but the things themselves being good they do also by this means convey very great sweetness and pleasantness into the Hearts of those that have the knowledge of them Every step I say that now they take it shall be as it were in Honey and Butter The ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with Songs and everlasting Joy shall be upon their Heads they shall obtain Joy and Gladness and Sorrow and Sighing shall flee away Isa. 35. 10. as he saith Again I will build thee and thou shalt be built O Virgin of Israel thou shalt again be adorned with Tabrets and shalt go forth in the Dances of them that make merry For thus saith the Lord Sing with gladness for Jacob and shout among the chief of the Nations publish ye praise ye and say O Lord save thy People the Remnant of Israel Behold I will bring them from the North Country and gather them from the coasts of the Earth and with them the blind and the lame the woman with Child and her that travelleth with Child together a very great company shall return thither Jer. 31. 4 7 8. By these words the Blind and the Lame the Woman with Child and her that travelleth he would have us understand thus much First That the way of God shall by the illuminating Grace of Christ be made so pleasant so sweet and so beautiful in the Souls of all at that day that even the blindest shall not stumble thereâ—n neither shall the Lame refuse it for â—ear of hurt yea the Blind the Lame â—he Woman with Child and her that travelleth shall though they be of all in most evil case to travel and go the Journey yet at this day by reason of the glorious light and sweetness that now will possess them even forget their impediments and dance as after musical Taâ—rets Secondly This City upon the time of her rebuilding shall have her blind men see her halt and lame made strong she also that is with Child and her that travelleth shall joyntly see the City-work that at this day will be on foot and put into form and order yet before the end Behold at that time I will undo all that afflict thee saith the Lord to this People and I will save her that halteth and gather her that was driven out and I will get them praise and fame in every Land where they have been put to shame at that time I will bring you again even in the time that I gather you for I will make you a Name and a Praise among all People of the Earth when I turn back your Captivity before your EYES saith the Lord God Zeph. 3. 19 20. And her Light was like unto a Stone most precious In that he saith Her Light is like unto A STONE MOST PRECIOUS he sheweth us how welcome and with what eagerness of spirit this Light will at this day be imbraced by the Lords People Truly the Light is good saith Solomon and a pleasant thing it is for the Eyes to behold the Sun and if so then how beautiful desirable and precious will that Light be that is not onely heavenly and from Christ but that will be universal among all Saints to shew them the same thing and to direct them to and in the same Work The want of this hath to this day been one great reason of that crossness of Judgement and Perswasion that hath been found among the Saints and that hath caused that lingering and disputing about the glorious state of the Church in the latter days Some being for its excellency to consist chiefly in outward glory and others swerving on the other side conclude she shall not have any of this some conceiving that this City will not be built until the Lord comes from Heaven in Person others again concluding that when he comes then there shall be no longer tarrying here but that all shall forthwith even all the Godly be taken up into Heaven with divers other opinions in these matters And thus many run to and fro but yet God be thanked Knowledge does increase though the Vision will be sealed even to the time of the end But now I say at the time of the end the Spirit shall be poured down upon us from on high now also they that erred in Spirit shall come to understanding the City shall descend in the Light of a Stone most precious the Sun will be risen upon the Earth when Lot goeth from Sodom into Zoar Gen. 19. 23. Now there shall be an oneness of Judgment and Understanding in the Hearts of all Saints they shall be now no more two but one in the Lords hand Alas the Saints are yet but as an Army routed and are apt sometimes through fear and sometimes through forgetfulness to mistake the word of their Captain General the Son of God and are also too too prone to shoot and kill eveâ— their very right-hand man but at thâ— day all such doing shall be laid aside for the knowledge of the glory of the Lord shall cover the Earth as the Waters cover the Sea which Knowledge shall then strike thorow the Heart and Liver of all swerving and unsound Opinions in Christs matters for then shall every one of the Christians call upon the Name of the Lord and that with one pure Lip or Language to serve him with one consent 'T is Darkness and not Light that keepeth Gods People from knowing one another both in their Faith and Language and 't is Darkness that makes them stand at so great a distance both in Judgement and Affections as in these and other days they have done But then saith God I will plant in the Wilderness that is in the Church that is now bewildered the Cedar the Shittah Tree the Myrtlâ— Tree and the Oyl Tree I will set in the Desart the Fir-Tree the Pine and the Box-Tree together that they may see and know consider and understand together that the Hand of the Lord hath done this and the Holy One of Israel hath created it and again The glory of Lebanon shall comâ— unto thee the Fir-Tree and the Pine-Tree and the Box-Tree together to beautifie the House of my Glory and to make the place of my Feet glorious Isa. 41. 19 20. 60. 13. Never was fair weather after foul nor warm weather after cold nor a sweet and beautiful Spring after a heavy and niping and terrible Winter so comfortable sweet desirable and welcome to the poor Birds and Beasts of the field as this day will be to the Church of God Darkness it was the Plague of Egypt It is an empty forlorn desolate solitary and discomforting state wherefore Light even the illuminating Grace of God especially in the measure that it shall be communicated unto us at this day it must needs be precious In Light there is warmth and pleasure it is by the Light of the Sun that the whole Universe appears unto us
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
and whose sins ye retain they are retained And hence it is that the true Ministers in their right administration are called Porters because as Porters stand at the Gate and there open to or shut upon those that make an attempt to enter in so the Ministers of Christ by the Doctrine of the Twelve do both open to and shut the Gates against the Persons that will be attempting to enter in at the Gates of this City Secondly But again They are said to stand at the Gates for the incouraging and perswading of the tempted and doubting Jews who at the beginning of their return will be much afflicted under the sight and sence of their own wretchedness Alas were it not for some to stand at the Gates of this City for instruction and the incouragement of those that will at that day in earnest be looking after life they might labour as in other things for very very Vanity and might also be so grievously beat out of Heart and Spirit that they might die in despair But now to prevent this for those that are in the way to Zion with watry Eyes and wetted Cheeks here stands the Angels continually sounding with their Golden-Gospel-Trumpets Enter ye into his Gates with â—hanksgiving and into his Courts with praise be thankful unto him and bless his Name for the Lord is good and his Mercy 〈◊〉 everlasting and his Truth indureth for ever even to all Generations as he saith again And it shall come to pass in that day that the great Trumpet shall be blown and they shall come which were ready to perish in the Land of Assyria and the out-casts of the Land of Egypt and shall worship the Lord in the holy Mount at Jerusalem And at the Gates twelve Angels and Names written thereon which are the Names of the twelve Tribes of the Children of Israel Thus it was in the Vision of the Prophet when he was taking a View of the Pattern of this City And the Gates of the City saith the Angel to him shall be after the Names of the Tribes of Israel which saying John doth here expound saying The Names of the twelve Tribes of the Children of Israel were writ or set upon them This being thus it cleareth to you what I said but now to wit That the Gates are called twelve to answer the twelve Tribes for their Names are written thereon This must therefore without all doubt be a very great incouragement to this despised People I say great incouragement that notwithstanding all their Rebellion Blasphemy and contempt of the glorious Gospel their Names should yet be found recorded and ingraved upon the very Gates of New Jerusalem Thus then shall the Jews be comforted in the latter days and truly they will have but need hereof for doubtless at their return when they are throughly sensible of the Murder they have committed not onely upon the Bodies of the Prophets and Apostles but of the Son of God himself I say this must needs tother with the remembrance of the rest of their villanous actions exceedingly afflict and distress their bleeding Souls for the Children of Israel shall come they and the Children of Judah together going and weeping they shall go and seek the Lord their God and shall ask the way to Zion with their Faces thitherward Jer. 50. 4 5. Mark going and weeping there will not be a step that these poor People will take in the day of their returning but will be watered with the Tears of Repentance and Contrition under the consideration of the wickedness that in the days of their Rebellion they have committed against the Lord of Glory as he saith also by another Prophet I will pour upon the House of David and upon the Inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of Grace and Supplication and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced and they shall mourn for him as a Man mourns for his onely Son and they shall be in bitterness for him as him that is in bitterness for his first-born at that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the Valley of Megiddon and the Land shall mourn Zech. 12. 10 11 12. Wherefore I say they both have and also will have need of twelve Gates and on them the Names of their twelve Tribes with an Angel at each to incourage them to enter this holy and goodly City and to tell them that yet he counts them his Friends in whose House he received the wounds in his Hands But again As by the Names of the twelve Tribes written on the Gates we may see what incouragement the Jews will have at their Return to enter in at them so we may also understand that by the Names of the twelve Tribes here written God would have us to perceive how all must be qualified that from among the Gentiles at this day do enter in at these Gates namely Those and those onely that be cut out of their own wild Olive-Tree and transplanted among the Children of Israel into their good Olive-Tree Such as are Jews inwardly the Israel of God according to the New Creature they shall enter for the holy Gentiles also by vertue of their conversion are stiled the Children of Abraham Jews the Chosen Generation the Peculiar People the Holy Nation and so are spiritually though not naturally by carnal generation of the twelve Tribes whose Names are written upon the Gates of this City And it shall come to pass saith the Prophet that in what Tribe the Stranger that is the Gentile sojourneth there shall ye give him his Inheritance saith the Lord God Ezek. 47. 22 23. Thus the Jews and Gentiles shall meet together in the Spirit of the Gospel and so both become a righteous Nation to both which the Gates of this City shall stand continually open at which also they may with boldness demand by the Faith of the Lord JESUS their entrance both for Communion with the God Grace and Priviledges of this City according to that which is written Open ye the Gates that the righteous Nation which keepeth the Truth may enter in Isa. 26. 2. Thus much of the Number of the Gates and now to proceed to the Order of them Vers. 13. On the East three Gates on the North three Gates on South three Gates and on the West three Gates I shall not speak any thing to the manner of his repeating of the Quarters towards which the Gates do look why he should begin at the East then to the North afterwards crossing to the South and last to the West though I do verily think that the holy Ghost hath something to shew us wherefore he doth thus set them forth and possibly he may set them thus and the West last not onely because the West part of the World is that which always closeth the day but to signifie that the West when Jerusalem is rebuilded will be the last part of
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
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
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
