15. The fifteenth duty that is incumbent upon those who have been burnt up, is to m'tke sure an abiding city, a city that hath founda- tions, ivhose builder and maker is God :^ Heb. xiii. 14, ' For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.' These words are a reason of his former exhortation to the believing Hebrews to renounce the world, ver. 13, and to take up Christ's cross and follow him ; as is clear by this causal particle ' for,' [jap.] It is a probable conjec- ture made by some, as Estius observeth,^ that St Paul speaks pro- I)hetically of the destruction of the city of Jerusalem, which was then at iiand, and tiiat in a short time neither that city, nor the country about it, would be an abiiling place for them ; but driven from tlience they should be, and be forced to wander up and down ;
' Ponder Bcriously on these scriptures, Ts. xci. 2, 9, 10, l.xxi. 3, and Ivii. 1; 2 Cor. vi. 8-10; Ezfk. xi. 16. * See my TrcutiBC on Assurance. [Vol. II., as before —0 ] = Exposit. in loco.
ISA. XLII. 24, 25.] THE LATE FIERY DISPENSATION. 283
and therefore they were to look for no other abiding place but heaven ; ' Here we have no continuing city.' The adverb translated ' here,' [ft)Se,] is sometimes used for place, and this more strictly for the parti- cular place where one is — as for that place where Peter was, when he said, ' It is good for us to be here,' Mat. xvii. 4, — or more largely for the whole earth, and so it is taken here, for it is opposed to heaven. For the present we have no abiding city, but there is an abiding city to come, and that is the city which we seek after. This earthly Jeru- salem is no abiding city for us ; this old world, the glory of which is wearing off, is no abiding city for us ; but Jerusalem that is above, the heavenly city, the city of the great King, the city of the King of kings, Eev. xxi. 2, and i. 5, 6. This world is a wilderness, and believers, as pilgrims and strangers, must pass through it to their heavenly Canaan. This world is no place for believers to continue in ; they must pass through it to an abiding city, to a continuing city, to a city that hath foundations: Heb xi. 10, ' For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.' The plural number is here used, foundations, [^e/ieXiou?,] for emphasis sake ; this city is said to have foundations, to shew that it is a firm, stable, immovable, and enduring city, which the apostle opposeth to the tabernacles or tents wherein Abraham and the other patriarchs dwelt while they were on earth, which had no foundations, but were movable, and carried from place to place, and easily pulled down, or overthrown, or burnt up ; but heaven is an immovable, firm, stable, and everlasting city. Heaven is a city that is built,
(1.) Upon the foundation of God's eternal good-will and pleasure.
(2.) That is built upon God's election to eternal glory.
(3.) That is built upon the foundation of Clirist's eternal merits and purchase.
(4.) That is built upon the foundation of God's everlasting covenant of free, rich, infinite, sovereign, and glorious grace.
(5.) That is built upon the immutable stability of God's promise and oath.i Heaven is built upon the foundation of great and precious promises, and upon his oath who is faithfulness itself and cannot lie. Now, oh what a strong cit}^, what a glorious city, what a continuing city, what a lasting, yea, what an everlasting city must heaven needs be, that is founded upon such strong and immovable foundations as they are ! Heaven hath foundations, but the earth hath none : the earth hangs upon nothing, as Job speaks, chap. xxvi. 7 ; Nineveh, Babylon, Jerusalem, Athens, Corinth, Troy, and those famous cities of Asia, were strong and stately cities in their times ; but where are they now ? Both Scripture and history doth sufficiently evidence that in all the ages of the world there hath been no firm, stable, or continuing city to be found : and the divine wisdom and providence hath [soj ordered, and that partly to work the sons of men to put a difference betwixt the things of this world and the things of the world to come ; and partly to wean them from the world, and all the bravery and glory thereof ; and partly to awaken them and stir them up to make sure a kingdom that shakes not, riches that corrupt not, an inheritance that fadeth not
1 Eph. i. 3-6 ; 2 Tim. ii. 10 : 1 Pet. i. 2-5 ; Eom. ix. 11, and xi. 5, 7 ; 2 Pet. i 4 • Heb. vi. 17-20.
284 London's lamentations on [Isa. XLII. 24, 2').
away, a house not made with hands, but one eternal in the heavens ; and a city that hath foundations, wiiose builder and maker is God, Heb. ii. 5 ; Col. iii. 1 ; Heb. xii. 28 ; 1 Pet. i. 4 ; 2 Cor. v. 1, 2. Heaven is styled a city, to set out the excellency, glory, and benefits thereof. The resemblance betwixt heaven and a city holds in these respects among others: —
[1.] First, A city is a place of safety and security ; so is heaven a place of the greatest safety and security, Neh. iii. 1 ; Jer. xxxv. 11. A soul in heaven is a soul out of gun-shot. No devil shall there tempt, no wicked men shall there assault, no fire-balls shall be there cast about to disturb the peace of the heavenly inhabitants.
[2.] Secondly, A city is compact, it is made up of many habitations ; so in heaven there are many habitations, many mansions, John xiv. 2. In our common cities many times the inhabitants are much shut up and straitened for want of room ; but in heaven there is elbow-room enough, not only for God and Christ and the angels, those glistering and shining courtiers, but also for all believers, for all the elect of God.
[3.] Thirdly, A city hath sundry degrees of persons appertaining unto it, as chief magistrates and other officers of sundry sorts, with a multitude of commoners ; so in heaven there is God the Father, God the Son, and God. the Holy Ghost, and an innumerable company of angels and saints, Heb. xii. 22, 23.
[4.] Fourthly, In a city you have all manner of provisions and use- ful commodities ; so in heaven there is nothing wanting that is needful or useful.
[5.] Fifthly, A city hath laAvs, statutes, and orders for the better government thereof. It is so in heaven ; and indeed there is no government to the government that is in heaven. Certainly there is no government that is managed with that love, wisdom, prudence, holiness, and righteousness, &c., as the government of heaven is man- aged with.
[() ] Sixthly, Every city hath its peculiar jirivileges and immunities ; so it is in heaven. Heaven is a place of the greatest privileges and immunities. Rev. iii. 12.
[7.] Seventhly, Cities are commonly very populous; and so is heaven a very populous city, Dan. vii. 10 ; Rev. v. 11, and vii. 9.