From " the goodness of God, too," he derives his only plea —
[David well knew that God is most glorified in those exercises of mercy which most display his sovereignty and his grace. Hence he desired that God would have respect to his own honour, and shew mercy to him for his goodness' sake. Thus must we, also, take our arguments from the perfections of our God ; and have all our hope, and plea, and confidence in him alone.]
To this I will only add,
1. Let us follow the example of David —
[We all have need to come to God precisely in the manner that David did. We have no more worthiness in ourselves than he. If judged by any thing of our own, we can have no hope whatever. We must stand precisely on the same ground as he, and urge the very same pleas as he. Our first, and last, and only cry must be,
" Mercy, good Lord, mercy I ask ; This is the total sum : For mercy. Lord, is all my plea : O let thy mercy come ^ ! "
2. Let us take encouragement from the acceptance which he found —
[His sins, great as they were, were all forgiven. And when did God ever reject the prayer of faith ? To whom did he ever say, " Seek ye my face in vain?" Read the whole of the fifty-first psalm, and let it be a model for your supplications, day and night. Then shall your prayer come up with accept- ance before God, and your seed-time of tears issue in a harvest of eternal joy.]
" See the Lamentation of a Sinner, at the end of the Liturgy ; and compare Ps. li. 1 .