tion, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.

21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication, and she repented not.

22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great

church, the first among the duties impressed upon them seems to have been, that they should "abstain from meats offered to idols;" Acts xv. 20, 29. This prohibition was not given, probably, because the church supposed the food was in itself rendered injurious, but because the reception and constant use of it would lessen the horror of idolatry, which all the holy men of old had sedulously sought to preserve in God's people. The hope of redeeming the world from idolatry was vested in them. Every barrier, therefore, to the ingress of that species of false religion was kept up. The influence of the Gentiles, at their admission into the church, was feared on these accounts. They were required, therefore, as a matter of great importance, that they should not eat the food that had been connected with idolatrous sacrifices; see Acts xxi. 25. Paul did not regard the eating of this food as vicious in itself, but the influence of it was decidedly bad; see the whole eighth chapter of the 1st Epistle to the Corinthians; see also same Epis. x. 19, 28. The influence of Jezebel, then, was decidedly heathenish. The fornication mentioned was perhaps that which was metaphorically so called; for when the Jews worshipped the idols of the heathen, they were said to go a whoring after other gods; Exod. xxxiv. 15, 16; Lev. xx. 5, 6; Deut. xxxi. 16; Psa. Ixxiii. 27; Ezek. vi. 9. We are inclined to think this is the sense in which fornication is to be understood in the case before us,

being coupled as it is with eating "things sacrificed unto idols."

21. She repented not. She was forborne with, but she reformed not her life; and she deserved, therefore, severe punishment.

22. Will cast her into a bed. - A bed of affliction is intended, as the parallellism shows, to wit, "into great tribulation." The style of the metaphor is kept up. Fornication was used metaphorically for heathenish practices, and casting into a bed is put for being thrown into great tribulation. Nothing would save her from this but a thorough reformation of life.

23. And I will kill her children with death. Children seems here put for followers. To kill with death is a Hebraism, signifying utter, thorough death. Her name shall rot; her followers shall die; and her punishment shall be so signal and remarkable that "all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts; and I will give unto every one of you according to your works." Such was to be her fate. According to her works. This is the principle on which divine retribution is inflicted, as we shall take occasion to show in another place, if our limits will allow; see, for our present purpose, Psa. lxii. 12; Jer. 1. 29; Hos. xii. 2; Matt. xvi. 27; Rom. ii. 6; 2 Cor. xi. 15; Rev. xx. 12. Thus we see that the principle referred to is recognized both in the Old Testament and the New.

24. This doctrine.—Viz., the doc

unto the rest in Thyatira, As many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden:

25 But that which ye have already, hold fast till I come.

trine of Jezebel, which she had taught. They had suffered her to teach her errors, ver. 20, by which she had seduced God's servants to spiritual fornication, and led them to eat things sacrificed to idols. Upon those in Thyatira who had not this doctrine, God would put no other burden than that which he had already enjoined upon them, viz., that of rooting the influence of Jezebel out of the church.

Depths of Satan, as they speak. They, of course, did not acknowledge them to be depths of Satan; but they called them depths, i. e., profound matters. The Greek word for depths is not of very frequent occurrence in the New Testament. It may be found, Matt._xiii. 5; Mark iv. 5; Luke v. 4; Rom. viii. 39; xi. 33. In 1 Cor. ii. 10, it is put for "the deep things of God." See also 2 Cor. viii. 2; Eph. iii. 18. The heathen boasted much of their deep mysteries, which were connected with their idolatrous practices, and to this boasting it seems probable the revelator refers. 25. But that which ye have already. - Viz., those things which had been commended in them, their works, their charity, their service, faith and patience; ver. 19. They were directed to hold these fast until the coming of the Son of man. Till I come. This is the language Christ employed to denote his coming at the destruction of Jerusalem; John xxi. 22, 23. "The time was not far distant when they might expect this." -(Prof. Stuart.) See also the long and valuable note of Dr. Hammond on this place, who defines the end, (ver. 26,) and the coming, (ver. 25,)

as referring to the coming of Christ for the destruction of the Jews, and the judging of the nations according to their works.

26. He that overcometh, to him will I give power over the nations. You shall go out and propagate the gospel, and reign spiritually in the hearts of men.

and

27. Rod of iron. The power of the gospel shall break them in pieces, like a potter's vessel. This is evidently a quotation from the 2d Psalm, where it is said of Jesus that he shall break the nations with a rod of iron, (or iron sceptre,) and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel; hence it is said in Revelation, "He shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers." ¶ Even as I received of my Father. - Is not this a direct reference to the authority given him in that Psalm? Wherein does Jesus rule the nations and dash them in pieces? Not as an earthly monarch, but as a spiritual ruler. How are the kingdoms of this world to become the kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ? In what sense is Jesus to reign forever and ever? Not as an outward prince. He reigned when in his flesh, in all his humility; he reigned even on the cross; yes, when dying, he reigned with greater power than at any other time. His followers shall reign with him; the saints shall judge the world, and overturn the ancient order of things, until Jesus shall be everywhere acknowledged.

28. The morning-star. To get the sense here, observe that the Son of God was encouraging the faithful

the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name, that thou livest, and art dead.

