purpoſe to bring ſome to Heaven; out of which Book, though none can be blotted, whoſe Name is once wrote in, yet thoſe whoſe Names are in this Book, may be under ſome fears and apprehenfions of it. Chriſt aſlures them to the contrary, that they ſhall certainly be ſa- ved, but lets them know that this afſurance depends upon their per- ſeverance ; of which alſo ſome make this Phraſe a Promiſe. d In the day of Judgment I will own them, and acknowledge them as mine before my Father and all the Angels, Mat. 10. 32. Luke 12.8.
6 * He that hath an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit ſaith unto the churches e. |
e The common concluſion of all the Epiſtles. See the Notes on Chap. 2. ver. 7, 11,17, 29. Thoſe who make theſe Churches Thpi- cal, and the Epiſtles Prophetical, of the complexion of all the Churches of Chriſt, which ſhall be to the end of the World, ſay the Church of Sards typifieth thoſe Reformed Churches after the Year 1560, that ſhould caſt of Antichriſt, but continue in a more imperfe& ſtate, contenting themſelves with a bare diſclaiming Antichriſt, but not raiſing up to a perfe& Reformatior.
7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia, wrice f, Theſe things faith he that is holy g, he that Is true h, he that hath + the key of -David z, he that openeth, and no man ſhutteth &#, and ſhutteth, and
no man openeth /, |
f See the Notes on Chap.1.20. and 2, 1. of this Philadelphia we read no more in Holy Writ. We are told there were three Cities of that Name, one in Egypt, one in Syria, another in Phyygia, or in Myſia or Lydia, which is that here intended. g That is, the Holy One, Affs 3. 14. h True to his Word of Promiſe or Threatning. 7 That is, the Key of the Houſe of David, mentioned T/a: 22. 22. the Keyof the Church which anſwered the Temple, the Houſe of Da- vid deſigned for God ; the uſe of the Key is to open and ſhut, or make faſt ; who admits into the Kingdom of Heaven whom he plea- ſeth, and none can hinder him, / and ſhutterh out of Heaven whom he pleaſeth. The Houſe of David typified the Church ; the Church containeth the number of thoſe that ſhall be ſaved ; Chriſt is here deſcribed as he who hath the ſole and abſolute power of ſaving and condemning whom he pleaſcth.
$ * I] know thy works : behold I have ſet before thee an open door, and no man can ſhut it z : for thou haſt a little ſtrength o, and haſt kept my word p,
and haſt not denied my name 9g. -
m It is very probable, that our Lord by theſe Minifters Works, underſtands the Works proper to them in their Fun&ion, their La- bour in Preaching and Propagating the Goſpel, which Chriſt did not only know and obſerve, but alſo approve of, m and promiſeth them a liberty to go on, and ſucceſs in their Labours under the notion of an open Deor, ſee 1 Cor.I6.9. 2 Cor.2.12. Col. 4. 3. n Soas itſhould not be in the Power of Adverſaries to hinder their ſucceſs. o Both inward ſtrength,and outward helps and advantages. p The Doctrine of Faith is by thee kept pure, as alſo my Precepts for an Holy Life. q9 And thou haſt not been by any Temptation preyailed upon to Apoſtatize from the Profeflion of the Goſpel.
9 Behold, I will make * them of the ſynagogue of Satan 7, which ſay they are Jews, and are not, but do lie /, behold, 1 will make them to come and wor- {hip betore thy feet 7, and to know that I have loved thee z. .
ry So he calleth all Fews that oppoſed Chriſtianity, or all pretend- ed, but not real Profeflors. ſ For heis not rt; that is a Jew out- wardly, neither is that Circumciſion which is of the Fleſh; but he is a m_ that is one inwardly, &c. Rom. 2. 28, 29. By this term alfo
3e may mean all falſe and hypocritical Profeflors, who would make themſelves the Church, the only Church of God, but are far enough from it, hating, maligning, and oppoſing thoſe who would keep ſtricter to the Rule of the Goſpel. # I will by my Providence ſo order it, that theſe Men ſhall come and honour thee, paying a civil Reſpe& and Homage to thee. # And to know that I have a greater kindneſs for thee, than for them. ;
10 Becauſe thou haſt kept the word of my patience z, I alſo will keep thee from the hour of temptation x, which ſhall come upon all the world y, to try them that dwell upon the earth =.
w The Doftrine of the Goſpel is, unqueſtionably, the Word here called the Word of the Lord's Patience, becauſe it was that Word, that Doftrine, which (as thoſe times went) could not be
REVELATION.
7 The |
and 28. 3.
adiered to, and obſerved without much Patierce in thoſe.that adhe- red to it, both actvely waiting for the Promiſes revealed in it, and paſſively induring all manner of Trials and Croffes, To keep this Word, was to keep cloſe, not only to the matters of Faith revealed in it, but to the Duty impoſed by it upon Miniſters and others in the preaching, and propagating of the Goſpel, and all the Duties of an holy Life. x For this Faithfulneſs, God has promiſed to keep the Miniſters of this Church from thoſe Perſecutions which raged elſewhere, and were further in Trajan's time, to come upon all Chriſtians living under the Roman Empire. x To try thoſe Chriſti- ans that lived within that Empire, how well they would adhere to Chriſt, and the Profeffion of the Goſpel. This I take to be a more
Chap. il
proper Senſe, than theirs who would interpret this Hour of Tempta- |
tion, of the Day of ro non which 15 never fo called. 11 Behold, I * come quickly a : + hold faſt that
which thou haſt b, that no man take thy Crown c.
a Tzz4, which certainly is the ſame with & zz; and it might be as well concluded, that the Day of Judgment ſhould come by that time Rome- Pagan ſhould ceaſe ; as that all things wrote in this Book had their Accompliſhment in that time, becauſe Chriſt told Fohn they ſhould come to paſs & rzix«, Chap. 1. 3. and 22.6. No other coming of Chriſt, but his coming ro the laſt Judgment, can be here meant. b Keg're, hold with a ſtrong Hand the Doctrine of Faith, which thou yet haſt, pure, and thy pure VVorſhip, and Diſ- cipline, and a pure Conſcience. c That thou mayſt not loſe that Reward, which fhall be the Portion of thoſe that perſevere to the end, and of thoſe only. |
12 Him that overcometh, will I make a * pillar in the temple of my God d, and he. ſhall go no more out e: And + I will write up6n him the name of my God f, and the name of the city of my God, || which :s new Hieruſalem, which cometh down out of hea- ven from my God g - and I will write upon him my new name þ.