4. Against, or, to, thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight; that thou mightest, or, therefore thou wilt, be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

A third reason why the penitent sues for mercy at the hand of God is, because God alone certainly knows, and is always able to punish, the sins of men. David sinned against' many; as against Uriah, whom he slew; against Bathsheba, whom he corrupted; and against all the people, to whom he became the cause of much offence and scandal. But the sin was committed in secret; and if it had not been so, he, as king, had no superior, or judge, in this matter, but God only; who, being able to convict the offender as he did, by the prophet Nathan, would assuredly be justified in the sentence he should pronounce. And he will appear to be so in his determinations at the last day, when he will surprise the wretched unthinking sinner, with a declaration similar to that which he made by his prophet to the royal offender, 2 Sam. xii. 12: Thou didst it secretly; but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.'

5. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me.

The divine mercy is implored by the penitent, fourthly, because that alone can dry up the fountain of original corruption, from which the streams of actual transgression derive themselves; and which is here only lamented as their cause, not alleged as their excuse; seeing, that the greater our danger is of falling, the greater should be our care to stand. David was the offspring of the

marriage-bed, which is declared to be 'honourable and undefiled.' No more, therefore, can be intended here, than that a creature begotten by a sinner, and formed in the womb of a sinner, cannot be without that taint which is hereditary to every son and daughter of Adam and Eve.1

6. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts, Heb. the reins and in the hidden part thou shalt make, or, hast made me to know wisdom.

The force of Behold,' is-" It is too plain; I feel it but too sensibly; the punishment I suffer is evidence sufficient, that thou art not contented with a superficial appearance of goodness; thou lovest truth and sincerity in the bottom of the heart." This God was now teaching him, by the correction he made him suffer. The punishment inflicted tended to give him a right understanding of things, and to work it deep into him.-Mudge.

7. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

He therefore petitioneth, in this verse, for the purification which cometh from God only, through the one great propitiatory sacrifice, by the Holy Spirit; and which was foreshown, under the law, by the ceremony of sprinkling the unclean person with a bunch of hyssop,' dipped in the water of separation. This rite is described, Numb. xix. and explained, Heb. ix. 13, 14: If the blood of

And so much must surely be intended, as the learned Bossuet observeth :-Numquid David de adulterio natus erat? De Jesse viro justo natus erat, et conjuge ipsius. Quid ergo se dicit iniquitate conceptum, nisi quia susceptit personam humani generis, et attendit omnium vincula, propaginem mortis, originem iniquitatis advertit ?

bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who, through the eternal Spirit, offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God!' From the latter part of the verse we learn, that, by grace and mercy, the pardoned penitent is arrayed in garments no less pure and splendid than those of innocence itself.

8. Make me to hear joy and gladness, that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

Next to the blessing of forgiveness is to be desired that joy and comfort in the conscience which forgiveness only can inspire: the effect of this, in repairing the vigour of the spirit, decayed through sorrow and anguish, is compared to setting broken bones, and restoring them again to perfect strength. At the resurrection of the body, this petition will be granted in a literal sense, when the bones,' that are mouldered into dust, shall rejoice, and flourish as an herb.' Isai. lxvi. 14.

9. Hide thy face from my sins; and blot out all mine iniquities.

The soul, still restless and uneasy, reiterates her request, that God would not only cease to behold her iniquity for the present, as a man who turneth away his face from a writing, but that he would not behold it more, as a man who blotteth out what is written, so that it can never be read again.

10. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right, or, constant, spirit within me.

The purification and renovation of the heart and spirit of a man is a work to which that power only is equal which, in the beginning, created all things, and, in the end, will create all things new. 'A right spirit is renewed within us,' when the affections turn from the world to God, and charity takes the place of concupiscence.

11. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy Spirit from me.

The soul that is truly penitent, dreads nothing but the thought of being rejected from the presence,' and deserted by the Spirit' of God. This is the most deplorable and irremediable effect of sin: but it is one that in general perhaps is the least considered and regarded of all others.

12. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold with thy free, or, princely, or, liberal Spirit.

David prayeth to God to restore to him the unspeakable joy of that salvation, which as a prophet, he had so often contemplated, and celebrated in his divine compositions; he prayeth also to be preserved and continued in that state of salvation, by the Spirit of God, which might enable him to act as became a prophet and a king, free from base desires and enslaving lusts.

13. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

He that would employ his abilities, his influence, and his authority, in the reformation of others, must take care to reform himself, before he enters

upon the work. 'When thou art converted,' said Christ to St. Peter, strengthen thy brethren :' Luke, xxii. 32. The history of David has taught' us many useful lessons; such as the frailty of man, the danger of temptation, the torment of sin, the nature and efficacy of repentance, the mercy and the judgments of God, &c. &c. by which many 'sinners' have in all ages since been converted,' and many more will be converted, so long as the Scriptures shall be read, and the 51st Psalm recited in the church.

14. Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.

The unhappy criminal entreats, in this verse, for the divine help and deliverance, as if he not only heard the voice of innocent blood crying from the ground, but as if he saw the murdered Uriah coming upon him for vengeance, like an armed man. If he can but obtain the pardon of this sin, he promises to publish to all the world the righteousness of God, who justifieth sinners, and showeth mercy to the penitent; though he must at the same time, publish likewise his own heinous and horrid wickedness.

15. O Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.

The mouth which sin hath closed, can only be opened by pardon and to show this, he who came, conferring pardon, caused the tongue of the dumb to speak, and to sing praises to the Lord God of Israel. Our church, with great propriety, daily