Commentary on Revelation, Lecture 6
LECTURE VI.
Vers. 12.
And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks.
13.
And in the midst of the seven candlesticks, one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
14.
His head, and his hairs were white like wooll, as white as snow, and his eyes were as a flame of fire.
15.
And his feet like unto fine brasse, as if they burned in a furnace:—
THe second circumstance, or step, of the first part of the Vision, is what Iohn did, vers. 12. or his carriage when he heard the voice, spoken of before, vers. 10. I turned to see the voice that spake: a voice is not properly the object of sight; but it's two wayes to be understood. 1. Either Iohn turned him, that is, gave pains more clearly to perceive and understand that which was spoken: for, seeing, in Scripture, is often so taken, for a more clear up-taking and understanding of a thing: and so the meaning is, Iohn having heard the voice behind him, he lends to his ear to take it up better. Or, 2. It may look to Iohn's desire, to see him that spoke: and so he turned, not to see the voice; but the speaker: and on the back of this, the heavenly Vision is represented to him. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks. Follows what Iohn saw upon his turning about; he gets this Vision. Folks that go about the use of the means seriously, minding edification, they readily profit.
Let us speak to that which properly is the Vision. It holds out, or, there are holden forth in it, three things. 1. The Church, is holden out under the similitude of a Candlestick; or, the seven Churches of Asia, under the similitude of seven golden Candlesticks: so they are expounded, vers. 20. 2. The Ministers of the Churches, are holden out under the similitude of seven Stars, vers. 16. So are they expounded in the 20. vers. also. We shall forbear any further exposition, or speaking of them, till we come to that place. The main thing in the Vision, is, Our Lord Jesus, represented these wayes. First, in His Offices. Secondly, In His excellent qualifications for His discharging these Offices. Thirdly, In His care of His Churches, and actuall executing of His Offices, and exercising of His qualifications for the good of His Churches and Ministers: He is among the one, walking; and holding the other in His hand; and hath a sword, going out of His mouth, for the good of both.
Quest. 1. Whether is it Christ that appears and speaks here, or not? The reason of the doubt, is from vers. 1. Where it is said, Iesus Christ sent and signified these things by his angel.
Answ. It is He that appears and speaks here to Iohn, who gave him the Commission to write: and certainly, it was no Angel that gave Iohn Commission to write and send it to the seven Churches; but it is Jesus Christ, who intitles Himself before, to be the first and the last: no Angel can give Commission, nor dare take upon him these titles and stiles, but Jesus Christ only. 2. It's clear also to be Christ, from the parts of the description, and from the particular charge that Christ is holden out to have, to wit, in having a care of the Churches, in holding the Stars in His hand, and sending a sword out of His mouth. Who can do these things but Christ? 3. From the seven Epistles, which begin with some part of this description, as belonging to Him: He is still stiled by some part of it, Chap. 2. and 3.
Quest. 2. Whether doth Iesus Christ appear here really in His Man-head? or, Is it only a representation of Him in a Vision, for signifying and holding forth the excellent properties and qualifications that are in Him, as sometime God appeared of old to weak man, condescending to his capacity for his comfort, as Dan. 7.9. and sometime Christ, as Dan. 10.5. to which this Vision seemeth to relate?
