beautful, most glorious. In all that pertains to her, she is " the perfection of beauty1." Her foundations are of the most pre- cious stones : " her walls are salvation, and her gates praise"." Her laws are all holy, and just, and good : her ordinances are a very heaven upon earth : and her members more highly privi- leged than all other creatures in the universe. Say then, Brethren, whether such be your views of Zion ; and whether to be enrolled amongst her citizens be the highest object of your ambition? Our blessed Lord told his disciples, that even to have "the devils made subject unto them" was no ground of joy in comparison of thisx: for, if you really belong to Zion, "your names are written in heaven," and all the glory and felicit}T of heaven are yours. But if you are " aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, you are strangers from the covenants of promise, without God, without Christ, without hopey."]
2. We should seek to advance her glory —
[God has promised, that, in due season, " the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and that all nations shall flow unto her2." " Then shall Zion be no more termed desolate, or forsaken : for God will delight in her ; and all the kings of the earth shall bring their glory to her." " Her gates shall be open continually: they shall not be. shut day nor night ; that men may bring unto her the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought. Then the nation and kingdom which shall not serve her shall perish ; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted. The glory of Lebanon shall come unto her, the fir-tree, the pine-tree, and the box together, (the meanest slave being as acceptable as the mightiest monarch,) to beautify the place of God's sanctuary, and to make the place of his feet glorious. The sons also of them that afflicted her, shall come bending unto her ; and all that despised her shall bow down themselves at the soles of her feet ; and shall call her, The city of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel3." Now then I ask, Should we not long for this glorious period? Should we not exert ourselves to the uttermost to help it forward ? Should we not search out the benighted Gentiles, and labour to bring back to their God the dispersed of Israel? Should we not endeavour to bring men from every quarter, " their sons in our arms, and their daughters in litters upon our shoulders, to glorify the house of his glory ? " Men may pretend to love the Church : but their professions must be brought to this test. If we are at all sensible of the benefit of belonging to Zion, we shall neither rest ourselves, " nor give any rest to our God," till
1 Ps. 1. 2. « Isai. lx. 18. ■ x Luke x. 20.
y Eph. ii. 12. z Isai. ii. 2. a Isai. lx. 11 — 14.