Revelation · Chapter 3

V. 1. The seven spirits of God-The Holy Spirit, from whom alone all spiritual life and strength proceed.

And the seven stars-which are subordinate to him.

Thou hast a name that thou livest-A fair reputation, a goodly outside appearance. But that Spirit seeth through all things, and every empty appearance vanishes before him.

Verse 1. The seven Spirits, of God] See the note on Revelation 1:4, 16, &c.

Thou hast a name that thou livest] Ye have the reputation of Christians, and consequently of being alive to God, through the quickening influence of the Divine Spirit; but ye are dead-ye have not the life of God in your souls, ye have not walked consistently and steadily before God, and his Spirit has been grieved with you, and he has withdrawn much of his light and power.

Verse 1. To the angel of the church in Sardis write — This city, “once the renowned capital of Crœsus and the rich Lydian kings, is now no longer worthy of the name of a city. It lies about thirty-three miles to the south of Thyatira, and is called by the Turks, Sart, or Sard, with little variation from the original name. It is a most sad spectacle; nor can one forbear weeping over the ruins of so great a city: for now it is no more than an ignoble village, with low and wretched cottages of clay; nor hath it any other inhabitants besides shepherds and herdsmen, who feed their flocks and cattle in the neighbouring plains. Yet the great extent and grandeur of the ruins abundantly show how large and splendid a city it was formerly. The Turks themselves have only one mosque, a beautiful one indeed, perverted to that use from a Christian church. Very few Christians are here to be found; and they, with great patience, sustain a miserable servitude; and, what is far more miserable, are without a church, without a priest among them. Such is the deplorable state of this once most glorious city; but her works were not found perfect; that is, they were found blameable before God; she was dead even while she lived; and she is punished accordingly.” — Bishop Newton. Mr. Lindsay, however, informs us, that there is a small church establishment on the plains of Sardis, where, about five years ago, the few Christians who dwell around the modern Sart, and who had been in the habit of meeting at each other’s houses for the exercise of religion, built a church within view of ancient Sardis; and that there they maintain a priest. In consequence of this, the place has gradually risen into a little village, now called Tartarkeury, and thither the few Christians of Sart, who amount to seven, and those in its immediate vicinity, resort for public worship, and form together a congregation of about forty. There appears then still a remnant, a few names even in Sardis, which have been preserved. “I cannot repeat,” says he, “the expressions of gratitude with which they received a copy of the New Testament in a language with which they were familiar. Several crowded about the priest to hear it on the spot; and I left them thus engaged.”

These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God — That is, the Holy Spirit, from whom alone all spiritual gifts and graces proceed; or he who presides over and orders the various dispensations of the Spirit, and produces thereby such wonderful effects; and the seven stars — Which represent the ministers of the churches, all whose motions he continues to govern and direct, according to his all-wise and gracious pleasure. I know thy works — The state thou art in, and thy conduct: and that thou dost not answer that character which thou generally maintainest in the neighbouring churches for true religion and virtue; that thou hast a name that thou livest — A fair reputation; the character of being truly alive unto God; of possessing spiritual life here, and being in the way to eternal life hereafter; but art dead — Art really destitute of that life, and in the way to the second death.

Verse 1. Sardis, once a flourishing city, the residence of ancient kings, now a miserable village, having but few christians. This is not the Sardis, capital of Lydia, where Crœsus reigned, the richest king of all the east; the city which Cyrus took by the treachery of an officer, and eased Crœsus of all his gold and silver. Vide Cyroped. lib. 7. The Sardis of John is fifty miles east of Smyrna. Many critics have indeed asserted this to be the capital of Crœsus; yet the moral impossibility of marching his army from Ecbatana to that Sardis, before he turned his army on Babylon, renders it altogether incredible.

Thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Thou hast the form of godliness in worship, in moral character, and exterior conduct, but thy faith is destitute of power and love: thy prayers fall short of heaven, and fail in pleading with God. Thou dost not run to save thy neighbours from death.

1. Sardis—Thirty miles to the southeast from Thyatira, crossing the river Hermus, would bring our St. John, in his apostolic circuit, to the renowned city of Sardis. He would find it situated between the Hermus and the mountain range of Tmolus. Into the Hermus flows the small river Pactolus, from whose “golden sands” it was anciently reported that Croesus largely derived his riches. But Brewer remarks that the sands are sparkling with grains of mica, and suspects that what so glittered in ancient times was not “all gold.” Croesus, he thinks, drew his wealth from the rich alluvium of Hermus, rather than from the “fool’s gold” of the Pactolus. The renown of Sardis was at its zenith under Croesus, who was king of all Lydia, by descent from an ancient line. From the record of his wealth we still utter the proverb, “rich as Croesus.” Celebrated, also, is the visit to his court of Solon, the Athenian philosopher and statesman. Of him Croesus asked whom he considered the happiest of men, expecting himself to be named. But Solon gave him answer, remembered by him on his dying day, that none could be pronounced truly happy until he had finished his course of life. Celebrated, too, is the ambiguity of the oracle by which he was deceived to his ruin. When he asked the god if he should fight Cyrus, he was told that if he crossed the river Halys in war he would destroy a great empire. He crossed, to find that the great empire to be destroyed was not that of Cyrus, but his own. Overcome by Cyrus, Lydia and all western Asia fell under the power of the Persians. For some centuries after, the richness of its soil retained its existence as a city, but at the present time it is a profound solitude. “Rarely,” says Svoboda, “can the site of any ancient city so impress the traveller with a sense of astonishment at its stupendous desolation, as does the aspect of Sardis at the present day. Once… its splendour gained for it the title of the Queen of Asia… Here, indeed, all must acknowledge that the prophecy of the Apocalypse has been fulfilled to the letter.” About seventy years after the publication of this Apocalypse, one of the brightest ornaments of the Christian Church was Melito, Bishop of Sardis. He was eminent for piety, learning, and talent; and his writings, some of which are still extant, are wonderful for the variety of subjects discussed by his active mind. They treated, among other things, upon faith, Easter, the first day of the week, the soul and body, the birth of Christ, the incarnation, and Satan. And it is here to be specially noted, that, severe as this letter to this Angel of Sardis is, Melito wrote a comment upon this Apocalypse, not now extant, but unquestionably accepting it as the work of our apostle John.

Hath the seven spirits of God—The two ascriptions here claimed by the Lord are appropriated from John’s descriptions in 1:4-16. The Holy Spirit in its sevenfoldness in him dwells, and the sevenfold Churches, searched, judged, sanctified, or rejected by that Spirit, are in his hand. This is a most solemn awakening style and title with which the epistle to the dead Churches is preluded. And the sevenfoldness, both of the Spirit and the Churches, suggests that all Churches are here typically represented. I know—With all the intensity, omniscience, and purity of the Spirit. I know thy works—External and internal. Hast a name—The word name is thrice used in this epistle. Perhaps the last of the three (verse 5) explains the first two, the written name. The metaphor of verse 5 is drawn from the register-book of cities, in which every citizen’s name was written, and erased at his death or disfranchisement for crime. The Sardian angel, implying also his Church, had a recorded name among the Churches, and that implied life; and yet they were dead. Yet this dead did not mean the fulness of death, but deadness, lifelessness, which, was rapidly becoming death. This is implied in the next verse; for there were some things ready to die, and there was supposed life enough to strengthen and re-enliven them. And it is to this revival of life that the promise of not being blotted out, in verse 5, is given.

V. 2. The things which remain-In thy soul; knowledge of the truth, good desires, and convictions.

Which were ready to die-Wherever pride, indolence, or levity revives, all the fruits of the Spirit are ready to die.

Verse 2. Be watchful] Ye have lost ground by carelessness and inattention. Awake, and keep awake!

Strengthen the things which remain] The convictions and good desires, with any measure of the fear of God and of a tender conscience, which, although still subsisting, are about to perish, because the Holy Spirit, who is the author of them, being repeatedly grieved, is about finally to depart. Thy works perfect] peplhrwmena. Filled up. They performed duties of all kinds, but no duty completely. They were constantly beginning, but never brought any thing to a proper end. Their resolutions were languid, their strength feeble, and their light dim. They probably maintained their reputation before men, but their works were not perfect before God.

Verses 2, 3. Be watchful — Therefore awake to a sense of thy danger, and stand on thy guard against the enemies, visible and invisible, which threaten thy eternal destruction; and strengthen — By prayer, hearing and reading the word, by meditation thereon, and a conscientious use of every private and public means of grace; the things which remain — In thy soul: such as knowledge of the truth, good desires, convictions of sin, of depravity and weakness, and of thy duty and interest; which are ready to die — Wherever pride, self-confidence, lukewarmness, indolence, levity, or the love of the world revives, every fruit of the Spirit is reader to die. For I have not found thy works perfect — Greek, peplhrwmena, filled up, or complete; before God — As not being performed from a right principle; a principle of love to God and man; to a right end, the glory of God; by a right rule, his holy will; and in a right spirit, a spirit of humility, resignation, and patience; of meekness, gentleness, and long-suffering: and therefore the good things, which might still remain in part, were very defective, wanting those qualities required in the gospel to render them acceptable in the sight of God. Remember therefore how thou hast received — How humbly, zealously, affectionately, and seriously thou didst once receive the enlightening, pardoning, and renewing grace of God; and hear — His word; and hold fast — That knowledge of and faith in the truth, and whatever degree of grace thou yet retainest; and repent — Of that carelessness and negligence through which thou hast lost so many opportunities of gaining and doing good. If, therefore, thou wilt not watch — As thou art now directed to do; I will come on thee — By some sudden and unforeseen judgment, as a thief in the night comes on those that are buried in sleep; and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee — So that the surprise will throw thee into the greatest consternation and distress.

2. Be watchful—Literally, become wakeful; wake up, be wide awake. For this deadness is a sleep; the fumes of which may, and should, be right speedily dispersed. Strengthen—Make firm, solidify. Things—Not persons, as many excellent commentators aver, but things: the Christian virtues, ordinances, aggressive movements. Revive all the early zeal by which the membership was holy, the Church strong, sinners were saved, and the gospel spread. These were now relaxed and ready to die. Perfect—Not the usual Greek word for perfect; but for filled up. It supposes a measure, a capacity, like a vessel which was not, but should be, completely filled with performed duties.

V. 3. Remember how-Humbly, zealously, seriously. Thou didst receive the grace of God once, and hear-His word. And hold fast-The grace thou hast received. And repent-According to the word thou hast heard.

Verse 3. Remember] Enter into a serious consideration of your state. How thou hast received] With what joy, zeal, and gladness ye heard the Gospel of Christ when first preached to you.

Hold fast] Those good desires and heavenly influences which still remain. And repent.] Be humbled before God, because ye have not been workers together with him, but have received much of his grace in vain. If therefore thou shalt not watch] If you do not consider your ways, watching against sin, and for opportunities to receive and do good. I will come on thee as a thief] As the thief comes when he is not expected, so will I come upon you if ye be not watchful, and cut you off from life and hope.

Verses 2, 3. Be watchful — Therefore awake to a sense of thy danger, and stand on thy guard against the enemies, visible and invisible, which threaten thy eternal destruction; and strengthen — By prayer, hearing and reading the word, by meditation thereon, and a conscientious use of every private and public means of grace; the things which remain — In thy soul: such as knowledge of the truth, good desires, convictions of sin, of depravity and weakness, and of thy duty and interest; which are ready to die — Wherever pride, self-confidence, lukewarmness, indolence, levity, or the love of the world revives, every fruit of the Spirit is reader to die. For I have not found thy works perfect — Greek, peplhrwmena, filled up, or complete; before God — As not being performed from a right principle; a principle of love to God and man; to a right end, the glory of God; by a right rule, his holy will; and in a right spirit, a spirit of humility, resignation, and patience; of meekness, gentleness, and long-suffering: and therefore the good things, which might still remain in part, were very defective, wanting those qualities required in the gospel to render them acceptable in the sight of God. Remember therefore how thou hast received — How humbly, zealously, affectionately, and seriously thou didst once receive the enlightening, pardoning, and renewing grace of God; and hear — His word; and hold fast — That knowledge of and faith in the truth, and whatever degree of grace thou yet retainest; and repent — Of that carelessness and negligence through which thou hast lost so many opportunities of gaining and doing good. If, therefore, thou wilt not watch — As thou art now directed to do; I will come on thee — By some sudden and unforeseen judgment, as a thief in the night comes on those that are buried in sleep; and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee — So that the surprise will throw thee into the greatest consternation and distress.

