2. Have respect to God under his proper character —
[View God not merely as your Creator, your Governor, and your Judge, but as your Covenant God and Saviour. See how David addresses him : " O God, thou God of my sal- vation ! " Thus it will be well for every sinner of mankind to do. See your own interest in him : see what provision he has made for you ; what invitations he has given to you ; what promises he has held forth to you. This will encourage peni- tence : this will strilce the rock for penitential sorrows to flow out. In a word, view God as he is in Christ Jesus, a God reconciling the world unto himself; and you will never indulge despair, nor ever doubt but He will shew mercy to all who call upon him in spirit and in truth.]
3. Determine, through grace, to improve for God the blessings you receive —
[It was a suitable determination of David, that, if his requests should be granted, " his tongue should sing aloud of God's righteousness." A similar resolution becomes us. Are we interested in a salvation which displays " the righteousness of God," and makes every perfection of his to concur in the promotion of our welfare ? Let us not be silent : let us not be ashamed to confess him before men: though the whole world should endeavour to silence us, let us not regard them for one instant : but let us say with David, " I will praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God : unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel: My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee ; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed. My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long^."]
b Ps. Ixxi. 22—24.