F Punishments, "Tis true, that which is spoken of Part 2. begins a The ninth Verfe begins a new Vision, and a The 9th v. V.9. And there came unto me one of the seven hither Part 2. hither; I will show thee the Bride, the Lambs wife. "Tis in all likelyhood the last of those seven An gels, who had poured out the Viols, and the fame who fhow'd unto the Prophet the great City, the Cha, 17.1. mother of Fornications. Then came one of the Seven Angels unto me, which had the feven Viols, and talked with me, faying; Come hither, I will show thee the fudgement of the great Whore, that fitteth on many Waters. As it was this feventh and laft Angel, who had the Viols, by whom the ruin of Antichrift was effected; it doth most properly belong to him to fhow Babylon faln, and lerufalem rebuilt. V. 1o. And he carried me away in the Spiritto a great and high Mountain, and showed me that great City, the Holy Jerufalem', defcending out of Heaven from God. This is fomewhat like what the Devil did unto Jefus Chrift, when he carried him up into an high Mountain, and shows him all the Kingdoms of the world: what the Devil makes appear by illufion, St. John fees by vifion. That he was carried, or feemed to be carried, up into an high Mountain, makes it plain, that the Ierufa lem he was to be made fee from thence, was here upon Earth, and not the Triumphant Church in Heaven, though it be called the Holy Jerufalem defcending out of Heaven from God. She fhall be defcended from Heaven, because the shall abound in Graces which come from thence: fhe is called the great City, and 'tis the first time she is so called. Tis a deteftable name, which in all the preceding Prophecy is given only to Spiritual Babylon. But 'tis on this account, that then the Church fhall poffefs the multitude of the Nations, as Antichri ftianifm doth at present. V.11. Having the Glory of God, and her Light WAS wus like unto a fione most precious, even like a Iafper Part 2. ftone, clear as Criftal. V. 12. And had a Wall great and high, 'and had twelve Gates, and at the Gates twelve Angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve Tribes of the children of Ifrael. V. 13. On the Eaft three Gates, on the North three Gates, on the South three Gates, and on the Weft three Gates. In the defcription of this City, we have every thing that is rich and precious, all fignifies its great Holiness, excellent Vertues, and perfect Peace; for they are the fubftantial Goods and real Treafures of the Church. It had a great & high Wall, by that is meant Divine Protection; which fhows also that 'tis the Church upon Earth, which is fpoken of; for the Church in Heaven hath no need of walls, being out of the reach of Enemies. And had twelve Gates. We have observed be fore, that the number Twelve is frequently to be met with in this description, and that it is a facred number becaufe of the twelve Patriarchs, the twelve Tribes, and the twelve Apostles; the Gates are the entries into this City, and fo denote the recalling of the Jews according to their twelve Tribes, from that great difperfion they are now under. That thefe twelve Gates have a particular The recal relation to the People of the Jews, is plain by what Jews force ling of the follows, That on the twelve Gates were written the told names of the twelve Tribes of Ifrael. For by those Tribes of Ifrael, we may not understand the Church of the converted Gentiles, they have a diftinct place in what remains of the defcription of the new Ierufalem. So the twelve Gates at the four Cardinal points of the World, East, North, South, Weft,are to the fame effect as what God had faid in another place, I will call my Sons from far, and my Daughe Rr3 Part 2. ters from the ends of the Earth; I will say unto the North give up, and to the South keep not back. At every one of thofe twelve Gates are twelve Angels; These are the twelve Apostles, called Angels or Paftors, who whether they fhall be raifed from the dead or no, fhall by their preaching and Doctrine guide the Jews to enter again into the Church, and open the gate unto them. For they are here defcribed as Keepers of the Gates, who both open and fhut them. V.14. And the Wall of the City had twelve Foundations, and in them the names of the twelve Apofles of the Lamb. The protection, fafety, and the Wall of the Church, depends on the foundations whereon the fhall be built. Thofe foundations are Articles of Faith and Christian Verities, according to the Idea of St. Paul, who faith, there is but one Foundation, which is Jefus Christ, but on this foundation fome build Hay and Stubble, but Cor. 3. others Gold and precious Stones. These precious Stones and this Gold, fignify Pure Doctrine, as the Apostle doth fufficiently explain it. These are the foundations of the Church, which is built upon Truth. The Prophet gives twelve for the number of these foundations, because of the twelve Articles of Faith contained in the Creed; on these foundations were written the names of the twelve Apoftles; because they were the perfons who publifht the Gofpel, and maintained those Articles of faith by their preaching, and by their blood. The Holy Ghoft in what follows describes these foundations, and affigns a precious Stone to each of'em. V.19. And the foundations of the Wall of the City were garnished with all manner of precious Stones; the the first foundation was Iafper, the fecond Saphire, Part 2. the third a Chalcedony, the fourth an Emerald. V. 20. The fifth a Sardonyx, the fixth Sardius, the feventh Chryfalite, the eighth Beryl, the ninth a Topaz, the tenth a Chryfoprafus, the eleventh a lacinth, the twelfth an Amethift. If we had leafure and time to fpare, we might compare the twelve Articles of the Chriftian Creed to thofe twelve Stones, and fee wherein every Article of Faith might fymbolize with every Stone. Suppofing that the Holy Spirit had regard to the order, in which the Church hath plac't the twelve Articles. But I fear left we fhould herein go beyond the intention of the Holy Ghost, and deliver things rather curious than folid; for the true defign and scope of Figures and Myfteries is loft by ftretching them too far. I fuppofe the defign of the Holy Spirit, is only to fhow us in general, how valuable and precious are the Christian Verities. They who let go thofe Truths unto Hereticks, and reckon the Socinian Herefies to be tolerable, are far from efteeming them thus precious; and do not fufficiently understand the worth and excellence of Truth. I now return to the defcription of the Heavenly Ferufalem, i. c. ofthe Church in its laft Period here on Earth. V. 15. And he that talked with me had a golden Reed to measure the City, and the Gates thereof, and the Wall thereof. V. 16. And the City lyeth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth and he measured the. City with a Reed, twelve thousand furlongs: the length and the breadth, and the height of it are equal. V.17. And bemeasured the Wall thereof 144 cu. bits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the. Angel, Rr 4 V.18. |