so in this one word the Iewes are put in mind of God his prouident sight in Abrahams offring vp his Isaac and of Melchi-zedeks blessing powred vpon Abraham after his returne from slaughter of the Kings Others compound it of Iebus and Shalem And very certaine it is that this Citie at seuerall times enioyed these seuerall names But these two termes drawen into one should so yeeld not Ierushalem but Iebushalem Answere is made that B. is turned into R. for mysterie sake as Saul was turned into Paul Sarai into Sarah Abram into Abraham the change of letter being a sacramental signe of the Cities change from sin to Sanctitie no longer to remaine a cage of such vnclean and hatefull byrds as were the Iebushits but a Citie for the Saints an habitation for the mighty God of Iaakob And this mysticall sense the B. turned into R. will further imply if so they be considered in Hebers language where B. is termed Beth in English an House R. is termed Resh in English an Head as if one would say that vnclean House became the Head or Metropolitane citie And in verie truth euery one of vs in our first creation was Shalem at peace with God but by Apostacie and miscreation we became in the second place Iebus a receptacle of vnclean spirits but by recreation and the new gift of God we are made Ierushalem a Citie for the great king The truth resting betweene these two last repeated iudgements you may demaund whether of them vtters the truth I answer both speak probably for any thing yet vnto me reuealed If of Iireh and Shalem it signifieth vision of peace if of Iebus and Shalem B. turned to R. it also commeth to be as before Iirehshalem by contraction Ierushalem the vision of peace or the place of such vision as bringeth True peace For all false vision doth effect but a false peace compared by Ezech. chap. 13.11 c. to vntempered morter that will not hold out a storme when the wrath of God commeth out against sinners Whereas that vision which issueth from God and his Ministrie it offreth and to the Beleeuer giueth a Peace which the Receiuer shall neuer need to repent of This touching the Iudaicall and typicall Ierushalem premised Let vs now examine the remoouall of this shadow for establishing the substance And the Name of that Citie from a Day shal be Iehouah-shámmah As if he should say From the day of this new Cities building a terme shall be put vpon this Citie which shall be vnto it as a sacrament of Iehouahs presence there for euer So that herein we are to obserue First the remooual of an old Citie 2. for building of a new with the remoouall of an old name for baptizing this Citie into a new First touching the remoouall of the old Haggai including Citty Hag. 2.7 Temple Land doth tearme the pollicie ecclestiasticall and ciuill an heauens and an earth which God would shake after a while euen then shake the same what time the expectation of the Nations that is Messiah should come And because we should not doubt what he meaneth by shaking marke how the Author to the Hebrewes descants thereon Yet once more will I shake Heb. 12.27.28 not the earth onely but also the heauens And this word Yet once more signifieth a remoouing of those things which are made that the things which are not shaken may remaine Wherefore seeing we receiue a kingdome which cannot be shaken c. In all which is plainly concluded that the old pollicie of the Iewes togither with their whole kingdome it was to be shaken and by the Messiah remooued that so we might receiue the new kingdome of Messiah that neuer was to be shaken or remooued The Prophets are plentifull in this poynt and the Author to the Hebrewes maketh this doctrine as the mayne argument and subiect of his Epistle And what doth Iaakob in his prophecie vpon Iudahs tribe inferre principally if not this that Iudahs tribe should continue till Shiloh come Gen. 49.10 but Shiloh once come he should gather the people to himselfe and so consequently dissolue Iudahs tribe and annihil their City and pollicy The tribe shall not depart Iudah that is Iudahs tribe shall not be dissolued and confounded till Shiloh come and the people shall be gathered vnto him And how apparant this is let Iudahs present dispersion the losse of their Canaan the subuersion of their city the ouerthrow of their priesthood and sacrifice and that for these 1500. yeeres and vpward let that their tragike experience be as ten thousand subscriptions to this doctrine Nor were these heauenly Mosaicall heauens and earth shaken and remoued for a season but for euer For from the day of that shaking we receiued a kingdome that was neuer to be remooued Now if with our vnmooueable kingdome the kingdome of Christ we should after a season expect the Iewish kingdomes restauration vnto their Mosaicall pollicie this were to confound Christ and Moses shadowe and substance I do not define whether euer the Iewes shall be gathered into some forme of gouernment but I conclude that their figuring kingdome was as a shadowe euer to be abolished that so the figured and substantiall kingdome of Messiah might be planted for euer The Synagogues kingdome was notably shaken when Messiah hanging vppon the crosse the earth quaked the vayle rent the stones cloue a sunder Yea they might take knowledge of a new world when as the graues togither with the Lord of resurrection did send out their dead Matth. 