£ A moſt excellent Glory received from God. h And her Light, that is (as fome interpret it) that which gave her Light (as the Sun is called the Light of the Earth) or her inlightner. þ Was Chriſt® himſeli, who 1s a Stone moſt precious, wer. 23. The Lamb is the Tight thereof. h Libe a Faſper Stone, ſee chap. 4. 3. God is there compared to a 7aſper Stone, here to a Faſper Stone, clear as Cryſtal. They ſay of the Zaſper Stone, that it is very glorious to the Eye, pre- ci-5 and pure, fo it 15 very fit to reſemble in part, a pure and glo- r10us God.
12 And 7 had a wall great and high &, and had * teclve gates 7, and at the gates twelve angels 2, and names written thereon, which are the names of the
rwelve tribes of the children of Hrael 7.
; That is, this City, by which is meant the Church of God, had h a Wall, great and high ; Walls are for the Prote&ion end De- tence of a place, the higher and greater they are, the greater De- fence and ProteGtion they gave. By this God is meant, who 1s of- ten called his Peoples Rock and Defence, / The uſe of the Gates of a City, are to let Perſons in and out ; the Church is ſaid to have twe/ve Gates, becauſe of the free liberty of acceſs to the Church while it was Mihtant, and to fignifie that the Church in Heaven, will be made up of Perſons, come into it from all Parts; or tor the greater ſtate and glory of it. Some think, becauſe of the twelve Apoitles, who were the firſt Miniſters of the Goſpel who admitted Men into this Church. 7 Denoting the Guard of Angels about the Church ; unieſs by Angels, Miniſters be to be underſtood, propor- tioned to the ſeveral parts of the Church. » Becauſe as of old, only the twelve Tribes of God's choſen People Trae!l, made up the Church in that Period; fo only God's Ele& and peculiar People, typified by that 7/rael, come in at the Gates of this Church. It 15 very obſervable, how God affedts the number of twelve in the affairs of hs Church. | |
13 On the eaſt three gates, on the north three gates, © the touth three gates, on the welt three gates 0.
2 To figmfie it was made up of Perſons from all parts of the World. This agreeth with Ezekzel's Viſion, Ezek. 48. 31, 32, 33, 24. The Triumphant Church will be a colle&ion of Believers, who from all Nations have come into 1t.
14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations
5. 7, and * in them the names of the twelve Apoſtles of
the lamb 5.
Þ The ancient Church of God was founded in twelve Patriarchs, and twelve Tribes; the Goſpel Church in twelve Apoſtles; Chritt is the only Foundation of both, 1 Cor. 3. 11. but he 1s the Foundation pon which the Church 1s built. The Twelve Apoſtles are called the Foundations per que, Or per qurs, by which the Goſpel Church had its be:mmnmng. q As Work-men ſometimes ſet their Names upon Foun- c.tion-Stones, by which 1t 15 made known who were they that build- ed the Wall.
15 And he thar talked with me *, had a golden reed to meaſure the city, and the gates thereot, and the wal: thereof 7.
r Tins leemeth to ſignifte the tranſcendency of the ſtate of the Church now, to what 1t was before : It was then meaſured by a Man, chap. 11. now by an Ange! ; then by an ordinary Reed, now by a Go/den Reed.
REFELATION.
% > Chap. XX[, 16 And the city lieth fourſquare, and the length iS as large as the breadth; And he meaſured _ the ci- ty With the reed, twelve thouſand furlongs The length, and the breadth and the heighth of it are equal /. | | / The Church Militant, meaſured by the Reed of the Word, is unequal 1n its parts; ſome parts of it are purer than others ; but in
the New Feruſalem all parts ſhall be equal in perfection and purity, as all the 1ides of a thing fourſquare, are equal.
17 And he mealured the wall thereof an hundred and forty ard four cubits h, according to the meaſure
of a man, that is, of the angel &. |
h This could not. be the meaſure of the compaſs (it was for that much too little) nor of the height or breadth (for either of them it was much too great) from whence Mr. Potter concludes, it muſt be the ſquare meaſure; ſoas the height and breadth of it was twelve Cubits, for 12 times 12 makes 144. # As Men uſe to meaſure þ, and as this Angel meaſured, who appeared as a Man in this ACtion.
18 And the building of the wall of it was of Ja- ſper /, and the city was pyre gold #7, like unto clear laſs 7. |
4 Strong and Impregnable, not ſubje& to Impreſſions from Ene- mies, as it 1s ſaid of the Faſper, that no Hammer will break it. m All that make up this City are perfe& and noble, n and purc without ſpots.
I9 And the foundations of the wall of the city o were garniſhed with all manner of precious ſtones /- The firſt toundation was a jaſper ; the ſecond, a {apphice; the third, a chalcedonie ; the fourth, an emerauld.
o By which we noted before, are to be underſtood the Apoſtles, who building upon the one Foundation Chriſt Jeſus, by their Holy Dofrine laid the beginnings of the Goſpel-Churches, the firſt Stones (upon the Rock Chriſt) which were afterwards puultiplied, others being builded upon' them, till the whole Church was per- tected,
20 Thefifth a ſardonix ; the fixth, a ſardius; the ſeventh, a chryſolite ; the eighth, a berill ; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chryſopraſus ; the eleventh, a
Jacinth ; the twelfth, an amethyſt p. ;