A Plain Explanation of Revelation, Part 3
Apoc. Cap. 3. l.
And write vntounto the Angell of the Church which is at Sardis, Theſe things ſaith he that hath the ſeauen Spirits of God, and the ſeauen Starres, I know thy workes: for thou haſt a name that thou liueſt, but thou art dead, &c.
OF the things that were already done, there remaineth onelyonly that which is contained in this Chapter. Where; firſt, he writeth to the fift Church, to wit, the Church of Sardis, where he getteth authoritie by vſing the ſame title which he did to the Church of Epheſus, & addeth another, to wit, that it is hee which hath alſo the ſeauen Spirits: wherby he noteth the fulneſſe, and exceeding meaſure of his ſpirit, & the abundance of his power and grace, by the which hee doth alſo vphold and gouerne the Starres, that is, the Miniſters of his Church. This Church hee commendeth not at all, as he did before commend the other Churches; but rather beginneth with reprehenſion, ſaying, that they had a name that they were aliue, but indeed they were dead, Verſe 1. that is, they ſeemed to hauehave that, which in truth they had not.
And firſt hee exhorterh the Angell of Sardis to looke vntounto himſelfe, in that he bids him awake, and be not ſecure and careleſſe; and then to looke vntounto others committed to his charge: And therefore it is that Paul exhorteth Timothy to take heede vntounto himſelfe; that ſo he being reformed himſelfe, may be more fit to looke to thoſe who are committed to him. For thoſe that were committed to his charge, he biddeth the Angell to ſtrengthen thoſe things that were ready to dye, that is, to recouer that which was almoſt loſt, and that betime, leſt it dye altogether; a note, that as yet they were not cleane dead, whereby he mollifieth the ſpeech which went before: For he had ſaid before to the Angell of Sardis, that he was ſtarke dead, meaning, in regard of that they would be, if they reformed not themſelues betime: After, hee willeth him to remember, that is, conſider diligently what gifts he had receiued, and that hee ſhould vſe them well: namely, thereby he ſhould inſtruct the Church, and that hee repeat, for otherwiſe, hee will come againſt them ſodainely, as a thiefe in the night, at vnawares, when he ſhould be vnprepared; and ſo his deſtruction ſhould be moſt fearefull: Yet (ſaith hee) I hauehave a few names (as Acts. 1. 15.) that is, a few perſons, which had not defiled their Garments, that is, which were found faithfull, and had not beene infected nor defiled with thoſe ſinnes which raigned in that Church for whoſe ſake he yet ſpared them, and fauoured them as hee would hauehave Sodome, if there had beene but tenne righteous found therein: And theſe (ſaith he) ſhall goe with me in white, and be cloathed in white array, that is, be couered with his righteouſneſſe, and be partakers of his honour; for, white is a token of honour; and that they ſhall not hauehave their names put out of the booke of life, that is, ſhould be crowned with immortalitie.
Laſtly, to thoſe that ouercome, which confeſſed his name before men, he promiſeth that hee would confeſſe their name before his Father, and before his holy Angels; Where he giueth vsus to vnderſtand what was the chiefe ſinne of that Church, to wit, that they were afraide to make ſo full a confeſſion of Chriſt before men, as they ſhould hauehave done: For, as it ſeemeth, they would profeſſe Chriſtianity indeed, yet ſo, as that they would not diſpleaſe any by it, nor incurre any danger for the ſame: Therefore he promiſeth to him that ouercommeth, that hee will confeſſe him before God, in his Kingdome.
Next hee commeth to the Church of Philadelphia; where he deſcribes himſelfe by his offices: Firſt, hee ſetteth downe himſelfe to be holy, alluding to the holineſſe of the Prieſt-hood in the Law, vponupon whoſe head was written, Holineſſe to the Lord: which was aExod. 39. 30. Type and Figure of Chriſt, hee being holy himſelfe, yea, the holineſſe of his Father: By this word, holy, is noted vntounto vsus the Prieſt-hood of Chriſt, whereby we are made holy: He is called true, hauing regard to his Propheticall office, whereby he teacheth his people the truth of his will.
Thirdly, in that he is ſaid to hauehave the keyes of Dauid, and that he openeth, and no man ſhutteth, and ſhutteth and no man openeth: it noteth vntounto vsus his kingdome; and vponupon this title the reſt of the Epiſtles runneth, which he proſecuteth, in that he had declared himſelfe to be King indeed herein; namely, in that he ſaith hee had ſet open a dore for his Goſpell among them, ſo that none ſhould ſhut it; ſignifying, that when God will bring the truth to light, and will hauehave it to preuaile, none ſhall be able to reſiſt it: And (ſaith hee) albeit they were weake, and had but little ſtrength, yet they ſhould not be diſcouraged at it, or at the greatneſſe or multitude of their enemies, (which he vnderſtandeth by the Sinagogues of Sathan) but ſeeing they had yet kept this dore of the word open, they ſhould therfore the rather hold it open more conſtantly and couragiouſly, and hee would helpe them the more by his power, and maintaine them therein: yea, hee ſaith that if they will thus continue, he will open the doore of the Goſpell ſo farre, as that he will make the moſt grieuous enemies, which called themſelues Iewes, that is, the Children of God and profeſſors of Chriſt, which yet were not ſo, as thoſe that ioyned their Law and the Goſpell, he would euen make them to come and fall downe at the feete of the Miniſters, and worſhip before them. Not that here is any thing whereupon the Papiſts can ground that men are to be worſhipped; for hee doth not ſay that they ſhould worſhip the Angell, but they ſhould worſhip God at the feete of the Miniſter, to wit, as Schollers, to vnderſtand at his mouth the will of God: As Paul is ſaid to be brought vp at the feete of Gamaliel, that is, to be inſtructed of him as his Scholler: And the Diſciples in the Acts are ſaid to ſtand at the feete of the Apoſtles, that is, to attend to their doctrine, and to learne of them the will of God. Laſtly, hee promiſeth to thoſe that ſtriue and ouercome, that they ſhall be like Pillars in Gods Temple, to wit, notable Inſtruments in the Church of God; and namely, ſuch as ſhould both be moſt firme and ſtable, as that they ſhould neuer be remoued from the profeſſion of the Goſpell; and alſo ſuch as ſhould be beautifull ornaments in the houſe of God, as Pillars wrought with curious workes vſed to be in great houſes; and eſpecially in the Temple of Ieruſalem; for it was an vſuall thing to graue their Pillars, for the beautifying of them, with names and other fine workes, and therefore hee alludeth to that ſame cuſtome, ſaith, that he will graue vponupon them the name of his father, that is, to be his Children: and the name of the City of God, that is, the Church of God, the new Ieruſalem, the people newly regenerate; and that hee would write vponupon them his name, that is, make them to be partakers of his righteouſneſſe and glory.
