Revelation 1
DODDRevelation 1:1
he preface, and dedication to the seven churches in Asia; including an affecting display of the Divine glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, and sublime songs of praise to him for redeeming love. Rev. I. 1—8.
REV. I. 1.
THE Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
REVELATION I. 1.
THIS is the book of the revelation of Jesus Christ; even that revelation, which God his Father gave to him for wise and holy purposes, to shew to his servants the things which must shortly be; many of which are to be very quickly accomplished, and the rest within a period of time, which, when compared with his reign in the heaven of heavens with all his saints and people, is only a short and very inconsiderable duration. And sending the discovery of these things by his angel, whose office it was to raise extraordinary signs and representations in his imaginations, he signified them to his servant John, who had indeed been distinguished
Rev. i. 1
The inscription to the seven churches in Asia;
by his Master’s affection in the days of his flesh; insomuch that he even lay in his bosom, and was styled, by way of eminence, the disciple whom Jesus loved: And who, being honoured with so important a message, failed not faithfully to declare it: but testified the word of God, which in those prophetic visions came unto him, and the testimony of Jesus Christ, (whose messenger the angel was,) exactly reporting whatever he saw. Happy [is] he that attentively readeth, and they that obediently hear the words of this prophecy, and who keep the things that are written in it, fixing their mind upon them, and duly regarding them; for the time of their accomplishment [is] at hand.
And considering the particular manner in which they were addressed by our blessed Lord, in some of the first of these revelations, JOHN dedicates and inscribes this account of the whole, to the seven churches, which are in the proconsular Asia, at Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea; wishing that grace in the richest abundance, and peace in all the variety of its blessings, may [be] with you all from the great God, the fountain of all blessings, even from him, who is, and who was, and who is to come,³ possessed of invariable Divine attributes and perfections; and from the seven spirits, which are before his throne,ᵇ and appear as emblems of the various operations and endowments of that one blessed Spirit by whom they are actuated; And from Jesus Christ, the true and
³ From him who is, and who was, &c.] The learned Grotius is of opinion, that the nominative case not being varied into what the grammarians call a genitive, as the common rules of grammar require, is designed to represent the everlasting veracity and invariableness of God, and the unchangeable majesty of Christ in the testimony of his gospel, and the glory of his kingdom.
ᵇ The seven spirits before his throne.] Some have explained this of the seven archangels, and urged it as an instance of invocation to them; but we may rather sup-
pose the Spirit of God to be symbolically represented by the seven spirits before the throne; as it is a view very agreeable to the genius of this emblematical book. This, as Bishop Burnet observes, in support of this opinion, (see Burnet on the articles, p. 39,) is most consistent with the prohibition of prayer to the angels. And if we do not suppose this to be the case, it will be a great difficulty to account for the omission of the Spirit, whose dignity must, on almost every hypothesis, be allowed far superior to that of the highest created angels. See Mr. Lowman in loc.
an ascription of praise to the Redeemer :
aithful Witness, whose testimony is ever to be received with the most religious regard, as being the First born from the dead, the first who rose to die no more, and who as the eldest Son of the family of God, is gone to take possession of the inheritance for himself, and in the name of his brethren ; even from him, who is the supreme Ruler of all the kings of the earth, and who knows how to humble them in their proudest career, and defeat their mightiest opposition to his kingdom, by deposing one, or exalting another, at his sovereign pleasure ; and even removing them by a single act of his will, not only from the thrones they fill, but from the world they inhabit. This glorious Person let us all adore, conscious of our infinite obligations to him ; and say to him who hath loved us with the most unparalleled affection, and hath condescended so low, that he hath washed us, from the otherwise indelible stains of our sins in his own most precious blood, having shed it to make satisfaction and atonement for them ; And in consequence of this, hath made us kings and priests to his God and Father, that we should reign with him in eternal life, and enjoy the perpetual pleasure