the Canker-worm the Catterpillar and the Palmer-worm hath eaten and you shall eat in plenty and be satisfied and shall praise the Name of the Lord. And then shall every one not only sit under his own Vine and under his own Fig-tree but from thence they shall call each to other to give to each other their dainties and none shall make them afraid And the Leaves of the Tree were for the healing of the Nations By Leaves here we may understand the blessed and precious Promises Consolations and Encouragments that by vertue of Christ's undertaking for us we have every where growing upon the new Covenant which Promises and Encouragments they are and will be most freely handed to the wounded conscience that will be tossed upon the restless waves of doubt and unbelief as was the Olive-leaf by the Dove brought home to Noah when he was tossed upon the waves of that outragious Flood that then did drown the world But again by this word the Leaves You may conceive that still he hath his eye to the Paradise in which at first God placed Adam and his Companion for 't was to Leaves they fled for covering after they had transgressed against their Maker Now then in his saying the Leaves are for healing it is as if he had said the Paradise that will be towards the latter end of the world will far outstrip the Paradise that first was planted in the begining thereof for as the Tree of Life which is the Christ and Saviour shall stand where did the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil which is the Old Covenant and Law of Works So the Leaves of this Tree shall be for healing and for covering the nakedness of poor transgressors though the Leaves that Adam found in the first Paradise do what he could did leave him naked Christs Leaves are better than Adams Aprons Ezekiel saith that these Leaves are for medicine that is they are for healing saith John the which may most fitly be applied to the blessed promise of Grace for as a Leaf for Medicine when applied to a sore in the body doth supple molify and heal the wound so the word of Promise when rightly applyed to the soul it doth supple molify and heal the wounded conscience He sent his word and healed them and delivered them from their distractions O that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderous works to the Children of men Psal. 107. 20 21. And the Leaves c. There is yet another Mystery lieth in these words He doth not say And the Fruits thereof are for the healing of the Nations but the Leaves by which he would have us to understand that all the benefits and priviledges that we do here receive from Christ they are as inferior to the Glory we shall have from him when we come to Heaven as inferior I say as the Leaves are to the Fruit. Again The comfort and sweetness that at any time we receive from the Lord it is not before but after a Promise is suitably applied even as the Fruit of the Tree with which the body is comforted is not before but after the Leavs have put forth themselves Wherefore Christ might well say to Nathaniel and that after he had received some refreshment from a Leaf Thou shalt see greater things than these and Paul That yet a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory is laid up for all Believers for indeed indeed the Glory that God hath prepared for us against the day of God it doth and will more outstrip the most high Enjoyment of the highest Saint in New-Jerusalem notwithstanding their Enjoyment will be so eminent than doth the sweetest Fruit outstrip the Leaf that hangeth on that Tree And the Leaves of the Tree were for the healing of the Nations If the Leaves be so good O Lord let us enjoy the Fruit and not a little or earnest but the whole Harvest thereof in thy Kingdom Thus much touching this Water and Tree of Life Vers. 3. And there shall be no more Curse but the the Throne of God shall be in it and his Servants shall serve him This is the conclusion of the whole Discourse and it sheweth unto us the blessed effect of the blessed recovering of this City to her first and primitive state These words therefore they are only applicable to this state of the Church For there hath no state of the Church been yet in the world but that state hath been liable to a Curse but this state to wit the state she will be in at her building again wil be a state without parallel a state properly her own And there shall be no more Curse By Curse in this place we are cheifly to understand not the taking away of the Curse the eternal Curse which separates between God and the soul for ever for so the Curse in this sence hath always been taken away by vertue of the terms the general terms of the New-Covenant and that in common for every Saint in all ages But by Curse here we are to understand that or those Curses that do and have frequently befallen the Church for her Sin and Apostacy as namely the giving up his People to their own darkness and ignorance his suffering them to swerve from his true Worship and Ordinances his giving them up into the hand of those that hate them to become among them a hissing a taunt a reproach and a by-word as it is at this day his taking away from them the means to wit the outward Word of the Gospel and suffering them to be even at the point to famish for the want thereof These and other things are the Curses that he here saith shall be no more among his People for indeed they shall not because the Gospel-Pattern shall never be removed more nor their Light to see nor their Love to practise never be diminished more Their defence also shall be the munition of Rocks bread shall be given them and their waters shall be sure As here you find the Tree River of the Water of Life are fixed now in the midst of this City Wherefore now the Church as I have all-along shewed you shall have her Sun at the height her Light as the light of seven dayes and shall go no more down for ever Also she shall never be pulled down She shall be a Tabernacle that shall never be pulled down neither shall one of the cords thereof be loosed or one of her stakes again removed There shall be no more Curse But the Throne of God shall be in it Indeed here lieth the reason of all blessedness to any People even the Presence of God Now the Presence of God is with his People either at times and seasons or all together He will not be to this City a God of times and seasons even like a wayfaring man that tarries but for a night as He used to be to
Lord Behold I will bring again the Captivity of Jacobs Tents and have mercy upon his dwelling Places and the City shall be builded upon her own heap and the Palace shall remain after the manner thereof and out of them shall proceed thanks-giving and the Voice of them that make merry and I will multiply them and they shall not be few and I will also glorifie them and they shall not be small Their Children also shall be as aforetime and their Congregation shall be established before me and I will punish all that oppress them Jer. 30. 18 19 20. Having the Glory of God And her Light was like unto a Stone most precious even like a Jasper Stone clear as Crystal Having thus told us of her Glory even of the Glory of God how it at this day will rest upon this City he now comes to touch a second thing to wit her Light and that in which she descends and by which as with the Light of the Sun she seeth before her and behind her and on every side This therefore is another Branch of her Beauty She in her descending hath the Glory of God and also the Light of a Stone most precious Ezekiel tells us That in the Vision that he saw when he came to destroy the City which Vision was the very same that he saw again at the restoring of it he saith I say that in this Vision among many other wonders he saw a Fire infolding it self and Brightness about it and that the Fire also was bright and that out of it went forth Lightning that the likeness of the Firmament upon the living Creatures was the colour of the terrible Crystal that the Throne also upon which was placed the likeness of a Man was like or as the appearance of a Saphir-Stone all which words with the nature of their Light and Colour the holy Ghost doth in the Vision of John comprize and placeth within the Colour of the Jasper and the Crystal-stone And indeed though the Vision of John and Ezekiel touching the end of the matter be but one and the same yet they do very much vary and differ in terms and manner of Language Ezekiel tells us That the man that he saw come to measure the City and Temple had in his hand a Line of Flax which Line John calls a Golden Reed Ezekiel tells us that the River came out of or from under the Threshold of the House but John saith it came out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb Ezekiel tells us that on either side of this River grew All Trees for food John calls these ALL Trees but ONE Tree and tells us that it stood on both sides of this River The like might also be shewed you in many other particulars as here you see they differ as touching the terms of the Light and Brightness that appears upon this City at her rebuilding which the holy Ghost represents to John under the Light and Glory of the Jasper and Crystal Stone for indeed the end of Ezekiel's Vision was to shew us That as when the Glory of God departed from the City it signified that he would take away from them the Light of his Word and their clearness of Worship suffering them to mourn for the loss of the one and to grope for the want of the other so at his return again he would give them both their former Light of Truth and also the clearness of Spirit to understand it which also John doth shew us shall last for ever And her Light was like unto a Stone most precious This Stone it is to represent unto us the Lord Jesus Christ in whose light and clearness this City comes out of Babylon for as he saith she hath the Glory of God that is his visible hand of Grace Power and Majesty to bring her forth so she comes in the light of this precious Stone which terms I say both the Prophet Isaiah and the Apostle Peter do apply to the Lord Jesus and none else the one calling him A precious Corner-Stone the other calling him The chief Corner-Stone elect and precious Isa. 28. 16. 1 Pet. 2. 6. Now then when he saith this City hath the light of this Stone to descend in he means That she comes in the shining Wisdom Knowledge Understanding and Influences of Christ out of her afflicted and captivated State and observe it she is rather said to descend in the Light of this Stone then in the Light of God though both be true because it is the Man Christ the Stone which the Builders rejected in whom are hid all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge of whose fulness we do all receive and Grace for Grace for it hath pleased the Father that in him should all Fulness dwell Col. 2. 3. John 1. 16. Col. 1. 19. see also Act. 2. 33. and Ephes. 4. 10 11 12 13. This sheweth us then these two things first That the time of the return of the Saints to build the ruinous City is near yea very near when the Light of the Lord Jesus begins to shine unto perfect day in her God will not bring forth his People out of Babylon especially those that are to be the chief in the building of this City without their own Judgments They shall see Eye to Eye when the Lord shall bring again Zion as he saith also in another place The light of the Moon shall be as the light of the Sun and the light of the Sun sevenfold as the light of seven days in the day that the Lord bindeth up the Breach of his People and healeth the stroke of their Wound Now the Eyes of them that see shall not be dim the Ears of them that hear shall hearken The Heart also of the rash shall understand Knowledge and the Tongue of the Stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly The Lord shall be now exalted and be very high for he will fill Zion with Judgement and Righteousness and Wisdom and Knowledge shall be the stability of thy times When Israel went out of Egypt they wanted much of this they went out blindfolded as it were they went they knew not whither wherefore they went not in the glory of that which this City descendeth in as Moses said The Lord hath not given you an Heart to perceive nor Eyes to see nor Ears to hear unto this day Deut. 29. 4. But these shall see every step they take they shall be like the Beasts that had Eyes both before and behind they shall see how far they are come out of Antichrist and shall see also how far yet they have to go to the compleat rebuilding and finishing of this City Secondly This sheweth us how sweet and pleasant the way of this Church will be at this day before them Light Knowledge and Judgement in GOD's matters doth not onely give men to see and behold all the things with which they are concerned
Kingdoms of men shall at that day traffick with her and in her for her goodly Merchandize of Grace and Life to shew us I say what wonderful custom the Church of God at this day shall have among all sorts of People for her Heavenly Treasures It is said of Tyrus and Babylon That their Merchandize went into all the World and men from all quarters under Heaven came to trade and to deal with them for their Wares why thus it will be in the latter day with the Church of God the Nations shall come from far from Tarshish Pul Lud Tubal Javan and the Isles afar off They shall come saith God out of all Nations upon Horses and Mules and upon swift Beasts to my holy Mountain Jerusalem And it shall come to pass that from one new Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another shall all flesh come to worship before me saith the Lord Isa. 66. 19 20 21 22 23. Alas the Church at that day when she is a Woman onely or a Temple either may be without that Beauty Treasure Amiableness and affecting Glory that she will be endowed with when she is a prosperous City His marvelous kindness is seen in a strong City Psal. 31. 21. In Cities you know are the Treasures Beauty and Glory of Kingdoms and 't is thither men go that are desirous to solace themselves therewith Out of Zion the perfection of Beauty God hath shined Thirdly It is called a City rather than a Woman or Temple to shew us how strong and securely it will keep its Inhabitants at that day In that day shall this Song be sung We have a strong City Salvation will God appoint for Walls and Bulwarks And verily if the Cities of the Gentiles and the strength of their Bars and Gates and Walls did so shake thâ— Hearts yea the very Faith of the Children of God themselves how securâ— and safe will the Inhabitants of this Citâ— be even the Inhabitants of that City whicâ— GOD Himself will build c. But lastly and more especially The Church is called here a City chiefly to shew us that now she shall be undermost no longer Babylon reigned and so shall Jerusalem at this day And thou O Tower of the Flock the strong hold of the Daughter of Zion unto thee shall it come even the first Dominion the Kingdom shall come to the Daughter of Jerusalem Mic. 4. 8. Now shall she when she is built and compleat have a compleat Conquest and Victory over all her Enemies she shall reign over them the Law shall go forth of her that rules them and the Governours of all the World at that day shall be Jerusalem-Men And the Captivity of this Host of the Children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites even unto Zarephath and the captivity of Jerusalem which is in Sepharad shall possess the Cities of the South And Saviours shall come out of Mount Zion to judge the Mount of Esau and the Kingdom shall be the Lords Ob. 20 21. For the Law shall go forth of Zion and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem And â—e shall judge among many People and rebuke strong Nations afar off and they shall beat their Swords into Plowshares and their Spears into Pruning-Hooks Nation shall not lift up a Sword against Nation neither shall they learn War any more Mic. 4. 1 2 3. There brake he the Ships of Tarshish with an East winde As we have heard so have we seen in the City of the Lord of Hosts in the City of our God God will establish it for ever Psal. 48. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. For observe it Christ hath not only obtained the Kingdom of Heaven for those that are his when this World is ended but hath also as a Reward for his Sufferings the whole World given into his hand wherefore as all the Kings and Princes and Powers of this World have had their time to reign and have Glory in this World in the Face of all so Christ will have his time at this day to shew who is the onely Potentate and Lord of Lords 1 Tim. 6. 15. At which day he will not onely set up his Kingdom in the midst of their Kingdoms as he doth now but will set it up even upon the top of their Kingdoms at which day there will not be a Nation in the World but must bend to Jerusalem or perish For the Kingdom and Dominion and greatness of the Kingdom under the whole Heaven shall be given to the People of the Saints of the most High whose Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom and all Dominions shall serve and obey him Dan. 7. 27. And his Dominion shall be from Sea to Sea and from the River to the ends of the Earth Zech. 9. 10. O Holiness how shall it shine in Kings and Nations when God doth this He shewed me that great City the holy Jerusalem descending out of Heaven from God In these words we are to enquire into three things First What he here should mean by Heaven Secondly What it is for this City to descend out of it Thirdly And why she is said to descend out of it from God First For the word Heaven in Scripture it is variously to be understood but generally either materially or metaphorically Now not materially here but metaphorically and so is generally if not always taken in this Book Now that it is not to be taken for the material Heavens where Christ in Person is Consider That the descending of this City â— not the coming of glorified Saints with their Lord because that even after the descending yea and building of this City there shall be Sinners converted to God but at the coming of the Lord Jesus from Heaven with his Saints the door shall be shut that is the door of Grace against all Unbelievers Luk. 13. 25. Matth. 25. 10. Therefore Heaven here is to be taken metaphorically for the Church which as I said before is frequently so taken in this Prophecie as also in many others of the holy Scriptures Rev. 11. 15. 12. 1 2 3 7 8 10 13. 13. 6. 19. 1 14. Jer. 51. 48. Matth. 25. 1. c. And observe it though the Church of Christ under the tyranny of Antichrist loseth the title of a standing City yet in the worst of times she loseth not the title of Heaven She is Heaven when the great Red Dragon is in her and Heaven when the third part of her Stars are cast unto the Earth she is Heaven also when the Beast doth open his Throat against her to blaspheme her God his Tabernacle and those that dwell in her Secondly Now then to shew you what are to understand by this that she is said to DESCEND out of Heaven for indeed to speak properly Jerusalem is always in the Scriptures set in the highest ground and men are said to descend when they go down from her but to ascend or go up when they are
