The Holy City, Commentary · Chapter 21 · Verse 26
Vers. 26.
And they shall bring the glory and honour of the Nations to it.
This, as I said before, is to shew us how heartily and how unfeignedly, both the Nations and their Kings shall now come over to New-Jerusalem. They come hand in hand, not the People without their Prince, nor the Prince without his People; though it will and must be so in the times of Persecution: But now, together THEY shall bring the glory and honour of the Nations to it.
Again, I told you before, that the Jews shall at this day be converted to the Christian Faith, and shal have a great Name, & much of Heaven upon them in this City. For indeed they are the firstborn, the natural branches, and the like. Now when he saith, They shall bring the glory and honour of the Nations to it: I cannot think that by this should be understood only, or yet principally, the outward pomp and treasure of the world, but that rather by honour and glory we are here to understand the Heavenly Treasure and Glory that the Saints shall continually pour forth into one anothers bosoms in this City: in this City, I say, for at this day, as I have formerly shewed you, there will be found no Treasure any where but at Jerusalem; every Saint shall be here, every Grace shall be here, the precious Stones of the Sanctuar; ythe precious Sons of Sion shall not then, as now, lie scattered, some in the World, and some in Mistris Babylons lap; neither shall any thing, pertaining to the Churches priviledges, be found in her at all for ever. There Rev. 18. 22, 23.shall be heard no more at all in her any Harpers, Trumpeters, Pipers, or any other heavenly Musick in her; neither shall there be any more the sound of a Milstone to grind us bread, nor the light of a Candle to guide us in the house, nor yet the Voice of the Bridegroom [Christ] nor of the Bride his Wife, to tempt or allure any that are seeking the Way of Life, to stay with2. Chron. 36. 7. her: all these things shall be brought to Jerusalem. Christians, you must understand, that there is a time when all the Treasures of the Church are to be found in Babylon, as in the dayes of old; but at this day, when this City is built, not any of them shall be found there, but allEzr. 6. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. and 7. 13, 14, 15, 16. shall be brought and delivered up to Jerusalem again, as was also foreshewn in the Type; and all places shall be void of the Treasure of Heaven, but Jerusalem.
Wherefore by the Glory and Honour of the Nations in this place, I understand, That all the Treasures of the Church, and all the Graces that at this day lie scattered here and there, some in one place and some in another; they shall be found no where at that day but in this City, in the Church that walks according to rule. Now the Reasons why I take this honour and glory to be meant of these things, are,
First, Because thus it was in the time of the building of Jerusalem after the Captivity; the Treasure of the Jews, which was become the Treasures of the Provinces of Babylon, was again restored and brought to Jerusalem, as you may see by the Scriptures now cited.
Secondly, Because I find indeed, thatEzek. 20 6, 25. the milk and honey … the Land of Canaan (which is in our Gospel-language the Gifts, Graces, and Treasures of the Church) it is called, The Glory of all Cant. 4. 11.Lands. Now, I say, seeing the milk and honey, which is the Comforts of the Church and her Treasure, is called, the Glory of all Lands: I take Glory and Honour in this place to signify the same thing also.
Thirdly, Because also I find, by comparing the Prophets, that the Christians Glory and Honour, lieth mostly, even principally in Heavenly and Spiritual things; as in Faith, Love, Experience of God, of Grace, of Christ, and Spiritual Life. I reade, that at the building of of this City, the Jews and Gentiles shall meet together, and that at that day they shal mutually be partakers of each others glory. The Gentiles shall milk out, and be delighted in the abundance of the Glory of Isa. 66. 10 11, 12, 13.the Jews: and the Glory of the Gentiles shall be again extended unto the Jews, like a mighty flowing stream: But I say, that this Glory and Honour should consist in outward things, or that the Glory that is meerly carnal, should be principally here intended, I confess it grates too near the ground for me to believe or rejoyce in. Alas, I find that those souls that have not now the tenth part of the Spirit and Life of heavenly things, that shall then be poured forth; I say, I find that these are trampling on the World, and disdain the thoughts of being taken with its Glory: Wherefore much less will it be esteemed in that day, when the Glory and Goodness of God shall in that manner break forth. Again, Can it be imagined that the cheif of the Glory that the Gentiles should bring to the Jews after a sixteen hundred years warming in the bosome of Christ? I say is it imaginable that the great Crop of all they have reaped, should consist in a little outward trumpery? or if it should, would it be a suitable medicine in the least to present to the eyes of a broken and wounded People, as the Jews will be at that day? or if the Glory that the Gentiles at that day shall suck from the Jews were such as this, would it at all be as life from the dead to them in a Gospel sence? The Church of the Gentiles shall be a wall toRom. 11. 13, 14, 15. the Jews at their return, but such a wall as will cheifly consist in spiritual and heavenly safeguard, & in outward because of that: I am a Wall, saith she, and my breasts Cant. 8. 8, 9, 10.are Towers, on which the Jews will build upon her a Palace of Silver. But must this Wall, I say, consist cheifly in outward Glory, in the Glory of earthly things? or must this Silver-Palace be of that nature either? no verily, but when God hath builded the City Jerusalem, and put his Church into such a state, that upon all her Glory shall be a defence of Heaven, then shall the Jews, by their coming into this City, build by their experience a Palace for spiritual and heavenly pleasure, to solace and comfort their brethren withal. In a word then, by Glory and Honour in this place, we are cheifly to understand the spiritual and heavenly things of thisPsal. 61. 13. City, which in the times of the reign of Antichrist have lain, some among theCant. 2. 14. potsheards of the Earth, some again underIsa. 27. 13 the stayrs, some under this abuse and some under that; all which, shall be brought, by the souls that shal be converted, forthwith to this City the Church, where will be the Treasury of God, into which every one at that day shall throw in of their abundance; but as for the glory of the world, the Saints shall be above it; it shall be with them, as Silver and Wood was in the days of Solomon, 1 Kin. 10. 21.even as little worth as the stones in the street in their account.