MEASURING THE CITY (READING)
[p. 336] MEASURING THE CITY (READING)
2 Corinthians 1: 19 - 22; 2 Corinthians 3: 17, 18; 2 Corinthians 10: 4, 5; Revelation 21: 15 - 17
CAC What is before me in suggesting these scriptures is the thought that we should take account of what exists for God’s pleasure at the present moment, and what is shortly going to be displayed in the world to come. It is what is of God as it may be measured by the creature. It seems to me that there is what answers to the breadth, length and height of the city, and it is the pleasure of God that the creature should measure it for it is an angel that measures. I think God would, as it were, put the golden reed into our hands today, and enable us to estimate what is suitable to Him. We may be sure that what is suitable to God will be effectuated just because it is of God. I take it we are together as a company of holy sons, and that it will be our pleasure and great profit to measure the city.
Ques Why is there no depth?
CAC Because what is contemplated is the sphere of divine promise rather than purpose. In Ephesians we get depth because there we are in the sphere of purpose. The city in Revelation 21: 9 - 27 stands in relation to the sphere of promise: it is the complete vindication of God in regard to that scene which has been desolated by the power of evil, the scene by which we are surrounded here. It is an immense stay to the heart to see God vindicated in regard to the whole scene of evil, and God would have us measure that.
Rem We get actual measurements, “twelve thousand stadia”; but you are talking of the moral measurements.
CAC There is a moral suggestion in it. The point is not so much the dimensions but the perfect proportions: the length is equal to the breadth, and both are equal to the height. It is the moral proportions that God calls attention to. The immensity in Ephesians 3: 18 cannot be measured, but in Revelation 21: 15 - 17 there is what can be measured by the creature: it is a blessed and divine perfection in which the glory of God appears, but it is presented as that which the creature can apprehend and measure.
Ques In 2 Corinthians do we get promises, not purposes?
CAC That is why I suggested the scripture in 2 Corinthians 1: 20. I would suggest that we see there something of the “breadth” of the city. We all know what it is to survey the wide desolation brought in by Satan’s power and the entrance of sin and death. We might apply Isaiah 8: 8, which speaks of the enemy stretching out his wings on the whole breadth of Immanuel’s land. Immanuel’s land, speaking morally, would cover all that is brought in by God being with us. Outwardly the enemy has desolated all that could evidence “God with us”. God was with man in innocence; what a blessed thing that was! But the enemy has come in and stretched out his wings over all, and made it desolate. But in the presence of that we can turn to the promises of God as established in Christ; God has met every form of the power of evil, has met it all in Christ. I think that will be displayed in the breadth of the city; it corresponds with, though it divinely surpasses, the breadth of the ruin.
It is most beautiful to see the way God has turned every manifestation of evil into a suggestion of Christ:
[p. 338] that is how He would have us look at every evil in the world and in our flesh today. He would have us turn to the perfect contrast. If you are conscious of any evil, what are you to do? Are you to fret your heart about it, or turn to the perfect contrast in Christ? As evil came in, Satan’s power, sin and death, God suggested Christ; “Her seed ... shall crush thy head”. When all the confusion of the idolatrous world came in and the nations were scattered, God gave a suggestion of Christ as the centre of blessing for all nations, and that in Him shall all nations be brought into unity. We see the weakness of man, his inability to hold anything for God, and we have known it in ourselves, but God uses it all to bring in a suggestion of Christ, the greatness of Christ. Christ can take up everything and carry it out, and God is vindicated. I think the breadth of the city might be viewed as suggesting this.
Rem When the promises are fulfilled, nothing of evil will be seen in the city, nothing but Christ is seen.
CAC Yes, the blessedness of divine good shines and is brought into display in the scene where evil was.
Ques Do you suggest that the golden reed is given to us now?
CAC Yes, so that we understand the character of the city and what God is doing today in view of its being brought into display. The city is being built today; there is much that obscures its beauty but very soon all such elements will be removed and the city will be seen in all its beauty and perfection.