but the things themselves being good they do also by this means convey very great sweetness and pleasantness into the Hearts of those that have the knowledge of them Every step I say that now they take it shall be as it were in Honey and Butter The ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with Songs and everlasting Joy shall be upon their Heads they shall obtain Joy and Gladness and Sorrow and Sighing shall flee away Isa. 35. 10. as he saith Again I will build thee and thou shalt be built O Virgin of Israel thou shalt again be adorned with Tabrets and shalt go forth in the Dances of them that make merry For thus saith the Lord Sing with gladness for Jacob and shout among the chief of the Nations publish ye praise ye and say O Lord save thy People the Remnant of Israel Behold I will bring them from the North Country and gather them from the coasts of the Earth and with them the blind and the lame the woman with Child and her that travelleth with Child together a very great company shall return thither Jer. 31. 4 7 8. By these words the Blind and the Lame the Woman with Child and her that travelleth he would have us understand thus much First That the way of God shall by the illuminating Grace of Christ be made so pleasant so sweet and so beautiful in the Souls of all at that day that even the blindest shall not stumble thereâ—n neither shall the Lame refuse it for â—ear of hurt yea the Blind the Lame â—he Woman with Child and her that travelleth shall though they be of all in most evil case to travel and go the Journey yet at this day by reason of the glorious light and sweetness that now will possess them even forget their impediments and dance as after musical Taâ—rets Secondly This City upon the time of her rebuilding shall have her blind men see her halt and lame made strong she also that is with Child and her that travelleth shall joyntly see the City-work that at this day will be on foot and put into form and order yet before the end Behold at that time I will undo all that afflict thee saith the Lord to this People and I will save her that halteth and gather her that was driven out and I will get them praise and fame in every Land where they have been put to shame at that time I will bring you again even in the time that I gather you for I will make you a Name and a Praise among all People of the Earth when I turn back your Captivity before your EYES saith the Lord God Zeph. 3. 19 20. And her Light was like unto a Stone most precious In that he saith Her Light is like unto A STONE MOST PRECIOUS he sheweth us how welcome and with what eagerness of spirit this Light will at this day be imbraced by the Lords People Truly the Light is good saith Solomon and a pleasant thing it is for the Eyes to behold the Sun and if so then how beautiful desirable and precious will that Light be that is not onely heavenly and from Christ but that will be universal among all Saints to shew them the same thing and to direct them to and in the same Work The want of this hath to this day been one great reason of that crossness of Judgement and Perswasion that hath been found among the Saints and that hath caused that lingering and disputing about the glorious state of the Church in the latter days Some being for its excellency to consist chiefly in outward glory and others swerving on the other side conclude she shall not have any of this some conceiving that this City will not be built until the Lord comes from Heaven in Person others again concluding that when he comes then there shall be no longer tarrying here but that all shall forthwith even all the Godly be taken up into Heaven with divers other opinions in these matters And thus many run to and fro but yet God be thanked Knowledge does increase though the Vision will be sealed even to the time of the end But now I say at the time of the end the Spirit shall be poured down upon us from on high now also they that erred in Spirit shall come to understanding the City shall descend in the Light of a Stone most precious the Sun will be risen upon the Earth when Lot goeth from Sodom into Zoar Gen. 19. 23. Now there shall be an oneness of Judgment and Understanding in the Hearts of all Saints they shall be now no more two but one in the Lords hand Alas the Saints are yet but as an Army routed and are apt sometimes through fear and sometimes through forgetfulness to mistake the word of their Captain General the Son of God and are also too too prone to shoot and kill eveâ— their very right-hand man but at thâ— day all such doing shall be laid aside for the knowledge of the glory of the Lord shall cover the Earth as the Waters cover the Sea which Knowledge shall then strike thorow the Heart and Liver of all swerving and unsound Opinions in Christs matters for then shall every one of the Christians call upon the Name of the Lord and that with one pure Lip or Language to serve him with one consent 'T is Darkness and not Light that keepeth Gods People from knowing one another both in their Faith and Language and 't is Darkness that makes them stand at so great a distance both in Judgement and Affections as in these and other days they have done But then saith God I will plant in the Wilderness that is in the Church that is now bewildered the Cedar the Shittah Tree the Myrtlâ— Tree and the Oyl Tree I will set in the Desart the Fir-Tree the Pine and the Box-Tree together that they may see and know consider and understand together that the Hand of the Lord hath done this and the Holy One of Israel hath created it and again The glory of Lebanon shall comâ— unto thee the Fir-Tree and the Pine-Tree and the Box-Tree together to beautifie the House of my Glory and to make the place of my Feet glorious Isa. 41. 19 20. 60. 13. Never was fair weather after foul nor warm weather after cold nor a sweet and beautiful Spring after a heavy and niping and terrible Winter so comfortable sweet desirable and welcome to the poor Birds and Beasts of the field as this day will be to the Church of God Darkness it was the Plague of Egypt It is an empty forlorn desolate solitary and discomforting state wherefore Light even the illuminating Grace of God especially in the measure that it shall be communicated unto us at this day it must needs be precious In Light there is warmth and pleasure it is by the Light of the Sun that the whole Universe appears unto us
the earth be gathered together against her Zech. 12. 2 3. Again She will be clear as Crystal in the Observation of all her turns and stops in her journying from Egypt to Canaan from Babylon to this Jerusalem-state She will I say observe both time and order and will go onely as her God doth go before her now one step in this Truth and then another in that according to the dispensation of God and the light of the day she lives in As the Cloud goes so will she and when the Cloud stays so will she She comes in perfect rank and file terrible as an Army with Banners No Balaam can inchant her She comes out of the Wilderness like Pillars of Smoke perfumed with Myrrhe and Frankensence with all Spices of the Merchants still leaning upon her Beloved The return of Zion from under the Tyranny of her Afflictors and her recovery to her Primitive Purity is no head-strong brain-sick rashness of her own but the gracious and merciful hand and goodness of God unto her therefrom to give her deliverance For thus saith the Lord That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon that is the time of the Raign of Antichrist and his Tyranny over his Church I will visit you and perform my good word towards you in causing you to return to this place Therefore they shall come and sing in the heighth of Zion and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord for Spiritual Wheat and for Wine and for Oyl and for the Young of the Flock and of the Herd and their Soul shall be as a watered Garden and they shall sorrow no more at all Vers. 12. â—nd had a Wall great and high and had twelve Gates and at the Gates twelve Angels and Names written thereon which are the Names of the twelve Tribes of the Children of Israel These words do give us to understand that this holy City is now built and in all her parts compleat they give us also to understand the manner of her strength c. And had a Wall Having thus I say given us a description of this City in general he now descends to her Strength and Frame in particular her Frame and Strength I say as she is a City compact together as also of her Splendor and Beauty And observe it that of all the particulars that you read of touching the fence fashion or frame of this City and of all her glory the first thing that he presenteth to our view is her Safety and Security She had a Wall A Wall you know is for the Safety Security Defence and Preservation of a Place City or Town therefore it is much to the purpose that in the first place after this general description he should fall upon a discovery of her Security and Fortification for what of all this Glory and Goodness if there be no way to defend and preserve it in its high and glorious state If a man had in his possession even Mountains of Pearl and Golden Mines yet if he had not wherewith to secure and preserve them to himself from those that with all their might endeavour to get them from him he might not onely quickly lose his Treasure and become a Beggar but also through the very fear of losing them even lose the comfort of them while yet in his possession To speak nothing of the Angels that fell and of the glory that they then did lose I may instance to you the state of Adam in his Excellencie Adam you know was once so rich and wealthy that he had the Garden of Eden the Paradise of pleasure yea and also the whole World to booâ— for his inheritance but mark in all his Glory he was without a Wall wherefore presently even at the very first assault of the Adversary he was not onely worsted as touching his Person and standing but even stript of all his Treasure his Paradise taken from him and he in a manner left so poor that forthwith he was glad of an Apron of Fig-Leaves to cover his nakedness and to hide his shame from the face of the Sun Wherefore I say John speaks to the purpose in saying she had a Wall a Wall for Defence and Safety for Security and Preservation Now then she shall lie no longer like blasted Bones in an open field or valley that was her portion in the days of her affliction And had a Wall It is said of old Jerusalem that she had a Wall and a Wall two Walls for her Defence and Safety which two in my Judgement did hold forth these two things The one their eternal preservation and security from the wrath of God through the benefits of Christ and the other that special protection and safeguard that the Church hath always had from and by the special Providence of her God in the midst of her Enemies Wherefore one of these is called by the proper name of Salvation which Salvation I take in special to signifie our fortification and safety from the wrath of God and the Curse and Power of the Law and Sin The other is called A Wall of fire round about her and alludeth to the Vision that the Prophet's servant was made to see for his comfort when he was put in fear by reason of the great company of the Enemies that were bending their force against the life of his Master But now in those days though there was for the defence of the City those two Walls yet they stood a little distance each from other and had a ditch between them which was to signifie that though then they had the Wall of Salvation about them with reference to their eternal state yet the Wall of Gods Providence and special Protection was not yet so nearly joyned thereto but that they might for their foolishness have that broken down and they suffered to fall into the ditch that was between them both and so he saith by the Prophet I will tell you what I will do to my Vineyard that is to this City for the wickedness thereof I will take away the hedge thereof and it shall be eaten up and will break down the Wall thereof and it shall be trodden down Isa. 5. 5 6 7. Which Hedge and Wall could not be that of Eternal Salvation for that stood sure though they should be scattered among the Nations as Wheat is sifted in a Sieve it must therefore be the Wall of her special Preservation in her outward Peace and Happiness which Wall was often in those days broken down and they made havock of of all that dwelt about them But now touching the safety of New Jerusalem the City of which I here discourse she is seen in the Vision by John to have but one onely Wall to signifie That at this day the Wall of her Eternal Salvation and of Gods special Providence to protect and defend her in her present visible and Gospel-Glory
the World that will be converted or the Gate that will be last because longest occupied with the travels of the Passengers and wayfaring-Men in their Journy to this Jerusalem But I pass that From the order of their standing I shall enquire into two things First Why the Gates should look in this manner every way both East West North and South Secondly Why there should be three just three on every side of this City On the East three on the North three on the South three and on the West three For the First The Gates by looking every way into all Quarters may signifie to us thus much That God hath a People in every corner of the World and also That Grace is to be carried out at these Gates by the Angels in their Ministry into every place to gather them home to him as it is said of the living Creatures Whither the Head looked they followed it and turned not as they went so whithersoever the Gates look thither the Ministers go and carry the Word to gather together the Elect He sent them two and two before his Face into every City and Place whither he himself would come Again The Gates by their thus looking every way do signifie to us That from what Quarter or Part of the World soever men come for Life for those men there are the Gates of Life even right before their doors Come they from the East why thither look the Gates and so if they come from North or West or South No Man needs at all to go about to come at Life and Peace and Rest Let him come directly from Sin to Grace from Satan to Jesus Christ and from this World to New Jerusalem The twelve Brazen Oxen that Solomon made to bear the molten Sea they stood just as these Gates stand and signifie as I said before that the Doctrine of the twelve Apostles should be carried into all the World to convert as in the Primitive Times so now at the building of New Jerusalem and to bring in Gods Sheep to the Fold of his Church Now I say as the Word is carried every way so the Gates the open Gates look also into all corners after them to signifie that loving Reception that shall be given to every Soul that from any corner of the whole World shall unfainedly close in with Grace through the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus therefore Men shall come from the East and from the West from the North and from the South and sit down in the Kingdom of God Luk. 13. 29. Psal. 107. 1 2 3. On the East three Gates on the North three Gates on the South three Gates and on the West three Gates Having thus shewed you in a word why they stand thus looking into every Corner or Quarter of the World I now come to shew you why there must be just three looking in this manner every way First then There may be three looking every way to signifie that it is both by the consent of the Three Persons in the Trinity that the Gospel should thus every way go forth to call men and also to shew you that both the Father Son and Spirit are willing to receive and embrace the Sinner from whatsoever part or corner of the Earth he cometh hither for Life and Safety Come they from whence they will the Father is willing to give them the Son and so is the Son to give them Himself and so is the Spirit to give them its help against whatever may labour to hinder them while they are here Joh. 3. 