Preachers confounded and removed to and fro even like loose and roulingstones these Offices also are by others attributed to Antichrist and his Children of Iniquity but at this day the Nations shall know themseves to be but men and the Doctrines of Christ shall be set again in their own places Now shall every going into this City and every going out thereof stand where it ought and now shall every Tower and Fortress on this VVall be placed as in the days of old which Towers and Fortresses are the glorious Names and Attributes of the Father and Christ for the Name of the Lord is a strong Tower the Righteous flee into it and are safe and again Thou hast been a shelter to me and a strong Tower from the Enemy Wherefore now I say shall the Name of God as Lord of all and Father of his Church with the Names of the Son as Head Saviour and King of kings be as the Bulwarks to this City to which shall be added all the Promises Consolations Encouragements c. in the blessed Book of God out of which this City continually shall suck the Milk and Nourishment of the unsearchable Grace of God to them to all which shall be added many new pieces of Timber in the Wall for so it was in the Type at the rebuilding of the City by which new pieces I gather that the special Providence of God and his Protection shall be at this day so fastened in this Wall for the compleat delivering of this City both from Hell and Earth that she shall stand in full force safety and peace even till the Heavens and the Earth shall be no more Now when this Wall is thus set up even every Truth and Office of Christ in is own true natural force about this City and when God in his special and most indeared affections shall engage himself even everlastingly to keep this City safe from all storms and tempests and trouble and sorrow then shall these Citizens as a sign of their Conquest both of Hell and the World even set up their Banners on the several Towers of this Wall and the Standards that belong to the Tribes thereof then I say We shall rejoyce in thy Salvation O Lord and in thy Name will we set up our Banners And then shall the Inhabitants of the World both wondering and tremblingly say Who is this that looketh forth as the Morning fair as the Sun clear as the Moon and terrible as an Army with Banners O the Names of God of Christ of his Offices and the power of his Grace and Promises How will they shine In what Glory will they appear They will be even as a Wall of fire round about Jerusalem and will not be as now in the mind and thought of the People as the White of an Egg in the Mouth without taste but shall be and appear in their own Brightness Sweetness and Grace For how great is his Goodness and how great is his Beauty Corn shall make the young Men chearful new Wine the Maids In that day shalt thou say O Lord I will praise thee though thou wast angry with me thine anger is turned away and thou comfortest me Behold God is my Salvation I will trust and not be afraid for the Lord JEHOVAH is my Strength and my Song he also is become my Salvation Isa. 12. 1 2. For the Workmen I am sure God is the principal as I said before but yet he will do it by instruments thorow the guidance of his Spirit The building of the Wall of old was of God but so as that he did it by the hand of Nehemiah and his Companions I do observe in the compleating of the City Jerusalem of old that there was first Altar-work then Temple-work and after that the building the Wall and compleating the City Altar-work I say was the first which was reared and on which there was offered according to the Law and holy custom the Sacrifices and Offerings both morning and evening as every day required but the foundation of the Temple was not yet laid Ezra 3. 1 2 3 4 5 6. These Altar-men were those also that afterward built the Temple but yet by them was first of all repaired the Altar to signifie that the first work that will be on foot at the beginning of the return of the Christians from out of Antichristian Babylon it will be to finde out Altar-work that is the Priestly Office of Christ and to offer 〈◊〉 Him the Prayers and Supplications of the Church continually Wherefore these Altar-men or these men in their Altar-work did figure-out for us our famous and holy Worthies that before us have risen up in their place and shook off those Reliques of Antichrist that intrenched upon the Priestly Office of our Lord and Saviour even worthy Wickliff Hus Luther Melancton Calvin and the blessed Martyrs in Q. Maries dayes c. with the rest of their companions these in their day were stout valiant Champions for God according to their light and did upon the Altar of God which is Christ our Lord offer up many strong cries with groans and tears as every day required for the compleat recovering of the Church of God the benefit of whose Offering we have felt and enjoyed to this day but by this the Foundation of the Temple was not yet laid Now after these arise another People not another with respect to Christianity but with respect to further light These men though they keep the continual Offerings upon the Altar as the other did yet they are men also that are for Temple-work wherefore these begin to search out the Foundations of the Temple of God that they may rear up the House as well as build up the Altar These be they that are for having the Church a select company of visible Believers walking in the Faith and Holiness of the Gospel which Believers are for separating from the unconverted and open prophane and for building up one another an holy Temple in the Lord through the Spirit I say a Temple or House or Church separate and distinct from that confused heap of rubbish and carnal Gospelers that every where like Locusts and Maggots craul up and down the Nations These were figured forth by Zerubbabel Joshua and all the people of the Land that are for working and labouring in this service of Temple-work Hag. 1. 12. Hag. 2. 1 2 3 4 5. Again As there is thus Altar-work and Temple-work to be done by the Saints when they are coming out of spiritual Sodom and Egypt So at the end of these there will be City-work on foot also Which City-work will chiefly consist in setting up the Wall and Gates for defence and of building themselves Houses or Mansions of rest and refreshment after all their hard usage under the tyranny of the Man of sin that Son of Perdition which City-work wil be then compleated when 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
to Eternity Thus have I shewed you my present Light into this portion of the holy Scripture if any can give me further I hope I shall not refuse it but as yet methinks this should be the genuine sence of this place and is the very track of John himself For after he had seen the Wall for present Safety the Foundations for Continuation the Gates for Entrance and the like then he comes to tell us of the Glory of all and of the Street it self at last which indeed is the last and end of all the Order of God and to continue till an end be put to it by Mortality's being swallowed up of Life As is yet more fully shewed you in the next Verse of this description Vers. 23. And the City had no need of the Sun nor of the Moon to shine in it for the Glory of God did lighten it and the Lamb is the Light thereof And the City had no need of the Sun That is after Temple-Worship is over this Verse is added therefore for further clearing up and illustrating of that which he said before there he tells us this City had no Temple and here he tells us she needed neither the light of the Sun or Moon there he said The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb is the Temple of it and here he saith They are the Light thereof The substance of which in the language of the Holy Ghost is this The reason why Temple-Worship is now gon and over it is because there is now no need in this City of the Light of the Sun and the Moon and the reason why she hath now no need of them is because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are to it instead of both Temple and Light For the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it For the Glory of God did lighten it and the Lamb is the Light thereof Whereby we may note That though the Light in which she descended being the purity of Temple-Worship was glorious yet this City shall when she is once builded so advance from Glory to Glory that at the last she shall be more happy without the help of that Light without which she had been for ever unbuilded then she was by it in the midst of the Fulness of it And the City had no need of the Sun c. The word Sun is in Scripture taken divers ways sometimes for the true and natural Sun in the Firmament sometimes again for Persecution and the rage of the Enemy c. but I take Sun here not to be any of these but for the good and pure Word of the Gospel of Christ unfolded opened and explained by the Servants of Christ which Sun is the same that before you find to be darkened by the Antichristian Fog and Mist which was darkened I say even to a third part of it This Sun or Word of the Gospel Paul saith it is shadowed forth even by that which shineth in the Firmament of Heaven because as that by its light and shining giveth to those that have Eyes to see the Glory and Excellency of this World so by the shining and light of the Gospel is given the light of the knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ and a view of the Excellency of the things of the World to come Now I say though while the Church is in this World and on this side the state of Glory she cannot live and flourish without the shining of this Sun but would be lifeless and lightless and without all heat and comfort For it is the entrance of the Law that giveth light here and that lightneth the Eyes making wise the simple yet at the day of the coming of her Lord in Person she shall see far more clearly without the thus shining of this Sun than ever she did or could see with and by it And the City had no need of the Sun For when by the light of it the whole Body of the Elect have found out the way to this City and when they have also by this light accomplished and fulfilled all their Work yea when the Lord himself is come and doth immediately communicate far more glorious light to this City without it than ever he did by it What need is there then of the light of this Sun for that is to be of use but for the time present even until the whole of the Body of the Lord Jesus is come to the perfect measure even to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ So then when the Body of Christ is in every sence compleated in this life by the light of the Sunshine of his holy Gospel what need of this Sun And hence it is that the Word of the Gospel is called The Word of Reconciliation the Word of Faith and the Words of this Life Wherefore I say it ceaseth when there is no more to be reconciled and when Faith in all is perfected and when this Life is put an end unto by the coming in of another For when that which is perfect is come then that which is in part shall be done away 1 Cor. 13. 8 9 10. The Ministers of the Gospel are of use so long as there is either Elect to be converted or any converted Soul to be perfected by that measure of Perfection that God hath appointed on this side Glory but when this Work is done their Ministry ceaseth Wherefore though like the Widows Sons they are busie to borrow Vessels for the Oyl so long as it is running and emptying it self out of the great and principal Barrel yet when it ceaseth as it will do when there is no more Vessels to be found then let them sit down as they and receive of the Fruits of their labour for the Reward of their Work is then onely to be enjoyed by them And the City had no need of the Sun neither of the Moon to shine in it This word Moon also as well as that of the Sun is to be taken divers ways in the Scriptures of Truth sometimes for the natural one sometimes for the World and Persecutors c. but Moon here is to be taken for the Church of God with reference to her Life Conversation Duties and exemplary Behaviour in which she is conversant on this side Glory according to that of the Song Who is this that looketh forth as the Morning fair as the Sun clear as the Moon and terrible as an Army with Banners When he saith then that at this day there shall be here no need of the shining light of the Moon he means that this City at this day in the state she is in when she hath the Person of the Lamb in her then she shall have no need of the growth of Christianity for they shall be all perfect nor no need of Mortification for there shall be no Sin they shall not need now as in
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
Gates shall not be shut at all Thy Gates shall be open continually they shall not be shut day nor night that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles and that their Kings may be brought But again This day of Grace and of conversion of sinners it must be looked upon either as the Church is in captivity and persecution or as she is out now as she is in Captivity so her longest day is usually accompanied with a black and doubtful night of Temptation and Affliction Wherefore this Day here being spoken of it is the Day of Grace that she shall have even when she is absolutely delivered from the rage of the Beast False Prophet and Whore Wherefore he is not content to say the Gates shall not be shut at all by day but adds withal for there shall be no night there as who should say I know that commonly in the day of the Churches affliction she is accompanied with nights aswel as days but it shall not be so here Thy Sun shall go no more down neither shall thy Moon withdraw it self for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light and the days of thy mourning shall be ended Wherefore John considering this doth quite exclude the night saying There shall be no night there Indeed after this New Jerusalem hath had her Golden day in this world I say just towards the ending thereof she will yet once again be beset with raging Gog and Magog which enemies will after the long safety and tranquility of this City through the instigation of the Devil come upon the breadth of the Earth and encamp about this holy City But behold in the midst of of this intention to swallow her up The Lord rains fire and brimstone from Heaven and destroys them all So that Gog I say though he may bring one only evening upon this Holy City after her long peace and rest among the sons of men yet he shall not bring one night upon her nor cause a Gate thereof to be shut for ever The Sun shall now stand still in the midst of Heaven and this night shall be thus prevented by this marvellous Judgment of God as another Prophet saith At evening-time it shall be light that is though her enemies will at last still make thorow their enmity one only attempt to swallow up all in everlasting oblivion yet they themselves shall fall down dead upon the Mountains of Israel and be a prey to this Jerusalem Thus there will be only day accompanying the Inhabitants of this City For there shall be no night there Vers. 26. