The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 116

heart." ' OfJ, tile joy of thfd It ls good, when temptatiat1 .comee, to be able to grip and. grapple with it,and to gain victory O'ler·it, though,after a hard struggle. Oh, how far better this than to mi11erably yield, and to be "led captive by Satan at his will" J .N even this falls far below the bleSIIOOD.ess which the white robe signifiel. For it tells ol an-inward purity, like to his who said, "The prince of this world cometh. and :hatk nothing in me." Therewaanothing in him on which die tempter's power couldf&atea. and to rise up to this heart-pilrity is the glory and joy promised by the white robe. 2. Of victory. White was the ,symbol of this also, as well ai of purity. He who went forth "conq11ering and to eonq11er" rode upon a white hone-so t.ba vision declared. 'l'hey wlw had come out of the great tribu1ation .wen1 clothed in " white robes/' and elsewhere we are .told they had "overcome by ·the blood of the Lamb." And this blesRdnesa of viotorythe consecrated soul enjoys. "Sin shall not have dominion over• him. · "1n all things," he is " more than conqueror." One of the very chiefest blessinga of the Christian faith i• that it makes the .weak st.rong, and to them that have• no might thee faith of Christ inereaseth strength. , i'act.s ·of everyday Chri,tia.n experillllCII prove.that it is eo. a OfJog. Whitegarmen.fawe the symbol of this also. .And t.ba truly.~ted heart.ahallknow,"thejoyof the Lord." The saints of God in all ages have foupd; that "he giveth soogs in the,night." Who should have joy if not the true-hearted Christian man1 '· · · . . · III.·· How n 1uY WIJI AND WBAB THUE 'lt1IITB ROBES. . Through\entire surrender to Christ; Them is no other way. If we retaia our own will and keep urging itll claims, these white robes are not for us. 'fhe con.aecrated life is clothed thus, a.ad that life.alone.-& 0. · Vere. 'l-18.-Letter lo OM, Church af Plu1atk1pkia. If &.~ked to aum up in Ii word the main 18SIOD of this Wier, I would .q11ote. the saying of onr Lord recorded by St. Luke;•" Fear not, little tlock"." Such is the effect oi a right reading of this moat precious epistle. • It is a heart-cheering word to all such Churches, and to every one of like character. For Philadelphia Wa&- , . ,. ·L Li1.-rLB.. "'l'hou: hast a t~e strength" (ver. 8), or rather,"' Thou has BmAll power:'• .It refers not to her spiritual strength, for that was not sinall, bu.t perfected in her weaknesa;. She was mighty through God who upheld and sustained har. . Henee the expn,saion is to be regarded u referring, probably, to her membership u but few in aumber, to· her wealth aa but ·yery imall, to her knowledge and gifts as being but slender; to great and distinguished IIMln 8lllongst her as being very rare, to her social pgeltion'aa being quite humble. Hence she was small in human esteem, one of thoae "weak things," which, however, God often chooses wherewith to accomplish his own parpoaea. And many a Church,· beloved of the Lord, is like Philadelphia, having oaly "a.little strength." But also she was- H. MtJOH nDW. Looking at this letter, we can gather what some of these trials wm,;. n seems that.: 1. fieir ~·amongst the people of God, wa, denied. Wa gather this from what is said as to the assertion of the Jews, who, as at Galati& and everywhere else; •ffinned that they only, the descendants of Abraham, were the lll'Nl of-God : none else had part or lot therein. ID ver. 9 emphasis is to be laid on ~e :wanl "they" in the sentence, •• which say they are J ewa." St. Paul was perpetually fighting against this exclusiveness, and was for ever teaching that in Christ Jesus there wu ., neither Jew nor Greek." But all the &ame, it caused considerable uneasiness amongst the early Gentile belie"81'11, '!'here was much to be urged out of the Scriptures - favour of the real desoenclants of Ahn.ham, especially if they were also •• as touching the Law blameless." They seemed to many• a privilcgoo order, a spiritual aristocracy, admission into whose circle wu indeed to be cleiirea. Hence so many Gentile1 aubmitted to the rite of clrculllcisiou (cf.-.Epistle to the Galatians, pa,uim). And the taunts of tbe Jewa at Philadelphia against the Christiaos, aa being not really God's people at a11, was one form of the trials they were called apon to bear. And still there .• many a believer, excommunicated by man, but uot at all so by God; denied his place ill earthly Churcbell, though it be abundantly his in the Church of the Fintl:iorL · Catholics have denounced Protestants; and Protestants one another, and both haYe Ntorted, and all have been wrong, and sinful in being wrong, whenever those whom they have denouncecl have llhown that they did unfelgnedly trnet and love BDd obq Rl:VELA'l'IOll. Jt 1.30 THE ·REV-EL"ATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. [CJL m.1-22.