vapours that come out of the place men gather that there is a spring below because of the ascent of vapours so the vapouring out of these desires shew that there is a spring of Grace in the heart they discover that there is a spring within And let those that mourne in Sion that have some evidence though they are not so good as they would be let them looke to their hearts what is thy desire what is the bent of thy soule when a man is once converted and turned wherein is his turning Especially his minde and judgement and esteeme of things as altered there is a change of minde and withall the desire and bent of the soule is altered that if a man aske him and examine what the bent is of all the course of his life oh that God might be glorified that his Church and cause might prosper that others might be converted this is the bent of his soule not that hee might be great in the world and ruine those that stand in his way this shewes that a man is a rotten hypocrite the bent and sway of the soule shews what a man is Because I would not have any deceived in the point take one evidence and signe more with you and that shall be in stead of all and it is out of the Text too One thing have I desired and that will I seeke after not by prayer onely but in the use of all meanes as indeed hee was never quiet till hee was setled againe in Sion nor then neither till he had gotten materials for the Temple and a place for Gods honour to dwell in If desires be not the desires of the sluggard there will be indeavour as wee see in the desire of David here One thing have I desired and that will I seeke he used all meanes to enjoy communion with God sweetly The Slug gard lusts and hath nothing so there are many spirituall sluggards that lust and have nothing because they shew not their desire in their indeavours there will be indeavour where the desire is true For desire springs from the Will the Will being the appetite of the whole man Voluntas appetitus c. The understanding carries not but the Will when the Will will have a thing it caryes all the parts hereupon when the desire is true it stirs up all the powers and faculties to doe their dutie to seeke to attaine the accomplishment and possession of that that is desired Those therefore that pretend they have good desires to God and yet live scandalously and negligently and will take no paines with their soules alas it is the sluggards desire if they take not paines to remoove all lets and hindrances for a man may know the desire of a thing is good when hee labours to set the hindrances out of the way if hee can if the lets and hindrances be not impossible hee will remove it if hee can Therefore those that pretend this and that There is a Lion in the way when they might remoove it if they would there is no true desire for desire is with the remooving of all possible hindrances of the thing desired But to resolve one question How shall I know whether my desire be strong enough and ripe enough or no to give me comfort I answer if the desire of grace be above the desire of any earthly thing that a man may say with David One thing have I desired I desire to be free from sinne as a greater blessing to my soule then to be free from any calamity oh it is a good signe And surely a man can never have comfort of his desire till his desires be raysed to that pitch For none ever shall come to heaven that doe not desire the things that tend to heaven above all earthly things nor none shall ever escape hell that doe not thinke it worse and more terrible then all earthly miseries God brings no fooles to heaven that cannot discerne the difference of things Therefore let us know that our desires are to little purpose if wee have some desire to be good c. but wee have a greater desire to be rich and great in the world to have such and such place if the desire of that be greater then to be gracious with God If we hate poverty and disgrace and want and this and that more then sinne and hell to which sinne leads it is a signe that our judgements are rotten and corrupt and that our desire is no pure spirituall desire for it is not answerable to the thing desired there is no proportion David saith here One thing have I desired his desire carryed him amaine to One thing necessary above all other things whatsoever Thus you see out of the Text what are the distinguishing notes of true desires from those that are false I need name no more if we consider what hath beene spoken Now for our comfort if we find these holy desires oh let us take comfort in our selves for God will fulfill the desires of them that feare him holy desires they are the birth of Gods Spirit and there is not one of them that shall be lost for God regards those desires My groanings are not hid from thee my groanings in trouble and desires of grace There is not the least thing stirred up in the soule by the Spirit of God but it prevayles with God in some degree answerable to the degree of worth in it therefore if wee have holy desires stirred up by God God promotes those desires God will regard his owne worke and to him that hath shall be given Lord be mercifull to thy servants that desire to feare thy Name saith Ezechias It is a plea that wee may bring to God Lord I desire to please thee as it is Isay 26. 