made to fall the iniquities of us all." In this sense, "innumerable
iniquities compassed him," the iniquities made to fall on him—made "his"
as to their liabilities—by divine appointment laid hold of him. In the
sense of culpa —blame-worthiness—he had no sin. In the sense of
reatus —liability to the penal effects of sin—never had any one so
much sin to bear as he—"He bore the sins of many."— John Brown.
Verse 23. "I was upright before him." Hence observe:—first, that a
godly man may have his heart upright and perfect even in the imperfection of
his ways. Secondly, a man that is sincere is in God's account a perfect
man: sincerity is the truth of all grace, the highest pitch that is to be
attained here. Thirdly, sincerity of heart gives a man boldness even in the
presence of God, notwithstanding many failings. The Lord doth "charge his
angels with folly," how much more man that "dwells in a house of clay"? Job
4. David, whose faith failed, and who had said, "I shall one day perish by
the hand of Saul," and whose tongue had faltered also to Abimelech, the
priest; three or four several lies he had told; yet David can say to God,
that he was perfect with him for all that. It is a strange boldness that
the saints have in the presence of God by virtue of the new covenant. All
their sins shall be laid open at the last day as a cancelled bond, that they
wonder how they shall look upon them and not blush; but the same spirit of
sonship that shall give them perfect boldness then, doth give them boldness
in a great measure even now in this life; that they shall be able to say,
"Neither height not depth," etc., nothing "shall separate us from the love
of Christ."— William Strong.
Verse 23. "I was upright." etc. An upright Christian will not allow
himself in any known sin; he dares not touch the forbidden fruit. Genesis
39:9. "How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?"
Though it be a complexion-sin, he disinherits it. There is no man but doth
propend and incline more to one sin than another; as in the body there is
one humour predominant, or as in the hive there is one master-bee; so in the
heart there is one master-sin; there is one sin which is not only near to a
man as the garment, but dear to him as the right eye. This sin is Satan's
fort-royal, all his strength lies here; and though we beat down his
out-works, gross sin, yet if we let him hold this fort of complexion-sin, it
is as much as he desires. The devil can hold a man as fast by this one
link, as by a whole chain of vices. The fowler hath the bird fast enough by
one wing. Now, an upright Christian will not indulge himself in this
complexion-sin: "I was upright before him, and kept myself from mine
iniquity." An upright Christian takes the sacrificing knife of
mortification, and runs it through his dearest sin. Herod did many things,
but there was one sin so dear to him, that he would sooner behead the
prophet, than behead that sin. Herod would have a gap for his incest. An
upright heart is not only angry with sin (which may admit of
reconciliation), but hates sin; and if he sees this serpent creeping into
his bosom, the nearer it is the more he hates it.— Thomas Watson.
Verse 23. "I kept myself." Keep himself! Who made man his own keeper!
It's the Lord that is his keeper: he is the keeper of Israel, and the
preserver of man. If a man cannot keep himself from sorrow, how is he able
to keep himself from sin? God indeed in our first conversion works upon us
as he did upon the earth, or Adam's body in paradise, before he breathed a
soul into it, and made it a living creature; such a power as Christ put
forth on Lazarus in his grave, for we are "dead in trespasses and sins;" but
yet being living he must walk and act of himself, the Lord will have us to
co-operate together with him, for we are built upon Christ, not as dead, but
as "living stones." 1 Peter 2:5. The grace whereby we are made alive is
his, and the power is his; and yet by his grace we do it also; ille facit
ut nos faciamus, quae praecepit (Augustine).— William Strong.
Verse 23. "I kept myself from mine iniquity." It is possible to keep
ourselves from such sins as David did; who professes here of himself great
sincerity, that he had kept himself from that iniquity to which he was
strongly tempted, and which he was prone to fall into. The method which
holy David made use of gives us the first and the best direction; and that
is, by constant and fervent prayer to implore the divine aid and the
continual assistance of his Holy Spirit, that God would not only keep us
from falling into them, but even turn our hearts from inclining to them, and
help us to see our folly and our danger. For alas! we are not able of
ourselves to help ourselves, not so much as to think a good thought, much
less to resist an evil inclination, or a strong temptation; but "our
sufficiency is of God:" "It is God (says the psalmist here), that girdeth
me with strength, and maketh my way perfect:" verse 32. . . . Next, that
we take care to avoid such things and decline such occasions as are most
likely to snare us and gain upon us, lest one thing hook in another, and we
be caught in the gin before we suspect the danger.— Henry Dove, 1690.
Verse 23. "Mine iniquity." A man's darling sin may change with the
change of a man's condition, and some occasion that may present itself.
What was Saul's and Jehu's sin before they came into the crown we know not;
but surely it was wherein their lust did afterwards run out—the
establishing a kingdom upon their posterity. Wantonness may be the darling
of a man's youth, and worldliness the darling of his age; and a man's being
raised unto honour, and having the opportunities that he had not in times
past, the lust may run in another channel, he having now such an opportunity
as before he never expected.— William Strong.
