' That I may dwell in the house of the Lord.'
It was generally propounded before. ' One thing have I desired, and that will I seek after,' with all my might. And what is that ? The speci- fication of it is this :
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' That I may dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.'
His desire is, not only to be in God's house, but to dwell in it, to abide ; and not for a little while, but to dwell, and to dwell ' all the days of my life.'
The house of God then was the tabernacle, the sanctuary. The temple was not yet built. He desired to be near the tabernacle, to dwell in the sanctuary, the place of God's worship. In the tabernacle, which in those times was the house of God, there was the ark and the mercy-seat, types of many glorious things in the New Testament ; the holy of holies, &c. And he desired to dwell in the tabernacle, to be near the ark, the house of God. Why ? Because God manifested his presence there, more than in other places. The ark hath God's name in diverse places of Scripture ; because God gave his answers in the ark, in the propitiatory, or mercy-seat. They came there to know his meaning, what he would have ; he gave his answer there. He is said to dwell between the cherubins. There were two cherubins upon the mercy-seat, and God is said to dwell between the cherubins, Exod. xxxv. 22 ; that is, there he was present to give answers to the high priest, when he came to ask. David knew this well enough, that God had vouchsafed a more special presence in the tabernacle, than in all the places of the world, and therefore, saith he, ' I desire to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.'
' House,' we take for the persons that are in it, and persons that are ordered, or else it is a confusion, and not a house. It is a company of those that are voluntaiy. They come not by chance into our house, those that are members of our society ; but there is an order. There is a gover- nor in a house, and some that are under government, and there is a volun- taiy conjunction and combination. So the church is a voluntary company of people that is orderly, some to teach, and some to be instructed ; and thereupon it is called a house.
And it is called the house of God, because he is present there, as a man delights to be present in his house. It is the place where God will be met withal. As a man will be found in his house, and there he will have suitors come to him, where he reveals his secrets. A man rests, he lies, and lodgeth in his house. Where is a man so familiar as in his house ? And what other place hath he such care to protect and provide for as his house ? And he lays up his treasures, and his jewels in his house. So God lays up all the treasures of grace and comfort in the visible church. In the church he is to be spoken with as a man is in his house. There he gives us sweet meet- ings ; there are mutual spiritual kisses. ' Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth,' Cant. i. 2. A man's house is his castle, as we say, that he will protect and provide for. God will be sm-e to protect and provide for his church. Therefore he calls the chm-ch of God, that is, the tabernacle (that was the church at that time), the house of God. If we apply it to our times, that that answers the tabernacle now, is particular visible churches under particular pastors, where the means of salvation are set up. Particu- lar visible chm-ches now are God's tabernacle (5). The chm-ch of the Jews was a national church. There was but one church, but one place, and one tabernacle ; but now God hath erected particular tabernacles. Every par- ticular' church and congregation under one pastor, their meeting is the church of God, a several church independent. Our national church, that is, the Church of England, because it is under a government civil, which is not dependent upon any other foreign prince, it is a particalar church fi-om other nations.
In that God calls the church his house, it shews the special respect that
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he hath to his church. God, though he be present everywhere, yet he is present in another manner in his church. As for instance, the soul is pre- sent in all the parts of the body; but the soul, as far as it understands, is only in the brain ; as far as it is the fountain of life, it is in the heart. It hath offices and functions in all the parts ; but in the special function, the rational function of it, as it discourseth and reasoneth, it is in the brain. So for our apprehension's sake, God is everywhere ; but as he sanctifies and pours out his blessings, and opens, and manifests his secrets, so he is in his church especially. God is ever^Tvhere, but he is in another way in heaven than in other places. He is there gloriously. So in earth he is eveiy where, but he is in another manner in the church (the heaven upon earth), than in other places. He is there as in his house to protect them, and provide for them as his family ; and there he abides by his ordinances, and takes solace, and delight. God delights himself in his chmx'h and children that attend upon his ordinances. ' Where two or three are met together, I will be in the midst of them,' Mat. xviii. 20. When God's people meet together in the church, God is present among them. So you see in what respect the tabernacle then, and particular churches now, which answer it, are called the house of God.