O LORD our GOD , how Excellent is thy Name , in all Verse 1. the World ! Thy glorious Majesty is Excellent ; but that brings nothing to me ; Thy Justice is Excellent , but That brings me to Nothing : It is thy Mercy , that must doe mee good : and therefore , thy other Excellencies I Adore ; but This I Invocate . To Invocate thy Justice , I dare not ; Thy Glory , I cannot : but thy Mercy , I both Dare , and Can : For , why should I not Dare ; when Feare gives me Boldnesse ? How should I not be able , when weaknesse gives mee strength ? Why should I not Dare , when Thou Invitest me to it ? How should I not be able , when Thou Drawest mee to it ? Dost Thou Invite mee , and shall I not Come ? Dost Thou Draw mee , and shall I draw backe ? Can there be a Patron so powerfull as Thou ? Can there be a Supplyant , so dejected as my selfe ? Of whom then , is it fitter , to aske for Mercy ; than of Thee , O God , who art the God of Mercy ? and for whom , Is it fitter , to aske for Mercy , than for mee , who am a creature of Misery ? If I were not so miserable ; Thou couldst not be to mee so Mercifull : and have I not reason then to aske that of Thee which thou couldst not have so much occasion , to manifest to mee , as by mee ? If it were not for sinne ; there should be no Misery ; and if no Misery ; no exercise for thy Mercy : and wilt thou let it stand Idle , where it hath so foule sinnes ; for so faire Fields , to walke in ? Hast thou Mercy , and wilt thou not shew it ? Or wilt thou shew it to others , and not to me ? To say , I have not deserved it , were to make it no Mercy ; for , if I deserved it ; it were Justice , and not Mercy . Is not thy Mercy over all thy Works ; and am not I the worke of thy Hands ? The more Mercy thou shewest , the more is thine Honour ; and wilt thou not doe that which is most for thine Honour ? Thou didst shew Mercy to Adam ; who was the first sinner : and thou didst shew Mercy to the Thiese on the Crosse ; who was the longest sinner : and wilt thou not shew Mercy to mee , who am not the first ; and hope , not to be the longest ? Hast thou shewed Mercy to so many , that thou hast not Mercy left for me also ? If thy Mercy were finite , and could be exhausted ; It were no charity to aske it , lest others might want it ; but seeing it is Infinite , and can never be spent ; why should I be sparing to aske it , or Thou to bestow it ? Thy Mercy is Infinite , or none at all ; for all thou art is Infinite ; and wilt thou by shewing thy Mercy , lesse ; shew thy selfe to be Mercilesse ? If thy Mercy be Infinite , it must extend to all ; and how extends it to all , if not to me ? Thou hast as much Mercy for me , as if thou hadst none to have Mercy on but me : and can it be , thou shouldst have so much for mee , and let mee have none of it ? Can my daily Infirmities alien thy Love ? This were to thinke , thou didst not love me , but for my goodnesse : and alas ! what goodnesse is there ? What goodnesse ever was there in mee , that thou shouldst love mee ? Can thy Love aliened , turne away thy Mercy ? This were to thinke , thy Mercy did reach no further than thy Love ; and so , because I know , thou lovest not sinne , I might justly feare , thou wouldst never have Mercy upon sinners . But , O gracious God , Thou lovest for thy loves sake ; and Thou hast Mercy for thy Mercies sake ; and seeing thy Love , which is thy selfe , can never leave Thee ; It makes mee assured , thy Mercy , which is thy Nature , will never leave mee . If I refused thy Mercy , thou mightst justly with-hold it : but now , Behold , I hold my Brest open to receive it ; Or if I did not aske thy Mercy , thou mightst forbeare to shew it ; but now Behold ; I begge it upon my knees . I am none of Zebedees sonnes , that aske to sit at thy right hand , and at thy left ; I desire not Exaltation , but Absolution ; It is not thy Bounty I aske , but onely thy Mercy ; Have mercy upon mee , O God , according to thy loving kindnesse ; and according to the multitude of thy tender Mercies , doe away mine offences .

