have received mercy, let us devoutly glorify our God for it as a benefit vs^hich no w^ords can ever adequately express.]
2. A manifestation of that pardon to his soul —
[David had prayed earnestly to God, and had obtained an answer to his prayer. How this answer was conveyed to his mind, we are not informed : but he had no doubt in his own soul respecting it : he could say, " Verily God hath heard me ; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer s. " O ! who can estimate aright this mercy ? See how the prophet Jeremiah speaks of it : "I called upon thy name, O Lord, out of the low dungeon. Thou hast heard my voice : hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry. Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee ; thou saidst, Fear not ^." How ten- der ! how pathetic ! how encouraging this acknowledgment ! Such was DaAad's also, on another occasion : "I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles '." Truly this is a great and blessed work which " the Lord does for the souls " of men : and it was with good reason that David said, "Come and hear, all ye that fear God ; and I will declare what he hath done for my soul."]
But it will be proper to state more particularly,
IL Why he was so ready to speak of it —
It was not from ostentation or vanity that he thus called the attention of others to his own concerns, but,
1 . From a sense of gratitude to God —
[Such mercies call for the liveliest gratitude, and demand a tribute of praise from the whole world. Hence the soul that feels its obligations for them, would be glad to interest the whole creation in the blessed work of praise and thanksgiving. This David attempts in many of liis psalms : "I will bless the Lord at all times : his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord : the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me ; and
let us exalt his name together '^ ! " Had any reflection
been cast on him for these devout acknowledgments, he would have replied, as on another occasion, " Is there not a cavise '?" or rather, would have welcomed the disgrace, and said, "I will yet be more vile than thus ™."]
2. From a sense of love to his fellow-creatures —
g ver. 19. •> Lam. iii. 55 — 57- ' Ps. xxxiv, 4, 6.
^ Ps. xxxiv. 1 — 3. and xcvi. 1 — 4. ' 1 Sam. xvii. 29.
" 1 Sam. vi. 22.