5. O God, thou knowest my foolishness. David
might well say this, but not David’s Lord; unless it be understood as an appeal
to God as to his freedom from the folly which men imputed to him when they said
he was mad. That which was foolishness to men was superlative wisdom before
God. How often might we use these words in their natural sense, and if we were
not such fools as to be blind to our own folly, this confession would be
frequently on our lips. When we feel that we have been foolish we are not,
therefore, to cease from prayer, but rather to be more eager and fervent in it.
Fools have good need to consult with the infinitely wise. And my sins are not hid from thee. They cannot be hid with any fig leaves of mine; only the
covering which thou wilt bring me can conceal their nakedness and mine. It
ought to render confession easy when we are assured that all is known already.
That prayer which has no confession in it may please a Pharisee’s pride, but
will never bring down justification. They who have never seen their sins in the
light of God’s omniscience are quite unable to appeal to that omniscience in
proof of their piety. He who can say, Thou knowest my foolishness is the
only man who can add, “But thou
knowest that I love thee.”
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