8. The desire of our soules is to thy Name oh Lord Wee faile sometimes that wee cannot performe actions with that zeale and earnestnes as wee should but the desire and bent of our soule is to thy Name A Christian may make it his plea to God truly our desires are towards thy Name and wee have some sutable indeavours and our desires are more that way then to any thing in the world It is a good plea though wee be much hindred and pulled backe by our corruptions So much for that the Act upon this object One thing have I desired Of whom doth hee desire it Of the Lord. One thing have I desired of the Lord. It was not a blind desire of the thing but a desire directed to the right object to God to fulfill it Holy desires are such as we are not ashamed of but dare open them to God himselfe in prayer and desires to God A Christian what he desires as a Christian he prayes for and what he prayes for he desires he is an hypocrite else If a man pray as Saint Austin in his confessions that God would free him from temptations and yet is unwilling to
is but the carryage of the soule the furthering and promotion of the soule to the good things discovered so it supposeth a choyce of good things And choyce supposeth an esteeme of the things before we choose them And that supposeth a deliberate judging that workes an esteeme So that it was no hastie sudden thing this desire but it rose from the sanctified judgement of David that bred a holy esteeme of these excellent things the meanes of salvation having the Spirit of God accompanying of them containing such excellent comforts as they doe I say this desire supposes a right judgement and thence an esteeme thence a choyse upon all choosing these things above all other contentments and things in the world besides For at this time he wanted in his family the comfort of his wife and house c. Tush what doe I regard these things if I could enjoy the sweet and strong and comfortable presence of God in his Ordinances other things I could beare well enough the want of house and wife and children the pleasures and contentments of my Country therefore One thing have I desired It was a desire out of a high esteeme and choyse of that one thing he speakes of The point of Doctrine that I will observe in brief because I hasten to the maine thing is this that That the spirit of God in the hearts of his children is effectuall in stirring up holy desires There is nothing tha charactizeth and sets a stampe upon a Christian so much as desires All other things may bee counterfeit words and actions may bee counterfeit but the desires and affections cannot because they are the immediate issues and productions of the soule they ate that that comes immediately from the Soule as fire cannot bee counterfeit A man may aske his desires what he is according to the pulse of the desires so is the temper of the man desires are better then actions a great deale for a man may doe a good action that hee doth not love and he may abstaine from an ill action that he hates not but God is a Spirit and lookes to the Spirit especially It is a good Character of a Christian that his desire for the most part is to good the tenour and sway and bent of his desire is to good One things have I desired the spirit of God is effectuall in stirring up these desires But how shall we know that these desires are the chief things to distinguish an Hypocrite from a true Christian and whether they be true or no. To goe no farther than the Text desires are holy and spirituall if they bee about holy and spirituall things One thing have I desired saith David what was that to be rich and great in the World and to bee revenged on my enemies No no that is not the matter I have many enemies GOD will take a course that they shall fall that that I desire is to have neerer Communion with God I desire to enjoy the Ordinances of God so his desire it was set on spirituall objects and that argued it was a holy desire And then againe his desire it was a fervent desire as he saith one thing have I desired thatwil I seek after It was not a blaze or flash that was soon in and soon out it was not a meere veleitie a kind of inefficacious desire fervency shewed that his desire was sound hee would not bee quieted without the thing accomplished And then Constancy when a man will not bee taken off there is not the wickedest man in the Word but he hath good flashes good offers and desires sometimes Lord have Mercy upon me c. he hath good ejaculations sometimes I but what is the bent and sway of his desires This was Davids constant desire as it was about spirituall and was a fervent and eager desire that he would not bee quiet so it was constant that that is naturall is constant and that that is supernaturally naturall that that is naturall in spirituall things it is constant nature is constant For how doth nature differ from Art Artificiall things are for a time teach a creature beyond his nature hee will shew his naturals so let an Hypocrite act a part if it be not his nature he will soone turne to his naturals and shew that he is an Hypocrite againe Constancy and perpetuity in good things a tenour of good