John Trapp on Psalms 19:12

Verſ. 12. Who can underſtand his errour?] This David ſpeaketh doubtleſs out of a deep ſenſe of his own imperfections, and defects in what the Law (ſo much by him commended) requireth; and to prevent miſtakes, leſt any man hearing him ſpeak of great reward, ſhould think that Heaven may be merited, and Salvation attained by a mans own righteouſneſs. No ſuch matter, beleeve it, ſaith holy David, I have neither done the Law, nor deſerved the reward, but do fly to God by prayer; and three things I have to beg of him; Firſt, that he would graciouſly pardon my ſecret ſins and errours, unknown to my ſelf, or at leaſt to others. Secondly, That he would keep me from proud and preſumtuous ſins, verſ. 13. Thirdly, That he would bridle my tongue and minde from ſpeaking, or but thinking ought that may be offenſive to his Majeſty, verſ. 14. For the Firſt of theſe,Jun. Humanum eſt errare & ignorare errorem ſuum; It is incident to every man to erre, and then to be ignorant of his errours. Certain it is, that our lives are fuller of ſins, than the Firmament is of Stars, or the Furnace of ſparks. And if the beſt mans faults were written in his fore-head, it would make him pull his hat over his eyes, as the Proverb hath it. David here ſeeth ſuch volumes of corruptions in his heart, and ſo many foul Errataes in his life, that he cannot but cry out, Who can underſtand, &c. O cleanſe, &c. The moſt perfect Saints are the moſt ſenſible of their imperfections; as the more delicate the Senſes are, the more ſharply are they affected with what offends them, Rom. 7.14. 1 Cor. 15.9, 10. Alas for us! (ſaith one good man) Ipſa lachrymae ſunt lachrymabiles; we had need to weep over our tears, ſigh over our ſobs, mourn over our griefs, &c. Look how when we have ſwept a room never ſo clean (ſaith Spinaeus) if the Sun do but come into it at the windows,De inſtit, Chriſtian. we ſoon eſpy abundance of filthy motes, mingled with the beams thereof: ſo is it with our hearts, when once illightned. What a blinde buzzard then was he that ſaid, Non habeo Domine quod mihi ignoſcas, Lord, I have nothing for thee to pardon? And no wiſer was Bellarmine that great Scholar, but ill read in his own heart, if that be true that is reported of him, viz. that when the Prieſt came to abſolve him, he could not remember any particular ſin to confeſs, till he went back in his thoughts as far as his youth. Of Philip the Third King of Spain, Val. Max. Chriſt. 263. it is ſaid, that he lived ſo ſtrictly, that he never committed any groſs Crime, or wilful wickedneſs; yet coming to dye, he cried out, O that I had never reigned! O that I had lived a private life in the Wilderneſs, that I might not have now to anſwer for not doing the good, or hindering the evil that I might have done in my government!

Cleanſe thou me from ſecret faults] Secret from my ſelf, many of them (ſins of ignorance and of inadvertency) ſecret from the world, more of them, heart ſins, but not ſecret from the Lord, Pſal. 90.8. Heb. 4.13. Theſe are of daily and hourly incurſion, involuntary and unavoydable infirmities, yet are they ſins properly ſo called; and we muſt be cleanſed from them by the Merit and Spirit of Chriſt: they muſt be repented of in general at leaſt; and then there is a pardon of courſe for them, and they do not uſually diſtract and plunge the Conſcience.