hold that fast which thou hast, | which is new Jerusalem, which that no man take thy crown. 12 Him that overcometh, will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, appear who are still looking for the second coming of Christ. Hold that fast. — Be tenacious of thy good name, of thy patience, faith, and love. Part not from them. ¶ Thy crown. These are thy crown,-thy virtues, thy regard for my word, thy love of my cause, these things cover thee with glory and honor, and are a crown upon thy head. Hold fast, that no man take thy crown. See the notes on the phrase "crown of life," ii. 10. 12. Overcometh. - We have before proved that this is in the style of John. See the notes on iii. 5, and other places. A pillar in the temple of my God. - This was the reward of the faithful, not a far distant reward in the future world; but a reward in this world; he shall be a pillar in the temple of my God. To be a pillar is to be a support and an ornament, for a pillar supports and ornaments the building. We read that "the church of the living God is the pillar and ground of the truth;" 1 Tim. iii. 15. That men are made pillars in the temple of God in the present life, who can deny? James, Cephas and John were said to be pillars; Gal. ii. 9. He shall go no more out. For the pillar is a fixture, and cannot be taken away without great detriment to the building. I will write upon him. That is, I will inscribe upon the pillar the name of the city of my God. And this city is the New Jerusalem. Not the old Jerusalem, the earthly city; but the New Jerusalem, the heavenly city, the spiritual city, the city which John saw coming down from God out of cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. 13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. 14 And unto the angel of the heaven; Rev. xxi. 2. When we come to consider chaps. xxi. and xxii., we shall have occasion to contemplate a very full description of the New Jerusalem, to which the revelator merely refers in the passage now before us. ¶ My new name. — - This figure of the new name is borrowed from Isa. lxii. 2, and hath been before mentioned, Rev. ii. 17. 13. He that hath an ear.- - See the remarks on Rev. ii. 7, 11, 17. EPISTLE TO THE CHURCH IN LAODICEA. 14. Laodiceans. This is the only place in which the Laodiceans, or their city, is mentioned in the Apocalypse; but we find mention made of them repeatedly in Paul's epistle to the Colossians. He seemed to have an earnest regard for them, mingled with no small degree of anxiety. "For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; that their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgment of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words;" Col. ii. 1-4. See also Col. iv. 13, 15, 16. Laodicea was situated on the confines of Phrygia and Lydia. Previous to assuming the name here given, it had borne others. It was long an inconsiderable place, but increased toward the time of Augustus Cæsar; and though an in church of the Laodiceans write; the faithful and true Witness, the beginning of the creation of God; These things saith the Amen, "But from land town, it grew more potent than quently as a witness, and his preachthe cities on the coast, and became ing is represented as the bearing of one of the largest towns in Phrygia, testimony, or bearing record. This as its present ruins prove. It was is to be reckoned among the instances terribly ravaged in the wars between which show a similarity between the the Turks and Romans, and after-style of the Apocalypse and that wards by the Tartars. It was a place of consequence at the time of the writing of the Apocalypse. The Christians there were represented as being infected with pride, and also as having lost the love that they ought to bear to Christ. It is probable that the prosperity of their city, and the increase of its wealth, had lifted them up. The site is now utterly desolate. Not a trace of a house, church or mosque. Angel of the church.. See the notes on ii. 1, 8, 12, 18; iii. 1, 7. ¶ The Amen. - The word amen imports truth and certainty. Hence, the phrase, "verily, verily, I say unto you," which we meet with so frequently in the gospels, (where the Greek for verily is Amen,) signifies, truly, a solemn affirmation of the truth of the declaration. As a substantive, the word occurs with the article but once, "the Amen," viz., in the verse before us. We suspect that in some Greek copies it is also preserved in Rev. i. 18, as Schmidt, in his Greek Concordance, gives the article as being found in that place. The amen signifies, the true, the certain. See Spear's Titles of Christ, under that word. ¶ The faithful and true. This is the exact sense of the amen, and follows in apposition. The amen, i. e., the faithful and true. ¶ Witness. — Jesus was preeminently a witness, and so he often described himself. The evangelist John called the Baptist a witness; John i. 8, 15, 32, 34. Jesus is described himself as a witness; John iii. 11, 44; iv. 44; v. 31, 32, 33, 36, 37; vii. 7; viii. 13, 14, 18; x. 25; xiii. 21; xv. 26, 27; xviii. 23, 37. This is abundantly sufficient to show the style of John. He speaks of Christ very fre of the undisputed writings of John. ¶ Beginning of the creation of God.We have already learned that Jesus was the "Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end;" i. 8. He is now called "the beginning of the creation of God." Does this mean that Jesus was the beginning in the order of time? or the head, or chief, of all God's works in point of honor and degree? The phrase "beginning of the creation," is used adverbially for the time of the commencement of the works of creation. the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female;" Mark x. 6; xiii. 19. The apostle John seems to have had the idea that Jesus existed before all created things, and was the agent of the Father in the creation, and acted for him; and hence was the chief, or prince of the creation. