The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 476

comes down from God and is according to his mind, it, graeioU& character, the Chris~ within her, will be the all-oonspicuo118 thing. II. BKB tlECUltlTY~ (Vers. 12-14; cf. Iea. liY. H.) The Church is likened to a city for its strength. ha. xxvi. 1, " We have a strong city," et.c. The perfect Chu,rch shall be impregnable. "No weapon formed against her shall prosper." The Church of to-day ii exposed to all mimner of attack, and here and there succumbs. But lt la because she lacka thia walL The holy city ha.a many gates, but all are angel-guarded. There is freedom of entrance for thgse who should enter, but none fo.- th0118 who should not. The angel-g.ua.rds k1•ep watch and ward. Believers-the seed of believing Abraham, the true Israel or God-these, whose names are written on the gates, have right of entrance. But they shall come from no one nation. On either side are three gate& They may, they will, come from every quarter of the earth (cf. Luke xiii. 29). And this Cnurch is the " city which hath foundations" (Heb. xi. 10), and it is "built upon the foundati011. of the apostles and prophets" (ver. 14). The blessed doctrine which they taught will be the basis of the Church's security-the Christ they preached, the gospel they proclaimed (Eph. ii. 20; Matt. xix. 28). • IIL Hu J'AULTLESSNBl!S. As in eh. xi. 1 the measuring meant inspection and t.eet,ao here(vers.15-l7). This.city will bear Divine scrutiny; in regard to her people, "the city;" her conditions of entrance, "the gates;." her confident security, "the wall." .The whole correaponds to the Divine ideal What contrast to the Church of to-day! And this city is built in perfect symmetry. The square was regarded as the symbol of completeness and all-perfect proportion (cf. Eph. iii. 4, "comprehend •• •. the breadth, and length, and depth, and height," by which St. Paul meant the symmetry and fair proportion of the Christian Church and character)• .And not perfect on_ly in proponion, but 11<Ut in eztent. "Jn my Father'a house are many mansions." The heart of Christ shall "be satisfied," not alone wit.h the beautiful form of his Church, but with its greatnea, Such seems to be the meaning J)f the fifteen hundred miles .quare which is 88i.d to be the mea.~nrement.of thii city. There never-was or could be a literal city so vast. It surpasses all human conceJ?tion- as shall the reality, the Church. The height of it ia named only to ioierisify the ideas of proportion and extent. The wall, compared with the height of the city, is but low. Sufficient for security, but not. for obscurity. It would not hide the ma~ftcence of the city as it stood on the sides of the vast eminence on whichit was )>uilt, but yet the wall would well defend it. " Beautiful for situation, the joy o( t1ie whole earth," etc. (Ps. xlviii.). Translated.out of metaphor, the meaning is that the Church which fulfils the Divine ideal will commend itself by its moral and spiritual ·symmetry, its correspondence to the plan of the great Architeot-iY " Maker .and Builder," God. . , IV. ITS ADOBN11ENTS. (Vere. 18-21.) .The symbolism of the1e verses 11 uken from Isa. liv. 11, 12. 'l'he walls and city flashed with light, llll the diamond, and like.. to purnished. goid. So that tbe vision of it would attract, fix, and delight the mind of the.be\lolder (cf. "Let your light so shine before men,". ety.). If the jasper or diamond tell. of Chriat, be being tht Corner-stone, elect, " precious," tben the Church's glory (ver, 11). her defence (ver.18'), and her adornment (ver. 19), are alike Christ. And this is so. And the city is like pure gold, for all s_piritual riches and ~reasure are in her. To bring her to this condition involved much refining work:. But now, no 6.n can harm her, for her dross is all gone. But the foundations also have their adorn- ment. The apoatles were adorned, as are all true miuisters of Christ's Church. wi.th the gifts and graces he bestows. upon them-ma.ny, variert, and all precious; and with the converts to Christ whom they have won. "Ye are our glory and joy," said St. Paul to the Thes11&lonian11 (cf. Dan. xii. 3, Revised Version). These converts aleo are all" living stones," but all precious, though varied in every way in which human souls can be varied. The Churoh of Christ has her bride-like adornmcnts.(\·er. 2), in the gl'll,08 of spiritual character, the goodly gifts, Rnd in the power to bless otherst with :which he endowa her, Nor must we forget tie glory of 'her gates (ver. 21). "I aD,1 t'be way," Did our Lord. He is the Gate of entrance, and he is as a Pearl of great price. Bunyan notes that whilst we are t,old the meuurements of the city and "the wall. we are told nothing of the gates. And, he says, "it is because Christ, the W ,-y, ia boJoJMl all measurement." And the "unsearchable riche11" of bis grace are al.so 6:!!J TllE REVELATION 01!' ST. JOIIN THE DIVIN&. [cH. u,. 1-21•