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And the Nations of them that are saved shall walk in the light of it; and the Kings of the Earth do bring their glory and honour to it.
After this long and pleasant Descrip∣tion of this Holy and New Jerusalem, the Holy Ghost now falleth upon a Relation
of the People that shall be the Inhabi∣tants of this City, and of their nume∣rousness and quality.
And the Nations, &c.
The Nations of the world, both of the Jews and Gentiles.
Every one knoweth what the Nations are, wherefore I need not stay upon the explication of that, for, it doth in gene∣ral include the multitude of the sinners of the world: Therefore when he saith, the Nations shall walk in the light of this City, it is as if he had said, that at this day, when she is here in her tranquility, the sinners and disobedient among the sons of men, shall by multitudes, and whole Kingdoms, come in and close with the Church and House of God. These Spiders shall take hold with their hands, and be in Kings Palaces, Prov. 30. 28.
And the Nations, &c.
For this word, the Nations, is a great word, and it comprehendeth much; mark, it doth not say a Nation, or some Nations, neither doth it say, few or
small Nations, but indefinitely, the Na∣tions, Many Nations, Strong Nations, All Nations, the Nations in general: only he ties them up with this limit, the Nations of them that are [saved:] which yet is not so much spoken to clip off the multitude that we suppose may then be converted, as to shew us their qualifications and happi∣ness: as he saith by the Prophet in ano∣ther place, Thy Children shall be all holy, or righteous, and great shall be the peace of thy Children. And the Nations of them that are saved shall walk in the light of it. Surely the holy Ghost would never have spoken at such a rate as this, if he had not intended to shew us that at the day of the setting up of this Jerusalem, a great harvest of sinners shall be gathered by the Grace of the Gospel. But the truth is, the Scriptures go with open arms towards the latter end of the world, even as if they would grasp and compass about, al∣most all People then upon the face of the whole Earth, with the Grace and Mercy of God. The Earth, saith God, shall be filled with the knowledge of the Glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the Sea. As he saith, also, for the comfort of the Church in another place; Behold, I have graven
thee upon the palms of my hands; thy Walls are contiaually before me. Thy Children shall make haste; thy Destroyers and those that made thee waste shall go forth of thee. Lift up thine eyes round about, behold all these gather themselves together to come un∣to thee: as I live, saith the Lord, thou shalt surely cloath thee with them all as with an Ornament, and bind them on thee as a Bride doth. For thy waste and desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the Inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away. The Children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me, give place that I may dwell. Then shalt thou say in thy heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my Children, and am desolate, a captive and removing to and fro? Who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone, these! where have they been? Thus the multitudes of the Na∣tions shall at this day be converted to the Lord, and be made the Inhabitants of this Jerusalem; as he saith again, The Kingdoms of this world are become the Kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ. And again, The Kingdom and Dominion,
and the greatness of the Kingdom under the whole Heaven shall be given to the People of the Saints of the Most High, whose Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and all Domini∣ons shall serve and obey him, Rev. 11. 15. Dan. 7. 26, 27.
And observe it, these Promises are to be fulfilled in the last days, at the time of the pouring forth of the last Vi∣al, which is the time of the sounding of the last of the seven Trumpets; for then this City shall be builded, and Luci∣fer fallen from Heaven; then the Priso∣ners shall be set at liberty, and the People be gathered together, and the Kingdoms, to serve the Lord. Rejoyce, O ye Nations with his People, for he will avenge the blood of his Servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful to his Land, and to his People. Alas it is now towards the end of the world, and therefore now all is going, if the Lord steps not in with the riches of his Grace. Wherefore now at last before all be turn∣ed into fire and ashes, behold the Lord casts the net among the multitude of Fish, and the aboundance of the Sea shall, without fail, be converted to Jerusalem. Though Satan and Antichrist have had
their day in the world, & by their outrage have made fearful havock of the souls of sinners from time to time, yet now at length God will strike in for a share with them, and his Son shall divide the spoyl with the Strong. Wherefore he now sets up this City, puts the Glory of Heaven upon her, provides a New Heaven and a New Earth for her situation; drives prophaness into the holes and dens of the Earth: giveth Righteousness authority to reign in the world; and takes off the vail from all faces, that none may here∣after be for ever beguiled by blindness and ignorance. Now shall they make merry with the things of God; now shall all eat the fat and drink the sweet: For in this Mountain shall the Lord make a feast of fat things to all People, a feast of Wine on the lees, of fat things full of mar∣row, of Wine on the lees well refined; Isa. 25. 6.
And the Nations of them that are saved shall walk in the light of it.
