m Something to accuſe thee of, and blame thee for. n Of late thou haſt not been ſo warm in the Propagation of my Goſpel, and maintaining my Truth. The love of many in this Church, both to- ward God and their Brethren, probably was cooled, tho'not wholly extinguiſhed.
5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fal- len o, and repent p, and do thy: firſt works g ; or elſe I will come unto thee quickly 7, and will remove thy
candleſtick out of his place /;, except thou repent.
o That 1s, in what degree thy Love was formerly; and compare it with what it is now. p Repentance in Man, fignifieth both the change of the Heart, and of the Ations. - q Recover thy former warmth of Love, and zeal for good Works. r If thou doſt not, I that know thee, and walk in the midſt of thee, will ſhew my ſelf
| an Enemy to thee, / and un-church thee, and ſay unto thee, Loam-
mt, you are not my People. Which threatning is long fince made good.; for where is now the famous Church of Epheſus 2
6 But this thou haſt z, that thou hateſt the deeds
of * the Nicolaitans z, which I alſo hate wv.
# Thou haſt yet thus much tocommend thee. # Thou hateſt the Deeds of thoſe who teach the Lawfulneſs of a common uſe of Wives, and cat tnings offered to Idols; for theſe, they ſay, were the Tenets of the Nicolaitans, ſo called from one Nicholas ; but whether he were one of the firſt Deacons named, A#s 6. 5. (who, they fay, to avoid the Imputation of Jealouſie, brought forth his wie, being a beautiful Woman, and proſtituted her) or from ſome other of that Name, I cannot determine. w God, as a lover of his own Order, and of Humane Society, hateth ſuch DoGrines and- Practices, as are cotltrary to the Rule of his Word, and tend to the confuſion of Humane Societies,
' 7 * He that hath an ear, let him hear x what the * V ©:
Spirit y faith unto the churches s : To him that over-
cometh a, will I give to eat of the tree of life b, 13, 22.
which 1s in the midſt of the paradiſe of God c.
x To whom God hath given an Ability, and Power to under- ſtand what I ſay. It is a Form of Speech which Chriſt often uſed, when he would quicken up Peoples Attention, Matth. 11. 15. and 13. 9,43. Mark 4. 9, 23. and 7. 15. we ſhail find it again in theſe two Chapters fix times; from which ſome would conclude, that in theſe Epiſtles there is ſomething Myſterious, Parabolical, and Prophetical, it being a Form of Speech affixed to many 7a- rables. y The Holy Spirit of God, from whoſe Inſpiration all Scrip- ture 15. x Not only at Epheſus, but elſewhere in 4/za, or any other part of the World, @ That is a Conqueror in fighting the good fight of Faith, againſt the World, the Fleſh, and the Devil, b I will give him a ſhare in my Merits, and eternal Life ; which bleſſed Enjoyments are ſet out unto us under the Notion of Eating, Luke 12, 37. and 22. 28, &c. This is the Promiſe he hath made, Fohn 10. 28. 1 Fohn 2. 25, Heaven is exprefled to us under this Notion, with reference to the Tree of Lite mentioned, Gen. 2. 9. which was in the Old Paradiſe; for it is added, c which is in the mid$ of the Paradiſe cf God, or, which is the ſame, Chriſt himſelf is here intended, who is the Tree of Life, mentioned chap. 22. 2. and the Happineſs of Heaven is thus expreſt, 1 Thefſ. 4. 17. We ſhall be ever with the Lord : This is the ſum of the Epiſtle to the firſt mentioned Church, by which thoſe that judge theſe Epiſtles Prophe- tical, underſtand all the Primitive Churches, during the Apoſtles Age, or the moſt of their Ages, for Fohn himſelf lived under the ſecond Perſecution.
$ And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna, write d, Theſe things faith the firſt and the laſt, which
was dead, and is alive e.
d Smyrna was a City in Jonia, we read not when, or by whom the Goſpel was i'-ſt planted, and a Church gathered there ; nor can we tell who ::2 meant by the Angel of this Church, ſee chap. 1, 20, That it was no ſingle Perſon, is probable, for he ſpeaks plura/ly, v. 10. the Devil ſhall caſt ſome of you i v,wsr, into Priſon,” e For the meaning of this Phraſe, ſee Annotat. on chap. 1. 8, 17, 18. on- ly it is obſervable how Chriſt ſpeaking to this Church, under great Tribulation and Perſecution, fits a Name proper to comfort them, for he himſelf was dead, and yet now alive, and, he living, thoſe that believe in him, becauſe he lives, ſhall live alſo, Fobn 14. 19. and as he was the firſt, ſo he will be the laſt, ſurviving all his.Ene- mies, and be at laſt a Conqueror over them.
9 *I know thy works and tribulation f, and pover- * yer, z,
[ 6L}] | iy 8,
Chap. II.
Cha *A &%
m5. II.
Ro
* ch.13.9.
f ch.21.3.
* ch.1.16.
ty £, but thou art rich þ ;and I &zow'the blaſphemy |
of them which ſay they are Jews 7, and are nor, bur are the ſynagogue of Satan #.
f Thouzh the term hn, doth not neceſlarily ſignifie approbation, yet both as to the Church of Epheſus and Smyrna, the particular works mentioned, aflure us, that God approved their paticnt ſut- tcring Affiiction tor his Name, g and the poor condition (as to out- ward things) into which they had brought themſelves, for their owning and profeifion of the Goſpel of Chriſt, having their Eſtates reat from them, ec. hþ But yet they were rich, both rcally in the Love and Favour ©: God, and -'ſo in the efteerz of God, who ac- counteth them rich who abound in ſpiritual Habits, and good Works, the exerciſe of thoſe Habits. 7 God alſo knows the evil Speeches of his Church's Enemies, whether native Zews, glorying in Cir umcifion and the Law, and that they were deſcended from Abra- ham; or, falſe Chriſtians, who may-be here meant (called Fews by a Fi.ure, the Fews being once the only Church of God.) & But are indeed a colletionof Devils, or the Children of the Devil, whoſe works they do, continually reviling true Chriſtians, and murdering the Saints, after the manner of their Father, who was a Murderer from the Beginning.
10 Fear none of thoſe things which thou ſhalt ſuf: fer /: behold, the devil ſhall caſt ſome of you into priſon 2y, that you may be tried zz, and ye ſhall have tribulation ten days o, Be thou taithtul unto death p, and I will give thee a crown of life