god's people near unto him. Ps. cxlviii. 14. A people near unto Him.
THE Psalmist, wrapt in ecstasy, is here calling upon the whole creation to praise God. He addresses himself to all creatures in heaven and in earth, ra- tional and irrational, animate and inanimate, to render
749.] god's people near unto him. 517
to their Creator that honour of which they are ca- pable. Last of all he addresses " the saints," " whose horn God has exalted with peculiar honour," to abound in this duty ; to which, indeed, they are called far more than even the angels themselves. The angels may well magnify his name, for forming them so holy, for making them so happy, and especially for preserv- ing them from falling; when myriads, as high and holy and happy as themselves, fell from their first estate, and plunged themselves into irretrievable and endless woe. But they cannot speak of Redeeming Love. They know nothing of pardon ; of pardon bought with blood ; and that blood the blood of God's co-equal, co-eternal Son. They know nothing of a righteousness wrought out for them by God in their own nature : and hence it is observable, that, in hea- ven, whilst the redeemed " stand round about the throne" " the angels stand round about the elders," and consequently at a greater distance from their God. This was intimated by the admission of the Children of Israel into the courts of the Temple ; whilst no Gentile, of whatever rank, or under any pretext what- ever, was admitted there, except into the court espe- cially assigned to them. This was intended to shadow forth that spiritual nearness to God which his saints alone can either enjoy or conceive. They alone, of all the children of men, answer to the description given in the text ; they are near to him, I. By relation —
[God has from eternity " chosen them in Christ Jesus," and " predestinated them to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself a." In due season he called them by his word, and begat them by the incorruptible seed, the word of God ; so that they are actually " partakers of the divine natureb;" and are, in the most strict and comprehensive sense, " sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty." He has yet further united them by faith to his only-begotten Son ; so that they are become one with him, one in nature, " members of his body, even of his flesh and of his bones0;" yea, and one spirit with him too; for " he that is joined to the Lord is one spirit d."
Of all this, not one syllable can be spoken by the world at
a Eph. i. 4, 5. » 2 Pet. i. 4. c Eph. v. 30. «» i Cor. vi. 17.