A Paraphrase on the New Testament, Revelation · Chapter 3
CHAP. III.
1. ANd unto the angel of the church in Sardis write, Theſe things ſaith he that hath the ſeven Spirits of God, and the ſeven ſtars, I know thy works, that thou haſt a name, that thou liveſt, and art dead.
1. To the Angel, that is, the Paſtors and People, of the Church in Sardis; Thus ſaith he who is the Lord of Angels and Miniſters.
Note; Though the Spirits before were named before Chriſt, it was not as preferring them before him; for he is here ſaid to have them, as he hath the Paſtors.
I know what thou art and doſt: and that thou art reputed by men, to be an excellent Church: but thou art declined to a cold and decayed ſtate, even like to death.
Note; Profeſſion, and outward Splendor, make Churches and perſons applauded that, wanting the life and power of the Religion they profeſs, are next to dead.
2. Be watchful, and ſtrengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
2. Be awakned from thy Self-flattery and Coldneſs, and revive and exerciſe that Good which yet thou haſt, that it may be ſtrengthned; for I find much Hypocriſie and Formality in thee, and not that Soundneſs, Seriouſ…eſs and Zeal which God will require.
3. Remember therefore how thou haſt received and heard, and hold faſt, and repent. If therefore thou ſhalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou ſhalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
3. Remember what Doctrine my Apoſtles taught thee, and hold faſt that, and receive no other. Repent of thy Back-ſliding: for if thou do not awake and watch in holy Preparation, I will come upon thee with my Judgments, as a Thief cometh on men aſleep, when thou art moſt fearleſs, and doſt leaſt expect me.
4. Thou haſt a few names even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments, and they ſhall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.
4. Though the greater part of that Church be as dead in their declining, ſome few there are yet in it, who have kept their Innocency from Hereſie, Vice and Cowardly Shrinking: and theſe ſhall have the honourable Reward of their Uprightneſs; for they are worthy of it, according to the Law of Grace, which promiſeth it to ſuch alone.
Note; Yet theſe few Names are not commanded to ſeparate from the reſt.
5. He that overcometh, the ſame ſhall be clothed in white raiment, and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life; but I will confeſs his name before my Father, and before his angels.
5. He that overcometh in this Life of Tryal, ſhall be cloathed with the Glory which ſignifieth the Reward of Innocency, and is the mark of Dignity and Honour; (for ſuch then was White Raiment:) and I will own him openly, before my Father and his Angels, as one who is enrolled as a Deniſon of Heaven, among the Elect of God.
Note; If White Garments now be ſeemly for conquering Saints, they are unmeet for them that are overcome by the World, and the love of its Honour, Wealth and Power, and by fleſhly Luſts.
6. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit ſaith unto the Churches. 7. And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia, write, Theſe things ſaith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man ſhutteth, and ſhutteth, and no man openeth:
6, 7. Note; Chriſt is deſcribed by his Holineſs, and Truth, and abſolute Power of Governing and Judging, to awe and to comfort the Faithful.
8. I know thy works: behold, I have ſet before thee an open door, and no man can ſhut it: for thou haſt a little ſtrength, and haſt kept my word, and haſt not denied my name.
8. I know and approve thy Fidelity: And I opened thee a Door of Advantage, to do good in converting Infidels, and to enjoy the comfort of it; and none ſhall ſhut this Door againſt thee: for thou haſt kept ſome ſtrength of Faith and Courage, and haſt not denyed me by Hereſie nor Cowardize.
9. Behold, I will make them of the ſynagogue of Satan (which ſay they are Jews, and are not, but do lie) behold, I will make them to come and worſhip before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
9. And as for thoſe Hereticks that, pretending Judaiſm, corrupt Chriſtianity, and are but the Synagogue of Satan; I will make them acknowledge the vanity of their Errour, and the honour of thy Fidelity; and to confeſs that I have loved and juſtified thee therein, againſt their Accuſations.
10. Becauſe thou haſt kept the word of my patience, I alſo will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which ſhall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
10. I will give thee a ſpecial Exemption from the Perſecutions which the Heathens will ſhortly uſe, to try thoſe on Earth, that profeſs my Name. (Which, no doubt, was performed)
Note; Though the beſt are oft ſingled out for Perſecution, uſually the moſt obedient Churches eſcape above others, and moſt have a hand in bringing it on themſelves.
11. Behold, I come quickly: hold that faſt which thou haſt, that no man take thy crown.
11. My performance of all this, is not far off; for the Tryal of the Churches, and thy Preſervation. But ſee that thou hold faſt ſtill thy Innocency, Fidelity and Patience, that thou loſe not the Crown, for want of Perſeverance.
Note; The beſt Churches and Chriſtians have need to be warned to take heed, leſt they back-ſlide, and loſe all their labour and reward. Even where God decreeth to cauſe men to perſevere, he decreeth to cauſe it, by holy fear of …alling, and by the uſe of Watchfulneſs, and diligent Obedience.
12. Him that overcometh, will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he ſhall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jeruſalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
12. Him that overcometh in all the Tryals of this life, I will make an honourable Member of the glorified Church, (called a Pillar, as Timothy is called a Pillar and Baſ…s of Truth, in the Houſe of God;) and he ſhall there dwell for ever: And I will ſignalize him, as with a written Name, both of My God, and of the City of my God, the New Jeruſalem, which is now gathering in Heaven; and when it is compleat, ſhall thence come, and appear with me in Glory: and I will write on him my new Name, The Glorified Redeemer.
