The Works of John Bunyan, vol 3, John Bunyan [ebook reader color screen TXT] 📗

Then shall that saying be with gladness in the mouths of all the inhabitants of this Jerusalem, ‘We were bondmen, yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem’ (Ezra 9:9).

Which wall, I say, shall be so conspicuous to all the adversaries of this holy and beloved city, that the greatest of them shall not once dare to peep or mutter12 against her any more. ‘God is known in her palaces for a refuge. For, lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by together, they saw it, and so they marvelled; they were troubled, and hasted away. Fear took hold upon them there, and pain, as of a woman in travail’ (Psa 48:1-6). As it is said of the building of the wall after the captivity: when the enemies and all the heathen saw it was finished, ‘they were much cast down in their own eyes’ (Neh 6:15,16).

The regulating of this city by this golden reed, and the measuring the gates and wall by this word, when finished, will then cause all that have skill in singing the Lord’s songs, and of lifting up the praises of God in this city, to gather themselves together to sing, and to praise, and to say, Bless ye the name of the Lord, for his mercies endure for ever: for then will they purify the people, this city, with the gates and wall thereof (Neh 12:27-47).

Wherefore in the mean time, between this and the building of this city, let Jerusalem come into your mind, and walk about her, ‘go round about her,’ inquire by the Word what God hath said of her state, strength, safety, ease, peace, and blessed tranquillity in the latter days, ‘tell the towers thereof. Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces, that ye may tell it to the generations following’ (Psa 48:12,13).

[The form and measure of the city.]

Ver. 16. ‘And the city lieth four square, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs, the length, and the breadth, and height of it are equal.’

‘And the city lieth four square.’ These words do open unto you the matter yet more, to wit, that now both the city, gates, and wall were exactly in their visibility according to the Word, lying even every way with that golden reed: for by four square you are to understand perfection, or an answering the figures that of old did figure to us the completeness and perfection of the New Testament order.

For if you search the Scriptures, you will find that especially the great and principal instruments of God’s worship in and under the law, their perfection was what here you read to be the perfection of this city, even a four square. As for instance, The breastplate of judgment, on which were engraved the names of the children of Israel, its exact point of perfection was to be a right four square.

The ten bases also, that were to be for bearers to the lavers in the temple, they were to be four square: the altar of burnt-offerings likewise, with the altar of incense, their perfect pattern was that they should be four square. The inward court, and outward court, with the posts of the temple, and tables on which they were to slay the sacrifices, they were all four square. Yea, the city in the type, in the vision of Ezekiel, was seen to be of the same frame and fashion every way, having just twelve gates, and on each of the four sides three gates. Wherefore, when he saith the city lieth four square, it is as if he had said she lieth even with the pattern or golden reed of the Word; even, I say, both in her members, doctrine, worship, and manners: for the things afore hinted unto you do hold forth all these particulars (Exo 28:15,16; 39:8,9; 27:1; 38:1; 37:1; 1 Kings 7:27,28; Eze 43:1318; 40; 41:21; 48:30-34).

‘And the length is as large as the breadth.’ This explaineth the matter yet more fully and distinctly; for as to the things that I made mention of before, though they were to be made four square, and that their perfection lay exactly in that form, yet these squares did not lie in their height and depth, but in their length and breadth, just as you read here of the square of this city. As to instance: The altars, though they were five cubits long, and five cubits broad, yet but three high (Exo 27:1; 33:1; 1 Kings 7). So the bases, they were a cubit and an half broad, and a cubit and an half long, yet but half a cubit high; the tables also on which they slew the sacrifices, they were a cubit and a half long, and a cubit and a half broad, yet but one cubit high (Eze 40:42).

Which things being thus, you see the reason of his saying ‘the length is as large as the breadth.’

Now by length and breadth here, we may yet observe another mystery held forth unto us; for by the breadth is held forth the perfection of the rule, or law to which all Christians ought to yield their hearty obedience: his commandment is exceeding broad (Psa 119:96).

