The Works of John Bunyan, vol 3 by John Bunyan (summer books .TXT) 📕

was crucified, did loudly preach this to us. For no sooner was the body of Christ pierced, but the veil of the temple rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and so a way was made for a clearer sight of what was there beyond it, both in the type and antitype (Matt 27:50-53; Heb 10:19,20).

Thus you see that the veil of the temple was a type of these visible heavens, and also of the body of Christ; of the first, because he passed through it unto the Father; of the second, because we by it have boldness to come to the Father.

I read also of two other veils, as of that spread over the face of Moses, to the end that the children of Israel should not stedfastly behold; and of the first veil of the tabernacle. But of these I shall not in this place speak.

Upon the veil of the temple there were also the figures of cherubims wrought, that is, of angels; to show, that as the angels are with us here, and wait upon us all the days of our pilgrimage in this world; so when we die, they stand ready, even at the veil, at the door of these heavens, to come when bid, to fetch us, and carry us away into Abraham’s bosom (Luke 16:22).

The veil, then, thus understood, teaches us first where Jesus is, namely, not here, but gone into heaven, from whence we should wait for him. It also teaches us, that if we would even now discern the glories that are in the holiest of all, we must look through Jesus to them, even through the veil, ‘that is to say, his flesh.’

Yea, it teaches us that we may, by faith through him, attain to a kind of a presence, at least of the beauty and sweetness of them.

LVIII. Of the doors of the inner Temple.

1. Besides the veil, there was a door to the inner temple, and that door was made of olive tree; ‘and for the entering of the oracle, he made doors of olive tree. The two doors also of olive tree, and he carved upon them—cherubims, and palm trees, and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold, and spread gold upon the cherubims, and upon the palm trees’ (1 Kings 6:31).

2. These doors were a type of the gate of heaven, even of that which lets into the eternal mansion-house that is beyond that veil.

I told you before that the veil was a type of the visible heavens, which God has spread out as a curtain, and through which Christ went when he ascended to the right hand of the Father.

3. Now, beyond this veil, as I said, I find a door, a gate opening with two leaves, as afore we found at the door of the outward temple. These are they which the Psalmist calls to, when he saith, ‘Lift up your heads, O ye gates, even lift them up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in’ (Psa 24:7,9).

4. The doors of the temple were made of fire, but these, as you see, were made of olive; to show us by that fat tree, that rich type, with what glory we shall be met, who shall be counted worthy to enter at these gates. The olive tree has its name from the oil and fatness of its nature, and the doors that let into the holiest were made of this olive tree (Rom 11:16-18).[29]

5. Cherubims were also carved upon these doors to show, that as the angels met us at the temple door, and as they wait upon us in the temple, and stand also ready at the veil, so even at the gate of the mansion-house, they will be also ready to give us a welcome thither, and to attend us into the presence chamber.

6. Palm trees also, as they were carved upon the temple doors, so we also find them here before the oracle, upon the doors that let in thither; to show, that as Christ gave us the victory at our first entering into faith, so he will finish that victory, by giving of us eternal salvation. Thus is he the author and finisher of our faith. For as sure as at first we received the palm branch by faith, so surely shall we wear it in our hands, as a token of his faithfulness in the heaven of heavens, for ever (Rev 7:9).

7. Open flowers are also carved here, to show that Christ, who is the door to glory, as well as the door to grace, will be precious to us at our entering in thither, as well as at the first step we took thitherward in a sinful and miserable world. Christ will never lose his sweet scent in the nostrils of his church. He is most sweet now, will be so at death, and sweetest of all, when by him we shall enter into that mansion-house prepared for us in heaven.

8. The palm trees and open flowers may also be a type of the precious ones of God, who shall be counted worthy of his kingdom; the one, of the uprightness of their hearts; the other, of the good favour of their lives. ‘The upright shall dwell in thy presence; and to him that ordereth his conversation aright, I will show the salvation of God’ (Psa 140:13).

9. Thus sweet on earth, sweet in heaven; and he that yields the fruit of the gospel here, shall find it for himself, and his eternal comfort, at the gates of glory.

10. All these were overlaid with gold, as you may say, and so they were at the door of the first house. True, but observe here we have an addition. Here is gold upon gold. Gold laid on them, and then gold spread upon that. He overlaid them with gold, and then spread gold upon them. The Lord gives grace and glory (Psa 84:11). Gold and gold. Gold spread upon gold. Grace is gold in the leaf, and glory is gold in plates. Grace is thin gold, glory is gold that is thick. Here is gold laid on, and gold spread upon that: and that both upon the palm trees and the cherubims.

