Oh Lord, pardon my iniquity, for
it is great. Psalm 25 verse 11 If men have no inward grief on
account of their ingratitude to a dying Savior, it indicates
a lack of love to Him, and that they have not a just sense of
the evil and malignity of their sin. To think of the love of
Jesus to my poor soul, manifested in His sorrows, His sufferings,
His agonies, and the shedding of His precious blood, pierces
my heart and makes me loathe myself in my own sight. While I look to Him upon the
cross, whom I have pierced by my sins, surely I ought to mourn
and be in bitterness as one who mourns for the death of his firstborn. Shall not I shed tears of grief
for those sins For which my Redeemer shed His precious blood? Blessed
Jesus, how cold, how feeble, How languid is my love to You,
the altogether lovely One! Alas, how readily are my fluctuating
passions Captivated by worldly things! O let me not live so
estranged from you, warm my cold and frozen heart, And kindle
in my bosom a flame of holy fervor towards you. At some seasons
the believer's mind is so oppressed with a sense of his own vileness
that he is ready to sink into despondency. in his retired moments,
he pours out his complaints in such a language as this, the
clogs of guilt, and the clouds of darkness hang heavy on my
soul. What language can express the
depth of my distress on account of my sin? A sense of the vilest
ingratitude to the best of beings stings my heart and deprives
me of comfort. What returns have I made for
the abundant divine favors which I have received? I cannot bear
the sight of my own vileness. I abhor myself and repent as
in dust and ashes. My life has been marked with
repeated instances of ingratitude to Him, who is the giver of every
good and perfect gift, whom I desire to love and to obey with my whole
heart. My unstable soul has been perpetually
departing from God, inclining to folly, and verging towards
that which is evil. This, this is wretchedness indeed. For this I condemn myself almost
without ceasing. My spirits droop, my heart desponds,
my soul is disquieted within me. O Lord, be merciful to me,
pardon my iniquity, for it is great. Lord, I abhor myself on
account of the defilement which cleaves unto me. Behold, I am
vile. I will lay my hand upon my mouth
and put my face in the dust. I have experienced a thousand
proofs of your goodness, the remembrance of which fills me
with shame because of my ingratitude. The height of my folly lies in
having so often sinned against infinite goodness and love. I have abused your kindness and
affronted your mercy. O Lord, I beseech you, pardon
my iniquity, for it is great. Such exercises of mind as these
strongly indicate the sincerity of our love for the Divine Savior. This Puritan devotional has been
brought to you by Grace Gems, a treasury of ageless Sovereign
Grace writings. Please visit our website at www.gracegems.org,
where you can browse and freely download thousands of choice
books, sermons, and quotes, along with select audio messages. No
donations accepted. Thank you. you.