heavier, and which was the greater subject of regret. Under these circumstances we read not one word of complaint respecting the loss of his kingdom : his mind was wholly occupied about the ordinances of God, of which he was deprived. " How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of Hosts ! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth, for the courts of the Lord : my heart and my flesh cry out for the living Goda." He envies the very birds the facility which they enjoyed of approaching the altars of the Lord, and more especially the priests who had constant opportunities of officiating there ; as also the people, who could come, though with great difficulty, from the extremest parts of the land to worship there at the appointed feasts \ He then begs of God to restore him to the enjoyment of these lost privileges0; and declares, that, in his judgment, " one day spent in his courts was better than a thousand" elsewhere ; and that he would rather be a door-keeper in the House of God, than to dwell amidst the richest enjoyments that the tents of wickedness could afford him.
The case being so clearly determined by him, I will endeavour to point out,
I. The grounds of his judgment —
He preferred the lowest office imaginable in the House of the Lord, before the highest that was merely secular ; for he deemed it,
1. More honourable —
[In earthly palaces, dwell " men of like passions with our- selves : " but in Mount Zion God himself dwells : there he holds his court : there he sits upon his throne : thither all his servants come to behold his glory, to worship at his footstool, and to receive the tokens of his gracious favour. There, though invisible, are assembled all the hosts of heaven ; so that the humble worshipper, when coming thither, is justly said to have " come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first-born that are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than the blood of Abeld."
a ver. 1,2. b vcr. 3_7# c ver. g, 9. d Heb. xii. 22 — 24.
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Now, conceive of a poor man admitted only to " the threshold" of this holy place e, and compare his state with that of the most distinguished favourite of an earthly monarch ; and say, whether the honour conferred on him be not infinitely higher than any which earthly courtiers can possess ? In truth, the matter admits not of comparison. Between a king on his throne and a beggar on the dunghill there is no disparity at all, when compared with that between a creature and his Creator ; so that in this respect the Psalmist had just ground for his preference: for in propor- tion as " God humbles himself, when he beholds the things which are on earth," is that man exalted, who becomes the object of his condescension and grace.]
2. More delightful—
[We will concede to the delights of sense all that the most sanguine mind can annex to them : but still they are carnal and temporary, and cloying and unsatisfying ; and the man who possesses the greatest portion of them all, must acknowledge them to be justly designated, " Vanity, and vexation of spirit." But very different is the character of those pleasures which the sinner partakes of in the presence of his God. Behold the publican standing, as it were, on the very threshold of God's house, as unworthy to enter in : behold him smiting his breast, and, with floods of tears, crying, " God be merciful to me, a sinner!" To the eye of sense he appears a miserable object, that decides at once the point at issue in favour of the world : but to the eye of faith he is an object, whose state may well be envied by the greatest and happiest of carnal men : for He, who is " the true and faithful Witness," has said, " Blessed are the poor in spirit : blessed are they that mourn." On the mind of such a penitent the light of truth beams with increas- ing splendour : the peace of God flows down into his soul : a hope full of immortality springs up within him : and the joy of the Holy Ghost elevates his mind to heaven, and gives him a foretaste of angelic bliss. Follow this same person through all the services of the sanctuary : behold him pouring out his soul in prayer to God : hear him singing the praises of redeeming love : mark the emotions of his soul when God's word is preached, and the blessings of redemption, as purchased by Christ and se- cured to him by an everlasting covenant, are unfolded to his view. What are any carnal delights in comparison of those which fill his soul ? Verily, they are not worth a thought : they are only as the husks of swine, whilst he is feasting on " angels' food."]