The Last Judgement and Second Coming of the Lord Illustrated/Chapter 12
CHAPTER XII.
"THE NEW JERUSALEM." A NEW CHURCH ON EARTH.
But why make all things new? How is it that they have become old; and why is it that a new creation has been promised? We are accustomed to say, "To Thee, great God, there's nothing old appears; to Thee there's nothing new." And yet, as all things are to be made new, it seems plain that prior things must have become old. In the minds of some readers there may be a little obscurity about this matter, which it will be desirable and useful to remove.
The old and new things which are so frequently spoken of in the Scriptures in connection with the establishment and progress of Christianity, are not to be understood in reference to the Divine estimation of their age, but in their relationship to man's spiritual condition. Thus, a thing of the Church is said to be old when it ceases to agree with the true light and life of heaven. The reason is, because in that light and life there are perpetual beauty and eternal youth; and a departure from those graces necessarily brings its subject into a state of spiritual feebleness and age. Again, a thing is said to be new when the Divine mercies which constitute it are perceived by men and become objects of their affections and thoughts. That which is so received will be perpetual in its newness, because it belongs to the Lord: whenever men lovingly receive anything from the Divine, it is necessarily attended with new evolutions of light and life to all eternity. Who can imagine the possibility of terminating an activity that is infinite? It is continually raising its recipient to higher ground, and thus, at every step, preparing him for something still new. There is no final stopping place in this upward advancement, because there is no end to the progress of any grace which the Lord communicates, if men be willing to advance with it, for all in Him is infinite. To stop is to recede; and in recession there are decrepitude and age and end.
The Church, of which the New Jerusalem is the symbol, is said to be new, not because its teachings are less old than Revelation, but because, being founded on the Divine truth of the Word, they will be continually producing new perceptions of their excellence. This Church will have for its centre a more full and comprehensible idea of God than that which has previously existed in the world; and this will necessarily be attended by new things in the circumference. Hence its progressions through the remotest ages of posterity will not interfere with its title of a New Church. Advancement in duration will but serve to illustrate and confirm that title. Every age of its existence will be attended with the evolution of some new intelligence and virtue, and thence will be displayed some new and imperishable excellence. It cannot be otherwise, since it has the Divine Word for its teacher. A church, therefore, which comes down from God out of heaven, in whom all things are infinite, must be admissive of new developments of truth and goodness from age to age. Advancement in years is simply the means of passing, by the aid of new experiences, into new principles of life. Such principles must distinguish the progress of the New Jerusalem, and therefore she will be a New Church in the remotest ages of her existence.
Seeing, then, what we are to understand by the terms old and new in reference to the Church, we proceed to inquire what is meant by the promise that "all things" shall be made new. To what does the word all specifically refer? We think there cannot be any reasonable doubt that it refers only to those things in which the voluntary and intellectual character of man is concerned. Not to the sun, the moon, and stars: not to the movements of the planetary bodies; not to the causes which keep them in their motions, and preserve them in their orbits. Not to the generation and growth of plants and trees and herbs, the production of their blossoms, fruits, and seeds: not to the generation of animated nature, nor to the laws which operate in the mineral kingdom. All these things are what they are by the fiat of Omnipotence; they were made as wisely and completely perfect as they could be, nor have they transgressed the laws which are proper to their being; therefore, it is plain that these are not the things which are to experience a new creation. The things of which this renovation is predicted belong to the principles of man's faith and life. All those things which in the preceding Church have no heavenly vitality are to pass away; and in the succeeding dispensation all its principles will be new.
When Christianity was established, all the spiritual and intellectual things of the former Church were made new. This is involved in the prediction, "Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind."[2] The reason is because a new centre had been formed which was sure, sooner or later, to influcnce the state of the circumference. That centre was the wonderful fact of God having become manifest in the flesh. The revelation of that event instilled new thoughts about Divine things, and gave existence to new loves respecting them; so that in process of time a really new condition of mental and spiritual life was produced among all the nations by whom this revelation was received. The Lord, by the introduction of Christianity, made new all the doctrinal and practical teachings of religion. Neither was the new wine put into old bottles. The Lord, in communicating His new truths, provided, in the development of new states in men, for their acceptance and appreciation. Thus the old things of Judaism passed away, and the new things of Christianity came into existence.
