Reflections on the epistles to Thyatira and Sardis.

391

V.

of life, but I will con- as he is enrolled among my faithful people, he SECT. fess his name before shall ever continue in their number; and when my Father, and before his angels. the register shall be read over in the presence Rev. of God in the great day, I will confess his name iii. 5. before my Father, and before the full assembly of his glorious angels, and not be ashamed to acknowledge him as my friend and my favour6 He that hath an ite. He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear 6 ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to all the churches; and let what the Spirit saith unto the churches. every one that hears, be animated by so glorious a hope, to exert his utmost efforts in this holy and honourable warfare.

IMPROVEMENT.

18

iii. 1

LET the disciples of Christ always remember, that his eye verse penetrates the most hidden recesses; that he searcheth the hearts and trieth the reins of the children of men: accordingly, let them 23 take heed to cherish nothing, even in their hearts, which their great Master will behold with displeasure. There may faith, and patience, and charity, erect their throne; and may their dominion 19 so prevail, that our last works, like those of the church of Thyatira, may be more than the first. And surely it is most reasonable, as we approach the end of our course, as we experience more of the vanity of life, and the substantial and solid pleasures of religion, that they should be so. But, alas! how much more chap. common is the character of the church of Sardis, and of those 2who have only a name to live, while they are dead? Censorious and uncharitable as too great a part of the world is, are there not some who are ashamed and humbled in the view of the esteem which they are held in by their brethren, while conscious of so many inward, though unallowed, infirmities, of so much deadness and coldness in religion, even where they would be most zealous and lively? Alas! how far are our works from being filled up before God! Let us often lament these our imperfections and declensions; let us deeply humble ourselves before God on account of them; and let us be as vigilant as possible, that we may strengthen those things, which if they do indeed remain, seem ready to die. The more general the prevalence of such an indolent temper is, the more let us emulate the distinguished honour of those few names in Sardis, which had not defiled their garments; that we may walk with them; and with Christ, in white 4 raiment; that we may arrive at that happy state of everlasting

which they before belonged; and it seems in the number of those who should finally to intimate, that though the imperfection be found registered, as free of the heaeven of these conquerors, might, in strict venly city; and who, in the great day, justice, have deserved it, yet Christ would should be called up to possess it. spare them, and suffer them to continue

392

V.

verse

Christ's epistle to the church in Philadelphia.

SECT. purity, of everlasting festivity, of everlasting triumph, which our Divine Master has encouraged us to expect. We know not how unexpectedly he may come upon us : let us be always ready, 3 always strenuous in maintaining a holy war against the enemies of our salvation; and then we shall conquer, we shall triumph; 5 our name shall remain in the book of life; it shall be confessed by chap, Christ before his Father and his holy angels: we shall share with ii. 26 him in his triumph over all the rebellious nations, in that day, 27 when he shall dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel: we shall ever wear the lustre of the morning star; yea, we shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of our Father. Amen.

28

for

Rev.

SECT. VI.

The epistles, which Christ orders to be written to the two remaining churches, the Philadelphian, and Laodicean. Rev. III. 7—22.

REVELATION III. 7.

REV. III. 7.

of the church in

ECT. AND now to the angel, or minister, of the AND to the angel church in Philadelphia, write, These things Philadelphia, write, saith the Holy One, and the true One, he, who These things saith iii. 7 claims perfect holiness, and invariable truth, as he that is holy, he necessary and essential to his nature, in a man- that is true, he that ner which no creature can pretend to; he, vid, he that openeth, hath the key of Dawhose authority in the church of God is so un- and no man shutcontroulable, that it may truly be said, he has teth, and shutteth, the key of the house of David; he, who openeth, and no man open

eth;

8 I know thy

have set before thee

and no man shutteth, and shutteth, and no man openeth; insomuch that Eliakim, who is spoken of in such terms of honour, (Isa. xxii. 22,) was 8 only a type of him : I well know thy works, how exemplary they are; and behold, I have works: behold, I used the power of the key which is in my an open door, and no hand, in such a manner, that I have set before man can shut it: for thee an open door, and no man can shut it: I thou hast a little give thee a power and opportunity of spread- strength, and hast ing my gospel, which none shall take from thee; because thou hast, at least, a little strength;

a The holy One, the true One,] This is so peculiarly the prerogative of God, that I have sometimes wondered, no greater stress should have been laid upon it in proof of the Deity of our blessed Redeemer, by many writers who have pressed other texts, of a much more dubious

nature, to serve in the cause. (Compare chap. vi. 10.)

b Who openeth, and no man shutteth.] The office of lord steward of the house hold, who hath the power of opening and shutting what apartments in the palace be pleaseth, is described by these terms.

name.

loved thee.

