The Revelation Revealed, Chapter 3 · Verse 20
Verſ. 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.
Chriſt adds here another motive to the poor blinde Laodiceans to come unto him for gold, for white rayment, for eye-ſalve, to ſupply all their wants, which is drawn from his willingneſs and readineſs to come in and converſe with all ſuch that are but willing to receive him, and to cloſe with him; and therefore he tells them, Behold I ſtand at the door and knock. Chriſt comes as one deſiring to have entrance, he knocks firſt, that they may know to whom it is that they muſt open: Chriſt coming in his firſt grace, is irreſiſtable, and as the ſtrong man, diſpoſſeſſes Satan, and takes poſſeſſion of the houſe, the ſoul, by a ſpiritual force and over-powering hand: But if the ſoul, after faith received, by its own ſloth, remiſneſs, or backſliding, ſhall ſhut the door or entrance thereof againſt the kindly operations of Chriſt and his Spirit, Chriſt is not obliged to break up the door of that heart again by violence, as at his firſt coming in unto it, but will come and call, and knock for entrance, that is, will wait with mercies, with providences, with precepts, commands, with exhortations and reproofs, that if poſſible, to melt the ſtraying and erring ſoul into compunction, and to open again unto him, that the King of glory may enter in. From which poſture of Chriſt, Obſerve.
Obſerv. That Chriſt uſes all poſſible means for the reclaiming and regaining erring ſouls into the ways of life.
He comes as it were a ſupplicant at their doors, and deſires them to give entrance to him: He ſtands and knocks, he waits, and waits long, and calls, and calls again, by divers and various ways of mercies and grace; he puts them in minde of his former loving kindneſſes, and how ready he is to help them, if they will but open to him, and follow his direction, and hearken to his voice. Somtimes he ſhakes his rod over them, to bring them to repentance, and tells them, as many as he loves, he rebukes and chaſtens: ſomtimes he invites them by mercies and gracious conſiderations to return unto him: then again he takes the terrors of the Law to make them ſee their danger, if they continue obſtinate unto his calls: and laſtly, he ſends his Ambaſſadours with precept upon precept, and line upon line, beſeeching in Chriſt's name the ſtraying ſouls to return unto him: Chriſt will never be wanting to them unleſs they be wanting unto themſelves.
Queſt. But why does not Chriſt himſelf uſe his force, and open the door himſelf by his Spirits power to theſe poor Laodiceans: Is not he the great Key-bearer of David, who openeth, and no man ſhutteth; and if he would but ſpeak the word, he need not ſtand knocking at their doors, they would fly open to him, that he might enter in?
I anſwer, 1. 'Tis true, At Chriſt's firſt entring into the ſoul, our baſe natures are ſo reſiſtable and abhorrent to the work of grace, that he muſt come by force, by a ſpiritual force, with his Key of David, to unlock the doors of our hearts, if he will have an entrance thereinto. But ſecondly, Having firſt ſhed abroad his firſt grace into our hearts, then he commands us to work in the power of that grace to work out our ſalvation with fear and trembling; Having received the promiſes (ſaith the Apoſtle) clenſe your ſelves from all filthineſs: 2 Cor. 7.1. and Chriſt puts us then upon doing, that we may ſtir up our graces, improve our talents, and become active, growing, and fruitful chriſtians: and on this account Chriſt here knocks at the door of the hearts of the church of Laodicea, and bids her to hearken to his voice, and ro open to him. She had received the firſt grace of faith from Chriſt, or elſe ſhe could not be numbred among the ſeven golden candleſticks, though ſhe was a ſad, diſorderly, and ruſty one, yet ſhe was a church of Chriſt ſtill, and therefore might very well be commanded to ſet her power and grace a working, to open unto Chriſt, the operations of whoſe Spirit ſhe had ſhut out and quenched by her uneven carriage and luke-warm temper.
Thirdly, and in the laſt place, Know that Laodicea had not quite ſhut the door to Chriſt, as unto the operation of his graces; ſhe was a church of Chriſt, though a luke-warm one: but ſhe had ſhut the door, and denied him paſſage in ſome of his Ordinances, by which Chriſt uſually and ordinarily enters; ſhe had ſhut the door unto a true ſpiritual Miniſtery, Diſcipline, orderly calls, and regular diſpenſing of his Ordinances, and inſtead thereof, entertains a formal, lazy, indifferent luke-warm Miniſtery, State-diſcipline, Officers, and calls, and ſo all Ordinances are brought to the ſcantling of the will of man, not of God, or of Chriſt, and ſo makes up a mongrel Hermaphroditical worſhip, part of God's, and part of man's, which indeed is purely neither God's, nor man's, and therefore an abomination both to God and man: She had ſhut this door and way of entrance againſt Chriſt, as ſome of our churches has done this day, and therefore Chriſt comes and knocks; and how? By the Miniſtery of his Word, and faithful Witneſſes: And as John was ſent with an Epiſtle in his hand to Laodicea, and the reſt of the delinquent Aſian churches. ſo Chriſt ſends his faithful Teachers and Prophets with a burden in their mouths, againſt all ſuch falſe worſhip and doctrine, to unſhut the doors, if it may be, that the King of glory may enter in.
