Now, in the words of the text that I have read, there is contained the
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holy prophet's care and desire, set down first in general, ' One thing have I desired of the Lord, and that I wUl seek after.'
And then a specification of that desire he specifies. What is that one thing he desired ? That ' I may dwell in the house of the Lord,' with the circumstance of time, ' all the days of my life.'
Now, after the desire in general, set out here by the object in general, the transcendent object, ' One thing have I desired of the Lord,' and like- wise by the frequency and fervency of the desire, 'I will seek after it stiU.' I have desired it, and I will not cease. So my desire, it shall not be a flash soon kindled, and soon put out. No ; but ' one thing have I desired of the Lord, and that I will seek stiU.' I will not be quiet till my desire be accomplished. There is the general desire, and the degrees of it.
The particular is, ' that I may dwell in the house of the Lord.'
Then the grounds and ends of the particular desu'e of dwelling in the ' house of the Lord,' because it is ' the house of God.' There is a strong argument to move him to dwell in the house of God. It is good dwelling where God dwells, where his angels dwell, and where his Spirit dwells, ' in the house of the Lord.' There is one argument that moved him, ' I desire to dwell there,' because it is the house of God, which is set out by the ex- tent of time, that ' I may dwell in the house of God all the days of my life,' till I be housed in heaven, where I shall need none of these ordinances that I stand in need of in this world. ' I desire to dwell in the house of the Lord aU the days of my life.'
Then the second end is, ' To behold the beauty of God.' That was one end of his desire, to dwell in the house of God ; not to feed his eyes with speculations and goodly sights (as indeed there were in the tabernacle goodly things to be seen). No ; he had a more spmtual sight than that. He saw the inward spiritual beauty of those spiritual things. The other were but outward things, as the apostle calls them. I desire to dwell in the house of the Lord, 'to behold the beauty of the Lord,' the inward beauty of the Lord especially.
And then the third end of his desire is, ' that I may inquire in his temple.' He desired to dwell in the house of God, because it was the house of God, and to see the beauty of God, the sweet, alluring beauty of God, that appeared in his ordinances ; and then his desire was to dwell in the house of God, that he might inquire more and more of the meaning of God still, because there is an unfathomed bottom, and an endless depth of excellency in divine things, that the more we know, the more we may, and the more we seek, the more we may seek. They are beyond our capacity ; they do not only satisfy, but transcend it. Therefore, he desires still fur- ther and farther to wade deeper into these things, ' to inqidre in God's temple.' Thus ye see the state of the verse. There is a general deshe propounded. ' One thmg have I desu-ed of the Lord, and that will I seek after.'
And then the desire specified, ' to dwell in the house of the Lord, and to see the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.' These be the three ends.
' One thing have I desired of the Lord,' &c.
To speak first of this desire generally propounded, ' One thing have I desired,' &c.
And then of the mcrease of it, in that he saith, ' I will seek after it still.' He desired it, and he would seek more and more after it.
In the desire, consider —
216 A BREATHING AFTER GOD.
First, the object, * one thing.'
And then the desh-e or seeking itself.
First, the object, ' one thing.'
Qu£st. Was there but one thing for holy David to make the object of his desire ? Was there but one thing needful ? Alas ! this poor life of ours, it is a life of necessities. How many things are needful for our bodies ? How many things are needful for the decency of our condition ? How many things need we for our souls ? It is a life of necessities. How, then, doth he say, ' One thing have I desired ? '
Ans. Yes. His meaning is, comparatively, I seek for other things in their order and rank, and as they may stand with the main ; but, indeed, one thing principally. All the rest will follow. ' Seek ye first the king- dom of God, and all the rest will be cast on you,' Mat. vi. 33. The best way to have all other things, is to seek one thing in the first place. There- fore, in heavenly wisdom he saith, I desire unum unice ; one thing after an entire manner. That I desire more than all things else.