it is an evil man's cross to be restrained, and a good man's joy to be kept back form sin. when sin puts forth itslef, the evil man is putting forth his hand to the sin; but when sin puts forth itself, the good man is putting forth his hand to heaven; if he hinds his heart yielding, out he cries, o keep back thy servant. an exil man is kept back from sin, as a friend from a friend, as a lover from his lover, with knit affections and projects of meeting; but a good man is kept back from sin, as a man from his deadly enemy, whose presence he hates, and with desires of his ruin and destruction. it is the good man's misery that he hath yet a heart to be more tamed and mastered ; it is an evil man's vexation and discontent, that still, or at any time, he is held in by cord or bridle. and thus you see what david aims at in desiring to be kept back from presumptuous sins, namely, not a mere suspension, but a mortification, not a not acting only, but a subduing of the inclination; not for a time, but for ever. - obadiah sedgwick
even all the people of God, were they not kept by god's grace and power, they would every moment be undone both in soul and body. it is not our grace, our prayer, our watchfulness keeps us, but it is the power of God, his right arm, supports us; we may see david praying to God that he would 'keep' him in both these respects from temporal dangers (psalm 17.8-9)..where he doth not only pray to be kept, but he doth insinuate how carefully God keeps his people, and in what precious account their safety is, even as 'the apple of the eye', and for spiritual preservation he often begs it. though david be God's 'servant' yet he will, like a wild horse, run violently, and that into 'presumptuous sins', if God 'keep' him not 'back', yea, he prayeth that God would 'keep' theparticular parts of his body that they sin not: 'leep the door of my lips' (psalm 141.3); he entreateth God to 'keep' his lips and to set a watch about his mouth, as if he were not able to set guard sure enough: thus much more are we to pray tha God would 'keep' our hearts, our minds, our wills, our affections, for they are more masterful. - anthony burgess
God keeps back His servants from sin,
1. by preventing grace, which is, by infusing such a nature as is like a BIAS into a bowl. drawing it aside
bias - (from french 'biais' -a slope; 'biaiser' - to use shifts, evasions, tricks)
1. a weight on the side of a bowl which turns it from a straight line;
2. a leaning of the mind;
3. inclination
4. propensity toward an object;
5. that which causes the mind to lean of incline, from a state of indifference, to a particular object or course;
6. a line diagonal to the grain or fabric (45 degree angle to the selvedge; often used in the cutting of garments for a smoother fit;
7. a peculiarity in the shape of a bowl that causes it to swerve when rolled on the green;
8. the tendency of a bowl to swerve or the impulse causing this tendency
9. the swerve of the bowl
another way;
2. by assisting grace, which is a further strength superadded to that first-implanted nature of holiness; like a hand upon a child holding him in;
3. by quickening grace, which is, when God doth enliven our graces to manifest themselves in actual opposition; so that the soulshall not yield, but keep off from entertaining the sin;
4. by directing grace, which is, when God confers that effectual wisdom to the mind, tenderness to the conscience, watchfulness to the heart, that his servants become greatly solicitous of His honour, scrupulously jealous of their own strength, and justly regardful of the honour of their holy profession;
5. by doing grace, which is when God effectually iclines the hearts of His servants to the places and ways of their refuge, safeties, and preservations from sin, by enlarging the spiritof supplication, and framing the heart to the reverent and affectionate use of his ordinances. - condensed from obadiah sedgwick
Thy servant': as if he had said, 'O God, Thou art my Lord, i have chosen Thee, to whom i will give obedience; Thou art He whom i will follow; i bestow allthat i am on Thee; now a lord will help his servant against an enemy, who for the lord's service is the servant's enemy. o my Lord, help me! i am not able by my own strength to uphold myself, but Thou are All-sufficiency' - 'keep back thy servant...'...beloved, it is a great thing to stand in near relations to god; and then it is a good thing to plead by them with God, forsomuch as nearer relations have strongest force with all. the servant can do more than a stranger, and the child than a servant, and the wife than a child....there be many reasons against sinning...now this also may come in, namely, the speciality of our relation to God, that we are his children, and he is our Father; we are his servants, and he is our Lord: though the common obligations are many and sufficient, yet the special relations are also a further tie; the more near a person comes to God, the more careful he should be not to sin against God. - obadiah sedgwick
'presumptuous sins' the rabbins distinguish all sins unto those committed (bshogeg) ignorantly and mezid (?) presumptua
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