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The Book of the Revelation.

CHAPTERS SECOND AND THIRD.

HESE chapters are fully occupied with the epistles to the seven Churches in Asia, of which epistles we would only notice some of the more prominent features, as

First. The formula. The formula by which each of the epistles is introduced is "Unto the angel of the Church of

write," &c., "I know thy works" (ii., 1, 2, 8, 9, 12, 13, 18, 19; iii.. 1, 7, 8, 14, 15).

Second. The injunction.

"He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches" (ii., 7, 11, 17, 29; iii., 6, 13, 22).

Third. The promise. "To him that overcometh will I give,” &c. (ii., 7, 11, 17, 26; iii., 5, 12, 21).

Fourth. The different features of the glorious appearance of our Lord as seen by John (chap. i., 12, 18), all practically applied to the Churches in their several epistles, as

First. Ephesus. "These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks" (ii., 1); applied thus, "Remember therefore from whence thou hast fallen, and repent, and do the first works: or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of its place, except thou repent" (v. 5).

Second. Smyrna. "These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive" (v. 8); thus, "Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life" (v. 10). "He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death" (v. 11).

Third. Pergamos. "These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges" (v. 12); thus, "Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth” (v. 16).

Fourth. Thyatira. "These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire” (v. 18); thus, “I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works" (v. 23).

Fifth. Sardis. "These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars" (iii., 1); thus, “Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee" (v. 3).

Sixth. Philadelphia. "These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth" (iii., 7); thus, “Behold I set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it” (v. 8).

Seventh. Laodicea. "These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true Witness" (v. 14); applied thus, "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would that thou wert cold or hot. So because thou art neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth" (v. 15, 16).

Thus the various features of our Lord's glory, as he appeared to John in chapter i., are all more or less applied to the seven Churches, in the addresses sent by Jesus, at the hand of the beloved apostle, to those primitive brethren of the east.

From the employment of the complete number" seven "— coupled with the injunction," He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches," we understand that these epistles, while addressed originally to those seven Churches, were also addressed to the Church universal.

And, then, the fact that all the seven epistles end with a final reward or punishment appears to us to teach, that not only was the Church universal embraced, but the Church perpetual

also to the end of time-i.e., that the addresses in the seven epistles cover the entire breadth and length of the Christian dispensation. They are as practically useful now as they were when first written to us as they were to the seven Churches. They are perpetual epistles.

The final reward or punishment appears thus

First. Ephesus. "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God" (ii., 7). The tree of life belongs not to the present, but to the future state-to the new earth, as doth also the paradise of God (xxi,, xxii,) They are final rewards.

Second. Smyrna. "He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death" (ii., 11). "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life" (v. 10). Final judgment rewards again. See 2 Tim. iv., 8; 1 Peter v. 4.

Third. Pergamos. "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth save he that receiveth it" (ii., 17). All final rewards certainly.

Fourth. Thyatira. "He that overcometh to him will I give power over the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. And I will give him the morning star" (v. 26, 28). Final rewards surely.

Fifth. Sardis. "Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white; for they are worthy. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels" (iii., 4, 5). Final still.

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Sixth. Philadelphia. "Behold, I come quickly hold fast that thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new

Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God; and I will write upon him my new name” (iii., 11, 12). Still final.

Seventh.

Laodicea. "To him that overcometh, will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne” (iii., 21). All final rewards again.

These seven passages only require to be quoted to make it manifest that all of the epistles end in final judgment, rewards, or punishments-that is, that they-the epistles-cover up and measure out the entire breadth and length of the Christian dispensation until the judgment at "THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST," and therefore that the Church has no need to run away down into the prophetic field of the book, and belabour herself to find out her history therein a needless, profitless, toilsome task assuredly. These epistles obviously belong to, and carry us on to the end of the dispensation; and the prophetic part, belonging to the end thereof also belongs to the times of the judgment and "THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST," and evidently is given to forewarn the Church and the world of the near approach of the second advent of our Lord, that none may be overtaken unawares. That this is so we have seen already.

The Book of the Kevelation.

CHAPTERS FOURTH AND FIFTH.

·HAPTER iv. opens with, "After these things I looked,"

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&c. But after what things? After "the things thou hast seen, and the things which are," surely (i., 19), the glorious manifestation of Jesus Christ; and after the seven epistles to the seven Churches, as representative of the Church universal everywhere, and the Church perpetual down to the very end of time. After these things it must have been. There are no other things mentioned. These comprehend all. "After these things I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven" (v. 1), when John was caught up and saw and heard the things which we find written in the nineteen following chapters.

Chapters iv. and v. are evidently prefatory. They stand here before the prophetic part of the book, and comprise almost every element of which the book is composed. They obviously form a brief compendium of the whole-a kind of storehouse whence all the materials for the rearing of the great prophetic superstructure are drawn. We find—

First. That the four living ones (iv., 6, 9), again appear at the opening of the first four seals vi., (1, 3, 5, 7); again one of them gives the angels their seven vials (xv., 7), appear in the midst and round about the throne (iv., 6; vi., 6; xiv., 3). Second. The twenty-four elders with the four living ones fall down and worship (iv., 10; v., 8; vii., 11; xix., 4).

Third. The elders of (iv., 4, 10; v., 6, 8, 14) again appear (xi., 16).

Fourth. The voices, thunderings, and lightnings of (iv., 5) are again heard and seen (viii., 5; xi., 19; xvi., 18), &c.