kings and priests unto God, be ascribed, as is most due, glory and dominion for ever and ever: let it be our business to ascribe this evermore to Christ, to whose dominion we believe there shall be no end.

7. Behold he cometh with clouds, &c. The Evangelist represents this as then going on, in the present tense, just as the predictions are frequently made by the Hebrew prophets. See the remarks on Is. vii. 14, p. 274. This identifies the subject with the prophecy of our Lord, Matt. xxiv. 30; Mark, xiii. 26; and as cited by our Lord at his trial, Matt. xxvi. 64; Mark, xiv. 62: comp. these with Daniel, vii. 13; Acts, i. ii.; 2 Thess. i. 7-10. Whence it must follow, beyond all doubt, that the period, here intended to be pointed out, must fall within the apostolic age; otherwise these interwoven and mutually confirmatory texts of Scripture, must stand for nothing.*

8. Our Lord's dignity, identified with that of Jehovah. Is. xli. 4. xliv. 6. xlviii. 12. See also v. 11, 17.†

9. John identifies himself with the Christians as a companion in tribulation, in the kingdom and patient waiting for Jesus, &c.; and, in this sense, the Revelation of Christ could not but have been with him matter of the greatest importance. Nor is it improbable, that John did in reality wait until Christ so came, commencing His visitations as it had been promised in John, xxi. 22, 23.

10. John's vision, 11-18. A symbolical description of our Lord, intended to impress the reader with the power he possessed as placed at the right hand of God, and made prince of the kingdoms of the earth. (See p. 225, &c.)

19. John is commanded to record the things he had seen, in order both to shew the believers that they should soon come to pass, and also to afford them consolation and support. This symbolical representation of our Lord has been. already considered: see page 228.

* We have here in the Commentary of Arethas, with much other exceedingly valuable matter: Νεφιλῶν δὲ κανταῦθα λόγος, ὡς ἐν τῇ ἀπὸ γῆς αὐτοῦ πρὸς οὐρανοὺς ἀνόδῳ τῶν νεφελῶν ἐνταῦθα, εἴτε διὰ τὸ κοῦφον τὰς μεταρσίους καὶ ἀγγελικὰς δηλούντων δυνάμεις, κ. τ. λ.

So Arethas on this place.

CHAP. II.

Verse 1-5. An address to the Bishop of the church of Ephesus. The patience and labour evinced is generally commended; but the love had waxed cold (see Matt. xxiv. 12), and hence judgment had become due; and this it is threatened shall quickly take place.

6. The practices of one of the false teachers alluded to; and this, according to antiquity, was one of those, (i. e. Nicholas the deacon, Acts, vi. 5), who had been among the Apostles.

8, 9. A message to the Bishop of Smyrna. His patience in poverty and tribulation is praised. Jews are denominated the synagogue of Satan; they had been the murderers of Christ and of his servants, and their malice was still continued.*

10. He is exhorted to fear none of those things, which were only to try and purge them during a short space of time, Dan. xii. 10, (ten days, see a similar phrase, Gen. xxiv. 55). See the promise made in our Lord's prophecy in Matt. xxiv. 13; Mark, xiii. 13; which is perhaps originally given in Dan. xii. 12, and James, i. 12.

11. He that overcometh, &c. Such an one shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death to life. John, v. 24; 1 John, iii. 14; Rom. viii. 1, &c.; Rev. xx. 6—14. xxi. 8.

12, 13. Address to the Bishop of Pergamos. Christ the author of it. An allusion to the persecutions, and mention of the martyrdom of a disciple, Antipas.†

14, 15. Accused of eating idolatrous sacrifices, and of fornication, the two great stumbling-blocks of those times.

16. Repent, &c. These addresses contain what we have termed general prophecy; they depend on certain conditions.

17. To him that overcometh, &c., i. e. who perseveres in the use of those weapons which are peculiarly adapted to this warfare. See Ephes. vi. 11-20: Put on the whole armour, &c., which has a particular relation to these times

Τῶν τῷ λόγῳ μὲν Ιουδαίων, ἔργῳ δὲ συναγωγῆς τοῦ Σατανᾶ. Rom. ii. 28, 29. Arethas on the passage. So, according to Primasius, Jews generally.