They shall walk in the light of it] That is, in the Light that is in it while it is in its purity in this world, and in the Glo∣ry
of it when it is in its perfection and immortality in another. Whence note by the way, that in the midst of all this Glo∣ry, or while the glorious light of the Go∣spel shall thus shine in the world, yet even then there will be some also that will not see and rejoyce in the Glory hereof: But as for those, whoever they are, they are excluded from a share in the blessed and goodly Priviledges of this City: The Nations of them that are [SAVED] shall walk in the light of it.
And the Kings of the Earth do bring their Glory and Honour to it.
By these words are great things held forth. He told us before that the Nati∣ons of them that are saved shall walk in the light of it; and here he tells us, that even their Kings also, the Kings of the Earth do bring their Honour and Glory to it. The people of the Nations they are but like to single-pence and half-pence, but their Kings like Gold Angels and Twen∣ty-shilling-pieces. Wherefore when he saith, that the Kings of the Earth do bring their Glory and Honour unto it; It argu∣eth, that the Gospel and the Grace of
God, when it is displayed in its own na∣ture, and seen in its own complexion, even then they that have most of the Honour and Glory of the World will yet stoop their Top-gallant unto it: Because of thy Temple which is at Jerusalem, shall Kings bring Presents to thee. The Kings of Tarshish, & of the Isles, shall bring Presents to thee: The Kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts, yea, all Kings shal fall down before him, and all Nations shall serve him. The Kings shall see and arise, and Princes shall worship because of the Lord, &c. The Kings shall come to thy light, and Princes to the brightness of thy rising. The Kings shall see thy righteousness, and all Kings thy Glo∣ry. Yea, that which hath not been told them shall they see, and that which they have not heard shall they consider. All the Kings of the Earth shall praise thee, O Lord, when they hear the words of thy mouth; Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the Lord; for great is the Glory of the Lord. Thus we see, that though in the first day of the Gospel, the poor, the halt, the lame and the blind are chief in the embracing of the tenders of Grace, yet in the latter day thereof, God will take hold of Kings.
And the Kings of the Earth do bring their glory and honour to it.
To it] That is, to Jerusalem. Where∣fore this City must be built before they all of them will fall in love with her. Indeed, I do conceive, that some of them will lay their hand to help forward the work of this City, as did Hiram with Solomon, and Darius, Cyrus & Artaxerxes with Ezra and Nehemiah, at the bulid∣ing and repairing the City, in the letter, in the days of old; But yet, I say, the great conquest of the Kings will be by the beauty and glory of this City, when she is builded. Thou shalt arise, O Lord, and have mercy upon Zion, for the time to favour her, yea, the set time is come: for thy Servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof: So the Heathen shall fear the Name of the Lord, and all Kings thy Glory. And indeed, before this City is set up, and established in her own place, most of the Kings and great ones of the Earth wil be found imployed and taken up in another work, than to fall in love with Mount Zion, and with the Hill thereof. They will be found in love with Mistris Babylon, the Mother of
Harlots, the Mistris of Witchcrafts, and Abominations of the Earth. They will, I say, be committing Fornication with her, and will be as the horns upon the heads of the Beast, to defend the riding Lady from the Gunshot that the Saints continually will be making at her by the force of the Word and Spirit of God. They will be shaking the sharp end of their weapons against the Son of God, continually labouring to keep him out of his Throne, and from having that rule in the Church, and in the World as becomes him who is the head of the body, and over all principality and power. These shall make war with the Lamb: but I say, it shall so come about, at the last, by the illuminating Grace of God, and by the faithful and patient en∣during of the Saints, together with the glory that every-where shall now be a∣biding on the Church and Congregation of Jesus, that they shal begin to receive a mans heart, and shall consider things that have not been told them: wherefore at last they shall withdraw themselves from the love of this Mistris, and shall leave her to scrape for her self in the world, and shall come with repentance
and rejoycing to Zion; nay, not onely so, but to avenge the Quarrel of God, and the Vengeance of his Temple; and to recompence her also for the delusion and inchantments wherewith she hath entangled them: They shall hate her, they shall make her desolate, and naked; they shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire, Rev. 17. 16. Now, Madam, what sayest thou! the Kings must come to Jerusalem. Jezebel, thy Chamber-companions will shortly, notwithstanding thy painted∣face, cast thee down headlong out at the windows. Yea, they shall tread thee in pieces by the feet of their prancing-Horses, and with the wheels of their jumping Chariots. They shall shut up all bowels of compassion towards thee, and shall roar upon thee like the Sea, and upon thy fat ones like the waves thereof. Yea, when they begin, they will also make an end, and will leave thee so har∣borless and comfortless, that now there will be found for thee no gladness at all, no not so much as one Piper to play thee one Fig. The delicates that thy soul lusted after, thou shalt find them no more at all. Babylon the glory of Kingdoms, and the beauty of the Caldees excellency, shall be as