From this we may gather a clear idea as to what is meant by the new things which are to distinguish the New Jerusalem. The Lord predicted that the truths He had been teaching would be lost. He most distinctly said, "There shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect:"[3] He also tells us, with equal plainness, that "immediately after the tribulation of those days" He would come again. As the perversions of the Jewish Church were the occasion for His first advent, so the corruptions of the Christian Church are to be the occasion for His second coming. When this takes place He will cause the true teachings of His word to be seen as new things in His Church. And whosoever will look abroad may see that the time for their dissemination has arrived. How few are intellectually satisfied with the religious opinions they have been taught; and how many are looking forward for the coming of something more perfect. Such is the present state of the human mind, and such the freedom with which it is now capable of thinking about spiritual things, that men cannot help perceiving the confusion which everywhere prevails in the Church, and at the same time cherishing a hope that "light, more light" will come.
The new things of the New Jerusalem are to be objects of intellectual sight; men are invited to "behold" them. We cannot see that the Lord makes all things new without at the same time having some perception of the things themselves. The teachings of this divine dispensation, then, are offered to the rational thought and the philosophical reflection of the mind. Its truths, though eminently spiritual, must be capable of being intellectually seen, and of satisfying the profoundest inquiry. This is not the experience of its predecessor. For many centuries all her doctrines have been put forth as mysteries, which no learning could penetrate nor any ingenuity explain. The very attempt to resolve them has been forbidden as a presumption; they are to be believed, not to be comprehended. But in the New Jerusalem it will not be so: she is to have "the glory of God; and her light is to be like unto a stone most precious, even like a Jasper stone, clear as crystal."[4] This light will consist in the perspicuity of her doctrines, and it needs no argument to show that this will be a new thing to the Church. If those doctrines are seen to be in harmony with a wise estimate of the Divine character, and if they are perceived to be enlightened expositions of the Holy Word, adapted to satisfy the demands of our rational nature; and specially if, in their application to life, they are capable of forming the characters of men in conformity with the virtues of Christianity; then, surely, they may be embraced as being among the "new things" which God has created for those purposes. For nothing that is good and true, coming to us with such evidences and capable of such results, can have had any other Maker than He who sat upon the throne. Whenever the New Jerusalem descends, all things of the Church will be made new. It cannot be a new dispensation and still retain the corrupted teachings of an old ecclesiasticism. Increased enlightenment upon spiritual things is a necessary consequence of the last judgment and second coming of the Lord. These phenomena will sweep away those degrading influences by which errors have been invented and maintained, and will make provision for the perception and enjoyment of spiritual truth. This new Church will be pre-eminently a teaching institution: it will seek to reform and instruct the people, and to lead them on, in the liberty of reason, to accept what they perceive to be true. It is a dispensation in which all things respecting the life and the light of religion will become new to the perceptions of men, and inspire them with new motives to faith and conduct. It will accept nothing for the exercise of its faith but what is drawn from the Word and is confirmed by its teachings. In this respect it will be remarkably distinguished from the former Church, which has, for a long period, been engaged in thrusting its opinions into the Word. This new Church, on the contrary, will be humbly engaged in drawing its doctrines out of the Word, and by means of those new teachings will educe new states of mind and heart in those who really perceive their truth and affectionately love them. Thus, the New Jerusalem is no visionary dispensation; it is a practical Church. Its doctrines descend to men, from God out of heaven, through the Word, and its object is to promote the spiritual instruction and regeneration of mankind.
But we will endeavour to open out the subject by other considerations drawn from the Word.
Peter said to the Lord, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."[5] The meaning of the phrase Son of God has been sufficiently shown in a preceding chapter.[6] The reason why the Lord said He would build His Church upon the acknowledgment of Christ as the Son of God, is because that phrase is intended to express the fullest and most complete idea of God which finite minds can have of the Infinite. "God is in Christ;" they who see Him see the Father also, because He and the Father are one. Christ, that is the anointed, the Humanity of God, has brought Him forth to view, and thus men are enabled to recognise the oneness of His person, the unity of His nature, and consequently can know that "in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." And the Church which the Lord promised to build upon the acknowledgment of this grand truth is to be a complete erection, because founded upon the fullest and most complete idea of God which He has ever revealed concerning Himself.
When the Lord spoke of building His Church, He was evidently treating of a future work. The institution was not then erected, but was to be the result of some future efforts of His Providence and Mercy. He was then engaged in making provision for the work; some stones of the foundation had been laid by the teachings of previous dispensations, and specially by the advent of the Lord; but—to carry out the figure of the building—the walls had yet to be erected, the roof to be put on, and all the interior appurtenances to be provided. It is only when these things are completed that the Church can be considered as a finished structure, in which men may enjoy the spiritual blessings of intelligence and peace.