16. Rev. 21. 6. 22. 17. Secondly In that three of the Gates look every way it may be also to shew us that there is none can enter into this City but by the three Offices of the Lord Jesus Christ by his Priestly Office must wash away their Sins and by his Prophetical Office he must illuminate teach guide and refresh them and by his Kingly Office rule over them and govern them with his Word Heb. 7. 25. Joh. 13. 8. Act. 3. 22 23 24. Isa. 40. 10 11. 9. 6 7. Psal. 76. 1 2 3. Psal. 110. 3. Thirdly Or by three Gates may be signified the three states of the Saints in this Life an entrance into Childhood an entrance into a Manly state and an entrance into the state of a Father in the Church Or lastly The three Gates may signifie the threefold state we pass thorow from Nature to Glory The state of Grace in this Life the state of Felicity in Paradise and our state in Glory after the Resurrection Or thus The state of Grace that possesseth Body and Soul in this Life the state of Glory that posseseth the Soul at Death and the state of Glory that both Body and Soul shall be possessed with at the coming of the Lord and Saviour This was figured forth by the order of the Stairs in the Temple at Jerusalem which was first second and third by which Men ascended from the lowest to the uppermost Room in the House of God as he tells us They went up with winding Stairs from the first into the second story and from thence by them into the third 1 King 6. 8. Thus much for the Wall and Gates of New Jerusalem Vers. 14. And the Wall of the City had twelve Foundations and in them the Names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. In these words we have two things considerable 1. That the City-Wall hath twelve Foundations 2. That in these twelve are the Names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. First It hath twelve Foundations This argueth invincible strength and support That Wall that hath but one Foundation how strongly doth it stand if it be but safely laid upon a Rock even so strongâ—y that neither Wind nor Weather in their greatest vehemency are able to shake or stir it to make it fall but I say how much more when a City hath Foundations twelve Foundations and those also laid by God himself as it is said concerning the Worthies of old They looked for a City that had Foundations whose Builder and Maker is God Heb. 11. 13 14. And the Wall of the City had twelve Foundations and in them the Names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. The Wall you know I told you is the Wall of Salvation or the Safety of the Church by Jesus Christ to which is adjoyned as the effect of that the special Providence and Protection of God Now this Wall saith the Holy Ghost hath twelve Foundations to wit to bear it up for the continuation of the safety and security of those that are the Inhabitants of this City a Foundation is that which beareth up all and that upon which the stress of all must lie and abide Now to speak properly the Foundation of our Happiness is but one and that one none but the Lord Jesus for other Foundation can no man lay than that is laid which is Jesus Christ
in my Doctrine one of the Foundations of the Wall of Salvation I have written unto you And as I said before there is a reason it should be thus for as he who was the Foundation of the Jewish Church even Moses received the Pattern of all his Order from the Mouth of the Angel in Mount Sinai so the twelve received their Doctrine of Faith and Manners the Doctrine of the New Testament from the Mouth of the Son of God himself as from the Mouth of the Angel of the everlasting Covenant on the Mountain of Zion Act. 7. 38. 1. 3. Matth. 28. 19. Secondly In that he saith The Names of the Twelve are in the Foundations this shews us the reason of the continual standing of this Jerusalem it is builded upon the Doctrine of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb and standeth there for observe so long as he sees this holy City he sees her standing upon these Foundations but he saw the City till she was taken up therefore she continued as being settled for ever upon them Indeed the Primitive City or first Churches was built upon these Foundations and had also so long as they there continued sufficient supportation upholding by that means but then as I have shewed you the Wall of her Salvation and the Wall of Gods special Protection stood at a distance each from other and were not so conjoyned as now they will be wherefore they then to answer the Type did fall into the Ditch that was between and through their Foolishness provoked God to remove the Wall of his outward Protection and Safeguard from them whereupon the wild Beast Antichrist got into his Vineyard making havock of all their Dainties But mark this City is not so the Walls are now conjoyned and for ever fastened upon the Foundations therefore it abides for ever and ascends higher and higher yet not from the Foundations but by them into Heaven Behold saith God I have graven thee upon the Palms of my Hands thy Walls are continually before me And in them the Names of the twelve A. postles of the Lamb. This word twelve must be warily understood or else the weak will be ready to stumble and take offence wherefore to prevent this consider First The Twelve must be them Twelve that were with the Lord Jesus from the Baptism of John until the day in which our Lord was taken up Act. 1. 22. Secondly These Twelve are not neither to be considered simply as twelve Christians or twelve Disciples but as their Witness of the Lord Jesus they being with him from first to last was a Twelve-fold Witness of him in all his things a twelve-fold seeing with their Eyes a twelve-fold hearing with their Ears a twelve-fold handling also with their Hands and feeling of the Son of God As one of them said That which was from the beginning which we have seen with our Eyes and our Hands have handled of the Word of Life that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you that ye might have fellowship with us c. 1 John 1. 1 2 3. Now this being thus it followeth that the Doctrine of the other Apostles as of Paul and Barnabas was still but the Doctrine of the Twelve their Doctrine I say and no other Wherefore as Ephraim and Manasseh were dissolved into the twelve Tribes so these two with all other the Apostles of Christ are dissolved into the Number of the Twelve because their Doctrine is onely the Doctrine of the twelve for they center in their Doctrine their length and breadth and depth and heighth being the Doctrine of the Twelve So then the names of the Twelve being found in the Foundations of this Wall it argueth that that Doctrine is onely true that is the Doctrine of the twelve Eye-Witnesses of the Lord Jesus And again That at the day of Antichrists fall this Doctrine shall be in its former purity and bear the sway and for ever hold up the Wall of safety for the Inhabitants of New Jerusalem And indeed this Doctrine That the Doctrine of the Twelve is that upon which Eternal Safety is built and stands is so true that it must not be varied from upon pain of Eternal Damnation Here centred Luke the Evangelist here centred Jude here centred the Author to the Hebrews yea here centred Paul himself with all the Old and New Testament The Doctrine of the Twelve must be the Opener Expounder and Limiter of all Doctrines there also must all men center and ground and stay A man may talk of yea enjoy much of the Spirit of God but yet the Twelve will have the start of him for they both had the Spirit as he and more then he besides they together with this did feel see handle and receive Conviction even by their very carnal Senses which others did not besides their Names also are found in the Foundations of this saving Wall as being there engraved by GOD himself which putteth all out of doubt and giveth us infallible ground that their Doctrine is onely true and all mens false that do not keep within the bounds and limits of that Luk. 1. 2. Jude 3. 17. Heb. 2. 3 4. 1 Cor. 15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9. 9. 1. Gal. 1. 1 2. Ephes. 3. 5. 1 Cor. 4. 9. To conclude Here is yet two things worthy of noting The first is That by the Names of the twelve Apostles being in the Foundations of this Wall and the Names of the twelve Tribes being upon the Gates of this City it giveth us to consider that at the time of the building of this City the Jews and Gentiles shall be united together and become one Body which very Consideration must needs be to the Jews a great incouragement to have in mind at their Conversion for it plainly signifieth that our New-Testament-Preachers shall carry in their Mouths Salvation to the Jews by which means they shall be again reconciled and made one with the Lord Jesus The second Consideration is That at the day of New Jerusalem there shall be no Doctrine accepted nor no Preachers regarded but the Doctrine and the Preachers of the Doctrine of the Twelve for in that he saith That in them are found the Names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb he doth implicitely exclude all other of whatever Tribe they pretend themselves It shall not be then as now a Popish Doctrine a Quakers Doctrine a Prelatical Doctrine and the Presbyter Independant and Anabaptist thus distinguished and thus confounding and destroying but the Doctrine shall be one and that one the Doctrine where you finde the Names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb If any man teach otherwise and consenteth not to wholesome Words even the Words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Doctrine that is according to Godliness he is proud and knoweth nothing 1 Tim. 6. 3 4. Thus you see the Doctrine of the Twelve is that which letteth
Souls into this City and that the same Doctrine is the Doctrine that keepeth up the Wall of their Salvation about them when they are entred in within the Gates Vers. 15. And he that talked with me had a Golden Reed to measure the City and the Gates thereof and the Wall thereof Now having passed the relation of the Wall Gates and Foundations he comes to the Measuring-Line to see how all things lie and agree with that Under the Law I find that all things pertaining to the Worship of God were to be by Number Rule and Measure even to the very Tacks and Loops of the Curtains of the Tabernacle Now the Rule or Line by which all things were then squared it was the Laws Statutes and Ordinances which was given to Moses by the Lord in the Mount Sinai for thither he went to receive his Orders and according to the Pattern there shewed him so he committed all things by writing to them that were to be imployed in the workmanship of the holy things pertaining to the rise and compleating of the Tabernacle and all its Instruments Exod. 10. 11. 24. 1. 25. 40. Deut. 30. 10. 31. 24 25 26. Now when this Rule was thus received then whosoever observed not to do it he was to fall under the Penalty that by the same Law also was prescribed against the Offenders and Transgressors Num. 15. 30 31. I find also that when the Temple was builded in the days of Solomon all things were then done according to the writing that David made when the hand of God was upon him when he made him understand all the work of this Pattern 2 Chron. 3. 1 2 3. Chap. 4. 1 Chron. 19. 3 4 5 6 7. 28. 19. Thus again When Josiah went about to bring to pass the Reformation of the Church of the Jews and their Instruments of Worship after their revolting he goeth to the Law of God and by that understanding what was out of order and how to put all things into order he so did reduce them to their former manner The same way also went Ezra and Nehemiah at the rebuilding of the Temple and City after the Captivity 2 Kings 22. 8 9 10 11 12 13. Ezra 7. 14. Ezra 8. 3 4. From all which I conclude That the Reed the Golden Reed that here you read of it is nothing else but the pure and unspotted Word of God by which both the City Gates and Wall of this Jerusalem is regulated Which Word by the holy Prophet is also compared to Gold and is said to be above much fine Gold Psal. 12. 6. and 19. 9 10. I find in the Vision of the Prophet Ezekiel that the Angel that there is said to measure the City which was a Type of our Jerusalem he appeared with a line of Flax in his hand to measure the pattern withal which very phrase doth shew us that his was but the Type and an Old-Testament-business but John hath his in a New-Testament-stile and that in the most excellent manner of Language to signifie that his City or the City that he hath the Vision of is to be the end of all Types and Shadows and the very perfection of them all Wherefore he tells us also that the Line or Reed by which this City is builded and squared it is not now a Line of Flax but a Reed of Gold a Golden Reed to signifie not a Word of the Law and Letter that had to do with Shadows but the New Testament and ministration of the Spirit which hath to do with Substance and the heavenly things themselves Heb. 9. 23. A Golden Reed to measure the City c. I told you at the first that this City was the Church of God that should be in the latter dayes but yet not the Church disorderly and confusedly scattered here and there without all visible order and discipline but the Church brought into exact Form and Order lying every way level and square with the Rule and Golden Reed of the New Testament of Christ wherefore he calleth it a City a City under Rule Thus it was in the Type for when Solomons Temple was to be builded and the City in after-times it was not enough that they had Stones and Timber but every one of them must be such Stones and such Timber and must also come under the Rule and Square of the Workman and so being fitted by Hewers Sawes Axes and Squares they were fitly put into the building 1 Kings 5. 17 18. and 7. 9 10 11 12. 1 Chron. 22. 2. By this then we may see with what a holy exact Line Rule and Order this Church and City at this day will be compact and builded the Members must be all such as shall be made fit for the City of God by the hewing words of the Prophets they must joyn in Christian-Communion also according to the Golden Reed of the New Testament and ministration of the Spirit Indeed all the time of the reign of Antichrist the Church as she was a holy Temple in the Lord so she was measured with reference to the truth of her Grace and invisible condition but as she is to be a City so she then is to be troden down and to lie without all Form and Order but when Antichrist is dead she shall again come into mind be considered reared builded by measure and inhabited and observe it as the Rule of the Carpenter is of use in the building from the first appearance of the laying of a Stone in order even till it be in every point and part compleat so the Golden Reed with which the Angel is here said to measure the City c. is to be of use from the first Foundation even to the laying of the last Stone thereof As was also fore-shewed by the man that is said to measure the pattern of this in Ezekiel Ezek. 40. to chapter 48. And he measured the City That is he measured the Church in her Constitution and Fellowship Now when God is said to measure he is said to measure sometimes in Judgment and sometimes in Mercy sometimes to throw down and sometimes to build up and establish Sometimes I say he is said to measure in Judgment with intention to throw down and destroy Thus he measured the City before she went into Captivity and the ten Tribes before they were carried away beyond Babylon because they lay cross to his Word and had perverted that which was right c. but when he is said to measure the City in this place it is that she might be builded and set up wherefore as I said the Line or Golden Reed that is now stretched forth to measure this City it is to the end that all things may be in right Form and Order fitly joyned and knit together by that which every joynt supplyeth according to the effectual working of the measure of every part making increase of the Body to the