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the Nations to it This as I said before is to shew us how heartily and how unfeignedly both the Nations and their Kings shall now come over to New-Jerusalem They come hand in hand not the People without their Prince nor the Prince without his People though it will and must be so in the times of Persecution But now together THEY shall bring the glory and honour of the Nations to it Again I told you before that the Jews shall at this day be converted to the Christian Faith and shal have a great Name much of Heaven upon them in this City For indeed they are the first-born the natural branches and the like Now when he saith They shall bring the glory and honour of the Nations to it I cannot think that by this should be understood only or yet principally the outward pomp and treasure of the world but that rather by honour and glory we are here to understand the Heavenly Treasure and Glory that the Saints shall continually pour forth into one anothers bosoms in this City in this City I say for at this day as I have formerly shewed you there will be found no Treasure any where but at Jerusalem every Saint shall be here every Grace shall be here the precious Stones of the Sanctuar ythe precious Sons of Sion shall not then as now lie scattered some in the World and some in Mistris Babylons lap neither shall any thing pertaining to the Churches priviledges be found in her at all for ever There shall be heard no more at all in her any Harpers Trumpeters Pipers or any other heavenly Musick in her neither shall there be any more the sound of a Milstone to grind us bread nor the light of a Candle to guide us in the house nor yet the Voice of the Bridegroom Christ nor of the Bride his Wife to tempt or allure any that are seeking the Way of Life to stay with her all these things shall be brought to Jerusalem Christians you must understand that there is a time when all the Treasures of the Church are to be found in Babylon as in the dayes of old but at this day when this City is built not any of them shall be found there but all shall be brought and delivered up to Jerusalem again as was also foreshewn in the Type and all places shall be void of the Treasure of Heaven but Jerusalem Wherefore by the Glory and Honour of the Nations in this place I understand That all the Treasures of the Church and all the Graces that at this day lie scattered here and there some in one place and some in another they shall be found no where at that day but in this City in the Church that walks according to rule Now the Reasons why I take this honour and glory to be meant of these things are First Because thus it was in the time of the building of Jerusalem after the Captivity the Treasure of the Jews which was become the Treasures of the Provinces of Babylon was again restored and brought to Jerusalem as you may see by the Scriptures now cited Secondly Because I find indeed that the milk and honey 〈…〉 the Land of Canaan which is in our Gospel-language the Gifts Graces and Treasures of the Church it is called The Glory of all Lands Now I say seeing the milk and honey which is the Comforts of the Church and her Treasure is called the Glory of all Lands I take Glory and Honour in this place to signify the same thing also Thirdly Because also I find by comparing the Prophets that the Christians Glory and Honour lieth mostly even principally in Heavenly and Spiritual things as in Faith Love Experience of God of Grace of Christ and Spiritual Life I reade that at the building of of this City the Jews and Gentiles shall meet together and that at that day they shal mutually be partakers of each others glory The Gentiles shall milk out and be delighted in the abundance of the Glory of the Jews and the Glory of the Gentiles shall be again extended unto the Jews like a mighty flowing stream But I say that this Glory and Honour should consist in outward things or that the Glory that is meerly carnal should be principally here intended I confess it
his People of old but here he will abide rest and dwell I will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem and my House shall be built in it saith the Lord and again I will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem for ever wherefore John considering this he saith there shall be here no more any Cnrse but the Throne of God God will now when he returneth to Jerusalem bring his Seat with him to signify his sitting down in the midst his People to be their company-keeper for ever But the Throne of God shall be in it By this word Throne we are to understand yet further these particular things First How blessed a state this City will be in at all times for the answer of of prayer the Throne of God will be in the midst of them the Throne of Grace the Mercy-Seat they will be open now to all the Inhabitants of this City yea the fame thereof shall so spread that it shall be rumored among all Nations that in Jerusalem God will be found speedily that in Jerusalem the God of Heaven and eternal Mercy is found at all times by them that seek his face My House saith he shall be called a House of Prayer for all Nations Yea many People and strong Nations shall at that day come to seek the Lord at Jerusalem and to pray before the Lord. And at that day the very Fasts of the House of God shall be to the House of Judah Joy and gladness and cheerful Feasts therefore Love Truth and Peace Secondly The Throne of God being now established in this City what a government what rule what a life of holiness godliness what dread and majesty will now be in the hearts of all the Sons oâ— this City How to an hairs breadth wil he command and guide them with his eye at all times when they should either turn to to the right hand or to the left What Wisdom I say what Holiness what Grace and Life will be found in all their words and actions The Throne of God is among them from which there will come continual influence light and splendor into all their hearts Hear the Word of the Lord O ye Nations and declare it in the Isles afar off He that scattered Jacob will gather him and keep him as a Shepherd doth his Sheep for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob and ransomed him from the hand of him that is stronger than he Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord for Wheat and for Wine and for Oyl and for the young of the Flock and of the Herd and their soul shall be as a watered Garden and they shall not sorrow any more at all Thirdly The Throne of God being in this City there is also thereby discovered what sway and commanding an Authority this City will have at this day as I have already shewed you over all the Earth The Lord shall roar out of Zion and shall utter his voice from Jerusalem and the Heavens and the Earth shall shake but the Lord shall be the Hope of his People and the Strength of the Children of Israel This was figured forth by the Throne of Solomon in the days when that City was in its prosperity which Throne to shew the majesty and commanding awe that then that City had over all both far and near it had for the bearers of the steps twelve Lions six on this side and six on that side of the Throne This City shall then be the Head and Chief but the Tail and Reproach no more Glorious things are spoken of thee O City of God And his Servants shall serve him That is him only Indeed his Servants serve him always but yet withal they do too too often serve with the wills and lusts of men even in their Service and worshipping God that is they serve him in much Affliction Temptation Fear and Persecution but then they shall serve him without any of these Yea they shall take them Captives whose Captives they were and they shall rule over their Oppressors And it shall come to pass in that day O City that the Lord shall give thee REST from thy Sorrow and from the hard Bondage wherein thou wast made to serve and thou shalt serve the Lord thy God without fear in Holiness and Righteousness before him all the days of thy life And they shall see his face This also argueth a very great dispensation of Grace and Mercy to this Jerusalem When God did deliver up his People into the hand of the King of Babylon he said it should be done in fury and in anger and that for their wickedness he would hide his face from his City Wherefore by the sight of his face here we are to understand that glorious visible appearance of God that then will be for this City and People in the face of all the world For by the Face of God we are to understand the discovery of his Severity Providences and wonderful Out-goings among the sons of men as also the glorions breaking forth of Grace Mercy and Forgiveness thorow Christ Jesus all which the People of God shall then most marvellously see and behold First They shall see his Severity and Judgments upon the Whore Secondly They shall see how God by his strange Judgments and works of Wonder hath brought this about Who shall not fear thee O Lord and glorify thy Name for thou only art holy for all Nations shall come and worship before theeâ— for thy Judgments are made manifest They that are delivered from the noise of Archers in the places of drawing water there shall they rehearse the righteous Acts of the Lord even the righteous Acts towards the Inhabitants of his Villages in Israel Thirdly And as for his Mercy they shall see that their Horn is exalted and that they are neer to him Praise ye the Lord. And his Name shall be in their foreheads And his Name That is his Fear and Image it shall appear in all their doings Sometimes he saith he will write his Fear and Law in their hearts and minds Which Fear and Law is all one with that which in this place he calleth his Name in their foreheads The forehead of a man is the place above all parts of the body that is most naked and plain to be beheld of all that pasâ— by wherefore when he saith their Fathers Name shall be in their foreheads it is as if he had said The Profession of my People shall now be open and the beauty of it apparent to all beholders I will make them saith God a Name and a Praise among all the People of the Earth when I turn back your Captivity before your eyes Every Face shall then shine with Oyl as well as every heart be replenished with Milk and Wine This was held forth by the Memorial that the Israelites were to
The HOLY CITIE OR The New-Jerusalem WHEREIN It s Goodly Light Walls Gates Angels and the manner of their standing are EXPOUNDED ALSO Her Length and Breadth together with the Golden Measuring Reed EXPLAINED AND The Glory of all Unfolded As also The Numerousness of its Inhabitants And what the Tree and Water of Life are by which they are sustained By John Bunyan a Servant of Christ. Glorious things are spoken of thee O City of God Ps. 87. 3. And the Name of the City from that day shall be called THE LORD IS THERE Ezek. 38. 35. London Printed for Francis Smith at the Elephant and Castle without Temple-Barr 1669. THE EPISTLE To Four Sorts of READERS I. To the Godly Reader Friend THough the Men of this World at the sight of this Book will not onely deride but laugh in conceit to consider that one so low contemptible and inconsiderable as I should busie my self in such sort as to meddle with the exposition of so hard and knotty a Scripture as here they find the subject matter of this little Book yet do thou remember that God hath chosen the foolish things of this World to confound the wise and things that are not to bring to nought things that are Consider also that even of old it hath been his pleasure to hide these things from the wise and prudent and to reveal them unto Babes I tell you that the operation of the Word and Spirit of God without depending upon that Idol so much adored is sufficient of it self to search out all things even the deep things of God 1 Cor. 2. 10. The occasion of my first medling with this matter was as followeth Upon a certain First day I being together with my Brethren in our Prison-Chamber they expected that according to our Custom something should be spoken out of the Word for our mutual Edification but at that time I felt my self it being my turn to speak so empty spiritless and barren that I thought I should not have been able to speak among them so much as five words of Truth with Life and Evidence but at last it so fell out that providentially I cast mine Eye upon the eleventh Verse of the one and twentieth Chapter of this Prophecie upon which when I had considered a while methought I perceived something of that JASPER in whose Light you there finde this HOLY CITY is said to come or descend wherefore having got in my Eye some dim glimmerings thereof and finding also in my heart a desire to see further thereinto I with a few groans did arry my Meditatious to the Lord JESUS for a Blessing which he 〈…〉 forthwith grant according to his Grace and helping me to set before my Brethren we did all eat and were well refreshed and behold also that while I was in the distributing of it it so encreased in my hand that of the Fragments that we left after we had well dined I gathered up this Basket-full Methought the more I cast mine Eye upon the whole Discourse the more I saw lie in it Wherefore setting my self to a more narrow search through frequent Prayer to God what first with doing and then with undoing and after that with doing again I thus did finish it But yet notwithstanding all my labour and travel in this matter I do not neither can I expect that every Godly Heart should in every thing see the Truth Excellencie of what is here discoursed neither would I have them imagine that I have so thorowly viewed this Holy City but that much more then I do here crush out is yet left in the Cluster Alas I shall onely say thus I have crush'd out a little Juyce to sweeten their Lips withal not doubting but in little time more large measures of the Excellencie of this City and of its sweetness and glory will by others be opened and unfolded yea if not by the Servants of the Lord JESUS yet by the Lord Himself who will have this City builded and set in its own place But I say for this DISCOURSE if any of the Saints that read herein think they find nought at all but words as many times it falleth out even in their reading the Scriptures of God themselves I beg I say of such that they reade charitably judge modestly and also that they would take heed of concluding that because they for the present see nothing in this or that passage that therefore there is nothing in it Possibly from that which thou mayest cast away as an empty Bone others may pick both good and wholsom Bits yea and also out of that suck much nourishing Marrow You find by experience that that very bit that will not down with One may yet not onely down but be healthful and nourishing to another Babes are more for Milk than strong Meat though Meat will well digest with those that are of riper Years 1 Cor. 2. 1 2 3. Heb. 5. 12 13 14. Wherefore that which thy weakness will not suffer thee to feed on leave and go to the Milk and Nourishment that in other places thou shalt find II. To the Learned Reader MY second Word is to my wise and learned Reader Sir I suppose in your reading of this DISCOURSE you will be apt to blame me for two things first because I have not so beautified my Matter with acuteness of Language as you could wish or desire Secondly Because also I have not given you either in the Line or in the Margent a Cloud of Sentences from the Learned FATHERS that have according to their Wisdom possibly handled these Matters long before me To the first I say The Matter indeed is excellent and high but for my part I am weak and low it also deserveth a more full and profound Discourse than my small parts will help me to make upon the matter But yet seeing the Lord looketh not at the outward appearance but on the Heart neither regardeth high swelling words of vanity but pure and naked Truth and seeing also that a Widows Mite being all even Heart as well as substance is counted more and better then to cast in little out of much and that little too perhaps the worst I hope my little being all my Farthing seeing I have no more may be accepted and counted for a great deal in the LORD'S Treasury Besides Sir Words easie to be understood do often hit the Mark when high and learned ones do only pierce the Air He also that speaks to the weakest may make the Learned understand him when he that striveth to be high is not onely for the most part understood but of a sort but also many times is neither understood by them nor by himself Secondly The Reason why you find me empty of the Language of the Learned I mean their Sentences and Words which others use is because I have them not nor have not read them had it not been for the BIBLE I had not onely not thus done it but not at