And here we arrive at a point necessary to be clearly seen before the true idea of a permanent Christian Church can be rightly understood. On this point the writings of the Old Testament contribute important information. From them we learn that there have existed three distinct dispensations before the coming of the Lord. These were severally connected with Adam, Noah, and the Israelites. Each dispensation, in its time, was a Church distinguished by the laws of faith and life, and having the advantages of divine communication; yet it seems plain that none of them constituted so complete a structure as that future Church of which the Lord said "the gates of hell should not prevail against it;" for each perished in consequence of its great iniquity. Nevertheless, it may be evident that there were some principles in them all, having relation to the Church which is to abide for ever. They all, for instance, had communicated to them the laws of obedience, and this duty is essential to the existence of every Church.
That the Adamic dispensation had some information which connected it with the Christian Church, may be evident from the circumstance that the people of those early times had a prediction delivered to them respecting the Lord's advent into the world. Immediately after the fall, the Lord said unto the serpent (that is, the sensual principle of man's fallen nature), "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."[7] It is admitted upon all hands that this refers to the Lord's coming, and consequently to the Christianity He would then establish. Hence it is plain that there were some principles of information in the first dispensation recorded in the Word, which connect it with the last, in which the objects of both are to be fully realized.
So also with regard to the Noetic Covenant and the Israelitish economy. With the former God set His bow in the cloud, that is, He provided a new condition in man's obscurity through which he was to be regenerated. This was the token by which God was to remember His everlasting covenant, because it was to be the medium through which He would, in all future time, effect conjunction with His people. This peculiarity, which had its commencement with the Noetic dispensation, has been continued to the Christian period; consequently, it possessed a principle by which to project something of its existence into the future and final Church. Every one knows that the Israelitish economy was the shadow and type of Christian realities. All that is essentially excellent and true, which belonged to any of the extinct dispensations, will be revived and become permanent in that one against which the gates of hell will not prevail. To suppose otherwise would be to imagine it defective; for how could Christianity be a perfect institution, if it were deprived of any of the teachings which were essential to the existence of those Churches which have passed away?
This view of reviving, in the last dispensation, those things which were proper to its predecessors, in order that the last may exist as a finished excellence, is conformable to a law observable in nature, which is, that first principles through the last, return to the first again, and, consequently, the last contains within it the first and all the intermediates. For instance, the seed, which is the first principle of a tree, when sown into the ground, grows into stems, producing branches, leaves, blossoms, and finally fruit; but in the fruit is stored up the seed, from which it first began. Nor is this true only of the vegetable kingdom, but also of all animated nature.
Now the first principles of a Church are the enlightened acknowledgment of God, the love of Him and of our neighbour, purity of affection, and innocence of life; these principles distinguished those who are represented by Adam and his wife before they fell. But by that catastrophe they were cast aside, and for a long period they appear to have lost their vitality in the world; still no one really doubts that those interior graces of the primeval Church will be revived, and become part of that which is called the New Jerusalem. So also the essential excellence of the Noetic and Israelitish dispensation must be revived in the final Church. The Divine providence does not permit any of its teachings to perish; they may pass out of human recognition for a time, but their final restoration is clearly taught us in the closing chapters of the Word. What else can be the meaning of the golden city coming down from heaven, having the glory of God, and the foundations of its wall garnished with all manner of precious stones, and every gate a pearl? Surely the river of life and the tree of life are said to be in it, to assure us that it is to be the tabernacle for the evolution of every blessing.
From these considerations we learn that those Churches which preceded the promulgation of Christianity must have contained within them some principles necessary to the existence of Christianity and, without which it could not have been developed. The dispensations of God, which the Bible relates, are not to be regarded as isolated events; each has some relation to the other, and all are so connected, as to their essential principles, that, to enlightened minds they may appear, collectively, as one great act of Providence, designed to promote the ultimate welfare of mankind. Each is but a part of one majestic whole; the first contributes something towards the existence of the last, and the last is as a covering in which the first and all the intermediates are enfolded. Thus, the true Christian Church includes within it all the excellences of all its predecessors, and it is itself distinguished by an excellence which they had not. By this superiority it will be preserved from those assaults which broke in upon the others and brought them to an end. It may be, we expect that it will be, subject to the dangers arising from the unregenerate condition of our nature; but the gates of hell—the falsities which arise from evil loves—will not prevail against it, as they have against its predecessors. The final Church is to be a complete building, which they were not: it is to rest upon a foundation which, when they existed, had not been laid: they were without that knowledge of God which Christianity supplies: they had not the final revelation concerning Him which Christianity discloses, and by which all that was beautiful in them might be revived and preserved in perpetuity.
