er for the good oj the whole Church, 18, 19' [2 ok mercy upon me c, O God, according to thy loving kindneſs 7 2 according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies e, blot out f my tranſgreflions. C Pity and Help and Anſwer me, in the Defires I am now ſpread* ing before thee, d I pretendto no merit, but humbly implore thy free Grace and Mercy. e Thy mercies are infinite, and there. tore ſufficient for my Relief, and ſuch indeed do I need. F Either 1, Out of my Conſcicnce and Soul, where'it hath left a ſtain and flthy Charafter. Or, Out of thy Book of Remembrance and Accounts, in which all mens fins are written, and out of which all men ſhall be judged hereafter, Revelations 20, 12. Which is ſpoken of God after the manner of men, Sceof this Phraſ: Iſatah 43, 25, and 44* 22» 2 Waſh me throughly g from mine iniquity, and cleanſe me from my fin.
2 Heb. Multiply te waſh me. By which Phraſe he implies the greate netfe of his guilt 3 and the inſufficiency of all legal Waſhings. and the abſolute neceſſity of ſome other and better thing to waſh him, even of Gods Grace and the Bloud of Chriſt ; which as Abraham ſaw by Faith, fohn 8. 56. fo did David, as is ſufficiently evident ( allowing for the darkneſs of the Diſpenſation and Expreſſions of the Old Teſta- ment) from divers paſſages of the Pſalms; of which I have ſpoken in their proper places; and his eartieft and paſſionate delireofPardonz which he defires above all other things. Whereia he ſheweth bim- ſelf co be a true Penitent, becauſe his chief Care ard defire was to ob tain God's Favour, and the forgiveneſsof his fins, and not the Preven- tion of theſe external ſore Judgments, which God oy Nathan threatned to bring upon him and his Houſe, 2 Samel 9. 10, r5. about which here is not one Word in this Pſalm; whereas the Cares and Deiiresof Hypocrites, chieflic are bent towards Wordly things as we ſee in Cain, Geneſis 4+» 13, iG, 17. and Saul, x Same I5. 30. and. others, Hoſ. 7. 14»
3 For Iacknowledge 5 my traſgreſſions ;: and my ſin 3s ever before me &. |
h With Grief and Shame, and abhorrency of my ſelf and of my ſins; which hitherto [ have diflembled and covered. And being thus truly penitent, I hope and beg that I may find Mercy with th-e, i For it was not a ſingle, but a Complicated Wickednefle, Adultery, Murder, Injuftice, Perfidiouſneſs 3 and frequ- at Reye- titionof,ard ong8& ſtupid Contiouance in abominable filthin ets and that with publick Scandal, kþ That wiich I had caft beiiiad my Back; is now Couſtaacly inmy yiew, and fixed in my Thoughts and Memo- rs
4 Againſt thee, thee onely / have I finned, and done thisevil in thy ſight : * that thou mighteſt be juſtif-
ed » when thou ſpeakeſt o ; and be clear when thou judgeſt p. |
{ Which 4s not tobe underſtood ſimpy and abſolutely, becauſe he had unqueſtionably finned againſt Bathſheba and Uriah, and many Os thers who were either injured by it, or ſcandalized at it, bur Compa- ratively, So the Sence 's this, though I hav- finned againſt my own Body and Conſcicpce, and againſt others; yet nothing is more grice yous and Terrible to me. than to conſider that I have ſinnes a -ainſt thee; partly. upon a general Account, becauſe this is the chief Ma> lignity, and finfulneſs of fin, that it offends and injures the Glorious and Bleſſed God; and partly, upon particular Reaſons 3 Becauſe I ſet thee at Defiance, and having uſed all wicked Arts to coatezl my {ns from Men, and being free frain Fear of puniſhment from them. I went one boldly in fin, caſting off all Reverence to thy Holy and Om- niſcient Majeſtic, and atl dread of thy Judgments, and becauſe 1 fin- ned againſt thee, to whom 1 had ſuch numerobs and peculiar and emis nent Obligations, as thy Prophet Nathan truly ſurgeſted ro we. 2 Sam. 12- 5. 8, m With groſs Contempt of God, whom I we'l knew to be a SpeCtator of my moſt ſecret ations. n The Particle, | that, 1s not taken Cauſally, or Intentional'y, as if this was Davids De-+ ſizn,but Cyentually,as it is Exofs i 1. g.Pſal.z0.12,H9'8 4, This will be the Fruit or Conſequent of my fin, that whatſoever (everitices thou ſhalt uſe towards meand mine, it wil: be no b/emith to thy Benignis ty, or Righteouſnefs, or Fidelity, but the blame bf a'l will reft upon my Head, as I defire it. may, and thy juſtice will be Glorified by all Men. 9 Heb. Inthy Words, (1, e.) In all thy Threatnings denoun- ced againſt me by Nathan; and in any further Sentence which theu ſhalt ſee fit co paſs upon me. p When thou doſt plead or contend with me, or execute thy Sentence or Judgment upon me. Or, when thou art judged, as it is rendred, Romans 2, 4, for the Word may be taken Paſſivelie, as well as Afftivclie, Waen any man ihal preſume to 9 we thee, as not keeping thy Covenant and Mcrcic promiſed to Davids
5 Behold, I was ſhapen in 1nquity q; and in ſin did my mother F conceive me r.
g This Verſc is both by Fewih and Chriftian, by Antient and La-> | ter Interpreters. generally and moſt truly underſtood
454 6 Echold;
*Rom:3 45
+ Heb. Warm Mes
I, LI. >. the
6 Behold, thou defireſt s truth? in + the inward parts:
wiſdom y.
s Or. delighteſt in: Or, requireſt . Heb. willeſt, # Either, r. Sin- cerity ip Confeſfing my fins 3 which therefore | have now acknow: ledged though hitherto I have praQtiſed much Falthood and Diffi-