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
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
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
distinctly and it is by the heat thereof that every thing groweth and flourisheth all which will now be gloriously and spiritually answered in this Holy and New Jerusalem O how clearly will all the Spiders and Dragons and Owls and fowl Spirits of Antichrist at that day be discovered by the Light hereof Now also will all the prettâ— Robins and little Birds in the Lords Field most sweetly send forth their pleasant Notes and all the Flowers and Herbs of his Garden spring Then will it be said to the Church by her Husband and Saviour Arise my Love my fair One and come away for lâ— the Winter is past the Rain is over and gone the Flowers appear in the Earth and the time of the singing of Birds is come and the voice of the Turtle is heard in our Land the Fig-Tree putteth forth her green Figs and the Vine with her tender Grapes give a good smell Cant. 2. 10 11 12 13. You know how pleasant this is even to be fulfilled in the letter of it not onely to Birds and Beasts but men especially it is pleasant to such men that have for several years been held in the Chains of affliction it must needs therefore be most pleasant and desirable to the afflicted Church of Christ who hath lain now in the Dungeon of Antichrist for above a thousand years But Lord how will this Lady when she gets her liberty and when she is returned to her own City how will she then take pleasure in the warm spangling Beams of thy shining Grace and solace her self with Thee in the Garden among the Nuts and the Pomgranates among the Lilies and Flowers and all the chief Spices Cant. 7. 11 12 13. Even like a Jasper Stone clear as Crystal These words are the Metaphor by which the Holy Ghost is pleased to illustrate the whole business Indeed Similitudes if fitly spoke and applyed do much set off and out any point that either in the Doctrines of Faith or Manners is handled in the Churches Wherefore because he would illustrate as well as affirm the Glory of this Jerusalem to the life therefore he concludes his general Description of this City with these Comparisons I saw saith he the holy City the Lambs Wife I saw her in her Spangles and in all her Adorning but verily she was most excellent She was shining as the Jasper and as pure and clear as Crystal The Jasper it seems is a very beautiful and costly Stone in as much as that above all the precious Stones is made use of by the Holy Ghost to shew us the Glory and shining Vertues of the Lord Jesus in this New Jerusalem and yet behold the Jasper is too short and slender to do the business there must another Stone be added Even like a Jasper Stone clear as Crystal Yea saith the Lord Jesus Her Cheeks are like rows of Jewels and so are the Joynts of her Things even like the Jewels that are the work of the hands of a cunning Workman Cant. 1. 9 10. 7. 1. The Crystal is a Stone so clear and spotless that even her greatest Adversaries in the midst of all their rage are not able justly to charge her with the least mote or spot imaginable wherefore when he saith that this City in her descending is even like the Jasper for light and like the Crystal for clearness he would have us further learn that at the day of the descending of this Jerusalem she shall be every way so accomplished with innocency sincerity and clearness in all her Actions that none shall have from her or her ways any just occasion given unto them to slight contemn or oppose her For First as she descends she meddleth not with any mans matters but her own She comes all along by the Kings high-way that is alone by the Rules that her Lord hath prescribed for her in his Testament The Governours of this World need not at all to fear a disturbance from her or a diminishing of ought they have She will not meddle with their Fields nor Vineyards neither will she drink of the water of their Wells onely let her go by the Kings high-way and she will not turn to the right hand or to the left until she hath passed all their borders It is a false report then that the Governours of the Nations have received against the City this New Jerusalem if they believe that according to the Tale that is told them she is and hath been of old a Rebellious City and destructive to Kings and a Diminisher of their Revenues I say these things are lying words and forged even in the heart of Bishlam Mithredath Tabeel and the rest of their Companions For verily this City in her descending is clear from such things even as clear as Crystal She is not for meddling with any thing that is theirs from a Thread even to a Shooe-latchet Her Glory is spiritual and heavenly and she is satisfied with what is her own 'T is true the Kings and Nations of this world shall one day bring their Glory and Honour to this City but yet not by outward force or compulsion none shall constrain them but the love of Christ and the beauty of this City The Gentiles shall come to thy light and Kings to the brightness of thy rising The light and beauty of this City that only shall engage their hearts and overcome them Indeed if any shall out of mistrust or enmity against this City and her prosperity bend themselves to disappoint the designs of the Eternal God concerning her Building and Glory then they must take what followeth Her God in the midst of her is Mighty He will rest in his love and rejoyce over her with singing and will UNDO all that afflict her Wherefore Associate your selves O ye People and ye shall be broken to pieces and give ear all ye of far Countries Gird your selves and ye shall be broken to pieces gird your selves and ye shall be broken to pieces Take counsel together and it shall come to naught speak the word and it shall not stand for God is with us Isaiah 8. 9 10. What work did he make with Og the King of Bashan and with Sihon King of the Amorites for refusing to let his People go peaceably by them when they were going to their own Inheritance God is harmless gentle and pitiful but wo be to that people that shall oppose or gainsay him He is gentle yet a Lyon He is loath to hurt yet He will not be crossed Fury is not in me saith he yet if you set the Bryers and Thorns against him He will go thorow them and burn them together Jerusalem also this beloved City it will be beautiful and profitable to them that love her but a Cup of Trembling and a burdensome Stone to all that burden themselves with her all that burthen themselves with it shall be cut in pieces though all the people of
in my Doctrine one of the Foundations of the Wall of Salvation I have written unto you And as I said before there is a reason it should be thus for as he who was the Foundation of the Jewish Church even Moses received the Pattern of all his Order from the Mouth of the Angel in Mount Sinai so the twelve received their Doctrine of Faith and Manners the Doctrine of the New Testament from the Mouth of the Son of God himself as from the Mouth of the Angel of the everlasting Covenant on the Mountain of Zion Act. 7. 38. 1. 3. Matth. 28. 19. Secondly In that he saith The Names of the Twelve are in the Foundations this shews us the reason of the continual standing of this Jerusalem it is builded upon the Doctrine of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb and standeth there for observe so long as he sees this holy City he sees her standing upon these Foundations but he saw the City till she was taken up therefore she continued as being settled for ever upon them Indeed the Primitive City or first Churches was built upon these Foundations and had also so long as they there continued sufficient supportation upholding by that means but then as I have shewed you the Wall of her Salvation and the Wall of Gods special Protection stood at a distance each from other and were not so conjoyned as now they will be wherefore they then to answer the Type did fall into the Ditch that was between and through their Foolishness provoked God to remove the Wall of his outward Protection and Safeguard from them whereupon the wild Beast Antichrist got into his Vineyard making havock of all their Dainties But mark this City is not so the Walls are now conjoyned and for ever fastened upon the Foundations therefore it abides for ever and ascends higher and higher yet not from the Foundations but by them into Heaven Behold saith God I have graven thee upon the Palms of my Hands thy Walls are continually before me And in them the Names of the twelve A. postles of the Lamb. This word twelve must be warily understood or else the weak will be ready to stumble and take offence wherefore to prevent this consider First The Twelve must be them Twelve that were with the Lord Jesus from the Baptism of John until the day in which our Lord was taken up Act. 1. 22. Secondly These Twelve are not neither to be considered simply as twelve Christians or twelve Disciples but as their Witness of the Lord Jesus they being with him from first to last was a Twelve-fold Witness of him in all his things a twelve-fold seeing with their Eyes a twelve-fold hearing with their Ears a twelve-fold handling also with their Hands and feeling of the Son of God As one of them said That which was from the beginning which we have seen with our Eyes and our Hands have handled of the Word of Life that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you that ye might have fellowship with us c. 1 John 1. 1 2 3. Now this being thus it followeth that the Doctrine of the other Apostles as of Paul and Barnabas was still but the Doctrine of the Twelve their Doctrine I say and no other Wherefore as Ephraim and Manasseh were dissolved into the twelve Tribes so these two with all other the Apostles of Christ are dissolved into the Number of the Twelve because their Doctrine is onely the Doctrine of the twelve for they center in their Doctrine their length and breadth and depth and heighth being the Doctrine of the Twelve So then the names of the Twelve being found in the Foundations of this Wall it argueth that that Doctrine is onely true that is the Doctrine of the twelve Eye-Witnesses of the Lord Jesus And again That at the day of Antichrists fall this Doctrine shall be in its former purity and bear the sway and for ever hold up the Wall of safety for the Inhabitants of New Jerusalem And indeed this Doctrine That the Doctrine of the Twelve is that upon which Eternal Safety is built and stands is so true that it must not be varied from upon pain of Eternal Damnation Here centred Luke the Evangelist here centred Jude here centred the Author to the Hebrews yea here centred Paul himself with all the Old and New Testament The Doctrine of the Twelve must be the Opener Expounder and Limiter of all Doctrines there also must all men center and ground and stay A man may talk of yea enjoy much of the Spirit of God but yet the Twelve will have the start of him for they both had the Spirit as he and more then he besides they together with this did feel see handle and receive Conviction even by their very carnal Senses which others did not besides their Names also are found in the Foundations of this saving Wall as being there engraved by GOD himself which putteth all out of doubt and giveth us infallible ground that their Doctrine is onely true and all mens false that do not keep within the bounds and limits of that Luk. 1. 2. Jude 3. 17. Heb. 2. 3 4. 1 Cor. 15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9. 9. 1. Gal. 1. 1 2. Ephes. 3. 5. 1 Cor. 4. 9. To conclude Here is yet two things worthy of noting The first is That by the Names of the twelve Apostles being in the Foundations of this Wall and the Names of the twelve Tribes being upon the Gates of this City it giveth us to consider that at the time of the building of this City the Jews and Gentiles shall be united together and become one Body which very Consideration must needs be to the Jews a great incouragement to have in mind at their Conversion for it plainly signifieth that our New-Testament-Preachers shall carry in their Mouths Salvation to the Jews by which means they shall be again reconciled and made one with the Lord Jesus The second Consideration is That at the day of New Jerusalem there shall be no Doctrine accepted nor no Preachers regarded but the Doctrine and the Preachers of the Doctrine of the Twelve for in that he saith That in them are found the Names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb he doth implicitely exclude all other of whatever Tribe they pretend themselves It shall not be then as now a Popish Doctrine a Quakers Doctrine a Prelatical Doctrine and the Presbyter Independant and Anabaptist thus distinguished and thus confounding and destroying but the Doctrine shall be one and that one the Doctrine where you finde the Names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb If any man teach otherwise and consenteth not to wholesome Words even the Words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Doctrine that is according to Godliness he is proud and knoweth nothing 1 Tim. 6. 3 4. Thus you see the Doctrine of the Twelve is that which letteth
