The Mystery of the Temple and City in Ezekiel Unfolded, Title page 1 – To the reader
The Myſtery OF THE TEMPLE and CITY, DESCRIBED In the NINE laſt Chapters of EZEKIEL UNFOLDED. Alſo theſe following Particulars are briefly handled:
I. The Calling of the Jews.
II. The Reſtitution of all Things.
III. The Deſcription of the Two Beaſts, Rev. 13.
IV. The Day of Iudgment, and the World periſhing by Fire.
V. Some Signs of the Times when the Fall of BABYLON is near.
VI. Some Advantages which the Knowledge of theſe Truths will afford.
VII. The Concluſion of all in ſome Counſels and Directions.
By WILLIAM ALLEINE, Miniſter of the Goſpel.
Glorious things are ſpoken of thee, O City of God:
PSAL. lxxxvii.3.
Bleſſed are they that keep his Commandments, that they may have right to eat of the Tree of Life, and may enter in thorow the Gates into the City.
REV. xxii.14.
LONDON, Printed for B. Harris, and are to be ſold at the Stationers Arms in Sweetings-Alley, near the Royal Exchange; and by T. Wall near the To ſey in Briſtol. 1679.
Some Diſcovery OF THE NEVV HEAVENS, AND THE NEVV EARTH. ALSO OF The Earneſt Expectation of the Creature, to be delivered from its Bondage, into the Glorious Liberty of the Children of God. TOGETHER With ſome Hints wherein it will conſiſt: Gathered out of Holy Scriptures. AS ALSO A Gueſs at the Time wherein it may probably be expected. Together with the Profitable Uſes to be made of it; As in 2 Pet. 3.14.
By WILLIAM ALLEINE, Now with the Lord.
LONDON, Printed for Benjamin Harris. 1679.
TO THE READER.
Reader,
IT will be a good recompence of much Labour in bringing forth that which here follows, for the opening of a dark Prophecy, if it ſhall make thee reſolve, as Moſes did concerning the burning Buſh, I'le turn aſide to ſee this great Sight; even that City, the Frame whereof was ſhewn to the Prophet, and whoſe Name ſhall be JEHOVAH SHAMMAH, The Lord is there. In this Prophecy there are, as in Paul's Epiſtles, foreign, Things hard to be underſtood; yet to be in ſome meaſure underſtood, if He ſhall lead into theſe Myſteries, whoſe work it is to lead into all Truth. When I firſt applyed my ſelf to a more ſerious and fixed ſearch into the Matters contained in this Prophecy, I was little better than blind unto them: but now I ſeem to be able to ſay, as the Man that was brought blind to Christ, after the Lord had put his Hands upon his Eyes, I ſee Men like Trees walking. And if others ſhall be like the Angels in deſiring to look into theſe things, it is to be hoped they may ſee and diſcover them more clearly and diſtinctly. The Glorious Truths which here lie hid under a Vail of Legal Shadows and Figures, do in other parts of Scripture appear with open Face; and the Holy Spirit, ſpeaking by Ezekiel in Parables, doth by other holy Men of God ſpeak more plainly. And the way of teaching by Parables is very grateful, and convincing, when the Parable is underſtood. The words of the Wiſe thus given forth do better ſink down into the Heart, and will not be ſo eaſily let ſlip. Auguſt. lib. 2. de Civ. Dei. Cap. 56. ſaith well, Nemo ambigit & per ſimilitudines liberius quaeque cognoſci, & cum aliqua difficultate quaeſita, multo gratius inveniri. Qui enim prorſus non inveniunt quod quaerunt, fame laborant. Qui autem non quaerunt quia in promptu habent, faſtidio ſaepe marceſcunt. In utroque autem languor cavendus eſt. Magnifice igitur & ſalubriter Spiritus Sanctus ita Scripturam modificavit, ut locis apertioribus fami occurreret, obſcurioribus faſtidia detergerit. Nihil enim fere de illis difficultatibus eruitur, quod non planiſſime alibi reperiatur. He that by the guidance of the Holy Spirit brings the light Scripture to that which is more dark, and the plain Scripture to the Parable, is an Interpreter one of a thouſand. And if it ſhall be the Endeavour of any to do thus, in relation to this and other Prophecies, then let them take theſe two Inſtances for their Encouragement: The firſt is that of the Eunuch, who came to Jeruſalem to worſhip, and in his return, as he ſate in his Chariot, read Eſaias the Prophet, and when he read God hearkened, and heard, for the Spirit ſaid to Philip, Go near and joyn thy ſelf to this Chariot: As if he had ſaid, Here's one reading a Prophecy, which he doth not, but would underſtand; go thou therefore, and make him to underſtand it: and Philip began at that Scripture, and preached unto him Jeſus. So read, and ſet your Hearts upon all that is here ſhown, and ſee whether the Spirit will not joyn himſelf to your Hearts, and Preach much of Jeſus to you in and from this Prophecy.
