Ps. lxxxvii. 3. Glorious things are spoken of thee, 0 city of
God.
THE city here spoken of, is Zion : of whose praises the whole Scriptures speak. She is repre- sented as " beautiful for situation, and as being the joy of the whole earth a." Even God himself is repre- sented as delighting in her, and as " loving the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob V Why she, and the Church which is represented by her, are so high in the estimation of God and man, it will be not unimportant to consider.
To bring the subject fully before you, I will shew, I. What glorious things are spoken of her —
Amongst the many things spoken of her in Scrip- ture, she is particularly commended,
1. As the residence of the Deity —
a Ps. xlviii. 2. b ver. 2.
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[God chose Zion of old for his habitation, and delighted to make that above all other cities in the universe " the place of his restc." There he abode in that bright symbol of his pre- sence, the Shechinah, " dwelling between the cherubimsd." There his people assembled by his appointment to worship him : thence he dispensed his blessings : and thence in due time he sent forth his everlasting Gospele.
Thus under the Christian dispensation he has honoured his Church, dwelling in it ; as he has said, " I am with you alway, even to the end of the world." There he reveals his glory, even " all the glory of the godhead, in the face of Jesus Christ"
There he makes known all the riches of his grace and
love There he communes with his people who pre- sent their supplications before him, " drawing nigh to them, whilst they draw nigh to him ;" and giving them answers of peace ; not indeed visibly, as by the Urim and Thummim of old, but
really, and satisfactorily to their souls In a word, though
unknown in every other place under heaven, " He is known in her palaces as a refuge f."]
2. As the birth-place of the saints —
[This is particularly noticed in the psalm before us : " Of Zion it shall be said, This and that man is born in herg." Under the Jewish dispensation conversions were comparatively few ; but under the Christian dispensation they are very nume- rous ; though at present they are only as the drop before the shower. On the day of Pentecost the Spirit was poured out in richer abundance, and thousands were converted in a day : and still, wherever the Gospel is preached in sincerity and truth, there the power of God accompanies the word, and " subdues the souls of men to the obedience of faith." Amongst the heathen, Satan maintains an universal sway : and amongst those Chris- tians who are not blessed with a faithful ministry, very few are ever rescued from his dominion : but where the cross of Christ is exalted, there will be found " a stir among the dry bones," and multitudes will be born to God. And may we not ask, Whether this is not confirmed by the experience of many here present ? Once you were dead in trespasses and sins, and as destitute of all desire after God, as any people in the world : but, through the preaching of a crucified Saviour in this place, your souls have been " turned from darkness unto light, and from the power of Satan unto God." Here also, when you have been mourning on account of your indwelling corruptions, God has "given you the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness11;" so that you can confidently say, " I was born there." Blessed testimony, that may well endear to you
c Ps. cxxxii. 13, 14. f Ps. xlviii. 3.
d Ps. lxxx. 1. s ver. 5, 6.
e Isai. ii. 3. h Isai. lxi. 3.