it was an invited guest to the marriage-supper of the lamb, would secondarily denote, by its form as a pebble, that the possessor was one who had been acquitted of the charges brought against him by the accuser of the brethren' (12; 10),—by its white colour, that he was one who had gotten the victory over the beast,'—and by the incommunicable name inscribed on it, that by the authority of the great High Priest he was to be made a 'priest and king unto God' (1; 6). 152-3. A new name. Everything connected with the new Jerusalem was to be new:-a new heaven and new earth, a new people, a new song, and so here 'a new name,' and doubtless that which the High Priest calls in the parallel division, C. 3; 12, "my new name." 154. Which none knoweth but he who receiveth it. This clause appears to have been added to afford a clue to the name; for it immediately brings to mind, that the Captain of salvation' has a name, "which none but himself knoweth" (19; 12). The incommunicable character of the name suggests, that it must be substantially identical with the incommunicable name of God; but the epithet new requires a specific diversity. Now, we have seen on No. 16, that the unutterable name of God is equivalent to 'the who is, and who was, and who will be,' and that Christ as God (or the Godhead regarded in Christ), has given to him the similar designation of the who is, and who was, and who cometh.' That this, then, is the name alluded to may be accepted as being at least a plausible conjecture. This name might appropriately be conceived of as being inscribed on a ticket of admission to heaven, inasmuch as it would indicate, who was the author of the eternal life, on which the recipient was to enter at the coming of the Lord. HEPTAD VI. THE EPISTLE TO THYATIRA. Ch. II; 18-29. DIV. 1. Thyatira. The Greek word is very similar to that for 'daughter;' and this circumstance may have suggested the prominent introduction of a feminine symbol. At any rate it is a curious coincidence, that this is the only epistle in which a woman is mentioned, and the one in which illicit sexual intercourse is most dwelt upon.Of the churches to which S. Paul wrote, the state of that at Colosse seems to come nearest to the indications in this epistle. DIV. 2. II; 18. 156-8. 'These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes as a flame of fire, and his feet [are] like to burnished brass.' 156. The High Priest is not brought forward in these epistles under the characterizing description of him in C. 1; 13, namely, as "like to a son of man," that is, a partaker of the human nature. But, on the other hand, his divine nature is brought to view here; and doubtless with the view to give the highest effect to the awe-inspiring attributes, which are taken from that description to form the basis of the present communication.-The phrase son of God occurs frequently in S. John's Gospel, but is found only here in the Apocalypse.-Both the similes were shown, on 59, 60, to have a highly threatening aspect. DIV. 3. II; 19. 159-163. I know thy works, and love and faith and service and thine endurance, and thy works,-the last [to be] more than the first.' The good fruits here enumerated are more and more excellent than in any other epistle. First, there is a recognition of good works' in general: then, there are specially noticed 'love' to God and man, 'faith' in Christ, religious and charitable 'ministrations,' and 'patient endurance' of evils from within, especially from false brethren: lastly, the general statement is repeated to give intensity, with the addition that these last works were more than the first, signifying that there had been an increase rather than a diminution of their faith, love, service, and endurance, and presenting a contrast to the case of the church at Ephesus, who were exhorted to do the first works' (97). Thus, there are four details, flanked by two identical generic terms. This church alone is commended for its 'love' and 'service,' while that of Ephesus is charged with having gone back from its 'first love.' Pergamos is praised for its 'faith.' Ephesus and Philadelphia are lauded for their endurance' of evils from false brethren. But in the epistles to Ephesus, Thyatira, and Philadelphia no mention is made of tribulation' from without, though in each there is a threat of its being sent shortly (99, 175, 236).—All that is here said to Thyatira agrees well with the circumstances of the church at Colosse, so far as they may be judged of from S. Paul's epistle. See esp. Co. 1; 3 ss.; Since we heard of your faith. . . and love, which bringeth forth fruit, since the day ye knew the grace of God; as we also learned of Epaphras, who is a faithful minister (Siakovos : service is diakovia) of Christ on your behalf, who also declared to us your love in the spirit:' 2; 5; 'beholding your order and the stedfastness of your faith. 6 DIV. 4. II; 20-23. 164-81. 'But I have against thee, that thou sufferest thy wife Jezabel,—who saith that she is a prophetess (and she teacheth and deceiveth my servants), to commit fornication, and to eat of idol-sacrifices. And I have given her time, that she might repent; and she willeth not to repent from her fornication. Lo, I do cast her into a bed; and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they shall repent from her works; and I will kill her children by death. And all the churches shall know, that I am he who searcheth reins and hearts and I will give to you, to each one, according to your works. : 164. I have; insert somewhat: cp. 94 (101), 136 (142). 165. Thou sufferest. There are two readings here; but they give much the same sense, namely, 'thou lettest alone,' or 'leavest unrestrained to take her own course.'