. 376 The Gofpel of the Sea and Lavers in the Temple. The Stage is the Church, whichis reprefented with allufion to Solo- mon's Temple : And therefore look, as in the Temple there was firft the Throne of God in the Oracle upon the Mercy-feat : So here Verf. a. Yohn fees aglorious Perron fitting upon the Throne, and with a Rainbow about the Throne, as an Emblem of the Covenant ofGrace. After the Defcription of this great King, his Courtiers aredefcribed alto ; four and twenty Elders, fpiritual Priefts with Prieftly Ornaments and Priviledges ; they are clothed in white Raiment, with Crowns of Gold upon their Heads, Verf. q.. From-the Oracle God fpake of old : And here are Lightnings. and Thundering:, and Voices out of the Throne, Verf. S. There were Candlefticks with feven Lamps in theTemple: So here, there arefeven Lamps of Fire; which are thefeven Spirits ofGod, Veaf. S. There was a molten Sea and Lavers ; fo here is a Sea ofGlafs like un, to Cryftal. There were Cherubims, which had the Faces of Lyons, and Oxen, and Men, and Eagles, Ezek. t. to. fo here are four living Wights with fuch Facesand Appearances as thofe, and full ofEyes, andfixWings, as in lfaiah's Vifion, cap. 6. 2. So that you fee here is an allufion all along to thofe old Temple- Ordínances and Adminiftrations. And truly this Confederation ( befides what may be fuperadded) is to my own Thoughts very fatisfying, concerning the Mind of the Holy Ghoft in this Cryftal Sea before the Throne : For, if there be a continual allufion in the whole Context to the Temple, and the facred Veffels and Utenfils of it ; what then can this Cryftal Sea be, but the fame with that molten Sea in the Temple ? For which you will fee al- fo further Reafonsafterwards. But this may fuffice here, as:a fufficient Bottom for thé railing of the Doarine ; here being a Seaof Glafs like unto Cry ftal before the Throne, in allufion to the like Veffel under the Law, I Phut] propofe the Doarine thus, Doét. That as there was a molten Sea and Lavers of Braf in the Temple and Tabernacle of Old ; fo in the Church of Chrift, under the New 7e Lament, there is before the Throne a fpiritual Sea ofGlafs like unto Cry- ,- ital. As there was a literal and legal Sea of Old ; fo there is a fpiri- tual Gofpel-Sea in the Church of God now. A Sea is a large Collecti- on of Waters. They had literal Waters, we have fpiritual Waters, the Waters of Life. There were divers Holy Vefl'els andSacred Utenfils belonging to the Temple : In the Courts, the BrazenAltar of- Burnt-Offering, the mol- ten Sea and ten .Lavers : In the Porch, the two Pillars lachinwad Bo- pis -
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