《Simeon ’s Horae Homileticae – Psalms (Vol. 2)》(Charles Simeon)
51 Psalm 51
Verses 1-3
DISCOURSE: 585
TRUE PENITENCE DESCRIBED
Psalms 51:1-3. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving-kindness; according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions! Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions; and my sin is ever before me.
SIN is, for the most part, thought a light and venial evil, especially amongst the higher ranks of society: as though the restraints of religion were designed only for the poor; and the rich had a dispensation granted them to live according to their own will. But sin, by whomsoever committed, will, sooner or later, be as the gall of asps within us; nor can all the charms of royalty silence the convictions of a guilty conscience. View the Psalmist. He had been elevated, from the low condition of a shepherd’s boy, to a throne: yet, when he had offended God in the matter of Uriah, there was not found in his whole dominions a more miserable wretch than he. Before his repentance became deep and genuine, “his bones waxed old through his roaring all the day long: for day and night God’s hand was heavy upon him; and his moisture was turned into the drought of summer [Note: Psalms 32:3-4; Psalms 38:2-8.].” Even in his penitence we may see how heavy a load was laid upon his mind. This psalm was written on that occasion: and the words before us, whilst they declare the workings of his mind, will serve to shew us, in a general view, the true penitent:
I. In his occasional approaches to the throne of grace—
“Mercy” is the one object of his desire and pursuit. Observe,
1. His petitions—
[“Have mercy upon me, O God; blot out my transgressions! wash me throughly from mine iniquities; and so cleanse me from my sin,” that no stain of it may remain upon my soul! Here he views his sins both individually and collectively; and, spreading them before the Lord with conscious guilt, he implores the forgiveness of them: dreading lest so much as one should be retained in the book of God’s remembrance, as a ground of procedure against him in the last day — — — Thus will every true penitent come to God: and plunge, as it were, into the fountain of the Redeemer’s blood, “the fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness” — — —]
2. His pleas—
[Though David had, till the time of his grievous fall, served God with a more than ordinary degree of zeal and piety, he makes no mention of any past merits, nor does he found his hope on any future purposes. He relies only on the free and sovereign grace of God, as displayed towards sinners in the gift of his only dear Son: and to that he looks, as the ground and measure of the blessings he implores. This is the view which every true penitent must have. He should see that God is of his own nature inclined to mercy [Note: Exodus 34:6-7.]; and that all which Christ has done for us is the fruit of the Father’s love [Note: John 3:16. Ephesians 2:4-5. Titus 3:4-5.]. Such are the pleas which God approves; and such will surely prevail in the court of Heaven.]
But, view the penitent farther,
II. In the daily habit of his mind—
Repentance is not a mere occasional expression of the mind, but a state or habit that is fixed and abiding in the soul. The true penitent, wherever he goes, carries with him,
1. A sense of guilt—
[“His sin is ever before him:” indeed, he wishes it to be so: he desires to be humbled under a sense of it: and though he longs to have his transgressions blotted out of God’s book, he would never have them effaced from his memory; or cease, if he could help it, to have as deep an impression of their odiousness and malignity, as if they had been but recently committed — — — To his latest hour he would “walk softly” before God, in the remembrance of them.]
2. A sense of shame—
[He is ashamed when he reflects on his conduct throughout the whole of his life; yea, “he blushes and is confounded before God [Note: Ezra 9:6.],” and even lothes and abhors himself in dust and ashes [Note: Job 42:6.].” Nor does a sense of God’s pardoning love produce any difference; except, indeed, as enhancing the lothesomeness of his character in his own eyes [Note: Ezekiel 36:31; Ezekiel 16:63.].” The name which, in sincerity of heart, he acknowledges as most appropriate to him, is that which the Apostle Paul assumed, “The chief of sinners.”]
Address—
1. Those who are not conscious of having committed any flagrant transgression—
[Many, doubtless, are of this character. But have they, on that account, any reason to boast? Who is it that has kept them? “Who is it that has made them to differ?” Will they themselves deny that the seeds of all evil are in them? or that, if they had been subjected to the same temptations as others, they might have proved as frail as they? Are they better than David previous to his fall? Let them, then, confess their obligations to God; and remember, that if in outward act they have less reason for humiliation than others, they have the same depravity in their hearts, and are in reality as destitute of vital piety as others; and, consequently, have the same need of humiliation and contrition as they.]
2. Those who are deeply sensible of their guilt before God—
[What a consolation must it be to you, to see that there was mercy even for such a transgressor as David. Greater enormity than his can scarcely be conceived: yet not even his prayers were poured forth in vain. Two things, then, I would say to you. The first is, Do not attempt to extenuate your own guilt, as though you would thereby bring yourselves more within the reach of mercy. The other is, Do not presume to limit God’s mercy, as though it could not extend to such a sinner as you. You never need be afraid of beholding your wickedness in all its extent, if only you will bear in mind that God’s mercy in Christ Jesus is fully commensurate with your utmost necessities or desires. “The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin:” and the more you feel your need of it, the more shall you experience its unbounded efficacy. Only humble yourselves as David did; and, like him, you shall experience all the riches of redeeming grace.]
3. Those who have obtained mercy of the Lord—
[Happy, beyond expression, are ye! as David says; “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sin is covered.” Be joyful, then, in God your Saviour. But still remember, that you have need at all times to watch and pray. If David, after all his high attainments, fell, who is secure? “Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” And learn from him to guard against the very first approaches of evil. It was by a look that his corruptions were inflamed: and from the progress of evil in his heart, you may learn to make a covenant with your eyes, yea, and with your hearts too. You see in him “how great a matter a little fire kindleth.” Walk humbly, then, before God; and cry to him day and night, “Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not!”]
