gain, "do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate Thee?" "I hate them
with a perfect hatred." A thousand such sweet resolutions doth that
precious servant of God breathe out all along the Psalms; and yet so
jealous the holy man is of himself, that he never trusts himself with
his own resolutions; and therefore shall you find him always clapping a
petition upon a resolution, as in the quoted places. "I will walk in
mine integrity. Redeem me, and be merciful unto me. I will keep Thy
testimonies, oh! forsake me not utterly." Though Thou hast let me fall
fearfully, suffer me not to fall finally. And so when he had said, "I
have sworn, and will not repent," he presently adds (within a word or
two), "quicken me, O Lord, according to Thy word." And again, "accept, I
beseech Thee, the free-will offerings of my mouth, O Lord, and teach me
Thy judgments." God must teach him, as to make, so to make good the
free-will offerings of his mouth, _i.e._, his promises and vows. And so,
when he had made that appeal to God, "do not I hate them that hate Thee,
Lord?" he presently betakes himself to his prayers, "search me, O God,
and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts. And see if there be any
wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Mark, I pray,
"search me, try me, know my heart, know my thoughts, see whether there
be any wicked way, lead me." He will neither trust himself for what he
is, nor for what he shall be; "try me," he dares not trust his own
trial: "lead me," he dares not trust his own resolutions: such a sweet
holy jealousy of himself doth he breathe forth, with all his heavenly
purposes and resolutions. Oh! all you that would make an everlasting
covenant with God, imitate holy David, upon every holy resolution, clap
an earnest petition, say, I will reform my life; oh! redeem me, and be
merciful unto me. I will set up Christ in my heart, I will labour to
walk worthy of Him in my life: oh! forsake me not utterly, Lord; leave
me not to myself, I have sworn, and am utterly purposed in all my duties
I owe to God and man, to amend my life, and to go before others in the
example of a real reformation. O Lord, teach me Thy judgments: quicken
me, O Lord, according to Thy word. Thy vows are upon me, that I will,
according to my place and calling, endeavour to preserve reformation in
Scotland, to procure reformation in England; that I will in like manner
endeavour the extirpation of popery and prelacy; to preserve the rights