Verse 23. "Mine iniquity." There is some particular sin to which one
is more prone than to another, of which he may say by way of emphasis, 'tis
"mine iniquity," at which he may point with his finger, and say, "That's
it." . . . . There are more temptations to some sins than others, from the
different professions or courses of life men take upon themselves. If they
follow the court I need not tell you what temptations and snares there are
to divers sins, and what danger there is of falling into them, unless your
vows for virtue, and a tender regard to the honour which cometh of God only,
keep you upright. If they be listed in the camp, that tempts them to rapine
and violence, neglect of God's worship, and profaneness. If they exercise
trading and merchandise, they meet with greater enticements to lying and
cozening, over-reaching, and unjust dealing; and the mystery of some trades,
as bad men manage them, is a downright "mystery of iniquity." If husbandry,
to anxiety about the things of the world, a distrust of God's providence, or
murmuring against it. Nay, I could wish in the most sacred profession of
all there might be an exception made in this particular; but Paul tells us
that even in his days "some preached Christ even of envy and strife," some
for filthy lucre only, as well as "some of good will." Philippians 1:15.— Henry Dove.
Verse 23. "Mine iniquity." The actual reign of sin is commonly of some
particular master-lust, which is as the viceroy over all the rest of the
sins in the soul, and commands them all as lord paramount, and makes them
all subservient and subordinate unto it; and this is according to custom,
calling, constitution, abilities, relations, and according to the different
administrations of the Spirit of God; for though God be not the author of
sin, yet he is the orderer of sin. So that it is that way of sin and death
that a man chooseth to himself, he having looked abroad upon all the
contentments of the world, his own corrupt inclination doth choose unto
himself to follow with greatest sweetness and contentment and delight, as
that wherein the happiness of his life consists; that as in the body there
is in every one some predominant humour, so there is in the body of sin
also; that as the natural man, though there be all the faculties, yet some
faculties are in some more lively and vigorous than in others, some are more
witty, some are more strong, some quick of sight, some have a ready ear, and
others a nimble tongue, etc. So it is in the old man also; there is all the
power of sin in an unregenerate man, but in some more dexterous one way than
another; as men in the choice of calling, some have a greater inclination to
one thing than to another, so it is in the choice of contentments also: as
in the appetite for food, so it is in lust, being nothing else but the
appetite of the creature corrupted to some sinful object.— William Strong.
Verse 23. Growth in mortification . . . . Men may deceive
themselves when they estimate their progress herein by having overcome such
lusts as their natures are not so prone unto. The surest way is to take a
judgment of it from the decay of a man's bosom-sin, even as David did
estimate his uprightness by his "keeping himself from his iniquity;" so a
man of his growth in uprightness. When physicians would judge of a
consumption of the whole, they do it not by the falling away of any part
whatever, as of the flesh in the face alone, or any the like; such a
particular abatement of flesh in some one part may come from some other
cause; but they use to judge by the falling away of the brawn of the hands,
or arms and thighs, etc., for these are the more solid parts. The like
judgments do physicians make upon other diseases, and of the abatement of
them from the decrease in such symptoms as are pathognomical, and proper,
and peculiar to them. In like manner also the estimate of the progress of
the victories of a conqueror in an enemy's kingdom is not taken from the
taking or burning of a few villages or dorps, but by taking the forts and
strongest holds, and by what ground he hath won upon the chief strength, and
by what forces he hath cut off of the main army. Do the like in the
decrease of, and victory over, your lusts.— Thomas Goodwin.
Verse 23. We must remember always that though the grace of God prevents
us, that we may have a good will, and works in us when we have it, that so
we may find success; yet in vain do we expect the continuance of his help
without diligent endeavours. Whilst he assists our weakness, he does not
intend to encourage our laziness, and therefore we are also "to labour, and
strive according to his working, which worketh in us mightily," as the
apostle expresses it, Colossians 1:29.— Henry Dove.
Verses 24-26. As you may see a proportion between sins and punishments
which are the rewards of them, that you can say, Such a sin brought forth
this affliction, it is so like the father; so you might see the like
proportion between your prayers and your walking with God, and God's answers
to you, and his dealings with you. So did David; "According to the
cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me," etc. His speech notes some
similitude or likeness; as, for example, the more by-ends or carnal desires
you had in praying, and the more you mingled of these with your holy
desires, and the more want of zeal, fervency, etc., were found in your
prayers, the more you shall, it may be, find of bitterness mingled with the
mercy, when it is granted, and so much imperfection, and want of comfort in
it. So says David in this same Psalm (verses 25, 26), "With the pure thou
wilt show thyself pure." Pure prayers have pure "blessings; et à contra,
"With the froward thou wilt show thyself froward." And again, as you in
praying sometimes slackened and grew cold, so you might see the business in
like manner to cool, and cast backward; as, When Moses's hands were down,
Amalek prevailed; but when they were lifted up, Israel had the better.
Exodus 17:12. God let him see a proportion, which argued his prayer was the
means of prevailing. A man finds in praying that his suit sometimes sticks,
and goes not on as he expected; this is because he gives not so good a fee
as he was wont, and doth not ply God and solicit him; but on the contrary,
when he was stirred up to pray, then still he found things to go well. By
this a man may clearly see that it was the prayer which God did hear and
regarded. Thus, likewise, when a man sees hills and dales in a business,
fair hopes often, and then all dashed again, and the thing in the end
brought to pass, let him look back upon his prayers. Didst not thou in like
manner just thus deal with God? when thou hadst prayed earnestly, and
thought thou hadst even carried it, then dash all again by interposing some
sin, and thus again and again? Herein God would have you observe a
proportion, and it may help you to discern how and when they are answered
and obtained by prayer, because God deals thus with you therein in such
proportion to your prayers.— Thomas Goodwin.
Verses 24-27. Even as the sun, which, unto eyes being sound and without