It may be thought severity in God , to cast 20. Adam out of Paradise , for only One sin : But was Adams sin , but onely One ? but One perhaps in Action , but a Million in Affection . For , say It was Pride ? hath not Pride more branches than a Tree hath ? Say it was Gluttony ? hath not Gluttony more dishes than Dives had ? Say it was Curiositie ; hath not Curiosity , more Eyes than Argus had ? Say it was Disobedience ? hath not Disobedience , more faults than Absolon had ? For how else could Manasses sinnes come to be more than the sands of the Sea , if it be not , that a sinne , though but in Thought , may justly be thought a Million of sinnes ? And as it is said in the Gospel , that a man was possessed with an uncleane Spirit ; but that uncleane Spirit was a Legion : So wee may say of every sinne ; It is but One sinne ; but that One sinne is a Legion . Here therefore , O my soule , take heed thou mis-take not thy selfe , in casting up the Audit of thy sinnes ; and thinke , thou hast perhaps but One or Two sins , to answer for to God ; when in Gods sight , every sin thou committest is a Legion ; and for a Legion of sinnes thou must make thy account , thou shalt make account . And now , seeing my sins are in number so many , and so great in measure ; have I not reason to aske for mercies , of equall proportion ? although therefore I aske not thy Bounty , but thy Mercy ; yet the Bounty of thy Mercy I aske ; to aske lesse than would serve , would prejudice my wants , and not relieve them ; and how then can I aske lesse than a multitude of great Mercies , to doe away my offences ; who have a multude of great offences , to be done away ? But hath God then , a multitude of Mercies , whereof some be greater , and some be lesser ? Is not his Mercv , as himselfe is , onely One and simplicissimus ? No doubt , It is so in it selfe ; One and single as himselfe ; but yet in relation to us , and to our understanding ; It is said to be , as it is applyed : To every sinne , a Mercy ; to great sinnes great mercies ; to a multitude of sinnes , a multitude of Mercies . But is not this , a Disorder in praying ; to pray for that , for which we should rather give thankes ? to pray for a multitude of great mercies , as though we had them not already ? When wee should rather give thankes for them , which wee have so continually ? For is it not Gods great mercy to us all , that wee be not all consumed ? and this great mercy multiplyed unto us ; when thousands fall on our right hand ; and ten thousands on our left ; yet we in the midst of these dangers , are kept safe from danger ? Is it not his great mercy , that hee gives Riches and Plenty ; and this mercy multiplyed unto us , when so many are pined away with penury ; yet our Land floweth , with Milke and Honey ? Is it not his great mercy , that the light of the Gospell shines upon us ; and this mercy multiplied unto us , when so many live in darknesse ; and in the shadow of death ? These indeed are great Mercies ; yet they are but the mercies of his Patience : or of his generall Goodnesse and Bounty ; and of these mercies , we may justly be afraid : as it is said ; There is mercy with thee , that thou mayest be feared : but it is the mercies of his speciall Love , that I desire ; and of these mercies , there can be no feare ; for , Love casteth out Feare . The mercies of his Patience , and of his Bounty ; are not his tender mercies ; wee may have them , perhaps , and to our hurt : as long Life ; but to heape up wrath against the day of wrath ; Riches and Honours , but to make our Camell the greater ; and the unfitter to passe thorow a Needles Eye ; The light of the Gospell ; but to make us the more guilty , and subject to be beaten with more stripes : but his tender mercies , are the mercies of his Love ; and can never be had , but for our good ; for , Love covers the multitude