The breadth of which is signified, I say, by the breadth of those things that before you see to be the instruments of the worship of God. Now, as by breadth we are to understand the perfect latitude and compass of the commandment; so by length we are to understand the answerableness of the obedience of the inhabitants of this city; for indeed the perfection of Christian obedience lieth in an answerableness to the will of God; as it is said of the father and mother of John the Baptist, they walked in all the commandments of the Lord blameless (Luke 1:6). And of Anna, that she continued without ceasing in the service of God in the temple day and night (Luke 2:37). This is to be as long in our obedience, as the law is broad in commanding. The law commands right obedience, and the Christian giveth it; the law commands continual obedience, and the Christian giveth it; the law commands universal obedience, and the Christian giveth it. He giveth it all these sorts of obedience, 1. By the person of Christ, for he is his righteousness (1 Cor 1:30). He giveth it all these, 2. With the consent of the mind (Rom 7:16). And 3. He giveth it all these obediences in the love of the Spirit, which the apostle calleth the fulfilling of the law, that is, an answering the breadth of its command by the length of obedience (Rom 13:10). Wherefore when he saith the length is as large as the breadth, he would have us understand how perfect in holiness these blessed souls will be at this day; and indeed, this is it that is by God expected to be in this city at this day. As the angel with his measuring-line said to Zechariah, I am going ‘to measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof’ (Zech 2:2). To see whether their doctrine be pure, and whether their obedience be answerable.

‘And he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs.’

These latter words do refer us to a distinct measure from that which went before; the former measure pointing at the breadth of her commandment and the length of her obedience, but this at the glory and fulness of her mansions and portions; for after he had said the city lieth four square, and that the length is as large as the breadth, which is the full and complete effect of that first measure, he comes over again with another measuring, saying, ‘And he measured the city,—twelve thousand furlongs’; as who should say, he measured the city, gates and wall first, and found them all exact, and according to the golden reed; and after he had so done, he measured the city with the reed twelve thousand furlongs.

‘He measured the city with the reed’; that is, he measured out to the city, he measured for the city, for its lot and portion, twelve thousand furlongs. Which very thing you find in the vision of the prophet Ezekiel; for after ha had measured the city, the vessels, with the instruments of worship, I say, when he had done this, he comes again with an afterwards, to measure the city, her portions and mansions (Eze 47:1, &c.). Wherefore I say, these words do refer to her portion that she is to enjoy of her God, as the former referreth to her duty and obedience.

Now that which maketh me conclude that this latter measure is a measure distinct from the former, and that it relateth neither to the exactness of rule, nor the completeness of obedience, but only to the largeness of the portions that God will allot for thy sons and daughters, thou city of God; it is, First, Because this is the biggest measure. For I find, by considering the Scripture, that as the persons and things pertaining to the worship of God were to go according to the rule of this golden reed, so also the portions that pertained to the persons worshipping were to go by rule and measure also, as here he saith he measured also the city, or to it, with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs.

And hence it is that our grace is called the measure of grace, and that our glory is called a weight of glory (Rom 12:3; Eph 4:7; 2 Cor 4:17).

Now I say, I find that our portions do go always under the biggest measure; the spoons, cups, flagons, snuffers, basons, candlesticks, and pans, which were the instruments of worship, were not so large as the chambers in the temple, and the compass of the holy land, which were the mansions and [the] portions of the church. See Joshua 15-16; John 14:1-3.

Secondly, I take the twelve thousand furlongs to signify portions, rather than worship or worshippers; because, as to the nature of it, it most exactly agrees with the portions that are measured out to this city by the angel before Ezekiel, which is a measuring forth so much land for the portion of the prince, so much for the portion of the priest, and so much for the portion of the twelve tribes. Yea, the very phrase, twelve thousand furlongs, also implieth such a compass of ground, by which we find the holy land hath been measured (Eze 45-47; Luke 24:13; John 6:18).

Lastly, I take it to be this also; because I find not in all this description of this holy city that any place doth give us that ground to speak to her measure of portion as this; and it would seem strange to me that the description of this city given by Ezekiel should be more complete than this that is given by our prophet John; for Ezekiel doth most amply set forth her portions, even distinctly, for prince, priest, and the tribes in particular. This therefore is to be understood of the portions of the city which John did see were measured out unto her immediately after he saw the breadth of her rule and the length of her obedience. Only consider that Ezekiel measureth by reeds, not counting by furlongs; but John, though he measureth by reeds, yet counteth by furlongs.

But now, though the Holy Ghost is thus