CHAPTER 25
THE PROOF OF THE GOSPEL
Bk. VI.
Jerusalem break forth into joy together, for the T.ord has pitied her, and saved Jerusalem."
Nor would you be wrong in calling Sion the soul of every holy and godly man, so far as it is lifted above this life, having its city in heaven, seeing the things beyond the world.
For it means "a watch-tower." ^ And in so far as (b) such a man remains calm and free from passion, you could call him Jerusalem—for Jerusalem means "\'ision of Peace."
After this the call of the Gentiles to the worship of God is very clearly shown in the words, "And the Lord God will reveal His holy arm before all nations ; and the high places of the earth shall see the salvation of our God."
And consider that the arm of the Lord is nothing else but the Word and Wisdom, and the Lord Himself, Who is the Christ of God.
It is easy to shew this from many instances.
In the Exodus you have Israel saved by the arm of God from (c) slavery to the Egyptians.
While the prophecy before us says that that same arm of the Lord, which of old appeared to save His people will be revealed to all nations, as if it formerly were hidden from them.
And "the salvation, which " he says " all the high places of the earth shall see," and which he mentioned before when he said, " I will make my salvation known," know that it is the Hebrew for the name of Jesus.
CHAPTER 25
(d) From the same.
Ho7V, again, the Coinitig of GoJ the Word and the Gathering of All Nations is feretold.
[Passage quoted, Isa.
Ixvi. i8, 19.] Hf-RK also the Coming of the Lord to men is exactly foretold.
And as it said, " He will come as fire," our Saviour Ilk xii ''ti'itly says, "I came to cast fire on the earth, and what ' will I, if it be already kindled ?" Vou may say His " chariots
,i^.
(b) are His attendant divine powers, and the holy angels chosen '
.\ llioui;ht in liL\rm«ny wiili llie l)it;hest mysticism.
Ch. 25.
ALI, NATIONS AND TONGUES
to minister to Him, of whom it is said, " and angels came and ministered to Him," and His lioly apostles and disciples, borne up by wlium, the Word of God with divine invisible power ran through all the world.
One might also literally in another way connect fire and chariots with His coming, through the siege that attacked Jerusalem after our Saviour's
Advent, for the Temple was burned with fire not long after, (c) and was reduced to extreme desolation, and the city was encircled by the chariots and camps of the enemy, after which too the promises to the Gentiles were fulfilled in harmony with the prophecy.
A\'ho would not wonder hearing the Lord say by the prophet, "I come to bring together all nations and tongues," and then seeing throughout the whole inhabited world the congregations welded (tl) together in the Name of Christ through the Coming and the Call of our Saviour Jesus Christ, with the tongues of all nations in varying dialects calling on one God and Lord ?
To crown all, who beholding all them that believe in Christ using as a seal the sign of salvation,^ would not rightly be astounded hearing the Lord saying in days of old, "And they shall come and see my glory, and I will leave my sign upon them ".''
We see in part, indeed, now with our own eyes the fulfilment of the holy oracles as to the first Epiphany of our Saviour to man.
May it be seen completely as well in His second glorious Advent, when all nations shall see His glory, and when He comes in the heavens with power and great glory.
To that day the remainder of the prophecy must be (307) referred, as I shall show in my own argument.
As I have in this Book collected so many passages concerning the prophecies of the coming of God, my next task should be to connect with them an account of what was foretold as to the nature of His entry - into human life.
^ Cf. p. 450
(I.
The sign of tlie Cress in Baptism was an essential part of thj ceremony liy Cyprian's day : "By whatever lips the sacred words .nre uttered, it is tlie authoritative use of the sign of the Cross which works the effect in all the sacraments" (De Pass.
Christi, cf.
St.
Augu>line, Honi. cxviii. in S. Jean. xi.
24).
At Baptism it was used over the water (/\ug., Horn, xxvii.) ; in the exorcism and imposition of hands (Aug., Con/.
I. cap.
11) and at the unction (Tertul., De Kesur. cap.
8.).
" irapoSoK.