The Holy City, Commentary · Chapter 21 · Verse 27
Vers. 27.
And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie, but they which are written in the Lambs Book of Life.
I am not yet convinced that the highest Church-state that ever was, or ever will be in this World, could possibly be so all of them the Elect of God, but that there would get in among them some that had not saving Grace; the same also I believe touching the state of this Jerusalem: But yet this I do believe again, that the right and Gospel-Pattern is, That none be admitted into Church-Communion, but such who are visible Saints 1 Cor. 1. 1 2 Cor. 1. 1, Eph. 1. 12. Phil. 1. 1.by Calling; the substance of which these words import, There shall not enter into it any thing that [defileth] or that [worketh] abomination, or that [maketh a lye;] which words do principally strike at a People that appear to be loose, wicked, or ungodly; of which sort indeed, not one shall here at any time, no not in any wise, be admitted Entrance: for now shall all the Forms, and all the Ordinances, and all the forms of the Goings out ofEzek. 43. 10, 11. the Church of God, and the Comings in to it, be so exactly opened to these People, and they so punctual and distinct inJoel 3. 17 Zech. 14. 21. Ezek. 43. 12. Ezek. 44. 6, 7, 8. the observation of them, that it will not be possible that a Canaanite should be here for ever again found any more: This is the Law of the House, upon the top of the Mountains, the whole limit thereof shall be holy; behold, this is the Law of the House.
And as there shall at this day be none admitted here, but such as are in truth visible Saints; so none must here continue but they that continue such: If any of those stones that are put in for building into the House of God, shall afterwards have the Plague found on them; then the Priest shall command that such stones be Lev. 14. 40.taken away, and cast into the unclean place that is without the City. And observe it, that Congregation on Earth that admits onelyonly of such Persons as are visible SaintsNum. 19. 22. Ephes. 5. 11. Heb. 12 15 2 Thes. 3. 6, 14. 1 Cor. 5. 6 11, 12, 13 by calling and Profession, (though possibly some of them, as in the case of Judas and Demas, may be known to God to be non-elect, yet) that Church is holy round about the limits thereof: Provided also, that if at any time after that the Plague appears, they orderly proceed to deal with them, (as here things will be done to a tittle, and a hairs breadth.) Now the reason why the Church may be said to have some within her that are none Elect, and yet be counted holy still, it is, because the Church is to judge of Persons by their Words and Lives; they know not the Heart absolutely: and therefore if in Word and Life a man be as he ought, he is to be accounted a visible Saint, and orderly ought to be received of the Church as such: So that I say, as I said before, these words of bar…ing out Sinners out of the Church, they are not to be understood as if they intended that those should be debarred visible Communion, that in Word and Life appeared visible Saints, that are so judged by the Rules of Christs Testament; but that such should be from it shut out, that appeared visible Sinners: Those that are Defilers, Workers of abomination, and Makers of Lies, none of these shall enter.
But those that are written in the Lambs Book of Life.
These words explain the matter: Those, and those onelyonly, shall enter here, that are found written in the Lambs Book of Life. Now by Book of Life, we are to understand two things in the Scriptures of Truth: First, Either the Book of Gods eternal Grace and Mercy thorow Christ, in which all the Elect are recorded for ever: Or, Secondly, That Book of Life in which the Lord Jesus hath all recorded that are visible Saints by calling; for, for both these there is a Book of Life. For the first of these, I judge these Scriptures do suit, Luk. 10. 20. 2 Tim. 2. 19. Phil. 4. 3. and for the second, these, with that in the Text, Exod. 32. 32, 33. Rev. 22. 19.
Now the Book of Life in this place must not be so strictly taken as if it included those onelyonly that were elect of God to eternal Life, but must be understood of that Book wherein is recorded the Rules and Bounds of visible Church-Communion; and so all those that thorow the Gifts and Operations of special or common Grace, do fall within the compass of those Rules and Bounds. Thus it was in the Type, at the return out of Captivity, none were to be admitted entrance into the Church, but those that could shew their Priviledges by Genealogy, and the Records of theEzra 2. 62, 63. Nehem. 7. 64, 65. & 2. 20. Church; and to others it was said, That they had neither Portion, nor Lot, nor Memorial in Jerusalem.
Now that by Book of Life in this place we are to understand that Book that hath in it the Bounds and Liberties of this City, and so every one that falleth within the compass of these Bounds and Priviledges visibly, Consider,
First, They that are visible matter for visible Church-Communion, they shall be found within this City, and yet there shall not enter any, but those that are written in the Lambs Book of Life.
Secondly, Now visible Church-Communion doth not absolutely call for onelyonly invisible Saints, neither can it: for if the Church was to joyn with none but those whom they knew to be the very Elect of God (as all invisible Saints are) then she must joyn with none at all; for it is not possible that any Church should be so infallible to judge in that manner of the Elect, as to discern them always, and altogether from the non-Elect, which cannot be an invisible Saint.
Thirdly, By Book of Life therefore, in this place, we are to understand, I say, that Book that hath written in it every visible Saint, whether they be Elect, or not; and so such a Book that is capable of receiving in a man at one time, and of blotting of him out again, as occasion doth require, at another: which thing is onelyonly applicable to that Book that binds and looses on the account of a mans being a visible Saint, or a visible Apostate: which thing is onelyonly applicable to the visible Rules of receiving or shutting out of visible Church-Communion; which Rules being the Rules of Christs New-Testament, it is proper to call it the Book of Life; and is about the matter of going in or going out of this very City, so called: If any man shall take Rev. 22. 18, 19.away from the words of the Book of this Prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life, and out of the Holy City, and from the things that are written in this Book. O how happy is he who is not onelyonly a visible, but also an invisible Rev. 3. 5.Saint! He, he shall not be blotted out of the Book of Gods eternal Grace and Mercy; when others are liable to lose a share not onelyonly in Heaven, but to be for ever blotted out of the Book that approveth of visible Believers also.