desires shew that the heart is good because it is costant And then againe his desire here of DAVID it was kindled from the love of God and not out of base ends Holy desires are kindled in the Soule from the love of God for what saith hee here One thing have I desired what was that To dwell in the house of the Lord what to doe To behold the beauty of God to see God in his excellency and beauty and worthinesse All his desire was from this that his soule was enamoured with the beauty of Gods house The love of God stirred up this blessed desire in the Prophet therefore it was a holy and spirituall desire Againe as they spring from the love of God so they tend to the honour of God for what comes from heaven goes to heaven backe againe As waters that comes from a spring they goe as high as the place they come from so holy desires being kindled from heaven from a Spirit of love they goe to heaven againe the love of God stirres them up and hee seekes Gods glory and honour and inward communion with God in this For a man out of a naturall desire may desire holy things sometimes to be free from such or such a sin and to have such and such a grace not out of a desire to honour God but if he had grace hee sees he might escape troubles he might be free from temporall judgements and hee might ingraciate himselfe and commend himselfe to this or that person whom hee desires to benefit by therefore hee desires as much grace as may helpe forward his intentions in the world he joynes the world and God together oh no these are not the desires that distinguish a Christian from another man but those that spring from the love of God that proceed inwardly from the truth of the heart and that the things themselves please God and that there is a lovelinesse in them and that they tend to the honour of God especially and our own good in a secondary place this is a character of good desires Thus we see though I should goe no further then the Text how we may distinguish holy and heavenly desires from other desires One thing have I desired and that will I seeke c. Therefore let us examine what our desires are what our bent is desires issue from the Will and affections and they shew the frame of the soule more then any thing in the world As the springs in low places are discovered by the steames and
glorious things in the new Testament the Holy of holies c. And hee desired to dwell in the Tabernacle to be neare the Arke the House of God why because God manifested his presence there more then in other places The Arke hath Gods name in diverse places of Scripture because God gave his answers in the Arke in the Propitiatory or Mercie-seate they came there to know his meaning what hee would have he gave his answers there He is said to dwell betweene the Cherubins there were two Cherubins upon the Mercy-seate and God is said to dwell betweene the Cherubins that is there he was present to give answers to the high Priest when hee came to aske David knew this well enough that God had vouchsafed a more speciall presence in the Tabernacle then in all the places of the world and therefore saith he I desire to dwell in the house of the Lord all the dayes of my life House we take for the persons that are in it and persons that are ordered or else it is a confusion and not a house it is a company of those that are voluntary they come not by chance into our house those that are members of our Society but there is an order there is a governour in a house and some that are under government and there is a voluntary conjunction and combination So the Church is a voluntary company of people that is orderly some to teach and some to be instructed and thereupon it is called a house And it is called the House of God because he is present there as a man delights to be present in his house It is the place where God will be met withall As a man will be found in his house and there hee will have suitors come to him where hee reveales his secrets A man rests hee lyes and lodgeth in his house where is a man so familiar as in his house And what other place hath he such care to protect and provide for as his house And he layes up his treasures and his jewels in his house so God layes up all the treasures of grace and comfort in the visible Church In the Church hee is to be spoken with as a man is in his house there hee gives us sweet meetings there are mutuall spirituall kisses Let him kisse me with the kisses of his mouth Cant. 1. A mans house is his Castle as we say that hee will protect and provide for God will be sure to protect and provide for his Church Therefore hee calls the Church of God that is the Tabernacle that was the Church at that time the house of God If wee apply it to our times that that answers the Tabernacle now is particular visible Churches under particular Pastors where the meanes of salvation are set up particular visible Churches now are Gods Tabernacle The Church of the Jewes was a Nationall Church there was but one Church but one place and one Tabernacle but now God hath erected particular Tabernacles every particular Church Congregation under one Pastor their meeting is the Church of God a severall Church independant Our Nationall Church that is the