Note; The whole Name, thus ſet together, will be, [An Adopted Son of God, and an Heir of the New Jeruſalem from Heaven, and a living Member of Chriſt, the Glorified Redeemer.]
13. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit ſaith unto the churches.
13. All that have ears, and hear what Chriſt, by his Spirit, ſaith to all theſe Churches, ſhould lay it deeply to heart, for their own Inſtruction and Admonition.
14. And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans, write, Theſe things ſaith the Amen, the faithful and true Witneſs, the beginning of the creation of God.
14. Thus ſaith he who is the Truth, and by whom, all God's Predictions are, and will be fulfilled; the faithful Witneſs of God, to Man, by his Word and Sufferings; the Head and Chief of all God's Creatures.
Note; This Text is diverſly expounded, as men's Judgments differ. 1. The Arrians hence gather, that Chriſt is but the firſt of Creatures, by whom God made the reſt. 2. Peter Sterry, and that Party, who hold three Natures in Chriſt; the Divine, the Prime-cre… ted (Super-angelical,) and the Humane, ſay, It is his middle Nature that is here called, The Beginning of the Creation of God. 3. But the commoneſt Judgment of the Church is, that it is Chriſt, as in both Natures, thus called; becauſe he is the Head, or Chief, of all Creatures: or, ſay ſome, as he is the Cauſe and Father of the new Creature, by Grace.
15. I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16. So then becauſe thou art luke-warm, and neither cold nor hot, I will ſpew thee out of my mouth.
15, 16. I know thy caſe and courſe, that thou art not for open Hereſie or Infidelity, but profeſſeſt Chriſtianity; but it is with Tepidity, without ſuch Zeal as the Faith and Hope of Chriſtians requireth. If thou wert cold, and for downright Infidelity or Hereſie, I would judge thee accordingly: And if you were ſound and zealous Chriſtians, I would own you. But being of a luke-warm Indifferency, like Hypocrites, that profeſs Chriſtianity, with Reſerves for Worldly Safety, I will diſown thee with diſdain.
Note, 1. Not that God had rather men were ſtark naught, than half Chriſtians; but, as if he had ſaid, I ſhould ſooner have judged thee accordingly, and thou wouldſt not have aggravated thy ſin with Profeſſion of Chriſtianity, nor have diſhonoured me ſo much by it. 2. God will diſown luke-warm, worldly Hypocrites; not all, whoſe Zeal is defective, and are too luke-warm, but all that have not ſo much Zeal, as to prefer Chriſt before the World.
17. Becauſe thou ſayeſt, I am rich, and increaſed with goods, and have need of nothing; and knoweſt not that thou art wretched, and miſerable, and poor, and blind, and naked.
17. Note; 'Tis like, The Oſtentation of this Church came from ſome worldly Proſperity; and outward, lifeleſs Formality in Religion, with the decay of the Power of it. When true Religion decayeth in any, 'tis uſually accompanied with Self-Eſteem, and boaſting, when they ſhould learn, not to be high-minded, but fear. When they have turned Religion into a lifeleſs Image, they dance about that Image, and honour it.
18. I counſel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayeſt be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayeſt be clothed, and that the ſhame of thy nakedneſs do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye-ſalve, that thou mayeſt ſee.
18. I counſel thee to ſeek earneſtly to me for ſound Underſtanding in the Faith, againſt all Hereſie; and for the Grace of Confirmation, againſt all deceitful Wavering and Reſerves; and for the Grace of ſincere Righteouſneſs and Holineſs, that thou bear not the ſhame of Hypocriſie, and halting between Hereſie, or Infidelity, and ſaving Truth; and for the Illumination of my Spirit, to know the danger of Hereſie and Hypocriſie.
19. As many as I love, I rebuke and chaſten: be zealous therefore and repent.
19. If I forſake you not, but ſhew my love to you, it will be by chaſtening you, to revive your Care and Zeal: If therefore you love not Chaſtening, prevent it by Zeal and Reformation.
20. Behold, I ſtand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will ſup with him, and he with me.
20. I have my time of offering Mercy, and deſiring you to entertain it: And if any man hear and obey this Call, I will come in by my Spirit, and take habitual Poſſeſſion of him, and have ſpiritual Communion with him, and he with me.
Note; Though it be not without the Grace of Chriſt that we open to him when he knocks, and receive his offered ſpecial Grace; yet, in this, he layeth ſo much on Man, as to make our Opening, that is, our Accepting-Faith, the Condition of his Entring for a fixed Habitation by habitual Love and Holineſs. On which account▪ Divines uſe to ſay, that Faith and Repentance, wrought firſt in Converſion, are the Conditions or Qualifications for conſequent Juſtification and Sanctification.
21. To him that overcometh will I grant to ſit with me in my throne, even as I alſo overcame, and am ſet down with my Father, in his Throne.
21. To him that overcometh all the Temptations of this Life, ſo far as to keep his ſincere Faith, Love and Obedience to the End, I will give a Participation in my Kingdom, Power and Glory; even as I obtained my Glory, by overcoming Satan and the World.
Note; This expoundeth what is meant before, by Ruling the Nations with a Rod of Iron, &c.
22. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit ſaith unto the churches.
22. Note; Let every man that hath an Ear and Heart, lay cloſe to heart theſe Reproofs, Warnings and Promiſes of Chriſt to theſe ſeven Churches; for it concerneth them all.
Again note that, notwithſtanding all Chriſt's Reproofs and Threatnings, to many of theſe Churches, he biddeth no one ſeparate from them.