edifying of it self in love Ephes. 4. 16. Col. 2. 19. Again By measuring the City he would have us to understand that all her Limits and Bounds were now apparent that all things even the Church and all the World was made to see their own Compass for as God in the dayes when Temple-Worship only was on foot would not lose a Form or Ordinance of all the Forms and Ordinances of his Temple so when City-work comes up he will not lose an Inch of the Limits and Bounds and Compass of his City she shall be full as large and of as great a compass every way as is determined of her as he saith by the Prophet All the Land saith he shall be turned into a Plain that is there shall be a smooth Face upon the whole Earth all Snugs and Hubs and Hills and Holes shall now be took away even from Gebato Rimmon South of Jerusalem and it the City shall be lifted up and inhabited in her place from Benjamins Gate unto the place of the first Gate unto the Corner Gate and from the Tower of Hananiel unto the Kings Wine-Presses The four places here mentioned in this verse they do seem to be the four Corners of the City of old at which places the City bounds were set and in which very Circle the Prophet tells us but with Gospel Language she shall be setled again Zech. 14. 10. And he measured the City and the Gates thereof This was figured forth by the Vision in Ezekiel for in it he saw the Angel go from Gate to Gate and saw him take the exact and distinct measure of every one thereof nay not only of them in a general way but of the Thresholds the Porch the Posts and the Faces of their Enterances he measured also every little Chamber that was above upon the Gates with all the Spaces that were between Ezek. 40 chapter Now by Gates I told you we are to understand the Son of God as he is the Way to the Father and to the Priviledges of this City Wherefore when he saith He measured the Gates it is as if he had said he measured the Entrance Strength goodly Countenance of Him with the Mansions of Glory that are to be injoyed by every one that entereth in hereby for the Porch Posts Face Enterance and Chambers of the Gate in Ezekiel they signifie the Enterance Strength Shining Countenance and resting places that every one shall find in the Lord Jesus that entereth in by him and to measure all these it is in substance but this To set them forth and out in their full force glory largeness beauty profitableness in the view of all for I told you at the first the Golden Reed is the Word of God Now the City and the Gates thereof are said to be measured by this Golden Reed which I say can be nothing else but an opening of all the Excellencies of Christ as â—e is the Gate of the Sheep even by the â—ull Sway Power Majesty and Clearness of the Word The Lord help us Christ as he is the Door to God and to all Gospel-Priviledges is now strangely handled and so hath been of a long time among the Sons of men some of them making him the very In-let to all the vile and abominable crew in the world counting all that are pliant to their ungodly humours the Saints of the most high and Christ the Door and Gate through whom they have right to enter and to whom belongs the Delicates of the precious things of God even those which he hath most choicely layed up and reserveth for none but those that unfeignedly turn from iniquity and walk with him in the newness of the Spirit Others again do shut up the Gates against the Godly labouring with might main to hinder those that labour to enter that fain would do it unfeignedly Others again do labour all that in them lies to deface the Gates to take away their Beauty like him that took the Gold from off the Doors and Gates of the Temple rendering Christ a low and carnal business c. but at the measuring-day at the day when the Golden Reed shall be the alone Rule then you shall see this City and her Gates discovered in their own Glory Holiness and Beauty for though in our Affliction under Antichrist our Temple and Instruments of Worship with the City Wall Gates and the like have been much defaced even our Doctrine of Faith and Worship and have been much trod and trampled under the foot of the uncircumcised Yet all shall be recovered and brought into Order again by the Golden Reed of the Word of God which thing was figured forth to us by that good man Ezra the Scribe who at the restoring of Jerusalem took review of all the things pertaining to the City both touching its Breaches and Deformity and also how to set all things in Order and that by the Law of God which was in his Hand even according to the Writing thereof Ezra 7. 14. 8. 34. Neh. 8 9. And whosoever doth but read the History of Ezra and Nehemiah throughout they shall finde that by the Word of God they brought all things to pass all the Ordinances of the House and City of God into their right and holy Order And indeed the measuring of the City and of the Gates thereof which is Christ the Way it can be nothing else but a bringing of them by the right understanding and opening of the Word into their proper Places and Excellencies both for Comers in and Goers out according to the Commandment Ezek. 40. 4. 43. 7 8 9 10 11 12. for to speak properly Christ in his Love Grace Merits and Largeness of Heart to let Souls into Communion with God and all Happipiness is in all these things unsearchable and passing knowledge being filled with these things beyond thought and without measure Ephes. 3. 8. Col. 3. 9. Ephes. 3. 18. 19. Joh. 3. 34. And he measured the City the Gates thereof and the Wall thereof In that he saith he measured the Wall also it is to shew us that all things now are according to the Rule of the Word The Inhabitants are according to the Word the Entrance is according to the Word yea and so is the safety of it also even a Fence to fence them from their Enemies even a fence on every side that they may be at ease and rest and be no more a tossing to and fro O thou afflicted and â—ossed with Tempest saith he and not comforted I will do many good things for thee in righteousness shalt thou be established thou shalt be far from Oppression for thou shalt not fear and from Terror for it shall not come nigh unto thee Isa. 54. 11 14. Touching the Wall what it is I have spoken already therefore here I speak onely to the measure of it which measure is onely the fulfilling all those Promises and Engagements of God
that are made to New Jerusalem for her Safety and continual Defence and that not onely in her own Eyes but in the Eyes of all her Beholders Then shall that Saying be with gladness in the Mouths of all the Inhabitants of this Jerusalem We were bond-men and yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage but hath extended Mercy unto us in the sight of the Kings of Persia to give us a reviving to set up the House of our God to repair the desolations thereof and to give us a Wall in Judah and in Jerusalem Ezra 9. 9. Which Wall I say shall be so conspicuous to all the Adversaries of this holy and beloved City that the greatest of them shall not once dare to peep or mutter against her any more God is known in her Palaces for a Refuge for lo the Kings were assembled they passed by they saw it and so they marwelled they were troubled and hasted away fear took hold upon them and pain as of a Woman in travel As it is said of the building of the Wall after the Captivity when the Enemies and all the Heathen saw it was finished they were much cast down in their own Eyes Psal. 48. 1 2 3 4 5 6. Neh. 6. 15 16. The regulating of this City by this Golden Reed and the measuring the Gates and VVall by this VVord when finished will then cause all that have skill in singing the Lords Songs and of lifting up the Praises of God in this City to gather themselves together to sing and to praise and to say Bless ye the Name of the Lord for his Mercies endure for ever for then will they purifie the People this City with the Gates and Wall thereof Neh. 12 28 29 30. VVherefore in the mean time between this and the building of this City let Jerusalem come into your mind and walk about her go â—e round about her enquire by the VVord what God hath said of her State Strength Safety Ease Peace and blessed Tranquillity in the latter days tell the Towers thereof mark ye well her Bulwarks consider her Palaces that ye may tell it to the Generations following Psal. 48. 12 13. Vers. 16. And the City lieth four square and the length is as large as the breadth and he measured the City with the Reed twelve thousand furlongs the length and the breadth and height of it are equal And the City lieth four square These words do open unto you the matter yet more to wit That now both the City Gates and VVall were exactly in their Visibility according to the VVord lying even every way with that Golden Reed for by four square you are to understand Perfection or an answering the figures that of old did figure to us the compleatness and perfection of the New-Testament-Order For if you search the Scriptures you will finde that especially the great and principal Instruments of Gods Worship in and under the Law their Perfection was what here you read to be the Perfection of this City even a four square As for instance The Brest-plate of Judgment on which were engraved the Names of the Children of Israel its exact point of Perfection was to be a right four square The ten Bases also that were to be for Bearers to the Lavers in the Temple they were to be four square The Altar of Burnt-Offerings likewise with the Altar of Incense their perfect Pattern was that they should be four square The inward Court and outward Court with the Posts of the Temple and Tables on which they were to slay the Sacrifices they were all four square Yea the City in the Type in the Vision of Ezekiel was seen to be of the same frame and fashion every way having just twelve Gates and of each of the four sides three Gates Exod. 28. 15 16. 39. 8 9. 1 King 7. 27 28 29 30 31. Exod. 27. 1. 38. 1. Ezek. 43. 13 14 15 16 17 18. Exod. 37. 1. Ezek. 40. 41. 21. 40. 40 41 42. 48. 30 31 32 33 34. Wherefore when he saith The City lieth four square it is as if he had said She lieth even with the Pattern or Golden-Reed of the Word even I say both in her Members Doctrine VVorship and Manners For the things afore-hinted unto you do hold forth all these Particulars And the length is as large as the breadth This explaineth the matter yet more fully and distinctly for as to the things that I made mention of before though they were to be made four-square and that their Perfection lay exactly in that form yet these Squares did not lie in their height and depth but in their length and breadth just as you read here of the Square of this City As to instance The Altars though they were five Cubits long and five Cubits broad yet but three high so the Bases they were a Cubit and an half broad and a Cubit and an half long yet but half a Cubit high the Tables also on which they slew the Sacrifices they were a Cubit and a half long and a Cubit and a half broad yet but one Cubit high VVhich things being thus you see the reason of his saying the length is as large as the breadth Now by length and breadth here we may yet observe another Mystery held forth unto us for by the breadth is held forth the perfection of the Rule or Law to which all Christians ought to yeild their hearty Obedience His Commandment is exceeding broad The breadth of which is signified I say by the breadth of those things that before you see to be the Instruments of the Worship of God Now as by breadth we are to understand the perfect latitude and compass of the Commandment so by length we are to understand the answerableness of the obedience of the Inhabitants of this City for indeed the perfection of Christian Obedience lieth in an answerableness to the Will of God as it is said of the Father and Mother of John the Baptist they walked in all the Commandments of the Lord blameless and of Anna that she continued without ceasing in the service of God in the Temple day and night This is to be as long in our Obedience as the Law is broad in commanding the Law commands right Obedience and the Christian giveth it the Law commands continual Obedience and the Christian giveth it the Law commands universal Obedience and the Christian giveth it He giveth it all these sorts of Obedience 1. By the Person of Christ for he is his Righteousness he giveth it all these 2. With the consent of the mind and 3. He giveth it all these Obediences in the love of the Spirit which the Apostle calleth the fulfilling of the Law that is an answering the breadth of its Command by the length of Obedience wherefore when he saith The length is as large as the breadth he would have us understand how perfect in Holiness these blessed
City shall be left the Forts and Towers shall be for Dens for ever a Joy of wild Asses a Pasture of Flocks until the Spirit be poured on us from on high and the Wilderness be a fruitful Field c. And then the Lord shall defend the Inhabitants of Jerusalem and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David and the House of David shall be as God even as the Angel of the Lord before him The Inhabitants shall not say I am sick the People that dwell therein shall be forgiven their Iniquity And he measured the Wall thereof an hundred and forty and four Cubits according to the measure of a man that is of the Angel According to the measure of a Man The Man Christ Jesus For the measure of this City or the Golden Reed with which this City is thus measured it is His his Word and Law of the New-Testament All Judgment is committed into the hand of the Son and God hath given him authority to execute Judgment also because he is the Son of man According to the measure of a Man that is of the Angel This Angel is one of the Seven that had the seven last Plagues to execute upon the Man of Sin and yet he saith the measure is according to the measure of a man the meaning is That the City the New Jerusalem is to be builded according to the VVord of Christ but yet by his VVord as it is in the hand of his Angels that is his Messengers and Servants of which Servants the chief will be those that are his Instruments â—o pour forth the seven Vials full of 〈…〉 ven last Plagues upon the Antich 〈…〉 n Harlot For they with their Plagues will both destroy what standeth in impiacable opposition and will subject the rest and bring them into a correspondency with the Word and Will of God as I have shewed Whence note That they of his Servants that God shall use to pour forth his last and most dreadful Plagues upon the Whore they are they that God will use to shew us the Pattern of this holy City Or thus They that can tell how to plague the Whore they can tell how to measure this City The righteous men they shall judge them that is the Antichristian Harlot with her wicked and adulterous Daughters after the manner of Adulteresses and after the manner of Women that shed blood because they are adultrous and blood is in their hands Ezek. 23. 45. Thus much touching the frame of this City its Wall Gates and Foundations with the measure of each And now it remains that I speak of the Glory of them Vers. 18. And the building of the Wall of it was of Jasper and the City was pure Gold like unto clear Glass IN these words you have a discovery of the Glory both of the Wall and City it self and that as you see under the notion of two choice Metaphors the Wall is Jasper the chief of Stones and the City is Gold the chief of Metals And the building of the Wall of it was of Jasper and the City was pure Gold This Jasper is that Stone in the light of which this City is said to descend as in the light of a Stone most precious Now as there he saith she descended in the light of this Stone so here he saith this Stone is the Wall thereof And the building of the Wall of it was of Jasper This therefore confirmeth unto you what I said of the Wall before to wit That it was the Salvation of God through Christ Wherefore learn this by the way That this City shall not be at this day in her own keeping but in the keeping of Jesus Christ He with his Benefits doth compass her round and by him alone she lieth down in safety Wherefore it is from this Consideration that God doth say by the Mouth of the Prophet I will give them within my House and within my Walls a place and a name better then that of Sons and of Daughters I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off Isa. 56. 5. And the building of the Wall c. By this word building we are to understand both the Materials of the Wall the manner of their placing and the Instruments that God will use for the setting up thereof Now to speak properly this Wall being the Lord Jesus Christ Himself in his precious Merits Benefits and Offices the Builder hereof must needs be God Himself for he it is that hath made this Christ for us a Safeguard and Defence by making of him our Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption by which he doth incompass us round on every side and that at every moment to deliver us from the Power and Destruction both of Sin Death the Devil and Hell But again The building here spoken of is a building of this Wall after the destruction of Antichrist and so long after Christ was sent and made these things in his own Person to his beloved and blessed Church Wherefore the building of this Wall that is here spoken of it must be understood of the recovering again the purity of those Doctrines in which the Lord Jesus with all his Benefits is found and made ours for our everlasting Defence and Safety For we find that the King of Babylon who was a Type of our Antichrist when he came up against Jerusalem the Type of our Primitive Church he brake down their City destroyed their Walls rifled their Houses and killed their Children whose steps I say our Antichrist follows to a hair in treading down the Primitive Church corrupting her Doctrines which are her Safeguard and VVall also robbing and spoiling the Houses of God and killing his Children with a thousand Calamities turning all the heavenly Frame and Order of Church-Government into an heap of Rubbish and a confused Dunghil Wherefore the building again of this Wall is to be understood of the recovering and setling and fastening the Doctrines of Christ as afore in which Doctrines he in all his Benefits is wrapped and held fast forever I say a recovering of them and setting him up again in his primitive and pure Glory of being our Priest Prophet and King in his Church and a giving unto these Offices their own proper length breadth height and depth letting them rule in all their Force Glory and Majesty and Authority for then will be golden Days and not till then then I say when the several Offices of the Lord Jesus do rule in their own nature and largeness of Authority both in the Church and in the VVorld Alas This VVall is yet unbuilt the Offices of the Lord Jesus do not yet shine in that purity nor so stand in their proper places as they shall do at the coming in of New Jerusalem the VVall lies yet but as an heap of Rubbish the Offices of the Lord Christ are to this day by many
