Christ's epistle to the church of Smyrna. 381 verse 4, 5 we have lost our first love, and that much of that zeal with which SECT. we set out in religion is declined? If so, let us take the alarm : iii. for dreadful indeed would it be, to have our candlestick removed out of its place; to have the gospel and all its privileges taken away from us. To prevent this awful judgment, let us recollect from whence we are fallen, if we are indeed in a backsliding and declining state; and humbly and heartily repent, and vigorously exert ourselves against the enemies of our salvation: that overcoming the difficulties of this howling wilderness, we may be received to the enjoyments of the heavenly country: and when we can no longer share in the bounties of Providence in this inferior state, be feasted with the fruit of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. SE C T. IV. The epistles which Christ orders St. of Smyrna and Pergamos. REV. II. 8. ND unto the an John to write to the churches REVELATION II. 8. 7 Rev. ii. 8 AN gel of the church AND to the angel, or minister, of the church sacr. in Smyrna, write, of Smyrna, write, These things saith the iv. These things saith First and the Last; that glorious and Divine the First and the Person, who having assumed the human nature Last, which was ;, into an union with Deity, is able to say, he dead, and is alive; was dead and is alive; who therefore demands by all considerations of reverence, gratitude, and love, thy most attentive audience, and 9 I know thy most obedient regard : I know thy works to g works, and tribula- have been in many respects very extraordina tion, and poverty, ry; and I am well acquainted with thy tribula(but thou art rich;) and I know the blas. tion and poverty, with the humble opinion thou phemy of them hast of thyself; but I know also that thou art which say they are rich in faith, and in all its genuine effects, and a art daily laying up for thyself an increasing And poverty.] Archbishop Wake supposes this refers to the extraordinary character of Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna; who had, as ecclesiastical history tells us, reduced himself to a voluntary poverty, as many of the primitive bishops did, by selling his estate, and distributing it to the poor. But I much question, whether the personal character of the bishop, or pastor, of these churches, be referred to in this address: and the very next verse seems to demonstrate it is not. Compare also verse 5. b Say they are Jews, and are not.] There were great numbers of Jews in the proconsular Asia; and their inveteracy against the gospel there, and elsewhere, is well known. This is an instance, in which the word Jew signifies one of God's peculiar people; and it is not improbable, 382 SECT. iv. Rev. They should fear none of the things they might suffer. a thou shalt suffer: be the of Moses, [are] indeed the Jews, and are not, synagogue synagogue of Satan, whose temper they breathe but are the synagogue of Satan. in their opposition to my gospel, and to my people, while they blasphemously pretend a zeal for my name, even in their impieties. 10 But let all my faithful servants be encouraged 10 Fear none of boldly to face their opposition; and I say to those things which each of them, in addressing to thee, Fear none hold, the devil shall of the things which thou shalt suffer; for, be- cast some of you inhold, I inform you, that the devil, acting in and to prison,that ye may be tried; and ye by these instruments, the men of his syna- shall have tribulation gogue, will indeed have a permission to cast ten days: be thou some of you into prison; that you may be tried, faithful unto death, and by these trials more remarkably approved; and I will give thee a crown of life. and shall have tribulation ten days,d for ye certain limited time, he shall be permitted to afflict you; but bear up courageously against his assaults, as becomes my valiant soldiers : be thou faithful unto death, persevere in thy attachment to me, and thy zeal for my interest, even to the last, though death in its more terrible form should assault thee; for thou fightest under a General, who, though thou fall by the stroke of this last enemy, can raise thee again; and, instead of losing by thy fidelity to me, thou shalt be richly rewarded for I will give thee a crown of eternal life, and advance thee to such glory and felicity, as shall be infinitely more than an equivalent for the utmost thou canst possibly suffer in my 11 cause. He that hath an ear to hear, let him 11 He that hath be all attention to hear what the Spirit saith un- an ear, let him hear, to the churches: The valiant conqueror shall be what the Spirit saith secured from evils, which are beyond all He that overcometh that many prophetic phrases, in which Jewish rites are mentioned, are to be interpreted with as great a latitude; that is, for those rites of worship which God's peculiar people should use. Cast some of you into prison.] Whether the power of the synagogue extended so far as to imprison, I do not certainly know; to scourging it undoubtedly extended. & Tribulation ten days.] Mr. Fleming, (of the resurrection, p. 129,) with many others, thinks this refers to the persecution under Domitian, which continued about ten years, and was begun when John was banished into Patmos, and saw these unto the churches; revelations. But it may only signify a short and limited time. Compare Gen. xxxi. 7; 1 Sam. i. 8; Eccl. vii. 19; Dan. i. 12; Zech. viii. 23. e Be thou faithful unto death, &c.] I have endeavoured at large to illustrate the great force of this noble text in my funeral sermon for that illustrious Christian hero, Colonel Gardiner, whose name I could not forbear recording here; and the memoirs of whose life, which from the most intimate knowledge of him I have written, will, I hope, promote the admiration, love, and imitation of all who peruse them. the second death. Christ's epistle to the church of Pergamos. 