Confession

Calvin, in the Institutes, goes to great lengths to say that though we are to confess our sins to God, we cannot, and should not, confess every sin. It is wholly impossible and could be quite detrimental. Nevertheless, we must still confess that we are sinners, with all of our might (3.4.18):

We must rather take care as much as we are able to pour out our whole heart in the Lord's presence, not only to confess ourselves sinners in one word, but to acknowledge ourselves as such, truly and sincerely; to recognize with all our thought how great and how varied is the stain of our sin; to acknowledge not only that we are unclean, but of what sort and how great and how manifold our uncleanness is; to recognize not only that we are debtors, but with what great debts we are burdened and with how many obligations we are bound; not only wounded, but with how many and how deadly stripes we are wounded. Yet when, with this acknowledgment, the sinner has poured out himself entirely before God, let him earnestly and sincerely consider that still more sins remain and that the recesses of their evils are deep beyond fathoming. Consequently, let him exclaim with David: "Who can understand errors? Cleanse thou me from my secret errors, O Lord" [Ps. 19:12].