376 SECT. iii. Rev. St. John is exhorted not to be afraid; SECT. III. Our Lord Jesus Christ addresses himself to the apostle John, and charges him with an epistle to each of the seven Asiatic churches already mentioned; and, in the first place, with the epistle to the church of Ephesus. Rev. I. 17-II. 7. I REVELATION I. 17. Rev. I. 17. and the Last. HAVE just been describing the appearance A saw him, I fell of Jesus Christ to me, with which I was favoured on the Lord's day, in the island of at his feet as dead; and he laid his right 1.17 Patmos, while I was engaged in such devout hand upon me, saysentiments as was suitable to time and occa- ing unto me, Fear sion and I now add, that when I saw him in not: I am the First this awful, this glorious and resplendent form, I was perfectly overwhelmed with the majesty of his appearance, so that I fell down at his feet, as dead; and he immediately condescended to raise me up, with great indulgence; for he laid his right hand upon me, [and] said to me, Fear not, John, for I appear to thee for purposes of mercy; I am, indeed, as I have proclaimed myself, the First and the Last, possessed of Di18 vine perfections and glories; And yet I still wear the human form, which I assumed for the redemption of human and fallen creatures and behold, I am alike thyself; I[am] he who lives, and have life Amen; and have immortal, and giory immutable in myself, the keys of hell and though I was once dead, as thou knowest; and of death. now behold it both with joy and wonder, I am living for ever and ever: (Amena be it so then, Ŏ Lord; mayest thou for ever live and reign!) And he added, I have the keys of the unseen world, and of death; I have a supreme Amen.] As this word appears to have additional force, if understood as expressing the joyful assent of John to what was delivered, I have enclosed it and the paraphrase upon it in a parenthesis. b Unseen world.] It must be allowed, that ads sometimes signifies the grave, when the body only is spoken of. But, as Mr. Howe has largely proved in his excellent discourse on this text, the interpretation I have here given, is most reasonable. That which would refer it to hell as the seat of the damned, limits the sense in a manner very derogatory from the honour 18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; live for evermore, of our blessed Redeemer, as he there shews unanswerably. Howe's Works, Vol. II. p. 61, &c. According to Grotius, (see his note on Mat. xvi. 18,) the word, hades, always denotes either death, or the state after death, and they who are of opinion, that Luke xvi. 23, is an exception, may consult this learned author's judicious notes on this place. Our English, or rather Saxon word, hell, in its original signification, (though it is now understood in a more limited sense,) exactly answers to the Greek word, hades, and denotes a concealed, or unseen place; and this sense but to write what he saw, what is, and what shall be. 377 which shall be here after 4 which thou sawest Rev. i. 18 dominion over it, and remove the souls of men sECT. from world to world, calling them out of the iii. body, and fixing them in the invisible state, according to my pleasure, till at length I shall Write 19 19 Write the things exert my power of raising the dead. which thou hastseen, therefore the things which thou now seest, and and the things which those which will be opened to thy view, in which are, and the things there will be, in part, a reference to the things which already are, and a further reference to 20 The mystery the things which shall hereafter be. And, as a 20 of the seven stars general key to what I am now going to dictate, in my right hand, observe, that as to the mystery of the seven stars, and the seven gold- which thou here seest as in my right hand, and candlesticks. of the seven lamps which are of gold; the seven The seven stars are stars are an emblematical representation of the angels of the the angels, or presiding ministers, of the seven and the seven can- churches; and the seven lamps which thou seest, dlesticks which thou are a representation of the seven churches themselves, to which I have directed thee to inscribe and transmit the important epistles I am now about to dictate, according to what I observe of their respective circumstances and necessities.c en seven churches : sawest,are the seven churches. CHAP. II. 1 Unto And in the first place, address to the angel, II. 1 the angel of the or presiding officer,d of the church at Ephesus, church of Ephesus, and write thus, These things saith he, who write, These things saith he that holdeth holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, to sig the seven stars in nify that he is the great Support of his minishis right hand, who tring servants, and directs their several situawalketh in the midst tions and motions in the churches; and who of the seven golden candlesticks; walks in the midst of the seven golden lamps, to intimate thereby his presence among Christian societies, and his particular inspection 2 I know thy over them. My eyes have been carefully fixed 2 of the word is still retained in the eastern, That there was one pastor, who presided and especially, in the western counties of England, to hele over a thing, is to cover it. See Lord King's