Uſe. From the diſcourſed premiſſes it plainly appears, That this Scripture ſtands little in ſtead unto the Papiſts, and their champion Bellarmine in his book of Grace and Free will, cap. 1. to maintain from hence their Pelagian doctrine, The power of mans Free-will before converſion unto Faith, and amendment: For Bellarmine therein triumphantly interrogates, were not he fooliſh that would knock at his neighbours door, if he knew for certain that there were no man within that could open? It is true, it were ſo, but Bellarmine (for all his great learning) herein is much miſtaken: Chriſt here knocks at a door where there was one within that was able to open, the party was only aſleep, he was not dead, or quite departed from his houſe, and therefore he knocks, and calls unto him to awake and open unto him; like the Spouſe in the Canticles 5.2. She was aſleep when her beloved came and knocked, ſaying, Open to me my Siſter, my Love, my Dove, my Undefiled. So Chriſt comes to the church of Sardis, verſ. 2. and bids her, to awake and ſtrengthen the things that remain: and commands Laodicea to open unto him, who had a power and ability to open, though it was grown weak and remiſs, and therefore had need of a knocking, a vigorous call to rouſe her up unto her duty. And therefore Bellarmine is quite miſtaken when from hence he aſſerts, That Chriſt bids the reprobate and unregenerate to open to him; it is only a believing church, a backſlidden luke-warm believing church, that he bids to riſe up and open to him, it is not one altogether dead, but a ſleepy, careleſs, luke-warm church that he ſtirs up to this duty of opening to him.
Secondly I anſwer, Though it were granted Bellarmine that Chriſt ſomtimes knocks at the doors of Reprobates and unregenerate perſons, and calls to open to him, though they neither will or can open to him, yet Chriſt may do this (as often he does) without any impeachment to his wiſdom; he hereby ſhows what their duty is, and requires it from them, and juſtly he may, though they are not in a poſſibility to perform it, they having forfeited and loſt their ability by their own fault, not only in their common parent, the firſt Adam, but alſo by walking in the ſame ſteps of diſobedience with him; and Chriſt is not bound by any Law to reſtore it again unto them. And therefore Chriſt in the laſt place does often call to open to him upon the very reprobate themſelves, as in a judiciary way, for the aggravation of their condemnation upon their refuſal, according to that of John 15.22. If I had not come and ſpoken to them, they had no ſin, but now they have no cloak for their ſin. Thus much in anſwer to Bellarmine, and his doctrine of Free-will, and the power of the meerly natural man in the works of grace and faith; which are in the firſt place to be wrought by the Spirit, to be nouriſhed by the Spirit, to be conſummated and perfected by the ſame Spirit. But to proceed.
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.
As if Chriſt had ſaid, If any man will be obedient to the word of my mouth, opening the door of their hearts, yeilding obedience to my many and earneſt ſolicitations, I will then come and dwell in that ſoul, and impart my ſelf unto him, and ſup with him; that is, communicate, and have mutual fellowſhip with him, and he with me. Note hence,
Obſerv. 1. That it is the Saints highest priviledge, to have fellowſhip with Chriſt, and he with them.