of worshipping before him in his heavenly temple, and in the mean time be trained up for it by offering spiritual sacrifices : to him [be] glory and dominion for ever and ever, throughout the endless ages of eternity : amen : so let it be, for the honour of our Lord, as well as the comfort of his people, to whom he is more dear, than it is possible any separate interest of their own can be : And so it shall be ; for behold and observe with suitable regard, he is, as it were, even now coming in that pomp and majesty in which he himself described his appearance, with the clouds of heaven, in power and great glory ; the day is so near at hand, that it may be said to be already come ; and however men may affect to overlook and neglect him, and his interest now, every eye shall then see him, and every other
He is coming in the clouds, and every eye shall see him.] It is surprising, that Dr Whitby should interpret these words as relating to the temporal calamities to befall the Jews, when the destruction of Jerusalem was long since past. And whatever slaughter was made of the Jews in Lybia, Smyrna, Alexandria, and
ho declares himself to be the Alpha and Om
object which at present invites their regard, shall utterly vanish; even all they who have pierced him shall behold him, and they that condemned him shall be arraigned at his tribunal; and all the tribes of the earth, who have rejected his government, and opposed his interest, shall mourn because of him,ᵈ shall lament that fatal opposition, by which, instead of prevailing in the least against him, they have only effected their own destruction. “Yea, Lord, we repeat our joyful accent: amen: come, Lord Jesus, in the clouds of heaven; take to thyself thy great power and reign; thy people shall lift up their heads with joy and triumph, being infallibly assured, that their complete redemption is approaching.” And to confirm their faith and hope, let them hear him speaking as it were, by his own majestic voice from him, and saying, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end: I was before all worlds, and shall continue the same, when all the revolutions of this world are over, and the final scenes relating to it shall be concluded. I am the First and the Last; I am he, saith the Lord Jehovah, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the eternal, the unchangeable, the Almightyᶜ Author, Supporter, and Disposer of all things.
other places afterwards, it could by no means be called, the coming of Christ in his clouds by way of eminence: even though that phrase might be allowed applicable to remarkable temporal vengeance, inflicted by the providence, and in the cause of Christ.
ᵈ All the tribes of the earth shall mourn because of him.] In this verse, is prefixed the great moral, which the whole book is designed to illustrate; namely, that though here should be great opposition made against the cause and kingdom of Christ, yet it should be utterly in vain; and his kingdom should triumph in the most illustrious manner; so that all who had opposed it, should have the greatest reason to mourn. And as this series of Divine prophecy begins, so it ends with this sentiment, and with the joyful consent of is faithful servants to this glorious truth, which should fill the enemies of Christ
with such terror and dismay. Compare chap. xxii. 20.
ᶜ I am the Alpha, &c.] This has been interpreted by many as spoken by the Father: but it will be very difficult to give sufficient proof of it. Most of the phrases, which are here used concerning this glorious Person, are afterwards used concerning our Lord Jesus Christ; and παντοχώριον, though in ecclesiastical writers of the earliest ages, generally, so far as I can find appropriated to the Father, may, according to the Syriac version, be rendered, He who holds, that is, superintends, supports, and governs all; and then it is applied to Christ, Col. i. 17; Heb. i. 5. But if, after all, the words should be understood as spoken by the Father, our Lord’s applying so many of these titles afterwards to himself, plainly proves his partaking with the Father in the glory peculiar to the Divine nature.
Reflections on the glorious character of Christ.
IMPROVEMENT.
WITH what sublimity doth this wonderful book open! which, such though pregnant with inexplicable mysteries, is, at the same time, pregnant with instructions; which the weakest of Christ’s humble disciples may peruse with sacred complacency and delight. For surely we are not to imagine that Divine book to be unfit for our perusal, and undeserving our regard, concerning which its Divine Author expressly declares, Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy! Thanks be to our heavenly Father, that he gave it to his Son Jesus Christ. Thanks to the Son of God, that he gave it his servant John, to be transmitted down to future generations.