Answ. We take it not for any reall apparition of Christ in His Humanity, or as He was Man, conceived in and born of the Virgin Mary, crucified, dead and buried, and in that nature risen again and ascended; but we take it only to be a representation, or vision of the glorious properties and qualifications, and stately Majesty of the Son of God, who was, and is, and is to come, the first, and the last: who as He is God, so also was and is Man; but doth not now appear in His Humane nature, but as God. Reason, 1. Because in substance it is the same Vision that we find, Dan. 7.9. and 10.5. where God, and Christ, as God, are holden out under the same expressions: and if these expressions cannot be applyed in these places to signifie the parts of a Humane body (which God hath not, for He is a Spirit) there can be no reason why the same expressions here, should be applied to the parts of a body. 2. It's clear also, if we look to the end, which Jesus Christ hath before Him in this representation: He being to direct seven Epistles to the seven Churches in Asia, He sets out Himself by some excellent properties, to ground the faith of His People, and move them to reverence, receive, and give obedience to what He writs unto them. 3. Look through all this Vision, it cannot be applyed literally; the seven Churches, cannot be seven Candlesticks; the seven Ministers, cannot be seven Stars, &c. but it's to evidence the excellent qualifications that are in Christ, under these representations: and therefore what some would draw from this, or other representations of this kind, concerning Christs Body on earth, or the ubiquitie of His Humanitie, or bodily presence with His Churches, or, for portracting of His Body (as Winckelmannus and other Lutherans alledged) hath no ground from this place; but rather the just contrary: if Christ appeared after His Ascension, no other wayes than He did before His Incarnation, He would take away all carnall thoughts of His bodily presence on earth. 4. It's said, One like unto the Son of Man: and this holds out, He was not indeed Man in this Vision; but appeared to Iohn, as He did to Daniel; some way representing Himself so. But, 5. The application and exposition of many of these expressions, Chap. 2. and 3. holding forth His eyes, to signifie His Omniscience and the like, will shew the absurdity of this. But come to the three parts of the discription, more particularly: wherein, as we said, 1. We have his Offices and Authority, 2. His qualifications for executing these Offices. 3. His care of His Churches, and His actuall executing of His Offices, and exercising of His qualifications for the good of them, and His Ministers.
First, His Offices and Authority are represented; His Kingly and Princely Offices, under His Garments; His Propheticall Office, by the Sword that proceedeth out of His mouth.
Long garments, were especially used by two sorts of Persons, Kings and Priests. Exod. 28.29. Aaron, the high Priest, and His Sons, have holy Garments appointed them; and the high Priest was to have a long Robe curiously sewed and embroidered: so also, long Garments, were for a signe of Authority and reverence; and Christ casts that up to the Scribes and Pharisees, Mat. 23.5. Mark 12.38. And Christ was clothed with a purple Robe; which was a speciall Robe, designing great men from others, though they did it in derision to Him.
He is girt about the paps with a golden girdle. A girdle hath two uses, 1. It was used for neating the long Robe; for binding it up, that it might not be cumbersome to men in their imployment, Luk. 17.8. Gird thy self and serve me. 2. A golden girdle signifieth Authority and Eminence; so the girdles of Kings signified, Isa. 22.21. when Eliakim is constituted a Ruler, it is said, I will cloath him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle: and what is meant by that, is expounded in the following words, I will commit the Government into his hand, and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Ierusalem, and to the house of Iudah, and I will lay the key of the house of David upon his shoulder: he shall open, and none shall shut, &c. This girdle of Christ's, is spoken of, Isa. 11.5. Righteousnesse shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulnesse the girdle of his reins.
The expression holdeth out these three things, which we conceive to be understood by it. 1. The Authority and warrantablenesse of our Lord Jesus Christ His Kingly and Princely Office, as that which followeth, doth of His Prophetical Office: hereby letting us know, that our Lord Jesus His being in heaven and in glory, hath not made Him lay by His Offices, or the executing of them; but He remains King and Priest for ever, Psalm 110. even in heaven He bears His Offices to His Churches. 2. That our Lord Jesus Christ, not only bears these Offices; but, in an excellent and glorious manner: there is no such King, no such Priest, no such Prophet as He: so that whatsoever belongs to any of His Offices, or any part of any of them, He would have His people looking to Him as eminent therein: He is a King ruling in Righteousnesse, stately in Majesty and dominion; a Priest, that continueth for ever, and hath an unchangeable Priesthood; and, is able to save all them, to the uttermost, that come unto God by Him, seing He lives for ever to make intercession for them: and, such an high Priest becomes us, who is holy, and harmlesse, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher then the heavens, Heb. 7.24, 25, 26. He is a Prophet, such as hath no equal: none teacheth like Him. Therefore it becometh us not only, not to have low thoughts of Christ, as bearing those Offices; but to think of Him as being eminent and glorious in them, and all that concerns them. 3. It holds out, that our Lord Jesus His statelinesse and glory, doth not marr, nor hinder Him in the application of His Offices, and executing them for the good of His Church: but, for as stately as He is, for Authority, having on His long robe, and being girded with a golden girdle; yet, His garment is so truced and girded, as He is fitted for His imployment, and to make use of His Offices, for the benefit of souls (See Iohn 13. v. 3.) as ever He did when He was on earth. Christs greatnesse and glory, is so far from unfitting Him for the discharge of His Offices, that He hath robes compacted, and Himself so fitted, as He may handsomly go about the discharge of them, being still girded, though the girdle be of gold.