In the laſt place he writes to the Church of Laodidicea, where he alſo giues himſelfe titles as before, deſcribing himſelfe by his offices; firſt, hee cals himſelfe, Amen, namely, he in whom all the promiſes of God are, yea, and Amen; that is, are fully accompliſhed: whereby he notes his Kingdome, becauſe by it, hee bringeth to paſſe whatſoeuer hath beene ſaid before. His propheticall office, in that he is called the faithfull and true Witneſſe; namely, he which faithfully teſtifieth the truth to his people.
His Prieſt-hood, in that hee is the beginning of the Creatures of God: ſignifying the ſecond creation, which is regeneration: And not (as it is in one place, Coloſ. 1.) the worke of the God-head in faſhioning of all the Creatures, as it is there meant; but here it is rather to be vnderſtood of his worke of redemption, as hee is Mediator.
That which he reprehendeth in them is this, namely, that they are neither hot nor colde; that is, they halt betweene two Religions, ſwimming as it were betweene two waters: and this he ſetteth out to be a very deſperate caſe, and therefore ſaith hee, I would for thine owne ſake thou wereſt either hot or colde, for, becauſe thou art neither, but onelyonly luke-warme, it ſhall come to thee as vſeth to befall the luke-warme water in a mans ſtomacke, which will not abide, but muſt be ſpued out, euen ſo ſaith he, becauſe thou art neither hot nor colde, it will come to paſſe that I ſhall euen ſpue thee out of my mouth; that is, I ſhall vtterly abandon thee out of my fauour, and caſt thee cleane from mee, ſo that I ſhall hauehave nothing to doe with thee any more. Then to declare vntounto them the grieuouſneſſe of this ſinne of theirs, hee telleth them the cauſe of that their luke-warmeneſſe in religion, to wit, becauſe ſaith hee, thou ſaieſt thou art rich, that is, thou thinkeſt thy ſelfe to be perfect and in good eſtate, but indeed thou art poore, naked, deſtitute of all grace and haſt nothing at all; yea, thou art blinde, and canſt not ſee thy want, and therefore thou art ſo much the more miſerable, and thy caſe more dangerous and deſperate. And therefore ſaith he, I aduiſe thee to looke to thy ſelfe quickly, and to addreſſe thy wants: And he telleth the meanes how they may doe it, namely, come (ſaith hee) and buy of mee gold, &c. But may ſome ſay, how can the Church buy any thing of Chriſt, ſeeing ſhe hath nothing at all, but is altogether poore and deſtitute? The Prophet Eſay anſwereth, come and buy, but he addeth for nothing. And therefore our Sauiour ſaith here, come and buy of me gold, that is, onelyonly if thou wilt, come and enrich thy ſelfe with the riches of my graces, come and buy white apparell, that is, cloath thee with my Righteouſneſſe, and ſo couer thy ſhame, and get a Collirium, an Ointment to annoint thy blinde eyes, that thou maiſt ſee better, and know more perfectly what a grieuous caſe thou art in, and what a fault thou haſt committed. Like vntounto this Church is the eſtate of many that profeſſe the Goſpell among vsus, who thinke they are well, and that they hauehave great knowledge, whereas indeed they hauehave nothing at all, as their liues doe teſtifie.
Laſtly, that they ſhould not take in euill part this his ſharpe reprehenſion, he ſaith, as many as hee loueth he rebuketh and chaſteneth; and therefore they ſhould take his reproofe in good part, and be brought to repentance by it; for it was a manifeſt token of his louelove and fatherly kindneſſe towards them, if they would profit by it. And he bids them alſo be zealous; where he noteth another cauſe of their former ſinne to be want of zeale, which he wiſheth them to reforme. And he ſaith, though he be a King, yea, the King of Kings; yet he ſtandeth at the doore and knocketh, that is, calleth them to repentance, and promiſeth, if they will let him in, that is, turne from their ſinne, and yeeld to his will, he will come vntounto them and Sup with them; ſignifying, what exceeding ioy and comfort they ſhould receiue by him; yea, they ſhould be made partakers of the ioyes of heauen: where he alludeth to the comfort that friends hauehave one of another, when they meete together at their Dinners, Suppers, and Feaſts; which thing if it be comfortable to men, much more comfort ſhall it miniſter vntounto vsus, to be partakers of the company of Chriſt Ieſus himſelfe, in his heauenly banquet. A ſecond benefit he noteth, in that thoſe that doe thus receiue him, and ouercome, ſhall not onelyonly receiue comfort, but glory alſo and honour in his Kingdome, and that hee will ſet them vponupon his Throne, and they ſhould raigne with his Father in his Kingdome.