Let us attentively view the Divine glory of the Father, and of his only begotten Son, who is the brightness of that glory, and the express image of his Person, and of the Holy Ghost, who is here represented by the seven spirits before the throne. From us, and from all created nature, let there be glory to him that is, and that was, and that is to come, and to the First born from the dead, who is superior to all the kings of the earth, and to all the angels of heaven, who is so intimately united with the Father in Divine perfections and glories, that he also is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End: that he also is Almighty; able by his mighty power to subdue all things to himself; and is the same yesterday, to day, and for ever. Never let us be unmindful of the condescension of the Son of God, in becoming for our redemption and salvation the Son of man. Let the great things he has done for us, the great things he has taught us to expect from him, be ever familiar to our minds. How astonishing was that love, which engaged him to wash us from our sins in his own blood! How glorious is that exaltation to which he is raising us! rendering us, even in the present world, kings and priests to God, and inspiring us with the ardent hope of an immutable kingdom, and an everlasting priesthood in the temple of our God above. This is the sublime and transcendent happiness of all who with lively faith look for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearance of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ. This illustrious Personage is coming in the clouds, and our eyes shall see him: too often already have we pierced him; let us now look up to him with an humble and lively faith; let us mourn over our sins at present, that we may not pour forth floods of unprofitable tears
and incommunicable to any creature. See Bishop Pearson on the Creed, p. 175. Dr. Clarke contends that the word παν-λογαῖος is peculiar to the Father; (compare Clarke on the Trinity, Numb. 414. and Posth. Serm. Vol. I. p. 70;) yet he intimates, that Christ may have the title of Alpha and Omega, as Author and Finisher of our faith, Beginner and Completer of our salvation. Heb. xii. 2.
VOL. 6.
- John acquaints them that he was in the isle Patmos:
in that awful day; as all the tribes of the earth shall do, who have dared to set themselves against the kingdom of Christ; kingdom which shall then be triumphant over all opposition, the last of its enemies being vanquished and destroyed.
Revelation 1:9-16
St. John gives an account of the circumstances at Lord’s appearance to him, when he received Patmos. Rev. I. 9—16.
REVELATION I. 9.
I JOHN, who was formerly distinguished by the name of the disciple whom Jesus loved,ᵃ who am also your brother, O ye Christians, and who have the honour to be a partaker with you all in the tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ; with all I say, who are called to the hope of his kingdom, and in the patient expectation of that, endure with cheerfulness the afflictions which his infinite wisdom is pleased to appoint us: I was in the desert and disconsolate island of the Ægean Sea, called Patmos,ᵇ to which I was banished by Domitian the emperor, for the sake of the word of God, manifested in the gospel, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ, which I had endeavoured faithfully to maintain. I was on a sudden in the Spirit, under his miraculous energy, on that blessed day which we Christians are accustomed to call the Lord’s day,ᶜ the first day of the week,
ᵃ I John the disciple whom Jesus and sublime ideas which now passed loved.] So I boldly paraphrase these through his mind words, trusting to the general tradition of the church upon this head, of which I have taken notice in the Introduction; and I think, there is some similarity in the phraseology here, and in the gospel of St. John, though I am sensible, at the same time, there is a greater elevation of style in some parts of this book, than is to be found in the other writings of this postle; which is not to be wondered at, considering the extraordinary nature of the scenes he records; which had a very natural tendency to raise the style, and perhaps right have elevated it in any future writings, in consequence of the wonderful and sublime ideas which now passed through his mind ᵇ Island called Patmos] Ecclesiastical history tells us, that St. John was here employed in digging in a mine, being banished hither by Domitian the emperor, after he had come unhurt out of a cauldron of boiling oil. But the historical evidence produced for this great event, is very uncertain. ᶜ In the spirit on the Lord’s day.] It is so very unnatural, and contrary to the use of the word in all other authors, to interpret this of the Jewish sabbath, as Mr. Baxter justly argues at large, (see his Works, Vol. III. p. 798,) that I cannot but conclude, with him, and the generality of Christian writers on this subject, that
And Christ appeared to him in great glory :
which our dear Redeemer has rendered sacred and venerable, by his resurrection from the dead on the morning of it ; and though I was then incapable of joining in any worshipping assembly, the want of that privilege was amply made up, by that manifestation with which the Lord of the day was pleased to favour me ; for I heard a great voice behind me, as loud as the sound of a trumpet, Which said in distinct and articulate accents, I, who am going to appear to thee, O John, am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last ; I boast Divine perfections and glories, and assume without robbery and usurpation, the peculiar titles and prerogatives of the one eternal, infinite, and unchangeable Jehovah ; and I am now descended from heaven, to give thee a revelation of the most astonishing and important events. And, as even the remotest ages are concerned in what thou seest, write an exact account of it in a book, and send copies of [it] to the seven churches in Asia, to Ephesus, and to Smyrna, and to Pergamos, and to Thyatira, and to Sardis, and to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea, that each may receive its own lesson, and at the same time, enjoy the benefit of those which are intended for all the rest. And I turned to see the Person who uttered that wonderful voice which spake unto me ; and being thus turned, I saw an astonishing scene, the particulars of which I shall now relate : There
infers the extraordinary the first day of the time, as a day solto Christ, in memory from the dead.
