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Observe here, What St. John is forbidden to measure, and commanded to leave out, as no part of the true church, namely, The court which is without the temple; that is, that part of the visible church which is over-run with idolatry and Anti-christian worship, as bad as Gentilism, and accordingly shall by treated as Gentiles, and trodden down under foot as drossy hypocrites: Measure the temple, says God, but not the outward court.
The temple had but few worshippers, the priests only, in comparison of the outward court, where the body of the people was; whence we see that the true church is but small, very small, in comparision of the false and Anti-christian church, and consequently multitude can be no right note of the true church.
Observe farther, That whereas these Gentiles are said to tread under foot the holy city forty-two months, thereby is signified, that they should kill and persecute the true spouse and church of Christ, (called the holy city, in allusion to the earthly Jerusalem,) during the time of Anti-christ's prevalency, shall be but for a limited time, a short time; the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.