but they which are written in the Lambs Book of Life CHAP. XXII Vers. 1 And he shewed me a pure River of Water of Life clear as Crystal proceeding out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb. Vers. 2 In the midst of the street of it and of either side of the River was there the Tree of Life which bare twelve manner of Fruits and yielded her Fruit every month and the Leaves of the Tree were for the healing of the Nations Vers. 3 And there shall be no more curse but the Throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it and his Servants shall serve him Vers. 4 And they shall see his Face and his Name shall be in their Foreheads IN my dealing with this Mystery I shall not meddle where I see nothing neither shall I hide from you that which at present I conceive to be wrapt up therein onely you must not from me look for much inlargement though I shall endeavour to speak as much in few words as my Understanding and Capacity will enable me through the help of Christ. In this Description of this Holy City you have these five general Heads First The Vision of this City in general Secondly A discovery of its Defence Entrances and Fashion in particular Thirdly A relation of the Glory of each Fourthly A discovery of its Inhabitants their quality and numerousness Fifthly A relation of its Maintenance by which it continueth in Life Ease Peace Tranquillity and Sweetness for ever To all which I shall speak something in their proper places and shall open them before you But before I begin with any of them I must speak a word or two concerning John's qualification whereby he was enabled to behold and take a view of this City which qualification he relateth in these words following Vers. 10. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high Mountain and shewed me that great City the holy Jerusalem descending out of Heaven from God The Angel being to shew this holy man this great and glorious Vision he first by qualifying of him puts him into a suitable Capacity to behold and take the view thereof He carried me away in the Spirit When he saith He carried me away in the Spirit he means he was taken up into the Spirit his Soul was greatly spiritualized Whence take notice That an ordinary frame of Spirit is not able to comprehend nor yet to apprehend extraordinary things Much of the Spirit deserveth much of Gods matters but little of the Spirit deserveth but little of them I could not speak to you as unto Spiritual but as unto Carnal even as unto Babes in Christ I have fed you with Milk and not with Meat for hitherto ye were not able to bear it nor yet are ye able 1 Cor. 3. 1 2. And he carried me away in the Spirit c. Thus it was with the Saints of old when God had either special Work for them to do or great things for them to see Ezekiel when he had the vision of this City in the old Law in the Captivity at Babylon he must be first fore-fitted with a competent measure of the Spirit Ezek. 40. 2. John also when he had the whole matter of this Prophecie revealed unto him he must be in the Spirit I was saith he in the Spirit on the Lords day and heard behinde me a great Voice as of a Trumpet talking with me c. Rev. 1. 10 11. Whence note again That when God calls a man to this or that Work for him he first fits him with a suitable Spirit Ezekiel saith when God bid him stand upon his Feet That the Spirit entered into him and set him upon his Feet Ezek. 2. 1 2. And he carried me away c. Mark And he carried me away c. As a man must have much of the Spirit that sees much of God and his goodly matters so he must be also carried AWAY with it he must by it be taken off from things carnal and earthly and taken up into the glory of things that are spiritual and heavenly the Spirit loveth to do what it doth in private that man to whom God intendeth to reveal great things he takes him aside from the lumber and cumber of this World and carrieth him away in the solace and contemplation of the things of another World And when they were alone he expounded all things to his Disciples mark And when they were ALONE according to that of the Prophet Whom shall he teach Wisdom and whom shall he make to understand Doctrine they that are WEANED from the Milk and DRAWN from the Brests Isa. 28. 9. Whence observe also He is the man that is like to know most of God that is oftenest in private with him He that obeyeth when God saith Come up hither he shall see the Bride the Lambs Wife For a man through desire having SEPARATED himself seeketh and intermedleth with all Wisdom Prov. 18. 1. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high Mountain Thus having shewed his frame and inward disposition of Spirit he now comes to tell us also of the Place or Stage on which he was set to the end that now being fitted by illumination he might not be hindered of his Vision by ought that might intercept He carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high Mountain Thus did God of old also for when he shewed to Moses the Patterns of the heavenly things he must ascend into the Mount Sinai he must into the Mount also when he hath the view of the holy Land and of that goodly Mountain Lebanon Whence we may learn That the things of God are far from man as he is natural and also that there are very great things between us and the sight of them none can see them but such as are carried away in the Spirit and set on high To a great and high Mountain This Mountain therefore signifieth the Lord Christ on which the Soul must be placed as on a mighty Hill whereby he may be able his Eyes being anointed with spiritual Eye-salve to see over the tops of those mighty Corruptions Temptations and spiritual Enemies that like high and mighty Towers are built by the wicked one to keep the view of Gods things from the sight of our Souls wherefore Christ is called The Mountain of the Lords House or that on which the House of God is placed he is also called The Rock of Ages and The Rock that is higher than we The Hill of God is an high Hill as Bashan an high Hill as the Hill of Bashan Psal. 68. 15. This is the Hill from whence the Prophet Ezekiel had the Vision of this City And upon this Rock saith Christ will I build my Church and the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it Ezek. 40. 2. Mat. 16. 18. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high Mountain
and shewed me that great City the holy Jerusalem Having thus told us how and with what he was qualified he next makes relation of what he saw which was that great City the holy Jerusalem Jerusalem in the Language of the Scripture is to be acknowledged for the Church and Spouse of the Lord Jesus and is to be considered either generally or more particularly Now as she is to be taken generally so she is to be understood as being the whole Family in Heaven and Earth and as she is thus looked upon so she is not considered with respect to this or that state and condition of the Church here in the world but simply as she is the Church therefore it is said when at any time any are converted from Satan to God That they are come to Mount Sion the City of the living God the heavenly Jerusalem to an innumerable Company of Angels to the general Assembly and Church of the first-born that are written in Heaven to God the Judge of all and to the Spirits of Just men made perfect to Jesus and to the Blood of sprinkling Heb. 12. 22 23 24. But again As Jerusalem is thus generally to be understood so also she is to be considered more particularly 1. Either as she relates to her first and purest state or 2. As she relates to her declined and captivated state or 3. With reference to her being recovered again from her apostatized and captivated condition Thus it was with Jerusalem in the Letter which threefold state of this City shall be most exactly answered by our Gospel-Jerusalem by out New-Testament-Church Her first state was in the days of Christ and his Apostles and answered to Jerusalem in the days of Solomon her second state is in the days of Antichrist and answereth to the carrying away of the Jews from their City into Babylon and her third state is this in the Text and answereth to their return from Captivity and rebuilding their City and Walls again All which will be fully manifest in this Discourse following Besides That this holy City that here you read of is the Church the gospel-Gospel-Church returning out of her long and Antichristian Captivity consider First She is here called a City the very name that our Primitive Church went under which name she loseth all the while of her Apostatizing and Captivity under Antichrist for observe I say all the while she is under the scourge of the Dragon Beast and the Woman in Scarlet c. she goeth under the name of a Woman a Woman in travel a Woman flying before the Dragon a Woman flying into the Wilderness there to continue in an afflicted and tempted condition and to be glad of Wilderness-Nourishment until the time of her Enemies were come to an end Rev. 12. Now the reason why she lost the title of City at her going into Captivity is Because then she lost her situation and strength she followed others then Christ wherefore he suffered her Enemies to scale her Walls to break down her Battlements he suffered as you see here the great Red Dragon and Beast with seven Heads and ten Horns to get into her Vineyard who made most fearful work both with her and all her Friends her Gates also was now either broken down or shut up so that none could according to her Laws and Statutes enter into her her Charter also even the Bible it self was most grosly abused and corrupted yea sometimes burned and destroyed almost utterly wherefore the Spirit of God doth take away from her the title of City and leaveth her to be termed a wandring Woman as aforesaid The Court that is without the Temple saith the Angel leave out and measure it not for it is given to the Gentiles and the Holy City shall they tread under foot forty and two months Rev. 11. 2. The Holy City shall they tread under foot that is all the City-Constitutions her Forts and Strength her Laws and Priviledges for a long time shall be laid aside and slighted shall become a hissing a taunt and a by-word among the Nations And truly thus it was in the Letter in the destruction of Jerusalem by the King of Babylon and his wicked Instruments by whose hands the City was broken up the Walls pulled down the Gates burned the Houses riâ—â—ed the Virgins ravished and the Children laid dead in the top of every street 2 Chron. 36. 17 18 19 20 21. Jer. 52. Lam. Chap. 1 2 3 4. Now was Zion become a plowed Field and Jerusalem turned to heaps a place of Briers and Thorns and of wastness and desolation Mic. 3. 12. Isa. 7. 23 24. Secondly The phrase also that is joyned with this of City doth much concern the point she is here called The new and holy City which words are explained by these As a Bride adorned and prepared for her Husband the meaning is That she is now got into her Form Fashion Order and Priviledges again she is now ready adorned prepared and put into her Primitive state Mark though she was in her state of affliction called a Woman yet she was not then either called a City or a Woman ADORNED but rather a Woman robbed spoiled rent and torn among the briers and thorns of the Wilderness Isa. 5. 6. 42. 22. 32. 13 14. Wherefore this City is nothing else but the Church returned out of Captivity from under the reign of Antichrist As is yet further manifest because Thirdly We finde no City to answer that which was built after the Jews return from Captivity but this for this and onely this is the City that you finde in this Prophecie that is nominated as the Antitype of that Second of the Jews wherefore John hath no relation of her while towards the doom of Antichrist and no description of her in particular until Antichrist's utterly overthrown as all may see that wisely read the 17th 18th 19th 20th Chapters of this Prophecie And shewed me that great City The holy Ghost is pleased at this time to give the Church the name of a City rather than any other name rather than the name of Spouse Woman Temple and the like though he giveth us her under the name of a Woman also to help us to understand what he means but I say the name of a City is now the name in special under which the Church must go and that for special Reasons First To shew us how great and numerous a People will then be in the Church the Church may be a Woman a Temple a Spouse when she is but few but an handful but two or three but to be a City and that in her glory it bespeaks great store of Members Inhabitants and Citizens especially when she goeth under the name of a GREAT City as here she does He shewed me that GREAT City Secondly She goeth rather under the name of a City than Temple or Spouse to shew us also how plentifully the Nations and
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