Omega.] That these ated so soon, in a connsirates they are givpear very remarkable, iven to the eighth verse. wn, in the preceding have been strong, ssage as this had been idiate connection with thens it. And I caning it, that this text has my other in the Bible, me from giving into would make our Lord
Jesus Christ no more than a deified ture.
Seven churches in Asia.] I pr not to inquire, Whether these we only Asiatic churches. To be sur were the principal Nor will I ir why the epistles were appropriated churches of that province. It is they contain many things of un concern ; and as there is plainly an tion to represent the regard of Ch ministers, and churches, by his among golden candlesticks, and stars in his right hand, the numbe may be mentioned, as it seems t harmonize with some other parts book, namely, with the seven seals trumpets, seven vials, seven thunder seven spirits before the throne.
The manner of our Lord’s appearance to John.
were seven golden lamps on their stands, which seven golden candlesticks;
gave a bright and beautiful flame; And in the midst of the seven golden lamps, there was [one] in a human form, a glorious and majestic Person, like him who appeared to Daniel under the title of the Son of man, and in whom I traced the lineaments of that blessed Redeemer, whom I had so long known under that endearing name and character; he appeared clothed in a long robe, not unlike the priestly vestment, and like persons of that holy order, girded, not about the middle, but something higher, about the breasts with a golden girdle, which being properly fastened there, hung
down to his feet. And his head, even [his] hairs which adorned it, and flowed round his shoulders, [were] white as wool, or to speak more properly, as white as snow, (Dan. vii. 9;) and his eyes [were] vivid and piercing as
a flame of fire; And his feet were resplendent like fine brass, when purified in a furnace from all its dross, and polished by the hands of some skilful artificer; and his voice was loud as the voice of many waters, so that I imagined it might have been heard as far as the sounding noise of the billows of the sea, when they beat
against the rocky shores; And he had in his right hand, seven luminous and very beautiful stars, the motions of which he seemed to direct and govern, at the same time that he supported them; and out of his mouth there went a sharp two edged sword, or dagger, capable of piercing and wounding every way; and his countenance [was] radiant and glorious as the sun, [when he] shineth in all his meridian power and lustre, and beams forth his rays, vigourous and unclouded.
His head, and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
And he had in his right hand seven stars; and out of his mouth went a sharp two edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
*A golden girdle.] The girdles were a kind of sash, which first went over the neck like a tippet, were crossed on the breast, and then went round the lower part of the breast, two or three times, like a modern circingle, and then they fell down almost to the feet. And as they were sometimes embroidered, and sometimes fringed with gold, they must make a very
ornamental part of dress. The priests were required, for coolness and decency, to wear linnen garments, and gird themselves higher than others. Compare Ezek. xlii 17, 18 And this is one of the many allusions to the temple, and its forms and customs, with which we shall find this book so greatly to abound Compare Exod. xxxix. 5
Reflections on the happiness conferred on Christ’s servants.
IMPROVEMENT.
WHAT unspeakable happiness can our blessed Redeemer confer on his faithful servants, while suffering in his cause! How wretched was Cesar on his imperial throne, compared with this despised and persecuted disciple of Christ, in his old age banished to the desolate island of Patmos! There his Lord condescended to visit him, opened his eyes to prophetic visions, and diffused around him celestial glories. May we in no case be ashamed of the word of God, and the testimony of Jesus Christ, a zeal for which was so graciously acknowledged, so gloriously rewarded.