Each succeeding church was more external than its predecessor, and the Christian church, which is the last, is the most external of them all. The Jewish was not properly a church, but a representative dispensation. All that was peculiar to its worship and ritual was symbolical, signifying those celestial and spiritual things which had passed away with the Adamic and Noetic periods, and at the same time prefiguring the revival of those graces in their Christian successor. Thus the genuine Christian Church is to be an orderly body of internal truth and loveliness, having for its soul those celestial and spiritual principles which were peculiar to the first and ancient dispensations. It is a form adapted by its Founder to receive those principles, and to preserve their activity. In this form they possess a power which they never had before; and thus a means for their perpetuation which will never let them perish. All the internal powers of affection and intellect are exercised and continued by means of external activity and use. Consequently, in the last dispensation which the Bible reveals, all that was righteous in its predecessors will find a new power, and thereby a new means for perpetuation.
The good of love to the Lord constituted the celestial principle of the Church as it existed among the Adamic people; and the good of faith in Him constituted the spiritual principle of the Church as it existed among the Noetic people: but it is to be observed that those principles, as they existed in those Churches, were without their full and proper ultimate. The Lord in those times had not revealed Himself in all His mercy. God had not then become manifest in the flesh; and, consequently, in those periods, He had not adapted Himself to the apprehension of the lowest capacities of our nature. With men of the primitive times He was, as it were, a Being who dwelt on high. This was a conception consequent upon their own elevated states. When, therefore, their successors descended into sensual and corporeal loves, God still remained on high, and they retained only an imperfect knowledge respecting Him. Hence the idolatry of the nations and the profligacy of mankind. To meet the requirements of this condition, a new dispensation of Providence was revealed: Christianity was brought upon the scene of man's necessity, and to effect this, God became manifest in the flesh. Thereby He provided for the existence of an idea respecting Himself suited to the lowest perceptions of His people: for under this dispensation all may know Him, from the least unto the greatest. Thereby He opened out a new and living way for the salvation of mankind, and became a Saviour to the uttermost.
From these considerations we learn that those ancient Churches which have passed away, when viewed in their historical relation to each other, reveal to us those principles which are requisite to the formation of a Church in fulness. None of them were, in themselves, adequate to this purpose: they had not that necessary complete knowledge of the Lord, nor had they learned that the performance of uses in the world is the base and conservatory of celestial principles; hence they were destitute of that ulterior information which is requisite to the completeness and perpetuity of a Church. Each was a distinct existence, though they were all connected by historical reminiscences, yet neither of them was a Church in fulness, and it is only so far as we view them in their complex—each forming a part of that revelation which is presented to us as one great whole—that we are enabled to gather a true idea of that final dispensation which is to be the crown of all the rest. The Lord revealed the principles which are to be developed in Christianity in those dispensations by which it was preceded; and He purposes, by the establishment of a genuine Christian dispensation, to unite into one harmonious Church all those principles which have existed separately in its three predccessors. Thus the celestial principle of love, which prevailed in the Adamic Church; the spiritual principle of faith, which distinguished the Noetic Church; and the natural principle of obedience, which was peculiar to the Israelitish Church, are all to be revived in the final Christian Church, and be so united that natural obedience shall be enlightcned by spiritual faith, and spiritual faith animated by celestial love: the Lord Jesus Christ, as God manifest in the flesh, being acknowledged as the Author and Finisher of all those graces. It must be admitted that this is an idea of the true Christian Church which the documents of Christianity unfold. They are not for the will alone, the understanding alone, or the conduct alone, but for all of them collectively; so that the true Church can exist among mankind only so far as they accept its principles. If an individual receive its teachings, he is a Church in its least form; and all its greater forms arise out of the numerical increase of such individuals. Thus the Church in general is to be composed of those who are Churches in particular, consequently of regenerate men. It will, therefore, be perfect in proportion to the proficiency of its people, in those things which are proper to its existence. A Church, to be full and complete, must include a rational understanding of the Christian documents and an enlightened comprehension of their teachings. Without these, it is clear, whatever may be the claim of its professors, that it must be an imperfect institution.