when God overthew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation; neither shall the Arabian pitch Tent there, nor Shepherds make their folds there, but wild Beasts of the Desart shall lie there, and their houses shall be full of doleful Crea∣tures. And the † Satyrs shall dance there, and the wild Beasts of the Islands shall cry in their desolate places, and Dragons in their pleasant Palaces; and her time is near to come, and her dayes shall not be prolonged, Isa. 13. 19, 20, 21, 22, 23. Thus wilt thou come down wonderfully. For in thee have they set light by father and mother; in the midst of thee have they dealt by oppression with the stranger: in thee have they vexed the fatherless and widdow: in thee men carry tales to shed blood: in thee they eat upon the Mountains, and in thee they commit lewdness. God hath smitten his hands at thy dishonest gain, and all the blood which hath been in the midst of thee; God will be avenged of thee, but will not meet thee as a man. You have cast lots for my People, saith God; you have given a Boy for a Har∣lot, and a Girl for Wine, that you may drink: You have made havock of my young
Converts to satisfy your lusts; there∣fore, What have you to do with me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the Coasts of Palestina? will ye render me a recompence? and if ye recompence me swiftly and speedily, I will return your recompence upon your own head: I will throw it as dirt in your face again. And never talk of what thou wast once, for though thou wast full of wisdom and perfect in beauty, though thou hast been in Eden the Garden of God; yea, though every Precious Stone for some time was thy covering, and thou the very anointed Cherub that covereth, walking upon the Mountain of God, and in the midst of the Stones of fire; yet because (by rea∣son of the multitude of thy Merchan∣dize) thou hast sinned and art filled with violence, Therefore God will cast thee, as prophane, out of the Mountain of God, and wil destroy thee, O covering Cherub, from the midst of the Stones of fire; yea he will cast thee to the ground, and lay thee before Kings that they may behold thee: And all they that know thee among the People, shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be •• terrour, and never shalt thou be any more, Ezek. 28. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19. And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou
do? Though thou cloathest thy self with crimson, though thou deckest thee with orna∣ments of Gold, though thou paintest thy face with painting; in vain shalt thou make thy self fair, thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life, Jer. 4. 30.
And the Kings of the Earth do bring their glory and their honour to it.
Mark, They do not only forsake the crimson Harlot, neither do they con∣tent themselves with eating her flesh, and burning her with fire, but they come over, they come over to Jerusalem; they are conquered by the Grace of Christ, and Wisdom of the Son of God. They shall make war with the Lamb, but the Lamb shall overcome them; for he is King of kings, and Lord of lords; and those that are with him, are Called, and Chosen, and Faithful. Now they shall all give † way to the Government of the King of kings, the Governor of the Jews, and shall with gladness delight to see him rule his Spouse with his own Law, Rules and Testament; they shall play the pranks of Jeroboam no longer, in making Calves to keep the People from going up to Jerusalem to
worship. Now they shall count him al∣so King of Nations, aswel as King of Saints; and he shall wear the Crowns, and they shall seek to him; Rev. 19. 12. and 15. 5. Jer, 10. 7. Isa. 52. 15. 2 Chron. 9. 23.
Eph. 2. 1, 2, 3. 1 Cor. 6. 9, 10. Tit. 3. 3.
How the Nations shall flock to New-Jerusalē.
Isa. 52. 15 & 60. 22. & 2. 2.
Isa. 60. 21
Isa. 11. 9. Hab. 2. 14
Isa. 49. 14 15, &c.
Isa. 2. 1, 2. & 14. 4, 5, 6, &c. Psal. 102. 20, 21, 22 Rev. 11. 15. & 16. 17, &c.
Deut. 32 43.
Isa. 60. 5.
Isa. 53. 12
Isa. 66. 22 2 Pet. 3. 13. Isa. 25. 7.
1 King. 4. 20.
Neh. 8. 10, 12.
How the Kings of the Earth shal flock into New Jerusa∣lem.
Psal. 68. 29. Isa. 49. 22, 23. Psal. 72. 10, 11, 12 Isa. 47. 6, 7. & 60. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. & 62. 2.
Isa. 52. 15.
Psal. 138. 4, 5.
2 Chron. 2. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15.
Ezra. 1. 1, 2, 3, 4. & 6. 1, 2, 3 & 7. 21.
Psal. 102 13, 14, 15
Rev. 17. ••, 12, 13, 14. and 18. 3, 9.
Rev. 17. 14.
2 King. 9. 30, 31, 32, 33. Jer. 50. 41, 42.
Rev. 18. 12, 14, 22.
That is, the Hob∣goblins, or Devils
Ezek. 22 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, &c.
Isa. 47. 1, 2, 3.
••••el 3. 1, 2, 3, 4.
Ezra. 6. 7.