wear at God's command between their eyes Which Memorial was the Doctrine of Unleavened-Bread and of the Paschal-Lamb the Doctrine of Faith and Holiness Wherefore by Name here he means the Faith and Holiness of the Gospel which in those days shall walk openly with Honour with Reverence and Esteem before all men At this day the World will as I have said be so far off from opposing and persecuting that they shall wonder and tremble and fear before this People yea be taken affected and pleased with the welfare of this Beloved The Mountains and the Hills shall break forth before her into singing and all the Trees of the Field shall clap their hands All Nations shall call them blessed for they shall be a delight some Land saith the Lord of Hosts Malac. 3. 12. The Waters of Noah shall now be no more the tumultuous Multitudes shall now be gone and there will be no more Sea Now therefore the Doves may be gathering their Olive-branches and also find rest for the soals of their feet while the Ark shall rest upon the Mountains of Ararat The Wolf shall now dwell with the Lamb and the Leopard shall lie down with the Kid the Calf and the young Lion and the Fatling together and a little Child shall lead them The Lion shall eat straw like an Oxe And the little Childe shall play at the hole of the Asp and the weaned Childe shall put his hand into the Cockatrices den They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my Holy Mountain saith the Lord. Blessed is he whose lot it will be to see this holy City descending and lighting upon the place that shall be prepared for her situation and rest Then will be a Golden World Wickedness shall then be ashamed especially that which persecutes the Church Holiness Goodness and Truth shall then with great boldness countenance and reverence walk upon the face of all the Earth From the rising of the Sun even to the going down of the same my Name shall be great among the Gentiles and in every place Incense shall be offered to my Name and a pure Offering for my Name shall be Great among the Heathen saith the Lord of Hosts 'T will be then alwayes Summer alwayes Sunshine alwayes pleasant green fruitfull and beautiful to the Sons of God And it shall come to pass in that day that the Mountains shall drop down new Wine and the Hills shall flow with Milk and all the Rivers of Judah shall flow with Water and a Fountain shall come forth of the House of the Lord and shall water the valley of Shittem and Judah shall dwell for ever even from Generation to Generation And the name of the City shall be from that day THE LORD IS THERE Oh Blessedness And he said unto me These sayings are faithful and true And the Lord God of the holy Prophets sent his Angel to shew unto his Servants things that MUST SHORTLY be done I conclude therefore with that earnest Groan of Moses the Man of God O satisfie us early with thy mercy that we may rejoyce and be glad all our dayes Make us glad according to the dayes wherein thou hast afflicted us and the years wherein we have seen evil Let thy Work appear unto thy Servants and thy Glory to their Children and let the Beauty of the Lord our God be upon us and establish thou the work of our hands yea the work of our hands establish thou it Amen THE END 1 Cor. 1. 27 28. Mat. 11. 25. 21 15 16. Mal. 1. 12 13. Ezek. 8. 17. Mat. 11. 19 Isa. 37. 22. Ezek. 22. 7 8 9 10 11 c. Isa. 66. 10 11. John qualified for this Vision When God calls to Work he fits for Work Mark 4. 34. †Luk. 2. 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38. Exod. 19. 3. Deut. 32. 49. 2 Cor. 10. ◠6. Jerusalem considered in general †Eph. 3. 15. Jerusalem is to be considered more particularly †Ephes. 3. 19. Rev. 13. Why the Church at this day is called by the name of a City rather than a Woman Temple House or the like Ezek. 27 Rev. 18. 2 3. * Psa. 50. 2. Deut. 9. 1 2. Num. 13. 28. Isa. 60. 12 Ezr. 3. 1. Neh. 12. 1 Mat. 20. 17 18. Luk. 19. 28. 10. 30. Hebr. 7. 6 13 14. Isa. 45. Neh. 3. 5. Isa. 58. 8. to 14. Rev. 11. Joh. 14. 18. Dan. 3. 25. Isa. 27. 7 8 9. Rev. 2. 10 Zech. 4. 2 Zech. 8. 3 Judg. 7. Mich. 2. 12 13. Isa. 42. 13 14. Isa. 31. 4 5. Zech. 12. 8. Zeph. 3. 8 Joel 3. 16 Zech. 4. 6 Josh. 2. 8 9 10 11 12 13. Josh. 9. 22 23 24 25. Rev. 20. 3. Ezek. 1. 4 Ver. 13 14 Vers. 22. Vers. 26. †Ezek. 40. 3. * Ezek. 47. 1. Ver. 12. The light of the Church shall be according to the purity of the Word Isa. 52. 8. 30. 26 Isa. 32. 3 4. Isa. 33. 5 6. The Way out of Babylon a pleasant Way * See Verse 2. Eccles. 7. 11. Welcome will be that Light that doth shew us the Way out of Babylon Dan. 12. 4. Isa. 32. 15 Isa. 29. 24. Ezek 37. 19 20 21 Isa. 11. 9. 13. Zeph. 3. 8. 2 Thess. 2. Rev. 18. 1 2 3 4. Num. 20. 18 19. Num. 21. 22. Ezra 4. 7 * See more of this hereafter Isa. 60. 3. Zeph. 3. 17. Num. 21 22 23 24 c. Isa. 27. 4. Rev. 14. 4 Exod. 40. 36 37 38 Cant. 6. 9 10. 3. 6. 8. 5. Jer. 29. 10. Jer. 31. 12 Isa. 58. 11 Of her Defence Gen. 3. Ezek. 37. 1 2. Jer. 39. ◠52. 7. Isa. 26. 1. Act. 4. 12. Zech. 2. 5 2 King 6. 17. The Reason of two Walls Isa. 22. 10 11 12. Amos. 9. 9 Two Walls made one The reason why they both are made one Rev. 20. 1 2 3. The Wall is great and high Deut. 1. 28. Heb. 7. 26 Job 11. 8 The height of the Wall The Gates of the City Jer. 17. 19 20. What the Gates sig nifie Twelve Gates Neh. 3. 13 28 29 31. 12. 37 39. Why Twelve Gates Exod. 12. 48. Gal. 3. 7. Rom. 4. 16 The twelve Gates do answer the twelve Tribes Hos. 9. 17 Isa. 57. 14 The Angels and what they are Why the Angels are said to be Twelve Ezek. 34. 17 18. Exod. 15. 27. Isa. 12. 3. Hos. 6. 11 Psal. 80. 2. Why the twelve Angels stand at the twelve Gates Mat. 18. 18. Joh. 20. 23. Mark 13. 34. 2 Chron. 23. 19. Psal. 100. 4 5. Isa. 27. 13 Ezek. 48. 31. Zech. 13. 6. Gal. 3. 7. Rom. 2. 28. 1 Pet. 2. 9 10. Why the Gates look every Way Ezek. 10. 11. Mat. 28. 19. Joh. 11. 12. Luk. 10. 1 1 Kin. 7. 23 24 25 Why there is three Gates looking every Way 1 Joh. 2. 12 13 14. The foundations of the Wall Mat. 7. 24 25. It is the Doctrine of the
going thitherwards but yet though this be true there must also be something significant in this word descending wherefore when he saith he saw this City to DESCEND out of Heaven he would have us understand 1. That though the Church under Antichrist be never so low yet out of her Loins shall they come that yet shall be a reigning City Generation is a descending from the Loins of our Friends he therefore speaks of the generation of the Church Wherefore the meaning is That out of the Church that is now in Captivity there shall come a compleat City so exact in all things according to the Laws and Liberties Priviledges and Riches of a City that she shall lie level with the great Charter of Heaven Thus it was in the Type the City after the Captivity was builded even by those that once were in Captivity especially by their Seed and Off-spring and thus it shall be in our New Testament New Jerusalem They that shall be of thee saith the Prophet that is of the Church in affliction they shall build the old waste places thou shalt raise up the Foundations of many Generations and thou shalt be called The Repairer of Breaches and the Restorer of Paths to dwell in and again They that sometimes had Ashes for Gladness and the Spirit of Heaviness instead of the Garment of Praise They shall build the old Wastes they shall raise up the former Desolations and they shall repair the waste Cities the Desolations of many Generations for your shame you shall have double and for confusion they shall rejoyce in their Portion c. Isa. 58. 11 12. 61. 3 4 7. Thus therefore by descending we may understand that the Churches Generation shall be this Holy City and shall build up themselves the Tower of the Flock 2. When he saith This holy City descended out of Heaven he would have us understand also what a Blessing and Happiness this City at her rebuilding will be to the whole World Never was kind and seasonable showers more profitable to the tender new-mown-Grass than will this City at this day be to the Inhabitants of the World they will come as a Blessing from Heaven upon them As the Prophet saith The Remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many People as a dew from the Lord as the showers upon the Grass that tarrieth not for man nor waiteth for the Sons of men Mic. 5. 7. O the Grace the Light and Glory that will strike with spangling Beams from this City as from a Sun into the furthest parts of the World Thus saith the Lord As the new Wine is found in the Cluster and one saith Destroy it not for a Blessing is in it so will I do for my Servants sake that I may not destroy them all I will bring forth a Seed out of Jacob and out of Judah an Inheritor of my holy Mountain and my Elect shall inherit it and my Servants shall dwell there And Sharon where the sweet Roses grew Song 2. 1. shall be a fold for Flocks and the Valley of Achor a place for the Herds to lie down in for my People that have sought me Isa. 65. 8 9 10. In that day Israel shall be the third with Egypt and Assyria even a Blessing in the midst of the Land Isa. 19. 24. And it shall come to pass that as you were a curse among the Heathen O House of Judah and House of Israel so will I save you and you shall be a Blessing fear not but let your Hands be strong Zec. 8. 13. As the dew of Hermon that descended upon the Mountains of Zion for there the Lord commanded the Blessing even life for evermore Psal. 133. 3. And now for the third particular namely What it is to descend out of Heaven FROM GOD. 1. To descend out of Heaven that is out of the Church in Captivity from God is this The Church is the place in which God doth beget all those that are the Children of him wherefore in that they are said to descend out of Heaven FROM GOD it is as as if he had said The Children of the Church are Heaven-born begotten of God and brought forth in the Church of Christ For Jerusalem which is above is the Mother of us all The Lord shall count when he writeth up the People that this man was born there Gal. 4. 26. Psal. 87. 5 6. 2. When he saith he saw this Jerusalem come out of Heaven from God he means That those of the Church in Captivity that shall build this City they shall be a People peculiarly fitted and qualified for this Work of God It was not all the Children of Israel that had their hand iâ— building Jerusalem after the Captivity of old their Nobles put not their hands to the Work of the Lord also there were many of Judah that were sworn to Tobiah the â—rch Opposet of the building of the City because of some Kindred and Relation that then was between them and him Neh. 6. 17 18 19. and as it was then so we do expect it will be now some will be even at the beginning of this Work in Babylon at that time also some will be cowardly and fearful yea and even men hired to â—inder the Work Nehem. 6. 10 11 12. Wherefore I say those of the Church that â—t that day builded the City they were men of a particular and peculiar Spirit which also will so be at the building of New Jerusalem They whose Light breaks forth as the Morning they that are mighty for a Spirit of Prayer they that take away the Yoke and speaking Vanity and that draw out their Soul to the Hungry they that the Lord shall guide continually that shall have fat Bones and that shall be as a watered Garden whose Waters fail not c. of THEM shall they be that build the old wastes and that raise up the Foundations of many Generations c. It was thus in all Ages in every Work of God SOME of his People SOME of his Saints in special in all Ages have been used to promote and advance and perfect the Work of their Generations 3. This City descends or comes out of Heaven from God that is by his special working and bringing to pass 't was God that gave them the Pattern even when they were in Babylon 't was God that put it into their Hearts while there to pray for deliverance 't was God that put it into the Hearts of the Kings of the Medes and Persians to give them Liberty to return and build and it was God that quailed the Hearts of those that by opposing did endeavour to hinder the bringing the Work to perfection yea it was God that did indeed bring the Work to perfection wherefore she may well be said to descend out of Heaven from GOD as he also saith himself by the Prophet I will cause the Captivity of Judah and the Captivity of Israel to return and I will build
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
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
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
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
