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is taken for all the senses, inward and outward. It is no benefit to us, though there be beauty, if we have not eves to see it, all is lost ; therefore he desired to dwell in the house of the Lord, that he might ' see the beauty of the Lord.'
Now, concerning the beauty of God, I will not speak of it at large, or singly of the excellencies of God. The text aims especially at the beauty of God, as discovered in his ordinances, in his church. A man may speak gloriously, and largely of the beauty of God, of his excellency. That his wisdom is wondrous excellent, and beautiful, that is seen in the ordering of things, and his power is wonderful beautiful, and his mercy, &c. All this is true ; but what is all to us, though God be never so beautiful in himself, if he be not beautiful to us in Christ, and in his church ? Therefore we will come to that that the holy prophet here aims at, • The beauty of the Lord;' that is, God is especially beautiful in his church, in his ordinances, and that was the ground of his desire. Omne j)id(:hrum est amahile, every beautiful thing is an attractive of love. It is no wonder he desired to dwell in the house of the Lord, because there was the beauty of the Lord, and the most excellent beauty of all.
The beauty of the Lord is especially the amiable things of God, which is his mercy and love, that makes all other things beautiftil that is in the church.
What makes his power sweet to his children ? and his justice, in con- founding their enemies, and giving rewards ? and his wisdom sweet, in re- conciling justice and mercy together wisely in Christ ? All that makes this so lovely, is his gi-ace and love, that set his wisdom on work, to devise a way to reconcile justice and mercy by Christ Emmanuel, God and man. So that that is most beautiful in God is grace ; as you have it, Exod. xxxiv. 6. When Moses desired to see the glory of God, how doth God de- scribe himself to Moses ? ' Jehovah, Jehovah strong, gracious, merciful, longsuflering, full of kindness.' So that if we would see the glory of God, it appears most in grace, and mercy, and lovingkindness, and such sweet attributes. This makes all things in God amiable ; for now we can think of his justice, and not fear. It is fully satisfied in Christ. We can think of his power with comfort. It serves for our good to subdue all our enemies. There is no atttibute, though it be terrible in itself, but it is sweet and amiable, because God looks graciously on us in his beloved.
Now this grace and love and mercy of God shines to us in the face of Christ as beloved, as I have shewed out of that text, 2 Cor. iii. 18, ' We all behold the glory of God as in a glass (c), that is, we behold the love of God in Jesus Christ, in the muTor of the gospel. We must take God, not as considered abstractively- and simply, but God in Christ ; for other no- tions of God are terrible. God will not otherwise be seen by the eye of the soul, nor otherwise known, than in Christ. Now God in the Messiah is very delightful in his house. This beauteous grace of God shines in the face of Jesus Christ, 2 Cor. iv. 6. For God is so gracious and merciful, as that his justice must be fully satisfied, that is, only in Christ ; that being satisfied, God in Christ looks on us with a gracious look. So that God is beautiful now in regard of his mercy and grace, as it is revealed in Jesus Christ, as he looks upon us in the face of his beloved Son. There are two objects of religious worship. God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and Christ Mediator. The beauty of both is wondrous in the church, * That is, ' abstractly.'— G.
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wondrous towards the cliurch of God, and it is most apparent in tlie ordi- nances of God in the church. Christ is * altogether lovely,' Cant. v. 16. Christ in whom God is a Father, and reconciled to us ; and now we can sweetly think of, ' He is altogether lovely, the chief of ten thousand.' The church sets him out there particularly, his head, his arms, his breasts, his eyes. ' His lips drop myrrh,' Cant. v. 13. She singles out every excellency of Christ, and dwells upon it in her meditation, and sums up all together, ' Christ is lovely.' What makes beauty but a mixture of diverse colours ? as we say, white and red mix together sweetly. Now to see justice and mercy in Christ so sweetly mixed, what an excellent beauty it makes ! To see the justice of God fully satisfied, that his mercy might ran amain to us now. Here is a sea indeed if we should enter into it, to see the love of God, which is the most beautiful and amiable grace of all ; the love of God in Christ, and the love of Christ towai'ds us.