The second part of the description, vers. 14 is His qualifications for His Offices, set out under the particular parts of a body, First, His head and His hair were like wool: this would not agree to Christs Manhead in all appearance, He not having come to that age, at which men use to become white haired. It is an application of, or an allusion to that of Dan. 7.9. if not taken out of it. And the reason of the allusion, is, to set out, 1. The Eternitie of Christs Godhead: that though He was, and is Man; yet, before the world was, He was, and is the Eternal God, without beginning, that whitenesse of the hair, being spoken of God, to set out His Eternity: He is not from yesterday, as poor creatures are; but from everlasting, though His Eternity maketh no change nor alteration on Him, as age doth on men. 2. It sets out our Lord Jesus His wisdom and experience, and the reverence that is due to Him: He is set out as one having gray hairs, being eminently endued with wisdom and experience, as old men use to be in comparison of others, and as these of younger years usually are not. Therefore, Dan. 7.9. He is called, the ancient of dayes, which expounds His appearing with white hairs. Isa. 11.2. The Spirit of the Lord rests upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord.
The second part of this qualification, is, in His eyes: His eyes were as a flame of fire. He is also thus set forth, Dan. 10.6. These eyes, point out the omniscience of Christ, who, as God, sees every thing: and they are said to be as a flame of fire, partly, because of their peircing nature: that as all things are naked before Him and bare; so He sees throughly, in through and out through them all. All things are lying open, and, as it were, imbowelled before His eyes, Heb. 4. And, partly, because of the dreadfulnesse, and terriblenesse that will arise from His omniscience to the wicked of the world: His, and His Churches enemies, nothing will be more terrible to them, nor a glance of Christs eye, whereby he can destroy worlds of them, as when he looked down on Sodom and Gomorrah, fire and brimston followed His eye, and destroyed them.
The third part of His description, is vers. 15. His feet like unto fine brasse: this is excellent brasse, glittering brasse, nearest unto gold, as being some way mixed with it: and these feet of brasse, point out not only His power, but especially His wayes, counsels, and dispensations toward His people in ordering of His Churches, Gods paths and wayes being the manner of His guiding of the world, So Christs feet do signifie His stepping up and down in His Church, ordering all things well, wisely, and holily to His glorious ends: and consequently, His dispensations, whereby He makes His presence manifest among His People. 2. These feet, are said to be like unto fine brasse, as if they burned in a furnace: to point out, 1. That all His dispensations are pure and perfect. 2. Excellent and firm, solide and durable: there is no prevailing by the gates of hell against them. They are pure, spotlesse and clean: no iniquity is in them, Deut. 32.4. He is the Rock, His work is perfect: for, all His wayes are judgement: a God of Truth, and without iniquity, just and right is He. We think this to be the meaning here: His wayes in His Church, His stepping up and down in it, are pure and spotlesse, firm and solid: all on-lookers cannot mark a spot in them; they cannot be mended, or bettered, nor hindered, He so sickerly sets them down. It serves to hold forth the statelinesse of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to bring our hearts to a holy awe and reverence of Him, O, that folks knew what He were, they would walk in more awe and reverence, before and with Him, who is such a stately Person I Love, reverence, and admire Jesus: there is no such stately and lovely Person in the world; submit to Him, He will do no wrong. Contend not with Him: for, on He will go, so sickerly sets He down His steps, like pillars of brasse. The reasons of these expositions, will appear more, in the Inscriptions of the Epistles, chap. 2. and 3.