Gold upon the palm trees, that is, on the saints; gold upon the cherubims, that is, upon the angels. For I doubt not but that the angels themselves shall receive additional glory for the service which they have served Christ and his church on earth.

11. The angels are God’s harvest men, and doubtless he will give them good wages, even glory upon their glory then (Matt 13:38,39, 24:31; John 4:36).

12. You know harvest men use to be paid well for gathering in the corn, and I doubt not but so shall these, when the great ingathering is over. But what an entrance into life is here? Here is gold upon gold at the door, at our first step into the kingdom.

LIX. Of the golden nails of the inner Temple.

I shall not concern myself with all the nails of the temple, as of those made of iron, &c. (1 Chron 22:3). But only with the golden ones, of which you read, where he saith, ‘And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold’ (2 Chron 3:9). These nails, as I conceive, were all fastened to the place most holy, and of form most apt to that of which they were a figure.

1. Some of them represented Christ Jesus our Lord as fixed in his mediatory office in the heavens; wherefore in one place, when the Holy Ghost speaks of Christ, as he sprang from Judah to be a mediator, saith, ‘Out of him came the corner,’ the corner stone, ‘out of him the nail’ (Zech 10:4). Now, since he is compared to a nail, a golden nail, it is to show, that as a nail, by driving, is fixed in his place; so Christ, by God’s oath, is made an everlasting priest (Heb 7:25). Therefore, as he saith again, the nail, the Aaronical priesthood, that was fastened in a sure place, should be removed, be cut down, and fall; so he who has the key of David, which is Christ (Rev 3:7), shall by God, as a nail, be fastened in a sure place, and abide; therefore he says again, ‘And he shall be for a glorious throne,’ or mercy-seat, ‘to his Father’s house.’

And moreover, That ‘they shall hang upon him,’ as on a nail, ‘all the glory of his Father’s house, the offspring, and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons’ (Isa 22:20-25). According to that which is written, ‘And they sang a new song’ to the Lamb that was slain, ‘saying, Thou art worthy,’ &c. (Rev 5:9-12).

And therefore it is again that Christ, under the similitude of a nail, is accounted by saints indeed their great pledge or hope, as he is in heaven, of their certain coming thither. Hence they said of old, God has given us ‘a nail in his holy place’; a nail, says the line, ‘a pin, a constant and sure abode,’ says the margin (Ezra 9:8). Now, this nail in his holy place, as was showed before, is Christ; Christ, as possessed of heaven, and as abiding, and ever living therein for us. Hence he is called, as there, our head, our life, and our salvation; and also we are said there to be set down together in him (Eph 1; Col 3:3; Eph 2:5,6).

2. Some of these nails were types of the holy words of God, which for ever are settled in heaven. Types, I say, of their ‘yea and amen.’ Hence Solomon, in another place, compares the words of the wise God, ‘to goads and nails, fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd’ (Eccl 12:11).

They are called goads, because, as such prick the oxen on in their drawing, so God’s words prick Christians on in their holy duties.

They are called nails, to show, that as nails, when fastened well in a sure place, are not easily removed; so God’s words, by his will, stand firm for ever. The masters of the assemblies are first, the apostles. The one shepherd is Jesus Christ. Hence the gospel of Christ is said to be everlasting, to abide for ever, and to be more stedfast than heaven and earth (Isa 40:6-8; 1 Peter 1:24,25; Heb 13:20; Rev 14:6; Matt 24:35). The Lord Jesus then, and his holy words, are the golden nails of the temple, and the fixing of thess nails in the temple, was to show that Christ is the same today, yesterday, and for ever; and that his words abide, and remain the same for ever and ever. He then that hath Christ, has a nail in the holiest; he that hath a promise of salvation hath also a nail in heaven, a golden nail in heaven!

LX. Of the floor and walls of the inner Temple.

1. The floor of the oracle was overlaid with cedar, and so also were the walls of this house. ‘He built twenty cubits on the sides of the house, both the floor and the walls with boards of cedar.

He even built for it within, for the oracle, for the most holy place’ (1 Kings 6:16).

2. In that he doth tell us with what it was ceiled, and doth also thus repeat, saying, ‘for the oracle, for it within, even for the most holy place,’ it is because he would have it noted, that this only is the place that thus was done.

3. Twenty cubits, that was the length, and breadth, and height of the house; so that by his thus saying he