Verse 4
DISCOURSE: 586
SIN AN OFFENCE AGAINST GOD
Psalms 51:4. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight; that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
THE occasion of this psalm is well known: it refers to one of the most melancholy transactions that ever took place in the world. In point of enormity, the deed is almost without a parallel; because it was performed by a man who till that time had made the highest professions of religion, and had been characterized even by God himself as “the man after God’s own heart [Note: If this were the subject of a Magdalen Sermon, it would be proper in a delicate manner to enlarge somewhat on the crime itself.].” But it is not the crime which David committed, but only the repentance which followed it, that is the subject of our present consideration. For a long time his heart was hardened: but after that Nathan had come from God to accuse and condemn him, he yielded to the conviction, and humbled himself before God in dust and ashes. In this psalm is recorded the prayer which David offered unto God on that occasion: and it was given by David to the Church, that it might be a pattern, and an encouragement, to penitents in all future ages. The particular declaration in our text is introduced as an aggravation of his guilt. We are not however to interpret it so strictly, as if the crime which David had committed were really no offence against man; for in that view it was as heinous as can possibly be conceived: it was a sin against Bathsheba, whom he had defiled: against Uriah, whom he had murdered; against Joab, whom he had made an instrument to effect the murder; against all the soldiers, who were murdered at the same time; against the friends and relatives of all who were slain; against his own army, who were hereby weakened and discouraged; against the whole nation, whose interests were hereby endangered; against the Church of God, who were hereby scandalized; and the ungodly world, who were hereby hardened in their iniquities. It was “a sin also against his whole body [Note: 1 Corinthians 6:18.].” We must therefore understand the expression rather as comparative; as if it had been said, “Against thee, thee chiefly, have I sinned.” Nevertheless, as an offence against God, the enormity of the crime is so great, as almost to swallow up and annihilate every other consideration of it, as the meridian sun reduces to non-existence, as it were, the twinkling of a star. It is from this consideration of it that every sin derives its chief enormity. Dropping therefore any further reference to David’s crime, we shall endeavour to shew in general,
I. The malignity of sin as an offence against God—
Men in general think little of sin, except as it affects the welfare of society: as an offence against God, it is scarcely ever deemed worthy of notice. But every sin, of whatever kind, necessarily strikes at God himself: it implies,
1. A forgetfulness of his presence—
[He is omnipresent; nor is any thing hid from his all-seeing eye — — — But, when we commit sin, we lose all recollection that God’s eye is upon us: we say in our hearts, “The Lord shall not see; neither shall the God of Jacob regard it [Note: Psalms 94:7.]:” “How shall God know? Is there knowledge with the Most High [Note: Psalms 73:11.]?” “Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he cannot see [Note: Job 22:13-14.].” This is no deduction of ours, but the declaration of God himself: and the truth of it is evident: for, if even the presence of a fellow-creature is sufficient to overawe men, so that they cannot perpetrate crimes to which they are most strongly tempted; so much more would the presence of Almighty God restrain us, if we were conscious that he was inspecting and witnessing all the secrets of our hearts.]
2. A contempt Of his authority—
[God, as the great Lawgiver, requires obedience to his laws, every one of which bears the impress of divine authority upon it But in violating his commands, we trample on his authority, and say in effect, “I am at my own disposal: who is Lord over me [Note: Psalms 12:4.]?” “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice? I know not the Lord: neither will I obey his voice [Note: Exodus 5:2.]:” “I will not have this man to reign over me [Note: Luke 19:14.].” We have a striking exemplification of this in the conduct of the Jews, who, contrary to God’s command, would go down into Egypt: “As for the word that thou hast spoken to us in the name of the Lord, (said they to Jeremiah,) we will not hearken unto thee; but we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth [Note: Jeremiah 44:16-17.].” Thus, as God himself says, “We not only forget him, but cast him behind our back [Note: Ezekiel 23:35.].”
3. A disbelief of his truth—
[God has spoken frequently respecting his determination to punish sin: he has said, that “he will by no means clear the guilty;” and that, “though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not pass unpunished.” Now, if we truly believed his word, we could not rush into sin: the apprehension of such tremendous consequences would deter us from it. But we are hardened by unbelief. Unbelief was the source of all the Israelites’ rebellions in the wilderness [Note: Psalms 106:24. Hebrews 3:19.]; and it is the fruitful spring of all our disobedience: “Ye shall not surely die,” is at the root of every evil we commit [Note: Genesis 3:4.]. But “God is not a man, that he should lie, or the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good [Note: Numbers 23:19.]?” Let us bear this in mind, that in the commission of sin, and the expectation of impunity, we “make God himself a liar [Note: 1 John 5:10.].”]
4. A denial of his justice—
[God has represented himself as “a God of judgment, by whom actions are weighed [Note: 1 Samuel 2:3.];” and has declared his purpose to “call every work into judgment,” and to “judge every man according to his works.” But, in violating his laws, “we say, in fact, God will not require it [Note: Psalms 10:13.]:” “The Lord is altogether such an one as ourselves [Note: Psalms 50:21.];” “he will not do good, neither will he do evil [Note: Zephaniah 1:12.].” What an indignity is this to offer to the Governor of the Universe, the Judge of quick and dead! He has spoken of the last day as “the day of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God:” but, if the issue of it were such as we expect, and heaven were awarded to wilful and impenitent transgressors, it would rather be a day wherein God’swant of justice and of holiness shall be displayed before the whole assembled universe.]
5. A defiance of his power—