and what God said to Eli may, in a spiritual sense, be applied to them ; " Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt, in Pharaoh's house ? and did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me ? and did I give unto the house of thy father all the oiferings made by fire of the children of Israel? Yes, I did**:" and in like manner has God chosen from eternity, and " set apart for himself" in time, all those who by " a spirit of grace and of supplication" approach unto hira'^. Hence it is, and hence alone, that they are " a people near unto him*^."]
And it is not without reason that David declares,
II. Their blessedness resulting from it.
The terms in which he states this, convey the idea most richly to our minds —
[The priests, whilst serving at the altar, " partook of the
altar," and " lived of the altar." See the particular account,
as stated by Moses. " The liord spake unto Aaron, Behold,
I also have given thee the charge of mine heave-offerings of all
the hallowed things of the children of Israel ; unto thee have
I given them, by reason of the anointing, and to thy sons, by
an ordinance for ever. This shall be thine of the most holy
things, reserved from the fire : every oblation of theirs, every
meat-offering of theirs, and every sin-offering of theirs, and
every trespass-offering of theirs, which they shall render unto
me, shall be most holy for thee, and for thy sons. In the most
holy place shalt thou eat it ; every male shall eat it : it shall
be holy unto thee. And this is thine : the heave-offering
of their gift, with all the wave-offerings of the children of
Israel : I have given them unto thee, and to thy sons, and to
thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever ; every one that
is clean in thy house shall eat of it. All the best of the oil, and
all the best of the icine, and of the ivheat, the first-fruits of them,
which they shall offer unto the Lord, them have I giveyi thee.
And ivhatsoever is first ripe i}i the land, which they shall bring
unto the Lord, shall be thine ; every one that is clean in thine
house shall eat of it. Every thing devoted in Israel shall be
thine^.'" Let this be noticed ; and it will be seen that the
priests of old were richly provided for, and well sustained by
the fatness of God's house.]
And here we see indeed the blessedness of waiting upon God —
[God's people, now, are " priests unto their God'^." And
^ 1 Sam. ii. 27, 28. e Ps. iv. 3. Zech. xii. 10.
f Ps. cxlviii. 14. g Numb, xviii. 8 — 14. i^ Rev. i. (5.