Works of John Bunyan Volume III Part 86

Hence they that show much love to saints are said to be rich (1 Tim 6:17-19). And hence charity is called a treasure, a treasure in the heavens (Luke 12:33,34). Love is a golden grace; let then the churches, as the porch of the temple was, be inlaid with love, as gold.

Second. It had the pillars adjoined to it, the which, besides their stateliness, seem to be there typically to example. For there was seen, by the s.p.a.ce of four cubits, their lily-work in the porch (1 Kings 7:19). Of their lily-work I spake before. Now that they were so placed that they might be seen in the porch of the house, it seems to be for example, to teach the church, that she should live without worldly care, as did the apostles, the first planters of the church. And let ministers do this; they are now the pillars of the churches, and they stand before the porch of the house; let them also show their lily-work to the house, that the church may learn of them to be without carefulness as to worldly things, and also to be rich in love and charity towards the brethren. A covetous minister is a base thing, a pillar more symbolizing Lot's wife than an holy apostle of Jesus Christ; let them, since they stand at the door, and since the eyes of all in the porch are upon them, be patterns and examples of good works (1 Tim 6:10-12; t.i.tus 2:7).

Third. Another ornament unto this porch was, that it was an inlet into the temple. Charity is it which receiveth orphans, that receiveth the poor and afflicted into the church. Worldly love, or that which is carnal, shuts up bowels, yea, and the church-doors too, against the poor of the flock; wherefore look that this kind of love be never countenanced by you. Crave that rather which is a fruit of the Spirit. O churches, let your ministers be beautified with your love, that they may beautify you with their love; and also be an ornament unto you, and to that Gospel they minister to you, for Jesus Christ's sake.

XXII. Of the ascent by which they went up into the porch of the Temple.

1. This porch also had certain steps, by which they went up into the house of the Lord. I know not directly the number of them; though Ezekiel speaks something about it (Eze 40:38,39). Hence, when men went to worship in the temple, they were said to go UP into the house of the Lord (Isa 38:22).

These steps, which were the ascent to the temple, were so curiously set, and also so finely wrought, that they were amazing to behold.

Wherefore, when the queen of Sheba, who came to prove Solomon's wisdom, saw 'the house which he had built,--and his ascent by which he went up into the house of the Lord, she had no more spirit in her.' She was by that sight quite drowned, and overcome (1 Kings 10:4,5).

2. These steps, whether cedar, gold, or stone, yet that which added to their adornment was the wonderment of a queen. And whatever they were made of, to be sure they were a shadow of those steps which we should take to and in the house of G.o.d. Steps of G.o.d (Psa 85:13).

Steps ordered by him (Psa 37:23). Steps ordered in his word (Psa 119:133). Steps of faith (Rom 4:12) Steps of the Spirit (2 Cor 12:18) Steps of truth (3 John 4). Steps washed with b.u.t.ter (Job 29:6). Steps taken before, or in the presence of, G.o.d. Steps b.u.t.ted and bounded by a divine rule. These are steps indeed.

3. There are therefore no such steps as these to be found any where in the world. A step to honour, a step to riches, a step to worldly glory, these are everywhere; but what are these to the steps by which men do ascend or go up to the house of the Lord!

He then that entereth into the house of the Lord is an ascending man; as it is said of Moses, he went up into the mount of G.o.d. It is ascending to go into the house of G.o.d. The world believe not this; they think it is going downward to go up to the house of G.o.d; but they are in a horrible mistake.

The steps then by which men went up into the temple are, and ought to be, opposed to those which men take to their l.u.s.ts and empty glories. Hence such steps are said not only to decline from G.o.d, but to take hold of the path to death and h.e.l.l (Psa 44:18; Prov 2:18, 5:5, 7:25-27).

The steps, then, by which men went up to the house of the Lord, were significative of those steps which men take when they go to G.o.d, to heaven, and glory: for these steps were the way to G.o.d, to G.o.d in his holy temple.

But how few are there that, as the queen of the south, are taken with these goodly steps! Do not most rather seek to push away our feet from taking hold of the path of life, or else lay snares for us in the way? But all these notwithstanding, the Lord guide us in the way of his steps: they are goodly steps, they are the best.

XXIII. Of the gate of the porch of the Temple.

1. The porch, at which was an ascent to the temple, had a gate belonging to it. This gate, according to the prophet Ezekiel, was six cubits wide. The leaves of this gate were double, one folding this way, the other folding that (Eze 40:48).

