#I thy ſervant, though a King and a Prophet, and of ſome Re. pure for Wiſdom and Knowledge, yer I am daily taught by them, On, enl:ghined, as Dan. 12. 3« or clearly admoniſbed, as this word lign:fies, Exod. 18. 20, 2 Kings 6. 104. Eccleſ. 4. 13, Exek. 3:17,&c, and 33. 3,9- It is a faithful and excelleat Monitor to fhew me my Duty in all Conditions,& to preſerve me from falling into fin and danger and miſchief, b To thoſe that make it their great Deſign, and care to conform their whole Lives to them, For he ſpeaks not of a Legal and perfe& keepingof them which no man attaineth to in this Life Eccleſ. 7. 20. Gal. 3, 10, 11, 12. 1John 1, 8. bur of do- Ing it in an Evangelical Senſe, with the allowances which God through Chriſt makes for Humane infirmities, c In this Life, and eſpecially in the next.
me f from ſecret faults g-
4 This may be here addes Either, 1, As a further Proof of the Excellency and necefliry of Gods Law, becaule mens Errors are fo many and hard to be diſcovered and prevented, that they indiſpen« ſibly need ſuch a Friend and Counſellor as the Law tis,to give them the true knowledge of themſelves and of their ſins. Or 2.As a juſt and ſorrowful Cenſure of himſelf, upon the Conſideration of the exatt Purity of Gods Law, and the Comparing of his Life with ir, Thy Law, O Lord, is Holy and Juſt and Good, BurT ama poor fintul Wretch falling infinitely ſhort of it, and condemned by it; Or 3 As a ſignification of the intufficiency of Gods Law, ſtrifly ſ@ called for the healing and ſaving of mens Souls, and of the neceſ- tity of further ſupplies of the Goſpel, and grace of God ; whereby the eyes of cheir Minds may te enlightned to fee that light which ſhines in Gods Law, and their Hearts may be renewed to yield uni- verſa] Obedience to ir, for which therefore he prays in the follows ing words, And withal he implies, that he did not expeTt thatre-
| ward which helaſt mentioned as a juſt Recompence to his Obedi- ence,which he confeſſeth toneed aPardon more than todeſerve a Re - ward, but only as an <ff:&of Gods grace and- goodneſs. e Either + 1. His fins of Ighorance, of which this word is uſed, Lev. 4. 2, 224
27+ Ecclel, 5. 6- Orrather 2, His ſins in general (which afterwards
Heb: 9: 7. Jam: 5: 20: The Senſe is, I cannot comprehend the
my ſins. f Both ty Juſtification or the Pardon of my fins,through the Blood of thy Son which is to be ſhed for me; and by SauCtification. through thy holy Spirir, co-working in and with thy Word, to the further Rer.ovation of my Heart and Life; for theſe are the rwo ways of :/eanſmg Sinners, moſt frequently mentioned both in the Old and Ncw Teſtament. Though the firſt may ſeem tobe principally, ifnot only Intended, becauſe he ſpeaks of his paſt fins, which could be cleanſed no other way bur by Remiflion. g 7.e, From the guilt of ſuch ſinsas were ſecret Either 1. Frcm others ; ſuch as none knows but God and my own Conſcience : Or 2, From my ſelf; ſuch as never cbſcrved, or did not diſcern the evil of« Pardon my unknown ſins, of which I never tepented particularly ,as FE ſhould have done. |
ſins b, * Jet them not have dominion over me 5: then
and partly by the diſcoveries of Gods Love and Grace to ſinful Men in Offers and Promiſes of Mercy therein contained. » i. e. All his Commands. o Without the leaſt mixture of Error or Injuſtice or | Deceit : Which cannot be ſaid of bumane Laws. p To wit, of the Mind, with an evident and compleat manifeſlaticn of Gods Will and Mans Duty:both which the works of Nature, and all the Writ- ings of Men diſcover but darkly and imperfectly.
9 The fear of the LORD 9 #s clean r, enduring for ever s : the judgments of the LORD # are + true and
righteous altogether «.
5 By which he underſtands:not the Grace of Gods fear, as this Phraſe is commonly taken ; nor the whole Worſhip of Gog; as it is taken, Fſa. 34. 9. 11» Mat. 15. 9. but the Law and Word of God, which is the only thing that is here commended, & which is meanc by all-the other paraH:1 Titles of his Teftimony and S:#tutes, andComme mandments and Judgments;and conſequently by this of his Fear, which is as it were hemmed in within them, And this: may well be ſo called by an uſual Mztonymy, becauſc'ic is both the Object and the Rule and the Cauſe of this Graceof holy Fear;as God himſelfis called Fear for the like reaſom, Gen: 31: 53. and inthe Hebrew, Pſs, 76. 11. 71. e. Sincere; not adulterated with any mixture of Vani- ty.or Falſhood, or Vice"; not requiring norallowing any untlean- neſs or wickedneſs; as the Religion of the Gentiles did: 5 Conſtant and unchangeable, the ſame- for ſubſizrice in all the'Ages of the Church andthe World; Whichis mn1ſt crue , both of the Moral Law, and of the Doctfine of Gods Grace and Mercy ro finfa) and miſerable Man ;- which two are the principal parts of that Law,of which he here ſpeaks, as is evident from th- whole Contexr. For a5 the difference berween rhe Old and the New Teftament, that lyes only in Circumſtancial and Ceremonialzor Ritual things, which
great tranſgrefiion m.
h Or, reftrain, or withdraw, ſignifies Mans Natural and great proneneſs even to the worſt of ſins, and the Neceſlity of Gods grace, ns a Bridle t= keep men from ruſhing upon them. Having begged Pardon for his former Errors he now begs grace to keep him fromRelapſes for the time to come. bh From known and evident Sins, ſuch 3s are committed againſt Knowledge and Deliberation; with Deſign and Reſolution, and Ea+« _ with Reſiſtance againſt the Checks of Conſcience, and the