The Holy City, Commentary · Chapter 21 · Verse 23
Vers. 23.
And the City had no need of the Sun, nor of the Moon to shine in it: for the Glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the Light thereof.
And the City had no need of the Sun▪ That is, after Temple-Worship is over: this Verse is added therefore for further clearing up and illustrating of that which he said before: there he tells us this City had no Temple, and here he tells us she needed neither the light of the Sun or Moon: there he said, The Lord God Almighty, and the Lamb, is the Temple of it; and here he saith, They are the Light thereof: The substance of which, in the language of the Holy Ghost, is this, The reason why Temple-Worship is now gon and over, it is because there is now no need in this City of the Light of the Sun and the Moon; and the reason why she hath now no need of them, is, because the Lord God Almighty, and the Lamb, are to it instead of both Temple and Light: For the Lord God Almighty, and the Lamb, are the Temple of it: For the Glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the Light thereof: Whereby we may note, That though the Light in which she descended (being the purity of Temple-Worship) was glorious, yet this City shall, when she is once builded, so advance from Glory to Glory, that at the last she shall be more happy without the help of that Light, without which she had been for ever unbuilded, then she was by it in the midst of the Fulness of it.
And the City had no need of the Sun, &c.
The word Sun is in Scripture taken divers ways; sometimes for the true andJosh. 10. 12. natural Sun in the Firmament; sometimes again for Persecution, and the rageMat. 13. 10. of the Enemy, &c. but I take Sun here not to be any of these, but for the good and pure Word of the Gospel of Christ, unfolded, opened, and explained by the Servants of Christ; which Sun is the same that before you find to be darkened by the Antichristian Fog and Mist, which was darkened, I say, even to a third part Rev. 8. 12 Rev. 9. 2.of it. This Sun, or Word of the Gospel, Paul saith it is shadowed forth even by that which shineth in the Firmament of Heaven, because as that by its light and shining, giveth to those that have Eyes, to see the Glory and Excellency of this World; so by the shining and light of the Gospel, is given the light of the knowledge of the Glory of God in the face 2 Cor. 4. 3, 4.of Jesus Christ, and a view of the Excellency of the things of the World to come. Now, I say, though while the Church is in this World, and on this side the state of Glory, she cannot live and flourish without the shining of this Sun (but would be lifeless and lightless, and without all heat and comfort (For it is the entrance of the Law that giveth light here,Psal. 19. 7 8. & 119. 130 and that lightneth the Eyes, making wise the simple) yet at the day of the coming of her Lord in Person, she shall see far more clearly without the thus shining of this Sun, than ever she did or could see with and by it. And the City had no need of the Sun: For when by the light of it, the whole Body of the Elect have found out the way to this City, and when they have also by this light accomplished and fulfilled all their Work; yea, when the Lord himself is come, and doth immediately communicate far more glorious light to this City without it, than ever he did by it; What need is there then of the light of this Sun? for that is to be of use but for the time present, even until the whole of the Body of the Lord Jesus is come to the perfect measure, even to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Ephes. 4. 10, 11, 12.Christ: So then, when the Body of Christ is in every sence compleated in this life by the light of the Sunshine of his holy Gospel, what need of this Sun? And hence it is that the Word of the Gospel is called, The Word of Reconciliation, the2 Cor. 5. 19. Word of Faith, and the Words of this Life. Rom. 10 8 Act. 5. 20Wherefore, I say, it ceaseth when there is no more to be reconciled, and when Faith in all is perfected, and when this Life is put an end unto by the coming in of another: For when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away, 1 Cor. 13. 8, 9, 10.
The Ministers of the Gospel are of use so long as there is either Elect to be converted, or any converted Soul to be perfected by that measure of Perfection that God hath appointed on this side Glory; but when this Work is done, their Ministry ceaseth: Wherefore, though like the Widows Sons, they are2 Kin 4. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. busie to borrow Vessels for the Oyl so long as it is running, and emptying it self out of the great and principal Barrel; yet when it ceaseth, as it will do when there is no more Vessels to be found, then let them sit down as they, and receive of the Fruits of their labour; for the Reward of their Work is then onelyonly to be enjoyed by them.
And the City had no need of the Sun, neither of the Moon to shine in it.
This word Moon also, as well as thatJosh. 10. 1 Rev. 12. 1. Psal. 121. 6. of the Sun, is to be taken divers ways in the Scriptures of Truth; sometimes for the natural one, sometimes for the World and Persecutors, &c. but Moon here, is to be taken for the Church of God, with reference to her Life, Conversation, Duties, and exemplary Behaviour, in which she is conversant on this side Glory; according to that of the Song, Who Song 6. 10is this that looketh forth as the Morning, fair as the Sun, clear as the Moon, and terrible as an Army with Banners? When he saith then, that at this day there shall be here no need of the shining light of the Moon, he means that this City at this day in the state she is in when she hath the Person of the Lamb in her, then she shall have no need of the growth of Christianity, for they shall be all perfect; nor no need of Mortification, for there shall be no Sin: they shall not need now, as in time past, to exhort and encourage one another to stick fast to the Promise,2 Cor. 5. 4 for they shall be swallowed up of Life and open Vision: Here shall be no need either of Prayer, of Repentance, of Faith, or of good Works, as afore: And the City had no need of the Sun, neither of the Moon to shine in it.