+ Αντίπας ὁ μάρτυς ἐν Περγάμῳ ἐμαρτύρησεν, οὗ καὶ τὸ μαρτύριον εἰς ἔτι σώζεται, πολλὰ παῤῥησιασάμενος τοῖς ἐκβουλεύουσι, καὶ ὅσον εἰς αὐτὸν ἧκεν, ἄχρι θανάτου προέβη. -Arethas in loco.

of trial.

See

Will I give to eat of the hidden manna. John, vi. 32-35: My Father giveth you the true bread (or manna, see ver. 31) from heaven....I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. — I will give him a white stone,·i. e. a sort of carte blanche, entitling him to ask for, and receive, whatever he may want.*

18-20. Address to the Bishop of Thyatira from Christ, containing a general commendation, but some reproofs in consequence of his allowing certain idolatrous practices, Gnostic in all probability.

21-23. Certain destruction denounced, unless repentance is entered on.

24, 25. The rest exhorted to watch, &c. till the Lord come. (Matt. xxiv. 42, &c.)

26-29. To him who overcometh, the promise is repeated that he shall reign over the nations, &c. See Matt. xix. 28, 29; Luke, xxii. 28-30; 1 Cor. vi. 2, 3: comp. Dan. vii. 22, 27: all of which must refer to these times. And he shall rule them, &c. See Ps. ii. 8, 9, which delegates this power to Christ, and this He here delegates to his ministers. I will give him the morning star. See 2 Pet. i. 19; 2 Cor. iv. 4, 6, Christ's enlightening spirit.

CHAP. III.

Verse 1-3. Address and warnings to the Bishop of Sardis from Christ. Ver. 2, 3. Repentance urged; but if this be neglected, then Christ shall come as a thief in the night. See Matt. xxiv. 42-51, and the other parallel passages; most, if not all, of which relate solely to this period.

4-6. A few persons, however, are of a different character; these shall walk in white garments (are justified in God's sight); their name shall remain in the book of life; and Christ will confess them before his Father and the holy angels. See Matt. x. 32; Luke, xii. 8; which have particular reference to the trials and sufferings of these times.

7—13. Address and promises of Christ to the Bishop of

So Primasius generally on this place. "Legis divinæ secreta," says Primasius here, "solius Christi potestate panduntur fidelibus, clauduntur incredulis," &c.-equally valuable and striking.

Philadelphia. Our Lord here speaks as the successor of David, using the words applied to Eliakim by Isaiah in chap. xxii. 20—24, of his prophecy.*-He is weak, yet has he kept Christ's word; hence, ver. 10, he shall be preserved from the temptation and trials which are shortly to come on all.† Ver. 11 Christ will SHORTLY come, therefore watch, pray, be steadfast. 12. He who shall thus persevere shall be made a pillar of the Church; he shall receive the name of God, and the name of the city of God, the New Jerusalem,‡ which, it has so long been promised, shall come down from heaven. Is. lxv. 17: Nay, I will write upon him my new name, Christian. At ver. 9, we have a remarkable instance of the language used under the old dispensation, applied under the new: I will make them, it is said, of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews (generally), and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. § This is taken from Isaiah, chap. xlix. 23, or lx. 14; and in either case it is addressed to Zion, which, according to our principles,¶ must apply to the Christian Church. The latter passage is perhaps the most specific; I shall therefore cite it: The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel. That this chapter of Isaiah belongs exclusively from first to last to the

* According to Arethas, the key here signifies universal dominion, as mentioned in Matt. xxviii. 18; Luke, i. 32, 33.

The persecutions under Domitian, or those under the Antichrist. Arethas.

