his distress to have arisen chiefly on account of sin, under a sense of which,
1. He " waited patiently upon the Lord" —
[He betook himself to prayer. And where should a weary and heavy-laden sinner go, but unto his God ; or how should he approach his God, but in a way of humble, fervent, and continual supplication ? In what manner he prayed, he tells us in another psalm : " Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord: Lord, hear my voice; let thine ear be attentive to the voice of my supplication ! If thou. Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand ? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. I wait for the Lord ; my soul doth wait; and in his word do I hope^." He was not like those who " pour out a prayer only when God's chastening is upon them :" he would call upon his God day and night ; and never cease to wrestle with him, till he had prevailed*'.]
2. He " waited patiently /or the Lord" —
[He well knew how often he had turned a deaf ear to the voice of God; and therefore, how justly God might turn a deaf ear to him. Yet he hoped in the multitude of God's tender mercies. He came not pleading any merits of his own, nor trusting in any outward services whatever : he knew that God required not the sacrifice of bulls and of goats to expiate sin, but faith in that better sacrifice which should in due time be offered for the sins of the whole world ; and he came pleading the merit of that sacrifice, and trusting that through it he should ultimately find acceptance s. However long therefore God should withhold an answer of peace, he would wait, and patiently too, without murmuring ; satisfied, if, after ever so many years of continued supplication, God should at last say to him, " Fear not ; thy sins, which are many, are forgiven thee."]
The wisdom of this conduct may be seen in, n. The benefit he derived from it —
God " inchned his ear to him, and heard his cry ;" and, in answer to his supplications, vouchsafed to him,
\. Liberty — [The image under which David depicts his unpardoned state is very beautiful and just. He was as one in " an horrible pit, and sunk in miry clay." Say, ye who know what it is to be shut up, as it were, under a sense of guilt, and an appre- hension of God's wrath, whether any words can adequately describe the darkness, the misery, and the bondage of a soul
« Ps. oxxx. 1 — 5. See also Ps. xxxviii. 1 — 6.
' Gen. xxxii. 26. Hos. xii. 3, 4. ^ ver. 6—11.