Downame - Puritan-02038 v2

1y Oftheloyesofheaaen. ggs place mo(1 glorious and maiefücall. For if the Tabernacle when God gaue forcelush vifible lignes of his prefence, as the people in their frailty and mortality were capable of, was filled with glory;how ful of glory and maiefly are the Exod.4o;4. higheft heauens, where God keepeth his chiefe refidcnce, arid manifcfleth his glory and grcatneffe, in a farre greater meafure to his Saints and Angels, which are incorruptible and immortal? And this royal excellency being in it felfe in- effable and vnconceiucable; the Apofile defcribeth accor- Apoc.zx.to.tt. ¡ding to our woke capacitie, by loch vifible and earthly things as are moil precious and glorious. And firfl hefaith, that this new Icrufalem and city ofGod, is ful ofGods glo- ry, and her íhining like vino a (lone mofi precious,and asa Iafper (lone, cleere as cryftal : that it hath a wall great and high,and twelue gatcs,and at the gates twclue Angels; that it is both in length and in brcdth tweluc thoufand furlongs; that the building ache wall ofit was of Iafper, and the city of pure 'gold, like vitro glaffe,clecre and tranfparenr, pure and glorious : that the foundations of the wall of the city are garnifhed with all mancr of precious (tones : the fire foundation oflafper, the fecond of Saphire,the third of Cal - cedonie, the fourth of an Emerald, the fifth of a Sardonyx, the fixth ofa Sardius, the feuenth of a Chryfolite, the eight, ofa Beryl, the ninth ofa Topaz, the tenth of a Chryfopra- 'fus,the eleuenth ofa Iacynth,ÿ twelfth ofan Amethyft.That the twelve gates were twclue pearles, and euery gate ofone pearle,and the firm of the city pure gold,. andlike fhining glaffe .All which ifit be to bee vnderftood ( as foam would haue it) of the glory of the Church here on earth, when as Iewes and Gentiles Thal be joined together before the com- mingofChrihto iudgement ; it is no leffe forcible to proue that the heaucn of hcaucns is a place molI glorious; for if there be fuch glory,beau:;ie,and ma lefty in the Church mi- litant, how innumerable degrees Thal it beincneafed and in- larged in the Church triumphant ? ifthere be fuchexcellency to be feene on earth, :Nhat (hal wee thinke ofine heauen of heauens? And ferely, ifthefe outcafes of this empetial hea- uen, the flame fire uincn; daily fubieci to our view, bee fo L11 3 glorious;