Now has this high and proper condition of the Christian Church been fully realized in any period of its history? The question is, not whether it has been the means of benefits and blessings to mankind, for this is admitted; but whether it has ever attained to that complete condition which the Scriptures promise? Who can give an affirmative reply? It certainly was not realized when the Lord spoke of building His Church; the walls were then in the process of being raised, but the completion of the work was to result in another age. The Lord said unto His disciples, "I have many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now; when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth. The time cometh when I will show you plainly of the Father." The Lord, by those teachings, clearly indicated the imperfection of His Church at the time they were spoken; and, by them, He also plainly referred to a period when that which is more perfect should come. Did that period ever come? If so, in what epoch of Christian history can we find it? Who can point us to the date? Where are the records of the people who were distingnished by its blessedness? Many think the Church was complete in apostolic times, and thus regard the primitive Church as the synonym of perfect Christianity. On this ground some, who lament its present disturbed and unsatisfactory condition, sigh for a return to the state of things as they existed in the apostolic age. Even supposing that we had an accurate knowledge of that state and age, and that some of the inconveniences now experienced could be remedied by a return to it, how could that conduct us to the Church of prophecy if that were not the age for its fulfilment?
True Christianity, as we have said, is a teaching institution, and thus progressive in its character. That which is developed of it in one age is intended as a stepping stone to the enjoyment of some superior virtue and knowledge in the next. Every truth which is learnt and every virtue which is cultivated introduces to a purer state. The higher we ascend the mountain the more extensive becomes the prospect. But who has reached the summit? Did the apostles? There is no evidence of such a fact. Has it been reached in any subsequent age? History does not say so.
Look at the proofs on which those conclusions rest. When the Lord was in the world, and was thereby giving occasion for the preparation of those documents which are peculiarly Christian, we find that He did not suddenly disclose all the information He was desirous of communicating. He also spoke of many circumstances connected with its progress which were to take place in a future age: and the "Revelation," by which the Bible is concluded, contains a variety of predictions which were to receive their fultilment long after the time in which they were delivered. And who cannot see that the events so spoken of must be accomplished before the Church to which they belong can be in a position to appreciate the final advantages they involve? Surely this knowledge is a part of that which is necessary to be attained before the whole excellency of the Church can be declared to be extant. Christianity cannot be said to be a finished building as long as its people remain unacquainted with the true meaning of its documents.
Now there are important matters recorded in those documents, which the Church, as it has hitherto existed, has never comprehended. A large proportion, also, of written prophecy is commonly admitted by it to require an interpreter; and, therefore, it is plain that the Church in which such a state of things is visible, and has always been confessed, can never have attained that completeness to which a right understanding of those parts of the Word would certainly conduce. Morever, the doctrines which have so long been taught by that Church are not comprehensible things. They are called mysteries, because they are felt to be paradoxes which defy the explanations of reason, intellect, or learning. This shows very plainly that the professing Church does not possess that information upon some of the most essential subjects contained in the Divine Word, which is necessary to the existence of genuine Christianity. The knowledge possessed by the primitive Christians was suited to the exigencies of their condition, but was not complete; and even that was lost amidst the subtilty of succeeding ages: its "gold became dim, and its fine gold changed; its stones of the sanctuary were poured out,"[8] so that it is vain to search among that or subsequent times for the existence of that more perfect information which we have seen must be a characteristic of a perfect Christian Church. Such a dispensation is not to be found in history, nor was it unfolded in connection with those spiritual knowledges which were peculiar to the Lord's first advent. The states of men which have prevailed, both then and since, were such as to stand in the way and hinder the full development of Christianity. Why else has it been delayed? The truths were ready to be communicated, but men were not ready to receive them. The Lord had many things to say, but the people could not bear them: they were disclosures which did not belong to the teachings of His first advent, but to the revelations consequent upon His second coming.
The materials for the formation and constitution of His final Church are provided in the histories and teachings of all the Churches mentioned in the Word to have gone before it; and thus they will be found in the whole Scriptures, which were finished in the apostolic era. It is to include all their excellences; for everything that was valuable in them will be restored. The truths which they had will contribute to the evolution of its glory, and the circumstance of their having passed away will lead to a provision of means for its safety and preservation. It was to bring about this result that the Lord promised He would come again. Whenever He comes, and whatever may be the nature of His coming, it must be attended with blessings to mankind; and one result will certainly be the completion of that building which the states of society would not permit Him to finish under the economy of His first advent.
