Here he felt encouragement to pour out his soul before God, and to ask whatsoever his returning necessities might require. This, to him who«e trials were fo great and manifold, was an unspeakable privilege. The extreme arduousness of his affairs also rendered it most desirable to him to spread all his difficulties before the Lord, and to ask counsel of him for his direction. True it was, that in private he could carry his affairs to the Lord, and in)plore help from him: but, as the public ordinances were of God's special appointment, and as the High Priest was the esta- blished medium of access to him, and of communications from him, he delighted more particularly to wait upon God there ; that so, whilst he received blessings in a more abundant mea- sure from God, he might glorify God in the sight of all Israel.]
Admiring,
* Ps. xlii. 1,2. ^ ib. ver. 3. * ib. ver. 10.
* Ps. Ixxxiv. 1 — 4. • Ps. Ixxxv. 10.
Admiring, as I do, this bright example, I beg leave to,
II. Commend it to your imitation —
We have far greater reason to love the House of God than ever David had —
[If the beauty of the Lord was visible in the Jewish wor- ship, how much more so must it be in the ordinances of the Gospel ! David beheld the perfections of his God only under types and shadows : but we behold them reflected as in a glass or mirrour, with transcendent brightness, and all shining with united splendor in the face of Jesus Christ. We see, not bulls and goats, but the very Son of God himself, " Jehovah's fellow," ollered in sacrifice for the sins of men. What then must the justice be that required such a sacrifice ! 'What tlie love, l\\dX gave HIM from the Father's bosom to be a sacrifice I What the mercy, that spared not him, in order that ave, enemies and rebels, might be spared ! So imperfectly was this mystery known under the Jewish dispensation, that all, even the most exalted Prophets, were in a state of comparative darkness : but now, " the things which from the beginning of the world eye had not seen, nor ear heard, nor had it entered into the heart of man to conceive, are revealed unto us by the Spirit V so that we can truly and empha- tically say, " The darkness is past, and the true light now shineth s." John the Baptist was greater in this respect than all the Prophets ; because he personally saw and bare witness to Him, whom all the other Prophets spoke of obscurely, and at the distance of many hundred years : but, great as John was, *' the least and lowest in the Gospel kingdom is greater than he*"." In our ordinances, Jesus Christ is so fully revealed, that he may be said to be " evidently set forth crucified before our eyes* :" and at his holy table we " eat his flesh, and drink his blood," as truly in a spiritual sense, as we do really and substantially eat the bread and drink the wine by which they are represented. We see that through the virtue of this sacrifice God is so reconciled tons, as to "behold no iniquity in us'':" for, viewing us as clothed in the righteousness of his dear Son, he beholds us " without spot or blemish'." Moreover as by faith we see the Lord Jesus canying his own blood within the veil, so we also hear him making intercession for us at the right hand of God: yea, and, " out of the fulness that is treasured up in him we receive" all the blessings that he has purchased for us. How often are we, in the experience of these things, constrained to cry out with the prophet, " How great is his goodness ! how
great
^1 Cor. ii. 9, 10. » 1 John ii. 8. '' Matt. xi. II.