of sinne● ; and this covering of our sinnes is the 〈◊〉 ●ecovering of Paradise ; and su●ers not the Angell , with the flaming sword , to find any thing in us , to keepe us out . O therefore , how ever it pleaseth thee , O God , to deale with mee , in the mercies of thy Patience ; by length of daies : or in the mercies of thy Bounty , by Riches and Honours ; be pleased at least , to grant mee the mercies of thy Love , to cover my sinnes ; and according to the multitude of thy tender mercies , Doe away mine offences . It was a great mercy , even of thy Love ; that with great miracles , thou diddest bring the Israelites out of Egypt ; but , that thou didst endure to be grieved with that Generation , fortie yeeres together ; and yet bring them at last , into the Land of Canaan ; this was a multitude of great mercies . And yet more than this : It was a great mercy , that thou diddest suffer our first Parents , after their great sinne , to live ; and to propagate their sinfull Race ; but , that thou didst send , thine onely Sonne , to Expiate their sinne ; and to make satisfaction for it , with infinite Indignities , in Life and Death ; this was a multitude of great and tender mercies . And now , that I have the multitude of Gods tender mercies at the heighth ; what would I have it to doe ? Even to doe away mine offences : For this is a worke , for a multitude of mercies ; and of mercy only . Thy Power O God , is Almighty , and yet cannot ; Thy Justice most perfect , and yet will not ; Thy Wisedome Infinite , and yet knowes not , how to doe away offences , without thy Mercy ; but thy Mercy alone , and of it selfe , both Can , and May , and Will ; and therefore , thy Mercy is the Sanctuary that I flie unto ; and seeing thou delightest , in shewing of mercy , Behold , I shew thee a large Field here , wherein thou mayst shew it ; a Multitude of my great sinnes , for a Multitude of thy great mercies . And because sinnes are Pollutions ; and no way to doe away Pollutions so well as by washing ; Therefore wash mee thorowly from mine Verse 2. Inquitie , and cleanse me from my sinnes ;

I must confesse , I was at first afraid of thy washing ; for thou didst once wash the whole World ; and then , thou didst wash away the sinners , but not the sins ; and if thou shouldst wash mee so ; It were as good for me , to be unwasht ; but I consider , that washing was in thy Iustice : the washing I desire , is in thy Mercy ; and I should not have dared to pray thee to wash me : if I had not prayed thee first , to have mercy upon me ; for it is thy washing in mercy onely , that washes cleane ; thy washing in Iustice , washeth cleane away . But why is David so preposterous in making his sute ? To pray God , to wash away his sinnes ; before he make his confession , and tell what his sinnes be ? As a man , that should require his Physician to cure his disease ; without telling what hee ailes ; and what his disease is . But is it not , that the ardour and burning heat , which David felt of his sins ; made him , as it were , to leape into the water , at the very first ; crying out to be washed ; quite forgetting all order , through the violence of his ardour ? much like to Saint Peter ; who through heat of desire , to be instantly with Christ whom hee saw upon the water ; never stayed , but girt his coate about him , and leapt into the water , clothes and all . Or is it , that David might well require to be cured of his disease , without telling it ; being come to a Physitian , who knew his disease better than himselfe ? Or is it indeed , that to tell our disease , is part of our curing ; to confesse our sinnes , is an act of our washing , and therefore no preposterous course in David , to pray for washing , before confessing ; seeing no confessing is truly sound ; which hath not its beginning , and is not proceeding from Gods washing ?