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made;" John i. 1—3. Here is a manifest reference to the beginning of the creation; for it was of the creation that John was speaking. Jesus was the chief, or the head of this creation. "All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made;" 3. Look now at the first Epistle of John. Here we have the same train of thought; and, as in the gospel, it breaks out at the very opening. "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the word of life." 15 I know thy works, that | lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth : thou art neither cold nor hot In the Gospel, Jesus is called "the word;" in the Epistle he is called "the word of life;" in the Apocalypse "the word of God;" xix. 13. Jesus was the head of the creation. Paul expresses the same idea "Who is the image of the invisibe God, the first-born of every creature: for by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him and for him: and he is before all things, and by him all things consist;" Col. i. 15-17. There are evidently two senses in which Jesus is the "beginning of the creation of God." 1st. He was the firstborn of every creature; Col. i. 15. 2d. He was the prince or chief of the creation. Both ideas seem to have been combined in the character of Jesus, in the mind of John, and also of Paul. John preserved the trait in his three works, viz., the Apocalypse, the Epistle, and the Gospel. 15. I know thy works. This was said to all the seven churches. Neither cold nor hot. They had not forsaken Christ, neither were they very warm in his defence. Their state seems to have caused a perplexity in the mind of the Son of God. If they had been either cold or hot, he would have known more directly what judgment to have pronounced; and hence he says, "I would thou wert cold or hot." I would there were something more decisive in thy case. The state of the church at Laodicea seems to have been somewhat analogous to that of the children of Israel in the time of the prophet Elijah. They seemed to have become bewildered by the influence of idolatry, as practised by Ahab and his powerful but iniquitous spouse, Jezebel. Elijah, 17 Because thou sayest, I am in the strong consciousness of the rectitude of his cause, called aloud unto them to decide between God and Baal. "How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him : but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word;" 1 Kings xviii. 21. Their state of uncertainty was peculiarly puzzling and disagreeable to the prophet of the true God. So in the case before us, the Son of God says, "I would thou wert cold or hot." 16. Spue thee out of my mouth. The figure is expressive, as any man's sensibilities will testify. Because they were lukewarm, i. e., neither cold nor hot, the Son of God could not endure them. We see, then, the standard of love which Christ required. He asked for a fervent love. If any man loved father, mother, brother, sister, wife, children, houses, lands, or his own life even, more than Christ, he was not fit, in that age, to be his disciple. When the church at Ephesus lost their first love, they were regarded as a fallen people, and were called on, as such, to repent. They probably did repent. The church at Laodicea had committed the same sin-they had left their first love; they had become lukewarm. Such a state the Lord Jesus could not endure. He showed signs of displeasure. When a people of old were driven from their land in consequence of their wickedness, the' land was said to spue them out; Lev. xviii. 28; and so when the Laodiceans were driven from the special presence of the Son of man, in consequence of their indifference, he was said to spue them out of his mouth. 17. I am rich. - People ofttimes glory in their earthly riches. This was the case with Ephraim of old; and perhaps the revelator had his eye rich, and increased with goods, | ed, and miserable, and poor, and and have need of nothing; and blind, and naked : knowest not that thou art wretch 18 I counsel thee to buy of on that case. "And Ephraim said, soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid Yet I am become rich, I have found up for many years; take thine ease, me out substance: in all my labors eat, drink, and be merry ;" Luke xii. they shall find none iniquity in me 18, 19. When men are rich, they too that were sin;" Hosea xii. 8. That frequently think they "have need of this was an instance of pride and nothing;" while in the spiritual and self-confidence, is evident from the more important sense, they are very 14th verse. 