The Lord's Beauty As Seen in His Temple
Zion's Advocate, December 1901, Vol. 40, No. 12.
"One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his holy Temple." - Psalms 27:4.
The service of God was David's choice. It was, in fact, his element. Occasionally his heart panted after God as the hart pants after the water brooks. When it appeared to him that his God had deserted him he was so distressed that his tears became his meat, his only solace and relief, day and night. In this situation of distress he called to mind former times of sweet communion with God till his soul was melted within him. He had gone with the multitude to the house of God, his heart being filled with love and his voice tuned to the praises of his holy name. In calling all this to remembrance he sought to evade despondency by questioning his own soul as to the cause of being cast down. Hope sprang up within him, and he felt assured that he would yet experience the help of the Lord's countenance and enjoy his presence and smiles, for which he would give all the praise to him. Read the 42nd Psalm.
The more spiritually minded a believer is, the more will he rejoice in the Lord's presence and the more will he grieve in his absence. The greatest blessing any child of God can have is to be exercised by such a longing desire for the Lord's presence and communion that nothing else will satisfy his heart. He can have no stronger proof that he is truly a child of God than the sense of distress which he sometimes experiences. The beauty of the Lord being once seen, a thirsting desire to behold more and more of that beauty is felt in proportion to the spiritual exercise of the christian's mind. When such is not the case it is because the carnal mind that still belongs to our nature is allowed to predominate over the spiritual mind that the Lord has given us. When we, through the Spirit, mortify the deeds of the body, and are truly spiritual minded, we live, and this life is manifested by a hungering and thirsting that nothing else but fellowship and communion of our God will satisfy. If we lose our appetite for the Lord's presence and love, we have reasons to fear that we have allowed ourselves to become carnally minded.
God gave to the children of Israel, through Moses, a holy sanctuary or tabernacle as a visible representation of his glorious beauty, and pledge of his presence and protection. In this sanctuary the true Israelite, who was one inwardly, could see the Lord's beauty. To him there was a sublime sacredness and holy beauty in the curtains and boards and bars and vail and covering of the tabernacle, and in the furniture it contained. The offerings and feasts were joyful to him as he saw in them the beauty of God. So in the gospel dispensation those who are Jews inwardly, who are circumcised in heart, behold the Lord's beauty in his church. "Her sweet communion, solemn vows, her hymns of love and praise," fill their hearts with joy. This is the house of his abode whose tabernacle is said to be with men. The place for devotion, the house of the Lord, is the place most delightful this earth can afford to the toil-worn people who are left as a poor people in the midst of a sinful world. This is the Mount of Zion, the city of God. Jesus shows a smiling face there to all that meet in his name. The gospel sets forth the excellent beauty of the Lord and proclaims peace to the inhabitants of spiritual Jerusalem. How sweet it is to sit in his holy sanctuary, tasting the sweet word of truth, and seeing by faith him who, to the natural eye, is altogether invisible.
This is greatly to be desired and sought after. Dear reader, are you favored with church privileges? If so, do all in your power to show your appreciation of the rich favor thus graciously conferred upon you by your kind heavenly Father. The more zealous you are in attending upon the public service of God the more beauty you will see in it and the more comfort you will derive from it. After more than thirty years of service we can say that we still desire of the Lord to dwell in his house all the days of our life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in his temple. To us there is nothing so delightful as this. We want always to feel as we meet with God's people that we are meeting with our own kindred in Christ with whom we hope to dwell in heaven. Jesus, whom we then hope to see and love and praise, sheds forth the beauty of his glorious presence where even two or three of his children are gathered together in his name. How can we purposely absent ourselves from an assembly where Jesus is sure to be as sure as his promise is certain? If he were on earth bodily, and we knew he would be with a band of his saints on Saturday, would we not leave our earthly affairs and go to the place? It is just as certain that Jesus is present with them in Spirit as if he were there bodily. He was at the meeting of your church last Saturday meeting. Were you there? If you were not you were not where he was in the sense of his promise to be in the midst of those who meet in his name. To be sure he was every where, but he was with his church in a special sense. None of his children can afford to miss meeting with him.
J. R. D.
Behold the mount of Zion,
The City of our God!
The beauty of creation,
And place of His abode.
Copyright c. 2005. All rights reserved. The Primitive Baptist Library.