But how can wee answer this to God ? Hee saith unto us by Esay ; Wash you , Make you cleane ; meaning , it seemes , we should wash our selves ; and now we come to him to wash us ; as though wee should say ; If you will have us be washed , you must come and doe it your selfe ? Indeed , both must be done ; God must wash us , and we must wash our selves : but Gods washing , is not like our washing ; Gods washing is by the fire of his Spirit ; our washing is by the water of contrition : Gods washing is by pardoning ; our washing by repenting . Peter washed himselfe , when having denied his Master , he went out , and wept bitterly : Christ washed him , when he prayed for him , that his faith might not faile . David washed himselfe , when for griefe of his sinnes , he watered his bed with teares ; God washed him , when hee sent him word by the Prophet Nathan , that his sinne was forgiven . And indeede , if God wash us not with his water of pardon ; the water of our owne teares , will doe no great good : It may wet , but not wash ; or wash , but not cleanse , if God put not our teares into his bottle , which onely can give them the power of cleansing . For Esau had a floud of teares to wash himselfe withall ; but God never put them into his bottle : they were teares for his punishment , but not for his sinnes ; and therefore they might wet , perhaps , but they never cleansed . Oh then , Put my teares into thy bottle , O God : for they are teares for my sins , and not for my punishment ; and then wash mee with them , and I shall be cleane . My teares , God knowes , are of themselves too cold , unlesse they be warmed by the fire of Gods Spirit ; but if wee bring the water , and God bring the fire : then indeed a fit Lexative will be made to make us cleane . O then , warme the cold teares of my repentance with the fire of thy Spirit , O God ; and then wash me with them ; that my repentance it selfe being first cleansed , may be made effectuall to cleanse mee from my sinne . Our owne washing is of it selfe imperfect ; and makes us ne're a whit the cleaner : because wee mis-take the water , as Pilate did ; who washed his hands from Christs blood , where hee should have washed them in Christs blood ; but thy washing , O God , is never without cleansing ; for thou canst not mis-take the water , who art the water thy selfe ; and not in a Cesterne , but the Fountaine it selfe . We wash our selves commonly , but as the Pharisees wash their cups ; onely the out-side ; and this makes us but Hypocrites : but thy washing . O God , is alwaies inward ; for , Thou searchest the hearts and reines ; and this is the washing that makes the true Israelite , in whom there is no guile . When Naaman was cured of his leprosie , by washing in Iordan ; did God then wash him ; or did Naaman wash himselfe ? Indeed both ; Naaman washed himselfe , by obedience and confidence in Gods power ; God washed him by giving power to the water , and confidence to Naaman . But this power , was but a personall estate to Iordan ; it hath no such power in cleansing of mee : the water that must cleanse me , is the water that flowed out of my Saviours side ; and in confidence of the power of that water , I humbly prostrate my selfe before thee , O God , and say ; Wash mee thorowly from mine iniquities , and cleanse mee from my sinnes .

But why should David speake so superfluously ? Vse two words , when one would serve ? for , if wee be cleansed , what matter is it , whether it be by washing or no ? Yet David had great reason for using both words ; for hee requires not , that God would cleanse him by miracle , but by the ordinary way of cleansing ; and this was washing ; he names therefore , washing as the meanes ; and cleansing as the end : hee names washing , as the worke a doing ; and cleansing as the work done : he names washing , as considering the agent ; and cleansing , as applying it to the patient : and indeed , as in the Figure of the Law there was not ; so in the Verity of the Gospel , there is not any ordinary meanes of cleansing , but only by washing : and therefore out of Christ our Saviours side , there flowed water and blood ; water to wash us , and blood to cleanse us : water , to make the laver of our regeneration in Baptisme ; and blood , to make the laver of our expiation in Christs sacrifice : but though the words seeme here , to be thus distinguished ; yet otherwhere , they are oftentimes promiscuously used ; and as well cleansing , as washing referred to this water : as well washing as cleansing , referred to this blood .

But what meanes David , to say , Wash me from mine iniquity , and cleanse mee from my sinne ; as though hee would be washed from one thing , and cleansed from another ? and not be cleansed from that for which hee is washed ? But is it not , that iniquity and sinne , though called by divers names , are both the same thing ; but called iniquity , as being a transgression of the Law ; called sinne , as being an offence against God ? Or is it , that in sinne there is both a staine , and a guilt ? ; and hee prayes to be washed from the staine , and cleansed from the guilt ? Or is it indeed , that he useth divers words , to shew that he askes forgivenesse for all his sinnes , by what name or title soever they be called ?

