8 And to her was granted | fine linen, clean and white: for that she should be arrayed in the fine linen is the righteous shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God." Be glad and rejoice for this: the new Jerusalem is about to descend from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; and the church and the Master will be united forever. resent the righteousness of saints. Their sins are taken away; they are sanctified and cleansed; they are washed by the power of the divine word, and this is the washing of regeneration; the church is without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. See Rev. vii. 13, 14: "And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 8. That she should be arrayed in fine And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowlinen. The church, the Lamb's wife, est. And he said to me, These are was to be arrayed in fine linen. This they which came out of great tribulawas granted her as an honor. Fine tion, and have washed their robes, linen was a fabric of great value and made them white in the blood of among the Jews, and, in this case, it the Lamb." The members of Christ's is spoken of as the bridal attire. It church were personally pure; and was an attire of honor, for it was they were pure, not because the purity worn by kings. Pharaoh was arrayed of Christ had been imputed or attrib in a vesture of fine linen; Gen. xli. uted to them, but because they had 42. Aaron was clad in the same passed through the washing of regenmaterial; Exodus xxxix. 27; and eration. There is no other way in David; 1 Chron. xv. 27; and Mor- which the sinner can be made rightdecai, when he was honored; Esther eous. And the proof of his being viii. 15. Dives, in the parable, was righteous is his good deeds. Hence clothed in purple and fine linen; Luke St. John says: "He that doeth rightxvi. 19. This is sufficient to show eousness is righteous;" 1 John iii. 7. that fine linen was a rare and costly There is no other way to prove that attire, and was worn as vesture of we are really righteous; and every honor. The ephod of the high priest man that doeth righteousness is to be was made of it; Ex. xxviii. 6. It regarded as thus righteous. The was granted to the church that she church, having been sanctified and should be arrayed in it. ¶ Clean and cleansed, is said to be arrayed in fine white. And moreover, it is said that linen, clean and white, -a metaphor it was clean and white, i. e., all pure; for the righteousness of saints, or and we are expressly told what this their purity and good works. Permetaphor of the fine linen, clean and sons not well acquainted with the white, represents, viz., "the right- Bible sometimes suppose, that the eousness of saints." How readily beautiful vestments of fine linen this clean white linen reminds us of which the redeemed are said to wear, St. Paul's description of the sanctified and which bear a resemblance to the church: "Christ loved the church, wedding garment, Matt. xxii. 12, and gave himself for it; that he represent the righteousness of Christ, might sanctify and cleanse it with the which has been transferred to believ washing of water by the word, that ers. The passage before us serves to he might present it to himself a glori- correct that false notion, since it is ous church, not having spot or wrin- expressly said to be "the righteouskle, or any such thing; but that it ness of saints." No man can be should be holy and without blemish ;" righteous merely on account of the Eph. v. 25-27. It does, indeed, rep-righteous deeds which another person ness of saints. 9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriagesupper of the Lamb. And he has performed, and independently of his own deeds. A righteous man will perform righteous deeds himself; and if he does not perform such deeds in his own person, he is not to be regarded as being righteous. He may as well seek to be handsome on account of another's beauty, as to be righteous on account of another's righteousness. Righteousness is a personal thing; and so also is wickedness. We are not sinners because Adam sinned, but because we ourselves have sinned. "Death passed upon all men, for all have sinned;" Rom. v. 12. If men may be sinful on account of Adam's acts of sin, and righteous on account of Christ's acts of righteousness, then they may have a character altogether independent of their own acts, which is an absurdity. Adam never made any man a sinner except through the influence of his evil example; and Christ never made any man righteous by being righteous in his room and stead. He gives us the influence of his life, his precepts, his doctrines; and in this way he leads us to purity of heart, and personal righteousness. 9. Marriage-supper of the Lamb. The marriage of the Lamb having come, and his wife having made herself ready, the marriage is to take place; and blessed are they which are called unto the supper. Jesus had said to the church at Laodicea, "If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me;" Rev. iii. 20. To be invited to the marriage-supper was a high honor, especially if the host were a distinguished personage. But if a person came to a wedding, he was expected to be clad in the appropriate attire ; and for a neglect of this, hel saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. 