2 Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain, that

archs, who kept seven confidential ministers or agents continually near their persons. ¶ Seven stars. · -The Son of God held the seven stars in his right hand. See the notes on i. 16. This description is intended to show that it is the same glorious personage who addresses this church that had addressed John, as described in chap. i. He is scarcely described to either two of the churches under the same similitude; but yet the description is such to every one, that it is evident the same personage was intended in all the cases. I know thy works. I know what thou hast done, and what thou art doing; I know fully thy character. ¶ Livest and art dead. -Thou hast the credit of having life, but thou art dead. This was a deeper abasement than was ascribed to either of the other of the seven churches. This church maintained the form of religion, and professed to adhere to Christ, but its spiritual life was nearly extinct. Life and death are used by the sacred writers metaphorically. There is no figure more common in the Scriptures. We meet with it in the account of the transgression of our first parents, and it is continued, with more or less frequency, through the entire Bible. "She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth;" 1 Tim. v. 6. See, also, John xi. 25, 26; 1 John iii. 14; Jude 12. The fact here stated is so generally known, that we need not make further references. The church in Sardis had a name to live, i. e., it professed to have spiritual life, and perhaps was regarded by the world as possessing it; but in the sight of Him who "knew what was in man," there was little or no life in that church. It was dead. The church at Ephesus was charged by the revelator as having

are ready to die; for I have not found thy works perfect before God.

3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard,

lost its first love. To this Paul seems to refer, when he says to the same church, "Awake, thou that sleepest, and rise from the dead;" Eph. vi. 14. This is the same figure; but the church at Ephesus was not so thoroughly paralyzed as that at Sardis.

2. Strengthen the things which remain. — As though he had said, "Your case is not utterly desperate. You may yet recover from your fallen state. Be watchful, strengthen the things that remain, and those that are ready to die. I have not found thy works what they ought to have been in the sight of God; but thou mayest with diligence recover thy former estate."

3. How thou hast received and heard.

That is, remember the manner in which thou hast received and heard the gospel; remember what advantages thou hast enjoyed; the effect which the preaching of the gospel had upon thee, when first thou didst hear it.

Hold fast. Hold fast that which remains. Let thy Christian character no further die. Hold fast to the profession of thy faith, and let thy works honor the name of Christ. ¶ Repent. Repentance is put here for a change of habits, a reformation of life. Too many suppose that repentance is an act to be performed once for all, in a man's life,

а

-a change of views and feelings. But we are persuaded it signifies here a reformation of life, turning away from what had been condemned in the church in Sardis, and a change to newness of life.

and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief,

quently used to show the manner of his coming. This is the first time we have met with it in the Apocalypse. It is a very striking one, if we understand it with due limitations, and obtain the precise idea which the revelator intended to convey. The thief comes at night, when men are asleep, and are off their watch. He is more likely to come, too, at an hour when he is not expected. It was for these reasons that our Lord compared his own coming to that of a thief. "Watch, therefore; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore, be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of man cometh;" Matt. xxiv. 4244. Paul uses the same comparison, 1 Thess. v. 2, 4; and Peter uses it, 2 Epis. iii. 10. It will appear still more striking, if we consider the state of the church at Sardis at this time. They were not watchful. They had fallen into a state like profound sleep, or spiritual death; they were exposed, therefore, to be taken unawares by the approaching judgment; or, as it is said in the verse, "Thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee." We see, by the figure before us, the utter folly of pushing the Scripture metaphors and comparisons too far. When we have ascertained the one object which the writer had in view in using the figure, that is sufficient. We are not to push the comparison to every point. Readers of the Bible, ay, and preachers too, sometimes carry out a comparison at all points. They think their duty is to get as much truth as possible out of the Bible. Hence, in the parables of the New Testament, they must find a meaning for everything, however

and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

4 Thou hast a few names

trivial. For instance, in interpreting the parable of the good Samaritan, (Luke x.,) which was designed merely to show that our benevolence should not be confined to our friends, our countrymen, or the professors of the same religion, the interpreters referred to must have a spiritual meaning for Jerusalem; for Jericho; for the thieves; for stripping the wounded man; for leaving him half dead; for the priest; for the Levite; for their passing by on the other side; for the oil, and wine, with which the Samaritan bathed the wounds; for the inn; and for the beast on which he bore the sufferer thereto. There can scarcely be anything more fatal to truth, than such a manner of interpreting the symbolical language of the Scriptures. In the case before us, the point to be illustrated was, that our Lord would come in an hour when he was not looked for, and when men were asleep. This was sufficient to justify the comparison, and to lead him to represent himself as being about to come like a thief in the night. But, if we push the application to all points, we could proceed to show that our Lord came to steal, to kill, and to destroy, (for this is the purpose for which thieves generally come,) than which nothing could be further from the truth. We see, then, that much discretion is to be used in the application of scriptural similitudes; and that there is more need of sound judgment to aid us in that matter, than of a vivid fancy.

4. A few names.— Names are put for persons. Nothing is more common in the Old Testament than the use of the word name for Jehovah, his person, his nature, his statutes. To praise, or call on the name of the Lord, was to praise, or call on God himself. To trust in the name of the Lord was to trust in Him. So, the