But is not this an indignity , to the great Majestie of God ? we put our meanest servants to wash our clothes , and will we put God to so meane an office , to be a Launderer of sinnes ? Yet see the humility of Majesty , an humility , even to extasie : he descends yet lower ; not onely to wash our sinnes , but to take our sinnes upon him . It seemes Saint Peter indeed , was in this errour , to thinke it an indignity : and therefore would not by any meanes suffer , that Christ should wash him ; untill he heard Christ say ; unlesse I wash thee , thou canst have no part in mee ; and then hee cried , Not my feete onely , but my hands and my head : and is not this my case also ; that unlesse God wash mee , I can have no part in him ? And will I lose my part in God , for want of washing ? Oh therefore my soule , prepare thy selfe for this washing ; put off thy clothes , and strip thy selfe starke naked ; keepe not so much as fig-leafes about thee , either to hide thy sinnes by contumacy , or to cover them by hypocrifie , or to sleight them by indulgency ; but lay them all open and bare before the face of God ; that whil'st nothing is interposed betweene Gods water and thy sinnes ; it may without impediment have full liberty to worke upon thee .

But what though God doe wash us ? are wee 20. sure his washing will alwaies cleanse us ? Why is it then , that he saith ; I have purged thee , and thou wast not purged : for may he not as well say ; I have washed thee , and thou wast not cleansed ? and if not cleansed , as good not washed . Oh therefore , Not wash me onely ; but cleanse me from my sinnes ; that as in washing , thou shewest thy Love : so by cleansing , thou mayest shew thy Power ; seeing it is an office , which as none will be willing to undertake , but he whose love is unspeakeable : so none can b● able to discharge , but he whose power is uneffable . For , can washing be without touching ? And would any man foule his fingers , to touch so foule a thing as my sin ; if hee did not love exceedingly ? Can cleansing mee , be without doing a Miracle ? for seeing it cannot more truely be said , that I have sinne , than that I am sinne ; what is it now to cleanse mee , but even laterem lavare ? which was never counted lesse , than either a labour lost , or a miracle wrought : and can any doe mira●les , but hee , whose power is unlimited ? Oh then , Wash mee from mine iniquitie , that I may praise thee for thy Love ; and cleanse mee from my sinne , that I may magnifie thee for thy Power ; which , as I shall doe both , if once I be cleansed : so I am able to doe neither ; untill I be washed . For alas ! O Lord , what am I , but as a filthy ragge before thee ? Who am I , but the man by the high way side , lying bound and wounded ? No meanes at all left mee ; to wash , much lesse to cleanse my selfe ; They must be both thine owne , thine only worke , O God , both to wash me , by thy preventing grace ; and by thy assisting grace to cleanse mee : Oh then , cleanse mee from my sinnes , O God ; let not the foulenesse of my sinnes , make thee unwilling to wash mee : Let not the reluctancy of my flesh , make thee unable to cleanse me ; but make thy worke of washing mee , to prosper in thy hand . Oh wash mee ; but not as Simon Magus was washed ; who came fouler out of the water , than he went in ; but as the Eunuch was washed ; who came so cleane out of the water , that hee was ready to runne thorow fire and water , for thy names sake : and by his washing , was made a fit Minister , for the washing of others . And now , O great God , since it hath pleased thee , to descend to so low a worke as washing mee ; O wash mee thorowly ; not rince mee onely ; as though I were but lightly stained ; and had but some small spots upon mee ; but wash mee thorowly , as having a leprosie that over-spreads mee ; a foulenesse that is deeply engrained in mee ; so deeply , O God , that nothing but a washing by thine owne hand can fetch it out . And yet stay ; why should I put God to this trouble of washing me at all ? seeing I have an easier way of cleansing , taught me by the Centurion in the Gospell ; Speake the word onely , and I shall be cleane ; or , if this be still too much ; an easier way yet taught mee by another ; Si vis , potest me mundare ; If thou wil● , thou canst make mee cleane . O gracious God ; whether it be by washing ; or , by speaking the word ; or , by thy will onely to have it so ; whatsoever be the meanes , let this at least be the effect ; that though I be not made bright , which is more than I can be , yet I may be made cleane , which is no more than I must be ; for I am not of the Pharsees minde , to thinke my selfe cle●ne enough already ; But , Verse 3.