"Unless the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it." The Church which the Lord built at His first coming may be compared to the external walls of a beautiful temple; but the Church which is to be built at His second coming may be compared to its internal arrangement and magnificent decorations. The former arose out of those appearances of truth which are presented in the literal sense of the word, and are adapted to the states of the natural mind: but the latter is to arise from those realities which are visible in the spiritual sense of the word, and which are suitable to the perception of the spiritual mind. Thus the Church which followed the Lord's first advent was mainly external, and one of comparative humilation; but that which will succeed His second coming is to be mainly internal, and one of comparative glorification. The former has worshipped God under some vague notion of a crucified humanity; the latter is to worship Him under an enlightened conception of a Glorified Humanity. And this is the right course; for who can think of God, and turn away from His Divine Humanity? What nature in God can they honour who honour not His human nature? It is plain that upon a just idea of God the whole heaven and the whole Church and all things of religion are founded. Without such an idea we cannot be one with Him, and apart from that conjunction we cannot belong to His Church or enter into His kingdom.
From these considerations we learn that the Scriptures, viewed in their whole complex, have been furnished to teach us a true idea concerning that Church which the Lord said He would build upon the acknowledgement that He is "Christ the Son of the living God," the Humanity of the Father, so that whoso seeth Him seeth the Father also, for He and the Father are one. All that is taught by the Lord through Moses, the prophets, and the apostles, is material provided for the erection of that building, which we are told, in the closing of His revelation, is to be His tabernacle with men, and of which He, as the Lamb, is to be the light. This is the end towards the existence of which all former Churches will have, each in its degree, contributed. It is to be emphatically the Lord's Church in its complete development. All the Churches that have preceded have been special unfoldings of the Divine truth adapted to particular conditions of our race; but that which is spoken of at the closing of the Word under the figure of the New Jerusalem is to be a Church with Divine principles from first to last, and thus its teachings are to be suited to the perceptions and necessities of every degree of the human mind and character. It is to include the teachings of all preceding Churches, to unite them into one, and to receive that spiritual and intellectual life by which it may have both a perfect form and an imperishable nature.
The New Jerusalem, then, is the emblem of that Divine dispensation which is to be the crown of all the Churches which have at any time existed upon this globe; it is the last of which the Scriptures speak, and it is described as possessing a brilliancy and richness not recorded of any other. The magnificent details of its description are plainly designed to represent the Lord's Church in its loveliness and glory; to show us something of the brightness of its faith, the purity of its charity, and the holiness of its life.
Of these details we can only present a suminary exposition. They might be all explained and reasoned out at length, but this will not be requisite for those who will carefully weigh the epitome which follows.
No doubt, all the other dispensations, like this, have come down from God out of heaven; but they have not, like this, been "prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." They have not possessed that knowledge of the spiritual sense of the Word which is to be the distinctive glory of the New Jerusalem. They have not known the laws by which it has been written, and by which it is to be interpreted, as she will know them: they have not, like her, been made acquainted with the nature of its inspiration, nor have they been informed, as she will be, concerning the seat of its Divinity: thus, although they have come down from heaven, they have not possessed that glorious knowledge of the Word which is to distinguish the New Jerusalem. This Church, as a bride, is adorned with the wisdom of the Word, and by this she is to be prepared for conjunction with Him who is revealed to be her Husband. What other adornment but the wisdom of the Word can be desired? what other can be acceptable to Him who has provided it for the purpose of aiding the salvation of His people? The Word is the source of all the spiritual jewels and raiment of the Church, and from thence she obtains that magnificent attire in which she can be recognised and loved. Hence it is written that she has "the glory of God;" for that glory is His Word, and the light of it is declared to be "clear as crystal," because the teachings of its spiritual sense will be seen shining through the letter with brilliancy and beauty.
The Holy City, the Church descending from God out of heaven, is said to be of pure gold like glass, and the street of it pure gold, as it were transparent glass. As the golden city represents the holy Church, so the golden street of it signifies that holy doctrine which teaches men how to live in order to be saved; for by pure gold is denoted holy love: this love the Lord requires of man, and on this account, He said "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire."[9] This love is as precious to the spiritual man, as pure gold is to the natural man; and he lays it up as a treasure in heaven, "where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal."[10] But this holy love is not to be an unenlightened virtue; the gold is to be as it were transparent glass; it is to be a love which will be characterised by the lucidity of heavenly wisdom, and so it will be clear in every impulse and enlightened in every action.