383 Rev. ii. 11 shall not be hurt of comparison greater than any he can endure on SECT. earth. In this world he may indeed encounter iv, the first death for my sake; but he shall not be injured hereafter by the second; he shall rest in everlasting security and peace, while those who desert and renounce their duty for the preservation of this transitory life, shall be consigned to that state of misery, where they shall seek death, but it shall for ever flee from them. 12 And to the an And to the angel, or minister, of the church, 12 gel of the church which [is] in Pergamos, write, These things in Pergamos, write, These things saith saith he, who in token of the penetrating and he which hath the efficacious nature of his word, is represented sharp sword with as one who has the sharp two edged sword comtwo edges; ing out of his mouth; even that word, which is quick and powerful, and sharper than any 13 I know thy two edged sword: I know thy works, and thy 13 works, and where circumstances, in every respect; and particuthou dwellest, even where Satan's seat larly, where thou dwellest; [even] where the is; and thou holdest throne of Satan [is] fixed, in the midst of fast my name, and superstition, and in the midst of persecution, hast not denied my faith, even in those by the union of which the kingdom of darkdays wherein Anti- ness is supported; and thou holdest fast the pas was my faithful honour of my name, and hast not denied and re slain among you, eth. martyr, who was nounced my faith, even in those days of extreme where Satan dwell. difficulty and danger, in which Antipas [was] my faithful martyr, and sealed his fidelity to me with his blood; even that dear and resolute Christian, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth, and seems to take up his residence, as might be inferred from the enormi14 But I have a ties which are continually practising there. few things against Nevertheless, I have a few things to allege 14 hast there them that against thee, that thou hast there them who rehold the doctrine of main uncensured in your societies, who hold Balaam, who taught what is, in effect, the detestable doctrine of that bling block before infamous Balaam,who taught Balak, king of Mothe children of Isra- ab, to cast a stumbling block before the children el, to eat things sac- of Israel, by which they fell into sin and ruin; to commit fornica. encouraging and seducing them to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit fornication. thee, because thou Balak to cast a stum rificed to idols, and tion. f Antipas my faithful martyr.] Ecclesias tical history has not informed us who this Antipas was. Perhaps he was some zeal ous minister, who died for the faith he had preached; or some private Christian of obscure birth, rank, and circumstances, ennobled by enduring martyrdom in the Christian cause. But we may be sure that such condescending notice taken of him by his Divine Master, who mentions his name with affection and regard, would be, instead of a thousand arguments, to animate the courage and fidelity of other Christians, who might be called out to the like extremities. 384 Rev. 15 They are ordered to repent. the doctrine of the to thee quickly, and 17 He that hath SECT. These practices are tolerated by some among 15 So hast thou iv. you; whom therefore it becomes you to search also them that hold out, and to treat with due severity; for thou in Nicolaitans, which like manner hast those that hold the doctrine of the thing I hate. accursed Balaamites, or wicked Nicolaitans," 16 which I hate. Repent therefore of these irreg- 16 Repent: or ularities; or otherwise thou mayest depend else I will come unupon it, that I will come unto thee quickly in a will fight against way of chastisement, and I will fight against them with the sword them with the sharp sword [that cometh out] of of my mouth. my mouth; I will pronounce terrible calamities against you, and execute upon you what I have 17 threatened in my word. He that hath an ear to hear at all, capable of hearing, let him hear ear, let him hear with the greatest attention, what the Spirit saith unto the churches; what the Spirit saith to the churches: To the conqueror I will give the To him that overprivilege of being, as it were, admitted into cometh I will give the most holy place; and there he shall have to eat of the hidden manna, and will give liberty to eat of the hidden manna, and shall him a white stone, be entertained with those sacred pleasures, which God's sanctuary above affords, and of which the manna that fell in the wilderness, and was laid up in a golden vessel before the Lord, was only an imperfect type. And I will give him a white stone,h in token of full absolu thrown. Nor can it be hoped, that the reformed interest will ever revive, till a few of its professors at least have the courage to die for the truth, and