3. How thou hast received—Or rather, didst receive, namely, when the gospel first came to you. And the meaning is not, (as some interpret,) remember what you received, that is, the matter; but truly, how you received; that is, the spirit and manner. He reminds them, as he does the Ephesians, of their “first love.” Compare Galatians 4:13-15. And heard—Refers more to the matter, namely, the true apostolic tradition of the gospel. Hold fast—Firmly with your original maintenance. Repent— Recognise and reverse your sinful decline. I… as a thief—The comparison originated by no other than our Lord himself in regard to himself, Matthew 24:43; Luke 12:39. For who else would presume upon such a comparison without his example? Its primary application is to his judgment advent; and all its applications are to such a catastrophe as finally fixes the case of the man for that judgment. The judge then comes upon the sinner, repentance ceases to be possible, and the certainty of his final sentence is fixed. Shalt not know—Expect no other warning. The only safety is in watchfulness, constant preparedness,—as if the judgment day, at least through the gates of death, were here.

V. 4. Yet thou hast a few names-That is, persons. But though few, they had not separated themselves from the rest; otherwise, the angel of Sardis would not have had them. Yet it was no virtue of his, that they were unspotted; whereas it was his fault that they were but few. Who have not defiled their garments-Either by spotting themselves, or by partaking of other men's sins.

They shall walk with me in white-in joy; in perfect holiness; in glory. They are worthy-A few good among many bad are doubly acceptable to God. O how much happier is this worthiness than that mentioned, Revelation 16:6.

Verse 4. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis] A few persons, names being put for those who bore them. And as the members of the Church were all enrolled, or their names entered in a book, when admitted into the Church or when baptized, names are here put for the people themselves. See Revelation 3:5.

Have not defiled their garments] Their souls. The Hebrews considered holiness as the garb of the soul, and evil actions as stains or spots on this garb. So in Shabbath, fol. 152, 2: “A certain king gave royal garments to his servants: those who were prudent folded them up, and laid them by in a chest; those who were foolish put them on, and performed their daily labour in them. After some time the king asked for those royal robes; the wise brought theirs white and clean, the foolish brought theirs spotted with dirt. With the former the king was well pleased; with the latter he was angry. Concerning the former he said: Let those garments be laid up in my wardrobe, and let the persons go home in peace. Of the latter he said: Let the garments be put into the hands of the fuller, and cast those who wore them into prison.” This parable is spoken on these words of Ecclesiastes, Ecclesiastes 12:7: The spirit shall return to God who gave it. They shall walk with me in white] They shall be raised to a state of eternal glory, and shall be for ever with their Lord.

Verse 4. Yet thou hast a few names — That is, persons; even in Sardis — Corrupt and indolent as the general state of the place is; who have not defiled their garments — Who, notwithstanding the common corruption, have preserved their purity, having neither spotted themselves, nor partaken of the guilt of other men’s sins. These persons, though few, had not separated themselves from the rest; otherwise the angel of this church would not have had them. Yet it was no virtue of his that they were unspotted; whereas it was his fault that they were but few. They shall walk with me in white — In joy, in perfect holiness, in glory. “It is well known that white robes were worn on occasions of great joy, and sometimes in triumphal processions; to both which there is probably a reference here. Priests also were clothed in white; and the addition of that dignity may likewise be implied as certainly coming within the scheme of Christ with regard to his people: see Revelation 1:6. Some think here is an allusion to the custom of the sanhedrim, when they examined the candidates for the high-priesthood; if they judged the candidate worthy, they gave him a white garment; if unqualified, he was sent out from among them in mourning.” — Doddridge. For they are worthy — A few good among many bad are doubly acceptable unto God. O how much happier is this worthiness than that mentioned Revelation 16:6.

Ver. 4. Which have not defiled their garments. It is a fact, that in some churches they gave a white cloth to a person on his baptism, that he might keep it unsoiled; a good moral was taught by this, to keep himself unspotted from the world. They shall walk with me in white, in robes of festal joy. David wore a white robe when he brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom.

Epistle the sixth.

4. A few names—Recorded, perhaps baptismally, upon the Church parchments, (the earthly counterpart of the heavenly book of life,) and so here the word denoting the blessed owners of the names. Defiled their garments—As if one were walking with clean skirts through a dirty world, where the utmost care is necessary to “keep himself unspotted.” James 1:27. Shall walk with me—Along the golden pavements of the New Jerusalem, Revelation 21:21. Walk with—As in a public procession, or as two associates, in public view. In white—Not here indicating priesthood, although white was the colour of the priest in officiating. But the white of both the priesthood and the saints is an emblem, based on the natural idea of white as identical with purity. The white background presents the strongest contrast to all spot; and the white is associated with the cheerful and exhilarating colour of light, splendour, glory. All these stand in conceptual opposition to blackness, foulness, impurity, iniquity, wretchedness, woe. Hence in the primitive Church the candidate for baptism was dressed in white to indicate the professed purity of his Christian life. To live worthily was to preserve the whiteness of his robe; to commit sin was to stain it with a spot. Here the promise is, that the white garment of a well-sustained earthly life shall be exalted into the white garments of future glory. Are worthy—Justified by grace, and walking worthily of their high vocation, the Lord pronounces them worthy. Not that the best of our doing entitles us to heaven, but when we meet the conditions of grace, grace graciously pronounces us worthy. Note on Romans 3:27.

V. 5. He shall be clothed in white raiment-The colour of victory, joy, and triumph.

And I will not blot his name out of the book of life-Like that of the angel of the church at Sardis: but he shall live for ever. I will confess his name-As one of my faithful servants and soldiers.

Verse 5. I will not blot out his name] This may be an allusion to the custom of registering the names of those who were admitted into the Church in a book kept for that purpose, from which custom our baptismal registers in Churches are derived. These are properly books of life, as there those who were born unto God were registered; as in the latter those who were born in that parish were enrolled. Or there may be allusions to the white raiment worn by the priests, and the erasing of the name of any priest out of the sacerdotal list who had either sinned, or was found not to be of the seed of Aaron. In Middoth, fol. 37, 2: “The great council of Israel sat and judged the priests. If in a priest any vice was found they stripped of his white garments and clothed him in black, in which he wrapped himself, went out, and departed. Him in whom no vice was found they clothed in white, and he went and took his part in the ministry among his brother priests.”

I will confess his name] I will acknowledge that this person is my true disciple, and a member of my mystical body. In all this there may also be an allusion to the custom of registering citizens. Their names were entered into books, according to their condition, tribes, family, &c.; and when they were dead, or had by unconstitutional acts forfeited their right of citizenship, the name was blotted out, or erased from the registers. See Clarke’s note on “Exodus 32:32”.

Verses 5, 6. He that overcometh — That is finally victorious over his spiritual enemies; shall be clothed in white raiment — In the habit of victory, joy, and triumph; and I will not blot his name out of the book of life — Like that of the angel of the church at Sardis. See on Philippians 4:3; Daniel 12:1. This passage plainly implies, that some names shall be blotted out from the book of life: that is, some who, in consequence of their adoption and regeneration, were entitled to and fitted for eternal life, shall, through falling from grace, lose these blessings, and come again under guilt, condemnation, and wrath. But I will confess his name — Who overcomes to the end, as one of my faithful servants and soldiers; before my Father — In the great day of decisive judgment: and as he was enrolled among my believing, loving, and obedient people, he shall continue for ever in their number. He that hath an ear, &c. — Let everyone that hears this be animated by so glorious a hope to exert his utmost efforts in this holy and honourable warfare.

5. White raiment—A full and joyous expansion of the promise hinted in verse 4. On the brilliant white here implied—the whiteness of glory, the celestial coruscation—see note on Revelation 3:18. On this Trench beautifully remarks: “As we cannot conceive of any room in heaven for raiment, in the literal sense of the word, we must understand by this that vesture of light, that clothing with light as with a garment, which shall be theirs who shall then ‘shine out (eklamyousi Matthew 13:43) as the sun in the kingdom of their Father;’ their ‘raiment,’ and yet for all this, not something external to them, but the outward utterance of all which now, inwardly, they are who have left all sin behind them forever. The glorified body, defecated of all its dregs and all its impurities, transformed and transfigured into the likeness of Christ’s body, (Philippians 3:21,)— this, with its robe and atmosphere of light, is itself, I believe, the ‘white raiment,’ which Christ here promises to his redeemed.” Compare our note on 1 Corinthians 15:43, 44. Blot out his name—When the glorious vestments of the resurrection are put on, the citizenship in the New Jerusalem is sure, and the name in its city census, the book of life, can never be blotted out. For this image of blotting, see our note on Luke 10:20. Will confess his name—When the man presents himself in resurrection array there is his record in the book, and the Lord will confess that blessed owner of the name, will remember how unspotted was his vestment in the Church below, and will acknowledge his “title clear to mansions in the skies.” Before my Father… angels—In presence of the celestial court shall he be introduced and recognised as belonging to the holy society of God, angels, and heaven. Such was the prospect of, alas! but few in this great city, the once rich capital of Lydia. The many, both in the Church and out, were facing toward a reverse future.

VI. PHILADELPHIA—The faithful and blameless Church, 7-13.

Verse 6. He that hath an ear] The usual caution and counsel carefully to attend to the things spoken to the members of that Church, in which every reader is more or less interested.

Epistle to the Church at Philadelphia.

Verses 5, 6. He that overcometh — That is finally victorious over his spiritual enemies; shall be clothed in white raiment — In the habit of victory, joy, and triumph; and I will not blot his name out of the book of life — Like that of the angel of the church at Sardis. See on Philippians 4:3; Daniel 12:1. This passage plainly implies, that some names shall be blotted out from the book of life: that is, some who, in consequence of their adoption and regeneration, were entitled to and fitted for eternal life, shall, through falling from grace, lose these blessings, and come again under guilt, condemnation, and wrath. But I will confess his name — Who overcomes to the end, as one of my faithful servants and soldiers; before my Father — In the great day of decisive judgment: and as he was enrolled among my believing, loving, and obedient people, he shall continue for ever in their number. He that hath an ear, &c. — Let everyone that hears this be animated by so glorious a hope to exert his utmost efforts in this holy and honourable warfare.

V. 7. The holy one, the true one-Two great and glorious names. He that hath the key of David-A master of a family, or a prince, has one or more keys, wherewith he can open and shut all the doors of his house or palace. So had David a key, a token of right and sovereignty, which was afterward adjudged to Eliakim, Isaiah 22:22. Much more has Christ, the Son of David, the key of the spiritual city of David, the New Jerusalem; the supreme right, power, and authority, as in his own house. He openeth this to all that overcome, and none shutteth: he shutteth it against all the fearful, and none openeth. Likewise when he openeth a door on earth for his works or his servants, none can shut; and when he shutteth against whatever would hurt or defile, none can open.

Verse 7. He that is holy] In whom holiness essentially dwells, and from whom all holiness is derived.

He that is true] He who is the fountain of truth; who cannot lie nor be imposed on; from whom all truth proceeds; and whose veracity in his Revelation is unimpeachable.

He that hath the key of David] See this metaphor explained, Matthew 16:19. Key is the emblem of authority and knowledge; the key of David is the regal right or authority of David. David could shut or open the kingdom of Israel to whom he pleased. He was not bound to leave the kingdom even to his eldest son. He could choose whom he pleased to succeed him. The kingdom of the Gospel, and the kingdom of heaven, are at the disposal of Christ. He can shut against whom he will; he can open to whom he pleases. If he shuts, no man can open; if he opens, no man can shut. His determinations all stand fast, and none can reverse them. This expression is an allusion to Isaiah 22:22, where the prophet promises to Eliakim, under the symbol of the key of the house of David, the government of the whole nation; i.e., all the power of the king, to be executed by him as his deputy; but the words, as here applied to Christ, show that He is absolute.

Verses 7, 8. And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write — “Philadelphia, so called from Attalus Philadelphus, its builder, is distant from Sardis about twenty-seven miles to the south-east. It is called by the Turks Alah Shahr, or the beautiful city, on account of its delightful situation, standing on the declivity of the mountain Tmolus, and having a most pleasant prospect on the plains beneath, well furnished with divers villages, and watered by the river Pactolus. It still retains the form of a city, with something of trade to invite the people to it, being the road of the Persian caravans. Here is little of antiquity remaining, besides the ruins of a church dedicated to St. John, which is now made a dunghill to receive the offals of dead beasts. However, God hath been pleased to preserve some of this place to make profession of the Christian faith, there being above two hundred houses of Christians, and four churches. Next to Smyrna, this city hath the greatest number of Christians, and Christ hath promised a more particular protection to it. Behold, I have set before thee an open door, &c., verse 8.” So Bishop Newton. But Mr. Lindsay’s account given of this church two years ago, in consequence of a personal inspection, is still more favourable, thus: “Whatever may be lost of the spirit of Christianity, there is still the form of a Christian church; which, according to the promise, has been kept from the hour of temptation, &c., verse 10. There are here about one thousand Christians, chiefly Greeks, who for the most part speak only Turkish. There are twenty-five places of public worship; five of which are large, regular churches: to these there is a resident bishop, with twenty inferior clergy. A copy of the modern Greek Testament was received by the bishop with great thankfulness.”