wonderfully For in thee have they set light by father and mother in the midst of thee have they dealt by oppression with the stranger in thee have they vexed the fatherless and widdow in thee men carry tales to shed blood in thee they eat upon the Mountains and in thee they commit lewdness God hath smitten his hands at thy dishonest gain and all the blood which hath been in the midst of thee God will be avenged of thee but will not meet thee as a man You have cast lots for my People saith God you have given a Boy for a Harlot and a Girl for Wine that you may drink You have made havock of my young Converts to satisfy your lusts therefore What have you to do with me O Tyre and Sidon and all the Coasts of Palestina will ye render me a recompence and if ye recompence me swiftly and speedily I will return your recompence upon your own head I will throw it as dirt in your face again And never talk of what thou wast once for though thou wast full of wisdom and perfect in beauty though thou hast been in Eden the Garden of God yea though every Precious Stone for some time was thy covering and thou the very anointed Cherub that covereth walking upon the Mountain of God and in the midst of the Stones of fire yet because by reason of the multitude of thy Merchandize thou hast sinned and art filled with violence Therefore God will cast thee as prophane out of the Mountain of God and wil destroy thee O covering Cherub from the midst of the Stones of fire yea he will cast thee to the ground and lay thee before Kings that they may behold thee And all they that know thee among the People shall be astonished at thee thou shalt be â— terrour and never shalt thou be any more Ezek. 28. 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19. And when thou art spoiled what wilt thou do Though thou cloathest thy self with crimson though thou deckest thee with ornaments of Gold though thou paintest thy face with painting in vain shalt thou make thy self fair thy lovers will despise thee they will seek thy life Jer. 4. 30. And the Kings of the Earth do bring their glory and their honour to it Mark They do not only forsake the crimson Harlot neither do they content themselves with eating her flesh and burning her with fire but they come over they come over to Jerusalem they are conquered by the Grace of Christ and Wisdom of the Son of God They shall make war with the Lamb but the Lamb shall overcome them for he is King of kings and Lord of lords and those that are with him are Called and Chosen and Faithful Now they shall all give way to the Government of the King of kings the Governor of the Jews and shall with gladness delight to see him rule his Spouse with his own Law Rules and Testament they shall play the pranks of Jeroboam no longer in making Calves to keep the People from going up to Jerusalem to worship Now they shall count him also King of Nations aswel as King of Saints and he shall wear the Crowns and they shall seek to him Rev. 19. 12. and 15. 5. Jer 10. 7. Isa. 52. 15. 2 Chron. 9. 23. Vers. 25. And the Gates of it shall not be shut at all by day for there shall be no night there This is the effect of what you read before namely of the coming in of the Kings and Great ones of the Earth to this Jerusalem For when the Whore is made desolate and naked and burned with fire and when the Kings also that loved her and that maintained her are come in and have closed with the Glory and Beauty of this City then what need is there to shut the Gates Alas all the injuries that the Kings and Great Ones of the Earth have done to the Church and Spouse of Christ in these days of the New Testament it hath been through the Instigation and Witchcraft of this Mistris of Iniquity The Horseman hath lift up both the bright Sword and the glittering Spear against the Saints of God by reason of the multitudes of the Whordoms of the wel-favoured Harlot the Mistris of Witchcrafts who selleth Nations thorow her Whordoms and families thorow her Witchcrafts Wherefore I say this Gentlewoman being laid in her grave and all her fat ones gone down to the sides of the pit these Kings will change their mind and fall in love with the true and chast Matron and with Christ her Lord Now when this is thus this City must needs be safely inhabited as towns without walls and as a place neer to which there is neither Thief nor ravenous Beast Persecutors while they remain in their spirit of outrage against the Church and People of God they are frequently in the Scripture compared to the venemous Dragons fierce Lions and ravenous Wolves all which at this day shall be driven out of the World that is so out as never to molest the Church again or to cause a Gate of this City to be shut through fear against them as he saith by the Prophet In the habitation of Dragons where each lay shall be grass with â—eeds and rushes In the habitation of Dragons that is even in the places of Persecutors where each lay shall be food for the Flock of Christ. The Dragon is a venemous beast and poisoneth all where he lieth he beats the Earth bare and venoms it that it will bear no grass as do the Persecutors where they inhabit and lie But behold the dayes do come in which these Dragons shall be removed and the ground where they lay be made fruitful and flourish so that even there shall be places for the flocks to lie down in In the habitation of Dragons where each lay shall be grass with reeds and rushes No Lion shall be there nor any ravenous Beast shall be found thereon but the Redeemed of the Lord shall walk there and 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 according to that of Moses The Lord will give peace in his Land and his People shall lie down and none shall make them afraid For he will rid the evil Beasts out of the Land and the Sword shall not go through it more And my People shall dwell in a peaceable habitation and in sure dwellings and in quiet resting places And the Gates shall not be shut at all by day for there shall be no night there This word day we may understand two ways either for the day of bringing in to fill this City or for the day of her perfection and fulness Now if you take it with reference to the day in which her Converts are coming in as indeed it ought why then the
one her Lamp even as the Wise themselves 3. Such Virgins as were every one of them gone forth from the pollutions of this evil-world 4. And so such as continued visible Saints even till the Bridegroom came for then 't is said in the margent they cryed Our Lamps are going out These I say be those gifted people that will have place in the Church and so place in the Book of Life here mentioned which yet will though they continue hid from the Church be discovered in the day of the Lord to be such as had only a gift but not grace and shall for their secret sins be cut off and cast away notwithstanding they were visible Saints all their dayes To conclude then If the Scripture saith that none that defileth or that worketh abomination or maketh a lie shall enter into this holy City which yet is but the Church on Earth with what face can Defilers think and say they shall possess a part among the Church which is in Heaven Again If many that have received gifts from God and that may be serviceable in his House shall yet be put out of doors at the coming of the Lord What will they do that have been and yet continue both giftless and graceless as visibly as the light that shineth and that instead of being the Ploughmen and Vine-dressers of the Church prove Thieves Robbers Persecutors and the like yea if many that are within the bounds of that Book of Life that hath the Records and Rules of a rightly constituted visible Church may yet perish what will become of them that never were so much as written therein must they not perish rather And whosoever were not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the Lake of Fire Chap. 22. ver 1. And he shewed me a pure River of Water of Life clear as Crystal proceeding out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb. HAving thus shewed us this City her Fashion Glory Inhabitants and the like he now comes to shew us her Provision and Maintenance wherewith she is kept in safety life peace and comfort c. And he shewed me a pure River of Water of Life This Water of Life is nothing else but the manifold Grace of God in Christ let forth to the Inhabitants of this Jerusalem wherewith she is watered and replenished as the Earth with rain from Heaven for the good of those that drink thereof For both the word Water and that of Life they are but metaphorical sayings under which is held forth some better and more excellent thing And indeed it is frequent with God in Scripture to speak of his Grace and Mercy under the notion of Waters of a Fountain a Sea and the like Zech. 13. 1 2. Mica 7. 18 19. Now it is called Water First Because no soul can be cleansed or effectually washed from its guilt and filth but by the Grace of God I washed thee with water yea I throughly washed away thy blood from thee and thou becamest mine Ezek. 16. 8 9. Secondly It is called Water because it also quencheth the spiritual thrist of them that by Faith do drink thereof I will give saith Christ to him that is athirst of the Fountain of the Water of Life freely And again He that drinketh of the Water that I shall give him shall never thirst Rev. 2. 16. John 4. 14. Further As it is called Water so it is called the Water OF LIFE and that upon a diverse account First Because it is that which recovereth the soul that drinketh thereof from the Death of Sin and the Curse of God to a principle of Life and heavenly Blessing And it shall come to pass that everyone that liveth that moveth whithersoever the waters shall come shall live Ezek. 47. 9. Secondly It is called the Water of Life because that from it comes all those heavenly and spiritual quicknings and revivings that like Aqua-vitae do fetch again and chear up the soul that was sinking and giving up the Ghost in this world There is a River the streams whereof make glad the City of God Psal. 46. 4. Thirdly It is called the Water of Life because it healeth the soul of all its spiritual infirmities and diseases wherewith by the reason of the remainders of sin the creature is most sadly anoyed and infected And there shall be a great multitude of Fish of men he means Mat. 4. 19. because the waters shall come thither for they the Fish shall be healed and every thing shall live whither the Waters come Ezek. 47. 9. Fourthly and lastly It is called the Water of Life because that whosoever doth effectually drink thereof shall die no more but the Water that Christ shall give him shal be in him a Well of water springing up in him to eternal life wherefore he calleth it in another place the Living Water because the quality and nature of it is to beget to encrease to maintain and preserve life John 4. 10 14. And he shewed me a pure River of Water of Life clear as Crystal c. Mark It is Water Water of Life pure Water of Life and clear as Crystal These words pure and clear and that as Crystal they are aded upon a double account First To shew you that it is Grace alone that saveth the sinner And secondly To shew you 〈…〉 this day the Doctrine of this Grace will be by it self alone without the commixture of that dirt and trash that for a long time even to this day hath been thrown into it First It sheweth us that it is Grace alone that saveth the sinner pure Grace Grace that admits of nothing of ours to be in the least a helper in the matter of our happiness we are justified freely by his Grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ. As he saith by the Prophet I will pour CLEAN water upon you and you shall be clean and from all your Idols will I cleanse you Not for your sakes do I this saith the Lord. Be ye ashamed and confounded for all your own evil ways O House of Israel Ezek. 36. 25 26 27 32 33. It is clean water indeed it is clear in the nature of it clear in the gift of it and clear in the working of it It washeth freely throughly and perfectly from all your Idols will I cleanse you Rev. 21. 6. Ezek. 16. 9. Ezek. 36. 25 26. Secondly This word pure and clear as Crystal It also sheweth us that at the day of New Jerusalem the Doctrine of Grace shall be cleansed from all those dirty and muddy inventions that Sin Satan and the Wisdom of this world hath thrown into this River and into its goodly Crystal Streams I say at this day they shall not come near it neither shall the rubish they have already cast into it any more be there for ever I will destroy all the Beasts thereof the beastly men he means from beside the great waters neither shall the foot
of man trouble them any more nor the hoofs of Beasts trouble them Then will I make their Waters deep and cause their Rivers to run like Oyl saith the Lord God Ezek. 32. 