scatter their blood as the seed of the church. An anonymous writer, (in the Memoirs of Liter. Vol. V. p. 258,) thinks, that by Balaamites, or Nicolaitans, (which he also supposes the same,) we are, in general, to understand lewd and profligate persons, who aim at nothing but their own secular advantage, and pleads in favour of his opinion, ver. 20 ; iii. 9; viii. 11; ix. 11; xi. 8, in all which places proper names are used in such a fig. urative manner, to express characters resembling theirs whose names are thus used. 8 Balaamites, or Nicolaitans.] As Ba- were once planted, but are now overlaam has the same signification in Hebrew which Nicolaus has in Greek, and both signify conquerors of the people, (which name might probably be given to the celebrated Balaam, on account of the great influence which he had in the place where he lived,) it seems not improbable, that the doctrine of Balaam, and of the Nicolaitans, might be the same; (or the latter might be more strenuous in justifying and propagating their doctrine, and acting upon it.) As if he had said, Balaam taught Balak to lay a stumbling block before the children of Israel; and thou hast also them that hold the doctrine of the Balaamites. Probably this doctrine might be like that of some modern seducers, that it was lawful to dissemble the Christian faith, and to conform to established superstition, to prevent persecution: a fatal error, which tends most effectually to overthrow Christ. ianity; the existence of which, in these later ages, is owing to the contrary doctrine and practice. And I greatly fear, that millions of souls are continually sacrificed to it, especially in France, and other countries, in which protestant churches A white stone.] It is well know, that among the Greeks, a white stone was a token of absolution, as a black stone was of condemnation; but the writing a new name upon this stone is not, that I know of, illustrated by any ancient practice. And the connection between the two ideas seems to be this, That in the great day, on which the absolution of Christ's people was to be declared publicly, they were to Reflections on the epistles to Smyrna and Pergamos. which no man know 385 Rev. and in the stone a tion from all his crimes; and in the stone a new SECT. new name written, name written, which no man knoweth, except he iv. eth, saving he that who receiveth it, I will admit him to that intimacy of sacred friendship, from whence results a joy which the stranger intermeddles not with, and which can be only conceived by those who happily experience it. receiveth it. IMPROVEMENT. AGAIN let us direct our eyes to that glorious Person, who is verse the First and the Last; and who, though it may appear incom- 8 patible with that Divine title, was once dead, and is alive again; and since he is here awfully represented as with a sharp sword 12 going out of his mouth, let us be greatly concerned, that we do not incur his displeasure by our irregular conduct, lest he smite, or even destroy us. Let us observe and imitate what he com- 9 mends in the churches whom he here addresses; their humility in being sensible of their poverty, when enriched by his grace; their patience, their diligence, and the resolution with which they 13 retained the honour of his name, notwithstanding the throne of satan was in the midst of them, and the rage of persecution had destroyed Antipas before their eyes; that blessed, that triumphant hero, whose fidelity and constancy his Divine Saviour commemorates with approbation, and even with satisfaction and pleasure. Who would not be ambitious of dying in the same manner, were it ever so severe and terrible, to be thus honoured and celebrated by our Lord Jesus Christ, or any of his faithful apostles? Let us not be terrified at the apprehension of what we may suffer from the malice of satan, and by his instruments, even though not merely imprisonment, but death itself were to 10 be admitted into that intimate converse, and high state of favour, which is signified by the new name, which last circumstance plainly alludes to the custom of princes, who give new names to those whom they have raised to ve 'y extraordinary dignity; of which we have many instances in the Old Testament; particularly, Gen. xli. 45; 2 Sam. xii. 25; Dan. i. 7. Dr. Goodman thinks this an allusion to the token, or ticket, given to the conqueror in the Olympic games, expressing his name, and signifying the reward he was to receive for his achievements. See his Par. of the Prod. p. 307. person, must be known to others, or it would be given in vain; and then it intimates, that honour shall be conferred on such an one, which shall only be known to the inhabitants of that world to which he shall be admitted, and who have already received it. Otherwise, it must refer to a custom which has sometimes prevailed among princes, of giving particular names, expressing familiarity and delight, to distinguished favourites, by which to call them in the greatest familiarity of converse, whether by discourse, or by letter; and which have not been communicated to others, or used by them at other times, i No_man knoweth, except he who receiv- I have hinted at both in the paraphrase, eth it.] I have sometimes thought, not being able in my own mind certainly aulavov, may signify, one that has receiv- to determine, which is the peculiar and ed it, as it seems a name given to any more exact sense. |