We are in the presence of evil and its consequences and the natural man frets because of it. What is to rest our hearts? In Psalm 37 one of the commandments is not to fret yourself. If you fret yourself on account of evil, it is only to do evil; that is, it is only adding to the evil. Then what are you to do? “Feed on faithfulness” (verse 3). What a [p. 339] beautiful word! You are privileged to turn from all evil in the world and in yourself and feed on faithfulness, on all that is established by God in Christ. God has established everything good in Christ. What food to live on!
Then there is length as well as breadth. The length suggests what is wrought in the saints, and it corresponds perfectly with what God has affirmed and confirmed in Christ. If the length were not equal to the breadth God could not have by the saints the glory of His confirmed promises. If the work in the saints were not equal to what is established in Christ it could not be for God’s glory by them. I would refer to two scriptures in the Old Testament. In Psalm 40: 5 - 8 we see very plainly Christ coming in and taking up all the immeasurable thoughts of God in view of the blessing of man, and establishing them by and in Himself, but in Psalm 139: 15 - 17 the formation of a vessel is suggested. It takes “many days” to form that vessel, a vessel capable of cherishing all the thoughts of God. That brings in the thought of what is wrought in the saints. “During many days” gives a long period of formation: it covers the whole length of the work of God in forming the members; and the completeness of that work will be displayed in the city. If we measure all that God has wrought “during many days” in the saints, the completeness of which will come out in the city, it will be found to be perfectly equal to what has been effected in Christ for the pleasure of God. Saints will be wrought of God so as to be equal to the apprehension and display of it, so that God may have the glory of it “by us”. All that is involved in God establishing us in Christ, anointing us, and sealing us. That involves the whole work of God which results in the saints coming out as an adequate vessel for the display of the thoughts of God, as brought to fruition in the Son of God, Jesus Christ. The saints as established in Christ will come out as an adequate vessel [p. 340] for the administration and display of what God has secured in Him. It is an immense thing for us to measure this, to take account of what is going on. I trust every one of us here today is a subject of the work of God. It is not only that we are believers, but we are the subjects of the work of God, born anew, and established in Christ. To be established in Christ means that you have found a resource in Him from all the evil in the world and from yourself. You do not expect anything from the world or yourself; you are established in Christ by the work of God. The work of God in the soul ever moves on the line of Christ being suggested. God never suggests anything to me but Christ, though He has to bring His judgment on what is not Christ. It is blessed to think that there is a work going on in the saints which in its completeness will be proportionate to the whole breadth of what is established in Christ. Such a wonderful work involved the presence of a divine Person. The saints could never be brought up to the measure of what God has secured in Christ except by the presence of a divine Person here, the Spirit.
We are still in mixed conditions, and as long as we are so, there is a good deal that obscures what God is doing. Notwithstanding that, with the golden reed in our hands, we can recognise what is being wrought of God. I believe all that is connected with the saints being wrought of God answers to the length of the city.
Ques Would the golden reed imply the power of discernment? It was the angel who had it.
CAC The angels are holy sons, and being holy sons they have ability for divine discernment and interest. If the angels are deeply interested we ought to be more so, for we are holy sons too, kindred in that sense to the angels. The golden reed suggests ability to discern what is suitable to God. In principle Abraham had the golden [p. 341] reed, and nothing here answered to it, so he waited for a city which had foundations. The God of glory appeared to him; that gave Abraham a golden reed by which to measure things — everything must be suitable to the God of glory. If man had a city, the God of glory must have a city and Abraham waited for that city.
Rem If we knew better how to use the golden reed we should not want the things of this world.
CAC There is nothing in this world worth measuring. I would not cross the street to see the finest exhibition that ever was. Dr. Hawker said, when asked if he had seen the Exhibition of 1851, ‘I have seen the King in His beauty and beheld the land that is very far off’. That man had the golden reed in his hand. The finest display that man can put before you is the glory of the usurper who would banish God from His creation if possible; we do not want that glory. I remember at seven years old going to see an exhibition, and written over a large hall was “Glory to God in the highest”. I thought to myself, What a contradiction; this place is full of the glory of man.