13 14. And he shewed me a pure River of Water of Life clear as Crystal c. In that he saith he saw this River he giveth us in a Mystery also to understand how openly and plainly this River shall in all its Crystal Streams and Cur-rents be apprehended and seen by the Children of this City for in this Vision he doth as it were represent in his Person the Children of New Jerusalem as God said to Ezekiel in another case Thou shalt be their sign and they shall do as thou hast done So here I SAW saith John a pure River of Water of Life I am in this a signe to the House of the Israel of God and to the Inhabitants of this City they shall do as I have done and shall also see as I have seen As saith the Church and People of this City As we have heard so have we SEEN in the City of the Lord of Hosts And hence it is called an OPEN Fountain because it shall be no more shut up or kept close for ever And he shewed me a pure River of Water of Life clear as Crystal proceeding out of the Throne of God This word proceeding hath also in it two things First An implicit declaration whither it goes And Secondly A discovery of its gradual extention to those to whom it goes First Touching to whom or whither it goes it is let out both to the Jews and Gentiles indifferently and so it never yet was since the Foundations of the Jewish Church for in the time of the old Testament it did run to the Jews in special and in the times of the New-Testament hitherto unto us the Gentiles in special â— but now it shall in this manner be extended to sinners no longer not now to the Jews without the Gentiles nor again to them without the Jews but equally and alike to both and on them both it shall work alike effectually It shall be at that day saith the Prophet that Living Waters shall go out from Jersusalem half of them towards the former Sea and half of them towards the hinder Sea By Living Waters here you are to understand the same with this in the Text by the former Sea the People of the Jews for they were Gods former People and by hinder Sea the People of the Gentiles for they are the younger Son And because the whole World consisteth of these two People therefore Ezekiel in his Vision â—uts them both together calling them â—he Fish of one great Sea to which this Water of Life shall run and upon whose Fish it shall have alike operation even â—o heal them and make them live without respect either to this or that party It shall come to pass that the Fishers that â—s the Gospel Ministers shall stand upon â—he River from En-gedi even to Eneglaim they shall be a place to spread Nets their Fish shall be according to their kinds as the Fish of the great Sea Exceeding many as another Prophet saith The abundance of the Sea shall be converted to thee Thus much touching whither this Water goes And now to come to the manner of the extention of it in the way of its proceeding A thing that proceeds it doth what it doth gradually that is by degrees First it comes or goes so far and then further and afterwards further than that till at last it ascends to the height and uppermost degree that is alotted for its perfection All which the Holy Ghost would have us gather out of this word it proceedeth or that John saw this Holy-Water proceeding The which the Prophet Ezekiel in a mystery unfoldeth to us saying the first time he passed over this Water it was up but to his ancles the second time he passed through it proceeded to his knees the third time to his loyns and last of all became a River to swim in First It is but up to the ancles that is but shallow and signifies that first the soul is but a little child in Gods things such as the Apostle calls Babes Children little Children Secondly Then from the ancles it proceeds to the knees that is somewhat higher then the ancles and signifieth that the Christian groweth from a Child to a Young and Strong-man one that is now gotten deeper into the things of God and that is able to tug with and overcome the wicked ones Thirdly After this it proceeds higher even up to the loins this signifies that as Grace makes men Children of God and his Young-men so also it maketh them Fathers and Ancients in his Church it makes them grave knowing solid Guides and Unfolders of the Mysteries of the Kingdom these are such as are instructed into the Kingdom of God and that can bring out of their treasury things new and old Fourthly It yet proceeds higher even to be above the head a River to swim in and that such a River as can by no means be passed over This signifieth our launching into Eternity our being beyond all heights depths lengths and breadths in the open Visions and Enjoyments of Grace For there the Glorious Lord shall be unto us a place of BROAD Rivers and Streams wherein shall go no Gallie with Oars neither shall gallant Ships passe thereby Isa. 33. 21. Thus we begin Children and wade up to the ancles in the things of God and being once in it riseth and proceeds to come up to our knees then to our loins and last of all to be a River to swim in a River so wide so deep and every way so large that can in no wise be passed over And he shewed me a pure River of Water of Life clear as Crystal proceeding out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb. Having thus spoken to the Water what it is as also to whom it extends it self and how it proceeds He now comes to shew us from whence and from whom it doth come It proceeds saith he from the Throne of God and of the Lamb Out of the Throne of God this Throne of God it is in another place called the Mercy-Seat and Throne of Grace from which as always so now in a special manner he will issue forth of himself in the glory of the Gospel of the Grace of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to the Inhabitants of this City When he saith therefore that it doth proceed out of the Throne of God it is as if he had said I saw that from the yearning bowels of the great God did flow continually the Living Streams of the everlasting Fountains of Grace and that not only to but in the midst of this City wherewith her Inhabitants are continually watered and their Pastures kept always green and flourishing Ho every one that thirsteth Come ye to the Waters Proceeding
all Lastly I do find in most such a Spirit of Whoredom and Idolatry concerning the Learning of this World and Wisdom of the Flesh and GOD'S Glory so much stained and diminished thereby that had I all their aid and assistance at command I durst not make use of ought thereof and that for fear lest that Grace and those Gifts that the LORD hath given me should be atâ—ributed to their Wits rather then â—he Light of the Word and Spirit of GOD Wherefore I will not take of them from a thread to a shoo-latchet lest they should say We have made Abraham rich Gen. 14. 23. Sir What you find suiting with Scriptures take though it should not suit with Authors but that which you find against the Scriptures slight though it should be confirmed by Multitudes of them Yea further Where you find the Scriptures and your Authors jump yet believe it for the sake of Scriptures Authority I honour the Godly as Christians but I prefeâ— the BIBLE before them and having that still with me I count my self far better furnished than if I haâ— without it all the Libraries of the two Universities Besides I am foâ— drinking Water out of my own Câ—stern what GOD makes mine by the evidence of his Word and Spirit that I dare make bold with Wherefore seeing though I am without their Learned Lines yet well furnished with the Words of GOD I mean the BIBLE I have contented my self with what I there have found And having set it before your Eyes I pray read and take Sir what you like best And that wch you like not leave for the rest III. To the Captious Reader MY third word is to the Captious and wrangling Reader Friend However thou camest by this Book I will assure thee thou wast least in my thoughts when I writ it I tell thee I intended this Book as little for thee as the Goldsmith intendeth his Jewels and Rings for the Snowt of a Sow Wherefore put on Reason and lay aside thy Frenzie Be sober or lay by the Book Mat. 7. 6. IV. To the Mother of Harlots c. MY fourth word is to the Lady of Kingdoms the Well-favoured Harlot the Mistris of Witchcrafts and the Abominations of the Earth Mistris I suppose I have nothing here that will either please your wanton Eye or go down with your voluptuous Palate here is Bread indeed as also Milk and Meat but here is neither paint to adorn thy wrinkled face nor Crutch to uphold or undershore thy shaking tottering staggering Kingdom of ROME but rather a certain presage of thy sudden and fearful final downfall and of the Exaltation of that holy Matron whose Chastity thou dost abhor because by it she reproveth and condemneth thy leud and stubborn Life Wherefore Lady smell thou may'st of this but taste thou wilt not I know that both thy wanton Eye with all thy mincing Brats that are intoxicated with thy Cup and inchanted with thy Fornications vvill at the sight of so homely and plain a Dish as this cry Foh snuff put the Branch to the Nose and say Contemptible But Wisdom is justified of all her Children The Virgin Daughter of Zion hath despised thee and laughed thee to scorn Jerusalem hath shaken her Head at thee yea her GOD hath smitten his Hands at thy dishonest Gain and Freaks Rejoyce ye with Jerusalem and be glad for her all ye that love her rejoyce for Joy with her all ye that mourn for her that ye may suck and be satisfied with 〈◊〉 Brests of her Consolations that ye may milk out and be delighted with the abundance of her Glory JOHN BUNYAN Reader By reason of the Authors distance from the Press some Faults have escaped notwithstanding the Printers care which thou art desired to correct thus ERRATA Page 7. line 10 11. for deserve read discern Pag. 78. lin 12. for tother read together Pag. 186. lin 22. for by Laws read by-Lanes Pag. 217. lin 2. for contiaually r. continually P. 234. l 22. for Sanctuar y the r. Sanctuary the. P. 270. l. 12. for he read the. P. 271. l. 2. for iver read River P. 277. l. 28. for wandering by read wonderingly The Holy City Or The New Jerusalem Revelations XXI Vers. 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain and shewed me that great City the holy Jerusalem descending out of Heaven from God Vers. 11 Having the glory of God and her Light was like unto a Stone most precious even like a Jasper Stone clear as Chrystal Vers. 12 And 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 Vers. 13 On the East three Gates on the North three Gates on the South three Gates and on the West three Gates Vers. 14 And the Wall of the City had twelve Foundations and in them the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. Vers. 15 And he that talked with me had a Golden Reed to measure the City and the Gates thereof and the Wall thereof Vers. 16 And the City lieth foursquare 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 the heighth of it are equal Vers. 17 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 Vers. 18 And the building of the Wall of it was of Jasper and the City was of pure Gold like unto clear Glass Vers. 19 And the Foundations of the Wall of the City were garnished with all manner of precious Stones The first Foundation was Jasper the second Saphire the third a Chalcedony the fourth an Emerald Vers. 20 The fifth Sardonyx the sixth Sardius the seventh Chrysolite the eighth Beryl the ninth a Topaz the tenth a Chrysoprasus the eleventh a Jacinct the twelfth an Amethyst Vers. 21 And the twelve Gates were twelve Pearls every several Gate was of one Pearl and the street of the City was pure Gold as it were transparent Glass Vers. 22 And I saw no Temple therein for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it Vers. 23 And the City had no need of the Sun neither of the Moon to shine in it for the Glory of God did lighten it and the Lamb is the Light thereof Vers. 24 And the Nations of them 〈◊〉 are saved shall walk in the Light of it and the Kings of the Earth do bring their Glory and Honour unto it Vers. 25 And the Gates of it shall not be shut at all by day for there shall be no night there Vers. 26 And they shall bring the Glory and Honour of the Nations into it Vers. 27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lie
Pipes that are on the Head of the golden Candlestick shall at this day convey with all freeness the golden Oyl thereout into our golden Hearts and Lamps Our Winâ— shall be mixt with Gall no longer we shall now drink the pure blood of the Grape the glory of pardoning and forgivinâ— Mercy shall so shew it self at this day in this City and shall so visibly abide theâ— in the Eyes of all Spectators that all shall be inflamed with it For Zions sake I will not hold my peace and for Jerusalems sake I will not rest untill the Righteousness thereoâ— go forth as brightness and the Salvation tâ—ereof as a Lamp that burneth and the Gentiles shall see thy Righteousness and all Kings thy Glory and thou shalt be called by a new Name which the mouth of the Lord shall name Isa. 62. 1 2. and again The Lord shall make bare his holy Name in the eyes of all the Nations and all the ends of the Earth shall see the Salvation of God Isa. 52. 9 10. Psal. 98. 2. At that day the Prophet tells us that there shall be HOLINESS upon the very Horses Bridles and that the Pots in the Lords House shall be like the Bowls before the Altar and every Pot in Jerusalem shall be Holiness unto the Lord Zech. 14. 20 21. The meaning of all these places is That in the day that the Lord doth turn his Church and People into the frame and fashion of a City and when he shall build them up to answer the first state of the Church there will such Grace and plenty of Mercy be extended unto her begetting such Faith and Holiness and Grace in her Soul and all her Actions that she shall convince all that are about her that she is the City the beloved City the City that the Lord hath chosen for after that he had said before He would return to Zion and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem he saith moreover That Jerusalem shall be called A City of Truth and the Mountain of the Lord of Hosts the holy Mountain And all the People of the Earth shall see that thou art called by the Name of the Lord and they shall be afraid of thee Deut. 28. 10. Secondly As the Glory of the Grace of God will at his day be wonderful manifest in and over his City so also at that day will be seen the Glory of his Power O my People saith God that dwellest in Zion be not afraid of the Assyrian he shall smite thee with a Rod and shall lift up his Staff against thee after the manner of Egypt that is shall persecute and afflict thee as Pharaoh served thy Friends of old but be not afraid for yet a little while and the indignation shall cease and mine anger in their destruction and the Lord of Host shall stir up a scourge for him according to the slaughter of Midian at the Rock Oreb and as his Rod was upon the Sea so shall he lift it up after the manner of Egypt the sum is God will at the day of his rebuilding the New Jerusalem so visibly make bare his Arm and be so exalted before all by his Power towards his People that no People shall dare to oppose or stand if they do make the least attempt to hinder the stability of this City Isa. 10. 