Church of Christ hath obtained a compleat conquest and victory over the world and hath got her enemies and them that hate her to lye at her feet and to lick the dust of the soals thereof For as I have told you already Temple-work yea when that is compleat in the work yet there may be great havock made of the Church of Christ at which time also City-work may be trampled under the feet of the wicked and uncircumcised Gentiles but when the City is builded then Zion is become a strong hold and about all her glory shall be a defence Then she either draweth and allureth her adversaries to entreat her kindly and to count it their honour to be under her protection as did the Gibeonites or else she breaks and bâ—uises and subjects them to her by her Power and Authority The daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift and the rich among the People shall entreat thy favour Psal. 45. 12. In the last dayes saith the Prophet it shall come to pass that the Lords House shall be established upon the tops of the Mountains and shall be exalted above the Hills and People shall flow unto it and many Nations shall come and say Come and let us go up unto the Mountain of the Lord and to the House of the God of Jacob and and he will teach us of his wayes and we will walk in his paths For the Law shall go forth of Zion and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem And ye shall judge among the People and rebuke strong Nations afar off and they shall beat their Swords into ploughshares and their Spears into pruning hooks that force and power that they used formerly to destroy the Church of God now they shall use it to do her service even to break up the clods of the hearts of sinners and to prune and dress the House of God and Vinyard of Jesus Christ Nation shall not lift up a Sword against Nation neither shall they learn war any more for the Word of the Kingdom of Peace shall bear sway And thou O Tower of the Flock the strong hold of the daughter of Zion unto thee shall it come even the first Dominion the Kingdom shall come to the Daughter of Jerusalem Mich. 4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. This is City-work and as to the Glory Peace and Deliverance of the Church it is the chiefest of all other because it is not only most excellent for concourse and multitude but I say for preservation and safety and that not only to keep the Worshippers if they keep their order but to keep the Order and Worshippers both in order and continual safety that they may be for ever in the purest order But now though at the compleating of this Wall and the building its Towers when they are finished there will be great peace yet all the time that these things are doing before they be done let the work-men look for opposition taunts underminers and a thousand tricks for the hindrance of it For the Street of the City shall be built and the Wall even in troublous times And the building of the Wall of it was of Jasper Of Jasper only For as by building is shewed unto us the manner of the work so by Jasper is shewed unto us the matter it self the matter therefore must be Jasper Christ only his Word Offices and glorious Brightness only for indeed whatever the special Grace Protection and Providence of God will at this day be over this City yet it shall be every whit of it according to Christ that is both of him for him and by him as the Fruits and Effects of his Suffering Bloodshed and Merits Therefore saith God I will divide him a Portion with the Great and he shall divide the Spoyl with the Strong because he hath poured out his Soul unto death and was numbred among the Transgressors O Holiness How will it shine both in Kings and Nations when God doth this And the City was pure Gold Having thus given us a discovery of the glory of the Wall he now comes to shew us the glory of the City that is within the Wall The City faith he is Gold it is pure Gold This was figured out by the Golden Candlesticks belonging to the Tabernacle and Temple among the Jews which Candlesticks did then present unto us the worth and use of the Church of CHRIST The seven Candlesticks are the seven Churches says the Lord Christ himself Now the City here spoken of is the Church in her higheâ— and greatest glory Its state was also figured out by the Temple it self whose Beams Posts Walls Doors and the like were most famously covered over with Gold 2 Chron. 3. 5 6 7. It was also though but leanly represented to us by the golden state of old Jerusalem in the days of Solomon the King in which state Gold was so plentiful in the midst thereof that Silver was nothing counted of among the Citizens there in those days but was as common as the Stones in the Street of the City 2 Chron. 9. 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 27. And the City was pure Gold I find by the search of the Scriptures that there is divers sorts of Gold in the World there is the Gold of the Land of Havillah the Gold of Parvaim the Gold of Ophir the Gold of Sheba and the Gold of Uphaz Gen. 2. 11. 2 Chron. 3. 6. Job 22. 24. Psal. 72. 15. Jer. 10. 9. Now seeing he saith the City is Gold yet not distinguishing what Gold or which we may suppose in this place he means Gold of all these sorts and indeed it is most agreeable to this Text thus to judge for the Church at this day shall be made up of the twelve Tribes that are scattered abroad and of the Gentile Nations both far and near who as they now lie are for ought I can learn at as great a distance and as remote from one another not onely in knowledge and affections but touching the places of their abode as are the Golden Mines out of which the Gold that I spake of before is digged and fetch'd Thus shall Gold the Golden Saints of God at this day be gathered out of the several Golden Mines of the World and be brought to King Solomon the Son of David our Lord Jesus to Jerusalem with which he will build him a Golden shining City the Joy of all the World And the City was pure Gold Gold is the choice and chief of all Metals both for worth colour and vertue wherefore when he saith The City is Gold you may conceive how rich and shining and vertuous this City will be the Riches of the whole World will be here the Beauty of the whole World will be here and the Vertue of the whole World will be here I mean spiritual Riches Beauty and Health wherefore the rest of the World at this day will be but as
the twelve Apostles in their Doctrine or the primitive Doctrine of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. Now the great business in this place will be to shew you the garnishing of these Foundations and also the mystery and order of the lying of the Foundations for their glory lyeth in both As for the garnishing of these Foundations it is and will be at the day of New Jerusalem twofold and the first is with beautiful Gifts and Grace Thus was the Apostles of old adorned and thus shall their Doctrine again be garnished I know that the Doctrine of the twelve hath been alwayes accompanied with goodly Gifts and Grace from the first Churches quite down that is according to the measure of light they appeared in and according to the dispensations of God in the times of Antichrist But yet the glory that this Doctrine had in these latter dayes I mean since the Apostacy it was nothing in comparison of the glory and splendor that will be in them in the day when this City is builded and compleat Wherefore you find that though all-along in Antichrist's reign the Gospel of Grace hath shone and given light to the Saints and People of God in all their travels and afflictions yet the shining of it at that day was much opposed and eclipsed by the smoak of the bottomless-pit as he saith There arose a smoak out of the pit as the smoak of a great furnace and the Sun and the Air was darkened by reason of the smoak of the pit Rev. 9. 2. In which dayes I say abundance of the light heat and operation of the Gospel was diminished and taken off so that but little of the power or glory of it hath been either felt or seen from that time to this very day This is that God spake of by the Prophet Amos saying I will cause the Sun to go down at noon and will darken the Earth in the clear day and I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins and baldness upon every head and I will make it as the mourning of an only son and the end thereof as a bitter day All which he explaineth in the next words for Behold the dayes come saith the Lord that I will send a Famine in the Land not a Famine of Bread or of thirst for Water but of hearing the Words of the Lord and they shall wander from Sea to Sea and from the North even to the East they shall run to and fro to seek the Word of the Lord and shall not find it In those dayes Eli's sons were become Varlots Indeed there was here and there a little child like Samuel in his minority that now and then would speak most goodly things But the Word of the Lord was precious in those dayes there was no open Vision This is that which David in the Spirit of Prophecy complaineth of saying They know not neither will they understand they walk on in darkness all the Foundations of the Earth are out of course Thus in the days of the eclipsing of the glory of these Foundations But now behold they recover their light and put on as of old their former glory are again garnished as in the former dayes Now will all the Doctrines of the Gospel spangle and sparkle out of every Text will the Ministers of God make to issue exceedingly most precious and heavenly Fire for these Stones are indeed the Stones of Fire and in them is contained that which would set the whole World on a flame with love and delight in the things of God and another World had but men the Spirit of Wisdom and the Authority of God in their Ministry as the Apostles and the primitive Christians had Well this Doctrine of the Twelve shall be again adorned with Gifts and Grace as in the days of old by which it shall also be made to shine and to cast forth its Golden Rayes before the Nations to their Salvation Behold saith God I will lay thy Stones with fair Colours that is thy Apostolical Doctrines shall again be garnished as at the first Truth shall appear in its old and mature colours and as such shall be imbraced and lived and delighted in both by Jews and Gentiles as I have shewed But secondly The Twelve Foundations that here you read of they are the same with those twelve Stones that long before were set in the Brestplate of Judgment in which were engraven the Names of the twelve Tribes of the children of Israel the names of which Tribes did comprehend the whole body of the house of their fathers Exod. 28. 16 17 18 20 21 29. Exod. 39. 14. Now then seeing these Twelve are the same with those on the Breastplate of Judgement and seeing also that those on the Breast-plate did comprehend the whole of the twelve Tribes I conclude that for these Foundations to be garnished with all manner of precious Stones it is as much as to say they shall be garnished with abundance of Converts Multitudes and that of all sorts both of Jews and Gentiles Moors Tartars Turks and those in the utmost parts of the World shall now be entangled with the Light and Truth with the Glory and Goodness of the Doctrine of the Twelve And I the rather take it thus 1. Because as the Foundations themselves are said to be precious Stones so also the Saints in general they go under the same names too As Jeremiah saith The precious Stones of the Sanctuary are the precious Sons of Zion As Peter also saith in alluding to the precious Stones of the Temple The Saints are lively or living precious stones built up a spiritual house c. and the foundations of the Wall were garnished with all manner of precious stones That is the Doctrine of the Twelve was garnished with all manner of precious souls that is converted by it by which they become a glory and a garnishing to it 2dly I take it to be the conversion of the Precious Ones of God because that thus to understand it is most like the phrase of the Apostle Paul himself saying What is our Hope or Joy or Crown of rejoycing Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming Ye are our Glory and Joy Mark in the text he saith The Foundations were garnished with all manner of precious Stones and here those precious Stones Paul accounts to be those that are converted by the Word for what is our hope or joy or crown are not even ye that have been converted by us Ye are our Joy ye are our Crown ye are our Glory It is with you that we shall be crowned adorned and garnished in the presence of our Lord Jesus Mark John saith They are garnished Paul saith they are crowned John saith they are garnished w th precious stones and Paul saith they are
crowned with the conversion of sinners Thus therfore as God will lay these Stones with fair colours so also he will lay these Foundations with Saphirs that is as he will beautifie the Doctrine of the Twelve with its former Glory Sweetness and Authority so he will crown and garnish it with the conversion of many sinners The Elect are the Jewels of God and this is the day of his binding them up even then when the Antichrist falls and the Gospel breaks out in its primitive glory And the Foundations of the Wall were garnished with all manner of precious stones In these words there is yet two things considerable First That all who go to the adorning of these Foundations they must be precious Stones not a common stone shall here be owned And indeed what should Pebbles do among the Pearls and the Diamonds of New-Jerusalem or the stones of blackness and emptiness among the Saints of Light I tel you that those which God doth reckon the adorningstones they are all and every one precious stones they must be all lively glistring and curious stones though stones of divers colours Antichrist counts any thing sufficient enough to garnish her Apostles with even the empty stones of confusion the sinners that have no more grace in their souls than there is sap in a post that hath been this twenty years without either sap or water But God will not count such for the beauty of his Word nor for the garnishing and beautifying of the Doctrine of the Twelve they are garnished with PRECIOUS STONES Secondly As he saith the Foundations are garnished with precious stones only so he saith it is with ALL MANNER of Precious Stones by which he would have us understand that all Saints have not the same degree either of precious grace or gifts and vertue in them there are some that excel and differ from the rest even as one Star differeth from another in glory Some Saints as they have both more grace and also gifts than others so too they are more laborious and painful in the work of God than their fellows and therefore he saith ALL MANNER of Precious Stones Vers. 20. The first Foundation was a Jasper the second a Saphir the third a Chalcedony the fourth an Emerald the fifth Sardonyx the sixth Sardius the seventh Chrysolite c. Thus having shewed you the garnishing and beautifying of the twelve Foundations he now comes to discover the Foundations themselves with reference to their order of placing and lying Touching which order he saith the first and bottom Foundation is a Jasper I have hitherto said that this Jasper in both the two afore-mentioned places both as to the Light of this City and also of the Wall it was Jesus Christ Christ illuminating and Christ defending But here the Jasper is said to be one of the twelve Foundations even one of those Foundations in which are writ the Names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb which one would think did put this Jasper now into another state even to be a representation of one of the twelve Apostles and not of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ himself To which I shall yet say That the Jasper here in the order of the Foundations is to be understood of Christ as well as in the other two places in this Discourse I say it is yet to be understood of representing the Lord Jesus though it also doth bear the name of one of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb And in this very thing there is an infolding Mystery wrapped up and inclosed For first In that the Name of an Apostle is writ in this Stone and yet that this Jasper should represent Christ it sheweth unto us the agreement that is between the Doctrine of the Apostles and Christ himself to wit That they are one and the very same and hence it is that the Apostle saith We preach Christ crucified Christ in all his Benefits is the very Marrow Life and Sum of all their Teaching Other Foundation can no man lay than that is laid which is Jesus Christ. Wherefore the Doctrine of the Apostles being Christ it self no marvel though the Name of an Apostle be writ upon this Jasper and again no marvel though this Jasper go yet under that Name that represents him Secondly In that it is said the Names of the Twelve are in these twelve Foundations and yet that the first of them should be the Jasper Christ It argueth also that whosoever receiveth the Doctrine of the Twelve they must needs with that receive the Lord Christ himself Receive the Doctrine of the Gospel as it is held forth by the Twelve in the Word and thou canst not miss of the Lord Jesus Christ himself he will be found in the bottom of their Doctrine Ye are builded upon the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Christ Jesus himself being the chief Corner-stone Ephes. 2. 19 20. Thirdly In that he saith in these twelve Stones are the Names of the twelve Apostles and yet that the first should be the Jasper Christ It argueth also that where-ever the Doctrine of the Twelve is preached there is therewith the presence of Christ the presence of his Spirit to teach and enlighten the ignorant and blind Hearts of the Unconverted the presence also of his Power to overcome them and to make them fall under the Glory and Truth of his heavenly Word Lo saith he I am with you always even to the end of the World And they went forth and preached every where the Lord working with them and confirming the Word with signs following Mat. 28. 19 20. Mark 16. 20. Fourthly In that he saith the Names of the Twelve are in the Foundations and yet that Christ should be one of the twelve himself It sheweth to us the Union that is between Christ and his holy People Mark In the twelve Foundations are placed all even all manner of precious Stones again In the Twelve is placed the Jasper Christ by which we may see the nearness that is between Christ and his whole Body I in them and thou in me saith Christ that they may be made perfect in one John 17. 23. 1 Cor. 12. 12. Christ and his Saints make but one Temple one Man being but one Flesh one Nature c. Fifthly In that this Jasper is said to be one of the Foundations and that too the first and undermost He sheweth farther that Christ is the Foundation of them before God that are the Foundation of him before men The Twelve do bear up Christ before the World as the twelve brazen Oxen did hold up the Molten Sea in the Temple and Christ doth bear up the Twelve before his Father as the high Priests did carry the twelve Stones on their Brest-plate of Judgment when they went to make an Atonement for the Sins of the People into the Holiest Sixthly It sheweth us further That