These things saith he that is holy, he that is true — Or, the Holy One, the true One; two great and glorious titles; he that hath the key of David — A master of a family has one or more keys wherewith he can open and shut all the doors of his house or palace. So had David a key, (a token of right or sovereignty,) which was afterward adjudged to Eliakim, Isaiah 22:22. Much more has Christ, the Son of David, the key of the spiritual city of David, the New Jerusalem; the supreme right, power, and authority, as in his own house. He openeth this to all that overcome, and none shutteth: he shutteth it against all the fearful and unbelieving, and none openeth — He hath likewise all authority and power in his church on earth, so that none can exclude from the privileges of that kingdom those whom he thinks proper to admit to the enjoyment of them; and none can bestow them upon those from whom he shall be pleased to withhold them. Likewise, when he openeth a door for the progress of his work, or the usefulness of his servants, none can shut it; and when he shutteth against whatever would hurt or defile, none can open. I know thy works — How exemplary they are; behold, I have set before thee an open door, &c. — I have given thee power and opportunity of spreading my gospel, which none can hinder thee from doing; for thou hast a little strength — A little courage and power; and hast kept my word — Both in judgment and practice; and hast not denied my name — Though my enemies have made many efforts to compel thee to do it.

Ver. 7. Philadelphia, equivalent to fraternity, or the love of brethren. Four other cities have that name in the east, besides the great city of Philadelphia in the United States. This in Asia is twenty seven miles south-east of Sardis. The Turks call it Alah Shahr, that is, the beautiful city. At this day there are about one thousand christians in it, who speak chiefly the Arabic language. In the midst of wars and successive governments, the Lord has kept the remnant in the hour of temptation, according to his word.

7. Philadelphia—On his apostolic journey our St. John, Starting from Sardis, would travel a narrow strip—between the Cogamus river, a branch of the Hermus on his left, and the range of Tmolus mountains on the right—thirty miles in length. He would find the city ensconced like a nest in a narrow nook between river and mountain. See map.

Though one of the smallest and most modern of the seven, Philadelphia has a vividly interesting history. Its name, signifying brotherly-love, was a memento of the fraternal affection which existed between its founder, Attalus II., King of Pergamos, and his brother. It was daringly built in the katakekaumene, or burnt district, and so liable to perpetual earthquakes. It was nevertheless persistently inhabited, on account, probably, of the profitableness of its grapes and wines, which its soil richly produced. The American missionary Brewer, (from whose volume several of our cuts are derived,) in our time found it, however, fertile in wheat, opium, madder, and cotton. When the Persian Xerxes marched with his army of millions into Western Asia, for the conquest of Greece, he came to Philadelphia on his route. As the city stood at the head of the two valleys of the Hermus and the Meander, he could take either route. He here found a “plane tree” of such beauty, that he presented it with golden ornaments, and passed on by the northern route, which led to Sardis. The plane tree is still a flourishing product of this soil, and Svoboda tells us that the natives still make the sort of confection of honey, tamarisk, and wheat, which charmed the palate of Xerxes. In the reign of Tiberius all of Asia Minor suffered from tremendous earthquakes, and Tacitus tells us that Philadelphia was very nearly destroyed. When, in 1390, the Ottoman conqueror Bajazet, surnamed the Thunderer, overran Western Asia, this people, who lived over the slumbering earthquake, bravely met the assaults of the Thunderer. They were the last to capitulate to his arms. The present population of Philadelphia is fifteen thousand, one third Greeks. How, in modern times, these Greeks celebrate Christ and the resurrection, Brewer thus informs us: “It being Easter Sunday with the Greeks, we were aroused soon after midnight to witness, in the principal church, the celebration of Christ’s resurrection. Here, as in other places, persons pass about the town at the appointed hour of night, and knock loudly at the door of every Christian dwelling. The usual round of ceremonies was gone through with, such as chanting of prayers, reading portions of Scripture, burning incense, lighting tapers and candles—some of the size of small trees—and moving in procession about the church and churchyard until the day dawned. Then the assembly broke up exclaiming, “Christ has risen! Christ has risen!” Afterward, during the day—and the practice is continued more or less for forty days—friends and strangers, in place of the customary forms of salutation, use the set Bible phrases, “Christ has risen!” “He has risen indeed!”

He that is holy—Not the usual New Testament word for holy, ‘agiov, but osiov; and so not so much implying the sanctified life as the original absolute rightness of the divine Being. He that is true—True in himself, that is, genuine, and true in all his declarations, that is, veracious. As the revealer of God, the source of all revelation, he is both genuine and true. Hath the key of David—As David was the king—having both the sceptre and the key of old Jerusalem—so this Son of David has the sceptre and the key of the New Jerusalem. And as David’s son he is heir of the theocracy; of the kingdom of God expanding from the old theocracy into a heavenly theocracy, and stretching into eternity. Openeth, and no man shutteth—A quotation and exaltation of Isaiah 22:22, “The key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.” And so this King of the New Jerusalem alone has original control of the keys of the New Jerusalem, to admit or exclude according to his divine will. And so much more has he the key of this earthly kingdom of grace; and all true exercise of the power of the keys by human beings is but an acting as his agents.

V. 8. I have given before thee an opened door-To enter into the joy of thy Lord; and, meantime, to go on unhindered in every good work. Thou hast a little strength-But little outward human strength; a little, poor, mean, despicable company. Yet thou

hast kept my word-Both in judgment and practice.

Verse 8. I have set before thee an open door] I have opened to thee a door to proclaim and diffuse my word; and, notwithstanding there are many adversaries to the spread of my Gospel, yet none of them shall be able to prevent it.

Thou hast a little strength] Very little political authority or influence; yet thou hast kept my word-hast kept the true doctrine; and hast not denied my name, by taking shelter in heathenism when Christianity was persecuted. The little strength may refer either to the smallness of the numbers, or to the littleness of their grace.

Verses 7, 8. And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write — “Philadelphia, so called from Attalus Philadelphus, its builder, is distant from Sardis about twenty-seven miles to the south-east. It is called by the Turks Alah Shahr, or the beautiful city, on account of its delightful situation, standing on the declivity of the mountain Tmolus, and having a most pleasant prospect on the plains beneath, well furnished with divers villages, and watered by the river Pactolus. It still retains the form of a city, with something of trade to invite the people to it, being the road of the Persian caravans. Here is little of antiquity remaining, besides the ruins of a church dedicated to St. John, which is now made a dunghill to receive the offals of dead beasts. However, God hath been pleased to preserve some of this place to make profession of the Christian faith, there being above two hundred houses of Christians, and four churches. Next to Smyrna, this city hath the greatest number of Christians, and Christ hath promised a more particular protection to it. Behold, I have set before thee an open door, &c., verse 8.” So Bishop Newton. But Mr. Lindsay’s account given of this church two years ago, in consequence of a personal inspection, is still more favourable, thus: “Whatever may be lost of the spirit of Christianity, there is still the form of a Christian church; which, according to the promise, has been kept from the hour of temptation, &c., verse 10. There are here about one thousand Christians, chiefly Greeks, who for the most part speak only Turkish. There are twenty-five places of public worship; five of which are large, regular churches: to these there is a resident bishop, with twenty inferior clergy. A copy of the modern Greek Testament was received by the bishop with great thankfulness.”

These things saith he that is holy, he that is true — Or, the Holy One, the true One; two great and glorious titles; he that hath the key of David — A master of a family has one or more keys wherewith he can open and shut all the doors of his house or palace. So had David a key, (a token of right or sovereignty,) which was afterward adjudged to Eliakim, Isaiah 22:22. Much more has Christ, the Son of David, the key of the spiritual city of David, the New Jerusalem; the supreme right, power, and authority, as in his own house. He openeth this to all that overcome, and none shutteth: he shutteth it against all the fearful and unbelieving, and none openeth — He hath likewise all authority and power in his church on earth, so that none can exclude from the privileges of that kingdom those whom he thinks proper to admit to the enjoyment of them; and none can bestow them upon those from whom he shall be pleased to withhold them. Likewise, when he openeth a door for the progress of his work, or the usefulness of his servants, none can shut it; and when he shutteth against whatever would hurt or defile, none can open. I know thy works — How exemplary they are; behold, I have set before thee an open door, &c. — I have given thee power and opportunity of spreading my gospel, which none can hinder thee from doing; for thou hast a little strength — A little courage and power; and hast kept my word — Both in judgment and practice; and hast not denied my name — Though my enemies have made many efforts to compel thee to do it.

8. Set before thee an open door—Namely, of divine entrance into the heavenly Jerusalem. No… shut it—No persecutions can exclude them from entering to their crown, verse 11. Hast by my grace a little strength for entering the heavenly door. And in the use of that “gracious ability,” hast kept my word. Hast not, amid faithlessness and persecution, denied my name. The Christian name, perhaps; which, long since adopted at Antioch, has been well maintained in Philadelphia. We are obliged with Stuart, and against Hengstenberg, Alford, and others, to maintain the correctness of our translation, a little strength, making it a commendation, rather than, by omitting the article, to read, thou hast little strength, making it a depreciation. Christ gives them the reward of an open door because of three good points; namely: their spiritual energy, however little; their keeping his word; and their sustaining his name. The entire drift of the three clauses is the same, namely: rewardable traits for which the everlasting door shall be open to them. To find this meaning in the open door may be disappointing to those who desire to read into it a temporal and present benefit promised. But most certainly a true reading will find, that from this open door to the new Jerusalem of verse 12 there is one straight line of thought, promising Philadelphia triumph, preservation, and abundant entrance, all solely at the second advent.

V. 9. Behold, I-who have all power; and they must then comply. I will make them come and bow down before thy feet-Pay thee the lowest homage.

And know-At length, that all depends on my love, and that thou hast a place therein. O how often does the judgment of the people turn quite round, when the Lord looketh upon them! Job 42:7, &c.

Verse 9. I will make them] Show them to be, of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews, pretending thereby to be of the synagogue of GOD, and consequently his true and peculiar children.

I will make them to come and worship] I will so dispose of matters in the course of my providence, that the Jews shall be obliged to seek unto the Christians for toleration, support, and protection, which they shall be obliged to sue for in the most humble and abject manner. To know that I have loved thee.] That the love which was formerly fixed on the Jews is now removed, and transferred to the Gentiles.

Verses 9, 10. Behold, I — Who have all power, and when I exert it they must then comply; will make them — Who are indeed of the synagogue of Satan — And under all the solemn guise of religious worship are carrying on Satan’s cause and interest; which say they are Jews — Pretend to be my people, but are not; I will make them to come and worship, or bow down, before thy feet — To pay thee the lowest homage; and to know that I have loved thee — That all depends on my love; and that thou hast a place therein; or to find that I evidently support thy cause and interest against all that oppose it. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience — That gospel which I have myself, by such patient suffering in my human nature, established in the world, and by which I at once exercise and support the faith and patience of my people; I also will keep thee — O happy exemption from that spreading calamity! from the hour of temptation — Or of trial. I will partly preserve thee from it, and partly support thee under it. In other words, My hand shall remarkably appear in defending thee from the dangers by which others fall; and in strengthening thee in proportion to the trial. The word hour denotes the short time of its continuance; that is, at any one place. At every one it was very sharp, though short, wherein the great tempter was not idle, Revelation 2:10. Which shall come upon all the world — Upon the whole Roman empire, as the original expression frequently signifies. It went over the Christians, and over the Jews and heathen, though in a very different manner. This was the time of the persecution under the seemingly virtuous emperor Trajan. The two preceding persecutions were under those monsters, Nero and Domitian. But Trajan was so admired for his goodness, and his persecution was of such a nature, that it was a temptation indeed, and did thoroughly try them that dwelt upon the earth.

Ver. 9. I will make them come and worship before thy feet, and know that I have loved thee. A luminous prophecy that christians shall rule the world, and that the jews should crouch at their feet, with submission and abasement.

