Commentary on the Epistles and Revelation of John, Commentary 22 · Chapter 3
CHAP. III. Verſe 1. I know thy work]
SApiens nummularius Deus eſt: nummum fictum non recipiet. Bern.Though men may be deceived, God is not mocked. He knows that many cry, The temple of the Lord, that yet nothing care for the Lord of the temple. Deifica profeſſio & diabolica actio. Ambroſ.God likes not ſuch creaking and cracking.
And that thou haſt aname] Many content themſelves with a name of Chriſtians; as if many a ſhip hath not been called Safeguard, or Good ſpeed, which yet hath fallen into the hand of Pirats.
And art dead] All thy ſpecious works therefore are but dead works; thou canſt not ſerve the living God.
Verſe 2. Be watchfull] Rouſe up thy ſelf, and wreſtle with God, ſhake thee out of ſins lethargy, as Sampſon went out and ſhook him, when the Philiſtims were upon him.
That are ready to die] Becauſe tainted with the infection of hypocriſie, that pernicious mar-good.
Perfect before God] Gr. Full, without halting or halving.Tacitus. Omnis Sarmatarum virtus extra ipſes. All the hypocrites goodneſſe runs out ward: it is ſhored up by popularity, or other baſe reſpects.
Verſe 3. And thou ſhalt not know] Calamity the more ſudden the more terrible: for, 1. It amates and exanimates a man, as an unexpected ſtorm doth a Mariner, and as Satan intended Iobs meſſengers ſhould do him. 2. It can as little be prevented, as Eglon could prevent Ehuds deadly thruſt.
Verſe 4. Thou haſt a few names] Though no thank to the Paſtour, who was a mercenary eye-ſervant. Here the peoples praiſe is the Paſtours ſhame.
They ſhall walk with me in white] That is, they ſhall be glorified with perfect righteouſneſſe, purity, clarity, dignity and feſtivity.
For they are worthy] In Chriſts account and acceptation. Like as thoſe were not worthy, that came not, when called to the participation of his benefits, Mat. 22.8.
Verſe 5. Clothed in white] See the Note on Verſe 5.
The book of life] Wherein the juſt that live by ſaith are written.
But I will confeſſe his name] His well-tried faith ſhall be found to praiſe, honour and glory, at the appearing of Jeſus Chriſt, 1 Pet. 1.7. See the Note there.
Verſe 6. See the Note on Chap. 2.7.
Verſe 7. That is holy] And therefore to be ſanctified in righteouſneſſe, Iſa. 5.16.
True] And therefore to be truſted.
That hath the key of David] And is therefore to be ſought unto for a door both of utterance and of entrance, Col, 4.13.2 Cor 2.12. Act, 16.14.
Verſe 8, An open door] A fair opportunity of doing thy ſelf good: which thoſe that go about to deprive thee of, ſhall be ſure to loſe oleum & operam, their toil and tallow.
A little ſtrength] A little grace well improved may do great matters, and ſet heaven open to a ſoul: The vine is the weakeſt of trees, but the moſt fruitfull. Philadelphia with her little ſtrength is diſcommended for nothing: ſhe made all beſt uſe of it.
Verſe 9. I will make them] The coverſion of the Jews ſhall be the wonder of the Gentiles,
Which ſay they are Iews, and are not] The perverſe Jews at this day pretend (but maliciouſly) that thoſe few Jews that turn Chriſtians, are not of them,B…unts voiage, p. 1.2. but poor Chriſtians hired from other places to perſonate their part.
That I have loved thee] The Church is the dearly-beloved of Gods ſoul, Jer. 12.7.foreign or (as the Septuagint render it) his beloved ſoul.
Verſe 10. The word of my patience] So called, 1. Becauſe we muſt ſuffer for the truth of it. 2. Becauſe hid in the heart, it worketh patience.
I will keep thee] From the hurt, if not from the ſmart of it: from the common diſtraction, if not from the common deſtruction.
Which ſhall come upon all the world] So the Romans, in their pride, called their Empire.
To try them that dwell] ſc. By that ſharp and ſore perſecution under Trajan the Emperour.
Verſe 11. That no man take thy crown] Not that crown of eternall life (for that is unlooſable) but that honour that God hath put upon thee, ver 9. A Chriſtian may, by falling into reproachfull courſes, loſe what he hath wrought, 2 Joh. 8.1. In reſpect of the praiſe of men. 2. In reſpect of inward comfort. 3. In reſpect of the degrees of glory in heaven: He may miſſe of being a pillar in the temple of God, as ver. 12.
Verſe 12. Which is new Ieruſalem] It was a pride in Mon…nns to over-ween his Pepuza and Tymium (two pelting Pariſhes in Phrygia) and to call them Hieruſalem, Euſ…. … 17.as if they had been the only Churches. And ſurely, it is nothing elſe but pride in the Browniſts to avow that their Churches are nothing leſſe then the now Ieruſalem coming down from heaven:See Mt B…y'y his …-ſive, p 27. that the very crown, ſcepter and throne of Chriſts kingdome conſiſts in them, &c.