24 25 26 27. I will surely gather or assemble O Jacob all of thee saith God I will surely gather the Remnant of Israel as the Sheep of Bozrah as the flocks in the midst of the fold they shall make a noise by reason of the multitude of men The breaker up is come up before them they have broken up the Antichristian siege that hath been laid against them they are gone thorow the gate they are gone out of it and their King shall pass before them and the Lord in the head of them Like as a Lion and a young Lion roaring on the prey when a multitude of Shepherds are called forth against him he will not be affraid of their Voice nor abase himself for the noise of them so shall the Lord come down to fight for Mount Zion and for the Hill thereof The Lord shall go forth like a mighty man and shall stir up Jealousie like a man of War he shall cry yea roar he shall prevail against his Enemies but not by Might nor yet by Power that is the Power and Arm of Flesh but by the power of the Word and Spirit of God which will prevail and must prevail to quash and over-turn all opposition Thirdly When God hath thus appeared in the Glory of his Grace and the Glory of his Power to deliver his Chosen then shall the implacable Enemies of God shrink and creep into holes like the Locusts and Frogs of the Hedges at the appearance of the Glory of the Majesty of God now the high ones lofty ones haughty ones and the proud shall see so evidently the hand of the Lord towards his Servants and his indignation towards his Enemies that they shall go into the Rocks and Holes of the Earth and into the tops of the ragged Rocks for the fear of the Lord and for the glory of his Majesty when he shall arise to shake terribly the Earth Isa. 2. Where the presence of the Lord doth so appear upon a People that those that are Spectators perceive and understand it it must needs work on those Spectators one of these two things either first a trembling and astonishment and quailing of Heart as it doth among the implacable Enemies or else a buckling and bending of Heart and submission to his People and Ways as saith the Prophet The Sons of them that afflicted thee shall come bending to thee all they that despised thee shall fall down at the soles of thy feet they shall call thee The City of the Lord The Zion of the Holy One of Israel as Moses said to the Children of Israel The Lord shall put the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the Land that you shall tread upon as he said unto you Isa. 60. 14. Deut. 11. 25. At this day the footsteps of the Lord will be so apparent and visible in all his actions and dispensations in and towards his People this holy City that all shall see as I have said how gratious loving kind and good the Lord is now towards his own Children Such glory I say will be over them and upon them that they all will shine before the World and such tender Bowels in GOD towards them that no sooner can an Adversary peep or lift up his Head against his Servants but his hand will be in the Neck of them so that in short time he will have brought his Church into that safety and her Neighbours into that fear and submission that they shall not again so much as dare to hold up a hand against her no not for a thousand Years Thus saith the
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
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
1 Cor. 3. 11. So then when he saith the Wall of the City had twelve Foundations and that in them also are written the Names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb he doth not mean that this Wall had twelve Christs for its support but That the Doctrine of the twelve Apostles is that Doctrine upon which both Christ and Grace and all Happiness standeth firm and sure for ever and to signifie also that neither Christ nor any of his Benefits can be profitable unto thee unless thou receive him alone upon the terms that they do hold him forth and offer him to Sinners in their Word and Doctrine If we or an Angel from Heaven preach unto you any other Gospel saith Paul than that which we have preached unto you let him be accursed As I said before so I say now again If any man preach any other Gospel unto you than that ye have received let him be accursed Gal. 1. 8 9. And in them the Names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. And in them their Names This makes it manifest that by the Foundations of this Wall we are to understand the Doctrine of the twelve Apostles of the Lord Christ for their Names are to it or found ingraved in the Foundations Thus it was with the Doctrine which was the Foundation of the Jewish Church the first Pattern being delivered by the man Moses his Name was always so entailed to that Doctrine that at last it became common and that by Divine Allowance to call that Doctrine by the name of Moses himself There is one that accuseth you saith Christ even Moses in whom you trust and again For Moses of old hath in every City them that preach him John 5. 45. Act. 15. 21. The same liberty of speech doth the Holy Ghost here use in speaking of the Foundations of this Wall which is the Doctrine of the Twelve And in that he calleth the Doctrine by the Name of Foundations and leaveth it onely with telling us the Names of the twelve Apostles are engraven in it he expects that men should be wise that read him and that they should be skilful in the Word of Righteousness if they come up clearly to the understanding of him And in them the Names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. Thus you see that the twelve Apostles above all the Servants of Christ are here owned to be the foundations of this Wall and good reason for they above all other are most clear and full in the Doctrine of Grace and all Doctrines pertaining to Life and Holiness In other Ages saith Paul it was not made known to the Sons of men as it is now revealed to his holy Apostles and Prophets by the Spirit Ephes. 3. 5. Moses was not fit for this for his was a more dark and vailed Administration While Moses is read the Vail is over the Heart saith Paul Neither was any of the Prophets fit for this for they were all inferiour to Moses and were as it were his Scholars Nay John the Baptist is here shut out for the least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater then he The Apostles above all other were the men that were with the Lord Jesus all the time from the Baptism of John even until the time he was taken up into Heaven they saw him heard him and discoursed with him and were Beholders of all the wondrous Works that he did they did eat and drink with him after his Passion and saw after he was risen the print of the Nails and the Spear with which he was peirced when he died for our Sins And because they had seen felt and at such a rate experienced all things from the very first both touching his Doctrine Miracles and Life therefore he said unto them in chief Ye shall be Witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and all Judea and in Samaria and unto the utmost parts of the Earth Act. 1. 21. 13. 31. 10. 39. 2. 31. 1 Joh. 1. 2 3. Act. 1. 8. Further The Apostles were in that marvellous manner indued with the holy Ghost that they out-stript all the Prophets that ever went before them neither can I believe that in the best of times there should be any beyond them yet if it should so fall out that a Dispensation should come in which they should have as to the pouring forth of the Spirit their Equals yet it could not follow that therefore the Gospel should be offered in other terms than they at first have offered it especially besides what hath been said of them if you consider to them 't was said Whatsoever ye shall loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven and whatsoever ye shall bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven Matth. 18. 18. they as to their Doctrine were infallible 't was impossible they should err he that despised their Doctrine despised God himself Besides they have given in commandment that all should write after their Coppy and that we should judge both Men and Angels that did or would do otherwise Timothy must have his Rule from Paul and so must holy Titus All which if we consider it the holy Ghost speaks to the purpose in saying That in the twelve Foundations are found the Names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb they are called the chief and such as have laid the Foundation and others build thereon and that as no men have laid the Foundation but they so none can lay even that Foundation otherwise then they afore have laid it 1 Cor. 12. 28. Ephes. 4. 8. 1 Cor. 3. 6 10. Heb. 6. 1 2 3. 1 Cor. 3. 11. And in them the Names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. These words then teach us two things worthy of our Christian Consideraration First That God hath given to every man a certain and visible mark to aim at for his Salvation or to build his Soul upon namely The Doctrine of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb for in that he saith their Names are in the Foundations it is better for us all things considered then if he had said In them was the Name of God himself that is it is more easie to see this way through the mist of our Carnality what the Mystery of his Will should be which is that we receive Christ according to their Doctrine Words Writings Epistles Letters c. their Names I say being there God counts it as the Broad Seal of Heaven which giveth Authority to all that Doctrine whereunto by themselves they are prefixed and subscribed not where they are writ by others but by themselves I say as the Token of every Epistle and of their Doctrine for Truth the which Paul insinuates when he saith that his hand is the Token of every Epistle as he saith again Am not I an Apostle And again Behold I Paul have written unto you I Paul I an Apostle I a wise Master-Builder I who am
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
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
effect of that also And he measured the City with the Reed twelve thousand furlongs and the length and the breadth and the height of it are equal Before he told us that the length was as large as the breadth which I then told you did signifie the nature of her Rule and the measure of her Obedience but now he adds and saith That both in length and breadth in height she is equal Wherefore in that he adds at last a squareness of height to her squareness of length and breadth and also in that he adds it not before he had told us of the measure of her Portions he would have us to understand that as the Rule in which this City shall walk shall be compleat and as her Obedience to that Rule shall be compleat so her enjoyment of God and his Grace at that day shall be proportionable also She is square in her Rule square in her Obedience and square in her Enjoyment of God and his Goodness the length and the breadth and the height of it are equal Indeed the Scripture saith That in keeping his Commandments there is great Reward and again This man shall be blessed in his Deed This sheweth unto us then what glorious days these will be to the House and City of God even days in which Saints shall see the Mind of God clearly have Hearts to do it compleatly and have continually the answerable Enjoyment of God and spiritual Happiness Now will his Paths drop Fatness with a witness and now will he meet him that rejoyceth and worketh Righteousness those that remember him in his Ways And the length and the breadth and the height of it are equal Wherefore the Prophet in the Vision of the measures of the Portions doth observe that there was a squareness in them as well as in their Ordinances and Obedience and hence it is that he tells us that every little Chamber was one Reed broad and one Reed long and again the Oblation that is the Portion for the Tribes shall be five twenty thousand By five and twenty thousand ye shall offer the holy Oblation FOUR SQUARE with the Portion of the City Ezek. 40. 7. and 48. 20. Again In that he saith The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal he sheweth us how fit this City at this day will be even for the Kingdom of Heaven and Glory for observe That as the Rule Obedience and Comforts of God do make this City a square City both in height and length and breadth so the Holiest of all which was a Type of Heaven was of the same fashion also It was twenty Cubits high and twenty Cubits long and twenty Cubits broad the length and the breadth and the height of it were equal 1 King 6. 20. 2 Chron. 3. 8. Ezek. 41. 4. Wherefore as now the Will of God will be done according to the Petition on Earth as it is in Heaven so will this City be at this day fit to enter into the Holiest Place even as fit as one four square is to shut into another Here is a four square City for a four square Heaven And the length and the breadth and the height of it are equal Wherefore it is upon this account that this City at her appearing is said to be adorned and prepared as a Bride is for her Husband which we all know is the most perfect and compleatest Attire that is possible to be got And therefore it is again that at the coming of the Lord those that go in with him to the Marriage are said to be ready beforehand Rev. 21. 2. Matth. 25. 