He would keep them from the hour of temptation.

393

vi.

kept my word, and and thou hast used it well, and hast coura- SECT. hast not denied my geously kept my word, and hast not denied my name, though many attempts have been made Rev. 9 Behold, I will to drive thee to do it. Behold, I will give, as iv. 9 make them of the it were, into thy power, those hypocritical synagogue of Satan wretches, [who are] indeed of the synagogue of (which say they are Jews, and are not, Satan, and under all the solemn guise of religbut do lie ;) behold, ious worship, are carrying on his cause and inI will make them to terest; they say they are Jews, and pretend to come and worship be my people, and are not; but lie. Behold, I before thy feet, and to know that I have say, I will give them into thy power; and I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and they shall know that I have loved thee, finding I have evidently supported thy cause 10 Because thou and interest against all that have opposed it. Be- 10 hast kept the word cause thou hast kept the word of my patience, that of my patience, I also will keep thee gospel, which I have myself, by such patient from the hour of suffering in my human nature, established in temptation, which the world, and by which I at once exercise and shall come upon all support the faith and patience of my people ; the world, to try I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try all the inhabitants of these parts of the earth: my hand shall remarkably appear, in sheltering thee from the dangers, by which others fall, and in strengthening thee in proportion to the trial. 11 Behold, I come Behold, I come quickly, to put an end to those 11 quickly hold that exercises, which are for the present so painful; fast which thou hast, keep that which thou hast with resolute fidelity; that no man take thy that no man take thy crown from thee, even that crown of everlasting glory, which will be the 12 Him that over- gracious reward of thy continued fidelity. As 12 cometh, will I make for the conqueror, I will make him a pillar of

them that dwell upon the earth.

crown.

:

Worship before thy feet.] Were we more particularly acquainted with the history of these seven churches, in the times immediately succeeding the date of these epistles, we might perhaps find many remarkable illustrations of several passages in them, and of this among the rest: supposing, for instance, persons of considerable rank and dignity in Philadelphia, were converted to Christianity; and the interest of the synagogue here spoken of, was so weakened, or the heathen populace of the place so prejudiced against them, as that the chief members of the synagogue should find it necessary to court the protection of the Christians for the security of their persons or effects; it will throw

considerable light upon the place. The like observation may be applied to the following clause: I will keep thee from the hour of temptation, &c. Dr. Smith has observed, (in his learned and accurate account of these parts, p. 134-141, that the city of Philadelphia was the last of all the seven, here spoken of, which fell into the hands of the Turks; for whereas the rest were subdued by Urchan and Amurath: Philadelphia held out till the time of Bajazet. So that the remains of this society were preserved, when those of the rest were ruined. But how far that event might immediately be referred to in the words before us, I cannot certainly say.

394

Vi.

Rev.

Christ's epistle to the church in Laodicea.

out of heaven from

SECT. distinguished ornament and beauty; and I will a pillar in the temple of my God, and he not only fix him near, but in the temple of my shall go no more God above, and he shall stand there upon an out: and I will iii. 12 unshaken and everlasting basis, so that he shall write upon him the go out no more; and he shall bear the marks of name of my God, and the name of the city immortal honour; for I will inscribe upon him of my God, which the name of my God, under whose auspicious is New Jerusalem, influence the grand victory has been gained, which cometh down and under whose protection this sacred monu- my God; and I will ment of it shall for ever remain. And I will also write upon him my inscribe the name of the city of my God, even new name. the New Jerusalem, as it is that to which he belongs, and of which he is free; even that New Jerusalem, which is come down from heaven from my God, and shall soon be represented to thee, O John, in a most glorious vision; and he shall bear my new name, the name which I have acquired by that great expedition, which brought me into the world, and carried me through so many labours and sufferings; even that of the Redeemer of sinners; under which character I will own him for one of my redeemed, who fought under my banner, and overcame his enemies by my influence, and my 13 blood.d He that hath an ear, let him attentively hear what the Spirit saith to the churches; for addresses of this kind are made not to a particular person, or to one Christian society alone, but are indeed of more extensive, and even universal concern.