27.51 c. who walked into the City and shewed themselues to many putting them in mind of Daniels Dan. 12.2 resurrection of many About 40. yeares after their Temple was fired their city by the Romanes rased to the ground and their whole common-wealth vanished as a scrowle folded togither Euseb dem Euan. l. 1. c. 6. This caused Eusebius to say Soluta est confestim omnis Mosi constitutio c. The whole constitution of Moses forthwith was dissolued and all things of the old Testament whatsoeuer till then reserued they then were taken away From this day Ezekiels new city was to be builded The lowe Ierusalem was to giue place vnto that new one which th'apostle termeth “ Gala 4.26 so vnderstood of Luther Caluine Mariorat Hemin gius Hyperius others See Hebr. 12.22 heauenly and free yea the mother of vs all and by Iohn defined to be the “ Concilium Senosense in primo decreto vnderstandeth so of Reuel 21. Tabernacle of God resiant with men Of the old citie excellent things were spoken but greater and more meruailous things are recorded of this city the substantiall city of God And no maruayle seeing this is compacted in such durable manner of such durable matter as one with God it must continue for euer Th' other was but Leah that is Rahel the beuty of the nations and better then the Egyptian Queene may bee called * In
A calling had at home and not vnsubscribed vnto by forraine Churches Before thine eyes I haue heere lighted a candle describing new Ierushalem the praise of the whole earth This is not done so particularly as might be wished but as the time could affoorde Moses from mount Neboes toppe termed Pisgah he seeth Canaan and Israels distinct lotts but Ioshuah the diuident of these mansions hee sawe it more thorowly If that I haue done may occasion any other to do better my lot is good Meane time accept of this Description of Ierushalem as of a light directing to a Description of Babel that if God thinke good I may heereafter publish Which if some things heere omitted may there be fruitfully obserued Southwark by London 1601 A DESCRIPTION of new Jerushalem EZEK last chap. last verse and last clause And the Name of that Citie from a Day shal be Iehouah-shammah TO the end this vpshot of Ezekiels Prophecye may be the cleerer too our senses Let vs summarily consider the whole bodie of this Priest-like Prophecie In this visionarie volume we may obserue two sorts of Visions the first generall the second speciall That is generall it is that one stately sight which the Prophet hath in the first chap. containing a treasurie of comfort to the whole Catholike bodie of Israel seeing therin the Church may behold how Iehouah Aelohim the great God is mounted vpon the stately Chariot of the world hauing the raynes in his hand gouerning by the mightie outgoings and returnings of his eternall spirit wherby he also seeth cleerely into all things Come heauen and earth together run all vpon wheeles not Fortune but the mightie Iehouah he turneth all the frame of Nature vnto his owne most worthie glorie and the common vtilitie of his beleeuing Israel In the other visions we more specially obserue first the Prophets calling secondly a particular discouerie of the Iewish typicall matters In his calling contained in the second and third chap we cleerely may see how togither with his Nomination vnto this stately kind of ministerie the prouident God giueth vnto him a Rowle of wisdome to eate Because hee sendeth no prophet in mercy to his church whome first he enricheth not with the hid treasure of his burning spirit for consuming vp the spirituall oppositions that stand as hinderances in the way of his kingdoms passage In these visions that concerne the bodie of the Iews more particularly we may consider first Iehouah casting them out for their sinnes specially for filling the Temple with pictured Beasts beastlie affections in them who should haue bin themselues a Temple for the holy ghost auerting and turning their backs vpon the Lord for the which Iehouah leaues the Temple drawing his glorie to the Mountaine forsaking them and their City that so the Chaldeans with vnbridled crueltie might ouerturne all destroy a multitude and carry a remnant into captiuity This their eiection laid downe in sundry visions in the second place is vttered God his free acception of this cast-away people And this is don first by destroying his peoples aduersaries secondly by powring a bounteous blessing vpon this people first by revniting Iudah and Israel the two and ten tribes into one for the glorious ouerthrow of Gog and Magog secondly by measuring vnto his people Canaan and Ierusalem for new That I say for new it is because all in this restauration is new For in respect of the letter fully when were the ten Trybes who schismed in Rehoboams time and