History of the Creed, chap. iv. Respective circumstances and necessities.] How exactly the address in each epistle, suits the state of the church to which it was sent, and what condescension is implied in our Saviour's giving them these distinct notices and admonitions, is in some measure, though very imperfectly, illustrated in my Ten Sermons on the Power and Grace of Christ. See Serm. vii. p. 182-184. To the angel, or presiding officer.] in each of these churches, is indeed evident from the expression here used; but that he was a diocesan bishop, or had several congregations of Christians under his care, can by no means be proved. Nor is there the least hint of it, that I know of, in any of these epistles. Many have shewn from ancient Jewish writings, that there was an officer of the synagogue who had the name of angel. See Vitring. de Synag. Vet. lib. 3. p. ii. c. 3. And Dr. Lightfoot adds, that from his office of overlooking the reader of the law, he was called n, or episcopus. Compare Mal. ii. 7. 378 Rev. ii. 2 Christ's epistle to the church of Ephesus. SECT. Upon thee, and I have observed many things in works, and thy laiii. thy conduct with pleasure. I know thy works, tience, and how thou bour, and thy paand thy labour, and thy patience, with which thou canst not bear them hast endured the trials and sufferings to which which are evil: and thou hast been called out; and I know thou thou hast tried them hast such a zeal for the honour of my gospel, apostles, and are which say they are and establishment of my kingdom, that thou not; and hast found canst not bear those who are evil. And, as them liars: false pretensions to a Divine mission and inspiration are so common, I know thou hast tried those, who say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them [to be] liars, and rejected their pretensions with a becoming dis3 dain. And I know thou hast sustained, with exemplary fortitude, the trouble they have giv. and hast patience, en thee; and hast exercised invincible patience sake hast laboured, and for my name's under all thy sufferings and trials in my cause; and hast not fainted. and thou hast laboured constantly and tenaciously for my name's sake, and to establish the faith of my people: and hast not fainted under 4 thy toils or tribulations. 3 And hast borne Nevertheless, I have 4 Nevertheless, I [something] to allege against thee, exemplary have somewhat aas thou art in many respects; and it is this, thou hast left thy That thou hast lost the zeal and fervour of thy first love. gainst thee, because first love to me and my cause; and this can- 5 Remember there fore from whence 5 not but be very displeasing to me. Remember therefore from what thou art fallen; recal thou art fallen, and e Canst not bet those who are evil.] This has been pleaded by Lord Barring ton, as an argument that the church of Ephesus, in the early days of Christianity, recovered itself from those corruptions which some endeavoured to bring into it, (2 Tim. i. 15; ii. 17-26; iii 6-10 ;) and which St. Paul, in his first epistle to Timothy, endeavoured, it seems, with some happy success, to prevent. Misc. Sac. Vol. I. p. 42. Limborch has sufficiently shewn, (see his Theol lib. v. cap. 37, 19,) the absurdity of opposing such a text as this to the great Christian doctrine of toleration, which some have madly endeavoured to prejudice by trifling inferences from such detached and perverted clauses, in opposition to the tenor of the whole New Testament. But the pretending to enforce such ecclesiastical censures as the laws of Christ do indeed in some eases require, with those secular terrors which the magistrate, by virtue of his office, is to inflict on immoralities preju dicial to society, has been the destruction of Christian discipline, in popish countries universally, and generally in all protestant establishments too. f Lost thy first love] It is very plain, that these epistles, though inscribed to the angels or pastors of the churches, are directed to the churches themselves, as represented by them. Just as the Jewish church was represented by Joshua, their high priest, Zech. iii. 1. But it is not improbable, that where some of the churches are blamed, there might be in their ministers some faults correspondent to those charged upon the society; and particularly, that the zeal of this minister of Ephesus might be declining. There is, I think, no reason to be anxious with regard to Timothy's character on this account; for it can never be proved that he was a stated pastor of the church of Ephesus, though such confident things have been said concerning it on very slender foundations. He orders them to repent and do their first works. will come unto thee 379 repent, and do the those better days to thy memory, and in the SECT. first works; or else I view of them set thyself seriously to repent of iii. quickly, and will re. the decay which hath so much prevailed; and move thy candle- do the first works, or rather endeavour to exstick out of his place, ceed them. Otherwise thou must expect, that except thou repent. I will come unto thee quickly, in some awful the deeds of the Ni also hate. Rev. dispensations of Providence, and take away thy lamp out of its place, unless thou repent; no longer shalt thou continue to be a church, if