the rich man came to realize the threatnings of God, it seemed to him, that if one were to go from the eternal world, and tell sinners what he was suffering in hell, that they could not go on in their sins..

Be exhorted then, O sinners, to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Let the peace of your souls be your first care. What good will your treasures do you, in the hour of death!

DISCOURSE XVII.

EPH. II. 19.

Now therefore, ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.

THERE are few things of more importance than a clear knowledge of the character and privi-. leges of a citizen of Zion, or the heavenly Jerusa lem. This is necessary for us, in order to determine how it is with us, what is our state and character, and what are our prospects..

The Apostle in the preceding part of this chap-. ter, is drawing the character of men in a state of nature; as dead in trespasses and sins; by na.... ture children of wrath; without Christ; aliens. from the commonwealth of Israel; strangers from the covenants of promise; having no hope and without God in the world. He then describes their happy change of state-that now they were made nigh by the blood of Christ; that Christ by his.

death had reconciled them to God; that they had! been brought into a happy nearness to him, and that, through Christ, by one spirit, they had ac cess to God. In this connexion come in the words of the text: "Now therefore, ye are no more strangers, &c."

In speaking from these words, I shall

I. Attend to the character of a citizen of Zion II. To his privileges.

I. I shall attend to the character of a citizen of Zion.

The citizens of Zion were once citizens of the world: Here all their interest was; but they are translated out of it. "They are not of this world," says Christ," for I have chosen them out of the world." They are pilgrims and strangers. Their interest is not here, and they are disposed to improve this world, only as an accommodation for their journey.

All the citizens of the New-Jerusalem from this world are new; they cannot see how any can enter into the kingdom of God, except they are born again. Things appear to them altogether different from what they once did. They have a totally different view of the character of God and his law.

A citizen of Zion has placed his interest in Heaven He has sold, as it were, in this world: He is like a merchantman, seeking goodly pearls.

All those who are citizens have a supreme love to God, the King of Zion: They are charmed with his character, and it is to them altogether lovely. The citizens of this world do not like all that belongs to the King of Zion: They are opposed to his pure and holy character, his laws and his providence. But it is otherwise with those who belong to the New-Jerusalem. They love in God, what others hate; his purity, holiness

and sovereignty, his government, laws and holy severity: They do not dislike God, because he is obliged to damn the impenitent sinner. In

deed, they see a divine beauty in the character of God; and the law, as a ministration of death and condemnation, is to them glorious. Nay, they see a peculiar beauty in the system of law, and in the truths contained in the Bible. Whereas, those who are of an opposite character, are not reconcil ed to the system contained in the Bible: They see no divine beauty in it; but raise many diffi culties, and make many cavils in opposition to it.

Further, those who are citizens, are, in some degree, conformed to that heavenly country. It is calculated to suit their taste: They are suited with the employments and with the society of the country: They, in some measure, talk the lan-. guage of the heavenly Canaan.-Among them, selves also, there is a great likeness.:. They are engaged in the same pursuit; have one common interest belong to one family drink into one. spirit; have one faith; one Lord; one baptism; they are all travelling the same way, and the same kind of love is characteristic of them. There is a sort of love, or affection, which strangers and others may have to God, the King of Zion; but it is all interested. But the love which is pos sessed by the citizens of Zion, is of a different nature They love God for his holiness, and for what he is in himself.

There is something peculiar in their hatred of sin: They loath themselves, as sinners, and love God, because he is opposed to their character. They have in this world a peculiar warfare with sin. They have a peculiar kind of submission to the Divine will, and exercise patience under the severest trials.' The will of their Heavenly Father is to them of more importance than life.

They have often a pleasure in suffering the will of God: They can even glory in tribulation, and rejoice that they are accounted worthy to suffer for Christ: They can, in relation to threatened evils, say, good is the word of the Lord: If their Heav enly Father allots straits and trials, they can cheer fully endure them.

They see a kind of beauty, glory and lustre in divine things, which others do not see; they have a kind of joy and peace, with which the stranger does not intermeddle. When they are born into the kingdom of God, they discover in the visible creation, a divine glory which they never saw before: They have peace in believing, and are transported with those divine truths contained in the word of God

The natural: man discerneth not the things of the spirit of God, but the citizens of Zion place their highest enjoyments in things that are wholly spiritual. These objects swallow up their minds: About these, when they live like citizens, they like to converse, and after these they long. Strangers often wonder what there is in these things, that can so much delight them, and are often ready to suppose, that there is little difference between themselves and the godly. But however little apparent distinction there may be, yet they are travelling very different ways. They have a very dif ferent kind of faith and trust. The citizens of Zion have a confidence in God, which, in the darkest times, bears up the soul. They willingly submit to self-denial, and can readily consent to forsake the pleasures of sin. We see all this exemplified in Abraham, Moses and others of the godly.

I now pass to the

II. Thing, which was to mention some of the privileges of citizens of Zion.

They are entitled to great external privileges; such as important visible relation to Christ, brotherly watch, and fellowship, and admission to visible nearness to Christ, in the holy, sacramental supper. These, if properly improved, are great advantages. They experience the great and blessed grace of pardon, in which God, as it were, opens his arms to receive them, and their souls are unburthened of guilt.

Another great privilege of citizens of Zion is, that they are adopted into Christ's family, are dignified by the appellation of sons of God, and by the gift of the spirit of adoption.

Another privilege is the peculiar intimacy to which God has admitted his people. He has been wont to let his servants know all that he was about to do. Thus he communicated to Abraham his design respecting the destruction of Sodom, and to Noah his design respecting the deluge.

The privileges of the godly under the christian dispensation, appear in that near and intimate communion to which God often admits them. "Our fellowship," says the Apostle, "is with the Father, and his Son Jesus Christ." It is astonishing condescension that God should, in such a sweet manner, lift upon his people the light of his countenance. He not only makes them heirs of glory; but gives them in the present world, many sweet pledges, earnests and prelibations of their future glorious inheritance. Great and amazing is that happiness to which they are sometimes admitted. They experience the dawning of glory. in their souls, and are swallowed up in delights that are unspeakable.

Lastly, the privileges of the citizens of Zion will be rendered still more complete after death. They shall then enter on complete and endless fe