in Hosheahs time were transported by Assur when were they revnited to Iudah and Beniamin When did these 12. Trybes of Israel make such hauock of Gog and Magogs huge armie When was Canaan so remeasured and these new lots diuers vnto Iehoshuahs when were the Trybes replanted in them Other things touching the Citie and Temple might come into a Quaere but that is said vnto the learned is sufficient for manifesting that the fulnesse and spirit of this prophecie was to be expected of a new Israel comming out of a new Babylon vnto a new Canaan endowed with a new Citie and Temple Insomuch as this New-church might well say with the Apostle “ 2. Cor. 5.17 Old thinges are passed away behold all thinges are become new As Ezekiel saw them in the spirit so must we consider them in the spirit For as a certaine Auncient well saith of Moses fed in the mount c. * Macarius in homil 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What soeuer was done or fell out it was a figure and as th'apostle speaketh * Heb. 10.1 a shadow of good thinges to come Now to the Text. And the Name of that Citie c. What Citie speaketh he of The whole hystorie before considered we easily vnderstand of what Citie he treats according to the letter and open narration namely of Ierushalem in Palestina which according to this Prophecie was to be turned into a new Citie and therewith to be inuested with a new name First to this old Citie the shadow then afterwards to the new Citie the soule and substance of the former shadow Ierushalem in Ioshuahs 18. chap. and last verse is termed Iebusi of the vncircumcised Iebusits that inhabited the same and is there seated in the lot of Beniamin specially the superiour part Zion 2. Sam. 5. together with the sacred Temple seated vpon the Mountaines termed by Moses the shoulders of Beniamin But else from Ioshuahs 15. chap. and last verse it should also fall within the lot of Regall Iudah This do some reconcile thus it was Beniamins Per sortem by lot but Iudahs by Beniamins Per concessionem concession or graunt or else it was by reason that God for after purpose had intermingled Beniamin with Iudah Touching the Name Ierushalem diuers are diuersly minded Some haue taken it to arise from the greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying or Sacrificer a Priest and the auncient hebrew terme Shalem in English Peace Heb. 7.2 as if it were termed Sacrifice or Sacrificers-peace or Peaceable-sacrifice But such composition should haue been to the Iewes but as a Lynsywoolsy garment or the matching of an Ox and an Asse together or the sowing of their ground with Miscellaine inhibited by the law For what had Hebers people to do with Iauans tongue Or whē did the spirit of prophecy abhor Hebers language the Dialects following out of it that so he should to the old Synagogue adde the Grecians language The continuall practise of the old testament doth euer witnes the contrarie Others more rightly deduce the former part of the word also from the Hebrew and hereof be two iudgments Some take it to be compounded of Iireh Gen. 22.14 a terme which Abraham put vpon the mount 1. Chro. 3.1 Moriah whereon the Temple was built and of Shalem the auncient name of this citie Gen. 14. what time Melchi-zedek did inhabite there Which two termes Iireh and Shalem contracted into one do make Ierushalem And
his eldest sonne finishing this mans seed in Iehoiachin from the front of whose name Iehouah remoueth Compare 2. King 24.6 with Ier. 22.24.28 c. according to Greek for me Ieconias in Math. 1.11 Iah as a signet from his finger terming him Coniah pulling heerewith Nathan the other sonne of Dauid his family into the line by adoption beginning with Salathiel and so to Zerubbabel and then downe by his eldest sonne Abiud vnto Christ S. Luke beginning with Ioseph the supposed father of Iesus hee steppeth vpwarde to Zerubbabel by the line of his second sonne Rhesa and so from him directly vpward to Dauid not by Solomons house which ended with the captiuitie but by Nathans line the line of adoption This paines haue the two Euangelists taken for manifesting the church her visibilitie from the beginning of the worlde vnto Messiahs comming The Typicall church so ouerturneth our aduersaries doctrine for that was alwayes visible Secondly they alleadge certaine scriptures against the new churches visibilitie the seeming strongest whereof be these first Reuelat. 