Souls into this City and that the same Doctrine is the Doctrine that keepeth up the Wall of their Salvation about them when they are entred in within the Gates Vers. 15. And he that talked with me had a Golden Reed to measure the City and the Gates thereof and the Wall thereof Now having passed the relation of the Wall Gates and Foundations he comes to the Measuring-Line to see how all things lie and agree with that Under the Law I find that all things pertaining to the Worship of God were to be by Number Rule and Measure even to the very Tacks and Loops of the Curtains of the Tabernacle Now the Rule or Line by which all things were then squared it was the Laws Statutes and Ordinances which was given to Moses by the Lord in the Mount Sinai for thither he went to receive his Orders and according to the Pattern there shewed him so he committed all things by writing to them that were to be imployed in the workmanship of the holy things pertaining to the rise and compleating of the Tabernacle and all its Instruments Exod. 10. 11. 24. 1. 25. 40. Deut. 30. 10. 31. 24 25 26. Now when this Rule was thus received then whosoever observed not to do it he was to fall under the Penalty that by the same Law also was prescribed against the Offenders and Transgressors Num. 15. 30 31. I find also that when the Temple was builded in the days of Solomon all things were then done according to the writing that David made when the hand of God was upon him when he made him understand all the work of this Pattern 2 Chron. 3. 1 2 3. Chap. 4. 1 Chron. 19. 3 4 5 6 7. 28. 19. Thus again When Josiah went about to bring to pass the Reformation of the Church of the Jews and their Instruments of Worship after their revolting he goeth to the Law of God and by that understanding what was out of order and how to put all things into order he so did reduce them to their former manner The same way also went Ezra and Nehemiah at the rebuilding of the Temple and City after the Captivity 2 Kings 22. 8 9 10 11 12 13. Ezra 7. 14. Ezra 8. 3 4. From all which I conclude That the Reed the Golden Reed that here you read of it is nothing else but the pure and unspotted Word of God by which both the City Gates and Wall of this Jerusalem is regulated Which Word by the holy Prophet is also compared to Gold and is said to be above much fine Gold Psal. 12. 6. and 19. 9 10. I find in the Vision of the Prophet Ezekiel that the Angel that there is said to measure the City which was a Type of our Jerusalem he appeared with a line of Flax in his hand to measure the pattern withal which very phrase doth shew us that his was but the Type and an Old-Testament-business but John hath his in a New-Testament-stile and that in the most excellent manner of Language to signifie that his City or the City that he hath the Vision of is to be the end of all Types and Shadows and the very perfection of them all Wherefore he tells us also that the Line or Reed by which this City is builded and squared it is not now a Line of Flax but a Reed of Gold a Golden Reed to signifie not a Word of the Law and Letter that had to do with Shadows but the New Testament and ministration of the Spirit which hath to do with Substance and the heavenly things themselves Heb. 9. 23. A Golden Reed to measure the City c. I told you at the first that this City was the Church of God that should be in the latter dayes but yet not the Church disorderly and confusedly scattered here and there without all visible order and discipline but the Church brought into exact Form and Order lying every way level and square with the Rule and Golden Reed of the New Testament of Christ wherefore he calleth it a City a City under Rule Thus it was in the Type for when Solomons Temple was to be builded and the City in after-times it was not enough that they had Stones and Timber but every one of them must be such Stones and such Timber and must also come under the Rule and Square of the Workman and so being fitted by Hewers Sawes Axes and Squares they were fitly put into the building 1 Kings 5. 17 18. and 7. 9 10 11 12. 1 Chron. 22. 2. By this then we may see with what a holy exact Line Rule and Order this Church and City at this day will be compact and builded the Members must be all such as shall be made fit for the City of God by the hewing words of the Prophets they must joyn in Christian-Communion also according to the Golden Reed of the New Testament and ministration of the Spirit Indeed all the time of the reign of Antichrist the Church as she was a holy Temple in the Lord so she was measured with reference to the truth of her Grace and invisible condition but as she is to be a City so she then is to be troden down and to lie without all Form and Order but when Antichrist is dead she shall again come into mind be considered reared builded by measure and inhabited and observe it as the Rule of the Carpenter is of use in the building from the first appearance of the laying of a Stone in order even till it be in every point and part compleat so the Golden Reed with which the Angel is here said to measure the City c. is to be of use from the first Foundation even to the laying of the last Stone thereof As was also fore-shewed by the man that is said to measure the pattern of this in Ezekiel Ezek. 40. to chapter 48. And he measured the City That is he measured the Church in her Constitution and Fellowship Now when God is said to measure he is said to measure sometimes in Judgment and sometimes in Mercy sometimes to throw down and sometimes to build up and establish Sometimes I say he is said to measure in Judgment with intention to throw down and destroy Thus he measured the City before she went into Captivity and the ten Tribes before they were carried away beyond Babylon because they lay cross to his Word and had perverted that which was right c. but when he is said to measure the City in this place it is that she might be builded and set up wherefore as I said the Line or Golden Reed that is now stretched forth to measure this City it is to the end that all things may be in right Form and Order fitly joyned and knit together by that which every joynt supplyeth according to the effectual working of the measure of every part making increase of the Body to the
Souls will be at this day and indeed this is it that is by God expected to be in this City at this day As the Angel with his Measuring-Line said to Zechariah I am going to measure Jerusalem and to see what is the breadth thereof and what is the length thereof To see whether their Doctrine be pure and whether their Obedience be answerable And he measured the City with the Reed twelve thousand furlongs These latter words do refer us to a distinct measure from that which went before the former measure pointing at the breadth of her Commandment and the length of her Obedience but this at the Glory and Fulness of her Mansions and Portions For after he had said The City lieth four square and that the length is as large as the breadth which is the full and compleat effect of that first measure he comes over again with an other measuring saying And he measured the City twelve thousand furlongs as who should say He measured the City Gates and Wall first and sound them all exact and according to the Golden Reed and after he had so done he measured the City with the Reed twelve thousand furlongs He measured the City with the Reed That is He measured out to the City he measured for the City for its Lot and Portion twelve thousand Furlongs Which very thing you find in the Vision of the Prophet Ezekiel for after he had measured the City the Vessels with the Instruments of Worship I say when he had done this he comes again with an afterwards to measure the City her Portions and Mansions Ezek. 47. 1 c. Wherefore I say these words do refer to her Portion that she is to enjoy of her God as the former referreth to her Duty and Obedience Now that which maketh me conclude that this latter measure is a measure distinct from the former and that it relateth neither to the exactness of Rule nor the compleatness of Obedience but only to the largeness of the Portions that God will allot for thy Sons and Daughters thou City of God it is First Because this is the biggest measure For I find by considering the Scripture that as the Persons and Things pertaining to the Worship of God were to go according to the Rule of this Golden Reed so also the Portions that pertained to the Persons worshiping was to go by Rule and Measure also as here he saith he measured also the City or to it with the Reed twelve thousand furlongs And hence it is that our Grace is called the measure of Grace and that our Glory is called a weight of Glory Now I say I find that our Portions do go always under the biggest measure the Spoons Cups Flaggons Snuffers Basons Candlesticks and Pans which were the Instruments of Worship were not so large as the Chambers in the Temple and the compass of the holy Land which were the Mansions and Portions of the Church Secondly I take the twelve thousand furlongs to signifie Portions rather than Worship or Worshippers because as to the nature of it it most exactly agrees with the Portions that are measured out to this City by the Angel before Ezekiel which is a measuring forth so much Land for the Portion of the Prince so much for the Portion of the Priest and so much for the Portion of the twelve Tribes Yea the very phrase twelve thousand furlongs also implieth such a compass of Ground by which we find the holy Land hath been measured Lastly I take it to be thus also because I find not in all this description of this holy City that any place doth give us that ground to speak to her measure of Portion as this and it would seem strange to me that the description of this City given by Ezekiel should be more compleat then this that is given by our Prophet John for Ezekiel doth most amply set forth her Portions even distinctly for Prince Priest and the Tribes in particular This therefore is to be understood of the Portions of the City which John did see was measured out unto her immediately after he saw the breadth of her Rule and the length of her Obedience Onely consider that Ezekiel measureth by Reeds not counting by Furlongs but John though he measureth by Reeds yet counteth by Furlongs But now though the holy Ghost is thus pleased to speak of the Portions of the Saints in the New Jerusalem as if he intended chiefly that their Portion should consist in outward Happiness and in the enjoyment of such and such a Portion or compass of ground Yet consider that these are but metaphorical and borrowed Expressions spoken to our Capacities under which is indeed included the nature of our blessed and spiritual Food and Nourishment You know it is usual for the holy Ghost in Scripture to call the Saints Sheep Lambs Heifers Cows Rams Doves Swallows Pâ—licans and the like and also to call their Food their spiritual and heavenly Food Grass Provender Wheat Wine Oyl Grapes Apples Figs Nuts and the like also all which are but shadowish and figurative expressions even as this of the measure of the twelve thousand furlongs and observe it that which John saith here is twelve thousand furlongs Ezekiel tells us it lieth on this side and on that side of the bank of the River of the Water of Life Now I think there is none so much void of understanding as to think this Water of Life is any thing else but the precious Grace of God in and thorow the Lord Jesus Wherefore the ground or measure for Portions it is nothing else but our spiritual and heavenly Food even spiritual Grace and Gifts and Comforts that the holy Ones of this City shall most plentifully partake of and enjoy And so indeed the Prophet also saith speaking of the Portions of the holy Land for this City The increase thereof saith he shall be for Food unto them that serve the City and they that serve it shall serve it out of the twelve Tribes of Israel Out of the twelve Tribes that is out of the twelve thousand Furlongs which is the the Portion of the Tribes This is according to the Saying of the Prophet David He maketh me to lie down in green Pastures he leadeth me besides the still Waters and again For the Lamb that is in the midst of the Throne shall feed them and shall lead them into living Fountains of Water for their shame they shall have double and for confusion they shall rejoyce in their Portion Therefore in their Land they shall possess the double Everlasting Joy shall be upon them Psal. 23. 2. Rev. 7. 17. Isa. 61. 7. Thus you see the measure of the City Gates and Wall and the effect of that and thus you see also the measure of the Portion for the City with what it is Wherefore it remaineth that we see what is to be the
