þ I cannot tell what to make of theſe precious Stones, with which they are ſaid to be garniſhed, unleſs it be their Spiritual gifts and habits of Grace, the various manifeſtations of the Holy Spirit gt- ven to the Apoltles to profit the Church withal, with which they adorned the Doftrine of the Goſpel, and won upon the Pagan World, making themſelves admirable in the Eyes of Men and Wo- men. Nor were it hard to diſcant upon theſe ſeyeral ſorts of Stones, and to ſhew of what Graces they may be Types ; the Jaſper, of Steadineſs and Conſtancy : The Saphire, of Heavenly-mindeaneſs ; (it being a Stone of the colour of the Heavens: ) The Chalcedony, of Zeal : The Emerald, of Vigour and Livelineſs : The Sardonix, (a ſtone of various colours) of various Gifts and Graces : The Sar- dius, of Courage and Fortitude, and a readineſs to ſhed their Blood for Chriſt : The Chryſolite, of Love, or Wiſdom, and Knowledge : The Berilf, of a quickneſs of ſight and underſtanding : The Topaz, of ſearching out Divine Myſteries: The Chryſophraſus, of Gravity and Severity : The Facinth, of Spiritual Foy, Calmneſs, and Sere- nity of Mind : The Amethyſt, of Sobriety and Temperance : But it ſeems to me too great curioſity to Philoſophize ſo far upon the nature of theſe Stones ; take them together, they probably fignifie all the Gifts and Graces of the Bleſſed Apoſtles, by which the Reli- gion of the Goſpel was firſt commended, and made to appear lovely to the World.
21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls ; every ſeveral gate was of one pearl, and the ſtreet of the
city was pure gold, as it were tranſparent glals g.
9 I am not willing to deſcant further in particulars, conjecturing (for it is no more) what each Metaphorical term fignifies in this unuſual Deſcription of a City, I do think the ſcope of the whole, 15 no more, than to let us know, that the Manfions of Heaven will | be moſt glorious places, giving the Souls of thoſe to whom God | ſhall give to enter into them, an infinite ſatisfation, beyond what >" rich and glorious things in the World can give our outward enſes,
22 And I ſaw no Temple therein 7, for the Lord God Almighty, and the Lamb are the temple of it /. |
7 I cannot take Temple ſo ſirifly here, as thoſe who underſtand all this but as a deſcription of, the Bleſſed ſtate of the Militant Church, during the Thouſand years, but underſtand it of. all ſuch Worſhip and Ordinances as we ſerve God in, and by, in this Lite. { The immediate fruition of God ſhall there ſupply all, God ſhall be all in all, 1 Cor. 15. 28. Ordinances are but Perſpe&ives, of uſe in this Life to ſee God at a diſtance; means, whereby we know in part: There we ſhall ſee God face to face, and know him as we are known, The Saints there ſhall want nothing, and therefore ſhal! not need an Houſe of Prayer ; they ſhall know perteRly, and therefore will not need any to teach them; they ſhall always e Chriſt, and ſo will need no Sacraments whereby to remember 1m, . |
23 * And the city had no need of the ſun, neither * I.60.19. ot the moon to ſhine in it 7, + tor the glory of God T Ch.22.5. did lighten it, and the Lamb z: rhe light there- ot "A
© 1f1.50.11
© ” wk day y, for + there ſhall be no night there 2. ch.14-7,
Ch.22.5.
# The Sun and the Mon are the two great Luminaries ot the World, which God hath made, the one to rule the Day, the other fo rule the Night ; in Heaven there will be no need of any of theſe. Light in Scripture (in its Metaphorical Notion) ſignifies knowledge or comfort , there will in Heaven be no need of any created Beings, to help us to either of theſe; God and Chriſt ſhall there fill the -—_ of his Saints with Knowledge and Joy not to be exprel- cd,
* 1.60.3. 24 * And the nations of them that are ſaved, ſhall
& 55. 12: walk in the light of it w,and the kings of the earth do
bring their glory and honour into it . w» Allthat go to Heaven ſhall be thus happy. «x And ſuch Kings of. the Earth, as ſhall come ihto Heaven, ſhall ſee all their Honour
REVELATION
and Glory ſwallowed up in the Glory and Honour of that place |
and ſtate; and confefs that all their Crowns are infinitely ſhort of this Blefſed and Glorious Crown, all their Thrones nothing to theſe Thrones,
25 And the gates of it ſhall not be * ſhut at all by
y The reaſon of ſhutting a Cities Gates, is either to ſhut out Ene- mies, or to keep in ſuch as axe within ; There will be no need of ſhutting theſe Gates on either of theſe accounts ; there will be no Enemes to fear, and thoſe that are within this City will have no need nor defire to go out. x We do not ordinarily ſhut our City Gates by day, but there ſhall be nothing but Day, no Night in a Na- tural or Metaphorical ſenſe,
26 And they ſhall bring the glory and honour of |
tne nations Into 1t 7.
a Whatſoever 1s. excellent. or deſirable in the World, ſhall be ſupplied to the Souls of thoſe that are in Heaven, by Good of ano- ther make, but waich ſhall be equally (nay infinitely more) fatif- tactory to the Soul.
* 1ſ1.35.9, 27 And there * ſhall bin no wiſe enter into it, any focl 3. 17. thing thar defileth c, neither whatſoever worketh abo-
on