though the Apostles shall be adorned with the Conversion of those that they shall win to the Lord Christ yet they will never be able to stand under that Glory and Honour unless they are supported and upheld by Christ as their Foundation Sirs As Christ is the Strength of his People in their Work for him in this World so he must be their Strength by which they must stand under the Reward they shall have for their labour when this World is ended And hence it is that the Prophet saith They shall hang upon him all the Glory of his Fathers House the Off-spring and the Issue all Vessels of small quantity from the Vessels of Cups even to the Vessels of Flagons and again He shall build the Temple of the Lord and he shall bear the Glory Isa. 22. 24. Zech. 6. 13. He shall bear the Glory of our Salvation from Sin Preservation in the midst of all Temptations and of our going to Glory also he shall bear the Glory of our labour in the Gospel of our Gifts and Abilities of making our Labour and Work effectual to the saving of Sinners that in all things he might have the preheminence Col. 1. 18. Seventhly In that the Foundations are twelve and Christ the undermost of them It signifieth that all that are converted by the Twelve as they shall be for the garnishing of the Twelve so also both the Twelve with all that they are garnished with shall be for garnishing of Christ we shall stick like Pearls in the Crowns of the twelve Apostles and they again with all their Glory shall stick in the Crown of Christ. And hence it is that you finde the four and twenty Elders which four and twenty do as I conceive hold forth the Twelve both in the first and second Jerusalem I say hence it is that you finde them take their Crowns from off their Heads and cast them down before the Throne of God and of the Lamb crying Blessing and Honour and Glory and Power be unto Him that sits upon the Throne and to the Lamb for ever and ever Lastly One thing more of this goodly Jasper and then to the rest which thing is this That Jasper that here you find to be the first in the twelve Foundations even that Jasper you find to be last of all among the Stones in the Brest-Plate of Judgment from whence you may note 1. That Christ as he is to be the Author or first of our Faith so also he is to be the Finisher or last of our Faith 2. That as he is to be the Captain and Leader of his People so he is to be the Rere-ward and Bringer-up of his People he is to go before them to lead them the way and to come behind them to bring them all up 3. Again for asmuch as he is said to be last before he is first that is last in Exodus and after that first in the Revelations it may be to shew us that Christ was first to be least lowest and last and then to be Greatest Highest and First He first humbled himself to the death even to the shamefull death of the Cross and then was by God his Father exalted and placed above every name As he also himself doth witness saying Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to have entered into his Glory Luke 24 26. The first Foundation was a Jasper the second a Saphir the third a Chalcedony the fourth an Emerald the fifth Sardonyx the sixth Sardius the seventh Crysolite the eighth Beryl the ninth Topaz c. Touching the Jasper you see what I have said Now all I have to say to the rest of them it is in general these three things First In that the Foundations are all and every one of them Precious Stones it signifieth that all the Doctrines of the New Jerusalem will be only the precious Doctrine of the twelve Apostles not common stuff not raked out of the dunghils and muck-heaps of this world and from among the toyes of Antichrist but spiritual heavenly and glorious He that hath his Word shall then speak it faithfully For what is the chaff to the Wheat saith the Lord Jer. 23. 32. Secondly in that they are called after the names of Precious Stones it signifieth also that at that day none shall be used or put into the Ministry but those that have received spiritual and heavenly Gifts from above 'T is not every babling fellow not those that look for their abilities from the rudiments of the world that then shall be of any value or account He must be a costly Stone a stone about which the Lord Jesus hath bestowed the cost of his heavenly Abilities even he whom the Lord Jesus shall appear unto for that very purpose to make him a Minister He shall be a Minister and none else at that day The other shall be ashamed every one of his vision yea and shall in those dayes be so contemptible that their Father and their Mother shall reprove them and count them liars yea and shall be ready to run them through while they are prophesying in their rough garments to deceive Thirdly In that these precious Stones are not all of one and the same nature but every one of them several and diverse one from another It argueth that the Gifts of the Apostles and so of the Ministers of the New Jerusalem shall be differing one from another in Glory and operation yet mark as in these Stones so in every one of them shall be perfect Glory according to the nature of God's working by his Spirit as the nature of the Jasper is perfect in his kind and the nature of the Saphir is perfect in his These Stones some of them are of greater light and cleerness than others and so some of the Apostles are cheifest Some of these Stones again they are of a more fiery burning colour than others they being bright also but of a more mild brightness Therefore some of the Ministry are called the Sons of Thunder when others are stiled by the name of the Sons of Consolation The gifts are differing being diverse their administrations are differing and the operations of them also are differing though all these things are from that one and the self same spirit working in every one severally as he pleases 2 Cor. 11. 5. Rom. 12. 6. Mark 3. 17. Act. 4. 36. 1 Cor. 12. 4 5 6. All these things will spangle in the New Jerusalem and carry their full breadth and sway as in the dayes of old To conclude this In that he here saith That the Foundations of the Wall are these twelve Stones he doth it to shew that now also the former ministration that was in the Apostles days will 〈◊〉 the same and in full force again For their gifts of Knowledge Judgment and Authority they are such as have to this day lain buried as it were with the Apostles
themselves but now they shall shew themselves again even these Foundation-stones Stones that are great Stones Stones of ten Cubits and Stones of eight Cubits 1 Kings 7. 10. Thus much of the glory of the Foundations Ver. 21. And the twelve Gates are twelve Pearls every several Gate was of one Pearl and the Street of the City was pure Gold as it were transparent Glass Having thus shewed us the glory of this City Wall and Foundations he now comes to shew us the glory of the Gates and of the Street of the City And the twelve Gates are twelve Pearls The Gates I told you before they signify Christ both as he is the way to communion with the God of this City and with the Inhabitants thereof that so they may have a share in the Priviledges of the same I told you also then that though he tels us exactly of the measure both of City and Wall yet he tells us nothing of the measure of these twelve Gates and goings in thereat and the reason is because Christ as he is the way to Grace He is beyond all measure both as to fulness and freeness Ephes. 3. 8. And now again he puts us to the same plunge with the unsearchable riches of the Lord Christ for who can count the worth of a Pearl as big as the Gates of a City as indeed when Christ himself doth speak of the Parable of the Pearl in the Field he only telleth us that there is such a one but never valueth the worth thereof only he saith a Pearl of great price and so leaveth it Mat. 13. 35 36. Now when he saith that the Gates are Pearls he thereby insinuates several things As First To shew us how rich a Treasure Christ Jesus our Lord is and will be to all those that by him shall enter in through the Gates into this City Riches and Honour are with me saith he even durable Riches and Righteousness My fruit or the fruit of entering in by me it is better than Gold and my revenues thâ—â— choice Silver I lead in the way of Righteousness in the midst of the Paths of Judgment That I may cause them that love me to inherit substance and I will fill their treasures Pro. 8. 18 19 20 21. Ephes. 3. 8. Christ is rich indeed both in his Blood Resurrection Intercession and all his Offices together with his Relations and all his Benefits all which he bestoweth upon every one that receiveth him and maketh them unspeakably wealthy Secondly The Pearl as it is rich and so worth much so again it is beautiful and amiable even to take the eyes of all beholders it hath I say a very sweet and sparkling Light and Glory in it enough to take the eye and affect the heart of all those that look upon it And thus is Christ to all that come to him and by him to the Father c. My Beloved saith she is white and ruddy the chiefest of ten thousand his mouth is most sweet he is altogether lovely The Mother of Harlots had some knowledge of the Beauty and Glory of this Stone and knew that it had a very taking and drawing Glory in it and therefore she gets it for some time to adorn her self withal She was decked with Gold and precious Stones and Pearls and was therefore called the well-favoured Harlot by which means she hath drawn into her lewdness the Kings and Kingdoms of the world who have in such sort been entangled with her Beauty and with her Fornication that they have been adulterated from God and their own Salvation For indeed she used this Pearl but for to get them to drink of her Fornication that they might drink and spue and fall and never rise more But now when he saith the Gates are Pearl it is as if he had said This Woman is stript of her beauty and delicate ornaments the Pearl is taken from her and is set in his right place even to be for the Gates of Jerusalem Wherefore it is to be expected that many should be taken with the way of entrance into this beloved City in the day that she shall be set up and appear in her heavenly beauty The glory of that City must needs be great whose Wall is Jasper and Gates are Pearl And the twelve Gates are twelve Pearls Not Pearls and other Precious stones commixed but Pearl only To signifie that Christ only can let in souls into this City that they may partake of the goodness and priviledges thereof 'T is not he and Saints together neither is it all the Saints and Angels in Heaven without him He alone hath the Key of David and that openeth and no man shutteth and that shutteth and no man openeth Rev. 22. 22. 3. 7. Secondly As he saith The several Gates are each of them Pearls So he saith that every several Gate was of One Pearl of one entire Pear By which he would have us understand also that as none can enter in but by Christ so none can enter in but by whole Christ. Christ must be helpful to thee every way or he will be helpful to thee no way thou must enter in by every whit of Christ or thou shalt enter in by never a whit of him Wherefore look not to have him thy Saviour if thou take him not for King and Prophet nay thou shalt not have him in any one if thou dost not take him in every one of these Wherefore the Prophet saith He shall build the Temple of the Lord that is by his Prophetical Office and he shall sit and rule upon his Throne and he shall be a Priest upon his Throne and the counsel of peace shall be between them both Zech. 6. 12 13. And the Street of the City was pure Gold as it were transparent Glass In these words there are four things to be enquired into First What this Street is Secondly Why he saith not Streets but Street as of one Thirdly Why this Street is called by the term of pure Gold Fourthly And why it should look like transparent Glass For the First A Street ordinarily is the place of common concourse and the place of continual open salutation and taking acquaintance one of another and as touching this Street we are also to understand it of the open and common place or way of Gods Worship in which Saints salute each other and acquaint themselves together also here the World are converted Saints built up and edified c. Wisdom cryeth without she uttereth her voice in the Streets saith Solomon she cryeth in the chief places of concourse in the opening of the Gates in the City she uttereth her words that is in the publick and righteous Ordinances of the Lord Jesus which he hath ordained in his Church for men to travel and trade in for the good and wholsome merchandize of Heaven as the men of this world do for the things thereof in
Lord that saves you You know I say what a flame of love and bowels and compassion and self-denial and endeared affection to God and all Saints it will beget in the soul. O! it is good to be here saith the gracious heart Well and so thou shalt be alwayes if thou live to see New Jerusalem setled in her own place Isa. 65. 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24. And the Street of the City was pure Gold as it were transparant Glass Mark a Street of Gold like Glass a Street of Gold as it were transparant Glass By Glass here as also in the eighteenth verse we are to understand the word Jam. 1. 23 24 25. Wherefore when he saith the Street the Golden Street was like unto Glass he means that the walking and carriage of the Saints at this day shall be like unto or according to the Word the Life of the Saints answering the Life of the Word and Rule of the Lord Christ. Again in that he doth add to Glass the word Transparent he would have us to understand thereby these two things First That the walking and ways of Holiness of the Saints shall be more in the Power and Spirit of the Word than all along in the reign of Antichrist they have been For transparent Glass it is the most cleer and excellent Glass and goeth as far beyond other sorts of Glass as he that walks in the Spirit and Power of the Commandment goes beyond him that only walks in the Letter and outward Word thereof Alas the Churches of Christ at their first assembling will be like the coming together of Ezekiels bones cloathed much with flesh and sinews but greatly void of spirit and life Ezek. 37. 7 8. Wherefore the Spirit Power Holiness and Majesty that now will appear in the Church it will greatly transcend and go beyond the Spirit Power and Holiness that hath accompanied her in former days Then shall the Sun be ashamed and the Moon confounded when the Lord shall reign in Mount Zion c. Then shall the Sun be ashamed that is then shall that little light and understanding of the Word that hath been in the Church in the days when a third part of the glory of the Gospel was hid by the smoak of the Pit be as it were laid aside and be useless every Saint shall be under the light of a Sun that shines seven-fold brighter even as the light of seven days We see it is so in some measure at this day What Light and with what clearness do the Saints in this day see the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God beyond what the holy and goodly Martyrs and Saints did in the days that were before us Hus Bilny Ridly Hooper Cranmer with their Brethren if they were now in the world would cry out say Our light and knowledge of the Word of the Testament of Christ was much inferior to the Light that at this day is broken forth and that will yet daily in despite of Men and Devils display its Rayes and Beams amongst the sons of men When the Children of Israel were to depart the Land of Egypt the Lord made known himself to them otherwise than ever he made known himself either to Abraham Isaac or Jacob their fathers The Book also at the recovering the Church from under Antichrist is to be unlocked and unsealed gradually first one Seal and afterwards another and last of all the seventh before which time the Book will never quite be opened according to that of the Angel Go thy way Daniel for the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end in which time which is the time of New Jerusalem they shall be opened and men shall consider it perfectly Wherefore Secondly It must needs be that the Church return to her old and primitive love for what is the cause of the want of love to Christ and one another now but our want of light in the Things Mysteries and Priviledges of the glorious Gospel of the Son of God Wherefore this being come then Love will reign and have her perfect work among the Godly Love is the very quintescence of all the Graces of the Gospel and is as transparent to them the greatest of these is Charity it is the fulfilling of the Law the Bond of Perfectness and the most excellent Way Wherefore the holy Ghost doth mean by this word TRANSPARENT Glass that the height of Light and the height of Love will be found in this City all their things shall be done without confused smoak and darkness and also without spiritual priâ—â— and desire of vain glory then shall they indeed do all their things in Charity and in the feeling Bowels and Fellowship of the Gospel Then shall the Offerings of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former times Mal. 3. 