City shall be left the Forts and Towers shall be for Dens for ever a Joy of wild Asses a Pasture of Flocks until the Spirit be poured on us from on high and the Wilderness be a fruitful Field c. And then the Lord shall defend the Inhabitants of Jerusalem and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David and the House of David shall be as God even as the Angel of the Lord before him The Inhabitants shall not say I am sick the People that dwell therein shall be forgiven their Iniquity And he measured the Wall thereof an hundred and forty and four Cubits according to the measure of a man that is of the Angel According to the measure of a Man The Man Christ Jesus For the measure of this City or the Golden Reed with which this City is thus measured it is His his Word and Law of the New-Testament All Judgment is committed into the hand of the Son and God hath given him authority to execute Judgment also because he is the Son of man According to the measure of a Man that is of the Angel This Angel is one of the Seven that had the seven last Plagues to execute upon the Man of Sin and yet he saith the measure is according to the measure of a man the meaning is That the City the New Jerusalem is to be builded according to the VVord of Christ but yet by his VVord as it is in the hand of his Angels that is his Messengers and Servants of which Servants the chief will be those that are his Instruments â—o pour forth the seven Vials full of 〈…〉 ven last Plagues upon the Antich 〈…〉 n Harlot For they with their Plagues will both destroy what standeth in impiacable opposition and will subject the rest and bring them into a correspondency with the Word and Will of God as I have shewed Whence note That they of his Servants that God shall use to pour forth his last and most dreadful Plagues upon the Whore they are they that God will use to shew us the Pattern of this holy City Or thus They that can tell how to plague the Whore they can tell how to measure this City The righteous men they shall judge them that is the Antichristian Harlot with her wicked and adulterous Daughters after the manner of Adulteresses and after the manner of Women that shed blood because they are adultrous and blood is in their hands Ezek. 23. 45. Thus much touching the frame of this City its Wall Gates and Foundations with the measure of each And now it remains that I speak of the Glory of them Vers. 18. And the building of the Wall of it was of Jasper and the City was pure Gold like unto clear Glass IN these words you have a discovery of the Glory both of the Wall and City it self and that as you see under the notion of two choice Metaphors the Wall is Jasper the chief of Stones and the City is Gold the chief of Metals And the building of the Wall of it was of Jasper and the City was pure Gold This Jasper is that Stone in the light of which this City is said to descend as in the light of a Stone most precious Now as there he saith she descended in the light of this Stone so here he saith this Stone is the Wall thereof And the building of the Wall of it was of Jasper This therefore confirmeth unto you what I said of the Wall before to wit That it was the Salvation of God through Christ Wherefore learn this by the way That this City shall not be at this day in her own keeping but in the keeping of Jesus Christ He with his Benefits doth compass her round and by him alone she lieth down in safety Wherefore it is from this Consideration that God doth say by the Mouth of the Prophet I will give them within my House and within my Walls a place and a name better then that of Sons and of Daughters I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off Isa. 56. 5. And the building of the Wall c. By this word building we are to understand both the Materials of the Wall the manner of their placing and the Instruments that God will use for the setting up thereof Now to speak properly this Wall being the Lord Jesus Christ Himself in his precious Merits Benefits and Offices the Builder hereof must needs be God Himself for he it is that hath made this Christ for us a Safeguard and Defence by making of him our Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption by which he doth incompass us round on every side and that at every moment to deliver us from the Power and Destruction both of Sin Death the Devil and Hell But again The building here spoken of is a building of this Wall after the destruction of Antichrist and so long after Christ was sent and made these things in his own Person to his beloved and blessed Church Wherefore the building of this Wall that is here spoken of it must be understood of the recovering again the purity of those Doctrines in which the Lord Jesus with all his Benefits is found and made ours for our everlasting Defence and Safety For we find that the King of Babylon who was a Type of our Antichrist when he came up against Jerusalem the Type of our Primitive Church he brake down their City destroyed their Walls rifled their Houses and killed their Children whose steps I say our Antichrist follows to a hair in treading down the Primitive Church corrupting her Doctrines which are her Safeguard and VVall also robbing and spoiling the Houses of God and killing his Children with a thousand Calamities turning all the heavenly Frame and Order of Church-Government into an heap of Rubbish and a confused Dunghil Wherefore the building again of this Wall is to be understood of the recovering and setling and fastening the Doctrines of Christ as afore in which Doctrines he in all his Benefits is wrapped and held fast forever I say a recovering of them and setting him up again in his primitive and pure Glory of being our Priest Prophet and King in his Church and a giving unto these Offices their own proper length breadth height and depth letting them rule in all their Force Glory and Majesty and Authority for then will be golden Days and not till then then I say when the several Offices of the Lord Jesus do rule in their own nature and largeness of Authority both in the Church and in the VVorld Alas This VVall is yet unbuilt the Offices of the Lord Jesus do not yet shine in that purity nor so stand in their proper places as they shall do at the coming in of New Jerusalem the VVall lies yet but as an heap of Rubbish the Offices of the Lord Christ are to this day by many
Church of Christ hath obtained a compleat conquest and victory over the world and hath got her enemies and them that hate her to lye at her feet and to lick the dust of the soals thereof For as I have told you already Temple-work yea when that is compleat in the work yet there may be great havock made of the Church of Christ at which time also City-work may be trampled under the feet of the wicked and uncircumcised Gentiles but when the City is builded then Zion is become a strong hold and about all her glory shall be a defence Then she either draweth and allureth her adversaries to entreat her kindly and to count it their honour to be under her protection as did the Gibeonites or else she breaks and bâ—uises and subjects them to her by her Power and Authority The daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift and the rich among the People shall entreat thy favour Psal. 45. 12. In the last dayes saith the Prophet it shall come to pass that the Lords House shall be established upon the tops of the Mountains and shall be exalted above the Hills and People shall flow unto it and many Nations shall come and say Come and let us go up unto the Mountain of the Lord and to the House of the God of Jacob and and he will teach us of his wayes and we will walk in his paths For the Law shall go forth of Zion and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem And ye shall judge among the People and rebuke strong Nations afar off and they shall beat their Swords into ploughshares and their Spears into pruning hooks that force and power that they used formerly to destroy the Church of God now they shall use it to do her service even to break up the clods of the hearts of sinners and to prune and dress the House of God and Vinyard of Jesus Christ Nation shall not lift up a Sword against Nation neither shall they learn war any more for the Word of the Kingdom of Peace shall bear sway And thou O Tower of the Flock the strong hold of the daughter of Zion unto thee shall it come even the first Dominion the Kingdom shall come to the Daughter of Jerusalem Mich. 4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. This is City-work and as to the Glory Peace and Deliverance of the Church it is the chiefest of all other because it is not only most excellent for concourse and multitude but I say for preservation and safety and that not only to keep the Worshippers if they keep their order but to keep the Order and Worshippers both in order and continual safety that they may be for ever in the purest order But now though at the compleating of this Wall and the building its Towers when they are finished there will be great peace yet all the time that these things are doing before they be done let the work-men look for opposition taunts underminers and a thousand tricks for the hindrance of it For the Street of the City shall be built and the Wall even in troublous times And the building of the Wall of it was of Jasper Of Jasper only For as by building is shewed unto us the manner of the work so by Jasper is shewed unto us the matter it self the matter therefore must be Jasper Christ only his Word Offices and glorious Brightness only for indeed whatever the special Grace Protection and Providence of God will at this day be over this City yet it shall be every whit of it according to Christ that is both of him for him and by him as the Fruits and Effects of his Suffering Bloodshed and Merits Therefore saith God I will divide him a Portion with the Great and he shall divide the Spoyl with the Strong because he hath poured out his Soul unto death and was numbred among the Transgressors O Holiness How will it shine both in Kings and Nations when God doth this And the City was pure Gold Having thus given us a discovery of the glory of the Wall he now comes to shew us the glory of the City that is within the Wall The City faith he is Gold it is pure Gold This was figured out by the Golden Candlesticks belonging to the Tabernacle and Temple among the Jews which Candlesticks did then present unto us the worth and use of the Church of CHRIST The seven Candlesticks are the seven Churches says the Lord Christ himself Now the City here spoken of is the Church in her higheâ— and greatest glory Its state was also figured out by the Temple it self whose Beams Posts Walls Doors and the like were most famously covered over with Gold 2 Chron. 3. 5 6 7. It was also though but leanly represented to us by the golden state of old Jerusalem in the days of Solomon the King in which state Gold was so plentiful in the midst thereof that Silver was nothing counted of among the Citizens there in those days but was as common as the Stones in the Street of the City 2 Chron. 9. 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 27. And the City was pure Gold I find by the search of the Scriptures that there is divers sorts of Gold in the World there is the Gold of the Land of Havillah the Gold of Parvaim the Gold of Ophir the Gold of Sheba and the Gold of Uphaz Gen. 2. 11. 2 Chron. 3. 6. Job 22. 24. Psal. 72. 15. Jer. 10. 9. Now seeing he saith the City is Gold yet not distinguishing what Gold or which we may suppose in this place he means Gold of all these sorts and indeed it is most agreeable to this Text thus to judge for the Church at this day shall be made up of the twelve Tribes that are scattered abroad and of the Gentile Nations both far and near who as they now lie are for ought I can learn at as great a distance and as remote from one another not onely in knowledge and affections but touching the places of their abode as are the Golden Mines out of which the Gold that I spake of before is digged and fetch'd Thus shall Gold the Golden Saints of God at this day be gathered out of the several Golden Mines of the World and be brought to King Solomon the Son of David our Lord Jesus to Jerusalem with which he will build him a Golden shining City the Joy of all the World And the City was pure Gold Gold is the choice and chief of all Metals both for worth colour and vertue wherefore when he saith The City is Gold you may conceive how rich and shining and vertuous this City will be the Riches of the whole World will be here the Beauty of the whole World will be here and the Vertue of the whole World will be here I mean spiritual Riches Beauty and Health wherefore the rest of the World at this day will be but as
the twelve Apostles in their Doctrine or the primitive Doctrine of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. Now the great business in this place will be to shew you the garnishing of these Foundations and also the mystery and order of the lying of the Foundations for their glory lyeth in both As for the garnishing of these Foundations it is and will be at the day of New Jerusalem twofold and the first is with beautiful Gifts and Grace Thus was the Apostles of old adorned and thus shall their Doctrine again be garnished I know that the Doctrine of the twelve hath been alwayes accompanied with goodly Gifts and Grace from the first Churches quite down that is according to the measure of light they appeared in and according to the dispensations of God in the times of Antichrist But yet the glory that this Doctrine had in these latter dayes I mean since the Apostacy it was nothing in comparison of the glory and splendor that will be in them in the day when this City is builded and compleat Wherefore you find that though all-along in Antichrist's reign the Gospel of Grace hath shone and given light to the Saints and People of God in all their travels and afflictions yet the shining of it at that day was much opposed and eclipsed by the smoak of the bottomless-pit as he saith There arose a smoak out of the pit as the smoak of a great furnace and the Sun and the Air was darkened by reason of the smoak of the pit Rev. 9. 2. In which dayes I say abundance of the light heat and operation of the Gospel was diminished and taken off so that but little of the power or glory of it hath been either felt or seen from that time to this very day This is that God spake of by the Prophet Amos saying I will cause the Sun to go down at noon and will darken the Earth in the clear day and I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins and baldness upon every head and I will make it as the mourning of an only son and the end thereof as a bitter day All which he explaineth in the next words for Behold the dayes come saith the Lord that I will send a Famine in the Land not a Famine of Bread or of thirst for Water but of hearing the Words of the Lord and they shall wander from Sea to Sea and from the North even to the East they shall run to and fro to seek the Word of the Lord and shall not find it In those dayes Eli's sons were become Varlots Indeed there was here and there a little child like Samuel in his minority that now and then would speak most goodly things But the Word of the Lord was precious in those dayes there was no open Vision This is that which David in the Spirit of Prophecy complaineth of saying They know not neither will they understand they walk on in darkness all the Foundations of the Earth are out of course Thus in the days of the eclipsing of the glory of these Foundations But now behold they recover their light and put on as of old their former glory are again garnished as in the former dayes Now will all the Doctrines of the Gospel spangle and sparkle out of every Text will the Ministers of God make to issue exceedingly most precious and heavenly Fire for these Stones are indeed the Stones of Fire and in them is contained that which would set the whole World on a flame with love and delight in the things of God and another World had but men the Spirit of Wisdom and the Authority of God in their Ministry as the Apostles and the primitive Christians had Well this Doctrine of the Twelve shall be again adorned with Gifts and Grace as in the days of old by which it shall also be made to shine and to cast forth its Golden Rayes before the Nations to their Salvation Behold saith God I will lay thy Stones with fair Colours that is thy Apostolical Doctrines shall again be garnished as at the first Truth shall appear in its old and mature colours and as such shall be imbraced and lived and delighted in both by Jews and Gentiles as I have shewed But secondly The Twelve Foundations that here you read of they are the same with those twelve Stones that long before were set in the Brestplate of Judgment in which were engraven the Names of the twelve Tribes of the children of Israel the names of which Tribes did comprehend the whole body of the house of their fathers Exod. 28. 