10. Vers. 17. And he measured the Wall thereof an hundred and forty and four Cubits This measure of the Wall that here he maketh mention of is also distinct from the former measure where he is said to measure the City Gates and Wall and it refers to such a Wall or to such a part of the Wall in such a place for I find that though the Wall of this City in general is that which shall incompass the New Jerusalem round yet this Wall is in some place and for some reason of another manner and measure than the Wall is in general as it compasseth round the City which part of the Wall is called the broad Wall the Wall upon which even half of the People might walk compleat at once Neh. 3. 8. 12. 38. But to trace out the business in the Type and so to come to its answer in the Anti-Type I find that a little distance from Jerusalem there was a place called Tophet which place was counted prophane unholy or defiled I find also that this unclean unholy place was a figure of Hell it self Now mark I find by the Scripture that against this Tophet this unholy and prophane place was the broad Wall of the City for the defence of the Sanctuary erected and reared up He measured saith the Prophet by the four sides and it had a Wall rouud about five hundred Reeds long and five hundred Reeds broad TO MAKE A SEPARATION BETVVEEN THE SANCTUARY AND THE PROPHANE PLACE Ezek. 42. 20. Which VVall could not be that Wall which compassed the City because it was but five hundred Reeds long for take the measure of this Wall in its largest measure and it is if you count a Reed for that which we count a Pole but twelve Furlongs which compass will scarce go round many Market-Towns especially if together with this you consider the breadth of the Wall whose breadth is as large as its length wherefore now there is not room enough for a City so big as a Cotage to stand in the midst thereof I speak this to shew you that the Wall in this place is not the Wall that goeth round about the City but the Wall that is placed just between the Sanctuary and Tophet or Hell it self Now though Ezekiel and John do differ touching their count about the thickness of this Wall it is not so much to signifie the Walls are not one and the same as to shew us that the one to wit Ezekiel's Wall was to incompass a worldly Sanctuary but John's to incompass a spiritual and heavenly wherefore Ezekiel's must be of so many Reeds long to go round about the material Sanctuary as a Type but John comes more to the spirit of the matter and sheweth us what the Sanctuary Wall and the like should mean for by Sanctuary we are to understand even in the Old Testament a place of Safety and Security which was a Type of Christ Now in that Tophet did stand against the Sanctuary in the letter it signifies that Hell it self is bent against all those that take shelter in Christ but to no purpose for in the very face of Tophet even between it and our place of sanctuary is fixed an invincible and impregnable mighty Wall to keep in safety those that have fled to
Christ for shelter Now I say in that John tells us this Wall is an hundred forty four Cubits and waves the manner of the measure of Ezekiel it is to shew us that this Wall is for the safety of the hundred forty four thousand that have taken sanctuary in Christ that is all the holy and truly gracious Souls that are with him on the Mount Zion having his Fathers Name written in their Foreheads both Numbers I say being twelve times twelve implying a sufficient safety for all that are sincerely and truly gratious And now to bring down the matter to our Jerusalem-state for though it be true in all Ages that there is between those that have taken sanctuary in Christ and the bottomless pit an invincible and mighty Wall of Grace and heavenly Power and of the Merits of Christ to save to the utmost all and every one that are thus fled to him for safety yet there is some thing in it more then this for those that come into the days and state of the New Jerusalem For I say this Wall being it that makes a separation between the Sanctuary and the prophane place in general and yet being spoken of as a thing extraordinary and accompanying the state of this new City onely it implieth that at this day the Saints shall have that shelter by this Wall from all the force of Hell and the damned Spirits that now from Tophet afflict them that they never had before and therefore you find at the begining of the thousand Years which as I conceive is the time of the building of this City a mighty Angel is said to come down from Heaven to lay hold of the Dragon that old Serpent called the Devil and Satan and to bind him a thousand Years which done he casts him into the bottomless pit and there shuts him up to the end he should deceive the Nations no more the effect of which will be not onely a delivering of the Saints from outward persecution but also from being any more assailed with either wicked and erronious Doctrine or fierce and fiery darts from the Prince of Darkness which now many of them are so much anoyed and afflicted with now the Church will be free from those hellish suggestions to blaspheme to despair and the like that her Members do yet most dreadfully and sadly meet with for observe this old Tempter is said to be tied up or to be cast into the bottomless Pit first as he is a Dragon under which name he goeth in this Book in his persecuting the Church Rev. 12. Secondly he is said to be shut up as he goeth under the name of a Serpent under which name he went when he fomented his devillish and damning seducing Doctrine to our first Parents the which the Spirit expresly seems to relate unto and therefore calls him that OLD Serpent that OLD Serpent that deceived us at the first Gen. 3. 1 2 3 4 5. Thirdly he is said to be shut up also as he goeth under the name of the Devil and Satan under which Name he goeth commonly in the New-Testament when he provoketh and stirreth up our lusts and when he labours to drive us into all manner of unbelief distrust despair and so consequently into murmurings and blasphemy against God Mat. 4. 1 5 8. Luk. 4. 2 3 5 6. Act. 5. 1 2 3. Ephes. 6. 11. 2 Cor. 2 7 11. Wherefore I say that at the day that this Wall is set up in all its glory and when it performs every part and piece of its office to the full then shall Satan be bruised under our Feet indeed and then shall Jerusalem be called The joyous City and her People A Joy for her former Sorrows shall be past and forgot If thou still objectest But I have yet an evil heart and therefore if I be not rid of that at that day should I live till then why though there should be no Devil to afflict me I shall feel and meet with sorrow and trouble enough I answer thee First I dare not say that at this day thou shalt be in every sence without thy evil heart in the midst of all this glory tempted Soul Yet I say thus much to thee First Where there is no Devil to tempt though the Saints will yet be imperfect and come short of a glorified state yet they by his absence will be delivered from many dreadful vexing and burning hellish Darts that will otherwise confound and afflict the Soul like Arrows whose heads are poisoned Christians have a great deal of ease when God doth even at this day with-hold the Devil for a season though yet they have their own lusts over they have when the Devil and their own Lusts are suffered to meet and work together yea the Lord Jesus himself who had no sin yet in the Temptation was fearfully handled and afflicted with the Devil though all the while I say he kept him at staves end and did not suffer him in the least to anoy his Person and therefore 't is said that when he was in the Wilderness in the conflict the Angels came to minister to him at the time of his Agony also in which Agony doubtless Satan had a very great hand to afflict him you see his complaint how that he was sore amazed and exceeding sorrowful even unto death being so laden with heaviness and sorrow that he was scarce able to stand or wag under the burden of it Satan even from himself besides the workings of our own Lusts doth do us wonderful injury and hits our Souls with many a fiery Dart that we think comes either from our selves or from Heaven and God himself but now by this Wall this broad Wall this sorrow will be cut off Secondly Again when Satan is thus tied up we shall together with this Mercy receive such a plentiful pouring forth of the Holy Ghost that though there will remain in us still the remainders of our Corruptions yet by the plentiful indwellings of the holy Ghost and the Joy and Peace and heavenly sweetness thereof these things shall lie like lean withered blasted things the reason of that power and that strength that our Lusts have to this day in our hearts it is because we are so lean and thin and weak in the things of God strong Grace makes Corruptions weak and strikes them thorow laying them at the point of death always gasping for life thus it was with Moses he had such Grace in his Soul and such Communion with God that though he had yet a Body of Sin within him it was a rare thing for him to see his wretchedness that is to see it pirt lively and powerful in him indeed God saith That upon the Land of his People shall come up Bryars and Thorns yea upon all the Houses of Joy in the joyous City because the Palaces shall be forsaken the multitude of the
a crushed bunch of Herbs in which is no Vertue or like a Furnace full of Dross out of which the Gold is taken or like an old crazy and ruinous House from which is departed all Health and Happiness and indeed much like to this is that saying of the Prophet to wit That at this day the whole circumference of the World that is without the Walls and Priviledges of this City it shall be but like an old ruinous House in which dwells nothing but Cormorants Bitterns Owls Ravens Dragons Satyrs the Screech-Owl the great Owl the Vulture and the like most doleful Birds All their Princes shall be nothing saith the Prophet and when they call their Nobles to the Kingdom none shall be there In their very Pallaces shall be Thorns and Nettles and Brambles for all among them that are Princes and Nobles indeed will have pack'd up and be gon for Jerusalem So that the World I say will be left empty void and stript both of Treasure Beauty and Health at the day of Jerusalems building again But O how melancholy a forlorn beautiless World will this be at this day It will be onely the place of Dogs Sorcereâ—s Whoremongers and Murderers and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie it will now be the very Emblem of Hell as the Church at this day will be the Emblem of Heaven wherefore as the Church as I shewed you before will be most fit for her puting on of Immortality and Incorruption so the World will at this day be most fit to be swallowed up of the Lake and bottomless Gulf. All things that are good and worth any thing shall at this day be found onely in the City of God The Gold will be in Jerusalem Again In that this City is here called by the name of Gold it is to shew us how great pains and travel and charge the Lord Christ hath been at to get so great a Treasure together Gold is fetched from a far Countrey and that with great pains charge and difficulty The Gold wherewith King Solomon made his drinking Vessels it cost a three years Journey to obtain it so the Saints also those Golden Vessels wherewith is made this Golden City they cost Christ a three days travel in the heart of the Earth even sweatingly under the wrath of God to obtain them and thus to build this City with them Further In that he saith this City is Gold he would have us to consider what the state of the Church was before she came into this happy condition to wit an afflicted tempted and tried condition Gold as it comes from the Mine it cometh commixed with its Dust and Ore wherefore the Goldsmith hath a burning Furnace wherein he having put it doth with the fire purge and take away the Dross and Dust from among the Metal it self into which Furnace he puts it once twice thrice and again to the end it may at length be thorowly cleansed and purified from its Dross Now all this befalleth the People of God they are thrown into the burning fiery Furnace of Affliction and Temptation and there they are tried purged and purified as the Lord also saith by the Prophet I will try them as Gold is tryed and will refine them as Silver is refined yea I will melt them and try them for how shall I do for the Daughter of my People Isa. 31. 9. Jer. 9. 7. Zech. 13. 9. Lastly When he saith this City is Gold he also thereby insinuates how invincible and unconquerable a Spirit the People of God are possessed with Gold is a Metal so invincible and unconquerable that no fire can consume it it may burn it indeed and melt it the Dross indeed doth consume and give way to the power of the fire but the Gold remains and holds its ground yea it gets ground even of the Furnace and Fire it self for the more it is burned and melted the more it recovers its colour and the more it shakes off its Dross and Dishonour Just thus it is with the People of God and hath been so even from the beginning The more they oppressed them the more they grew Exod. 1. 12. the truth of which will be proved with a witness when God comes to set up this City Jerusalem his Church hath been now for many hundred years in the King of Babylon's Furnace all which time she hath most gloriously endured and withstood the heat and at last when the fire hath done its worst against her Behold there comes out a City of Gold A Type of which was the state of the three Children who though they were cast into the Fire bound and in disgrace yet came out in the Liberty and Grace of the Son of God Dan. 3. 23 24 25 26. Wherefore let her be bold to say even before she comes out of the Fire When I am tried I shall come forth as Gold Job 23. 10. And the City was pure Gold These words PURE Gold clear up what I said already Pure Gold or Gold upon which the fire hath done its work The Church in the fire of Persecution is like Esther in the perfuming Chamber but making fit for the presence of the King which fire when it hath done its work then she comes into his presence in cloathing all of Gold The Kings Daughter is all glorious within her cloathing is of wrought Gold and again At thy right hand did stand the Queen in Gold of Ophir Psal. 45. 9 13. Wherefore he means by pure Gold Gold out of the Fire Gold on which the fire of Persecution and Temptation hath done its full and compleat work And the City was pure Gold like unto clear Glass By Glass in this place we are to understand the Word of God as both James and Paul do testifie Jam. 1. 23 24 25. 2 Cor. 3. 18. 1 Cor. 13. 12. By clear glass then we are to understand the Word in its own nature and purity without the corruptions and traditions of men Wherefore when he saith this Golden City was like unto clear Glass it is as if he had said she is even with the Word and Law of her Goldsmith in all her matters The Word is a Golden Reed this City a Golden City and that a Golden City taken out of the furnace of affliction and therefore like to the Golden Reed And the City was pure Gold like unto clear Glass Vers. 19 20. And the Foundations of the Wall were garnished with all manner of precious stones The first Foundation was a Jasper the second a Saphir the third a Chalcedony the fourth an Emerald the fifth a Sardonix the sixth a Sardius the seventh a Chrysolite the eighth Beryl the ninth Topaz the tenth Chrysoprasus the eleventh a Jacinct the twelfth an Amethyst Thus having shewed us the Glory of the Wall and of the City he now comes to shew us the glory of the Foundations The Foundations you know I told you before they are
