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I. A PERSONAL DANGER. "Mine iniquity." This is a dreadful possession to have in the house: a man had better have a cage of cobras than have an iniquity, yet we have each of us to deal at home with some special form of sin. Each man has his own way of sinning. It may take its speciality from our natural constitution. He who judges all men alike does them an injustice. Our tendency is to decry the particular form of sin that we find in others. It may be engendered by education. How impressible we are in childhood! Certain forms of iniquity grow out of our particular condition. Each period of life has its own special snare. It is so with the condition of our life as to our outward circumstances. The rich man has his temptations, and the poor has his. Iniquities come through both prosperity and adversity. Iniquities surround us all in daily life. Your iniquity is likely to be that iniquity which thou hast oftenest fallen into in thy previous life. And that which you do not like to hear condemned is, very probably, your iniquity.

II. A SPECIAL GUARD. "I kept myself from mine iniquity."

1. You must find out what it is. You must get a clear idea of your own iniquity. Endeavour to get a due sense of its foulness and guilt in the sight of God. Ask the Lord to make thee hate most that sin to which thou art most inclined.

2. Be resolved in the power of the Holy Spirit that this particular sin shall be overcome. There is nothing like hanging it up by the neck, — that very sin, I mean. The true path of safety is to pray and believe against all sin. We conquer sin by faith in Christ.

III. A HAPPY RESULT. If we do keep from sin, what a blessing it will be to us. It will be a triumph of grace. It will be our best testimony to others. And what a sweet peace this will give to the conscience.

( C. H. Spurgeon.)

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KJV: I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.

WEB: I was also blameless with him. I kept myself from my iniquity.