Confession and Self-Examination: The Puritan Practice of Self-Examination

The English Puritans (16th-17th centuries) made self-examination a daily habit. Richard Baxter (d. 1691) wrote in "The Reformed Pastor": "Take heed to yourselves, lest you be void of that saving grace of God which you offer to others. Take heed to yourselves, lest you perish while you call upon others to take heed of perishing." The Puritans applied this not only to pastors but to every believer.

Baxter recommended evening examination with specific questions: "What sins have I committed this day in thought, word, or deed? What duties have I neglected? What temptations have I yielded to? What grace have I exercised? What provision have I made against future temptation?" This systematic approach left nothing to chance or sentiment.

John Owen (d. 1683), another Puritan divine, wrote extensively about the necessity of "mortification" -- the daily putting to death of sin. He taught that unexamined sin grows silently: "Be killing sin or it will be killing you."

Practical application: Use Baxter's five questions as a nightly examination. Write brief answers in a journal. After a month, review your entries for recurring themes. The Puritan approach is systematic and honest, treating self-examination as skilled labor rather than casual introspection.