9. Behold—In view of this little strength, the hast kept, and the not denied; therefore I will give them a royal triumph in the New Jerusalem, to which the open door admits them. The triumph is expressed in an image drawn from Isaiah 60:14. “All they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.” When the developments of the judgment day are unfolded, how will the despisers of the now humble Church acknowledge, with profound abasement, its true glory as the real city of God! The Jewish troublers of the Philadelphian Church are selected as the very present specimens of such “despisers,” who are bound to “wonder and perish.” Say they are Jews—And are so “after the flesh;” the which is now a nullity; but are not the spiritual Israel, which is now the only true Israel. Worship before thy feet—Of course no literal fact, but imaging the severe and final humiliation of all evil in presence of the truly good. In the judgment-day development the atheist will learn there is a God; the impenitent Jew will confess a true Jesus the Christ; the scorner will find there is a hell; and the haughty despiser of the weak and humble, yet pure Church, like our Philadelphians, will discover, to the sad reversal of his pride, that they were heirs of an eternal crown. When a great lady once spoke with contempt of Lady Huntingdon’s associating with her conventicle of saints, one replied to her, “Madam, in the day of judgment you may be glad to grasp hold of Lady Huntingdon’s skirts to draw you into heaven.” That I have loved—They will recognise not only the loved in its true glory, but they will truly learn and know also this great I, whose love is the bliss of the heavenly world, as it makes the poor Philadelphian Church “the city of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One.” The interpretation of Alford, which makes the open door an opening for missionary enterprise for propagating the gospel, and which holds verse 9 to describe the resulting conversion of their bitter Jewish opponents, seems inapplicable. It has, indeed, Paul’s open door, 1 Corinthians 16:9, 2 Corinthians 2:12, as an apparent precedent: but the opening and shutting of verse 7 clearly refer to the lordship of Christ over the entrance into heaven, the New Jerusalem, (22,) and verse 8 can be no description of the happy conversion, but of the penal humiliation, in the final day, upon the incorrigible. And verses 10, 11, 12, continue the same line of thought, describing the rich final reward of Philadelphian faithfulness. Verse 10 promises preservation in the great day of the final trial; verse 11 describes the speed of its approach; verse 12 promises eternal security within the domain of heaven, beyond the day of trial.

V. 10. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience-The word of Christ is indeed a word of patience.

I also will keep thee-O happy exemption from that spreading calamity! From the hour of temptation-So that thou shalt not enter into temptation; but it shall pass over thee. The hour denotes the short time of its continuance; that is, at any one place. At every one it was very sharp, though short; wherein the great tempter was not idle, Revelation 2:10. Which hour shall come upon the whole earth-The whole Roman empire. It went over the Christians, and over the Jews and heathens; though in a very different manner. This was the time of the persecution under the seemingly virtuous emperor Trajan. The two preceding persecutions were under those monsters, Nero and Domitian; but Trajan was so admired for his goodness, and his persecution was of such a nature, that it was a temptation indeed, and did throughly try them that dwelt upon the earth.

Verse 10. The word of my patience] The doctrine which has exposed you to so much trouble and persecution, and required so much patience and magnanimity to bear up under its attendant trials.

The hour of temptation] A time of sore and peculiar trial which might have proved too much for their strength. He who is faithful to the grace of God is often hidden from trials and difficulties which fall without mitigation on those who have been unfaithful in his covenant. Many understand by the hour of temptation the persecution under Trajan, which was greater and more extensive than the preceding ones under Nero and Domitian. To try them] That is, such persecutions will be the means of trying and proving those who profess Christianity, and showing who were sound and thorough Christians and who were not.

Verses 9, 10. Behold, I — Who have all power, and when I exert it they must then comply; will make them — Who are indeed of the synagogue of Satan — And under all the solemn guise of religious worship are carrying on Satan’s cause and interest; which say they are Jews — Pretend to be my people, but are not; I will make them to come and worship, or bow down, before thy feet — To pay thee the lowest homage; and to know that I have loved thee — That all depends on my love; and that thou hast a place therein; or to find that I evidently support thy cause and interest against all that oppose it. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience — That gospel which I have myself, by such patient suffering in my human nature, established in the world, and by which I at once exercise and support the faith and patience of my people; I also will keep thee — O happy exemption from that spreading calamity! from the hour of temptation — Or of trial. I will partly preserve thee from it, and partly support thee under it. In other words, My hand shall remarkably appear in defending thee from the dangers by which others fall; and in strengthening thee in proportion to the trial. The word hour denotes the short time of its continuance; that is, at any one place. At every one it was very sharp, though short, wherein the great tempter was not idle, Revelation 2:10. Which shall come upon all the world — Upon the whole Roman empire, as the original expression frequently signifies. It went over the Christians, and over the Jews and heathen, though in a very different manner. This was the time of the persecution under the seemingly virtuous emperor Trajan. The two preceding persecutions were under those monsters, Nero and Domitian. But Trajan was so admired for his goodness, and his persecution was of such a nature, that it was a temptation indeed, and did thoroughly try them that dwelt upon the earth.

10. My patience—So Revelation 1:9, “the patience of Jesus Christ,” (if that be an allowed reading,) namely, a patience which is his and his followers. Hast kept… keep thee—The faithful work has its fitting reward; the keeper shall be kept. Hour of temptation—The Greek word for temptation may mean the presentation of agreeable inducements to sin before one’s mind, in order to elicit sin; and so the devil tempts. Or it may mean the presentation of a test or trial, adverse or agreeable, to allow the will or character to display itself. So every fearful crisis brought upon us is a temptation. And especially that great crisis which precedes the great white throne, (Revelation 20:11,) is a test, a trial, of the soul. The trial here described is mundane—upon all the world—and not in one nation or kingdom: is not merely a persecution in Asia Minor, but over the entire world, and upon all that dwell upon the earth. This is the same universality as in Revelation 1:7. The rich promise to the faithful Philadelphian is, that in that great ordeal he shall be kept from terror and despair.

V. 11. Thy crown-Which is ready for thee, if thou endure to the end.

Verse 11. Behold, I come quickly] These things will shortly take place; and I am coming with consolations and rewards to my faithful followers, and with judgments to my adversaries.

Take thy crown.] God has provided mansions for you; let none through your fall occupy those seats of blessedness.

Verses 11, 12. Behold, I come quickly — To put an end to those trials which for the present are so painful; hold that fast which thou hast — With resolute fidelity; that no man take thy crown — That no person or thing may prevent thy receiving that crown of everlasting glory which will be the gracious reward of thy continued fidelity. Him that overcometh — All opposing power by faith and patience; will I make a pillar in the temple of my God — I will fix him immoveable in God’s heavenly temple, where he shall be as a pillar of distinguished ornament and beauty; and he shall go no more out — But shall be holy and happy for ever: and I will write upon him the name of my God — So that the nature and image of God shall appear visibly upon him. And the name of the city of my God — Giving him a title to dwell in the New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God — And shall soon be represented to thee, O John, in a most glorious vision. And I will write upon him my new name — I will give him a share in that joy which I entered into after overcoming all my enemies. “Few texts,” says Doddridge,” in the whole New Testament, are more illustrated by antiquity than this. Great numbers of inscriptions are yet remaining, brought from the Grecian cities of Europe and Asia, and some from islands in the neighbourhood of Patmos, in which the victories of eminent persons are commemorated. And, as some of these were placed near the temples of their deities, others were in those temples, to signify their being put under the particular protection of those deities; whose names therefore were inscribed upon them, and the names of the conquerors and of the cities to which they belonged; as also the names of the generals by whose conduct the victory was gained.”

11. Quickly—In Revelation 1:7 he is already visible in the cloudy firmament. Take thy crown—Not indeed gaining it for himself, though depriving thee of it.

V. 12. I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God-I will fix him as beautiful, as useful, and as immovable as a pillar in the church of God. And he shall go out no more-But shall be holy and happy for ever. And I will write upon him the name of my God-So that the nature and image of God shall appear visibly upon him.

And the name of the city of my God-Giving him a title to dwell in the New Jerusalem.

And my new name-A share in that joy which I entered into, after overcoming all my enemies.

Verse 12. A pillar in the temple] There is probably all allusion here to the two pillars in the temple of Jerusalem, called Jachin and Boaz, stability and strength. The Church is the temple; CHRIST is the foundation on which it is built; and his ministers are the PILLARS by which, under him, it is adorned and supported. St. Paul has the same allusions, Galatians 2:9. I will write upon him the name of my God] That is, I will make him a priest unto myself. The priest had written on his forehead hwhyl vdwq kodesh laihovah, “Holiness to the Lord.”

And the name of the city of my God] As the high priest had on his breastplate the names of the twelve tribes engraved, and these constituted the city or Church of God; Christ here promises that in place of them the twelve apostles, representing the Christian Church, shall be written, which is called the New Jerusalem, and which God has adopted in place of the twelve Jewish tribes.

My new name.] The Saviour of ALL; the light that lightens the GENTILES; the CHRIST; the Anointed One; the only GOVERNOR of his Church; and the Redeemer of ALL mankind.

There is here an intimation that the Christian Church is to endure for ever; and the Christian ministry to last as long as time endures: He shall go no more out for ever.

Epistle to the Church of the Laodiceans.

Verses 11, 12. Behold, I come quickly — To put an end to those trials which for the present are so painful; hold that fast which thou hast — With resolute fidelity; that no man take thy crown — That no person or thing may prevent thy receiving that crown of everlasting glory which will be the gracious reward of thy continued fidelity. Him that overcometh — All opposing power by faith and patience; will I make a pillar in the temple of my God — I will fix him immoveable in God’s heavenly temple, where he shall be as a pillar of distinguished ornament and beauty; and he shall go no more out — But shall be holy and happy for ever: and I will write upon him the name of my God — So that the nature and image of God shall appear visibly upon him. And the name of the city of my God — Giving him a title to dwell in the New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God — And shall soon be represented to thee, O John, in a most glorious vision. And I will write upon him my new name — I will give him a share in that joy which I entered into after overcoming all my enemies. “Few texts,” says Doddridge,” in the whole New Testament, are more illustrated by antiquity than this. Great numbers of inscriptions are yet remaining, brought from the Grecian cities of Europe and Asia, and some from islands in the neighbourhood of Patmos, in which the victories of eminent persons are commemorated. And, as some of these were placed near the temples of their deities, others were in those temples, to signify their being put under the particular protection of those deities; whose names therefore were inscribed upon them, and the names of the conquerors and of the cities to which they belonged; as also the names of the generals by whose conduct the victory was gained.”

Ver. 12. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God. He shall be blessed with long life, and stedfastness in the faith. He shall come to his grave full of days, and full of grace. I will write upon him the name of my God, which will make him a free-born citizen of the heavenly Jerusalem, and an heir of all its immunities. I will also write upon him my new name, as in Revelation 2:17.

Epistle the seventh.

12. A pillar—An emblem of his unchangeable permanence in the final heaven; not limited to a few eminent rulers, like the “pillars” of Galatians 2:9, but including every saint in the New Jerusalem. Such a pillar is not, like the Jachin and Boaz of Solomon’s temple, outside, but inside—namely, of the living temple, the glorified Church. A tall pillar still stands a most conspicuous object in the city of Philadelphia, reminding the modern traveller of this passage, if it be not the source of the allusion. This permanence is explicitly expressed in the words he shall go no more out. He is, then, a fixed pillar; forever God’s, whose name is written upon him, and the name also of the city which is to be his eternal home. His name is Jehovah, and its name is the New Jerusalem, whose glories are unfolded in 22. In addition to the name of my God, Christ writes upon him his own new name, thus doubling the ownership; a name, as already said, which is not a mere word, but a power; namely, the full, final, glorifying power embraced in the word Jesus, Saviour, Redeemer, and which is new at the glorious resurrection in its renewing effect upon soul and body, and then will be forever and forever new; forever renewing the man in the image of Jesus. Thrice is the phrase my God here repeated; my as a term of claiming affection shared with Christ by all saints: God, as the primordial and eternal author and assurer of the whole great plan; thrice occurring as symbol of the divine threefoldness. In the permanence of the heavenly system and the saints’ abode, the whole Trinity is pledged, with all the omnipotence and immutability of God.