12. where by the woman they truely vnderstand the church whereof the virgin Mary was an arch-member and from her lodging in the wildernesse for a time two times and halfe a time they vnderstand some long time wherein the church should be hid from the sight of al be inuisible I answer scripture must be expounded from scripture not by vnreasonable fancies for where haue they any one scripture which By being in the wildernesse doth vnderstand Inuisibilitie Rather lette them vnderstand that the holy-ghost puttes vs hereby in mind of the anciēt church of Israel fed in the wildernesse and as Moses sayth Exod. 19.4 Deut. 32.11 carried as vpon the wings of an Eagle a figure of the worlds state through which the Church heere is to passe in her pilgrimage spirituall Now who will say that Israel was inuisible in the wildernesse Or that they could be considered but onely according to secret Election The flat contrary followeth Such ill happe haue these men in their allegation of scripture Another scripture is that before alleadged in Reu. 6. whence they would conclude an apostacie of the whole church I answer again scripture must expound scripture Compare this wyth Isaiahs prophecie chapt 24. last verse as also with 34. chap and 4. verse with other like places and it onely implyeth a darke desolation of all church beauty and orderly constitution whereby God testifieth his anger against rich and poore one an other The Moone therefore is seene coloured like blood whereby each meaneth a general persecution and blodshed in the church which cannot be if the church were inuisible And to this purpose marke howe in the twelfth chapter when the red dragon assayled the Church wyth all his might hee yet drewe downe but a third parte of the stars some were reserued to shine in the Church God euer in that reuelation shewing mercy to a remnant whē otherwise the viols of his wrath were powred out vpon the malignant multitude This theyr winde shaketh therfore no hauer Another scripture is Reu. 13. where say they all do take the beasts mark T is vntrue for the holy-ghost thus sayth All that dwell vppon the earth shall worshippe him marke the exception whose names are not written in the Booke of the life of the Lambe c. And because such there shall be he afterwardes concludeth Here is the patience of the Saynts So that Saints there shall be who wyth patience shall conquere And that is more plainely declared in the 11. chapter where all the tyrannous raigne of the beast choose whether that beast be the body of cruell Emperours or the sonne of perdition GOD also hath his Prophetes by whose ministerie the oyle of God his sauing grace is conueyed vnto his people Thus these men talke no men so much of the booke of Reuelation before any one of the Seales be vnclasped vnto them They should now at last learne to meddle lesse with this booke seeing the holy ghost leaueth so fearfull a curse vpon these that adde their owne idle fancies therto Reu. 22.19 An other scripture they alleage namely 2. Thess 2. whence they affirme the Churches whole departure from the Faith I answere First the auncient writers did ordinarily vnderstand Ierom ad Algasiam Tertull. de resurrect ca. 24. August de ciuitat l. 20. it of a generall Reuolt from Romes Empire which then had ruledome ouer the Nations of the earth And that indeed is verie plainly fore-told by S. Iohn in Reuel 17.16 Later writers in respect of some after circumstances do take it to be an Apostacie generall from Faith but none that stinke not of heresie do from thence conclude a flat Nullitie of the Church A generall desolation there should be as before in the Reuel but not a falling away in euery particular member For this is an absurd forme of argumentation Many or the most shall fall away therefore euery one shall fall away The man of sin with his army abhominable should enter into this new Citie and Temple of God yea rather rise vp in the midst thereof sowing his perfidious doctrine and planting his Idolatrous bottomles pit-inuentions but yet neuer essentially subdue those soules vnto him whose names were written in the Lambs booke Spot them he might with many superstitions but neuer subuert them in the Substance of their Faith and Obedience as In my Antid as also in my Visible Christian els where I haue in writing plainlie euinced If during Antichrists raigne there should be no visible people of God then Antichrist should be no more Antichrist seeing Christ had none in opposition against him Anti-christ must euer haue some to warre against and there must euer be some to wage battaile against Antichrist Otherwise fire would drop from Heauen and the world thereupon be presently consumed seeing there were none in the earth who had the word of Couenant in their mouths Such Nouices are ignorant of the promise sealed by the Father vnto Messiah the Churches Redeemer Isa 59.21 My spirit saith he that is vpon thee and my words which I haue put in thy mouth shal not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy seed nor out of thy seedes-seed saith Iehouah from henceforth euen for EVER And to this purpose when the sacred Reu. 7.1 c. winds of God breathed by the foure Euangelists were to be held back in an vnknowen tongue the Lord taketh order for many Iewes and moe Gentiles that they should notwithstanding carie not onely in their heart but also in their foreheads the visible marke of true Christianitie Bulling part 2. in annot tabulae 5. Bullinger in his Epitome of times hauing spoken of the most accursed times wherein Pharises Saduces Esseni crept into the Iewish Church he addeth Interim non dubium est c. Meane time it is not to be doubted that true doctrine continued vncorrupted amongst the litle remnant