Confess yourself to heaven,
Repent what's past, avoid what is to come,
And do not spread the read more

Confess yourself to heaven,
Repent what's past, avoid what is to come,
And do not spread the compost on the weeds
To make them ranker.

Nothing spoils a confession like repentance.

Nothing spoils a confession like repentance.

Confessed faults are half-mended.

Confessed faults are half-mended.

There is no refuge from confession but suicide; and suicide is confession

There is no refuge from confession but suicide; and suicide is confession

Nor do we find him forward to be sounded,
But with a crafty madness keeps aloof
When read more

Nor do we find him forward to be sounded,
But with a crafty madness keeps aloof
When we would bring him on to some confession
Of his true state.

Open confession is good for the soul.

Open confession is good for the soul.

Faith is confirmed by the heart, confessed by the tongue, and acted upon by the body

Faith is confirmed by the heart, confessed by the tongue, and acted upon by the body

It is the confession, not the priest, that gives us absolution

It is the confession, not the priest, that gives us absolution

Confession is good for the soul only in the sense that a tweed coat is good for dandruff--it is a read more

Confession is good for the soul only in the sense that a tweed coat is good for dandruff--it is a palliative rather than a remedy.