The other Inſtance is that of Daniel, Chap. 9.2. Who underſtood by Books the Number of the Years of Jeruſalem's deſolations; and then Verſe 3. ſets himſelf to ſeek the Lord; and whileſt he was ſpeaking, the Man Gabriel being cauſed to flie ſwiftly, ſaid to him, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee Skill and Underſtanding. If Daniel had not read the Prophecy of Jeremiah, he had not underſtood the time of the Jew's Deliverance from their Captivity, neither had that Great Diſcovery been made to him upon his Prayer, of the coming of the Meſſiah. Now go and do thou likewiſe, and then may the Lord give thee Skill and Underſtanding alſo in this dark Prophecy, whereby abundant Matter for Prayer, and Ground of Hope will appear, which may be an Anchor of the Soul in Troublous and tempeſtuous Times. When you ſhall be in the Contemplation of this, and other Prophecies, you will be as Moſes on the top of Piſgah, taking a View of the Promiſed Land: And thus may you come to be like the Men of Iſſachar, who had Underſtanding of the Times, to know what Iſrael ought to do.
As for the enſuing Diſcourſe, the Thoughts of Men may be various about it: Some may judge that too little is ſaid, and that Things ſhould be more particularly ſpoken to. Others may think that too much is ſaid, and may ſcoff as the Athenians, Thou bringeſt certain ſtrange things to our Ears. If any ſhall complain that too little is ſaid; I will confeſs it; For every thing in the Deſcription of this TEMPLE and CITY, hath its proper Signification: But I muſt ſay, not for want of Time, but for want of better Skill and Underſtanding, of all theſe Things I cannot now ſpeak particularly; yet I find that of Hoſea verified, Then ſhall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord. If any ſay, 'tis too much; let them enter into the Sanctuary of God, and weigh the Scriptures well, on which the Things which may ſeem ſtrange are grounded, before they reject them, for the Aim hath been not to utter any thing from Fancy and Conceit, but all from Scripture; and not from a private Interpretation of Scripture, but an Interpretation juſtified by other Scriptures: And I would not be thought to be poſitive in all things; but as propounding ſome things to the Prophets that they may judge. If any thing of Error ſhall appear, yet I preſume not that which will be deſtructive to the Faith once delivered to the Saints, in any part of it: For, Matter of Faith and Worſhip, and what concerns Gopel-Ordinances, and Magiſtracy and Miniſtry, are throughout aſſerted and juſtified. That good thing which God hath ſaid he will perform, held forth in this Prophecy, and the Revelation of Chriſt's Perſonal Preſence and Reign upon Earth, was not a little diſparaged by the Carnal Imaginations and Conceits of ſome about it, which were no other than the Smoak of the bottomleſs Pit, which ariſing thence, did darken the Glory of a very precious Primitive Truth, and expoſed it to that Contempt under which it hath long lien buried. But what was by the ſubtilty of the Old Serpent ſown in diſhonour, begins now to be raiſed in glory. I ſhall add no more by way of Preface, but thoſe Two Petitions of the Lord's Prayer; Thy Kingdom come, and thy Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Thy Kingdom is come, and is within, and among thy Diſciples; let it come, and be over all. Now one of a City, two of a Family are brought to Sion, and make a little Flock. Let the time come when all the ends of the Earth ſhall turn to the Lord, and all the Kindreds of the Nations ſhall worſhip before him. Now thou doſt Govern among the Saints, be thou Governour alſo among the Nations. And thy Will is done by ſome few Calebs and Joſuahs that follow thee fully, yet the Beſt are far ſhort of doing thy Will as 'tis done in Heaven; 'Tis done by ſome few on Earth in the ſincerity and uprightneſs of Heaven: let it be done in the exactneſs of Heaven. Thus ſhall it be done when the King of Glory ſhall come from Heaven, and all the Saints with him.
EVEN SO COME LORD JESUS, AMEN.