The idea of formation “during many days” suggests length. Wonderful things are going on in that length! We have all had a length, some long and some short, as subjects of the work of God, and in the experience of the ways of God. All our personal experiences, our exercises in connection with domestic and business matters, the discipline of the Father, our environment as set with our brethren in the assembly and all the precious ministry of Christ by which we are fed so as to grow belong to the length. All this qualifies us to know and give expression to all that which has become Yea and Amen in Christ. One delights to think of it. I connect length with the prolonged operations of God in His saints, the completeness of which will be seen in [p. 342] the city.
Ques What do you connect with height?
CAC I would suggest that the height speaks of the saints’ apprehension of what God is in His nature, what lies behind all the promises as confirmed in Christ, and all the operations of God in the saints. The whole scope of promise in Christ and the operations of God in the saints that He may have the glory of what He has secured in Christ by them are measured by the love of God; so the breadth, length and height are equal.
Ques How do you measure it?
CAC It is the love of God as conditioned by the sphere of His operations, the love of God in new covenant character. It is love that has taken account of what man is in all his distance, has taken account of conditions here, and met all, by what is Yea and Amen in Christ and by the powerful operations of the Spirit down here. It is not love on the purpose side.
Ques Would you look at this in the light of the latter part of Romans 8?
CAC In Romans 8 the saint is in the presence of all the exercises that are brought upon him by the scene of moral confusion where the creature is subject to vanity. The saint groans, but in presence of all he is fully persuaded that nothing can separate him from the love of God in Christ — he has measured the height. We have measured the breadth in Romans 5, and measured the length in chapter 8 in connection with the Spirit. Now you measure the height at the end of chapter 8: nothing can separate us from the love of God.
I think the height answers to 2 Corinthians 3; we see the glory of the Lord there. He is so great He can bring in the love of God in all its perfection and apply it to everything found in this world. He can bring it in in regard to sin, confusion, death and everything else; that is the height. Evil is displaced by the love of God and God is [p. 343] known in His nature. What a triumph! We come very slowly to a true thought of the love of God. There must be the light of God in the soul; there must be faith; that is the result of the work of God in the soul. But God would have us know what man is to Him, how He values man in His love: “God so loved the world”. It was His eternal thought to dwell with man. There is a beautiful word in Deuteronomy 33: “He loveth the peoples, All his saints are in thy hand, And they sit down at thy feet; Each receiveth of thy words”. The outcome of the love of God, of its activity, is that we realise we are in the hand of Christ today, and we sit down at His feet and hear His words. The word, “He loveth the peoples” suggests that they lie in His bosom. What a wonderful thought! To lie in the bosom of God! Do we believe that is our place? We think of Christ as in the bosom of the Father, but men, God’s people, lie in His bosom; and because of that He puts them in the hand of Christ and under the blessed influence and instruction of Christ.
Ques The apostle says, “The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God”, 2 Thessalonians 3: 5. Is it by the Lord that we get a right apprehension of love?
CAC In Romans 5 the Spirit sheds the love of God abroad in our hearts. But the Lord directing our hearts into the love of God is an administrative action which we prove when we are together as we are today. The Spirit shedding the love of God is secret; it is what goes on in the heart. But the Lord is directing our hearts into the love of God as together this afternoon.
Ques Would you say a word as to the anointing?
CAC My impression is that the anointing is what capacitates us to apprehend the breadth of what God has secured in Christ. We are firmly attached to Christ in the power of the anointing. If I am moving along with the anointing I shall never be diverted from Christ. The [p. 344] anointing which abides with us is true and is not a lie. Think of God talking to us like that, telling us that the anointing which we have is true and nothing is false about it: it ever teaches us to abide in Christ.
Ques Is the anointing the power by which we know what is set forth in Christ?
CAC The anointing involves the saints being brought up to the measure of the Christ.
Ques Where do the gates and walls come in?
CAC We get the thought of separation in the wall. The administration is connected with the breadth and length; the gates are in the breadth and length. But it seems to me that the height indicates the saints’ apprehension of the love of God, the blessed source of all. When we come to administration, it is what goes out to the world; it is the administration of all that is set forth in the promises of God as secured and confirmed in Christ. All this will be set forth in the world to come. The world to come will come under that influence, and what lies behind is the love of God. All this is given to us as present light that we may be formed by it. There is nothing that produces confidence like love.
Ques Does the measuring of the gates give a suggestion of how to act now in the way of administration?
