſſe that can befall a man, out of Hell.

But whoſo confeſſeth and forſaketh them, &c.] Confeſſion of ſin muſt be joyned with confuſion of ſin, or all is loſt. Papiſts uſe confeſſion as Drunkards uſe Vomiting, that they may adde drunkenneſſe to thirſt. Profane people uſe it as Lewis the eleventh of France did his Crucifix; he would ſwear an oath and then kiſs it, and ſwear again and then kiſſe it again: So they ſin, and confeſſe they doe not well, nor will they ſtrive to doe better. As they ſorrow not to a tranſmentation with thoſe Corinthians, ſo they confeſſe not to an utter abandoning of their wicked courſes. They confeſſe, as thoſe Iſraelites did, Numb. 14.40. Wee have ſinned, we will goe up. They might as well have ſaid, Wee have ſinned, wee will ſin, for God had flatly forbidden them to goe up at that time. They confeſſe as Saul did, I have ſinned, viz. in humouring the people, yet honour mee, ſaid he, before the people. As the Philiſtians confeſſed Gods hand, yet ſent away the Ark ſo doe theſe. They that confeſſe and forſake not, are only dog-ſick: when they have diſgorged their ſtomacks, they will return to their vomit.

Shall have mercy] Confeſſe the debt, and God will croſſe the book: he will draw the red lines of Chriſts bloud over the black lines of our ſins, and cancel the hand-writing that was againſt us. No ſooner could David cry peccavi, I have ſinned, but Nathan ſaid, Tranſtulit peccatum tuum Dominus, God hath taken away thy ſin: yea, tranſtulit, He hath tranſlated it, he hath cauſed thy ſin to paſſe over from thee to Chriſt, Iſa. 53.6. Rom. 4.8. Confeſſion is the Souls vomit, and thoſe that uſe it, ſhall not only have eaſe of conſcience, but Gods beſt comforts and cordials to reſtore them again. Cum homo agnoſcit, Deus ignoſcit, ſaith Auguſtine. It is not here, Confeſſe and be hanged, but Confeſſe and be ſaved. In the Courts of men it is ſafeſt to ſay, Non feci, (quoth Quintilian) I did it not,Per Miſerere mei tollitur ira Dei. to plead Not guilty. Not ſo here, Ego feci, is the beſt plea, I did it, I have done very fooliſhly. Have mercy upon me, O Lord, &c. Judah (that is Confeſſion) got the Kingdome from Reuben: it is the way to the Kingdom. No man was ever kept out of Heaven for his confeſſed badneſſe; many are, for their ſuppoſed goodneſs.