praise and thanksgiving3. And these are the offerings which all who are looking to him for mercy desire to offer. In fact, the more any persons are bowed down with a sense of sin, the more they are ready to say, ' How shall I praise God, if ever I should obtain mercy at his hands ! If ever God should admit me to a participation of his kingdom and glory, there will not be one in heaven that will shout the praises of redeeming love so loud as /.' This tribute therefore the pardoned sinner will delight to pay ]
2. A devoted life —
[To turn from sin, and especially from our besetting sins, is indispensably required of all who seek for mercy at God's hands b The besetting sins of Israel were, creature- confidence, and idolatry : they were always looking to Egypt or Assyria for help, rather than to God ; and giving to dumb idols the worship that was due to him alone. These evils therefore they were to renounce ; and an engagement to re- nounce them was required of all who desired the remission of their former sins. Thus, in approaching the Most High God, and supplicating mercy from him, we should determine, with God's help, never more to provoke the Lord to jealousy by a renewal of those sins of which we profess to have repented. Our besetting sins in particular must be searched out: and whatever they may have been, whether of a spiritual or carnal nature, we must engage, through grace, to mortify and subdue
them We must engage, in dependence upon God, to
" cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."]
As great earnestness is required in our prayers, we are taught,
III. What pleas to urge —
[God indeed is not, nor can be, wrought upon by any con- siderations that we can propose : but for the stirring up of our own souls it is proper and necessary that we should enforce our petitions with becoming pleas. But where shall we find any consideration fit to be presented to the Deity? Nowhere, but in his own perfections, or in his gracious promises. Here however we are at no loss : the compassions of our God are infinite ; and may well be pleaded by those who feel their need of mercy. " In him the fatherless findeth mercy : " in him, too, the guilty, as well as the destitute, find mercy. Search the records of his word ; and this truth will be seen written as with a sun-beam. Mark that stupendous effort of mercy, the gift of his only dear Son to the accursed death of the cross ! Mark
3 Ps. 1. 13, 14,23. b Heb. xii. 1.