Then, thirdly, he sets down this ' one thing,' to ' dwell in the house of God,' to grow in grace there ' as a cedar,' to be a ' tree planted there,' /ro7n the very nature of yrace, which is to unite things to the main. The Spirit of gi-ace sets before the eye of the soul heavenly spiritual things in their greatness and excellency ; and . the Spirit of grace, seeing there are many useful thmgs in this world, it hath an uniting, knitting, subordinating power, to rank all things so as they may agree to and help the main. Grace confines the soul to one thing. Man, after his fall, ' sought out many in- ventions,' Eccles. vii. 29, saith the wise man. He was not content with his condition when he stood, but ' he sought out many inventions. When man falls to the creature, he knows not where to stay. No creature can afibrd a stay and rest for the soul long. The soul is never quiet till it come * That is, ' are offended.'— G.
218 A BREATHING AFTER GOD.
to God again,* and that is the one thing the soul desireth. The sonl being sanctified by the Spirit of God, it subordinates all things to this one thing. David desired many things besides this one thing, but not in that degree, but as they might stand with the desire of this one thing necessary. Grace subordinates and ranks all things so as that the best things have the pre- eminence. Therefore, he might well say, ' one thing,' from the disposition that grace hath to rank all things to one. It is a promise in the covenant of grace. Saith God, ' I will give you one heart,' Jer. xxxii. 39. As soon as a man becomes a Christian, he hath one heart.' His heart before was divided. There was variety of objects it was set upon ; God had the least piece. The flesh had a piece, and this delight and that delight had apiece; but saith God, ' I will give you one heart,' that is, a heart uniting itself in desire to the best things, and regulating all things, so as all shall be but one, that a man shall ' use the world as though he used it not,' so as it shaU help to the main. As I said, Httle streams they help the main stream run- ning into it, so grace hath a subordinating power over all things in the world, as they may help the main. ' One thing have I desired,' and I desire other things, as they may help the main. Grace will teach us that art. It hath a special art that way. So we see both in regard of God, and in regard of the soul being finite, and in respect of the wise disposing of grace that aims at the main, and ranks all things as they may help the main, he doth well say, ' One thing have I desired.'
Use. This shews the vanity and baseness of every ivorldly man, that makes the main ivork and labour his by-tvork, and the by-ivork his main work. That that is the ' one thing necessary,' Luke x. 42, is set after all. Indeed, without grace, this is so. The first work of grace is to set the soul in order, to subdue base afiections, to sanctify the judgment ; and when it hath set the soul in tune and order, then it is fitted to set a right price on things, to rank and order them as it should. So much shall be sufficient to unfold the object itself in general, ' One thing have I desired.'
Now I come to the afiection itself, set forth here by the degrees.
' One thing have I desired, and that I will seek after.
I have desired it, and I will desire it stiU. Desires are the issues of the heart. Thoughts and desires are the two primitive issues of the heart, the births of the heart. Thoughts breed desires. Thoughts in the mind or brain, the brain strikes the heart presently. It goes from the understand- ing to the will and affections. What we think of, that we desu-e, if it be good. So thoughts and desires, they immediately spring from the soul ; and where they are in any efficacy and strength, they stir up motion in the outward man. The desires of the soul, being the inward motion, they stir up outward motion, tUl there be an attaining of the thing desired, and then there is rest. Desire to the thing desired is like motus ad quietem, as motion is to rest. When motion comes once to rest, it is quiet. So desire, which is the inward motion, it stirs up outward motion, till the thing desired be accomplished, and then the soul rests in a loving content, and enjoying of the thing desired.
Now this desire, it was a spiritual desire. ' One thing have I desired of the Lord.' Holy desires, they issue from choice. A holy, wise desire, when it is not a mere notion, it ariseth from a choice of a thing that is good ; for desire is nothing but the embracing and closing with a thing that is good. The understanding must choose the good fii'st, before the soul embrace it. The will is but the carriage of the soul, the furthering and * Augustine. — See note h, vol. I., page 214. — G.