the bride of the Lamb exhibited a complete image of all the moral excellencies of God, after the measure and stature of the fulness of Christ, Ephes. IV, 13; having now herself been completed as the true antitype of the glorious Schechinah, Exod. XL, 35. 1 Kings v111, 11. where the Divine presence discovers and glorifies itself, in both the souls and bodies of his elect, Phil. 111, 21, Then the glory of the bride, which is now hidden within, Ps. xLv, 13. Col. III, 3, will be manifest before heaven and earth. To explain this divine idea, St. John knew of no emblem in nature, except the radiant brightness of precious stones, sparkling in various colours. He therefore adds, Owsing, her radiant splendour was like a clear, crystalline Jasper, mixed with red. This is also said of God the Father, ch. IV, 2, and confirms the preceding explanation of the glory of God; that the Lord is manifest in his Church triumphant, in an unexperienced, inconceivably intimate manner, and the elect are the light, the glory, the schechinah, in which he there dwells for ever. This city has a better right to say, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow, than formerly the scarlet-whore, ch. XVIII, 7. Verse 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 Israel. 13. On the east, three gates; on the north, three gates; on I have no doubt at all in my mind, that there will actually be such a literal city on the new earth, as St. John In itself the Jasper stone is not pellucid; some authors therefore have been of opinion, that, as the name Jasper is also given to some other precious stones, the one intended here might be the diamond› which is the most valuable of all the gems. W W here describes ; but I consider at the same time its materials, form, building, structure and whatever belongs to it, a perfect emblematical representation of its citizens and their happiness, and in part as lessons of eternity. As our glorified bodies after the resurrection, will still be bodies and not spirits, but spiritual bodies; so will the materials of New Jerusalem be spiritual bodies, and again - perceptible to our glorified senses. We are not authorized to modify the vast import of Scripture language, by the tenets of human philosophy; or to change these objects, represented to us as spiritual bodies, into mere figures or emblems of moral signification. They are represented to us as objects of future perception, and the reverence due to the word of God, should induce us to con→ sider them accordingly. This world will be exalted, to rank with a higher order of celestial bodies; because it has been the theatre of Christ's redemption, where the Eternal Word was made flesh, the fulness of the Godhead dwelleth in Christ wμarinas, bodily, Col. 11, 9. and where he extinguished sin by his material blood upon the cross. Materiality is of more importance with God than some may imagine. No human soul can be perfect, or perfected without a body. Matter may be changed, so as to exhibit different qualities to our view, but its essence or primary elements are, agreeably to the doctrines of Newton, indestructable, impenetrable, simple and uncompounded. It shall be glorified, so as to partake of spirituality, I Cor. xv; in which state it may be capable to pass through bodies, such as they now exist, without hindrance, as we see light penetrate through the pores of glass. John xx, 26. 27. Phil. 111, 21. After this digression I again return to the text. As new Jerusalem is an architectural representation of the whole Church of God, from the beginning of the world to the day of judgment; so her materials and manner of building may be considered as hieroglyphical, and ex pressive of the means and instruments which the Lord employed, and of the order and method he observed, in accomplishing this marvellous and Godlike work in past ages. Nothing can be more animating to the saints in heaven, than to have such an eternal memorial of the whole plan of salvation, and of the manner in which it was so successfully accomplished to their everlasting felicity, before their eyes, in the very materials, form and architecture of their city. What lessons of humility, what lessons of the ways of God with men! what monuments of grace and glory! what motives of love, obedience, thanks, praiseand adoration will they behold there! what inducements to exalt the powers, riches, wisdom, strength, honour, glory, and blessing of the Lamb to all eternity. Thus, New Jerusalem exhibits a faithful and complete universal history, of the rise, progress and consummate perfection of the spiritual kingdom of God. This view of the city opens a vast field to enlighten minds, II Cor. 111, 3; but I shall only be able to furnish hints and faint notices for future investigation. It had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels. St. John now enters into a detail of the city, the external parts of which also refer to the means and instruments, by which the kingdom of God was established and cherished in the world. The wall is here mentioned first, but its particular and distinct description, follows after that of the gates, where we shall treat of it in course. The holy prophet only describes the wall so far, as he beheld it above ground, and not its first base beneath the earth; which probably is the level surface of one solid rock, serving for a universal foundation of the whole city and its wall. This rock, if we consider the vast extent of the city, indeed would be the true hieroglyphic of the Rock of ages, Zur olamim, Isa. XXVI, 4. Ps. LXXXIX, 26. who is Jesus Christ the Son of God. Cor. III, 11. x, 4 ; which was laid the universal base of it, in the hidden councils of Heaven, before the foundation of the world. St. John therefore could not attempt its description, but commences his account with the divine workmanship of the gates and their angels. These twelve angels seem to be princes of heaven, whom the Lord employed during the first ages, and in the infancy of the world, under tne Patriarchal-Economy, to instruct, direct and minister for such of the human family, who endeavoured to seek the Lord, and to foster and cherrish those who walked with God both in life and death. On urgent occasions they often assumed an etherial cover, in which they appeared to men for the purpose of instruction, comfort or advice. All Pagan Mythology is full of corrupted traditions of the services which angels rendered mankind in every country and nation during the first ages; where almost every useful art and invention is ascribed to their interposition and aid. We often read of them in the holy Scriptures, and Stephen affirms before the great Sanhedrim of the Jews in Jerusalem, that the law was given, and the Mosaic Economy established by the ministration of angels Acts VII, 53.‡ Hebrews 11, 2. Gal. 111, 19. Deut. xxxIII, 2. Ps. LXVIII, 17; the heads of which probably were these twelve, and therefore are here represented at the twelve gates of Jerusalem, to which their ministration reached. They shall participate in the felicity of those who were led to glory by their instrumentality. The twelve gates bore the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel, written on the tablets of the arches. +In his Christum intelligendum esse, apparet, quia dicitur Lapis, & Salvator, & ad quem receptus est. Coccejus sub verb. Zur. τεις διαταγάς αγγελων, a) inter ordines angelorum S. præsentibus angelis. b) Ministrantibus angelis, 15 pro vposito. Hypomn. Kuett. During the Patriarchal-Economy this city of God was not yet built. St. Paul says, the saints were sojourners, and lived in tabernacles as hiers, of promise: looking for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God, Hebrews XI, 10. 16; but the materials were preparing for this marvellous work, by the ministration of angels among all nations. It commenced a building with the Mosaic-Economy, but did not become a mother until the introduction of the Christian-dispensation, Gal. IV, 26. 27. The believers in Christ under the present Economy, enjoy her influence and connexion, Hebrews Xu, 22, but have not actually reached that happy place of abode, Hebrews XI, 14. It is still a building, and will only be completed in all its glory, as St. John beheld it, at the end of this world; which shows its state of connexion with its preparatory institutions on earth. The gates of New Jerusalem are all alike, and all of the same materials. They are the first part of the city, which St. John describes. The whole work commenced with building the gates, upon the immense level of the everlasting rock of ages; the erection of which, at once exhibited the groundwork and first outlines of all the decrees, designs and purposes of the Lord with the children of men. These gates are emblematical representations of all the children. of God among the ten tribes of Israel; and of the divine institution by Moses established alike in every tribe, for the purpose of collecting and preparing the materials of each gate in the several tribes, and building them up according to the divine scheme as a standing entrance to other nations of the world. We all know, that faith in the promised Messiah, which acts by the love of God and men, and has the evidences of a life of holiness, godliness, and resignation to the will of Heaven, was then the foundation and criterion of acceptance with God, the same as under the Christian dispensation; and that all observance of external worship, rites and ceremonies, were nothing in the |