Now David here, he desires to behold God's beauty, to see or consider this excellency of God in his church, for to true delight these things must concur. There must be something sweet in the thing itself. There must be a power in the soul to apprehend it. There must be an affection in the soul to that good thing. If the affection be fiat, though there be never so beautiful and sweet things, and a power to apprehend them, if there be not afl'ection, they are nothing ; and then, upon the afiection, there must be complacency and contentment in the thing when we have it. All these things are in delight from that that is beautiful and pleasant, David desired to see. He knew there was a beauty in the presence of God in his ordi- nances and gifts and graces ; but he desired to see and to contemplate these things, that the faculties and powers of his soul might be answerable to the things, that as they were excellent, so he might have a power in his soul answerable. And then he had affections to carry that power of his soul to the things, ' One thing have I desired.' And then there was a complacency and delight in the things, upon enjoining,* answerable, as we see how he ex- pressed his delight when he danced before the ark. AVe see what a psalm he made when he did but purjDose ' to build the temple,' Ps. cxxxii. He had a wondrous joy. So answerable to our dehghts is our joy and com- placency in the thing when we have it.
Now that he might have the sweeter complacency, he desired to see the beauty and the things in God's house. Of all senses, sight hath this pro- perty above the rest (as it is more spiritual, more refined, and more capable ; a man may see many things at once, it is a quick sense ; so), it hath this privilege, it stirs affections more than any sense, more than hear- ing, that is a more dull sense. Things stir aflections more that are seen, than by that we hear. He desired therefore to see the beauty of God's house, that he might be enamoured. Of sight comes love.
David had spiritual eyes, and he desired to feed his spiritual eye-sight
with the best object that could be, for therein is the happiness of man.
Wherein stands a man's happiness ? When there is a concui-rence of the
most excellent object, with the most excellent power and faculty of the
* Qu. ' enjoying ? ' — Ed.
238 A BBEATHING ATTER GOD.
soul, with deligM and content in it. Now he desired to see the beauty of God in his house, that his soul might be ravished in the excellency of the object, and that the highest powers of his soul, his understanding, will, and affections might be fully satisfied, that he might have full contentment. Since the fall, all our happiness is out of ourselves, it is derived from God in Christ ; and it is taken out of the promises of God in the word. For God will be seen in Chiist, and God and Christ will be seen in the glass of the ordinances till we come to heaven, and there we shall see ' face to face,' 1 Cor. xiii. 12. So that now all our happiness is fetched by look- ing on the love of God, out of ourselves, fetched out of the ordinances. David desired to see the beauty of God. God's love is diffusive. It spreads and communicates itself to his church in the ordinances. Thus he, know- ing, desu-ed more and more to communicate of this diffusive, abundant, ti'anscendent love of God.
Quest. But how shall we come to have these desires that David had, to see the beauty of God ?
Ajis. In a word — we must have spiritual senses. The spiritual life of a Christian is fm-nished with spiritual senses. He hath a spiritual eye and a spiritual taste to relish spiritual things, and a spiritual ear to judge of holy things, and a spiritual feeling. As every hfe, so this excellent life hath senses and motion suitable to it. Now we should labour to have this spiritual life quickened in us, that we may have a quick sight of heavenly things ; and a taste of heavenly things, that we may smell the ointment of Christ. 'For the sweetness of thy ointments the vu'gins run after thee,' Cant. i. 3. The soul hath senses answerable to the body, let us desire God to cleanse all our senses, and to reveal himself in Christ more and more in tlie ordijiances.
This St Paul calleth the ' Spirit of revelation,' Eph. i. 17. Let us pray to God that in his ordinances he would discover that amiable love of his in Christ, to shine on us in the face of his Son, in his ordinances ; for the Spirit must help us to see the beauty of God. When we have spiritual senses, except the Spirit give us a spiritual light to see, we cannot see. Therefore let us desire that God would give us spiritual senses, to the spiritual light.
When God made the world, light was the first creature. Why ? That all the excellency of the creature might be discerned by hght. If God had made never so many excellent creatures, if the light had not discovered them, where had been his glory ? So there are many excellent, beautiful things in Christ, wonderful grace and comfort ; if these be discovered in the word and we have no senses, and no light, if there be not light in the understanding, God shall want his glory, and we the comfort.