4. Alas Though now through Grace the Saints of God have attained to more Light and Knowledge in the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God than heretofore they had yet their Light is far inferior to that which will be when this City is builded Our spiritual Union and Fellowship in the very Bowels of the Grace and Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ also is yet greatly defective It is said that no man was able to enter into the Temple of God until the seven plagues of the seven Angels were fulfilled but when the seven last Plagues are spent and when all the Adversaries of the Church which caused terror in the Land of the Living shall be laid with the uncircumcised in the Pit then look for Golden days and not till then then shall this Golden Street be finished that is then shall the Light Faith Love and Holiness of the Gospel be walked in and embraced in a transparent and transcending way He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take Root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the World with Fruit. Isa. 27. 6. Vers. 22. And I saw no Temple therein for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it These words do in my present Light point at the end of the days of this Jerusalem here in this World and in so doing they signifie to us that when she is builded she shall stand and continue in â—his her glorious state afore-mentioned â—ven until that Glory be swallowed up of â—hat which doth excel That they do point at the end of her â—ay in this world I do gather from these particulars First Because they are the last words â—f the description of her Glory that is â—ese and the words ensuing which is â—t one and the same continued speech â—d it is easie to conclude that John in â—is description of this City doth from â—st to last even from the first appearing of her as she cometh out of Babylon till she be perfect in Glory give us the
relation of it first I say shewing us her descending then her building and afterward the Glory of that building at the end of which also he sheweth to us with what Glory he will crown this Glory even by swallowing of her up with a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory Secondly Because in these words he doth absolutely cut off all and every whi 〈…〉 of her outward and external Glory tha◠is as to outward Ordinances and Temple-Worship which yet was to be most famous for a long time in this new and goodly City which he verifies in the eleventh Chapter of this Prophecie◠which Chapter is a summary collectin◠of the Church in her Fall and Rise under Antichrist which Church there in he◠Rise is this City here in her Glory in th 〈…〉 World he tells us there I say that whe◠the Kingdoms of this World were become th◠Kingdoms of the Lord and of his Chris 〈…〉 that THEN THE TEMPLE OF GOD WAS OPENED IN HEAVEN tha◠is Temple-Worship under the Gosp 〈…〉 recovered into its former and Primitiv◠state and Purity in which it was before the coming in of the Man of Sin Rev. 11. 15 16 17 18 19. compared with Rev. 15. 8. which Temple he here utterly shutteth out saying I saw no Temple therein in the room of which he setteth the presence of the Lord Jesus and God his Father making them to stand and be in the room of Temple and Gospel-Worship in that manner as it is used while we here live in the Flesh For the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it 'T is true the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of this Church in her lowest condition therefore much more when she is brought into the condition that she is in at her rebuilding but yet neither in her low estate nor yet in her highest is it proper to say that so long as she is in this World God will be a Temple to her in opposition to her Temple and Gospel-Worship in outward and New-Testament-Administrations Wherefore when he saith He saw no Temple therein and that from this reason Because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it he must needs aim at a state to which the Church cannot attain until her Lord comes For then will that which is perfect be come and that which is in part be done away Now that the Temple in this place excluded can signifie nothing else but the outward orderly way of Gods Worship which the Saints ought with Conscience in Faith to be found in till their Lord comes Consider First That our New Testament doth use the word Temple three general ways 1. For the outward Order and Worship or Discipline of the Gospel 2. For the Body of Christ which is his Church c. 3. And lastly For the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb which here are said to be the Temple of this City Now then when he saith He saw NO Temple therein he cannot exclude the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb for they are here said to be the Temple of it Neither can he shut out the Church which is the Body of Christ for that is the City it self yea and the Church shall be Gods Temple and God and Christ the Temple of the Church for ever and ever He must therefore by this word no Temple exclude onely the outward Way of Gospel-Worship in which the Saints in the times of the New Testament both meet and edifie each other and also meet their God and are blessed and refreshed by him Again That this outward Gospel-Worship should be laid aside while the Church is in this World before her Lord doth come to be enjoyed by her as touching his Personal Presence it looks too like Ranting Opinions and contradiction to Scripture for me to believe 1 Cor. 11. 26. for when He comes but not till then shall these things be laid aside Besides That which yet confirms me more fully in this Opinion is Because herein this New Jerusalem doth most exactly answer the City and Temple which was builded after the Captivity which City and Temple being once built it stood till Christ our Lord did visit them in his own Personal coming the first time as the Prophets also said it should The Lord whom ye seek saith one shall suddenly come to his Temple even the Messenger of the Covenant whom ye delight in behold he shall come saith the Lord of Hosts And again I will shake all Nations and the Desire of all Nations shall come and I will fill this House with glory saith the Lord of Host Wherefore the glory of this latter House shall be greater than that of the former saith the Lord of Hosts And I will give Peace in this place saith the Lord of Hosts Mal. 3. 1. Hag. 2. 6 7 8 9. Now observe That from the time of the building of the second Temple to the coming of Christ the Worship of the Temple-Order was to be by all most devoutly and continually observed but when the Lord Jesus was come and had established his own more honourable and New-Testament-Dispensation then all the former Temple-Worship fell to the ground and became with all the Instruments of Worship that thereunto belonged null and void yea and it was a derogation to his Gospel to offer to uphold that former way of Worship after he had by his own Personal Presence and Spirit brought in that other Dispensation All which I say will be answered by our second and New-Testament New Jerusalem For as the old Jerusalem was builded after the Jews were come out of literal Babylon so is our New Jerusalem builded after our coming out of the Antichristian Oppression of spiritual Babylon again As that City did after she was builded continue and retain her Temple-Worship until the Personal appearing of Christ the first time so New Jerusalem shall retain and hold her outward New-Testament-Worship till He comes in Person the second time After all which as the second Temple was swallowed up of a more heavenly and spiritual Dispensation by the Personal Presence of Christ so shall also the New Jerusalem Temple-Worship be swallowed up by the glory of the appearing of the Person of Christ the second time as Paul saith for he speaks in the Person of Christ Till I come give attendance to reading to exhortation to Doctrine c. 1 Tim. 4. 13. Thus then when this holy City doth once again appear upon the stage and in her own situation and when she hath bin shewed in the Attire of a Queen before the face of all Nations and their Kings and when she hath by the Glory of the Light of her New-Testament-Temple gathered as with a Net the number of Gods Elect then she is taken into her Husbands Privy-Chamber where she and he alone shall be in that blessed Fellowship and Communion that shall not again be once eclipsed or in the least interrupted
Wine on the lees of fat things full of marrow of Wine on the lees well refined Isa. 25. 6. And the Nations of them that are saved shall walk in the light of it They shall walk in the light of it That is in the Light that is in it while it is in its purity in this world and in the Glory of it when it is in its perfection and immortality in another Whence note by the way that in the midst of all this Glory or while the glorious light of the Gospel shall thus shine in the world yet even then there will be some also that will not see and rejoyce in the Glory hereof But as for those whoever they are they are excluded from a share in the blessed and goodly Priviledges of this City The Nations of them that are SAVED shall walk in the light of it And the Kings of the Earth do bring their Glory and Honour to it By these words are great things held forth He told us before that the Nations of them that are saved shall walk in the light of it and here he tells us that even their Kings also the Kings of the Earth do bring their Honour and Glory to it The people of the Nations they are but like to single-pence and half-pence but their Kings like Gold Angels and Twenty-shilling-pieces Wherefore when he saith that the Kings of the Earth do bring their Glory and Honour unto it It argueth that the Gospel and the Grace of God when it is displayed in its own nature and seen in its own complexion even then they that have most of the Honour and Glory of the World will yet stoop their Top-gallant unto it Because of thy Temple which is at Jerusalem shall Kings bring Presents to thee The Kings of Tarshish of the Isles shall bring Presents to thee The Kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts yea all Kings shal fall down before him and all Nations shall serve him The Kings shall see and arise and Princes shall worship because of the Lord c. The Kings shall come to thy light and Princes to the brightness of thy rising The Kings shall see thy righteousness and all Kings thy Glory Yea that which hath not been told them shall they see and that which they have not heard shall they consider All the Kings of the Earth shall praise thee O Lord when they hear the words of thy mouth Yea they shall sing in the ways of the Lord for great is the Glory of the Lord. Thus we see that though in the first day of the Gospel the poor the halt the lame and the blind are chief in the embracing of the tenders of Grace yet in the latter day thereof God will take hold of Kings And the Kings of the Earth do bring their glory and honour to it To it That is to Jerusalem Wherefore this City must be built before they all of them will fall in love with her Indeed I do conceive that some of them will lay their hand to help forward the work of this City as did Hiram with Solomon and Darius Cyrus Artaxerxes with Ezra and Nehemiah at the buliding and repairing the City in the letter in the days of old But yet I say the great conquest of the Kings will be by the beauty and glory of this City when she is builded Thou shalt arise O Lord and have mercy upon Zion for the time to favour her yea the set time is come for thy Servants take pleasure in her stones and favour the dust thereof So the Heathen shall fear the Name of the Lord and all Kings thy Glory And indeed before this City is set up and established in her own place most of the Kings and great ones of the Earth wil be found imployed and taken up in another work than to fall in love with Mount Zion and with the Hill thereof They will be found in love with Mistris Babylon the Mother of Harlots the Mistris of Witchcrafts and Abominations of the Earth They will I say be committing Fornication with her and will be as the horns upon the heads of the Beast to defend the riding Lady from the Gunshot that the Saints continually will be making at her by the force of the Word and Spirit of God They will be shaking the sharp end of their weapons against the Son of God continually labouring to keep him out of his Throne and from having that rule in the Church and in the World as becomes him who is the head of the body and over all principality and power These shall make war with the Lamb but I say it shall so come about at the last by the illuminating Grace of God and by the faithful and patient enduring of the Saints together with the glory that every-where shall now be abiding on the Church and Congregation of Jesus that they shal begin to receive a mans heart and shall consider things that have not been told them wherefore at last they shall withdraw themselves from the love of this Mistris and shall leave her to scrape for her self in the world and shall come with repentance and rejoycing to Zion nay not onely so but to avenge the Quarrel of God and the Vengeance of his Temple and to recompence her also for the delusion and inchantments wherewith she hath entangled them They shall hate her they shall make her desolate and naked they shall eat her flesh and burn her with fire Rev. 17. 16. Now Madam what sayest thou the Kings must come to Jerusalem Jezebel thy Chamber-companions will shortly notwithstanding thy paintedface cast thee down headlong out at the windows Yea they shall tread thee in pieces by the feet of their prancing-Horses and with the wheels of their jumping Chariots They shall shut up all bowels of compassion towards thee and shall roar upon thee like the Sea and upon thy fat ones like the waves thereof Yea when they begin they will also make an end and will leave thee so harborless and comfortless that now there will be found for thee no gladness at all no not so much as one Piper to play thee one Fig. The delicates that thy soul lusted after thou shalt find them no more at all Babylon the glory of Kingdoms and the beauty of the Caldees excellency shall be as when God overthew Sodom and Gomorrah It shall never be inhabited neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation neither shall the Arabian pitch Tent there nor Shepherds make their folds there but wild Beasts of the Desart shall lie there and their houses shall be full of doleful Creatures And the Satyrs shall dance there and the wild Beasts of the Islands shall cry in their desolate places and Dragons in their pleasant Palaces and her time is near to come and her dayes shall not be prolonged Isa. 13. 19 20 21 22 23. Thus wilt thou come down