It was on the Lord’s day that the apostle was in the Spirit: 10 how often has the Spirit of God visited his people at that sacred season, visited them as well in their secret retirements as in the public assembly; when the hand of Providence, as in the instance before us, and not their own negligence, and indifference to Divine ordinances, occasioned their absence from them: otherwise we might fear that those raptures of mind, which in the contempt of ordinances some make their boast and glory, arise from the artifices of the great enemy of souls, and are to be numbered among the most dangerous engines by which he attempts our ruin.
Let our souls again bend, in humble veneration, to him who is the First and the Last, the Alpha and Omega. As if we heard 11 his awful voice proclaiming himself by these illustrious and Divine titles, let us turn, as it were, to behold him; and by these 12 marvellous visions in which he manifested himself to St. John, let us endeavour to form some imperfect ideas of our blessed 13, 16 Lord, and the magnificence and glory with which he appears to the inhabitants of the heavenly regions. Every circumstance, not excepting the minutest and most inconsiderable, attending this appearance of Christ to his beloved apostle, seems designed to convey some Divine truth, some important lesson, for the contemplation and instruction of future ages. It was, in general, beyond all question, intended to impress us with the lowliest reverence of our glorified Redeemer, that we may pay him our humble and devout adoration, and thus in some degree anticipate the pleasure with which we hope to appear in his immediate presence above.
St. John is exhorted not to be afraid;
Revelation 1:17
Our Lord Jesus Christ addresses himself to the apostle John, and charges him with an epistle to each of the seven Asiatic churches already mentioned; and, in the first place, with the epistle to the church of Ephesus. Rev. I. 17—II. 7.
REVELATION I. 17.
I HAVE just been describing the appearance of Jesus Christ to me, with which I was favoured on the Lord’s day, in the island of Patmos, while I was engaged in such devout sentiments as was suitable to time and occasion: and I now add, that when I saw him in this awful, this glorious and resplendent form, I was perfectly overwhelmed with the majesty of his appearance, so that I fell down at his feet, as dead; and he immediately condescended to raise me up, with great indulgence; for he laid his right hand upon me, [and] said to me, Fear not, John, for I appear to thee for purposes of mercy; I am, indeed, as I have proclaimed myself, the First and the Last, possessed of Divine perfections and glories; And yet I still wear the human form, which I assumed for the redemption of human and fallen creatures like thyself; I [am] he who lives, and have life immortal, and glory immutable in myself, though I was once dead, as thou knowest; and now behold it both with joy and wonder, I am living for ever and ever: (Amen:ᵃ be it so then, O Lord; mavest thou for ever live and reign!) And he added, I have the keys of the unseen world,ᵇ and of death; I have a supreme
ᵃ Amen.] As this word appears to have additional force, if understood as expressing the joyful assent of John to what was delivered, I have enclosed it and the paraphrase upon it in a parenthesis.
ᵇ Unseen world.] It must be allowed, that as: sometimes signifies the grave, when the body only is spoken of. But, as Mr. Howe has largely proved in his excellent discourse on this text, the interpretation I have here given, is most reasonable. That which would refer it to hell as the seat of the damned, limits the sense in a inner very derogatory from the honour
of our blessed Redeemer, as he there shews unanswerably. Howe’s Works, Vol. II. p 61, &c. According to Grotius, (see his note on Mat. xvi. 18,) the word, hades, always denotes either death, or the state after death, and they who are of opinion, that Luke xvi. 23, is an exception, may consult this learned author’s judicious notes on this place. Our English, or rather Saxon word, hell, in its original signification, (though it is now understood in a more limited sense,) exactly answers to the Greek word, hades, and denotes a concealed, or unseen place; and this sense
te what he saw, what is, and w at sha l be.
dominion over it, and remove the souls of men from world to world, calling them out of the body, and fixing them in the invisible state, according to my pleasure, till at length I shall exert my power of raising the dead. Write therefore the things which thou now seest, and those which will be opened to thy view, in which there will be, in part, a reference to the things which already are, and a further reference to the things which shall hereafter be. And, as a general key to what I am now going to dictate, observe, that as to the mystery of the seven stars, which thou here seest as in my right hand, and of the seven lamps which are of gold; the seven stars are an emblematical representation of the angels, or presiding ministers, of the seven churches; and the seven lamps which thou seest, are a representation of the seven churches themselves, to which I have directed thee to inscribe and transmit the important epistles I am now about to dictate, according to what I observe of their respective circumstances and necessities.
