is to take his holy Law as the standard whereby to try our habits and attainments. How far are any of us from loving God with all our heart, and all our mind, and all our soul, and all our strength ; and our neighbour as ourselves ! Only let us notice the frame of our souls through the day, yea even in the exercises of devotion, and we shall have no need for any one to tell us how far we are still alienated from God, and how little we have attained of habitual communion wdth him. And though we may, on the whole, be kind towards oiir neighbour, let us only be brought by any circumstances into actual col- lision with him, and we shall discover to others at least, if not discern in ourselves, how very far short of the divine standard our love to him is, and how unlike we are to Christ, who " laid down his life for his enemies." Let us go on to examine the state of our souls in reference to our blessed Lord and Saviour, who died for us. What admiring and adoring thoughts of him should we entertain from day to day, from hour to hour ! What floods of tears should run down our cheeks from a sense of love and gratitude to him for all the wonders of his love ; and what an influence should they produce on the whole of our life and conversation.
I need go no further to confirm the truth which I am incul- cating, namely, that " iniquities do indeed prevail against us" to a fearful extent ; and that all of us have need to " walk softly before God" in the remembrance of them '^.J
But, if we partake of David's sorrows, we may also be partakers of,
n. His consolation —
As the Apostle, after his lamentation, found com- fort in Christ, so David also found consolation in God through Christ. He derives comfort,
L From the free grace and mercy of God —
[It is evident that he regards God as a gracious and mer- ciful Being, who would *' not be extreme to mark what was done amiss ^," but would in judgment remember mercy. And this ground of hope is open to us all : for mercy is the darHng attribute of the Deity, if I may so speak, the attribute " in which he delights"*;" whilst judgment is that strange work to which he is utterly averse °. See the description which Jehovah gives of his own character : "I am the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity,
J' Isai. xxxviii. 15. ^ Ps. cxxx. 3.
m Mic. vii. 18. " Isai. xxviii. 21.