10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I was liable to be expelled from the assembly. See Matt. xxii. 11-13. Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage-supper of the Lamb;" or, as the same thought was expressed in Luke's Gospel: "Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God;" xiv. 15. To eat bread in the kingdom of God is to feast upon the dainties of the gospel. This kingdom, it will be recollected, had not come in its entire effects when the Apocalypse was written. Almost all the New Testament writers looked forward to it. It came in its full power at the second advent of Jesus, when Judaism passed away, and the gospel was fully established. To this time Jesus seems to have referred, when he said, at the close of the Lord's Supper, "I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that 1 drink it new in the kingdom of God;" Mark xiv. 25; Luke xxii. 16. Jesus promised to be with his church, in spirit, even after his ascension into glory. In this way, he fulfilled his promise of drinking with them anew in the kingdom of God, a proof that the Lord's Supper was not to be discontinued at the second coming, as has been by some supposed. The rich blessings of the gospel are represented under various metaphors. That of the revelator is striking; xxii. 14. "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." ¶ These are the true sayings of God; — or, in the more common language of our own day, this is God's truth. And such we have shown to be the fact, by the quotations we have made from various parts of the Scriptures. 10. To worship him. Perhaps this am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. 11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame if heaven were the place where all the preparations were made, previously to the exhibition to the revelator. See our remarks on ver. 5 of this chapter. Heaven is opened, and the scene begins. TA white horse. This is the same metaphor that was employed when Christ was described as coming forth to conquer his enemies, the Jews; vi. 2. He then went forth conquering and to conquer; and he is now to do the same thing again in reference to the Gentiles. Conquerors rode on white horses. The Roman generals, in returning from their conquests, rode in chariots drawn by white horses. Hence the horse on which the great captain of the Christian army rode was white, as a sign of certain victory. See the notes on vi. 2. ¶ Faithful and True. - This is evidently one of the titles of the Lord Jesus, and we have found it applied to him before, in the Apoca does not mean that the revelator 11. Heaven opened. The revelator received his revelations from heaven, described chap. iv., the imaginary dwelling-place of the Most High; as He is called "the faithful Witness, the First-begotten of the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth;" i. 5; and the language in iii. 14 is precisely parallel: "These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the beginning of the creation of God." There is no doubt, then, that Jesus is intended by the "Faithful and True," who rode on the white horse. Once more; in iii. 7: "These things saith he that is holy, he that is true," &c. This style is precisely that of the apostle John; and it raises a strong presumption that he was the author of the Apocalypse. See 1 John v. 20. See, also, the note on iii. 7. Jesus was the Faithful and True. ¶ In righteousness doth he judge, &c. - He judged the nations righteously. This, it was repeatedly affirmed by the prophets, of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. the Messiah should do. "He shall 17: "To him that overcometh will I judge the people righteously.' The give to eat of the hidden manna, and progress of his truth over all the er-will give him a white stone, and in the rors of the heathen is represented by stone a new name written, which no the "Prince of the kings of the earth" | man knoweth saving he that receivmaking war upon them; and the eth it." See our remarks on that sufferings that his enemies endured verse. The figure was perhaps drawn under the judgments of God are from the fact that the high priest described by the havoc of war. These alone could pronounce the name upon figures are of frequent occurrence in his mitre. See Stuart on the verse. the Apocalypse; we find them almost Dr. Adam Clarke says, that the Jews everywhere. In fact, the metaphors never attempt to pronounce the name of the Bible at large are borrowed of Jehovah; and they affirm that the from nearly all the arts and occupa- true pronunciation has been lost since tions that were known to the Jews at the captivity in Babylon; and that no the time of the writing of the books. man now knows the true interpretaBut we have not done with the "Faith- tion or pronunciation, but God himful and True." Let us go on with a self. (See his Com. on this place.) description of his person. If this be so, it is possible that the 12. His eyes as a flame of fire.. expression in this place, and also in This is the exact description we have ii. 17, is borrowed from the fact. heretofore found; Rev. i. 14. The Some suppose there is a reference eyes were radiant; they glowed with here to Isa. ix. 6, 7: "His name shall