Though we find no temporal promises of prosperity to the little Church, yet it is historically true, that in the midst of the changes of war which have swept over this land, Philadelphia has had a wonderful preservation. The bravery of its inhabitants, whose home overlies the sleeping earthquakes, has ever signalized it in its own defences. On this subject see the impressive language of Gibbon. “In the loss of Ephesus, the Christians deplored the fall of the first angel, the extinction of the first candlestick, of the Revelation; the desolation is complete; and the temple of Diana or the Church of Mary will equally elude the search of the curious traveller. The circus and the three stately theatres of Laodicea are now peopled with wolves and foxes; Sardis is reduced to a miserable village; the God of Mohammed, without a rival or a son, is invoked in the mosques of Thyatira and Pergamos, and the populousness of Smyrna is supported by the foreign trade of the Franks and the Armenians. Philadelphia alone has been saved by prophecy or courage. At a distance from the sea, forgotten by the emperors, encompassed on all sides by the Turks, her valiant citizens defended their religion and freedom above fourscore years, and at length capitulated with the proudest of the Ottomans. Among the Greek colonies and Churches of Asia, Philadelphia is still erect—a column in a scene of ruins—a pleasing example that the paths of honour and safety may sometimes be the same.” When Brewer visited the place, in 1831, he found the Greek population about 2,000 souls, being three or four hundred families, amid as many thousand Turkish. “As a whole they have, for a century or two past, had a good name among travellers as a civil and hospitable people.”

VII. LAODICEA—Rich in goods, but poor in faith, 14-22.

V. 14. To the angel of the church at Laodicea-For these St. Paul had had a great concern, Colossians 2:1.

These things saith the Amen-That is, the True One, the God of truth. The beginning-The Author, Prince, and Ruler.

Of the creation of God-Of all creatures; the beginning, or Author, by whom God made them all.

Verse 14. These things saith the Amen] That is, He who is true or faithful; from אמנ aman, he was tree; immediately interpreted, The faithful and true witness. See Revelation 1:5.

The beginning of the creation of God] That is, the head and governor of all creatures: the king of the creation. See on Colossians 1:15. By his titles, here, he prepares them for the humiliating and awful truths which he was about to declare, and the authority on which the declaration was founded.

Verses 14-16. And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write — Laodicea lay south of Philadelphia in the way to return to Ephesus: for the seven churches lay in a kind of circular form, so that the natural progress was from Ephesus to Smyrna, and so forward in the order in which the cities are here addressed, which probably was the order in which St. John used to visit them. “That there was a flourishing church at Laodicea, in the primitive times of Christianity, is evident, from St. Paul’s epistle to the Colossians, wherein frequent mention is made of the Laodiceans, as well as from this epistle by St. John. But the doom of Laodicea seemeth to have been more severe and terrible than that of almost any other of the seven churches. For it is now utterly destroyed and forsaken of men, and is become a habitation only for wolves, foxes, and jackals, a den of dragons, snakes, and vipers. And that because the Lord hath executed the judgment that he had pronounced upon her, that all the world might know and tremble at the fierce anger of God against impenitent, negligent, and careless sinners. The ruins show it to have been a very great city, situated on six or seven hills, and encompassing a large space of ground. Some notion may be formed of its former greatness and glory from three theatres and a circus which are remaining; one of which is truly admirable, as it was capable of containing about thirty thousand men, into whose area they descended by fifty steps. This city is now called Eski Hisar, or the Old Castle; and though it was once the mother church of sixteen bishoprics, yet it now lies desolate, not so much as inhabited by shepherds; and, so far from showing any of the ornaments of God’s ancient worship, it cannot now boast of an anchorite’s or hermit’s chapel, where God is praised or invoked.” The testimony of Mr. Lindsay (quoted respecting the other churches) agrees perfectly with this of Bishop Newton. “Eski Hisar,” he says, “close to which are the remains of ancient Laodicea, contains about fifty poor inhabitants, in which number are but two Christians, who live together in a small mill: unhappily, neither could read at all: the copy, therefore, of the New Testament, which I intended for this church, I left with that of Denizli, the offspring and poor remains of Laodicea and Colosse. The prayers of the mosque are the only prayers which are heard near the ruins of Laodicea, on which the threat seems to have been fully executed in its utter rejection as a church.”

These things saith the Amen — That is, The true One; the faithful and true Witness — He who attests those truths, which are of the utmost importance, on the most perfect knowledge of them, and with the most unerring exactness: the beginning — The Author, Head, and Ruler of the creation of God — Of all creatures, as arch thv ktisewv evidently here signifies. The person by whom the Father created all things, Hebrews 1:2; Ephesians 3:9; John 1:3. I know thy works — Thy disposition and behaviour; though thou knowest it not thyself; that thou art neither cold — An utter stranger to divine things, having no care or thought about them; nor hot — Zestov, fervent, like boiling water, as the word implies: so ought we to be penetrated and heated by the fire of divine love. I would that thou wert — This wish of our Lord plainly implies that he does not work on us irresistibly, as the fire does on the water which it heats: cold or hot — Even if thou wert cold, without any thought or profession of religion, there would be more hope of thy recovery. The religion of the Lord Jesus is either true or false: there is no medium: if it be false, it is worth nothing; and therefore it is quite reasonable to be cold and indifferent about it: but if it be true, as we are sure, on the most satisfactory evidence, that it is, it is worth every thing: it is of infinite, because of everlasting worth: it is therefore a most unreasonable thing, not to be deeply concerned about it; even unspeakably more than about any earthly thing whatsoever: and we are inexcusable if we are not so concerned. So then, because thou art lukewarm — In a state of indifference, which is as disagreeable to me as lukewarm water is to a man’s stomach; I will spew thee out of my mouth — I will utterly cast thee from me; that is, unless thou repent.

Ver. 14. Laodicea was a city and port of Caira, not far from the island of Rhode; hence the church shared in the commerce and wealth of the Levant. Over this city we mourn, as over a star that is lost in the spiritual horizon. And if there be any thing figurative in Dr. More’s seven churches, Laodicea represents the last times, of which it is said, “When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”

14. Laodicea—From Philadelphia our apostle in his circuit would range to the south-east through a journey of fifty or sixty miles to the capital of Phrygia, the rich and powerful Laodicea. In so doing he would cross from the Hermus over a mountain range into the fertile valley of the river Meander, a river whose varying course has given our language a verb, “to meander.” He would find a great city, which, under the Roman sway, had continually grown in power. He would also find, to all appearance, a rich and proud Church, whose Christianity had assumed a stereotype and inactive form. The Apostolic Constitutions (viii, 46) say, that Archippus was then Bishop of Laodicea. And it seems to some a coincidence that in Colossians 4:17, St. Paul appears to imply that he was a remiss minister. Hengstenberg finds, not wisely, an allusion to his name in the word arch, verse 14. Laodicea was one of a triangle of neighbouring city Churches; including Colosse, to which Paul had addressed an epistle, and Hierapolis, visible from the summit of the Laodicean theatre, and where Papias was, soon after St. John’s day, a bishop. St. Paul in his epistle to Colosse salutes the brethren in Laodicea, and requires his epistle to be read in the Church of the Laodiceans, with an exchange. See note on Colossians 4:16. Laodicea was founded in the third century before Christ by Antiochus II., king of Syria, and so named after his wife. It submitted to Rome, and in the war of Mithridates, king of Pontus, stood a siege against that monarch. It had been (A.D. 62) overthrown by an earthquake, but was munificently patronized by the Roman emperors, and its theatres, aqueducts, and churches have left magnificent ruins for the eye of the modern traveller and the spade of the excavator. Perhaps Laodicea listened to the voice of the Lord, woke to action, and became a powerful Church. A bishop and martyr, Sagaris, (A.D. 170,) is mentioned by Eusebius. About the middle of the fourth century the Council of Laodicea assumed to settle the New Testament Canon, in which it is remarkable that our Apocalypse was denied a place. The Amen—The divine affirmative One. So in Isaiah 65:16, “The God of Truth,” in the Hebrew “The God of Amen.” In 2 Corinthians 1:20, Christ is the medium through whom our obedient amen goes up to God; here he is the intervening, affirming Amen, affirming God’s truth, to us. The “verily” so often repeated by our Lord in the gospels, is in the Greek amen; and it is remarkable that in John’s Gospel it is always doubled, verily, verily, amen, amen. Faithful and true witness—A title preparing us for a faithful and true testimony to Laodicea respecting her character and spiritual condition. Beginning of the creation—A sublime declaration of the divine authority from which that testimony comes. A beginning of a series of things, taken passively, is the first one in that series. In that sense Christ would be the first created being in the series of creation. Taken actually, as that which originates the series, then the series does not include, but takes existence from, him. In that case Christ is the originator of the creation, uncreated. How John understands it we may well learn from the very first verse of his Gospel. In the opening words, “In the beginning was the Word,” the same Word, arch, is used as here, and its subject precedes creation. And in the third verse we are told that “the world was made by him,” namely, the Word, who was in the beginning.

V. 15. I know thy works-Thy disposition and behaviour, though thou knowest it not thyself.

That thou art neither cold-An utter stranger to the things of God, having no care or thought about them.

Nor hot-As boiling water: so ought we to be penetrated and heated by the fire of love.

O that thou wert-This wish of our Lord plainly implies that he does not work on us irresistibly, as the fire does on the water which it heats. Cold or hot-Even if thou wert cold, without any thought or profession of religion, there would be more hope of thy recovery.

Verse 15. Thou art neither cold nor hot] Ye are neither heathens nor Christians-neither good nor evil-neither led away by false doctrine, nor thoroughly addicted to that which is true. In a word, they were listless and indifferent, and seemed to care little whether heathenism or Christianity prevailed. Though they felt little zeal either for the salvation of their own souls or that of others, yet they had such a general conviction of the truth and importance of Christianity, that they could not readily give it up. I would thou wert cold or hot] That is, ye should be decided; adopt some part or other, and be in earnest in your attachment to it. If ever the words of Mr. Erskine, in his Gospel Sonnets, were true, they were true of this Church:—

“To good and evil equal bent,

I’m both a devil and a saint.”

They were too good to go to hell, too bad to go to heaven. Like Ephraim and Judah, Hosea 6:4: O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it passeth away. They had good dispositions which were captivated by evil ones, and they had evil dispositions which in their turn yielded to those that were good; and the Divine justice and mercy seem puzzled to know what to do to or with them. This was the state of the Laodicean Church; and our Lord expresses here in this apparent wish, the same that is expressed by Epictetus, Ench., chap. 36. eJna se dei anqrwpon, h agaqon, h kakon, einai. “Thou oughtest to be one kind of man, either a good man or a bad man.”

Verses 14-16. And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write — Laodicea lay south of Philadelphia in the way to return to Ephesus: for the seven churches lay in a kind of circular form, so that the natural progress was from Ephesus to Smyrna, and so forward in the order in which the cities are here addressed, which probably was the order in which St. John used to visit them. “That there was a flourishing church at Laodicea, in the primitive times of Christianity, is evident, from St. Paul’s epistle to the Colossians, wherein frequent mention is made of the Laodiceans, as well as from this epistle by St. John. But the doom of Laodicea seemeth to have been more severe and terrible than that of almost any other of the seven churches. For it is now utterly destroyed and forsaken of men, and is become a habitation only for wolves, foxes, and jackals, a den of dragons, snakes, and vipers. And that because the Lord hath executed the judgment that he had pronounced upon her, that all the world might know and tremble at the fierce anger of God against impenitent, negligent, and careless sinners. The ruins show it to have been a very great city, situated on six or seven hills, and encompassing a large space of ground. Some notion may be formed of its former greatness and glory from three theatres and a circus which are remaining; one of which is truly admirable, as it was capable of containing about thirty thousand men, into whose area they descended by fifty steps. This city is now called Eski Hisar, or the Old Castle; and though it was once the mother church of sixteen bishoprics, yet it now lies desolate, not so much as inhabited by shepherds; and, so far from showing any of the ornaments of God’s ancient worship, it cannot now boast of an anchorite’s or hermit’s chapel, where God is praised or invoked.” The testimony of Mr. Lindsay (quoted respecting the other churches) agrees perfectly with this of Bishop Newton. “Eski Hisar,” he says, “close to which are the remains of ancient Laodicea, contains about fifty poor inhabitants, in which number are but two Christians, who live together in a small mill: unhappily, neither could read at all: the copy, therefore, of the New Testament, which I intended for this church, I left with that of Denizli, the offspring and poor remains of Laodicea and Colosse. The prayers of the mosque are the only prayers which are heard near the ruins of Laodicea, on which the threat seems to have been fully executed in its utter rejection as a church.”