his People of old but here he will abide rest and dwell I will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem and my House shall be built in it saith the Lord and again I will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem for ever wherefore John considering this he saith there shall be here no more any Cnrse but the Throne of God God will now when he returneth to Jerusalem bring his Seat with him to signify his sitting down in the midst his People to be their company-keeper for ever But the Throne of God shall be in it By this word Throne we are to understand yet further these particular things First How blessed a state this City will be in at all times for the answer of of prayer the Throne of God will be in the midst of them the Throne of Grace the Mercy-Seat they will be open now to all the Inhabitants of this City yea the fame thereof shall so spread that it shall be rumored among all Nations that in Jerusalem God will be found speedily that in Jerusalem the God of Heaven and eternal Mercy is found at all times by them that seek his face My House saith he shall be called a House of Prayer for all Nations Yea many People and strong Nations shall at that day come to seek the Lord at Jerusalem and to pray before the Lord. And at that day the very Fasts of the House of God shall be to the House of Judah Joy and gladness and cheerful Feasts therefore Love Truth and Peace Secondly The Throne of God being now established in this City what a government what rule what a life of holiness godliness what dread and majesty will now be in the hearts of all the Sons oâ— this City How to an hairs breadth wil he command and guide them with his eye at all times when they should either turn to to the right hand or to the left What Wisdom I say what Holiness what Grace and Life will be found in all their words and actions The Throne of God is among them from which there will come continual influence light and splendor into all their hearts Hear the Word of the Lord O ye Nations and declare it in the Isles afar off He that scattered Jacob will gather him and keep him as a Shepherd doth his Sheep for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob and ransomed him from the hand of him that is stronger than he Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord for Wheat and for Wine and for Oyl and for the young of the Flock and of the Herd and their soul shall be as a watered Garden and they shall not sorrow any more at all Thirdly The Throne of God being in this City there is also thereby discovered what sway and commanding an Authority this City will have at this day as I have already shewed you over all the Earth The Lord shall roar out of Zion and shall utter his voice from Jerusalem and the Heavens and the Earth shall shake but the Lord shall be the Hope of his People and the Strength of the Children of Israel This was figured forth by the Throne of Solomon in the days when that City was in its prosperity which Throne to shew the majesty and commanding awe that then that City had over all both far and near it had for the bearers of the steps twelve Lions six on this side and six on that side of the Throne This City shall then be the Head and Chief but the Tail and Reproach no more Glorious things are spoken of thee O City of God And his Servants shall serve him That is him only Indeed his Servants serve him always but yet withal they do too too often serve with the wills and lusts of men even in their Service and worshipping God that is they serve him in much Affliction Temptation Fear and Persecution but then they shall serve him without any of these Yea they shall take them Captives whose Captives they were and they shall rule over their Oppressors And it shall come to pass in that day O City that the Lord shall give thee REST from thy Sorrow and from the hard Bondage wherein thou wast made to serve and thou shalt serve the Lord thy God without fear in Holiness and Righteousness before him all the days of thy life And they shall see his face This also argueth a very great dispensation of Grace and Mercy to this Jerusalem When God did deliver up his People into the hand of the King of Babylon he said it should be done in fury and in anger and that for their wickedness he would hide his face from his City Wherefore by the sight of his face here we are to understand that glorious visible appearance of God that then will be for this City and People in the face of all the world For by the Face of God we are to understand the discovery of his Severity Providences and wonderful Out-goings among the sons of men as also the glorions breaking forth of Grace Mercy and Forgiveness thorow Christ Jesus all which the People of God shall then most marvellously see and behold First They shall see his Severity and Judgments upon the Whore Secondly They shall see how God by his strange Judgments and works of Wonder hath brought this about Who shall not fear thee O Lord and glorify thy Name for thou only art holy for all Nations shall come and worship before theeâ— for thy Judgments are made manifest They that are delivered from the noise of Archers in the places of drawing water there shall they rehearse the righteous Acts of the Lord even the righteous Acts towards the Inhabitants of his Villages in Israel Thirdly And as for his Mercy they shall see that their Horn is exalted and that they are neer to him Praise ye the Lord. And his Name shall be in their foreheads And his Name That is his Fear and Image it shall appear in all their doings Sometimes he saith he will write his Fear and Law in their hearts and minds Which Fear and Law is all one with that which in this place he calleth his Name in their foreheads The forehead of a man is the place above all parts of the body that is most naked and plain to be beheld of all that pasâ— by wherefore when he saith their Fathers Name shall be in their foreheads it is as if he had said The Profession of my People shall now be open and the beauty of it apparent to all beholders I will make them saith God a Name and a Praise among all the People of the Earth when I turn back your Captivity before your eyes Every Face shall then shine with Oyl as well as every heart be replenished with Milk and Wine This was held forth by the Memorial that the Israelites were to
shall be so effectually joyned together that now they shall be no more two that is at a distance with a ditch between but one sound and inclosing-Wall to shew us That now the state of this Jerusalem even touching her outward Glory Peace and Tranquillity will be so stable invincible and lasting that unless that part of the Wall which is Eternal Salvation can be brokendown the Glory of this City shall never be vailed more Wherefore the Prophet when he speaks with reference to the happy state and condition of this City he saith Violence shall be heard no more within thy Land nor wasting and destruction within thy Borders but thou shalt call thy Walls Salvation and thy Gates Praise as he saith also in another place Thine Eye shall see Jerusalem a quiet Habitation a Tabernacle that shall not be taken down nor one of the Stakes thereof shall ever be removed neither shall any of the Cords thereof be broken Isa. 60. 18. 33. 20. The Walls are now conjoyned both joyned into one the Father hath delivered up the great Red Dragon into the hand of Christ who hath shut him up and sealed him down even down for a thousand years Wherefore from the Lord shall there be upon every dwelling Place of Mount Zion and upon all her Assemblies a Cloud and Smoak by Day and the shining of a flaming Fire by Night for upon all her Glory shall be a Defence And in that day shall this Song be sung We have a strong City Salvation will God appoint for Walls and Bulwarks Isa. 4. 5. 26. 1 2. The same in effect hath our Prophet John saying I saw the Holy City the New Jerusalem descending out of Heaven from God prepared as a Bride adorned for her Husband and I heard a great Voice out of Heaven saying The Tabernaele of God is with men and he shall dwell with them and God himself shall be with them and be their God and God shall wipe away all tears from their Eyes and there shall be no more death neither sorrow nor crying neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away Rev. 21. 2 3 4. And had a Wall great and high These words Great and High are added for illustration to set out the matter to the height and indeed the glory of a Wall lyeth in this that it is great and high the Walls of the Canaanites were terrible upon this account and did even sink the Hearts of those that beheld them wherefore this City shall be most certainly in safety she hath a Wall about her a great Wall a Wall about her an high Wall It is great for compass it incloseth every Saint it is great for thickness it is compacted of all the Grace and Goodness of God both â—â—ritual and temporal and for height if you count from the utmost side to the utmost then it is higher then Heaven who can storm it and for depth it is lower then Hell who can undermine it Great Mercies high Mercies great Preservation and a high Arm to defend shall continually at this day incamp this City God himself will be a continual Life-Guard to this City I will incamp saith he about mine House because of the Army because of him that passeth by anâ— because of him that returneth and no Oppressor shall pass thorow them any more for now have I seen with mine Eyes Zech. 9. 8. And had twelve Gates Having thus shewed us her Wall he now comes to her Gates it had Gates it had twelve Gates By Gates in this place we are to understand the way of Entrance Gates you know are for coming in and for going out and do in this place signifie two things First An Entrance into communion with the God and Saviour of this City Secondly Entrance into communion with the Inhabitants and Priviledges of this City in both which the Gates do signifie Christ for as no man can come to the knowledge and enjoyment of the God and glorious Saviour but by and thorow the Lord Christ so no man can come into true and spiritual communion with these Inhabitants but by him also I AM THE WAY saith he the Truth and the Life and no man comes to the Father but BY ME and again I am the DOOR BY ME if any man ENTER he shall be saved and shall go in and out and finde pasture Joh. 10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. 14. 6. And had twelve Gates In that he saith Twelve Gates he alludeth to the City Jerusalem that was of old which had just so many and are on purpose put into the number of Twelve â—o answer to the whole number of the Elect of God which are comprehended within the number of the Twelve Tribes whether they are natural Jews or Gentiles for as all the Godly Jews are the Seed of Abraham after the Flesh though â—ot Godly because they are the Children of the Flesh of Abraham so all the Godly Gentiles are the Children of Abraham after the Spirit though not by that means made the Children of the Flesh of Abraham they both meet then in the Spirit and Faith of the Gospel as God saith to the Jews When the Stranger shall sojourn with thee and will keep the Passover that is become godly and receive the Faith of Christ let all his Males be circumcised and then let them come near and keep it c. For they that are of Faith are the Children of faithful Abraham who is called The very Father of us all Thus you see all the godly come under the Title of the Children of Abraham and of the Jews and so under the denomination also of being Persons belonging to the Tribes the twelve Tribes who answer to those twelve Gates Wherefore the Psalmist minding this speaketh indifinitely of all the Godly under the name of The Tribes of Israel saying Our Feet shall stand within the Gates O Jerusalem Jerusalem is builded a City that is compact together whithâ— the Tribes go up the Tribes of the Lord unto the Testimony of Israel to give thaâ—â— to the Name of the Lord Psal. 122. 2 3 â— But again Though I am certain that all the Gentiles that are at any time converted are reckoned within the compass of some of the Tribes of Israel to which the Gates of this City may truly be said to answer Yet the Gates are here in a special manner called by the name of twelve to answer to the happy Return and Restoration of those poor distressed Creatures the twelve Tribes of the Jews that are scattered abroad that are and for a long time have been to our astonishment and their shame as Vagabonds and Straglers among the Nations there to continue many days without a King without a Prince and without a Sacrifice and without an Ephod that is without the true God the true Saviour and the true Word and Ordinances after which saith the same
Prophet They shall even in the latter days that is when this City is builded return and seek the Lord their God and David their King and shall then fear the Lord and his Goodness Hos. 3. 4 5. This the Apostle also affirmeth when he telleth the believing Gentiles That blindness in part â—s happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in which Israel in this place cannot by any means be taken for the Gentiles that are converted for thâ—â— Israel must be rejected until the bulk of the elect Gentiles be converted besides he calleth this Israel by the name of Israel even while unconverted but the converted Gentiles still Gentiles even when converted he calls this Israel the Natural Branches but the Gentiles Wilâ— Branches and tells us further Thaâ— when they are converted they shall be grafted into their own Olive Tree but when the Gentiles are converted they must be cut off of their own Stock and Tree read Rom. 11. throughout Wherefore I say the Gates are called twelve to answer these poor Creatures who at this day shall be awakened and enlightned and converted to the Faith of Jesus These Gates in another place are called A Way and these Jews The Kings of the East and it is there said also That at present this Way doth want preparing which is as much as to say This City wants setting up and the Gates want setting in their proper places Wherefore saith John The sixth Angel poured out his Vial upon the great River Euphrates that is destroyed the strength and force of the Roman-Antichrist for the River Euphrates was the fence of literal Babylon the Type of our spiritual one which force and fence when it is destroyed or dried up then the way of the Kings of the East will be prepared or made ready for their Journey to this Jerusalem Rev. 16. 12. Of this the Prophets are full crying Cast ye up cast ye up prepare the way take up the stumbling block out of the way of my People and again Go thorow go thorow the Gates prepare ye the way of my People cast ye up cast ye up the high-way gather out the stones lift up a Standard for the People Behold the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the World Say to the Daughter of Zion Thy Salvation cometh behold his Reward is with him and his Work before him and they shall call them The holy People the Redeemed of the Lord and thou shalt be called Sought out A City not forsaken Isa. 62. 10 11 12. All which doth most especially relate to the Conversion of the Jews in the latter day who in great abundance shall when all things are made ready come flocking in to the Son of God and finde favour as in the days of old And at the Gates twelve Angels By Angels in this place we are to understand the Messengers and Ministers of the Lord Jesus by whom the Mystery of Eternal Life and Felicity is held forth and discovered before the Sons of Men and thus this word Angel is frequently taken in this Prophecâ—â— Rev. 1. 20. 2. 1 8 12 18. 3. 1 7. 14. 6. And at the Gates twelve Angels In these words then there are two things to be considered First Why they should be called twelve And Secondly Why they are said to stand at the twelve Gates of this New and Holy City For the first They are called twelve to signifie two things 1. The Truth of their Doctrine and 2. The sufficiency of their Doctrine and Ministry for the converting of the twelve Tribes to the Faith of Christ and Priviledges of this City First For the Truth of their Doctrine For by twelve here he would have us to understand that he hath his Eye upon the twelve Apostles or upon the Doctrine of the twelve the Apostolical Doctrine as if he should say This City the New Jerusalem shall be every way accomplish 〈…〉 with Beauty and Glory she shall 〈◊〉 a Wall for her security and twelve â—ates to answer the twelve Tribes yea and also at these Gates the twelve Apostles in their own pure primitive and unspotted Doctrine The Romish Beasts have corrupted this Doctrine by treading it down with their Feet and have muddied this Water with their own dirt and filthiness but at this day this shall be recovered from under the Feet of these Beasts and cleansed also from their diâ—t an 〈…〉 again in the same Glory S 〈…〉 and Purity as in the Primitive â—â—mes It is said that when Israel was passed out of Egypt beyond the Sea they presently came to Elim where were twelve Wells of Water c. and that they â—ncamped by the Waters which twelve Wells did figure forth the Doctrine of the twelve Apostles out of which the Church at her return from Captivity shall draw and drink as out of the Wells of Salvation Now shall the Wells of our Father Abraham which the Philistines have for a great while stopped now I say shall they again be opened by our Isaac his Son and shall be also called after their own Names Gen. 26. 18. This is generally held forth by the Prophets That yet again the Church shall be fed upon the Mountains of Israel and that they shall lie down in a good fold and a fat pasture yea I will feed my Flock and I will cause them to lie down saith the Lord God Ezek. 34. 14 15. Secondly As by these twelve we are to understand the Truth and Purity of the Doctrine of the Twelve so again by this word twelve we are to understand the sufficiency of that Doctrine and Ministry to bring in the twelve Tribes to the Priviledges of this City Mark for the twelve Tribes there are twelve Gates for every Tribe a Gate and at the twelve Gates twelve Angels at every Gate an Angel O Judah saith God I have set an Harvest for thee when he shall turn again the Captivity of his People and so for the rest of the Tribes Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh he will stir up his strength to save them I will hiss for them saith God and gather them for I have reedeemed them and they shall increase as they have increased and I will sow them among the Nations and they shall remember me in far Countreys and they shall live with their Children and shall return and I will bring them again also out of the Land of Egypt and gather them out of Assyria and I will bring them into the Land of Gilead and Lebanon and place shall not be found for them Zech. 10. 6 7 8 9 10. But to come to the second Question that is Why these twelve Angels are said to stand at the Gates which may be for divers Reasons First To shew us that the Doctrine of the Twelve is the Doctrine that letteth in at these Gates that also that shutteth out Whose sins ye remit they are remitted saith Christ