Church of England because it is under a government Civill which is not dependant upon any other forraine Prince it is a particular Church from other nations In that God calls the Church his House it shewes the speciall respect that hee hath to his Church God though he be present every where yet he is present in another manner in his Church As for instance the soule is present in all the parts of the body but the soule as farre as it understands is onely in the braine as farre as it is the fountaine of life it is in the heart it hath offices and functions in all the parts but in the speciall function the rationall function of it as it discourseth and reasoneth it is in the braine so for our apprehension sake God is every where but as hee sanctifies and poures out his blessings and opens and manifests his secrets so he is in his Church especially God is every where but hee is in another way in heaven then in other places hee is there gloriously so in earth hee is every where but he is in another manner in the Church the heaven upon earth then in other places hee is there as in his house to protect them provide for them as his family and there hee abides by his Ordinances and takes solace and delight God delights himselfe in his Church and Children that attend upon his Ordinances where Two or three are met together I will bee in the middest of them When Gods people meet together in the Church God is present among them So you see in what respect the Tabernacle then and particular Churches now which answer it are called the House of God Let us learne this for our duty as well as consider our comfort in that the Church is the House of God let us carry our selves as wee should decently in the house of God Those that are to looke to the house of God they should purge out all uncleane corners that God may delight to dwell in his House still that we give him no cause to depart out of his House That I may Dwell in the house of the Lord c. The act here is that I may dwell in the house of the Lord. Hee did not desire to be in it for a day or a little time to salute it and so to leave it but to dwell in the House of the Lord and to dwell there for ever You see here that Christians have a constant love to the best things a constant desire to dwell in the house of God You may thinke it a strange desire of this holy man to dwell in the House of God but thinke then of the continuednesse of his desire it was even to heaven it selfe he desired to dwell in the House of God for ever For what end I desire to dwell in the House of God that I may dwell in the love of God and in the care of God to me in Christ for ever I doe not desire to dwell in the House of God as it is a meeting and there an end but I desire to dwell in the House of God that I may dwell in the love and care of God and not onely dwell in his care and love to me and his care and esteeme of me but that I may dwell in my love to him that I may abide in his love and faith in him that I may abide in Christ. It is not onely for a man to abide in the House of God and goe no further then so but to abide in the love of God and in our love and care and faith and dependance upon him to make God our house to live and walke and abide in to dwell in God as Saint Iohn saith not onely in the House of God but God himselfe And the upshot of all his Hag. 2. 7. Contents of the former part of the Psalme 1 Davids comfort 1 In Gods goodnes to himselfe 2 Cor. 1. 4. 2 In the destruction of his enemies who are described 1 By their malice 2 By their ruine 2 Davids courage 3 His care Division of the Text. Quest. Answ. Difference of things in the world Quest. Answ. The scope of a good heart in the use of Gods Ordinances The scope of a good heart in the use of Gods Ordinances The Prophet saith One thing have I desired 2 In respect of God 2 In respect of the soule 3 In respect of grace Vse To shew the vanlty of wordly men Thoughts and desires the first issues of the heart Motion stirred up by desire Holy desires arise 1 From Christ. 2 Esteeme 3 Deliberate judging Observ. The spirit stirres up holy desires in Gods children Quest. Answ. Desires are true 1 By the object 2 Fervency 3 Constancie 4 From Gods Love 5 Tend to Gods honour To examine our desires Simile Vsing all meanes and remooving all hinderances Quest. Answ. How to know good desires are strong Isay 26. 8. Object of Davids desire God August Observ. To turne desires into prayers To keepe acquaintance with God Ephes. 4. Note of a good conscience Davids importunity Observ. Perseverance and importunity requisite in prayer Luke 18. Quest. Answ. Answ. God doth notanswer our desires presently 1 God loves to heare our prayers 2 To keepe us humble 3 To exercise our graces 4 To praise Gods blessings 5 To use them better A spirit of prayer better then particular lessigs Object Psal. 23. 5. 6. Answ. Assurance of that we pray for no hinderance to prayer Dan. 9. Ioh. 17. Ezech. 36. Specification of Davids desire To dwell in the House of God House what House of God Cant. 1. Gods respect to his Church Simile To carrie our selves decently in Gods House Love of Gods children to good things constant David desired to dwell 1 In Gods love to him 2 In his love to God