66 Ephraim provoked him poor. "They that will be rich, fall to anger most bitterly: therefore shall into temptation, and a snare, and into he leave his blood upon him, and his many foolish and hurtful lusts, which reproach shall his Lord return unto drown men in destruction and perdihim." The Laodiceans had increased, tion;" 1 Tim. vi. 9. "Charge them it may have been, in earthly goods. that are rich in this world, that they Their city had prospered. They be not high-minded, nor trust in unthought more of this than they ought certain riches, but in the living God, to have done; they placed their trust who giveth us richly all things to in it, and gloried in it. They had enjoy; that they do good, that they forgotten the excellent advice of the be rich in good works, ready to prophet: "Thus saith the Lord, Let distribute, willing to communicate; not the wise man glory in his wisdom, laying up in store for themselves a neither let the mighty man glory in good foundation against the time to his might, let not the rich man glory come, that they may lay hold on eterin his riches: but let him that glo- nal life;" 17-19. The terms wretchrieth, glory in this, that he under-ed, miserable, poor, blind, naked, are standeth and knoweth me, that I am often used in the Scriptures to signify the Lord which exercise loving-kind- spiritual poverty. ness, judgment, and righteousness, in 18. I counsel thee. "I will give the earth; for in these things I de- thee advice that thy true condilight, saith the Lord;" Jer. ix. 23, 24. | tion requires - hear what I say unto Thou art wretched.- The revelator thee." ¶ Buy of me.. "Buy," is embraced the opportunity to impress often used in the sense of obtain. upon them a sense of their spiritual "Buy the truth and sell it not;" poverty. In the more important Prov. xxiii. 23. "He that hath no sense, they were wretched, and mis-money, come ye, buy, and eat; yea, erable, and poor, and blind, and naked. The sacred writers often warn men against "the deceitfulness of riches." We are told in the parable that it "chokes the word;" Matt. xiii. 22. The Lord Jesus said, "How hard it is for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God;" Mark x. 24. The deceitfulness of riches consists in this, they often lead men to suppose that they can furnish the soul all that it desires. "I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my - come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness;" Isaiah lv. 1, 2. This was the only sense in which Jesus ever sold anything. He never received money for what he communicated to men. ¶ Gold tried in the fire. - The precious metals are used in different senses in the word of God. They are often put for me gold tried in the fire, that | clothed, and that the shame of thou mayest be rich; and white thy nakedness do not appear; raiment, that thou mayest be and anoint thine eyes with eye earthly riches. But in their purest state, they are sometimes used to represent "durable riches and righteousness." And so the process of the purification of the metals is used to represent the process of divine grace in the purification of the sinful; and afflictions and chastisements, because they purify, are compared to the fire of the furnace. "And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried they shall call on my name, and I will hear them; I will say, It is my people; and they shall say, The Lord is my God;" Zech. xiii. 9. "But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap. And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness;" Mal. iii. 2, 3. Hence, gold as the purest metal, and especially in its highest state of purification, is put for truth and purity. "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver;" Prov. xxv. 11. "How is the gold become dim! how is the most fine gold changed! the stones of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of every street. The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!" Lam. iv. 1, 2. Buy of me gold, tried in the fire, i. e., the purest gold; that which has no alloy. It is certainly put here for truth and righteousness, - the virtues which that church greatly needed. They had supposed themselves rich; they had gold and silver; but they needed a better kind of riches, which the revelator represents by "gold tried in the fire." ¶ White raiment. We have already explained this metaphor, in the notes on iii. 5. White was the color that denoted honor, purity and rejoicing. The inhabitants of the heavenly world, the attendants who stand around the throne of God, messengers who bear the will of God to men, are all supposed to be clad in white. The heavenly messenger who appeared to Daniel, was in white; vii. 9. At the transfiguration, the raiment of Jesus was "white as the light;" Matt. xvii. 2. The angel who appeared at the resurrection of Jesus, had on raiment "white as snow;" Idem, xxviii. 3; see also Rev. iv. 4; vii. 9, 13; xv. 6; xix. 8, 14. From these facts, the redeemed, cleansed from all their sins, are said to be without "spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing;" Eph. v. 27; that is, they are wholly white. “Many shall be purified and made white, and tried ;" Dan. xii. 10. And this whiteness, or purification, is produced by the virtue of Christ's word; for it was said of those who had been redeemed, "These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb;" Rev. vii. 14. When, therefore, the Laodiceans were counselled to buy white raiment, it was in effect urging them to be purified; and as their spiritual destitution had been described, among other metaphors, by a want of clothing, the purity they so much needed was beautifully represented by raiment of whiteness. TEye-salve. - The Laodiceans had been said to be blind, as well as poor and naked; the correspondence of the metaphor required, therefore, that the improvement of their spiritual condition should be described as the improvement of the sight. Eye-salve is to promote the health of the eye; and they were |