These things saith the Amen — That is, The true One; the faithful and true Witness — He who attests those truths, which are of the utmost importance, on the most perfect knowledge of them, and with the most unerring exactness: the beginning — The Author, Head, and Ruler of the creation of God — Of all creatures, as arch thv ktisewv evidently here signifies. The person by whom the Father created all things, Hebrews 1:2; Ephesians 3:9; John 1:3. I know thy works — Thy disposition and behaviour; though thou knowest it not thyself; that thou art neither cold — An utter stranger to divine things, having no care or thought about them; nor hot — Zestov, fervent, like boiling water, as the word implies: so ought we to be penetrated and heated by the fire of divine love. I would that thou wert — This wish of our Lord plainly implies that he does not work on us irresistibly, as the fire does on the water which it heats: cold or hot — Even if thou wert cold, without any thought or profession of religion, there would be more hope of thy recovery. The religion of the Lord Jesus is either true or false: there is no medium: if it be false, it is worth nothing; and therefore it is quite reasonable to be cold and indifferent about it: but if it be true, as we are sure, on the most satisfactory evidence, that it is, it is worth every thing: it is of infinite, because of everlasting worth: it is therefore a most unreasonable thing, not to be deeply concerned about it; even unspeakably more than about any earthly thing whatsoever: and we are inexcusable if we are not so concerned. So then, because thou art lukewarm — In a state of indifference, which is as disagreeable to me as lukewarm water is to a man’s stomach; I will spew thee out of my mouth — I will utterly cast thee from me; that is, unless thou repent.

15. Neither cold nor hot—The metaphor is taken from water, which, when cold or hot, (boiling, zestov, from zew, to boil,) may be palatable, but nauseating when lukewarm. But it is a serious problem, the difficulty of which, is liable to be overlooked. What is that coldness which the Lord prefers to lukewarmness? Luke-warmness itself is that indifference which we commonly call coldness of religious state; and so this cold must be something colder, something implying the absence of even that degree of warmth implied in the equilibrium of indifference. Hence Dusterdieck, followed by Alford, represents it to be a state of actual unregeneracy, of “enmity and opposition” to Christ! And the reason assigned is, that it is easier to convert the enemy than it is to rouse a lukewarm Christian to heat; a reason overwhelmingly contrary to experience. Dusterdieck’s illustration is: “Saul was cold when he persecuted; and when he became Paul he was hot.” So it was easier for Saul to become Paul, than for a lukewarm Christian to become hot! But Paul had a troop of followers as cold as himself, none of whom would warm into conversion, leaving him an exceptional case. But how absurd to make the Lord wish this Church to be as Jewish persecutors, or heathen; like the world around them, rather than a Christian Church, even in its lukewarm phase! On the contrary, Hengstenberg’s view very nearly solves the problem. Not the coldness of the unregenerate, or the apostate, but the coldness of one still a Christian. In this Laodicean coldness there is not only the condition, but the Christian consciousness, of the cold, which is an uncomfortableness, and negatively, at least, feels the need of heat. He is, therefore, dissatisfied, and is more easily disturbed into repentance and zeal, than the man who was at once cold and warm enough to be satisfied and self-determined in his indifference. It is not the coldness, as a fact, but the coldness, as a feeling, which grounds the Lord’s preference. The feeling may be latent, only an unconscious susceptibility; but it is a susceptibility responsive to an awakening appeal.

V. 16. So because thou art lukewarm-The effect of lukewarm water is well known.

I am about to spue thee out of my mouth-I will utterly cast thee from me; that is, unless thou repent.

Verse 16. Because thou art lukewarm] Irresolute and undecided. I will spue thee out of my mouth.] He alludes here to the known effect of tepid water upon the stomach; it generally produces a nausea. I wilt cast thee off. Thou shalt have no interest in me. Though thou hast been near to my heart, yet now I must pluck thee thence, because slothful, careless, and indolent; thou art not in earnest for thy soul.

Verses 14-16. And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write — Laodicea lay south of Philadelphia in the way to return to Ephesus: for the seven churches lay in a kind of circular form, so that the natural progress was from Ephesus to Smyrna, and so forward in the order in which the cities are here addressed, which probably was the order in which St. John used to visit them. “That there was a flourishing church at Laodicea, in the primitive times of Christianity, is evident, from St. Paul’s epistle to the Colossians, wherein frequent mention is made of the Laodiceans, as well as from this epistle by St. John. But the doom of Laodicea seemeth to have been more severe and terrible than that of almost any other of the seven churches. For it is now utterly destroyed and forsaken of men, and is become a habitation only for wolves, foxes, and jackals, a den of dragons, snakes, and vipers. And that because the Lord hath executed the judgment that he had pronounced upon her, that all the world might know and tremble at the fierce anger of God against impenitent, negligent, and careless sinners. The ruins show it to have been a very great city, situated on six or seven hills, and encompassing a large space of ground. Some notion may be formed of its former greatness and glory from three theatres and a circus which are remaining; one of which is truly admirable, as it was capable of containing about thirty thousand men, into whose area they descended by fifty steps. This city is now called Eski Hisar, or the Old Castle; and though it was once the mother church of sixteen bishoprics, yet it now lies desolate, not so much as inhabited by shepherds; and, so far from showing any of the ornaments of God’s ancient worship, it cannot now boast of an anchorite’s or hermit’s chapel, where God is praised or invoked.” The testimony of Mr. Lindsay (quoted respecting the other churches) agrees perfectly with this of Bishop Newton. “Eski Hisar,” he says, “close to which are the remains of ancient Laodicea, contains about fifty poor inhabitants, in which number are but two Christians, who live together in a small mill: unhappily, neither could read at all: the copy, therefore, of the New Testament, which I intended for this church, I left with that of Denizli, the offspring and poor remains of Laodicea and Colosse. The prayers of the mosque are the only prayers which are heard near the ruins of Laodicea, on which the threat seems to have been fully executed in its utter rejection as a church.”

These things saith the Amen — That is, The true One; the faithful and true Witness — He who attests those truths, which are of the utmost importance, on the most perfect knowledge of them, and with the most unerring exactness: the beginning — The Author, Head, and Ruler of the creation of God — Of all creatures, as arch thv ktisewv evidently here signifies. The person by whom the Father created all things, Hebrews 1:2; Ephesians 3:9; John 1:3. I know thy works — Thy disposition and behaviour; though thou knowest it not thyself; that thou art neither cold — An utter stranger to divine things, having no care or thought about them; nor hot — Zestov, fervent, like boiling water, as the word implies: so ought we to be penetrated and heated by the fire of divine love. I would that thou wert — This wish of our Lord plainly implies that he does not work on us irresistibly, as the fire does on the water which it heats: cold or hot — Even if thou wert cold, without any thought or profession of religion, there would be more hope of thy recovery. The religion of the Lord Jesus is either true or false: there is no medium: if it be false, it is worth nothing; and therefore it is quite reasonable to be cold and indifferent about it: but if it be true, as we are sure, on the most satisfactory evidence, that it is, it is worth every thing: it is of infinite, because of everlasting worth: it is therefore a most unreasonable thing, not to be deeply concerned about it; even unspeakably more than about any earthly thing whatsoever: and we are inexcusable if we are not so concerned. So then, because thou art lukewarm — In a state of indifference, which is as disagreeable to me as lukewarm water is to a man’s stomach; I will spew thee out of my mouth — I will utterly cast thee from me; that is, unless thou repent.

16. I will spew—Literally, I am about to spew; implying that the rejection is delayed, perhaps to allow time for repentance, yet is nigh at hand. It seems to be a threat of removal of the Church, implying, but not expressing, individual condemnation for each in the final day.

V. 17. Because thou sayest-Therefore "I counsel thee," &c. I am rich-In gifts and grace, as well as worldly goods. And knowest not that thou art-In God's account, wretched and pitiable.

Verse 17. I am rich] Thou supposest thyself to be in a safe state, perfectly sure of final salvation, because thou hast begun well, and laid the right foundation. It was this most deceitful conviction that cut the nerves of their spiritual diligence; they rested in what they had already received, and seemed to think that once in grace must be still in grace. Thou art wretched] talaipwrov. Most wretched. “The word signifies,” according to Mintert, “being worn out and fatigued with grievous labours, as they who labour in a stone quarry, or are condemned to the mines.” So, instead of being children of God, as they supposed, and infallible heirs of the kingdom, they were, in the sight of God, in the condition of the most abject slaves.

And miserable] oJ eleeinov. Most deplorable, to be pitied by all men. And poor] Having no spiritual riches, no holiness of heart. Rich and poor are sometimes used by the rabbins to express the righteous and the wicked. And blind] The eyes of thy understanding being darkened, so that thou dost not see thy state.

And naked] Without the image of God, not clothed with holiness and purity. A more deplorable state in spiritual things can scarcely be imagined than that of this Church. And it is the true picture of many Churches, and of innumerable individuals.

Verses 17-19. Because thou sayest, I am rich — In gifts and grace, as well as worldly goods; and increased with goods — Greek, kai peplouthka, literally, And have enriched myself, by my own wisdom and virtue; and have need of nothing — Imagining thy state in religion to be very prosperous and happy; and knowest not — Dost not so much as suspect that thy religion is at all defective: that thou art — In God’s account; wretched, miserable, &c. — In a most deplorable condition, destitute of every desirable blessing. I counsel thee — Who art poor, and blind, and naked; to buy of me — Without money or price; gold tried in the fire — Living faith, purified in the furnace of affliction; that thou mayest be rich — In the enjoyment of God’s favour, and communion with him, and all the blessings consequent thereon. And white raiment — True and genuine holiness; that thou mayest be clothed — With the divine image and nature. And anoint thine eyes with eye-salve — Spiritual illumination; the unction of the Holy One, which teacheth all things; that thou mayest see — Mayest possess that acquaintance with God and things divine which is essential to true religion. As many as I love — Even thee, thou poor Laodicean. As if he had said, Do not imagine that what may seem severe in this address, proceeds from any unkindness to thee: far from it: love, that is, a regard to thine immortal interests, dictates the whole. O how much has his unwearied love to do! From this principle, I rebuke — For what is past: and chasten — That men may amend for the time to come. Be zealous, therefore — More so than thou hast ever been, and deeply repent — Of thy prevailing lukewarmness and indolence.

17. Because may assign reason for the charge of lukewarmness in the last verse; or it may refer forward to next verse, and would correspond with a therefore inserted before I of verse 18. Because thou sayest, etc., therefore I counsel, etc. The Lord’s counsel is infinitely better than their say. I am rich—The question is raised by commentators whether these are boasts over material or spiritual goods. Earlier commentators, as Bengel, Stuart, and others, take the former view; later ones, as Hengstenberg, Dusterdieck, and Trench, the latter. We think the old is better. The true idea certainly is, that in reply to their boasts of earthly goods, our Lord advises them to secure the heavenly. For, 1. This accords with our Lord’s style during his earthly ministry. So Matthew 6:19, 20: “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth;… but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” Of the rich fool, Luke 12:21, he says, “So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” 2. This jubilant boasting is not the style of lukewarmness over its spiritual wealth, for the very idea of lukewarmness is indifference to spiritual things. So Stuart wisely and conclusively says, “There are, and have been, indeed, many spiritual boasters in the world; but then they are for the most part men of an enthusiastic turn of mind, and commonly have much fervor, such as it is; whereas the Laodicean Church are plainly characterized as worldling-Christians; grown lukewarm as to divine things.” To say that this Church was indifferent to spiritual things and yet thus fervently boasted of its spiritual goods, is a contradiction. Enthusiastic boasting and indifference are opposites. 3. It is evident that Laodicea was a flourishing city, growing rich under the munificence of the Roman emperors. There can be little doubt that the tide of wealth poured into the pockets and coffers of the Church: the natural danger, without great caution, would be to make her pecuniarily rich and spiritually poor. How easy it was to be liberal in feeling to the liberal paganism by which it was patronized, and to slide into doubt about the importance of being Christians! Quite as easy would it be to exult over the rich incomes flowing into their purses and filling their homes with luxury. Rich… increased with goods… need of nothing—A glowing and towering climax. Knowest not—Realizest not that, though in pocket a millionaire, in soul thou art a pauper! Our Lord demolishes the proud climax with a series of humiliating adjectives. Wretched— Intrinsically miserable. Miserable—The object of pity from others. By the best readings the first of these two adjectives, and perhaps the second, should have the article before it. The meaning then would be, thou art the wretched and pitiable one. Then the last three adjectives would follow as characterizing that one. Then the three poor, blind, naked, would balance against the previous rich, increased, and need of nothing.

V. 18. I counsel thee-who art poor, and blind, and naked. To buy of me-Without money or price.

Gold purified in the fire-True, living faith, which is purified in the furnace of affliction.

And white raiment-True holiness.

And eyesalve-Spiritual illumination; the "unction of the Holy One," which teacheth all things.

Verse 18. I counsel thee] O fallen and deceived soul, hear Jesus! Thy case is not hopeless. Buy of me.