Now here some may object, and say, Since the way to G.o.d by these door were so wide, why doth Christ say the way and gate is narrow?

Answ. The straitness, the narrowness, must not be understood of the gate simply, but because of that c.u.mber that some men carry with them, that pretend to be going to heaven. Six cubits! What is sixteen cubits to him who would enter in here with all the world on his back? The young man in the gospel, who made such a noise for heaven, might have gone in easy enough; for in six cubits breadth there is room: but, poor man, he was not for going in thither, unless he might carry in his houses upon his shoulder too, and now the gate was strait (Mark 10:17-27). Wherefore he that will enter in at the gate of heaven, of which this gate into the temple was a type, must go in by himself, and not with his bundles of trash on his back;[11] and if he will go in thus, he need not fear there is room. 'The righteous nation that keepeth the truth, they shall enter in' (Isa 26:2).

2. They that enter in at the gate of the inner court must be clothed in fine linen: how then shall they go into the temple that carry the clogs of the dirt of this world at their heels? 'Thus saith the Lord G.o.d; No stranger uncirc.u.mcised in heart, nor uncirc.u.mcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary' (Eze 44:9).

3. The wideness therefore of this gate is for this cause here made mention of, to wit, to encourage them that would gladly enter thereat, according to the mind of G.o.d, and not to flatter them that are not for leaving of all for G.o.d.

4. Wherefore let such as would go in remember that here is room, even a gate to enter in at six cubits wide. We have been all this while but on the outside of the temple, even in the courts of the house of the Lord, to see the beauty and glory that is there. The beauty hereof made men cry out, and say, 'How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! my soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord'; and to say, 'a day in thy courts is better than a thousand' (Psa 84:1,2,&c.).

XXIV. Of the pinnacles of the Temple.

1. There were also several pinnacles belonging to the temple. These pinnacles stood on the top aloft in the air, and were sharp, and so difficult to stand upon: what men say of their number and length I wave, and come directly to their signification.

2. I therefore take those pinnacles to be types of those lofty airy notions with which some men delight themselves, while they hover, like birds, above the solid and G.o.dly truths of Christ. Satan attempted to entertain Christ Jesus with this type, and ant.i.type, at once, when he set him on one of the pinnacles of the temple, and offered to thrust him upon a false confidence in G.o.d, by a false and unsound interpretation of a text (Matt 4:5,6; Luke 4:9-11).

3. You have some men cannot be content to worship IN the temple, but must be aloft; no place will serve them but pinnacles, pinnacles; that they may be speaking in and to the air, that they may be promoting their heady notions, instead of solid truth; not considering that now they are where the devil would have them be; they strut upon their points, their pinnacles; but let them look to it, there is difficulty standing upon pinnacles; their neck, their soul, is in danger. We read, G.o.d is in his temple, not upon these pinnacles (Psa 11:4; Hab 2:20).

4. It is true, Christ was once upon one of these; but the devil set him there, with intent to have dashed him in pieces by a fall; and yet even then told him, if he would venture to tumble down, he should be kept from dashing his foot against a stone. To be there, therefore, was one of Christ's temptations; consequently one of Satan's stratagems; nor went he thither of his own accord, for he knew that there was danger; he loved not to clamber pinnacles.

5. This should teach Christians to be low and little in their own eyes, and to forbear to intrude into airy and vain speculations, and to take heed of being puffed up with a foul and empty mind.[12]

XXV. Of the porters of the Temple.

1. There were porters belonging to the temple. In David's time their number was four thousand men (1 Chron 23:5).

2. The porters were of the Levites, and their work was to watch at every gate of the house of the Lord; at the gate of the outer court, at the gates of the inner court, and at the door of the temple of the Lord (2 Chron 35:15).

3. The work of the porters, or rather the reason of their watching, was to look that none not duly qualified entered into the house of the Lord. 'He set,' saith the text, 'the porters at the gates of the house of the Lord, that none which was unclean in any thing should enter in' (2 Chron 23:19).

4. The excellency of the porters lay in these three things, their watchfulness, diligence, and valour, to make resistance to those that, as unfit, would attempt to enter those courts and the house of G.o.d (1 Chron 26:6; Mark 13:34).

5. These porters were types of our gospel ministers, as they are set to be watchmen in and over the church, and the holy things of G.o.d. Therefore as Christ gives to every man in the church his work, so he commands 'the porter to watch' (Isa 21:11; Eze 3:17, 33:7; Acts 20:27-31; 2 Tim 4:5; Rev 2:2,3).

