Confession And Justification

Quid vereris apud bonum dominum tuas iniquitates fateri? Dic, inquit, iniquitates tuas, ut iustificeris. Adhuc reo culpae iustificationis praemia proponuntur; ille enim iustificatur, qui proprium crimen sponte agnoverit: denique iustus in exordio sermonis accusator est sui. Novit omnia Dominus, sed exspectat vocem tuam; non ut puniat, sed ut ignoscat: non vult ut insultet tibi diabolus, et celantem peccata tua arguat: si ipse accusaveris, accusatorem nullum timebis: si te detuleris ipse, etsi mortuus fueris, revivisces. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, De Paenitentia, Liber II, Caput VII Source: Migne PL 16.510b

Why do you fear to confess your sins to the good Lord? Speak, He says, your iniquities that you may be justified. To the one guilty of error the rewards of justification are set out; he is justified who of his own accord acknowledges his own sin; and finally, in the beginning of his speech the just man is his own accuser. The Lord knows all things, but He waits for your voice, not that He may punish, but that He may forgive. He does not wish that the devil trample on you and denounce your hidden sins; if you accuse yourself, you will fear no accuser; if you report yourself, even though you were dead, you shall live. Saint Ambrose, On Repentance, Book 2, Chap 7