-By the same reason that Balaam and the other proper names are taken to be symbolical, so must Jezebel be here. The heretical party in the church are personified in this heathen queen, who has been selected to represent them on account of her celebrity as a persecutrix of God's people and a seducer to idolatry (see 1 Kgs. 16; 31: 18; 13: 19; 2, 10).-C. 38, &c., with the Vulgate and most of the other ancient versions omit the pronoun appended to wife (which has the effect of making the text read the woman), but some of the best authorities insert it. Good critics have received it; and it is supported by the term adultery in No. 175, and by a strong probability arising from the symbolization. The angel of each church is, as I have shown, the representative of the church generally, but specially of those who constitute the true church, namely, the orthodox members. Hence, when a female is made a representative of the heretical party, she is very naturally, on account of the visible union and apparent oneness which subsists between all the professing members of a church, described as the wife of the representative of the church, husband and wife being accounted as one. This mode of symbolization was, perhaps, the rather adopted in order to form a basis for charging the heretics, not merely with 'fornication,' but with the more aggravated guilt of 'adultery,' that is of violating their covenant relations. If it be objected, that, on the interpretation I have given of the angels of the churches, I shall by regarding Jezebel as the wife of an angel make a harlot and an adulteress appear as the wife of the Lamb, I answer; And what then? Does the guilt of an unfaithful partner cast any reflection on the husband? Is not the ancient church continually described figuratively as a harlot and an adulteress? The error of such an objection lies in pushing the symbolism farther than it will bear, or could be intended to go. The point of it in this case is intimacy of connexion and covenant-relations, and it is not to be extended to mutual approval and affection. It is a curious coincidence, that, in connexion with the church at Thyatira, two females are brought prominently to notice. I allude to Lydia and to the 'damsel possessed with the spirit of Python' (Acts 16; 14, 40). These might be regarded as types of the two parties in the church here addressed; and hence possibly may have originated the representation of the heretical party by a female. 166. Who saith that she is a prophetess. There were prophetesses under the old Dispensation (as Miriam, Deborah, Hulda, &c.), and also under the new (see Acts 21; 9: 1 Co. 11; 5); and it was at first common for women to teach and to speak in public. Hence there is no incongruity in this woman's being represented as claiming to be a prophetess. The intention seems to be to exhibit her as claiming to be pre-eminently, if not exclusively, the teacher of the true faith. And doubtless the heretical party made such a claim.-The form of the clause recalls the similar ones in the first, second, and fifth epistles (88, 114, 233); and we are prepared by the parallelism to believe, that the terms apostles, Jews, prophetess, are merely titles supposed to be arrogated to themselves by the same party, different designations being introduced for the sake of variety or to suit the particular symbolization. 167-8. And she teacheth and deceiveth my servants. The reading received in critical editions has the verbs in the present indicative (with and preceding them) instead of in the infinitive mood as in the R. T.-My servants may refer either to those among the orthodox, whom the Jezebel is trying to seduce, or to those who have been seduced into joining the heretical party, according as the clauses are connected. The construction of the sentence is involved and difficult, owing to grammatical solecisms. The clause which follows the one before us we may connect either with this or with No. 165, thus reading either 'she teacheth and seduceth my servants to fornicate' or 'thou sufferest thy wife Jezebel . . . to fornicate.' On the former construction Jezebel is not here charged with fornicating; whereas the next sentence implies, that she had been. On it, too, thou sufferest is left without its necessary complement. And, on the view that Jezebel represents the heathenizing party, this construction would seem to make the same individuals both the seducers and the seduced. None of these objections attach to the other construction, which, therefore, I have not hesitated to adopt. We may, then, consider, that the following is the purport of the sentence: Thou sufferest thy wife Jezebel, who sets herself up as the teacher of the true faith, and who labours to pervert and lead astray my faithful servants, to carry on her heathenish practices unrebuked:' or, if it be thought preferable, the part following faith may be transposed thus; ' to carry on her heathenish practices unrebuked, and she labours, &c.' This is a heavier charge than we have hitherto found to be made against any church. While the great body of the church is allowed to be sound itself, it is accused of exhibiting such a degree of toleration towards the heathenizers as is not charged in either of the preceding epistles. 169-170. To commit fornication, and to eat of idol-sacrifices. This is precisely the same charge, that was made against the Balaamites or II; 21. 171-2. And I have given her time, that she might repent. A II; 22. 174. Lo, I do cast her into a bed. A bed of affliction is 175. And those who commit adultery with her. Often as 'fornication' 176. Unless they shall repent, &c. See on 172-3. This clause is |