6. Sometimes every awakened Christian is said to be a porter, and such at Christ's first knock open unto him immediately (Luke 12:35-40).

7. The heart of a Christian is also sometimes called the porter; for that when the true shepherd comes to it, to him this porter openeth also (John 10:3).

8. This last has the body for his watch-house; the eyes and ears for his port-holes; the tongue therewith to cry, Who comes there?

as also to call for aid, when anything unclean shall attempt with force and violence to enter in, to defile the house.

XXVI. Of the charge of the porters of the Temple more particularly.

1. The charge of the porters was, to keep their watch, in four square, even round about the temple of G.o.d. Thus it was ordained by David, before him by Moses, and after him by Solomon his son (1 Chron 9:24; Num 3; 2 Chron 23:19, 35:15).

2. The porters had some of them the charge of the treasure-chambers; some of them had the charge of the ministering vessels, even to bring them in and out by tale; also the opening and shutting of the gates of the house of the Lord was a part of their calling and office.

3. I told you, the porters were types of our gospel ministers, as they are watchmen in and over the house of G.o.d; and therefore in that they were thus to watch round about the temple, what is it but to show how diligent Satan is, to see if he may get in somewhere, by some means, to defile the church of G.o.d; he goes round and round and round us, to see if he can find a hog-hole for that purpose.

4. This also showeth that the church of itself, without its watchmen, is a weak, feeble, and very helpless thing. What can the lady or mistress do to defend herself against thieves and st.u.r.dy villains, if there be none but she at home? It is said, when the shepherd is smitten, the sheep shall be scattered. What could the temple do without its watchmen?

5. Again, in that the porters had charge of the treasure-chambers as it is (1 Chron 9:26), it is to intimate, that the treasures of the gospel are with the ministers of our G.o.d, and that the church, next to Christ, should seek them at their mouth. 'We have this treasure in earthen vessels,' saith Paul, and they are 'stewards of the' manifold 'mysteries of G.o.d' (1 Cor 4:1; 2 Cor 4:7; 1 Peter 4:10; Eph 4:11-13).

6. These are G.o.d's true scribes, and bring out of their treasury things new and old; or, as he saith in another place, 'At our gates,'

that is, where our porters watch, 'are all manner of pleasant fruits, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved' (Cant 7:13; Matt 13:52).

7. Further, some of them had charge of the ministering vessels, and they were to bring them in and out by tale (1 Chron 9:28). (1.) If by ministering vessels you understand gospel ordinances, then you see who has the charge of them, to wit, the watchmen and ministers of the word (Luke 1:12; 2 Thess 2:15; 2 Tim 2:2). (2.) If by ministering vessels you mean the members of the church, for they are also ministering vessels, then you see who has the care of them, to wit, the pastors, the gospel ministers. Therefore 'obey them that have the rule over you--for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account; that they may do it with joy, and not with grief, for that is unprofitable for you' (Heb 13:17).

8. The opening of the gates did also belong to the porters, to show that the power of the keys, to wit, of opening and shutting, of letting in and keeping out of the church, doth ministerially belong to these watchmen (Matt 16:19; Heb 12:15).

9. The conclusion is, then let the churches love their pastors, hear their pastors, be ruled by their pastors, and suffer themselves to be watched over, and to be exhorted, counselled, and if need be, reproved, and rebuked by their pastors.[13] And let the ministers not sleep, but be watchful, and look to the ordinances, to the souls of the saints, and the gates of the churches. Watchman, watchman, watch!

XXVII. Of the doors of the Temple.

Now we are come to the gate of the temple; namely, to that which let out of the porch into the holy place.

1. These doors or gates were folding, and they opened by degrees.

First, a quarter, and then a half, after that three quarters, and last of all the whole. These doors also hanged upon hinges of gold, and upon posts made of the goodly olive tree (1 Kings 6:33,34; Eze 41:23,24).

2. These doors did represent Christ, as he is the way to the Father, as also did the door of the tabernacle, at which the people were wont to stand when they went to inquire of G.o.d. Wherefore, Christ saith, 'I am the door,' alluding to this, 'by me if any man enter he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture' (Exo 33:9,10, 38:8, 40:12; Lev 1:3,4, 8:3,4,33, 15:14; Num 6:13,18, 10:3, 25:6, 27:2; 1 Sam 2:22; John 10:9). (1.) 'I am the door.'