CAC Yes, I thought so. The measuring of the gates indicates an exercise as to how administration is to be carried on now. The administration of the gates of the city has nothing to do with discipline within; it has to do with the testimony of grace going out to the world. It is a universal testimony going out from the twelve gates. Measuring the gates is an evangelical measurement.
Ques What is the meaning of the city lying foursquare?
CAC If the operations of God in the saints and the result of His ways and working with them did not [p. 345] correspond perfectly with what He has established in Christ, the city would not be four-square, it would not have its proper proportions.
Ques. What is the wall?
CAC The measurement of the wall brings in another thought, that of creature perfection. The breadth, length and height are all divine, the divine mind established in Christ, the divine mind established by God’s work in the saints, and His own blessed love the measure of both. But the wall is creature perfection, the measure of a man, that is, the angel. I suggested the verse in 2 Corinthians 10 as answering to the measurement of the wall: what is seen there is creature perfection. The measure of a man is the same as the measure of an angel. The measure for every intelligent creature is obedience. God is working in the saints today so that every thought should be brought into captivity to the obedience of the Christ; there you have the one hundred and forty-four cubits of the walls. Fancy the saints being brought to that! Not a single element of lawlessness remains to be in disparity with the work of God.
Ques Do we get a suggestion of that in the manna as angels’ food?
CAC Yes, man ate angels’ food; the idea is that man should lead a life morally like the angels. They are to do God’s will as it is done in heaven: the holy angels are perfectly obedient, and now we feed on angels’ food in order that we may lead the same life morally.
Rem The walls are not such a large measure as the measurement of the city: they are only one hundred and forty-four cubits.
Rem The measurement of the wall is not divine measurement but perfect according to human measurement.
CAC Yes, it is creature measurement, “man’s measure, that is, the angel’s”. The measure for all intelligent [p. 346] creatures is obedience, and the city includes that element. There is not only the glory of God set forth there, but all that is perfect and suitable to God in the creature. The principle of obedience excludes all lawlessness, and therefore establishes the principle of holy separation. For the obedience of the Christ to control every thought is very wonderful. God is working to bring that about by the subduing of His grace. He brings us to appreciate obedience, to appreciate having such a Head as the Christ.
Every high thing is to be pulled down — there is a tremendous warfare going on in the souls of the saints. Every high thing that lifts itself up against the knowledge of God and every reasoning are to come down; and every thought is to be brought into captivity to the obedience of the Christ. There is no room for an atom of lawlessness there.
The effect of measuring these things spiritually would be an intense degree of separation from the world, an intense degree of devotion to God who has taken us into His bosom; and then we should be prepared for the moment of display. The preparation is going on now, the display in all its fulness will be in the future.
A vessel to dishonour is one who has no sense of what is suitable to God. There are people breaking bread who have no sense of what is suitable to God. There were people in Corinth who had no golden reed: “Some are ignorant of God: I speak to you as a matter of shame”, 1 Corinthians 15: 34. There was every kind of disorder going on. The possession of the golden reed would have had a great effect on them.
Ques How would you get the reed?
CAC In the first place we get it by the glad tidings which brings the knowledge of God to us. Then we have it not only objectively but subjectively as having the [p. 347] Spirit. Every one having the Spirit has the golden reed morally. How far he uses it is another thing. Taking these measurements would qualify us to go on together as those who are fellow-citizens of the saints, and of the household of God. We should have a divine standard before us, as established in Christ and knowing the love of God. These great realities are abiding; the measurements of the city will not change.
Ques Would going on together be the street?
CAC Yes, people talk about the golden streets, but there is nothing about streets, there is one street; the saints all move the same way, their movements are all in the divine nature.
Ques Why are the measurements of the wall and city different?
CAC The disparity shows the difference between divine and creature perfection. Both come together in Christ, there was divine perfection there, ‘a life divine below’, but there was creature perfection also. There was never such obedience as that seen in Christ. Obedience is creature perfection. The obedience of the Christ will give character by and by to the whole moral universe. The two must go together. There could not be the outshining of God with lawlessness on the side of the creature. When He shines out the lawlessness of the creature must go. The obedience of the Christ excludes every element of lawlessness.