16 KRepent Þ, or elſe I will come unto rhee quick- ly z, and * will fight againſt them with the {word of my mouth #.
þ Thou that art guilty of conniving at ſuch things, change thy Mind and PraQtice, and let thoſe who have entertained theſe Op1- nions, and run into thoſe filthy Pratices, change their Hearts and Practices, orelle j I will quickly come againſt thee, and puniſh thee, ſee the Notes on wer. 5. k And fight againſt them by my Word ; either convincing them, or pronouncing Sentence againſt them ; or, by raiſing up other Teachers, who ſhall preach my Word more taith:ully, and whoſe Dodtrine ſhall be ike a Sword to devour and to deſtroy them.
17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spi- rit {aith unto the churches : To him that overcometh / will I give to eat of the hidden Manna mz, and will give him a white ſtone z, and in the ſtone * a new name written o, which no man knoweth ſaving he that receiveth 1t p.
1 See the Annotation, on v. 7, 11. m Here js a manifeſt alluſion to that Bread from Heaven, with which God fed his People in the Wilderneſs, called Angels Food, Pſal. 78. 25. The Story of it we have, Exod. 16, 31, 32. a Pot of which God ordained to Le kept in the Ark, tor a memorial of God's Mercy, Heb. 9.4. It was a Type of Chriſt, who was the true Bread that came down from Heaven, John 6. 32, 33. it here ſignifies Chriſt himſelf with all the Influences of his Grace, whether for Strength or Comfort. As a Feaſt was wont to follow a ViRory ; ſo Chriſt promiſeth to thoſe that fought, and overcame in the ſpiritual Fight, to feaſt them with himſelf, and the Influences of his Spirit. = The uſe of Stones an- ciently was fo various, that it hath giver; a great Liberty to [nter- preters to vary in their Senſes of the White-Stone here mentioned. They made uſe of them {as we fince of Counters) to compt : They uſed them alſo in Judgments, acquitting Perſons by White-Stones, in which their Names were wrote; as they condemned others by
Þ. I},
*Num, 2 +; I6,
* Ha.ll.g. 2Thelſ.2.2., ch. 1. 16, AX 19. 15, 21s
* ch.3.12.
Black-Stones : They alſo uſed them in giving Suffrages in EleQions, _
7c. They. alſo uſed them to mark happy or lucky days, and they uſed other Stones to mark ſuch Days as they counted unlucky; and finally, they uſed them as Rewards to thoſe who. conquered in their Games. Hence Interpreters vary in their Opinions, whether this be a general Promiſe of a Reward, or a more particular Promiſe of Pardon and Abſolution ; or, of the affurance of their Ele&ion to Life. It ſeems moſt properly to be interpreted of Pardon, or the notification of Pardon of Sins, or more generally of a Reward. o By the new name which þ no Man knoweth but he that hath it, the ſame thing ſeemeth to be ſignified, the Spirit witneſſing with their Spirits, that they are the Children of God. They ſay, that in thoſe White-Stones (uſed in Abſolutions of Perſons, or in giving Suffrages) the Name of the Perſon abſolved or choſen, was wont to be written, and none kneiy 1t but thoſe that had it, unleſs they imparted it, to which cuſtom this alluſion is. Thoſe that make this Church Typical ſay, 1t typified the Churches of the Goſpel during the times of Popery, to the end of the Perſecutions of the Walden- ſes and Albigenſes, when about 100000 of them were deſtroyed by 8000 Papiſts ; or, the time when. Antichrift firſt ſat in the Temple of God, as chap. 13. and the Women fled into the Wilderneſs, chap. 12.
18 And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira, write 9, Theſe things ſaith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire 7, and his feet are like fine Braſs /. _ mY
q Thyatira was a City of Myſia or Lydia, not far from Philipp: the chief City of Macedonia ; for Lydia, who traded in Purple, and was of this City, went to Philipp! to Trade, as we read Adts 16, 12, 14. Y Seechap. 1. 14,15. it fignifies either anzry Eyes, or quick and piercing Eyes. / The comparing of his beet to fine Braſs, ſeemeth to fignifie both the Purity and Holineſs of his Ways and Methods of Providence, and alſo his firmneſs and ſteadinels 11 them,
19 I know. thy wo.ks 7 and chatity ,
VICE WW,
and 1cr-
2.
Char. [l.
vice w, and faich x, and thy patience y, and thy |
works 2 ; and the lait zo be more than the tirlt a. ... t The Works of the Miniſtry of this Church were ſuch as Chriſt knew, not only with a Knowledge of Comprehenſion, but Approba- tion alſo, « Such were his Charity to Chriſtians that were in d1- ſtreſs. -w His Diligence in his Miniſtration. x His Faith and Ad- herence to Chriſt, and the Dofrine of the Goſpel: y His meek bearing of his Crofſles and Trials, and x his other Works, the Fruit ot Faith and Love: a And his proficiency both in ſpiritual Habits, and good Works, the Fruits of them. -
20 Notwithitanding I have a few things againſt thee 6, becauſe thou ſuffereſt thar woman * Jezebel c, which calleth her ſelf a propheteſs 4, to teach, and to tExod.34. ſeduce my ſervants to commit fornication e, and to