I. The first prayer, "Cleanse Thou me from secret faults," springs naturally out of the complaint, "Who can understand his errors?" Germs of evil are in our nature that can never be estimated or counted. You may trace and track sin in its outward manifestations, you may reach it inwardly in its volitions or movements of voluntary choice, but still more deeply seated is the mystery of iniquity in the inner man.
II. In your spiritual exercise of soul upon Jehovah's law, you find secret faults bordering on the region of presumptuous sins. These are acts of the will, as the former are faults of the nature. The prayer implies a keen and vivid apprehension of our liability to such sins.
III. "Let them not have dominion over me." There is the possibility of a sad downward tendency indicated here. Any natural lust, if the will consents to it but a little and but for a little, becomes a tyrant whose yoke it is hard indeed to shake off. It acquires and wields the stern dominion of habit.
IV. "Then shall I be upright." If you follow the course deprecated in the preceding petitions, you must cease to be upright.
V. There is still one more disaster which the spiritual man dreads. He is alive to the terrible risk and danger of the "great transgression." I take this expression to denote the unpardonable sin, the sin against the Holy Ghost which can never be forgiven.
VI. In the closing words the Psalmist prays generally and universally that always and everywhere the words of his mouth and the meditation of his heart may be such as God may accept.
R. S. Candlish, The Gospel of Forgiveness,p. 164.
References: Psalms 19:12. Spurgeon, Sermons,vol. vi., No. 299; Ibid.,vol. iii., No. 116; J. Jackson, Repentance: its Necessity, Nature, and Use,p. 78; H. Thompson, Concionalia: Outlines for Parochial Use,1st series, vol. i., p. 111; J. Caird, Sermons,p. 40; J. M. Wilson, Sermons in Clifton College Chapel,p. 60. Psalms 19:13. Spurgeon, Evening by Evening,p. 76. Psalms 19:13; Psalms 19:14. J. Keble, Sermons for the Christian Year: Lent to Passiontide,p. 95.Psalms 19:14. Preacher's Monthly,vol. iii., p. 287. Psalms 19 A. Maclaren, Life of David,p. 24; J. Oswald Dykes, Expositor,1st series, vol. ix., p. 42; P. Thompson, Ibid.,2nd series, vol. i., p. 170; I.Williams, The Psalms Interpreted of Christ,p. 361.