life. On his head were many crowns. be called Wonderful," &c. &c. HavThe crown was the sign of honoring thus described the person of the and supreme authority. Once Jesus "Faithful and True," we come now wore a crown of thorns; John xix. 5. to his nature. That was in the days of his suffering 13. Vesture dipped in blood. - This and humility. But when he came is agreeable to the sanguinary characforth conquering and to conquer, then ter of the metaphor. The Faithful and he wore not a crown of disgrace but True has on his war-clothing, which crowns of honor and authority. All bears marks that he has seen service kings wear crowns; but Jesus is said in the field before this time. The to have worn many crowns, because metaphor probably was borrowed he is the King of kings and Lord of from Isaiah lxiii. 1—4. "Who is lords. He had abundant authority. this that cometh from Edom, with All power in heaven and on earth dyed garments from Bozrah? this was given to him; Matt. xxviii. 18; that is glorious in his apparel, traveland especially did he have authority ling in the greatness of his strength? to execute judgment; John v. 22, 27. I that speak in righteousness, mighty Under the gospel the Father judgeth to save. Wherefore art thou red in no man, but hath committed all judg-thine apparel, and thy garments like ment unto the Son; and in view of him that treadeth in the wine-fat? I the facts here suggested, it is said have trodden the wine-press alone; that on his head were many crowns. He had a name written, that no man knew but he himself. We have met with this description before. See ch. ii. and of the people there was none with me for 1 will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury, and their blood shall be sprinkled 14 And the armies which | 15 And out of his mouth were in heaven followed him goeth a sharp sword, that with upon white horses, clothed in it he should smite the nations: fine linen, white and clean. and he shall rule them with a upon my garments, and I will stain mouth seems to us a most unnatural all my raiment. For the day of ven- one. But we are to consider that geance is in my heart, and the year this sword represents the word of of my redeemed is come." These are God. "For the word of God is quick sanguinary metaphors to apply to the and powerful, and sharper than any Prince of Peace; but such was the two-edged sword, piercing even to the manner of writing in the revelator's dividing asunder of soul and spirit, day and country. We are not to in- and of the joints and marrow, and is fer from them that Jesus had any a discerner of the thoughts and incruelty in his spirit; they are merely tents of the heart;" Heb. iv. 12. the imagery of the chapter. The Did the revelator quote this figure word of God. Is this the name the from the epistle to the Hebrews? or interpretation of which no man knew, did the writer of the epistle quote from but Christ himself? If so, why should the Apocalypse? We think the latwe attempt the explanation? The ter. We have found the same figure same name, it must be confessed, in other parts of the Apocalypse. seems to be referred to both in the See i. 16; ii. 12. ¶ Smite the nations. 12th and 13th verses. John after-The figure here is borrowed, appaward spoke more fully of this name, rently, from Isaiah. In describing viz., in his Gospel. "In the beginning Christ's reign among the nations, in was the Logos, or WORD," &c.; John the gospel, he says: "But with righti. 1. This name is found only in the eousness shall he judge the poor, and writings of John. We shall not at- reprove with equity for the meek of tempt the interpretation of it; but it the earth; and he shall smite the seems difficult to avoid the impres-earth with the rod of his mouth, and sion that we see John's style in the Apocalypse. with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked;" xi. 4. This is cer14. The armies which were in heaven. tainly a metaphor to show the effect - The next thing in the scene was which the word of God produces upon the armies that followed the True and the nations. And the same may also Faithful. The scene represents these be said of the next sentence. ¶ He armies as issuing out of heaven, seat- shall rule them with a rod of iron. ed on white horses. See xvii. 14, where This again is a prophetical metaphor. we are told that they who follow the The rod is a sign of power. Moses, King of kings and Lord of lords, are as the leader of the children of Israel, "called" and "chosen" and "faith-had a rod, called the rod of God. It ful." They were honorable men, and hence are not compared to foot soldiers, but to the cavalry, the most stately part of an army, all mounted on white horses. They were clothed in fine linen, white and clean; and this shows they were members of the church of Christ, which, as his bride, was adorned in the same manner. Verse 8. was the sign of his power as the agent of the Most High; Exod iv. 20; and xvii. 9. Power is sometimes necessarily employed for the correction of the wicked; and the rod or sign then is called "the rod of correction;" Psalms lxxxix. 32; Prov. xxii. 15. Nations whom God uses as agents for the punishment of other nations, are called the "rod of his anger;" Isa. x. 5. The transforming power of the gospel, before which all |