teous in mercy unto all that call upon him." No mother is so tender towards her new-born child, as God is towards his peni- tent and believing people. He is far more " ready to forgive," than they are to ask forgiveness ; and will multiply his pardons beyond all the multitude of their offences'. " Where sin has abounded, his grace shall much more abound k." The freeness and fulness of God's grace should be clearly seen, and confidently relied upon : but then we must never forget, that this glorious perfection shines only in the face of Jesus Christ. It is in Christ only that God can pardon sinners in consistency with his jus- tice : but in Christ, " he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness1." In Christ there- fore, and in God as reconciled to us through the blood of his Son, must be all our hope. If we rest solely on Christ's obe- dience unto death, all will be well ; for " in him all the promises of God are yea, and amenm." But, if we look at God in any way but as in the person of Christ, we shall surely find him " a consuming fire11."]
The prayer itself not calling for any farther eluci- dation, we proceed to notice,
II. The spirit manifested in it —
Here the subject is peculiarly important, because it exhibits in so striking a view the dispositions of mind which we should invariably exercise in our approaches to the Divine Majesty. In this example of David, then observe,
1. His meekness and modesty — [He approaches God, as a sinner ought to do, with reve- rential awe. He exhibits none of that unhallowed boldness, and indecent familiarity, which are so commonly to be noticed in the prayers of many at this day. It is much to be lamented that many address God almost as if he were an equal. We speak not now of that irreverence with which people, altogether igno- rant of religion, conduct themselves in the public services of the church ; (though that is deeply to be deplored ;) but of the state of mind manifested by many religious people, ministers, as well as others, in their public and social addresses to the throne of Heaven. How different, alas ! is it from that which is incul- cated, both in the Scriptures0, and in the Liturgy of our Church ! In the Liturgy, the people are exhorted to " accompany their minister with a pure heart and humble voice to the throne of the heavenly grace :" and, in another place, " to make their humble confession to Almighty God, meekly kneeling on their knees."
1 Isai. lv. 7—9. * Rom. v. 20. • Rom. iii. 24, 25.
m 2 Cor. i. 20. " Heb. xii. 29. ° Ps. Ixxxix. 7. Eccl. v. 2.