16 17 18 20 21 29. Exod. 39. 14. Now then seeing these Twelve are the same with those on the Breastplate of Judgement and seeing also that those on the Breast-plate did comprehend the whole of the twelve Tribes I conclude that for these Foundations to be garnished with all manner of precious Stones it is as much as to say they shall be garnished with abundance of Converts Multitudes and that of all sorts both of Jews and Gentiles Moors Tartars Turks and those in the utmost parts of the World shall now be entangled with the Light and Truth with the Glory and Goodness of the Doctrine of the Twelve And I the rather take it thus 1. Because as the Foundations themselves are said to be precious Stones so also the Saints in general they go under the same names too As Jeremiah saith The precious Stones of the Sanctuary are the precious Sons of Zion As Peter also saith in alluding to the precious Stones of the Temple The Saints are lively or living precious stones built up a spiritual house c. and the foundations of the Wall were garnished with all manner of precious stones That is the Doctrine of the Twelve was garnished with all manner of precious souls that is converted by it by which they become a glory and a garnishing to it 2dly I take it to be the conversion of the Precious Ones of God because that thus to understand it is most like the phrase of the Apostle Paul himself saying What is our Hope or Joy or Crown of rejoycing Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming Ye are our Glory and Joy Mark in the text he saith The Foundations were garnished with all manner of precious Stones and here those precious Stones Paul accounts to be those that are converted by the Word for what is our hope or joy or crown are not even ye that have been converted by us Ye are our Joy ye are our Crown ye are our Glory It is with you that we shall be crowned adorned and garnished in the presence of our Lord Jesus Mark John saith They are garnished Paul saith they are crowned John saith they are garnished w th precious stones and Paul saith they are
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
Lord that saves you You know I say what a flame of love and bowels and compassion and self-denial and endeared affection to God and all Saints it will beget in the soul. O! it is good to be here saith the gracious heart Well and so thou shalt be alwayes if thou live to see New Jerusalem setled in her own place Isa. 65. 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24. And the Street of the City was pure Gold as it were transparant Glass Mark a Street of Gold like Glass a Street of Gold as it were transparant Glass By Glass here as also in the eighteenth verse we are to understand the word Jam. 1. 23 24 25. Wherefore when he saith the Street the Golden Street was like unto Glass he means that the walking and carriage of the Saints at this day shall be like unto or according to the Word the Life of the Saints answering the Life of the Word and Rule of the Lord Christ. Again in that he doth add to Glass the word Transparent he would have us to understand thereby these two things First That the walking and ways of Holiness of the Saints shall be more in the Power and Spirit of the Word than all along in the reign of Antichrist they have been For transparent Glass it is the most cleer and excellent Glass and goeth as far beyond other sorts of Glass as he that walks in the Spirit and Power of the Commandment goes beyond him that only walks in the Letter and outward Word thereof Alas the Churches of Christ at their first assembling will be like the coming together of Ezekiels bones cloathed much with flesh and sinews but greatly void of spirit and life Ezek. 37. 7 8. Wherefore the Spirit Power Holiness and Majesty that now will appear in the Church it will greatly transcend and go beyond the Spirit Power and Holiness that hath accompanied her in former days Then shall the Sun be ashamed and the Moon confounded when the Lord shall reign in Mount Zion c. Then shall the Sun be ashamed that is then shall that little light and understanding of the Word that hath been in the Church in the days when a third part of the glory of the Gospel was hid by the smoak of the Pit be as it were laid aside and be useless every Saint shall be under the light of a Sun that shines seven-fold brighter even as the light of seven days We see it is so in some measure at this day What Light and with what clearness do the Saints in this day see the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God beyond what the holy and goodly Martyrs and Saints did in the days that were before us Hus Bilny Ridly Hooper Cranmer with their Brethren if they were now in the world would cry out say Our light and knowledge of the Word of the Testament of Christ was much inferior to the Light that at this day is broken forth and that will yet daily in despite of Men and Devils display its Rayes and Beams amongst the sons of men When the Children of Israel were to depart the Land of Egypt the Lord made known himself to them otherwise than ever he made known himself either to Abraham Isaac or Jacob their fathers The Book also at the recovering the Church from under Antichrist is to be unlocked and unsealed gradually first one Seal and afterwards another and last of all the seventh before which time the Book will never quite be opened according to that of the Angel Go thy way Daniel for the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end in which time which is the time of New Jerusalem they shall be opened and men shall consider it perfectly Wherefore Secondly It must needs be that the Church return to her old and primitive love for what is the cause of the want of love to Christ and one another now but our want of light in the Things Mysteries and Priviledges of the glorious Gospel of the Son of God Wherefore this being come then Love will reign and have her perfect work among the Godly Love is the very quintescence of all the Graces of the Gospel and is as transparent to them the greatest of these is Charity it is the fulfilling of the Law the Bond of Perfectness and the most excellent Way Wherefore the holy Ghost doth mean by this word TRANSPARENT Glass that the height of Light and the height of Love will be found in this City all their things shall be done without confused smoak and darkness and also without spiritual priâ—â— and desire of vain glory then shall they indeed do all their things in Charity and in the feeling Bowels and Fellowship of the Gospel Then shall the Offerings of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former times Mal. 3. 4. Alas Though now through Grace the Saints of God have attained to more Light and Knowledge in the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God than heretofore they had yet their Light is far inferior to that which will be when this City is builded Our spiritual Union and Fellowship in the very Bowels of the Grace and Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ also is yet greatly defective It is said that no man was able to enter into the Temple of God until the seven plagues of the seven Angels were fulfilled but when the seven last Plagues are spent and when all the Adversaries of the Church which caused terror in the Land of the Living shall be laid with the uncircumcised in the Pit then look for Golden days and not till then then shall this Golden Street be finished that is then shall the Light Faith Love and Holiness of the Gospel be walked in and embraced in a transparent and transcending way He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take Root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the World with Fruit. Isa. 27. 6. Vers. 22. And I saw no Temple therein for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it These words do in my present Light point at the end of the days of this Jerusalem here in this World and in so doing they signifie to us that when she is builded she shall stand and continue in â—his her glorious state afore-mentioned â—ven until that Glory be swallowed up of â—hat which doth excel That they do point at the end of her â—ay in this world I do gather from these particulars First Because they are the last words â—f the description of her Glory that is â—ese and the words ensuing which is â—t one and the same continued speech â—d it is easie to conclude that John in â—is description of this City doth from â—st to last even from the first appearing of her as she cometh out of Babylon till she be perfect in Glory give us the
time past to exhort and encourage one another to stick fast to the Promise for they shall be swallowed up of Life and open Vision Here shall be no need either of Prayer of Repentance of Faith or of good Works as afore And the City had no need of the Sun neither of the Moon to shine in it Now I say the holy Ghost is pleased to bring in here the shining Vertues of the Church under the notion of a shining Moon because as the Church her self is compared to the Moon so her Vertues are as naturally compared to a shining Light as Christ saith Let your light so shine and again Let your loins be girded and your lights burning for indeed while we are here that Church and Congregation of the Lord doth most shine and most send forth the golden Rayes and pleasant Beams of Christianity that is most in the exercise of the afore-mentioned Vertues take away the Moon and the night is doubtful or though the Moon be in the Firmament if she hath lost her light the night is not thereby made more comfortable And thus I say it is first with the World where here there is no Church to shine or where there is a Church that doth not so shine that others may see and be lighted for while the day of time doth last even the World it self hath need of the shining of the Church but at this day this time will be no longer because the Day of Eternity will break and by that means cause the World that now is even the World of the Ungodly to cease to have a being here any longer Therefore now no need of the Moon or of the light thereof to shine before that which is not Secondly Again as the Church is in her light before men as the Moon is in her light in the night to the world so as I said before this City which is called also Heaven she even she shall have no need of these things for she shall be taken up in open Vision and shall be compleatly delivered from all imperfection she shall not need now the light of her Children to provoke her and to stir her up to this or the other act of holiness all shall be done all shall be compleat the Lord himself is come Indeed while Christ is absent as touching his Person and while the work of God is not yet compleatly done in the Church there will be need both of the light of Sun and Moon but when the work is done and he come then these things will be out of use Thus The 〈…〉 of the Just is as the shining light which shineth more and more unto perfect day For the Glory of God did lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof This is rendered as the reason why at this day both the light of Sun and Moon are needless it is because the Glory of God did lighten it and because the Lamb is the light thereof Now the Glory of God must be understood in this place not of that Glory that doth attend the Church in this world for that Glory doth attend the Church upon the account of her Purity of Worship of Temple-Worship and doth either abide on her or withdraw it self according to her exact observing the Rule or declining from it as I have shewed you in the beginning of this discourse But the Glory that here you read of it is a Glory that supplieth this City without those Ordinances yea therefore those Ordinances as the Temple and the light of the Sun and Moon do cease because of the Glory of this Glory that now is come into this City The City had no need of the Sun neither of the Moon to shine in it mark for the Glory of God did lighten it and the Lamb is the Light thereof Wherefore I say this Glory that now he speaks of it is the Glory that shall possess this City at the end of her Glory in this world wherefore as saith the holy Ghost by Isaiah the Prophet from this day forward The Sun shall be no more thy light by day neither for brightness shall the Moon give light unto thee but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting Light and thy God thy Glory Isa. 60. 19. For the Glory of God did lighten it c. Thus it was at the finishing of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness and of the Temple at Jerusalem both which were figures in their finishing of the finishing of the state of the Church in this world and it is said of them that in the day when they in all things were accomplished according to the fashion that was revealed before concerning their Order and accomplishment that then the Glory of God so appeared upon them that neither Moses nor Aaron was able to enter in or to stand therein because of the Cloud and of the Glory of the Lord that at that time filled the House Thus you see this City descends in one measure of Glory and is consumate in another measure of Glory The Glory of the Lord was upon the Mount Sinai while the pattern of the Tabernacle was giving but it rested on the Tabernacle when the work thereof was finished to signify I say that the Glory of God will rest in his Ordinances and in his Church by them so long as Ordinances are in use but when they are needless then it will rest in the Church without them and that more gloriously than ever it therein did rest by them For the Glory of God did lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof Mark Though now there shall be no need of Temple Sun or Moon yet Christ the Lamb or the Man who was offered in sacrifice for our Redemption shall be of use and benefit for the Glory of God did lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof Wherefore all that we who are the saved shall enjoy of Glory and Sweetness in another world though we shall not enjoy it from God through Christ by and in the Ordinances yet we shall enjoy it through Christ the Lamb without them for the Lamb is the light of it By this word Lamb he would have us understand that when we are in Glory the blood death and bloody conquest that the man Christ did get over our infernal enemies will be of eternal use to us because that benefit of Christ shall not only for ever be the Foundation of our eternal felicity but the burden of our Song of Glory in all our raptures among the Angels It will be the Blood the Blood the redeeming Blood of the Lamb. Blessing glory honour and power be to him that sits upon the Throne and to the LAMB for ever and ever 'T is he in whom will be found the seven Eyes the seven Spirits of God in whose light we shall see the heights and depths of those Springs and everlasting Fountains and Depths of Glory for ever and indeed the conceit of