the Streets and Open places of their Cities and places of priviledge Thus it was in the figure when the City Jerusalem was builded after the Captivity as ours shall be at and after the overthrow and downfal of Antichrist for then it is said that the People to hear the Law were gathered together in the Street even in the Water-Street there they heard the sence given and there they were convinced of their wickedness also there they received the knowledge of God's goodness to them and there they received power to eate the fat and drink the sweet to eat and drink and be merry and to cast away sadness and fear Nehem. chap. 8. This by way of allegory is called the way for the wayfaring men even the way of holiness over which the unclean shall not in any wise pass The way in which they learn to know God and themselves and the way of newness of life in which every one walks that entereth in by the Gates of New Jerusalem And it is most sutable to the matter that went before To understand the Street to be the way of God the way of Holiness and Newness of life because as it is natural for the Stranger so soon as ever he is entered the Gates of a City to have his feet in the Streets of the City so it is natural for the sinner so soon as ever he is entered into the Church by Christ to have his feet treading in the way and paths of Holiness Wherefore it is usual in the holy Scripture to call the transformatian of the sinner from Satan to God a holy way and also to admonish him that is so transformed to walk in that way saying Walk in the Faith Love Spirit and newness of Life and walk in the Truth Wayes Statutes and Judgments of God He that entereth not by these Gates into the City he cannot walk in newness of life but he that hath entered in by them he cannot but walk in newness of life The next thing then that a man passeth into when he is entered in to the New Jerusalem is to walk in the STREET thereof the way of Holiness even the way in which men learn to fear God and to believe in and love the Lord Jesus c. Secondly Now this Street or way of Holiness it is on purpose called not many but one to shew us the perfection of Light Grace Faith and spiritual Comfort that the Inhabitants of this City shall then enjoy Daniel also calleth it ONE Street to signifie the same thing Wherefore from hence I gather that then all Saints shall walk as before I have made appear even in one Street in one Way and in one Light It is Antichrist that hath brought in all those Crossings By-Laws and odd Nooks that to this day many an honest heart doth greatly lose it self in but at this day they shall be otherwise minded that is made all to savour one thing and to walk one way not biting and devouring each other as now And indeed there is all reason it should be thus for the Street it self is but one There is but ONE God ONE Lord Jesus ONE Spirit ONE Faith ONE Baptism even as we are also called in ONE hope of our Calling Now therfore when Saints have the rubbish of Antichristian darkness and trumpery removed then they shall have as they also had of old but one Heart one Soul one Judgment one Mind and shall with one heart and mouth glorifie God The which also shall be prayed for of all the Saints even of all that have received the pure language before these things come to pass They shall call upon the Name of the Lord with ONE Lip to serve him with ONE Consent Zeph. 3. 9. Oh! the heavenly spiritual harmony that will be in the City of God in those days when the Trumpeters and Singers shall be as One to make One Sound then the House shall be filled with a Cloud Thirdly When he saith that the Street of the City was pure Gold he alludes to the Floor in Solomoms Temple which was overlaid with Gold he alludes to Solomons Chariot also whose bottom was paved with Love and overlaid with Gold By the Floor of the Temple we are to understand the way of Holiness and by the Chariot of Solomon the tryumphant Glory of that way Again in that he saith this Street is Gold he would have us to understand the worth and treasure that is laid up in the ways of God and of a truly gracious heart First for the worth and treasure that is laid up in the ways of God They beget Light they change the heart they lead from Death the Devil and Hell to Life God and the Kingdom of Heaven in them God walks and those that walk there also are sure to meet with him O this way It is the way which no Fowl knoweth and which the Vultures eye hath not seen it cannot be gotten for Gold neither shall Silver be weighed for it the Gold and the Crystal cannot equal it and the exchange of it shall not be for Jewels of fine Gold No mention shall be made of Coral or of Pearls for the price of Wisdom is above Rubies Job 28. 7 15 16 17 18 28. All the ways of God they are pleasantness and all his paths are Peace and ought to be preferred before our necessary food Again As the Ways of God are thus rich and so far above the Gold and Rubies of the world so also is that sanctified and gracious heart without which no man can walk in this Golden Street It is not every Clown with his clumping dirty shoes that is admitted into Kings Privy-Chambers and private Palaces Neither doth or will God at the day of New Jerusalem suffer any to trace about this Golden Street but such as have Golden feet and that beautified with goodly shoes For as for this Street all that walk in it they must be golden men with golden hearts and with Graces that are much more precious than Gold that perisheth Further In that he saith this Street is Gold pure Gold he giveth us to understand also what great delight and pleasure the Lord's People will take in his Ways and Ordinances in that day There will not then be that backwardness to do good and to receive God as there is in these more dry empty days of the Gospel As Gold is pleasing to the covetous man and worldling so shall the Ways of God be to the Saints and Godly at that day Now we have strong Corruptions and weak Grace but then we shall have strong Grace and weak withered Corruptions You that are spiritual you know what an high and goodly lifting up of heart one small gale of the good Spirit of God will make in your souls how it will make your lusts to languish and your souls to love and take pleasure in the
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
Bounds of visible Church-Communion and so all those that thorow the Gifts and Operations of special or common Grace do fall within the compass of those Rules and Bounds Thus it was in the Type at the return out of Captivity none were to be admitted entrance into the Church but those that could shew their Priviledges by Genealogy and the Records of the Church and to others it was said That they had neither Portion nor Lot nor Memorial in Jerusalem Now that by Book of Life in this place we are to understand that Book that hath in it the Bounds and Liberties of this City and so every one that falleth within the compass of these Bounds and Priviledges visibly Consider First They that are visible matter for visible Church-Communion they shall be found within this City and yet there shall not enter any but those that are written in the Lambs Book of Life Secondly Now visible Church-Communion doth not absolutely call for onely invisible Saints neither can it for if the Church was to joyn with none but those whom they knew to be the very Elect of God as all invisible Saints are then she must joyn with none at all for it is not possible that any Church should be so infallible to judge in that manner of the Elect as to discern them always and altogether from the non-Elect which cannot be an invisible Saint Thirdly By Book of Life therefore in this place we are to understand I say that Book that hath written in it every visible Saint whether they be Elect or not and so such a Book that is capable of receiving in a man at one time and of blotting of him out again as occasion doth require at another which thing is onely applicable to that Book that binds and looses on the account of a mans being a visible Saint or a visible Apostate which thing is onely applicable to the visible Rules of receiving or shutting out of visible Church-Communion which Rules being the Rules of Christs New-Testament it is proper to call it the Book of Life and is about the matter of going in or going out of this very City so called If any man shall take away from the words of the Book of this Prophecy God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life and out of the Holy City and from the things that are written in this Book O how happy is he who is not onely a visible but also an invisible Saint He he shall not be blotted out of the Book of Gods eternal Grace and Mercy when others are liable to lose a share not onely in Heaven but to be for ever blotted out of the Book that approveth of visible Believers also Fourthly But again to explain the matter yet more In the visible Church there is not onely Sons but Servants that is not onely those that are truly Elect but such as have received a Gift for the perfecting the Church under Christ in his Service here in this World Now I say the Servant for the time present hath his place in the Church as well as the Son though not the place of a Son but of a Servant even a place of Service as of Preaching Prophesying administring the Ordinances that are given to the Church and the like all which a man that hath not Grace may do and that by the appointment of Christ thus was Judas Demas Hymeneus Phyletus and others who sometimes were the Servants of Christ in the Church and did minister for him to them yet themselves notwithstanding such as were all that time strangers and aliens to the life and power and saving operations of the justifying and preserving Grace of the Gospel as he saith also by the Prophet Isaiah Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks and the sons of aliens shall be your Plough men and your Vine-dressers For verily Christ will give to those that have not his saving-grace yet great knowledge and understanding in the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God and will also make them for profit and advantage in his Church to feed their flocks to plow up the fallow ground of their hearts and to dress their tender Vines Yet I say they themselves shall not be everlastingly saved for they want his saving-grace As Christ saith The servant abideth not in the house for ever but the Son abideth for ever As he saith again in another Prophet If the Prince give a gift to any of his sons the inheritance thereof shall be his sons it shall be their possession by inheritance but if he give a gift of inheritance to one of his servants then it shall be his to the year of Liberty after it shall return to the Prince but his inheritance shall be his sons for them Some indeed have grace aswel as gifts now they that are such the profit of their gifts shall be rewarded by vertue of their grace but as for them that have only a gift when the work of a gift is done then they cease to be any longer of use in the Church and therefore are forthwith shut out of the same but the Son abideth for ever Thus you see that as visible Church-communion doth not absolutely call for the Elect only but admits and that by the Book of Rules all that are visible and open Saints by calling so also the Lord Jesus himself doth and will use some in his Church as his Officers and Servants that yet in a a strict sence are neither his Sons nor Members Who yet are within the bounds of that Book of Life that here he speaks of as is evident because with Christ's allowance they are admitted into commnnion with his Church and by him also furnished with Gifts and Abilities to profit and edifie withal Now observe such a one is admitted though but a Servant yet not by the Church because but such a one The Church receiveth no man upon the account of gifts alone but upon the account of the appearance of Grace as of Gospel-Repentance of the Confession of Faith and of a Conversation suitable to the same All which a man that is not elect may have the notion of yea the power though not the saving Power 5. Further this which I have said about the visible Church-Communion and so consequently about the Book of Life it must needs be a Gospel-Truth yea a thing for Truth in this New-Jerusalem because besides what hath been said there will be found in this City even at the coming of the Lord Jesus which coming of his will not be for some time after the building and setting of it up I say there will be then sound among them foolish Virgins and such who have not the saving-grace of God in their souls But yet 1. these very souls shall be counted by the Church yea by Christ himself for Virgins that is such as had not defiled their Profession 2. And will be such Virgins as have and hold every