Gold tried in the fire] Come and receive from me, without money and without price, faith that shall stand in every trial: so gold tried in the fire is here understood. But it may mean pure and undefiled religion, or that grace or Divine influence which produces it, which is more valuable to the soul than the purest gold to the body. They had before imaginary riches; this alone can make them truly rich.

White raiment] Holiness of heart and life.

Anoint thine eyes] Pray for, that ye may receive, the enlightening influences of my Spirit, that ye may be convinced of your true state, and see where your help lies.

Verses 17-19. Because thou sayest, I am rich — In gifts and grace, as well as worldly goods; and increased with goods — Greek, kai peplouthka, literally, And have enriched myself, by my own wisdom and virtue; and have need of nothing — Imagining thy state in religion to be very prosperous and happy; and knowest not — Dost not so much as suspect that thy religion is at all defective: that thou art — In God’s account; wretched, miserable, &c. — In a most deplorable condition, destitute of every desirable blessing. I counsel thee — Who art poor, and blind, and naked; to buy of me — Without money or price; gold tried in the fire — Living faith, purified in the furnace of affliction; that thou mayest be rich — In the enjoyment of God’s favour, and communion with him, and all the blessings consequent thereon. And white raiment — True and genuine holiness; that thou mayest be clothed — With the divine image and nature. And anoint thine eyes with eye-salve — Spiritual illumination; the unction of the Holy One, which teacheth all things; that thou mayest see — Mayest possess that acquaintance with God and things divine which is essential to true religion. As many as I love — Even thee, thou poor Laodicean. As if he had said, Do not imagine that what may seem severe in this address, proceeds from any unkindness to thee: far from it: love, that is, a regard to thine immortal interests, dictates the whole. O how much has his unwearied love to do! From this principle, I rebuke — For what is past: and chasten — That men may amend for the time to come. Be zealous, therefore — More so than thou hast ever been, and deeply repent — Of thy prevailing lukewarmness and indolence.

18. In view of their boasts of temporal wealth the Lord gives them counsel to secure eternal goods. Buy—They are rich by material trade; suppose they now “buy the truth and sell it not.” In view of their poor, blind, and naked condition, let them secure gold, eyesalve, and white raiment. Trench, though interpreting verse 17 as boasting of spiritual goods, has here an excellent note, which clearly shows that he ought to have interpreted it of the temporal. “To the merchants and factors of this wealthy mercantile city he addresses himself in their own dialect. Laodicea was a city of extensive money transactions; Cicero, journeying to or from his province, proposes to take up money there. (Ep. ad Div. 2:17; 3:5.) Christ here invites to dealings with him. He has gold so fine that none will reject it. The wools of Laodicea, of raven blackness, were famous throughout the world; but he has raiment of dazzling white for those who will put it on. There were ointments for which certainly many of the Asiatic cities were famous; but he, as he will presently announce, has eyesalve more precious than them (they?) all.” All this shows that the passage contrasts a spiritual wealth, in verse 18, with a boast of temporal wealth, in verse 17. Gold tried in the fire—Rather, from the fire, as if just withdrawn from the fire, and so fresh and brilliant. White raiment—Note on Revelation 3:5. Shame of thy nakedness—Vivid image of the “shame and everlasting contempt” of the great moral exposures at the judgment day.

The images of spiritual wealth here are susceptible of specific application. The pure, well tried gold may represent faith, the condition of all salvation, and which, when pure and well tried by experience, becomes a fidelity, and a saving perseverance and ripening for heaven. The white raiment is the divine justification from faith, the robe of righteousness, which approves itself as white before men—as pure and right—and before God as acceptable for eternal life. The eyesalve is the spirit of discernment, the blended gift of the Spirit and of personal experience, by which things are seen as they truly are in the light of eternity.

V. 19. Whomsoever I love-Even thee, thou poor Laodicean! O how much has his unwearied love to do!

I rebuke-For what is past.

And chasten-That they may amend for the time to come.

Verse 19. As many as I love] So it was the love he still had to them that induced him thus to reprehend and thus to counsel them.

Be zealous] Be in earnest, to get your souls saved, They had no zeal; this was their bane. He now stirs them up to diligence in the use of the means of grace and repentance for their past sins and remissness.

Verses 17-19. Because thou sayest, I am rich — In gifts and grace, as well as worldly goods; and increased with goods — Greek, kai peplouthka, literally, And have enriched myself, by my own wisdom and virtue; and have need of nothing — Imagining thy state in religion to be very prosperous and happy; and knowest not — Dost not so much as suspect that thy religion is at all defective: that thou art — In God’s account; wretched, miserable, &c. — In a most deplorable condition, destitute of every desirable blessing. I counsel thee — Who art poor, and blind, and naked; to buy of me — Without money or price; gold tried in the fire — Living faith, purified in the furnace of affliction; that thou mayest be rich — In the enjoyment of God’s favour, and communion with him, and all the blessings consequent thereon. And white raiment — True and genuine holiness; that thou mayest be clothed — With the divine image and nature. And anoint thine eyes with eye-salve — Spiritual illumination; the unction of the Holy One, which teacheth all things; that thou mayest see — Mayest possess that acquaintance with God and things divine which is essential to true religion. As many as I love — Even thee, thou poor Laodicean. As if he had said, Do not imagine that what may seem severe in this address, proceeds from any unkindness to thee: far from it: love, that is, a regard to thine immortal interests, dictates the whole. O how much has his unwearied love to do! From this principle, I rebuke — For what is past: and chasten — That men may amend for the time to come. Be zealous, therefore — More so than thou hast ever been, and deeply repent — Of thy prevailing lukewarmness and indolence.

19. As many as I love—Imperfect as Laodicea’s character was, she was still Christian. She was not on a level with the paganism around her. She was still a witness for Christ, maintaining his name, holding fast his gospel, and retaining a candlestick for a richer supply of oil and a purer blaze. Even the form of religion is better than nothing, since it may stand as a future vehicle of the coming spirit and power.

We here, too, may see that there is a state of faulty sonship, of imperfect justification, in which, though the name be not blotted out of the “book of life,” yet it beams but dimly on the divine page, and is in great danger of disappearing. The divine Father still recognises his son, but treats him with rebuke, displeasure, and discipline. Not every sin after justification forfeits the sonship. Nay, there are higher and lower grades of Christian life. This Mr. Wesley well and fully shows in his sermon on “Sin in Believers.” The true test is, Does justifying faith remain, even in spite of short-comings? And it follows from all this, that if there is a lower grade of Christian life, like that of Sardis and Laodicea, so there is a higher, like that of Smyrna and Philadelphia. In the case of Smyrna the approval is complete; not a blame is imputed, not a shadow is cast between the approving face of the Lord and that beloved Church. There is, then, a state of complete acceptance with Christ, of perfect justification, in which the Lord finds no fault, and bestows the blessed testimony of his unqualified approval. The acceptance is as perfect as it was at the moment when first our sins were swept away, and we were justified from all sin. And now sanctification, holiness, or what is sometimes called entire sanctification, is the power, through the Spirit, of retaining with more or less permanence that state of complete acceptance, without a cloud between the soul and Christ. This implies, not an absolute sinlessness on our part, as tried by absolute law, but a perfect approval on Christ’s part, according to the standard of gospel grace. The law still stands immutable; but if there come a condemnation for our shortcomings from the absolute law, there comes, also, a constant flow of love and pardon from the grace of Christ, which neutralizes that condemnation. Yet the law still stands to condemn our positive sins, and to separate us utterly from the love of Christ and consign us to hell, upon our apostasy from the faith.

Bengel notes the different Greek terms for love addressed to the Philadelphians, (hgaphav,) and to the Laodiceans, (filei,) on which see our note, John 21:15-17. The former is the love of estimation and approval, the latter of mere graciousness, the former being the more honouring to its object. Yet as addressed by Peter to his Lord, the latter was the tenderer and deeper term.

I rebuke and chasten—He does not cast off for every shortcoming, nor blot out his justification for every sin, so long as faith and sonship remain. Nay, the author of the Book of Hebrews, quoting this same passage from Proverbs, adds, that the being unrebuked by God is proof that we are not his legitimate children. Hebrews 12:5, 6. Rebuke—Rather, convince; make the fault so clear that the offender cannot but see it. Chasten— Apply the severe corrective, perhaps the rod, where the rebuke fails. Zealous—The zeal of conviction by the rebuke; leading to the repent, in view or in consequence of the chasten.

V. 20. I stand at the door, and knock-Even at this instant; while he is speaking this word.

If any man open-Willingly receive me.

I will sup with him-Refreshing him with my graces and gifts, and delighting myself in what I have given.

And he with me-In life everlasting.

Verse 20. Behold, I stand at the door and knock] There are many sayings of this kind among the ancient rabbins; thus in Shir Hashirim Rabba, fol. 25, 1: “God said to the Israelites, My children, open to me one door of repentance, even so wide as the eye of a needle, and I will open to you doors through which calves and horned cattle may pass.” In Sohar Levit, fol. 8, col. 32, it is said: “If a man conceal his sin, and do not open it before the holy King, although he ask mercy, yet the door of repentance shall not be opened to him. But if he open it before the holy blessed God, God spares him, and mercy prevails over wrath; and when he laments, although all the doors were shut, yet they shall be opened to him, and his prayer shall be heard.”

Christ stands-waits long, at the door of the sinner’s heart; he knocks-uses judgments, mercies, reproofs, exhortations, &c., to induce sinners to repent and turn to him; he lifts up his voice-calls loudly by his word, ministers, and Spirit.

If any man hear] If the sinner will seriously consider his state, and attend to the voice of his Lord.

And open the door] This must be his own act, receiving power for this purpose from his offended Lord, who will not break open the door; he will make no forcible entry.

I will come in to him] I will manifest myself to him, heal all his backslidings, pardon all his iniquities, and love him freely. Will sup with him] Hold communion with him, feed him with the bread of life.

And he with me.] I will bring him at last to dwell with me in everlasting glory.

Verses 20, 21. Behold, I stand — Or, I have stood, as esthka literally signifies, namely, for a long time and I still stand, even at this instant; at the door — Of men’s hearts; and knock — Waiting for admittance: if any man hear my voice — With a due regard, namely, the voice of my providence, word, and Spirit; and open the door — Willingly receive me, or welcome me with the affection due to such a friend and Saviour; I will come in to him — And dwell in his heart by faith, (Ephesians 3:17,) how mean soever his circumstances in life may be, and how faulty soever his character may have been formerly; and will sup with him — Refreshing him with the gifts and graces of my Spirit, and delighting myself in what I have given; and he with me — As I will sup with him here, he shall sup with me in life everlasting hereafter. For to him that overcometh — The various temptations with which he is assaulted, and patiently bears the trials which he is called to pass through; will I grant to sit down with me on my throne — In unspeakable happiness and glory in the heavenly and eternal world; even as I also overcame — The enemies which violently assaulted me in the days of my flesh; and am set down with my Father in his throne — For all things that the Father hath are mine.

Ver. 20. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. The soul of man is here compared to a house, whose door is barred and bolted against the Lord. Oh what arguments, what means he employs to gain an entrance, and bring with him all the happiness of heaven. Ah, who can resist the sweetness of his words, and the attractions of his grace.

20. Behold—The apparently broken connexion between this and the former verses of this address will be restored, if we consider the verse as a quotation from Solomon’s Song, Song of Solomon 5:2-6. The Church of Laodicea is represented by the sleepy bride at whose door the bridegroom knocks, but she is so remiss that she opens the door too late, for he is gone. She says, “It is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my love; for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.” The allusion shows to Laodicea the love between the Saviour and the Church, but the fearful danger of a deferred welcome to him. I stand at the door, and knock—There is a wonderful pathos in the picture. It is the supplicator Christ. It is night, and the darkness and damps are falling upon him. He is rejected by the sons of men almost the entire world round, and comes for admission at the door of one who professes to love him. If any man—Of the Laodicean Church immediately, of the whole world inferentially. Open the door—For, though Lord of all power, he will never force the door open. There is a solemn if which every man must decide for himself. I will—God’s will is to knock; and if man’s will is to open, then comes Christ’s will to come in. Sup—The evening dinner, as we may say; the principal meal of the day. With him—As his guest. He with me—As my guest; I being truly his host. And, continuing the reference to Solomon’s Song, this is the supper of Christ and his bride, the Church; the marriage supper of the Lamb, which is symbolically ever repeating itself here, but plenarily consummated at the resurrection of the just. Note 19.