I know mine iniquity , and my sinne is ever before me ; although , perhaps , it be a knowledge , I were better be without : For , Christ knew no sinne ; which wee may be sure , hee should have done , if it had beene worth the knowing . Christ indeed knew no sinne in himselfe ; but he knew sinne in it selfe ; he knew no sinne by committing it ; but he knew sinne by understanding it . My misery is not that I know sinne ; but that I know my sinne ; that I have sin of mine owne to know . Christ knew no sinne , because he could not say ; I know my sinne : but I know my sin , because I cannot say , I knew not sinne : And yet who will believe , that a man knowes sinne , that will be medling with it ? Wee say , there are no miracles now adaies in the world ; and can there be a greater wonder than this ; that a man should know sinne , and yet commit it ? should know the foulenesse of sinne ; and yet lie wallowing in it ? should know the horrour of sinne ; and yet runne head-long into it ? But is it not , that wee are all in this , the children of Adam ? Our eyes are not opened , till wee have eaten of the forbidden fruit ; wee know not sin truely , till wee have committed it ; wee see not the foulenesse , till we feele the guiltinesse ; and this makes mee say now , which I could not so well say till now ; I know mine iniquities , and my sinne is ever before mee : for , they were strangers to me before ; and I knew not their conditions ; but now I finde what they are ; and am sicke of their company : They were indeed pleasing to me in the doing ; but are now most loath some , being done : They stood behind me at first , as servants waiting upon mee ; but are now ever before me , astormenters seazing upon me ; that if ever I loved them before ; I hate them now a thousand times more .

But why should David make it so great a matter , to say , I know my sinne ; as though a man could commit a sinne , and not know it ? as though Adam could eate of the forbidden fruit , and not know hee had eaten it ? Adam indeed knew his eating ; yet hee knew not his sinning ; he knew his nakednesse , but he knew not his guiltinesse ; if when he answered God ; I know my nakednesse , he had said , I know my sinne ; hee might , perhaps , have tarried in Paradise still ; that we may see , how hard a thing it is to say , I know my sinne , which cost Adam no lesse than Paradise before he could say it . And how much easier came David to be able to say , I know my sinne ? For , doe wee thinke hee could say it , as soone as hee had committed it ? No , nor almost a whole yeere after ; that as we may say of Adam ; it cost him a great place : so wee may say of David , it cost him a long time , to learne to say , I know my sinne .

But how can David say , I know my sins ; and yet in another place , said , Forgive me my secret sinnes ? For , if hee know them ; how be they secret ? and if they be secret , how doth he know them ? Indeed , both David , and every one of us , hath sinne enough to serve both turnes ; not onely , because sinne is of a greater size in Gods sight , than it is in ours ; and therefore leaves much for him to see , which to us is secret ; but because also , there are many actions in our life ; which we so lightly passe over , as if we thought them no sinnes ; perhaps , thought them Vertues ; when yet in Gods sight , they are grievous sinnes . David had committed a great sin , which hee could not choose , but know to be a sinne ; and therefore might justly say ; I know my sinne ; but that his sinne had caused Gods Name to be blasphemed ; this was a sinne he knew not , till God himselfe did tell him : and from hence he might justly suspect hee had cause enough in other sinnes , to say ; Forgive me my secret sinnes . Saint Iames saith , In many things wee offend all ; this wee all know ; and gives us all just cause , to say ; I know my sinne ; but what those many things are , in which wee offend ; and what those offences be , which in many things wee commit ; this , many times we know not : and gives us as just cause to say , Forgive mee my secret sinnes .

