New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. HERE is the spring where waters flow, Here is the tree where truth doth grow, Here is the Judge that stints the strife, Here is the Bread that feeds the life The tidings of salvation dear Come to our ears. from hence; Then be not like the hog that hath But takes more pleasure in the trough Read not this Book in any case Read not but first desire God's grace To understand thereby. Pray still in faith with this respect, That knowledge may bring this effect, Then happy thou in all thy life, Yea, doubly happy shalt thou be, THIS Evangelist, we are told, was born at Nazareth, the place where our blessed Saviour resided, and was the son of Alpheus and Mary kinswoman to the blessed Virgin. His occupation was that of a publican, or tax-gatherer to the Romans, an office detested by the generality of the Jews. After his election to the apostleship, he continued with the rest till the ascension of his great and beloved Master: after which, for the first eight years at least, he preached in different places of Judea; then travelled into several parts, preaching the Gospel, especially Ethiopia, where he suffered martyrdom at a city called Naddabar; but by what kind of death is not certainly known, though the general opinion is that he was slain with an halberd. THIS Evangelist was descended from Jewish parents, and supposed to have been converted by some of the apostles; perhaps by St. Peter, whom he constantly attended in his travels. But, however this be, he preached in Italy and at Rome, where he wrote the Gospel which is called after his name. We are told by Eusebius that he was sent by St. Peter into Egypt to preach the Gospel; and, having planted a Church in Alexandria, the idolatrous inhabitants entered it while he was performing divine service, and binding his feet with cords, dragged him through the streets to a precipice near the sea, leaving him there in a prison for that night. The next morning they dragged him about in the same manner till he expired, and afterwards burned his mangled body. |