THE MEANING

Of the Interior Court measured by the Reed of God.

The inner court of the temple, with those who worship therein, to be measured by the Divine reed, denotes the primeval state of the Church, examined, and accurately proved to be holy, according to the rule of the Divine word.—Not yet in truth, as it was afterwards, (when we arrive at the times of the outer court,) varying from measure, without symmetry, from the contagion of idolatrous worship, but serving God for some ages, regularly, through one only Mediator, Jesus Christ.

For it appears to me that a measure of this kind was intended, even under the type of the angelical dimension in Ezekiel; because it is said to him, c. xliii. from v. 7 to 10, and in the following verses, “But thou, O son of man, show the temple to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed for their iniquities, and let them measure the pattern.” See the passage. But if any one should think differently, and had rather refer the type of dimension to the signification of building, as what is displayed in architectural engravings, or graphically, may be the measurement by God, according to the prophets, that 220will still correspond to the same sense. For what then will this court denote, measured by the Divine reed, but the state of the Church so represented to be the workmanship of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ himself being the chief corner-stone? opposed to the following court, which God did not acknowledge for his building, and therefore John is prohibited from measuring. Whether you interpret it in the latter or the former manner, the substance, as you see, will be the same. But he that shall interpret it in a different sense, unless I am mistaken, can bring no example of his interpretation from Scripture.

How appositely indeed the situation of the altar in this court may adumbrate the frequent sacrifices of martyrs, under that state of the Church, will appear, both from the circumstance itself, and from the contemporary vision of the red dragon fighting with Michael for the offspring of the woman, when we come to the interpretation thereof.