My new name] viz. That which he received from his Father in his exaltation, Epheſ. 1.20. Phil. 29.
Verſe 14. And unto the Angel] Archippus, it may be: for he was a Paſtour here, and began to cool long before this, Col 4.17.
Theſe things ſaith the Amen] The God of Amen, as Iſaiah calleth him, faithfull in performing his promiſes to the remnant that he reſerved, in this lukewarm Church, among ſo careleſſe a multitude. To theſe Chriſt became a beginning of the Creation of God: ſo the new birth is here called: as being of no leſſe fame and wonder then the making of the world.
Verſe 15. That thou art neither cold] Such are our civil Juſticiaries, politike profeſſours, neuter-paſſive Chriſtians: a fait day mends them not, and a foul day pairs them not, peremptory never to be more preciſe; reſolved to keep on the warm ſide of the hedge, to ſleep in a whole skin, ſuffer nothing, do nothing that may interfere with their hopes, or prejudice their preferments.
I would thou wert] Better be a zealous Papiſt, then a lukewarm Proteſtant.Campian. rat. 10 B…ſtow, mot 36 Coſter ad Oſ…and. A zealous Papiſt (ſaith one) dare tell us to our heads, that our religion is errour, our ſelves heretikes, our end deſtruction: that one heaven cannot hold us hereafter, one Church now: that our damnation is ſo clearly ſet down in our own bibles, that there needs no more to aſſure us thereof, then to open our eies and read it: that if we be not damned, he will be damned for us, &c. This is better then forlorn wretchleſneſſe in right religion, and that deteſtable indifferency above-ſpecified.
Verſe 16. I will ſpue thee out] I will pleaſe my ſelf in thy juſt puniſhment. Ah (ſaith God as one ridding his ſtomack) I will caſe me of mine adverſaries, I will avenge me of mine enemies, Iſa. 1.24. Now the baſeſt places are good enough to caſt up our gorge in. The hypoerites puniſhment muſt needs be heavy.
Verſe 17.1 Cor. 3.2. Becauſe thou ſaiest] Sidixiſti, ſatis eſt, periisti, ſaith Augustine. He that thinks he knows any thing, knows nothing yet as he ought to know.
And knoweſt not] What ever thou deemeſt and dreameſt of thy ſelf, as ſetting up thy counter for a thouſand pound, and working thy ſelf into the fools paradiſe of a ſublime dotage.
Verſe 18. I counſell thee] Having firſt convinced thee, verſ. 17. who before wert uncounſellable. The Gibeonites ſent not for Joſhua till beſieged. The Gileadites ſought not after Jephthah till diſtreſſed: nor will men hearken after Chriſt, till driven out of themſelves.
To buy of me] Buy the truth and ſell it not. Make a thorow ſale of ſin and all (with the wiſe Merchant) to purchaſe Chriſt the pearl of price, for whom S. Paul (that great trader both by ſea and land, 2 Cor. 11.23, 25, 26) counted all but dung and dogsmeat, Phil. 3.7, 8. Diogenes taxed the folly of the men of his times (may not we the men of ours?) Quòdres pretioſas minimo emerent, venderent que viliſſimas plurimo, that they undervalued the beſt things, but overvalued the worſt.
Gold tried in the fire] Precious faith, 1 Pet. 1.7.
White raiment] The righteouſneſſes of the Saints, that of juſtification, and the other of ſanctification.
Eye-ſalve] That unction, 1 Joh. 2.20. Light and ſight, the ſaving knowledge of heavenly myſteries.
Verſe 19. As many as I love] q.d. Think not that I hate you, becauſe I thus chide you. He that eſcapes reprehenſion may ſuſpect his adoption. God had one Son without corruption, but none without correction. We muſt look thorow the anger of his correction, to the ſweetneſſe of his loving countenance: as by a rain-bow we ſee the beautifull image of the Suns light, in the midſt of a dark and wateriſh cloud. See more in my Treatiſe upon this verſe, the ſecond Edition.
And repent] So they did in likelihood: for Euſebius commends this Church, as greatly flouriſhing in his time.
Verſe 20. Behold I ſtand] Chriſt ſtands, he doth not ſit: now whiles a man is ſtanding, he is going. Chriſt is but a while with men in the opportunities of grace: he will not alwaies wait their le…ſure. The Church ſought him (when once gone) with many a heavy heart, Cant. 3.
And knock] By the hammer of my Word, and hand of my Spirit.
And he with me] Chriſt is no niggardly or beggarly gueſt. His reward is with him, he brings better commodities then Abrahams ſervant did, or the Queen of Sheba; gold, raiment, eye-ſalve, &c.
Verſe 21. Even as I alſo] That is, Becauſe I alſo overcame, by vertue of my victory, foreign for foreign See the like John 17.2. Luke 4.36. It is by Chriſt that we do over-overcome, Rom. 8.37.