But alas ! my soule , I must not stay here , onely to know my sinne ; and keepe it to my selfe , as though I thought it a Jewell , which none might know of , for feare of losing it ; but in this , I acknowledge the great favour of God , that as I know my sinne ; so I acknowledge my sinne : For , farre be it from mee , I should be found of Sauls disposition ; to thinke to make God believe , that I saved the fat of the sheepe for sacrifice ; when I saved them for mine owne profit ; this hiding a sin , is a greater sin than the sinne it hides : For , it is an affront to Gods omnipotency ; Adams Fig-leafes proved as hurtfull to him as the forbidden fruit ; for nothing laies our sinnes so open to God , as our seeking to hide them ; and although it be often times dangerous to acknowledge a fault to a civill Magistrate , who without our acknowledging could not know it ; yet there can be no danger , to acknowledge our sins to God ; who knowes them already , whether wee acknowledge them or no : Our acknowledging them to him , is not a discoverie , but the first degree of recovery ; and seeing I am now travelling to repentance ; how is it possible , I should ever come at it , if I acknowledge not my sinnes ; which is the first step to it ? and therefore , howsoever I am guilty of many great and hainous sinnes ; yet of this sin , of hiding my sinne ; thou canst cleare mee , O God ; for , I acknowledge mine iniquity , and my sinne is ever before me .

But yet , what good will the knowing , or the 20. acknowledging my sinne doe me ; if I let it slip from my heart , as soone as it is off my tongue ? If having once acknowledged it , I cast it behinde mee , and thinke no more of it ? Behold , therefore , O God , I set it before mee , and am alwaies beholding it : It is ever before mee in Meditation ; for I cannot but be thinking still , how foolish I have beene , to procure thy displeasure , though it had beene Regni causa ; for the gaining of a Kingdome ; how much more to provoke thine anger , for the pleasing onely of some idle fancie ? It is ever before me in remorse ; for it is ever running , as a sore in my mind , that against thee onely have I finned ; againstwhom onely , I should not have sinned ; much like the fault of our first Parents ; who seeme to have eaten of that fruit onely ; of which fruit onely , they should not have eaten . It is ever before mee in prospect ; for , looking earnestly upon sinne ; I can see nothing i● i● , that should make any man to love it : It is deformed and crooked ; it is foule and ill-favoured ; it is unsound and diseased ; it is old and wrisled , that I wonder at my selfe , how I was ever gotten but once to embrace it ; yet I see wi●all , it paints and makes a faire shew ; it perfumes , and makes a sweete smell ; it is in profession , an Angell of light , and carries Apples in its hand , of the tree of Good and Evill ; that would entice any man . It is ever before me in terror ; waking , me thinkes I heare the Judge pronouncing sentence of condemnation against mee ; fleeping , I am frighted with dreames no lesse fearefull ; If a leafe doe but wagge , me thinks it threatens me ; If a Bird doe but chirp , it seemes to accuse mee ; I am frighted with light ; and jealous of darknesse : For , how can I choose but feare , lest all thy creatures have set themselves against me ; who have so unnaturally ; so unloyally ; so ungratefully for my sel● against thee ? For , Against Verse 4. thee , against thee onely have I sinned ; not against Heaven ; not against Earth ; not against Angells ; not against men ; for to these I never vowed allegeance ; nor stand engaged : but against thee onely ; against thee my Father ; and so have ●inned in disobedience : Against thee my soveraigne Lord ; and so have sinned in rebellion ; against thee my Benefactor ; and so have sinned in ungratefulnesse ; that whil● no grace hath beene found wanting in thee , that might have kept me from sinning ; no grace hath been found in me , to keepe me from sinne .