the contrary is foolish Is not Christ the Head and we the Members and do not the Members receive their whole light guidance and wisdom from it Is not he also the price the ground and bottom of our Happiness both in this world and that which is to come And is it possible it should be forgotten or that by it our Joy Light and Heaven should not be made the sweeter to all eternity Our soul is now bound up in him as in a bundle of life and when we come thither he is still the Christ our life and it is by our being where he is that we shall behold his Glory and our Glory because he is glorified For the Glory of God did lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof As he said John 16. 22. Ye now therefore have sorrow but I will see you again and your heart shall rejoyce and your Joy no man taketh from you Thus much of this City her descending her fashion her glory and of her wading thorow glory from glory to glory Vers. 24. And 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 After this long and pleasant Description of this Holy and New Jerusalem the Holy Ghost now falleth upon a Relation of the People that shall be the Inhabitants of this City and of their numerousness and quality And the Nations c. The Nations of the world both of the Jews and Gentiles Every one knoweth what the Nations are wherefore I need not stay upon the explication of that for it doth in general include the multitude of the sinners of the world Therefore when he saith the Nations shall walk in the light of this City it is as if he had said that at this day when she is here in her tranquility the sinners and disobedient among the sons of men shall by multitudes and whole Kingdoms come in and close with the Church and House of God These Spiders shall take hold with their hands and be in Kings Palaces Prov. 30. 28. And the Nations c. For this word the Nations is a great word and it comprehendeth much mark it doth not say a Nation or some Nations neither doth it say few or small Nations but indefinitely the Nations Many Nations Strong Nations All Nations the Nations in general only he ties them up with this limit the Nations of them that are saved which yet is not so much spoken to clip off the multitude that we suppose may then be converted as to shew us their qualifications and happiness as he saith by the Prophet in another place Thy Children shall be all holy or righteous and great shall be the peace of thy Children And the Nations of them that are saved shall walk in the light of it Surely the holy Ghost would never have spoken at such a rate as this if he had not intended to shew us that at the day of the setting up of this Jerusalem a great harvest of sinners shall be gathered by the Grace of the Gospel But the truth is the Scriptures go with open arms towards the latter end of the world even as if they would grasp and compass about almost all People then upon the face of the whole Earth with the Grace and Mercy of God The Earth saith God shall be filled with the knowledge of the Glory of the Lord as the waters cover the Sea As he saith also for the comfort of the Church in another place Behold I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands thy Walls are contiaually before me Thy Children shall make haste thy Destroyers and those that made thee waste shall go forth of thee Lift up thine eyes round about behold all these gather themselves together to come unto thee as I live saith the Lord thou shalt surely cloath thee with them all as with an Ornament and bind them on thee as a Bride doth For thy waste and desolate places and the land of thy destruction shall even now be too narrow by reason of the Inhabitants and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away The Children which thou shalt have after thou hast lost the other shall say again in thine ears The place is too strait for me give place that I may dwell Then shalt thou say in thy heart Who hath begotten me these seeing I have lost my Children and am desolate a captive and removing to and fro Who hath brought up these Behold I was left alone these where have they been Thus the multitudes of the Nations shall at this day be converted to the Lord and be made the Inhabitants of this Jerusalem as he saith again The Kingdoms of this world are become the Kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ. And again The Kingdom and Dominion and the 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 Rev. 11. 15. Dan. 7. 26 27. And observe it these Promises are to be fulfilled in the last days at the time of the pouring forth of the last Vial which is the time of the sounding of the last of the seven Trumpets for then this City shall be builded and Lucifer fallen from Heaven then the Prisoners shall be set at liberty and the People be gathered together and the Kingdoms to serve the Lord. Rejoyce O ye Nations with his People for he will avenge the blood of his Servants and will render vengeance to his adversaries and will be merciful to his Land and to his People Alas it is now towards the end of the world and therefore now all is going if the Lord steps not in with the riches of his Grace Wherefore now at last before all be turned into fire and ashes behold the Lord casts the net among the multitude of Fish and the aboundance of the Sea shall without fail be converted to Jerusalem Though Satan and Antichrist have had their day in the world by their outrage have made fearful havock of the souls of sinners from time to time yet now at length God will strike in for a share with them and his Son shall divide the spoyl with the Strong Wherefore he now sets up this City puts the Glory of Heaven upon her provides a New Heaven and a New Earth for her situation drives prophaness into the holes and dens of the Earth giveth Righteousness authority to reign in the world and takes off the vail from all faces that none may hereafter be for ever beguiled by blindness and ignorance Now shall they make merry with the things of God now shall all eat the fat and drink the sweet For in this Mountain shall the Lord make a feast of fat things to all People a feast of
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
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
2. If Fruit here be taken with reference to men then it signifieth the Happiness and Glory that those for whom he dyed and rose again should receive by this means His Fruit I have shewed you is sweet to the taste of his Church which Fruit is the effect of his undertaking for Sinners and the comfortable savour of it in the soul. Which bare twelve manner of Fruits In that he saith the Fruits are twelve he herein alludeth to the twelve Tribes of the Israel of God for which twelve Tribes here will be found a suitable measure of Food healing Food I will multiply the Fruit of the Tree saith God and also the encrease of the Field that you may receive no more reproach of Famine among the Heathen Again These that John calleth twelve manner of Fruits the Prophet Ezekiel calleth all manner of Fruit for meat For indeed as I shewed before there is that to be found in Christ both for fulness and variety that is not to be found in Heaven and Earth beside Here is Fruit for Body Fruit for Soul Fruit for Babes Fruit for Strong-men Fruit for Fathers yea for glorified Saints and Angels Fruits variety of Fruits even twelve manner of Fruits 2. By twelve manner of Fruits he doth also allude to the Apostles who are called twelve and are those who have made provision for the House of God according to the twelvefold manner of the Dispensation of God unto them and of the twelve fold manner of Operation of that holy Spirit which wrought in every one of them severally as he pleased which twelve were before figured out unto us by the twelve Officers of King Solomon the Type of Christ which twelve were to make provision for the House of the King according to the season of the year and each man his month in the year Which very thing the holy Ghost also doth here cast his eye upon that makes him bring in the words of every month saying it yeeldâ— its Fruit every month For indeed what ever you reade of concerning this City in this description of John you find something or other in the Writings of the Prophets that giveth ground for such expressions Wherefore seeing the Officers of Solomon were twelve and the Apostles of Christ twelve also and seeing the Officers of Solomon made provision for his house each man his month in a year and the Fruits of this Tree of Life is called twelve manner of Fruits I do take the twelve manner of Fruits here to be signified by the provision of Solomon's Officers according to the twelve seasons of the year and they a Type of the twelvefold Doctrine of the twelve Apostles of the Lord Christ for it is their Doctrine that is the bread of the Church yea the milk for the Babe and the strong meat for men And yeelded her Fruit every month As this confirmeth what I have said before so it further sheweth us these three things First That the effectual Fruits of Christ for the saving of the world they are to be had especially at certain seasons It yeelded her Fruit every Month. Secondly It sheweth also that at the building of this Jerusalem these Seasons will be very thick and quick she yeelded her Fruit every month Thirdly It sheweth us also the abundance of provision that this holy City shall then enjoy from the Tree of Life even all manner of Fruit every Month. 1. For the first That the Gospel hath and will be especially effectual at certain Seasons for the saving of the sons of men it is shewed us by the descending of the Angel into the Pool of Bethesda to trouble the water which as it was at certain seasons so he that in those seasons first stepped in he only was made whole oâ— whatsoever disease he had It is shewed us also in that Parable of the Lord 's hiring men to work in his Vineyard which time of hiring though it lasteth in general from the first hour to the eleventh yet so as that there were vacant seasons between hiring-times and hiring-times quit thorow the whole day he went out at the first third sixth ninth and eleventh hour and not at every hour to hirâ— Labourers For as God hath appointed out before hand the number of his Elect so also he hath determined in his good pleasure the day of their bringing in and will then have them as certainly as the wild Ass is found in her month Of which times and seasons because men are ignorant therefore they should with all faithfulness wait upon God in all the seasons of his Grace for their souls even as he did for his body who because he would be there at all seasons brought thither his bed and couch to rest there Secondly As by the Fruit of this Tree being yeelded at certain seasons We may gather that there are certain seasons in which the Word in an especial manner shall be blessed and made successful to the salvation of many souls So again in that he saith This Fruit is yeelded every month it signifieth that in the days of the building of the City the New-Jerusalem these Seasons will be very thick and quick Lift up thine eyes saith God to this City all these gather themselves together to come unto thee thy sons shall come from far and thy daughters from the ends of the Earth All the Flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee so that thou wandering by shalt say Who are these that flie as a cloud and as Doves to the windows For I will make thy Mountain a way and my high ways shall be exalted Behold these shall come from far and lo these from the North and the West and those from the Land of Sinim Thirdly In that she is said to yeeld not only Fruit but all manner of Fruit and that not only one manner of Fruit now and another then but all manner of Fruit and that every month it argueth also that at this day Jerusalem shal have abundance of heavenly and spiritual provision and of variety of dainties for her solace and refreshment alwayes new I say and immediately from the Tree The Fruits of the Vine shall at that day be upon the Mountains of Samaria and shall be eaten as common things saith the Prophet Fear not O Land be glad and rejoyce for the Lord will do great things Be not afraid ye Beasts of the field for the Pastures of the Wilderness do spring for the Tree beareth her Fruit the Fig-Tree and the Vine do yeeld their Strength Be glad ye Children of Zion and rejoyce in the Lord your God for he hath given you the former and the latter rain moderatly and he will cause it to come down to you the rain the former and the latter rain in the first month and the Floors shall be full of Wheat and the Fat 's shall overflow with Wine and Oyl And I will restore unto you that which