14

13 He that hath

an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

14 And unto the

angel of the church

of the Laodiceans,

And to the angel of the church, which is in Laodicea, write, These things saith he, who is the AMEN, the faithful and true Witness; at- write, These things testing those truths, which are of the utmost saith the Amen, the importance, on the most perfect knowledge of faithful and true Wit

d I will make him a pillar, &c.] Few and the names of the conquerors, and of texts in the whole New Testament are the cities to which they belonged; as also more illustrated by antiquity than this. the names of the generals, by whose conGreat numbers of inscriptions are yet re- duct the victory was gained. As all these maining, brought from the Grecian cities circumstances suit such kind of martial of Europe and Asia, and some from victories, much more than those obtained islands in the neighbourhood of Patmos, in the Olympic games, so celebrated in in which the victories of eminent persons antiquity, and so largely and elegantly are commemorated. And as some of described by Mr. West in his late dissertathese were placed near the temples of their tion on that subject, I think this text deities, others were in those temples, to seems to justify the turn I have generally signify their being put under the partic- given in my paraphrase to those weighty ular protection of those deities; whose passages, on which so much of our strength names therefore were inscribed upon them, and comfort as Christians depends.

of the creation of God;

I would thou wert cold or hot.

They are charged with lukewarmness.

395

Rev.

iii.

ness, the beginning them, and with the most unerring exactness; SECT. yea, he who is the beginning of the creation of vi. God, by whom it was produced, and who is the Head and governor of all that he has made: 15 15 I know thy I know thy works, and all the particulars of thy works, that thou art conduct; that thou art neither cold nor hot, that neither cold nor hot thou art growing very indifferent in religion, though thou canst not allow thyself entirely to cast it off; now this is so disagreeable to me, that I wish thou wouldst determine one way or another; and that it might be said, thou wert either cold or hot, if thou really thinkest it not worth thy regard, reject it entirely; but, if indeed thou art convinced of its truth and importance, act with a steady conformity to that 16 So then because conviction. Therefore, because thou art luke- 16 thou art lukewarm, warm, and neither cold nor hot, this indifference and neither cold nor of thine is as disagreeable to me, as liquor, in hot, I will spue thee this condition, is to the stomach; and therefore to pursue the similitude, odious as it may seem, I must tell thee, that if thou persistest in such a disposition, I will cast thee out of my 17 Because thou mouth with loathing. Because thou sayest I 17 sayest, I am rich, am wealthy, and have enriched myself by my and increased with own wisdom and virtue, and have need of nothneed of nothing; ing; imagining thy state in religion to be so and knowest not that very prosperous and happy; and in this spiritthou art wretched, ual lunacy into which thou art fallen, like a and miserable, and poor, and blind, and miserable beggar who fancies himself a prince, knowest not that thou art wretched, and pitiable, and poor, and blind, and naked, in a most deplorable condition, destitute of every desir18 I counsel thee able blessing; I counsel thee, that with an 18 humble sense of thy condition, so extremely unhappy, thou apply to him who alone is capa

out of my mouth :

goods, and have

naked.

The beginning of the creation of God.] Mr. Fleming would render it, the efficient cause of God's creation. But as it is certain, that apan has not always that signif. ication, I judge it safe to give what is more commonly the sense of it.

So disagreeable to me, that I wish thou wouldst determine one way or another.] Mr. Lowman observes, that the clause, I would thou wert cold or hot, may be understood as expressing great dislike, not as a proper wish, or expression of what men really desire.

& Wretched and pitiable, &c.] The sad account which is here given of the Lodi

cean church, which is placed last, when compared with what is said of the glorious state of Christianity in the last ages of the world, may, I think, convince any attentive reader, that these epistles are not to be understood in a prophetic sense, as expressive of the state and character of the Christian church in different periods of time. It may also be observed, that at that rate the middle ages of the church, which were in fact most corrupt, must have answered to Pergamos and Thyatira, which are described in these epistles, as in the most flourishing and happy state.