Where there are thoſe heavenly intercourſes, there is a heaven upon earth, or earth aſcending into heaven, and heaven coming down upon earth; perſons hereby do become the Temples of the holy Spirit: I will come in to him, ſaith Chriſt; that is, Chriſt will dwell in him ſpiritually, really, operatively by his grace: and he ſhall dwell in me; that is, by faith: and ſo ſuch become and are made the ſons of God, Luke 19.5. and are made partakers of his holy nature. Is it not a great ſhame to our chriſtian churches, to deny themſelves this great priviledge, in not hearkning to the voice of Chriſt, or opening the door unto him? It is true, we are ready to hearken to the voice of Chriſt, ſo far as ſtands with our intereſt, that we may not be accounted heathens abroad in the world, and indeed that is all, if it will amount ſo far; for the ordinance of preaching is no diſtinguiſhing Ordinance, Go Teach all Nations: and the Ordinances of Prayer and Praiſe, are but natural duties, which all perſons in the world are bound unto as well as chriſtians: but where is the opening the door to Chriſt in his eſpecial diſtinguiſhing Ordinances? Where is the mutual feaſting, ſupping, and communicating between Chriſt and his churches in his holy Ordinances of the Supper, taſting and feeding on the ſeveral and various gifts of the Spirit of Chriſt in his members? Where is the improving of his Diſcipline? Where are his Gardens encloſed? Are not all like a Forreſt or Wilderneſs, without any culture or hedge about them? 'Tis true, there are ſome few gardens, whoſe ſavoury ſpices, and precious ointment does caſt a ſweet ſmelling ſavour abroad; but their tender Grapes are but weak, and it is to be feared, if God's mercy prevent not, that either the little Foxes will undermine them, or the wild Boar root them out: I ſpeak it according to my judgement and conſcience, that our contentation and ſitting ſatisfied under a formal and luke-warm preaching, and ſome other natural duties only, will be a means to provoke God to ſpew us out of his mouth for our half way Religion; the one ought to be done, and the other not left undone: we ought to have a reſpect to the whole will of God, not ſo far only as our carnal wiſdom thinks ſufficient, and no farther. It was once, and not long ſince, a juſt complaint, That common Prayer and other church Diſcipline, and Epiſcopal Ruling, had thruſt out of doors a true preaching, and divers other holy Ordinances of Chriſt: But obſerve the change, now it is to be feared, that preaching will ſilence and invalidate many other of the Ordinances of Chriſt, and render them uſeleſs to us: Therefore we are to hearken to the voice of God, the whole voice of God, and open to it, if we expect Chriſt to come in, and to ſup with us, and we with him. We are firſt to hearken to his Word, open the door to him of our hearts in the preaching thereof; then we are to proceed, and not ſit ſtill, as thoſe ſilly ones that are ever learning, and never coming to the knowledge or practiſe of the truth; we are to go on to the work of perfection; that is, to walk in all the Ways and Ordinances of Chriſt, which will build up our ſouls unto the meaſure of a perfect man in Chriſt, and make us wiſe indeed unto ſalvation.
Laſtly, I conceive there is more in theſe words, I will ſup with him, and he with me, then a ſpiritual participating of Chriſt in his Ordinances in this life. The words have reſpect unto futurity, and the other life, as the next verſe intimates, and that of Luke 13.29. Then ſhall they come from the Eaſt, and Weſt, North and South, and ſhall ſit at Table in the Kingdom of God: And when is that time? But in that day when Abraham, Iſaac, and Jacob, and all the faithful ſhall appear in the Kingdom of Chriſt, and all the wicked thruſt out of doors, verſ. 28. And this is that which Chriſt intimateth in Matth. 26.29. to his Diſciples after his laſt Supper, That henceforth he would not drink of this fruit of the Vine, until that day when he ſhould drink it new with them in his Fathers Kingdom. Chriſt will again feaſt, communicate, and entertain mutual fellowſhip with his Diſciples, before the ultimate end; though not in a carnal and ſenſual manner, yet in a more heavenly and ſpiritual manner; and therefore it is called New Wine, in reſpect it is received not in the old common way, but in a more ſingular and ſpiritual way and manner: it is called new, as Jeruſalem that comes down from God is called new, in reſpect of its perfection, the old being paſſed away: And that day when this heavenly Supper or Feaſt will be, is, when that Royal Nuptial feaſt is prepared, at that wedding mentioned Rev. 21.2, 9. for the heavenly Bride, the Lamb's wife, when Abraham. Iſaac, and Jacob, and all the faithful, ſhall ſit at Table together with Chriſt in his moſt glorious and happy Millenary Reigne and Kingdom: and I can ſee no inconvenience why this ſhould not be ſo literally underſtood, it being a ſure rule in interpreting Scriptures, That we are not to depart from the plain literal ſenſe thereof, unleſs there be ſome evident cauſe to the contrary, as being contrary to the coherence, againſt the Analogie of faith, or ſome other more plain and expreſs Scriptures: But this ſenſe accords and harmonizes with a full conſort of other Scriptures; and therefore Piſcator well obſerves upon this of Matth. 26.29. Quare non videtur hoc intelligendum de Vino, quod una cum Diſcipulis biberet Dominus poſt Reſurrectionem ſuum. Nam etſi per dies illos quadraginta, ſeſe illis ſubinde oſtendit, at que etiam cum iis edit, nulla tamen potus ſit mentio: nec moris erat apud Judaeos bibere Vinum in Prandiis ac Coenis quo…idianis, ſed tantum in ſolemnioribus Conviviis. Though it is mentioned that Chriſt did eat with his Diſciples, after his reſurrection, before he aſcended, yet there is no mention of drinking this new wine, which was reſerved for the day of his Kingdom which was not then in being; for he told his Diſciples, that he was then a going to prepare a place, a Kingdom for them, John 14.2. wherein they ſhould ſup with him, have fellowſhip with him, and ſit on his Throne, and Reigne with him, as the procedure of the next verſe will manifeſt.