It was an elegant address that the queen of Sheba made to Solomon, when she had surveyed the magnificence of his court, and heard his wisdom; “Happy are thy men, and happy are these thy servants, who stand continually before thee!” 1 Kings x. 8. And there was much truth and honour in her speech. But the harp of David strikes a diviner note; Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, O God, that he may approach unto thee, and dwell in thy courts, in the holy sanctuary. Whether, in these words, the Psalmist blesses those levites and priests, whose duty it was to attend the ark, and to dwell near the tabernacle, or whether he pronounces blessedness on every man of Israel, whose habitation nigh the ark gave him frequent opportunities to attend at that solemn worship, is not very necessary to determine. Either of these may be called dwelling in the courts of God. But it is most probable, that the sacred writer designs the second sense of the word, and that he includes himself in the desire or possession of this blessedness, though he was neither a priest nor a levite; for he uses the same phrase in several places, and applies it to himself; Ps. xxvii. 4. _One thing have I 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._ Ps. xxiii. 6.—_I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever._ By which he intimates, that he would seek the most frequent opportunities of approaching God in public worship. It is sufficient to my present purpose, that the holy Psalmist makes the _blessedness of man_ to depend upon his _near approaches to God_. Here we should remember that God is necessarily near to all his creatures, by his infinite knowledge, by his preserving and governing power: _He is not far from every one of us: for in him we live, and move, and have our being_; Acts xvii. 27, 28. But the privilege which David speaks of in my text, is a _peculiar approach of a creature to God_, which is a fruit of divine choice and favour. The souls who enjoy this blessing are chosen to it, and by divine providence and mercy are _caused to approach him_. What further explication of this phrase is necessary, will be sufficiently given in the following parts of the discourse. Let this then be the doctrine which I shall attempt to confirm and improve, _viz._ Doctrine. Nearness to God is the foundation of a creature’s happiness. This may be proved with ease, if we consider, what it is that makes an intelligent being happy: and how well such an approach to God furnishes us with all the means of attaining it. The ingredients of happiness are these three: 1. The contemplation of the most excellent object: 2. The love of the chiefest good: 3. And a delightful sense of being beloved by an all-sufficient power, or an almighty friend.