Fourthly. But again, to explain the matter yet more: In the visible Church there is not onelyonly Sons but Servants, that is, not onelyonly those that are truly Elect, but such as have received a Gift for the perfecting the Church under *Ezek. 46. 16, 17.Christ, in his Service here in this World: Now, I say, the Servant for the time present hath his place in the Church as well as the Son, though not the place of a Son, but of a Servant, even a place of Service, as of Preaching, Prophesying, administring1 Cor. 12. 7 the Ordinances that are given to the Church, and the like; all which, a man that hath not Grace may do, and that by the appointment of Christ; thusEph. 4. 9, 10, 11, 12 1 Cor. 13 1, 2, 3, 4. Mat. 25. 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. was Judas, Demas, Hymeneus, Phyletus, and others; who sometimes were the Servants of Christ in the Church, and did minister for him to them; yet themselves, notwithstanding, such as were all that time strangers and aliens to the life, and power and saving operations of the justifying and preserving Grace of the Gospel: as he saith also by the Prophet Isaiah, Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of aliens shall be Isa. 61. 5.your Plough men, and your Vine-dressers. For verily Christ will give to those that have not his saving-grace, yet great knowledge and understanding in the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God, and will also make them for profit and advantage in his Church, to feed their flocks, to plow up the fallow ground of their hearts, and to dress their tender Vines: Yet, I say, they themselves shall not be everlastingly saved, for they want his saving-grace. As Christ saith, The servant abideth not in the house for Joh. 8. 35.ever, but the Son abideth for ever. As he saith again in another Prophet, If the Prince give a gift to any of his sons, the inheritance thereof shall be his sons; it shall be their possession by inheritance: but if he give a gift of inheritance to one of his servants, then it shall be his to the year of Liberty; Ezek. 46. 16, 17.after it shall return to the Prince: but his inheritance shall be his sons for them. Some indeed have grace aswel as gifts; now they that are such, the profit of their gifts shall be rewarded by vertue of their grace, but as for them that have only a gift, when the work of a gift is done, then they cease to be any longer of use in the Church, and therefore are forthwith shut out of the same, but the Son abideth for ever. Thus you see that as visible Church-communion doth not absolutely call for the Elect only, but admits, and that by the Book of Rules, all that are visible and open Saints by calling: so also the Lord Jesus himself doth and will use some in his Church as his Officers and Servants, that yet in a a strict sence are neither his Sons nor Members; Who yet are within the bounds of that Book of Life that here he speaks of, as is evident, because with Christ's allowance they are admitted into commnnion with his Church, and by him also furnished with Gifts and Abilities to profit and edifie withal. Now observe, such a one is admitted, though but a Servant, yet not by the Church, because but such a one. The Church receiveth no man upon the account of gifts alone, but upon the account of the appearance of Grace; as of Gospel-Repentance, of the Confession of Faith, and of a Conversation suitable to the same: All which a man that is not elect may have the notion of, yea, the †Heb. 6 4, 5.power though not the saving Power.
5. Further, this which I have said about the visible Church-Communion, and so consequently about the Book of Life, it must needs be a Gospel-Truth; yea, a thing for Truth in this New-Jerusalem: because, besides what hath been said, there will be found in this City, even at the coming of the Lord Jesus, (which coming of his will not be for some time after the building and setting of it up) I say, there will be then sound among them foolish Virgins, and such who have not the saving-grace of God in their souls: But yet, 1. these very souls shall be counted by the Church, yea, by Christ himself, for Virgins; that is, such as had not defiled their Profession. 2. And will be such Virgins as have, and hold every one her Lamp, even as the Wise themselves. 3. Such Virgins as were, every one of them, gone forth from the pollutions of this evil-world. 4. And so such as continued visible Saints, even till the Bridegroom came, for then 'tis said in the margent, they cryed, Our Lamps are going out. Matth. 25. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.These, I say, be those gifted people that will have place in the Church, and so place in the Book of Life here mentioned, which yet will (though they continue hid from the Church) be discovered in the day of the Lord to be such, as had only a gift, but not grace; and shall for their secret sins be cut off, and cast away, notwithstanding they were visible Saints all their dayes.
To conclude then; If the Scripture saith, that none that defileth, or that worketh abomination, or maketh a lie, shall enter into this holy City, which yet is but the Church on Earth; with what face can Defilers think and say, they shall possess a part among the Church which is in Heaven. Again, If many that have received gifts from God, and that may be serviceable in his House, shall yet be put out of doors at the coming of the Lord, What will they do that have been, and yet continue both giftless and graceless, as visibly as the light that shineth? and that instead of being the Ploughmen and Vine-dressers of the Church, prove Thieves, Robbers, Persecutors, and the like! yea, if many that are within the bounds of that Book of Life that hath the Records and Rules of a rightly constituted visible Church, may yet perish, what will become of them that never were so much as written therein! must they not perish rather! And whosoever were not found written in the Book Rev. 20 16.of Life, was cast into the Lake of Fire.