out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb. In that this Water of Life is said to proceed not only out of the Throne of God but also of the Lamb. It signifieth and holdeth forth unto us two speciall things First That the Throne of God is also made the Throne of the Lord Jesus Christ upon which he as a reward of his Sufferings and Victory over Sin Satan and all Evils is set down and upon which he sits and rules as Lord and Chief of all Worlds He is set down on the right hand of Power on the right hand of the Majesty on high as he saith To him that overcometh will I grant to sit down with me on my Throne even as I overcame and am set down with my Father upon his Throne This being thus it signifieth that this City shall have her enjoyments of Life Peace and Joy in the holy Ghost by vertue of the Kingship of the Lord Jesus Christ aswel as by the vertue of his Priestly and Prophetical Office The Church doth in our dayes know a little what Joy Peace and Life is to be enjoyed from Christ even through that dark and glimmering sight that she hath of the Offices of Christ in a mist but she feels not yet what Joy she shall have and what Peace she shall enjoy when her Lord in all his Offices is manifest before her and when he in the glory of them doth reign in the midst of this Jerusalem There are none of the Offices of the Lord Jesus yet upon the Throne in his Church on Earth though they be all upon the Throne in Heaven O! but the day is coming that they shall be all upon the Throne in the Church on Earth when they shal each of them in its full length breadth heighth and depth bear sway among his People and before all men Then shall the Moon be confounded and the Sun ashamed when the Lord of Hosts shalâ— reign in Mount-Zion and in Jerusalem and before his Antients gloriously Isa. 24 23. O that thou wouldest rend the Heavens that thou wouldest come down that the Mountains might flow down at thy presence O that the day were come that the smoak should go forth of the Temple of God that men might enter into it and there meet with God upon the Throne and with Jesus in him upon the Throne in all his Offices It will be thus thou Zion shortly and great shall be the Peace of thy Children The second thing observable is That as all Grace comes from out of the Throne of God so it also proceeds or comes out of the Throne of the Lamb that is No Grace comes to any but thorow the Victory and Conquest of the Lord Christ We are justified freely by his Grace through the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus and again We have Redemption thorow his Blood even the forgiveness of our Sins according to the riches of his Grace By which we may gather that when these things come to be in their own Purity among us that is when Grace runs clear without the dirt and mud of the Traditions of men commixed therewith then will all that hold up false and erronious Opinions be washed away for this River will not onely wash away the sins and filthiness of those that are truly gracious but it will also destroy the Heretick and erronious Person it will be to them at that day as the red Sea was to the Egyptians of old which Sea though it was a Wall on this hand and on that to the Children of Israel yet it destroyed the Egyptians that assayed to go thorow it as Israel did The reason also why we are at this day in such confusion in matters of Religion it is for want of the clear and pure streams of this River of Water of Life all which will be mended when there is but one River to water this City and that too the pure River of the Water of Life in all its streams as clear as Crystal then shall all drink-in all things into one Spirit and be watered with the same Dews of Heaven Thus much of the Water of Life that belongeth to this Jerusalem Vers. 2. And in the midst of the Street of it and on either side of the River was there the Tree of Life which bare twelve manner of Fruits and yeilded her Fruit every month and the Leaves of the Tree were for the healing of the Nations This Tree of Life is the Lord Jesus Christ and that he is here called a Tree rather then by other of his Names it is to shew us how fruitful and exceeding advantagious he in all his Benefits will be to the Inhabitants of this City this is that Tree under whose Branches the Fowls of Heaven shall now most safely lodge and finde relief from the hot and fainting Beams of the persecuting Sun of this world as the Word doth there inform us Now before I come to speak to this Tree touching the manner of its Fruit and it s often bearing with the efficatiousness of its Leaves which here he saith doth heal the Nations I will take notice of one or two general things that lie before me from the standing of the Tree in the midst of the street of this City First then In that he saith this City hath a Tree of Life in it He alludes to the Garden of Eden the pleasant Paradise that God began the World withal whereby he signifieth that as the World began with a Paradise so also it shall end with a Paradise when Sin and Satan have done their worst This New Jerusalem shall be the wind-up of the world and in it shall stand the Tree of Life as well as there stood one in the goodly Garden which was the beginning thereof In which Paradise there shall be no Tree of Knowledge or the Law of Works to bear sway and to cause that the Sons of God shall be thrust out thence for their eating of its forbidden Fruits no the Tree of Life alone shall here bear sway and rule whose Fruit is only healthful and the Leaves thereof for Medicine Now this Tree of Life being in the midst of this City it signifieth that the Inhabitants of it shall be sweetly shadowed refreshed and defended with its coolness and also sweetly nourished and comforted with its dainties And hence it is that the Scriptures do hold him forth in his benefits to his Church under these very notions As the Apple-tree is among the Trees of the Wood so is my Beloved among the Sons I sate down under his shadow with great delight and his fruit was sweet to my taste Indeed the shadow of this Tree of Life as always it is refreshing to the tempted and weary so now it will be far more They that dwell under his shadow shall return they shall revive as the Corn and grow as the Vine and the scent thereof shall be as the Wine of Lebanon
twelve Apostles that holds up the Wall of New Jerusalem The Doctrine of the XII the purest of all other 2 Cor. 3. 13 14 15. Num. 12. 6 7. Mat. 11. 11. Luk. 24. 39 40. The XII went beyond all others in their Experience 1 Thess. 3. 8. Gal. 1. 8. The foundation may not be altered The Names of the XII as the Broad Seal of Heaven 2 Thess. 3. 17. Gal. 6. 11. 1 Cor. 9. 1 Gal. 5. 2. 2 Cor. 11. 5. Gal. 6. 11. Ephes. 2. Isa. 49. 16 How you are to understand the word Twelve Rom. 11. Jam. 1. 1. 1 Pet. 1. 1. Act. 13. 16 26. Rom. 1. 16 Rom. 2. 10 No Preacher now allowed but he that can preach the Doctrine of the XII A Golden Reed This Golden Reed is the Word of God Ezek. 40. 3. Why the measuring-Line of New Jerusalem in special is called a Golden Reed The City measured Hos. 6. 5. Rev. 11. 1. Isa. 28. 17 18. Amos 7 7 8 9. †This is that which a little before is called the new Heaven and a new Earth The Gates measured Mat. 23. 14. 2 Chron. 29. 7. 2 Kings 18. 16 The Wall measured Exod. 27. 1. 38. 1 1 King 7. Ezek 40. 42. Psal. 119 96. By breadth is to be understood the perfection of the Word and by length the compleatness of the Saints obedience Luk. 1. 6. 2. 37. 1 Cor. 1. 30 Rom. 7. 16 Rom. 13. 10. Zech. 2. 2 A second measure A portion measured out for the City Rom. 12. 3. Eph. 4. 7. 2 Cor. 4. 17 †See Josh. 15. to Chap. 19. * Joh. 14. 1 2 3. Ezek. 45 46 47. Luk. 24. 13. Joh. 11. 18 Joh. 20. 15 16. Amos 4. 3 Jer. 31. 18. Song 2. 5. Ezek. 34. 14. Zech. 10. 1 Isa 30. 24. Mic. 4. 4. Ezek. 47. 8 9 c. Ezek. 48. 18 19. Psal. 19. 11 Jam. 1. 25. Psal. 65. 11. Isa. 64. 5. †Heb. 9. 24. Mat. 6. 10 A third measure 2 Kin. 23. 10. Isa. 30. 33. A broad Wall against Tophet to keep the Sanctuary Ezek. 11. 16. Heb. 6. 18 Why this Wall is said to be 144 Cubits Rev 14. 1 2 3. Rev. 7. Heb. 7. 25 26. The profit of the broad Wall Satan bound as Deceiver Persecutor and a Temptor to blasphe my and unbelief Rev. 20. 1 2 3. Rom. 16. 20. Rev. 21. 4 Object Answ. The benefit of having Satan thus bound tied up Mark 1. 12 13. Col. 2. 14 15. Luk. 23. 44. Mark 14. 33 34. Corruptions shall now also be greatly weakened Numb 11 14 15. Isa. 32. 13 14 15. Zec. 12. 8. Isa. 33. 24 †Joh. 12. 48. Joh. 5. 27 Rev. 21. 9 The Glory of the Wall 1 Cor. 1. 30 Heb. 11. 10 Heb. 3. 4. The building of the Wall Psal. 74 4 5 6 7. Zec. 14. 9 Rev. 11. 15. Zech. 9. 7 8. Ezek. 28. 2 3. 2 Thes. 2. 4. The Names and Attributes of the Father and Son the Towers of this Wall Song 1. 10 1 Pet. 2. â— 1 2. Neh. 2. 8. The Saints shall set up their Banners on these Towers Psal. 20. 5. Song 6. 10 Altar-work Temple-work and City-work What Altar-work is Ezra 3. 1 2 3 4 5 6. What is Temple-work Act. 19. 9 Rom. 1. 7 2 Cor. 6. 14 15 16. 1 Cor. 12 13. Act. 2. 40 Eph. 2. 21 22. 1 Cor. 5 11 12 13 Isa. 65. 19 20 21. Isa. 60. 14 Rev. 11. 1 2 3. Isa. 4. 5. Josh. 9. Neh. 4. 1 2 7 8 9 10 11. 6. v. 1 to 13. Dan. 9. â—5 Isa. 53. 12 The Glory of the City Exod. 25. 31. to 36 Rev. 1. 2â— Isa. 34. 10 to 17. Rev. 22. 15. Zech. 14. 14. Rev. 18. 2 Chron. 9 12. Luk. 22. 44. Mat. 12. 40. Esth. 2. 12 The glory of the Foundations The Glory of the Foundations twofold The Gospel darkned by the smoak of Antichrist Amos 9. 10 11 12. 1 Sam. 2. 12 13 14 15. 3. 1. Psal. 82. 5. Ezek. 28. 14 16. Isa 54. â— 11. †If you compare the stones you will find them some of them to differ in name but know it is usual for one stone to go under 2 names and besides the Greek doth give many things other names than doth the Hebrew text Converts the garnishing of the foundations Lam. 4. 1 2 3. 1 Pet. 2. 5. 1 Chron. 29. 2. 1 Thess. 2. 19 20. Isa. 54. 11. Malac. 3. 14 15 16 17. Job 28. 3 1 Pet. 21 5. 1 Chron. 29. 2. Isa. 34. 11. 1 Cor. 14. 12. Prov. 31. 29. 1 Cor. 15 10. 41. The Jasper does represent the Lord Christ up on several accounts The first account 1 Cor. 1. 23 24. 1 Cor. 3. 11. The 2d account The third account The 4th account The fifth account 1 Kin. 7. 25. Exod. 28. 29. The sixth account The 7th account Rev. 4. 9 10 11. Rev. 5. 11 12 13 14. The 8th account * Exod. 28. 20. †Heb. 12. 12. * Heb. 2. 10. Isa. 52. 12 58. 8. Exod. 14. 19. Phil. 2. 6 7 8 9 10 11. Touching the rest of the Foundations Zech. 13. 3 4 5. †The differing nature and operations of these stones do hold forth the differences of administrations and operations that was and will ever be among the true and holy Ministers of the Lord Jesus The glory of the Gates Christ a rich Christ to all that enter here Christ is beautifull to al that here do enter Cant. 5. 10. 16. Rev. 18. 4 Ezek. 16 17. Nah. 3. 4. †Rev. 18. 12 22 23 Pro. 8. 35 3. 35. 1 Cor. 2. 8 Joh. 17. 24. Christ only can let in souls to the priviledges of his Church As none can enter in but by Christ so none can enter-in but by WHOLE CHRIST Of the Glory of the street Prov. 1. 20 21. What is meant by street Pro. 8. 1 23. and 9. 1 2 3. â— Neh. 8. The Gate Psal. 86. 11. 143. 8. Ezra 11. 20. Ezek. 37 24. Gal. 5. 25. Rom. 4. 12. Ephes. 5. 1 2. 2 Joh. 4. Rom. 6. 4. Why this street is called not many but one Dan. 9. 25. Eph. 4. 5 6. Act. 2. 24 32. 33. Philip. 1. 27. Rom. 15. 6. †2 Chro. 5. 13. 1 King 6. 30. Cant. 3. 10. Why the Street is called Gold Psal. 119. 130. 119. 9. Prov. 2. Isa. 64. 5. Prov. 3. 17. Cant. 7. 1 1 Pet. 1. 7. Rev. 3. 18 What is meant by Glass The first Reason why transparant Glass Isa. 24. 23. Rev. 8. 12. 9. 2. †Exod. 6. 3. Rev. 5th and 6th chapters Dan. 12 9 Jer. 30. 24. Jer. 23. 20. The second reason why Transparent Glass 1 Cor. 13. 13. 1 Cor. 12. 31. Rom. 13. 10. 1 Cor. 16. 14. Col. 3. 14 Rev. 15. 8 Ezek. 32. 18 c. The time when this City shal have no Temple Zech. 11. 16. 1 Cor. 13. 10. What this excluded Temple signifies Rev. 11. 1 2 3. Josh. 10. 12. Mat. 13. 10. Rev. 8. 12 Rev. 9. 2. 2 Cor. 4.
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