"Novæ," says Primasius," propter novitatem vitæ in qua jubemur

incedere."

|| Eusebius on Is. lxv. 15, says, Τὸ δὴ οὖν ὄνομα καινὸν, ὃ μὴ παρὰ τοῖς παλαιος ἔγνωστο, ποῖον ἂν εἴη, ἢ τὸ ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Χριστοῦ προσωνυμίας, καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης εὐλογημένον - Χριστιανῶν ὄνομα. Dem. Evang. lib. ii. cap. iv. § xlix. So Arethas. "Filii Dei per adoptionem dicimur."-Pri

masius.

§ Arethas here refers this their character to Satan himself, who had been a liar, and the father of lying (ro súdous warng) from the beginning, alluding to John, viii. 47.

See the note on Jer. xxx. 17, at p. 251.

times of the Christian dispensation, I am sure, it is impossible to doubt. In this sense it is here cited by our Lord, and so is it cited elsewhere in the New Testament. What Isaiah terms Zion, Christ here applies to the new Jerusalem; and, what is most remarkable, the persons styled by Isaiah the enemies of this state, our Lord declares are JEws generally.* Isaiah, too, says, they shall call this state, The city of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Our Lord speaks of a new city, and a new name. A new name this state indeed received; if, however, we apply the language of the Old Testament to it, we have then only a new adaptation of the old name, as the nature of the case indeed requires.

14-22. The address and admonition of Christ to the Bishop of Laodicea. Lukewarmth, indifference, was the principal error: a thing, which in more modern, and as it is

In the Epistle ascribed to St. Barnabas, which we may cite as containing the opinions of his times, it is said of the Jews: "Those miserable men, being deceived, have put their trust in the house, and not in God himself who made them, as if it were the habitation of God. For, much after the same manner as the Gentiles, they consecrated him in the Temple; but learn, therefore, how the Lord speaketh." We have then Is. xl. 12. lxvi. 1. xlix. 17, cited. He adds: "Furthermore, it has been made manifest, how both the city, and the Temple, and the people of Israel, should be given up. For the Scripture saith: And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the LORD will deliver up the sheep of his pasture, and their fold, and their tower, to destruction. (Zeph. ii. 6.) And it HAS COME TO PASS," continues he, "as the Lord hath spoken." This father, I think, does not seem to have had the least idea, of any privilege reserved for the infidel Jew, nor any whatever of a restoration to Palestine. So also Ephrem Cyrus on Dan. ix. 27: "Quandoquidem exitus iste Judæorum haud quaquam similis futurus est eorumdem transmigrationi in Ægyptum, aut Babylonem; illinc enim dimissi fuere post annos quadringentos; et hinc post septuaginta dimittentur. Hæc autem vastitas Judicis Dei decreto statuta eadem invariata manebit usque in ævum.” Tertullian argues to the same point in his tract adversus Marcionem, lib. iii. cap. xxiii. xxiv. In the tract de Pudicitia he allows, that the restitution of the Jews will be matter of exultation to the Christians; but this he probably meant in a spiritual sense. See also his tract adversus Judæos. Eusebius, in his Demonstratio Evangelica, says to this effect: ἐπὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίᾳ, καὶ τῇ τῶν ἐθνῶν κλήσει, ̓ΑΠΟΠΤΩΣΙΝ ΠΑΝΤΕΛΗ ΚΑΙ ΑΠΟΒΟΛΗΝ ΤΟΥ ΠΑΝΤΟΣ ΙΟΥΔΑΙΩΝ ΕΘΝΟΥΣ ΤΑ ΘΕΙΑ ΠΡΟΑΝΑΦΩΝΕΙ ΛΟΓΙΑ. Lib. ii. cap. i. See his very valuable proofs as given from the several prophets in the following context, and Theodoret on Zech. xi. 10, &c. to the end. Compare Amos, vi. 7-12; Ezek. vii. 2-27; and Amos, ix. 1—10. From ver. 11 to the end we have the prosperity of the remnant, or true Church, clearly foretold.