V. 21. I will give him to sit with me on my throne-In unspeakable happiness and glory. Elsewhere, heaven itself is termed the throne of God: but this throne is in heaven.

Verse 21. To sit with me in my throne] In every case it is to him that overcometh, to the conqueror, that the final promise is made. He that conquers not is not crowned, therefore every promise is here made to him that is faithful unto death. Here is a most remarkable expression: Jesus has conquered, and is set down with the FATHER upon the Father’s throne; he who conquers through Christ sits down with Christ upon his throne: but Christ’s throne and the throne of the Father is the same; and it is on this same throne that those who are faithful unto death are finally to sit! How astonishing is this state of exaltation! The dignity and grandeur of it who can conceive?

This is the worst of the seven Churches, and yet the most eminent of all the promises are made to it, showing that the worst may repent, finally conquer, and attain even to the highest state of glory.

Verses 20, 21. Behold, I stand — Or, I have stood, as esthka literally signifies, namely, for a long time and I still stand, even at this instant; at the door — Of men’s hearts; and knock — Waiting for admittance: if any man hear my voice — With a due regard, namely, the voice of my providence, word, and Spirit; and open the door — Willingly receive me, or welcome me with the affection due to such a friend and Saviour; I will come in to him — And dwell in his heart by faith, (Ephesians 3:17,) how mean soever his circumstances in life may be, and how faulty soever his character may have been formerly; and will sup with him — Refreshing him with the gifts and graces of my Spirit, and delighting myself in what I have given; and he with me — As I will sup with him here, he shall sup with me in life everlasting hereafter. For to him that overcometh — The various temptations with which he is assaulted, and patiently bears the trials which he is called to pass through; will I grant to sit down with me on my throne — In unspeakable happiness and glory in the heavenly and eternal world; even as I also overcame — The enemies which violently assaulted me in the days of my flesh; and am set down with my Father in his throne — For all things that the Father hath are mine.

Ver. 21. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me on my throne. Burning words; promises of superabundant grace to warm and arouse the Laodiceans to fervent piety. All things are yours, for ye are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.

21. To him that overcometh—The last and most glorious promise to the victor. With me in my throne—The throne being extended like a sofa, and competent to contain many sitters. Overcame—For us, we conquering in his victory, reigning with his sceptre, and sitting upon his throne. For, while we form a vivid image of this co-session of the saints with Christ, we are to understand it only as an image of the truth that through Christ’s merits and mercy the saints are to be raised to a glory under his headship, of which priesthood, white garments, kingdom, sceptres, and thrones are the symbols, not the exact literality. Father… throne—Note on Revelation 21:1.

V. 22. He that hath an ear, let him hear, &c.-This stands in the three former letters before the promise; in the four latter, after it; clearly dividing the seven into two parts; the first containing three, the last, four letters. The titles given our Lord in the three former letters peculiarly respect his power after his resurrection and ascension, particularly over his church; those in the four latter, his divine glory, and unity with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Again, this word being placed before the promises in the three former letters, excludes the false apostles at Ephesus, the false Jews at Smyrna, and the partakers with the heathens at Pergamos, from having any share therein. In the four latter, being placed after them, it leaves the promises immediately joined with Christ's address to the angel of the church, to show that the fulfilling of these was near; whereas the others reach beyond the end of the world. It should be observed, that the overcoming, or victory, (to which alone these peculiar promises are annexed,) is not the ordinary victory obtained by every believer; but a special victory over great and peculiar temptations, by those that are strong in faith.

Verse 22. He that hath an ear, let him hear] Mr. Wesley has a very judicious note on the conclusion of this chapter, and particularly on this last verse, He that hath an ear, &c. “This (counsel) stands in three former letters before the promise, in the four latter after it; clearly dividing the seven into two parts, the first containing three, the last four letters. The titles given our Lord in the three former letters peculiarly respect his power after his resurrection and ascension, particularly over his Church; those in the four latter, his Divine glory and unity with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Again, this word being placed before the promises in the three former letters excludes the false apostles at Ephesus, the false Jews at Smyrna, and the partakers with the heathens at Pergamos, from having any share therein. In the four latter, being placed after them, it leaves the promises immediately joined with Christ’s address to the angel of the Church, to show that the fulfilling of these was near; whereas the others reach beyond the end of the world. It should be observed that the overcoming or victory (to which alone these peculiar promises are annexed) is not the ordinary victory obtained by every believer, but a special victory obtained over great and peculiar temptations, by those that are strong in faith.”

The latest account we have of the state of the seven Asiatic Churches is in a letter from the Rev. Henry Lindsay, chaplain to the British embassy at Constantinople, to a member of the British and Foreign Bible Society, by which society Mr. Lindsay had been solicited to distribute some copies of the New Testament in modern Greek among the Christians in Asia Minor. The following is his communication, dated:—

“Constantinople, January 10, 1816.

“When I last wrote to you, I was on the point of setting out on a short excursion into Asia Minor. Travelling hastily, as I was constrained to do from the circumstances of my situation, the information I could procure was necessarily superficial and unsatisfactory. As, however, I distributed the few books of the society which I was able to carry with me, I think it necessary to give some account of the course I took:

“1. The regular intercourse of England with SMYRNA will enable you to procure as accurate intelligence of its present state as any I can pretend to offer. From the conversations I had with the Greek bishop and his clergy, as well as various well-informed individuals, I am led to suppose that, if the population of Smyrna be estimated at one hundred and forty thousand inhabitants, there are from fifteen to twenty thousand Greeks, six thousand Armenians, five thousand Catholics, one hundred and forty Protestants, and eleven thousand Jews.

“2. After Smyrna, the first place I visited was EPHESUS, or rather (as the site is not quite the same) Aiasalick, which consists of about fifteen poor cottages. I found there but three Christians, two brothers who keep a small shop, and a gardener. They are all three Greeks, and their ignorance is lamentable indeed. In that place, which was blessed so long with an apostle’s labours, and those of his zealous assistants are Christians who have not so much as heard of that apostle, or seem only to recognize the name of Paul as one in the calendar of their saints. One of them I found able to read a little, and left with him the New Testament, in ancient and modern Greek, which he expressed a strong desire to read, and promised me he would not only study it himself, but lend it to his friends in the neighbouring villages.

“3. My next object was to see LAODICEA; in the road to this is Guzel-hisar, a large town, with one church, and about seven hundred Christians. In conversing with the priests here, I found them so little acquainted with the Bible, or even the New Testament in an entire form, that they had no distinct knowledge of the books it contained beyond the four gospels, but mentioned them indiscriminately with various idle legends and lives of saints. I have sent thither three copies of the modern Greek Testament since my return. About three miles from Laodicea is Denizli, which has been styled (but I am inclined to think erroneously) the ancient Colosse; it is a considerable town, with about four hundred Christians, Greeks, and Armenians, each of whom has a church. I regret however to say that here also the most extravagant tales of miracles, and fabulous accounts of angels, saints, and relics, had so usurped the place of the Scriptures as to render it very difficult to separate in their minds Divine truths from human inventions. I felt that here that unhappy time was come when men should ‘turn away their ears from the truth, and be turned unto fables.’ I had with me some copies of the gospels in ancient Greek which I distributed here, as in some other places through which I had passed. Eski-hisar, close to which are the remains of ancient Laodicea, contains about fifty poor inhabitants, in which number are but two Christians, who live together in a small mill; unhappily neither could read at all; the copy therefore of the New Testament, which I intended for this Church, I left with that of Denizli, the offspring and poor remains of Laodicea and Colosse. The prayers of the mosque are the only prayers which are heard near the ruins of Laodicea, on which the threat seems to have been fully executed in its utter rejection as a Church.

“4. I left it for PHILADELPHIA, now Alah-shehr. It was gratifying to find at last some surviving fruits of early zeal; and here, at least, whatever may be the loss of the spirit of Christianity, there is still the form of a Christian Church; this has been kept from the ‘hour of temptation,’ which came upon all the Christian world. There are here about one thousand Christians, chiefly Greeks, who for the most part speak only Turkish; there are twenty-five places of public worship, five of which are large regular churches; to these there is a resident bishop, with twenty inferior clergy. A copy of the modern Greek Testament was received by the bishop with great thankfulness.

“5. I quitted Alah-shehr, deeply disappointed at the statement I received there of the Church of SARDIS. I trusted that in its utmost trials it would not have been suffered to perish utterly, and I heard with surprise that not a vestige of it remained. With what satisfaction then did I find on the plains of Sardis a small Church establishment; the few Christians who dwell around modern Sart were anxious to settle there and erect a church, as they were in the habit of meeting at each other’s houses for the exercise of religion. From this design they were prohibited by Kar Osman Oglu, the Turkish governor of the district; and in consequence, about five years ago they built a church upon the plain, within view of ancient Sardis, and there they maintain a priest. The place has gradually risen into a little village, now called Tatar-keny; thither the few Christians of Sart, who amount to seven, and those in its immediate vicinity, resort for public worship, and form together a congregation of about forty. There appears then still a remnant, ‘a few names even in Sardis,’ which have been preserved. I cannot repeat the expressions of gratitude with which they received a copy of the New Testament in a language with which they were familiar. Several crowded about the priest to hear it on the spot, and I left them thus engaged.

“6. Ak-hisar, the ancient THYATIRA, is said to contain about thirty thousand inhabitants, of whom three thousand are Christians, all Greeks except about two hundred Armenians. There is, however, but one Greek church and one Armenian. The superior of the Greek Church to whom I presented the Romaic Testament esteemed it so great a treasure that he earnestly pressed me, if possible, to spare another, that one might be secured to the Church and free from accidents, while the other went round among the people for their private reading. I have, therefore, since my return hither, sent him four copies.

“7. The Church of PERGAMOS, in respect to numbers, may be said to flourish still in Bergamo. The town is less than Ak-hisar, but the number of Christians is about as great, the proportion of Armenians to Greeks nearly the same, and each nation also has one church. The bishop of the district, who occasionally resides there, was at that time absent, and I experienced with deep regret that the resident clergy were totally incapable of estimating the gift I intended them; I therefore delivered the Testament to the lay vicar of the bishop at his urgent request, he having assured me that the bishop would highly prize so valuable an acquisition to the Church. He seemed much pleased that the benighted state of his nation had excited the attention of strangers.

“Thus, sir, I have left at least one copy of the unadulterated word of God at each of the seven Asiatic Churches of the Apocalypse, and I trust they are not utterly thrown away; but whoever may plant, it is God only who can give the increase, and from his goodness we may hope they will in due time bring forth fruit, ‘some thirty, some sixty, and some a hundred fold.’

“HENRY LINDSAY.”

In my note on Acts 19:24, I have given an account of the celebrated temple of Diana at Ephesus, to which building, called one of the seven wonders of the world, St. Paul is supposed to allude in his epistle to this Church, particularly at Ephesians 3:18, where I have again given the measurement of this temple.

REVELATION

Verse 22. He that hath an ear, let him hear, &c. — This stands in the three former letters before the promise; in the four latter, after it; clearly dividing the seven into two parts; the first containing three, the last four letters. The titles given our Lord in the three former letters peculiarly respect his power after his resurrection and ascension, particularly over his church; those in the four latter, his divine glory and unity with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Again, this word being placed before the promises in the three former letters, excludes the false apostles at Ephesus, the false Jews at Smyrna, and the partakers with the heathen at Pergamos, from having any share therein. In the four latter being placed after them, it leaves the promises immediately joined with Christ’s address to the angel of the church, to show that the fulfilling of these was near: whereas the others reach beyond the end of the world. It should be observed, that the overcoming or victory (to which alone these peculiar promises are annexed) is not the ordinary victory obtained by every believer, but a special victory obtained over great and peculiar temptations by those that are strong in faith. “Such,” says Bishop Newton on the close of these chapters, “is the state and condition of these seven once glorious and flourishing churches; and there cannot be a stronger proof of the truth of prophecy, nor a more effectual warning to other Christians. ‘These objects,’ Wheeler justly observes, ‘ought to make us, who yet enjoy the divine mercies, to tremble, and earnestly contend to find out from whence we are fallen, and do daily fall from bad to worse; that God is a God of purer eyes than to behold iniquity; and seeing the axe is thus long since put to the root of the tree, should it not make us repent and turn to God, lest we likewise perish? We see here what destruction the Lord hath brought upon the earth. But it is the Lord’s doing: and thence we may reap no small advantage by considering how just he is in all his judgments, and faithful in all his promises.’ We may truly say, (1 Corinthians 10:11, 12,) that all these things happened unto them for ensamples; and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore, let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”

22. He that hath an ear—The last clear ring of this refrain sounding through the world and through the ages.