And in the first place, address to the angel, II. or presiding officer, of the church at Ephesus, and write thus, These things saith he, who holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, to signify that he is the great Support of his ministring servants, and directs their several situations and motions in the churches; and who walks in the midst of the seven golden lamps, to intimate thereby his presence among Christian societies, and his particular inspection over them. My eyes have been carefully fixed 2
tained in the eastern, the western counties of the a thing, is to cover History of the Creed, mstances and necesty the address in each te of the church to and what condescension viour’s giving them and admonitions, is ugh very imperfectly, Sermons on the Pow- . See Serm. vii. p. presiding officer.] That there was one pastor, who presi in each of these churches, is indeed evic from the expression here used; but he was a diocesan bishop, or had se congregations of Christians under his c can by no means be proved. Nor is th the least hint of it, that I know of, any of these epistles. Many have she from ancient Jewish writings, that th was an officer of the synagogue who the name of angel. See Vitring. Synag. Vet. lib. 3. p. ii. c. 3. And Lightfoot adds, that from his office overlooking the reader of the law, he called pp, or episcopus. Compare I ii. 7.
Christ’s epistle to the church of Ephesus
upon thee, and I have observed many things in thy conduct with pleasure. I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, with which thou hast endured the trials and sufferings to which thou hast been called out; and I know thou hast such a zeal for the honour of my gospel, and establishment of my kingdom, that thou canst not bear those who are evil. And, as false pretensions to a Divine mission and inspiration are so common, I know thou hast tried those, who say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them [to be] liars, and rejected their pretensions with a becoming disdain. And I know thou hast sustained, with exemplary fortitude, the trouble they have given thee; and hast exercised invincible patience under all thy sufferings and trials in my cause; and thou hast laboured constantly and tenaciously for my name’s sake, and to establish the faith of my people: and hast not fainted under thy toils or tribulations. Nevertheless, I have [something] to allege against thee, exemplary as thou art in many respects; and it is this, That thou hast lost the zeal and fervour of thy first love to me and my cause; and this cannot but be very displeasing to me. Remember therefore from what thou art fallen; recall
Canst not bear those who are evil.] as been pleaded by Lord Barring, an argument that the church of Jesus, in the early days of Christianity, had itself from those corruptions some endeavoured to bring into it, i. 15; ii. 17—26; iii. 6—10; which St. Paul, in his first epistle to thy, endeavoured, it seems, with happy success, to prevent. Misc. col. 1. p. 42. Limborch has sufficient, (see his Theol. lib. v. cap. 37, the absurdity of opposing such a this to the great Christian doctrine, which some have madly endured to prejudice by trifling inferno, from such detached and perverted, in opposition to the tenor of the new Testament. But the pretend-enforce such ecclesiastical censures laws of Christ do indeed in some require, with those secular terrors the magistrate, by virtue of his is to inflict on immoralities preju-*
dicial to society, has of Christian discipline, universally, and gene establishments too. Lost thy first love that these epistles, the angels or pastors of the rected to the churches sented by them. Just was represented by priest, Zech. iii. 1. I able, that where some blamed, there might ters some faults com- charged upon the so- larly, that the zeal of Ephesus might be de- I think, no reason to gard to Timothy’s c- count; for it can ne- he was a stated pastor Ephesus, though su- have been said concer- der foundations.
ers them to repent and do their rst works.
those better days to thy memory, and in the view of them set thyself seriously to repent of the decay which hath so much prevailed; and do the first works, or rather endeavour to exceed them. Otherwise thou must expect, that I will come unto thee quickly, in some awful dispensations of Providence, and take away thy lamp out of its place, unless thou repent; no longer shalt thou continue to be a church, if thou dost not endeavour to recover thy lost ground, and to shine at least with thy former lustre. Nevertheless, thou hast this honour and praise remaining, that thou hatest the impure work of the lewd Nicolaitans, which I also hate, as having brought so great a reproach upon the Christian name: To conclude; Let him that hath an ear, hear what the Spirit saith to all the churches for their encouragement; and to that of Ephesus in particular: To him who conquers the enemies, which lie in the way of his duty and happiness, and manfully breaks through all oppositions, I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God: the fruit of which gives immortality, and it is situated in the paradise above; so that he who resides within its reach, is possessed of such felicities and delights as are far superior to those which Adam enjoyed in an earthly paradise, though in a state of uncorrupted and perfect innocence.
