HOMILETICS. Vere: 12, 13:-:-The saint'! prayer against sin. "Clea.nse thou me." Natural theology, revelation, spmtua.l exper1ence,-these are the three s11cccssive spheres of thought PII.DL 1-14,] THE BOOK OF PSALMS. 181 , through which this wondrously beautiful psalm leads us. God in nature; God in Scripture; God in the heart and conscience to which he manifests himself. And in this last ephere, reading the psalm with Christian eyes, we can see what the inspired psalmist" desired to see, but saw not "-God in Christ. First (as in Ps, viii.), David lifts up his eyes to the sky; and as he beholds the starry host in its silent unswervin;1: march, the moon walking in brightness, marking, as she waxes and wanes, the lapse of <lays and months; the sun coming forth in morning splendour, accomplishing his appointed journey, and leading the seasons in his train,-the royal singer sees in all this n perpetual revelation of the glory of God, his wisdom, power, goodness, and uuchaoging law. Whether men attend to it or not, the revelation is there. "What though no real voice or sound," eto. Then the psalmist's mind rises to contemplate a higher region, in which a nobler law than the laws of nature reveals God's glory-the region of thought, duty, spiritual life. Compared with this, all outward beauty and order are but a passing shadowy show. "The Law of the Lord," etc. (ver. 7). Lastly, conscience opens the windows of the psalmist's own inmost soul, aml lets the light 0f Lhis glorious and perfect Law shine in. "In keeping .. , reward" (ver. 11). Yes. But is that rew,\rd mine? Have I kept this glorious and perfect Law? If I have not wilfully broken and presumptuously despised it, yet has not my best obedience come immeasurably short? "'Nho can understand his errors?" And then the lofty and almost jubilant tone of the ps,\lm is subdued into lowliness, and it closes with prayer, "Cleanse," etc. In these closing verses there is progress an I climax. (1) Secret faul,ts, from which the psalmist prays to be cleansed; (2) presumptuous sins, from which he prays to be kept; and (3) great transgression, of which be trusts God will hold him guiltless. I. SECRET SI~B. Perhaps St. Paul had this passage in his mind (Rom. ii. 12, lG). There are two sorts of sin, widely different, which may ba called "secret sins." (1) Sins which the offen<ler practises secretly, and carefully keeps secret; (2) sins into which we fall unawares, and which are a secret even from ourselves. Of both kinds those solemn words are true (Ps. xc. 8). Not seldom, the searching light of the great day is anticipated, and a hidclen course of sin brought to light, to the confusion and ruin of the sinner, Of all the sad sights that meet the eye, and well-nigh break the heart of the Christian pastor, incomparably the saddest is when·one who has lived in honour and esteem among bis fellow-Christians, perhaps far on in middle life, or even in old age-active and prominent as a Christian worker; alas I in some cases even in the Christian ministry-is suddenly discovere<l to have been secretly lea.ding a. dishonest, impure, or intempemte life (lilce a tree, hollow at the heart, suddenly uprooted). Such cases not merely grieve; they astound. They give terrible point and emphasis to the question, '' Who can understaud errors?" (for, you observe, the word" his" is inserted). Who can unravel the deceitfulness of ~in, or comprehend its folly, or picture the inward anguish of a life of "secret sin," hidden under a surface of npparent godliness and Christian activity? Evidently, however, it is the othor kind of si11s of which the text speaks-sins which God sees in us, though we see them not in ourselves. This is clear, firstly, because of the tone of intense sincerity pervading this psalm; sccon<lly, because the word here rendered" cleanse" means "to absolve," or "set free from guilt." It is the same rendered" innocent" in ver.13 (Revised Version, "clear"). We must include, however, the idea of actm1l inward cleansing, by lhe Holy Spirit, of the thouahts, desires, and affections, from which such sins spriug; because, wherever God bestows pardon, he gives grace to" follow after holiness." That such sins are sins, an<l need God's forgiveness, is plain from the fact that we blame ourselves on discovering them. "I was wrong ; I did not see it: I meant to do right, but I see I was very wrong." We failed to see what n larger exercise of charity, or humility, or sympathy, or care aud attention, would have enabled us to see. We iudged too harshly, hastily, ignorantly. We were absorbed in some agreeable duty, ind neolected a more uraeut but uninteresting one. How often we bitterly blame aurselv~s for what at the ~omeut we never thought wrong; perhaps evc11 prided our- selves upon I If we ourselves often make this discovery, whl\t a. multitude of sins hidden from our forgetful memory and imperfectly enlightened conscience, must lie naked and open to him who sets "our secret sins in the light of his colllltenance" (Heb. iv. 13) I What µeed to vray, "Cleanse," etc. I 132 THE BOOK OF PSALMS. [PB, XIX. 1-14,
II. Here is, secondly, a chss of sins reg:mling which the psalmist prays, not to be pardoned for hu.ving committed, but to be" kept back "-withheld, restrained altogether from committing them: " PRESUMPTUOUS SINS." The best commentary here because 0