only upon husks : whereas the true saint, though poor as Lazarus himself, eateth of " angels' food" ]
2. The blessedness of heaven — [If such be God's courts below, what must heaven itself be ? Well may we long to be there. Well may we " desire to depart and be with Christ," where we shall " behold him face to face." I need not say, how blessed are that choir who clay and night incessantly sing praises to God and to the Lamb. But may we so anticipate that employment, that we may be prepared to join in it to all eternity! Amen, and Amen.]
god's ordinances precious.
Ps. lxxxiv. 10. / had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
IN matters of doubtful disputation, it is of great advantage to have some established ground, to which reference may be made; and some adjudged case, on which arguments may be founded, without any far- ther appeal. In my text, the point at issue is, Which is preferable, the service of God, or the service of the world ? On this subject there is a great diversity of opinion ; some accounting the world the only true source of happiness, whilst others conceive that there is no happiness but in God. But we have in the very words before the text an adjudged case, which may well determine the point for ever. The Psalmist expressly declares, that "a day in God's courts is better than a thousand" elsewhere. If a doubt arise whether he was competent to decide the matter, I answer, that, as a King, he knew all that attached to royalty and to the splendour of earthly courts ; and, as a Saint, he knew what was to be found in the exercises of piety and devotion : and, consequently, he was a proper person to hold the scales, and to declare on which side true happiness preponderated. Besides, his particular situation at this time qualified him in a more than ordinary way to form a just judgment : for he was driven (it is supposed) by Absalom both from his throne and from the house of God : and consequently he could declare, from his own experience, which of the two losses was the