g Take away thy lamp out of its place.] As this threatening is addressed to the church of Ephesus, though much better than some other churches, it is reasonable to believe, that it, like other denunciations, was intended to awaken the rest. It intimates how terrible a thing it would be to have the gospel taken away from them. And indeed it has been executed upon them all, in a very awful manner. For though there be a little congregation, if I remember right, at Smyrna, yet most of these churches are quite ruined, and with them the cities in which they stood, though they were once very celebrated. And it is hardly possible, even for one who is not a Christian, to view the account which Sir Paul Ricaut, and the
learned and ingenious Mr. Smith, have given of them, without being tenderly affected with so lamentable a catastrophe. h Nicolaitans] Some have thought these heretics derived their name from Nicolas, one of the seven deacons; and some ancient writers have asserted it. But the name was so common among the Jews, that little argument can be drawn from thence. See Euseb. Eccl. Hist. lib. iii. c. 26. The substance of what ancient writers say concerning them is, that they taught the lawfulness of lewdness and idolatrous sacrifices, esteeming them things indifferent in their own nature; and their practices were suitable to such principles. Compare ver. 14, 15.
Reflections on the glorious character of our Lord.
IMPROVEMENT.
iii. WITH whatever humble and holy reverence this awful representation of our blessed Redeemer may strike us, let us be encouraged to look up to him by a lively faith, and to hear with joy, and with purposes of the most grateful obedience, the gracious declaration he makes of that amazing contrast of Divine perfections and characters, and of human weaknesses and infirmities, which met in him. The Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, is he who lives and yet was dead, but is now alive for ever more: for us he became liable to death, but is now risen to a Divine and immortal life; in which consideration let us continually rejoice on his account, and on our own. It is exceedingly reviving to the heart of a sincere Christian, that Jesus has the keys of the unseen world, and of death: so that whenever we are removed by the stroke of this our last enemy, it is only to be considered as his turning the key, which will let us out of this world into another, of happiness and glory everlasting. How delightful to reflect, that heaven is under the command of our Redeemer, and hell is under his controul! What have his faithful servants to fear from the one? what have they not to hope from the other? How does this cheering sentiment disarm both life and death, of their respective terrors!
Let us attend to each of these excellent epistles, which Christ condescended himself to dictate, and to address by the hand of his servant John, to these Asiatic churches. Let us attend to his titles, his admonitions, his promises, that we may be awed with holy reverence, that we may be animated to humble hope, and steady courage, in every encounter with the enemies of our salvation.
chap. Let the ministers of Christ rejoice, that they are as stars in the right hand of their Redeemer. “Support them, O Lord, by thy almighty power, and guide all their motions by thine infinite wisdom.” Let all the churches of Christ remember, that he walks in the midst of the golden candlesticks; may they be pure gold: may their lamps shine with unsullied lustre, that their Father may be glorified, and their Saviour delighted with the survey.
2,3 He sees our labour, our patience, our fidelity, and our zeal. May he see that we cannot bear those who would corrupt our religion, without exerting ourselves to silence their false pretensions, and to guard the churches, to which we are related especially, from the venom they might diffuse over them! In all these respects, may we daily approve ourselves to him in a more perfect manner. But, alas! does he not perceive in many of us, what he complained so early of, in the church of Ephesus; that
Christ’s epistle to the church of Smyrna.
we have lost our first love, and that much of that real with which we set out in religion is declined? If so, let us take the alarm: for dreadful indeed would it be, to have our candlestick removed out of its place; to have the gospel and all its privileges taken away from us. To prevent this awful judgment, let us recollect from whence we are fallen, if we are indeed in a backsliding and declining state; and humbly and heartily repent, and vigorously exert ourselves against the enemies of our salvation: that overcoming the difficulties of this howling wilderness, we may be received to the enjoyments of the heavenly country: and when we can no longer share in the bounties of Providence in this inferior state, be feasted with the fruit of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.