4. I said—said it in earnest prayer—Lord, be merciful unto me. Prove now
thy gracious dealings with my soul in adversity, since thou didst give me grace
to act liberally in my prosperity. No appeal is made to justice; the petitioner
just hints at the promised reward, but goes straightforward to lay his plea at
the feet of mercy. How low was our Redeemer brought when such petitions could
come from his reverend mouth, when his lips dropped such sweet smelling but
bitter myrrh! Heal my soul. My time of languishing is come, now do as
thou hast said, and strengthen me, especially in my soul. We ought to be far
more earnest for the soul’s healing than for the body’s ease. For I havesinned against thee. Here was the root of sorrow. Sin and suffering are
inevitable. Observe that by the psalmist sin was felt to be mainly evil because
directed against God. This is of the essence of true repentance. The immaculate
Saviour could never have used such language as this unless there is here a
reference to the sin which he took upon himself by imputation; and for our part
we tremble to apply words so manifestly indicating personal rather than imputed
sin. Applying the petition to David and other sinful believers, how evangelical
is the argument: heal me, not for I am innocent, but I have sinned. How
contrary is this to all self-righteous pleading! How inconsistent with merit!
Even the fact that the confessing penitent had remembered the poor is but
obliquely urged, but a direct appeal is made to mercy on the ground of great
sin.
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