But i● there not matter here to make us at a stand ? For , to say , against thee I have sianed ; is most just and fit : but to say , Against thee onely I have sinned ; seemes something hard . It had , perhaps , beene a fit speech , in the mouth of our first Parent Adam ; he might justly have said to God ; Against thee onely have I sinned ; who never sinned against any other : but for us to say it , who commit sins daily against our neighbours ; and specially for David to say it ; who committed two notorious sinnes against his neighbour , and faithfull friend Vriah , what unfitter speech could possibly be devised ? But is it not that these actions of David , were great wrongs indeede , and enormous iniquities against Vrias ; but can wee properly say , they were sinnes against Vriah ? For , what is sinne , but a transgression of Gods Law ? And how then can sin be committed against any , but against him only , whose Law we transgresse ? Or , is it , that it may justly be said ; Against thee onely have I sinned ; because , against others , perhaps , in a base tenure ; y● onely against God in Capite ? Or , is it , that David might justly to say to God ; Against thee onely have I sinned ; because , from others he might appeale ; as being a King , and having no superiour ; but no appealing from God ; who is King of Kings ; and supreme Lord ouer all ? Or is it , that wee may justly say ? Against thee onely I have sinned ; seeing Christ hath taken ; and still takes all our sins upon him ; and every sin we commit , is as a new burthen laid upon his backe , and upon his backe only ? Or is it lastly , that I justly say , Against thee onely have I sinned ; because in thy sight onely I have done it ? For , from others I could hide it , and did conceale it ; But what can be hidden from thy All-seeing Eye ? And yet , if this had beene the worst ; that I had sinned onely against thee ; though this had beene bad enough , and infinitly too much ; yet it might , perhaps , have admitted reconcilement ; but to doe this evill in thy sight ; as if I should say , I would doe it , though thou stand thy selfe and looke on ; and as it were in defiance ; what sinne so formidable ? what sinne can be thought off ; so unpardonable ? A sinne of infirmity may admit Apologie ; a sinne of ignorance may find out excuse ; but a sinne of defiance can have no defence . But hath not David a defence for it here ; and that a very just one ? For , in saying , Against thee only I have sinned , that thou mightst be justifyed in thy saying ; doth hee not speake , as though hee had sinned , to doe God a pleasure ? therefore sinned , that God might be justified ? And what can be more said for justifying of a sinne ; then to say it was done for justifying of God ? But far is it from David , to have any such meaning ; his words import not , a lessening , but an aggravating of his sinne ; as spoken rather thus ; because a Judge may justly be taxed of injustice , if hee lay a greater punishment upon an offender , than the offence deserves ; therefore to cleare thee , O God , from all possibility of erring in this kinde ; I acknowledge my si●s to be so hainous ; my offences so grievous , that thou canst never be unmercifull in punishing , though thy punishing should be never so unmerciful : For , how can a Judge passe the bounds of equity ; where the delinquent hath passed all bounds of iniquity ? and what error can there be , in thy being severe , when the greatnesse of my fault is a Iustification of severity ? That thou canst not lay so heavie a doome upon mee , which I have not deserved ? Thou canst not pronounce so hard a sentence against me , which I am not worthy of : If thou judge mee to torture ; it is but mildnesse : If to die the death , it is but my due : If to die everlastingly , I cannot say , it were unjust . Yet in judgement , O Lord , remember mercy ; consider not how foule I am become ; but how I am become foule ; for though my sinne be great , yet I was not the beginner of it ; for , Behold , I was borne in iniquity ; and in sinne hath my mother conceived me ; Verse 5. And seeing my birth did not amend my conception ; how should my growth amend my birth ? Did not sinne , at least the Authour of sin , heare thy voyce , when thou saidst , Encrease and multiply ? Which , though not spoken to him , yet , as an Intruder , hee claimes to have a part ; and seeing all the parts of my soule and body have increased and growne greater since my birth ; will not hee looke , that si●ne also shall have a share in growing , as well as they ? Doth any thing grow so fast as a weede ? and is there any so very a weede as finne ? hath it not beene growing ever since I was borne ; and can so fast growing , in so long growing , make lesse than a Monster ? And am I a fit Champion to encounter Monsters ? Indeede I encountred a Beare , and slue him ; a Lyon , and killed him ; a Giant , and overcame him : but these were no Monsters , at least no Monsters to be compared with sin . Oh the monstrousnesse of sin ! farre harder to be vanquished than all the Monsters that ever Nature made ; for I could vanquish a Beare , a Lyon , Giant , the greatest of Natures Monsters ; but with all my forces have not beene able to vanquish this Monster Sinne.