thou dost not endeavour to recover thy lost ground, and to shine at least with thy former 6 But this thou lustre. Nevertheless, thou hast this honour and 6 hast, that thou hatest praise remaining, that thou hatest the impure colaitans, which I work of the lewd Nicolaitans, which I also hate, as having brought so great a reproach upon 7 He that hath an the Christian name: To conclude; Let him 7 ear let him hear what that hath an ear, hear what the Spirit saith to the Spirit saith unto all the churches for their encouragement; and the churches: To him that overcometh to that of Ephesus in particular: To him who will I give to eat of conquers the enemies, which lie in the way of the tree of life, which his duty and happiness, and manfully breaks through all oppositions, I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God: the fruit of which gives immortality, and it is situated in the paradise above; so that he who resides within its reach, is possessed of such felicities and delights as are far superior to those which Adam enjoyed in an earthly paradise, though in a state of uncorrupted and perfect innocence. is in the midst of the paradise of God. ii. 5 learned and ingenious Mr. Smith, have given of them, without being tenderly affected with so lamentable a catastrophe. & Take away thy lamp out of its place. As this threatening is addressed to the church of Ephesus, though much better than some other churches, it is reasonable h Nicolaitans.] Some have thought to believe, that it, like other denuncia- these heretics derived their name from tions, was intended to awaken the rest. Nicolas, one of the seven deacons; and It intimates how terrible a thing it would some ancient writers have asserted it. But be to have the gospel taken away from the name was so common among the Jews, them. And indeed it has been executed that little argument can be drawn from upon them all, in a very awful manner. thence. See Euseb. Eccl. Hist. lib. iii.c. For though there be a little congregation, 26. The substance of what ancient writers if I remember right, at Smyrna, yet most say concerning them is, that they taught of these churches are quite ruined, and the lawfulness of lewdness and idolatrous with them the cities in which they stood, sacrifices, esteeming them things indifferthough they were once very celebrated. ent in their own nature; and their prac. And it is hardly possible, even for one tices were suitable to such principles. who is not a Christian, to view the ac- Compare ver. 14, 15. count which Sir Paul Ricaut, and the 49 VOL. 6 380 SECT. Reflections on the glorious character of our Lord. IMPROVEMENT. WITH whatever humble and holy reverence this awful repreiii. sentation of our blessed Redeemer may strike us, let us be encouraged to look up to him by a lively faith, and to hear with joy, and with purposes of the most grateful obedience, the gracious declaration he makes of that amazing contrast of Divine perfections and characters, and of human weaknesses and infirchap. mities, which met in him. The Alpha and the Omega, the First i. and the Last, is he who lives and yet was dead, but is now alive 17, 18 for ever more: for us he became liable to death, but is now risen to a Divine and immortal life; in which consideration let us continually rejoice on his account, and on our own. It is exceedingly reviving to the heart of a sincere Christian, that Jesus has the keys of the unseen world, and of death: so that whenever we are removed by the stroke of this our last enemy, it is only to be considered as his turning the key, which will let us out of this world into another, of happiness and glory everlasting. How delightful to reflect, that heaven is under the command of our Redeemer, and hell is under his controul! What have his faithful servants to fear from the one? what have they not to hope from the other? How does this cheering sentiment disarm both life and death, of their respective terrors ! chap. Let us attend to each of these excellent epistles, which Christ condescended himself to dictate, and to address by the hand of his servant John, to these Asiatic churches. Let us attend to his titles, his admonitions, his promises, that we may be awed with holy reverence, that we may be animated to humble hope, and steady courage, in every encounter with the enemies of our salvation. Let the ministers of Christ rejoice, that they are as stars in ii. the right hand of their Redeemer. "Support them, O Lord, by thy almighty power, and guide all their motions by thine infinite wisdom." Let all the churches of Christ remember, that he walks in the midst of the golden candlesticks; may they be pure gold: may their lamps shine with unsullied lustre, that their Father may be glorified, and their Saviour delighted with the survey. 2,3 He sees our labour, our patience, our fidelity, and our zeal. May he see that we cannot bear those who would corrupt our religion, without exerting ourselves to silence their false preten6 sions, and to guard the churches, to which we are related especially, from the venom they might diffuse over them! In all these respects, may we daily approve ourselves to him in a more perfect manner. But, alas does he not perceive in many of us, what he complained so early of, in the church of Ephesus; that |