The Divine Word will be the fountain of all the doctrines which are to distinguish the New Jerusalem, and these doctrines will be drawn from and confirmed by its literal sense. This sense is represented by a wall, because it is as a strong guard, by which to prevent the selfish and the sensual from intruding upon the spiritual truths which are within. This wall is said to be "great and high"—great by means of the goodness which it protects, and high in consequence of the wisdom which it defends; for greatness has relation to goodness, and height to wisdom. It has twelve gates, because these signify all those knowledges of truth and goodness by which men may enter into the saving things of the Word. The angels at those gates denote the messages of heavenly wisdom which are present in all such spiritual knowledge; and the names of the twelve tribes of Israel are written upon them, to inform us that all the saving teachings of the Word are inscribed upon the letter. Each gate is declared to be of one pearl, to teach us that all the ways of entrance into the Church are distinguished by an acknowledgment of the Lord Jesus Christ, He being the one Pearl of great price who has mercifully revealed Himself as "the way" and "the door." The three gates which are at each of the four entrances, namely, the east, west, north, and south, represent complete admission into the Church, and consequently into heaven, for every one who in faith and love acknowledges the Lord: hence it is written that these gates shall not be shut. The names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb being in the foundation of the wall, signifies that the letter of the Word has its basis in all the doctrines of faith and charity, which have to be believed and done. These doctrines are represented by the twelve apostles of the Lamb. The measure of this wall is to be "the measure of a man, that is of the angel," because the letter of the Word and its spiritual sense are as one, their instructions being adapted to our requirements as men in the world, and to our necessities as angels in heaven. The Word will be the measure of both conditions, and both will correspond to the measure.
We read further that the foundation of the wall and of the city are to be garnished with all manner of precious stones. To be garnished is to be adorned; and all manner of precious stones denotes every variety of holy truths; especially those which transmit the light of life to men. These things are at the foundation of the New Jerusalem; "the glory of God will enlighten it;" that is, the truths of the Word will be the source of its illumination, and "the Lamb will be the light thereof:" "the Lamb" being the Lord in His Divine Humanity, in which He is the true light which lighteth every man who cometh into the world. This is the central light of the Church,—the Sun of righteousness, from which every other subject derives its brightness and its beauty. The Church which lives in this acknowledgment can have no night; the darkness of error will be removed from it. It is also written, "the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it." "The Lord God Almighty," is the Supreme Being in His essential nature; "the Lamb" is the Divine Humanity in which that essential nature was finally revealed: together they are one, as soul and body are one: hence Jesus said, "I and the Father are one," "'whoso seeth me seeth the Father also." He, then, is the temple in the New Jerusalem, because He is the sole object whom its instructed and enlightened citizens will worship. Every one knows that He declared His Humanity to be the temple.[11] The circumstance of the Lord in His Divine Humanity being the only temple in the New Jerusalem, proves that He is the exclusive object of the Christian's worship in this final dispensation of His love. By this worship this Church is to be distinguished from all other Churches which have ever existed in the world: it is the ultimate idea of the Divine, developed in the last economy of is grace; and around this grand truth a multitude of other truths are arranged, all tending to establish faith in the Divime origin of the Word, and to lead those who believe it to holiness and heaven. "The nations of them that are saved are to walk in the light of it; and the kings of the earth are to bring their glory and honour into it." By "nations" are represented those who are in the good of love towards the Lord; and by "kings" are signified those who are in the truths of faith concerning Him. To walk in the light of the New Jerusalem, is to live according to the laws of Divine truth, as they are revealed in the internal sense of the Word; and they who do this compose the nations who are saved. To bring glory and honour into it is to believe in the Lord, and to acknowledge that every truth and every good, as they appear in the external sense of the Word, belongs to Him alone. They who do this are described as kings of the earth. The former live justly according to laws of love; and these are celestial men. The latter believe wisely according to the laws of faith; and these are spiritual men: hence both are saved, one from the practical nature of his love, the other from the practical nature of his faith: still, in the other life, the position of one will be more eminent than that of the other, because such has been their internal distinction in the world.
