Jerusalems glory breaking forth into the world being a Scripture-discovery of the New-Testament Church…

Not presently after this is spoken, for they were to go into Captivity, and to be there so long a time.

You will say, it may be 'tis meant about the time when they were to return from Captivity.

No not so neither, for they were but very poor and contemptible in the eyes of the world after their Captivity; for when they did return, it was but by leave, and they were but as Servants ⟨p. 7⟩unto the Medes still, they were but as servants unto Cyrus, and the rest of them. When they went to build the Walls of Jerusalem again, they scoff at them; And what do these feeble Jews? and if a Fox goes but upon their walls, it will break them down. Certainly in their return from Captivity, they were not the praise of the whole Earth, no nor in after times; they had many interruptions before they could bring any thing to any effect. Many Learned men compute that they were longer a building the wall than they were in Captivity; and we know that it was not long after their Captivity, that they all did lye at the mercy of a wicked Haman, who had gotten a Decree to cut off all the people of the Jews; therefore they were not in any glorious condition, no not after their return from Captivity: from that time till the time that the Romans came and destroyed them, they were but in a low condition, and then afterwards they were low enough: so that it could not be meant literally of Jerusalem, of that place, nor of the Church of the Jews; therefore it must be meant of the state of the Church in the ⟨p. 8⟩times of the Gospel: Now when was that as the praise of the whole earth? certainly though it were the praise of God, and God had his praise from his Church at all times; yet now this must be meant of some eminent time that was to come, and it must be some outward glory that they must have, so as the whole earth must take notice of it.