Now, I say, the holy Ghost is pleased to bring in here the shining Vertues of the Church, under the notion of a shining Moon; because as the Church her self is compared to the Moon, so her Vertues are as naturally compared to a shining Light; as Christ saith, Let your light so shine; and again, Let your loins Mat. 5. 16 Luk. 12. 35. Phil. 1. 15be girded, and your lights burning: for indeed, while we are here that Church and Congregation of the Lord doth most shine, and most send forth the goldenThe Life of the Church compared to the Light of the Moon upon a double account. Rayes and pleasant Beams of Christianity; that is, most in the exercise of the afore-mentioned Vertues: take away the Moon, and the night is doubtful; or though the Moon be in the Firmament, if she hath lost her light, the night is not thereby made more comfortable: And thus, I say, it is first, with the World, where here there is no Church to shine, or where there is a Church that doth not so shine that others may see and be lighted: for while the day of time doth last, even the World it self hath need of the shining of the Church; but at this day, this time will be no longer, because the Day of Eternity will break, and by that means cause the World that now is, even the World of the Ungodly, to cease to have a being here any longer. Therefore now no need of the Moon, or of the light thereof, to shine before that which is not.
Secondly, Again, as the Church is in her light before men, as the Moon is in her light in the night to the world; so as I said before, this City which is called, also, Heaven, she, even she, shall have no need of these things; for she shall be taken up in open Vision, and shall be compleatly delivered from all imperfection; she shall not need now the light of her Children to provoke her, and to stir her up to this or the other act of holiness, all shall be done, all shall be compleat, the Lord himself is come. Indeed while Christ is absent, as touching his Person, and while the work of God is not yet compleatly done in the Church, there will be need both of the light of Sun and Moon, but when the work is done, and he come, then these things will be out of use. Thus The … Prov. 4. 18.of the Just is as the shining light, which shineth more and more unto perfect day.
For the Glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
This is rendered as the reason, why at this day both the light of Sun and Moon are needless; it is, because the Glory of God did lighten it, and because the Lamb is the light thereof. Now the Glory of God must be understood in this place, not of that Glory that doth attend the Church in this world, for that Glory doth attend the Church upon the account of her Purity of Worship, of Temple-Worship, and doth either abide on her, or withdraw it self, according to her exact observing the Rule, or declining from it, as I have shewed you in the *See the Exposition of the 11 vers.beginning of this discourse. But the Glory that here you read of, it is a Glory that supplieth this City without those Ordinances, yea, therefore, those Ordinances (as the Temple and the light of the Sun and Moon) do cease because of the Glory of this Glory that now is come into this City: The City had no need of the Sun, neither of the Moon to shine in it (mark) for the Glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the Light thereof.
Wherefore, I say, this Glory that now he speaks of, it is the Glory that shall possess this City at the end of her Glory in this world; wherefore, as saith the holy Ghost by Isaiah the Prophet, from this day forward, The Sun shall be no more thy light by day, neither for brightness shall the Moon give light unto thee; but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting Light, and thy God thy Glory, Isa. 60. 19.
For the Glory of God did lighten it, &c.
Thus it was at the finishing of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness, and of the Temple at Jerusalem; both which were figures in their finishing, of the finishing of the state of the Church in this world: and it is said of them, that in the day when they in all things were accomplished, according to the fashion that was revealed before concerning their Order and accomplishment, that then the Glory of God [so] appeared upon them, that Exod. 4. 33, 34. 1 King. 8. 9, 10, 11.neither Moses nor Aaron was able to enter in, or to stand therein, because of the Cloud, and of the Glory of the Lord that at that time filled the House. Thus you see this City descends in one measure of Glory, and is consumate in another measure of Glory. The Glory of the Lord was upon the Mount Sinai while the pattern of the Tabernacle was giving: but it rested on the Tabernacle when the work thereof was finished; to signify, I say, that the Glory of God will rest in his Ordinances and in his Church by them, so long as Ordinances are in use: but when they are needless, then it will rest in the Church without them, and that more gloriously than ever it therein did rest by them.
For the Glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
Mark; Though now there shall be no need of Temple, Sun or Moon: yet Christ the Lamb, or the Man who was offered in sacrifice for our Redemption, shall be of use and benefit; for, the Glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. Wherefore, all, that we (who are the saved) shall enjoy of Glory and Sweetness in another world, though we shall not enjoy it from God through Christ, by and in the Ordinances, yet we shall enjoy it through Christ the Lamb, without them; for the Lamb is the light of it. By this word [Lamb] he would have us understand, that when we are in Glory, the blood, death and bloody conquest that the man Christ did get over our infernal enemies, will be of eternal use to us; because that benefit of Christ shall not only for ever be the Foundation of our eternal felicity, but the burden of our Song of Glory, in all our raptures among the Angels. It will be theRev. 9. 5. & 5. 13. Zec. 3 9. Blood, the Blood, the redeeming Blood of the Lamb. Blessing, glory, honour and power be to him that sits upon the Throne, and to the LAMB for ever and ever. 'Tis he inRev. 5. 6. whom will be found the seven Eyes, the seven Spirits of God, in whose light we shall see the heights and depths of those Springs and everlasting Fountains and Depths of Glory for ever; and indeed the conceit of the contrary is foolish. Is not Christ the Head, and we the Members? and do not the Members receive their whole light, guidance and wisdom from it? Is not he also the price, the ground and bottom of our Happiness, both in this world and that which is to come? And is it possible it should be forgotten, or that, by it, our Joy, Light and1 Sam. 25 29. Heaven should not be made the sweeter to all eternity. Our soul is now boundCol. 3. 3, 4. up in him, as in a bundle of life; and when we come thither, he is still the Christ, our life; and it is by our beingJoh. 17. 24. where he is that we shall behold his Glory, and our Glory, because he is glorified; For the Glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. As he said, John 16. 22. Ye now therefore have Joh. 16. 22.sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoyce, and your Joy no man taketh from you.
Thus much of this City, her descending, her fashion, her glory, and of her wading thorow glory, from glory to glory.