Such are some of the facts and principles involved in the description of the New Jerusalem. They show, with great certainty, that its purpose, as the tabernacle of God with men, is to unfold the true nature of His Divine Word, and to present the laws of spiritual and heavenly life to man with a clearness never before experienced in the Christian Church. The Church in which the Divine Word is received with understanding, and is followed in the life, must be a blessing to the whole world. It is the medium by which heaven is connected with the earth; and it operates as a magnet for conducting spiritual influences from on high to promote the happiness of men below; and this, not only for those who immediately acknowledge it, but also for those who have not yet been brought within its pale. Hence it is that by the Divine Providence of the Lord the kingdoms of Europe, and especially those in which the Word is freely circulated, have such an extended intercourse with the world; and every one who has paid any attention to the signs of the times must have noticed how much more visible and active that intercourse is becoming with all the unconverted nations of the earth. Thus the descent of the New Jerusalem, because it is being attended with the revelation of the spiritual sense of the Word, and the opening out of new influences from heaven, must be bestowing blessings of the highest order upon men; and thus they are seen to be permeating every department of civilized existence: they may not be acknowledged to have any connection with the presence of the Church in the world; but to what other cause can they be reasonably ascribed? Is it not a fact that wherever the Word has been accepted, and where, as the result, a Church has been planted, there the greatest amount of blessings have always been enjoyed? How plain is it, then, that a more intimate acquaintance with the true nature of the Word must be fraught with more eminent enjoyments? It creates, as it were, vessels in the human mind for the more ready reception of those influences which descend from heaven to bless mankind. The presence of a true Church in the world operates beneficially in human affairs, as do the heat and light, which emanate from the sun, in natural creation. These not only cause the vegetation of trees and shrubs which are planted within the reach of their direct activity, but they also operate to produce the growth of those which are in dark and shady places. So it is with goodness and truth—the heat and light of heaven; these, by means of the Word and the Church, are diffused throughout the world. The Lord said unto the disciples, "Ye are the light of the world;"[12] it is also written, "the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not."[13] In those passages we have the principles declared that the Church is the medium of light to the world, and that this light reveals truths which the world as such will not acknowledge. A new Church would not have been promised, if the fulfilment of that prediction had not been intended to promote some new and some beneficent results among mankind; it is, therefore, plain that the purpose of its descent from heaven must be to open out new perceptions of goodness and truth and use to the world; and when such perceptions display themselves in benefits to men, they may reasonably be regarded as evidences that such a dispensation has begun. It is by the evolution of such new things that the spiritual and natural welfare of our race are to be promoted, our happiness increased, and our sorrows diminished; these results are described as a new creation, through which the Lord will realize His own prediction, "Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth,—I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people; and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. They shall build houses, and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them."[14]
This heavenly dispensation is intended to be a complete and perfect Church in respect to the truths which it will teach and the character of the goodness it will require. It will educate the rational faculty of its people in the knowledge of spiritual and theological things. Its faith wil be the faith of truth; its charity will be the charity of use; and the Lord will be humbly acknowledged as the author and finisher of every grace. The adaptation of its excellence to the three degrees of the human mind may be compared to a magnificent column. Its capital, or celestial degree, will be fervent in love to God who will be intellectually known; its shaft, or spiritual degree, will be wise, and enlightened in the exercises of charity to men; and its base, or natural degree, will be usefully active in performing the moral duties and civil obligations of life; each of the lower principles of its existence will bear a just proportion to the higher, and the whole together will constitute a complete and united structure. Thus the New Jerusalem is to be a celestial, spiritual, and natural Church, in which the affections of purified love in the will, the perceptions of enlightened truth in the understanding, and the diligent performance of useful duties in the world, will unite in the lives of her genuine people, and render them both wise and happy.
We believe that such a Church is now in the process of being developed among mankind. Throughout this essay we have been calling attention to some of the doctrines by which she is distinguished, and offering such evidences in proof of their scriptural origin and reasonable character, as, in a popular work, we could most easily present. With their truth we are most seriously impressed; we believe them to be fraught with great practical uses, and in the highest degree conducive to the progress of enlightened Christianity in the world. They have removed from our minds a thousand difficulties which the popular opinions were continually suggesting, and have won for themselves a reverence in our judgment for which we desire to thank the Giver of every good. And, therefore, we earnestly and affectionately invite all who have not made themselves acquainted with the character and pretensions of this Church to a full, fair, and enlightened consideration of the doctrines which she teaches and the virtues which she inculcates. Compare and test them with the evidences and requirements of Revelation; bring to the work a becoming piety and a dispassionate reason; call in the aids of learning, discrimination, and justice; and then her truths will have fair field for the performance of their mission, while those who humbly obey her precepts will share the blessings she is capable of bestowing.
- ↑ Rev. xxi. 1-3.
- ↑ Isa. lxv. 17.
- ↑ Matt. xxiv. 24.
- ↑ Rev. xxi. 11.
- ↑ Matt. xvi. 15-18.
- ↑ See "On the Divine," who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.
- ↑ Gen. iii. 15.
- ↑ Lam. iv. 1.
- ↑ Rev. iii. 18.
- ↑ Matt. vi. 20.
- ↑ John ii. 19.
- ↑ Matt. v. 14.
- ↑ John 1. 5.
- ↑ Isa. lxv. 17-23.