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Tus weas Tÿ WH βασμός της μελλέ σης ἔρχεσθαι ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκεμένης ὅλης, πειράσαι τὲς καλο κανίας ἐπὶ τῆς γης.

11 Εξχομαι ταχύ

κράτει ὃ ἔχεις, ἵνα μηδεις λάβῃ τὸν σε 12 φανόν σε. Ο νικῶν, ποιήσω αὐτὸν ξύλον ἐν τῷ ναῷ τῷ Θε με, καὶ ἔξω & μὴ ἐξέλθῃ ἔτι καὶ γράψω ἐπ' αὐτὸν ὄνομα τῇ Θεῖ με, καὶ τὸ ὄνομα τῆς πόλεως το Θεῖ με, τῆς καινῆς Ἱεροσαλήμ, ἡ καταβαίνεσα ἐκ τῇ ἐρανᾶς ἀπὸ τὸ Θε με, καὶ τὸ ὄνο μά με το καινόν. 13 Ὁ ἔχων ός, ἀκεσάτω, τί τὸ πνεῦμα λέγει ταῖς ἐκκλη σίαις.

hour of trial, which is about to come upon the whole region, to try those who dwell 11 upon the earth. I am coming soon; hold fast that which thou hast,

that no one take thy 12 crown. He that overcometh, him will I make a column in the Temple of my God; and out of it he shall never more depart; and I will write upon him a name of my God, and the name of the city of my God; of the new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God; even my new 13 name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches.

which shall come upon

all the world, to try them that dwell upon 11 the earth. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take 12 thy crown. 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, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of beaven from my God:

and I will write upon 13 him my new name. He

that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto, the Churches.

Ver. 7. Philadelphia.] This city, in the times of Strabo, that is, not long before the date of this vision, had been so often shaken by earthquakes, that it was in a great measure deserted by its inhabitants; which may in some degree account for the poverty of its Church, as described in this Epistle. And its poverty may also in some degree account for its virtue, which is so highly commended. Melito, an eminent Bishop of this see, and a Christian apologist in the second cen

Strabo, ii. lib. xii.

tury,

tury, appears to have written on the Apocalypse *. That such a man, in such a situation, so near to the time when the Apocalypse was published, should acknowledge it as divine, by commenting upon it, is a strong argument for its authenticity. Unfortunately this

work of his is lost.

Philadelphia appears to have resisted the attacks of the Turks in 1312, with more success than the other cities; but at length it fell under their domination. It still contains (probably as being the last which was subdued) more Christian families than most of the others. Modern travellers represent four Christian Churches standing in this place, and above 200 houses inhabited by Christians.

Ib. He that is holy.] This epithet belongs appropriately to the Deity. He alone is holy : the Holy One. But, by communication, the same epithet descends to the only begotten Son, who, as such, partaking the nature of the Father, is styled the Holy One §.

Ib. He that is true.] This epithet, like the preceding, is applicable only to the Father, who is povos

Anovos Eos, the only true God (John xviii. 3.); but descends also to the Son, "the express image of the "Father," "" the Truth and the Life ." He is the true bread, the true vine, the true light, and is emphatically denominated The True One ¶.

Ib. Key of David.] See note, ch. i. 18.

Ver. 8. Opened door.] Our Lord has rendered the everlasting glories of his kingdom of easy access to the faithful and repentant: 1st, Because he has made

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atonement for those sins which would otherwise preclude their entrance. 2dly, By granting to them spiritual assistance. 3dly, By supplying them with rules and directions, which he has illustrated by his own perfect example. Hence he has called himself the Way, the Door, no one entereth but through him. And against those who faithfully and diligently attempt an entrance through him, the powers of Hell shall not prevail. In Acts xiv. 27, it is called, the "door of "faith," and is described as open to the Gentiles, through the mercies of God.

Ver. 9. Jews.] See note, ch. ii. 9. A complete triumph over these pretended saints is promised to this humble Church; and probably it took place in those early times, of which so little history remains. But as this meek and faithful Church is a type and resemblance of the pure Church of Christ; so, to that universal Church, when it shall appear in its purity, after this type, the conversion of the whole body of the Jews seems promised; which has been vainly, though often attempted by violence and persecution.

Ver. 10. I will keep thee from the hour of trial.] This promise, in favour of the Church of Philadelphia, was probably fulfilled in some subsequent persecution, of which we have no special account.

Ver. 11. I am coming soon.] See notes, ch. i, 3, iii. 16.

Ib. Crown.] See note, ch. ii. 15.

Ver. 12. Column.] The ancient nations were accustomed to erect columns in honourable memorial of heroes. Such, in idea at least, were the columns of Hercules. Absalom, "having no son to keep his

name in remembrance," built a column to be called

by

by his name *.
The Christian conqueror is here pro-
mised such an honourable memorial in God's temple,
in his everlasting temple in heaven. Agreeably to this
figurative language, the Apostles James and Peter are
accounted columns of the Church (runo, Gal. ii. 9.)
And the Alexandrian martyrs of the third century are
called TUO T8 O8, and also Attalus of Pergamos, in
the account of the martyrs at Lyons and Vienne in the
second century †.

Ib. New Jerusalem.] The numerous prophecies, foretelling great and everlasting glory to Jerusalem, have not been fulfilled in the literal Jerusalem; nor can be so fulfilled, without contradicting other predictions, especially those of our Lord, which have denounced its ruin. They remain therefore to be fulfilled in a spiritual sense; in that sense which Saint Paul points out to us, when, in opposition to "Jeru"salem that now is, and is in bondage with her children," he presents to our view" Jerusalem which is above, which is free, which is the mother of us all." This is the city which "Abraham looked to; a building "not made with hands, whose builder and maker is "God;" even the heavenly Jerusalem, whose splen-nnual dour will be displayed in the concluding chapters of this book.

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. 2 Sam, xviii. 18.

+ Euseb. Hist. Eccl. lib. vi. c. 41. & lib. v. 1.

‡ Gal. iv. 24—27. Heb. xi. 10-16. xii. 22-24. xiii. 14.

PART

E

PART I.

SECTION

X.

The Address to the Church in Laodicea.

14 Kai Tay
τῷ ἀγέλῳ

τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐν
Λαοδικεία γράψου
Τάδε λέγει ὁ ̓Αμὴν,
ὁ μάρτυς ὁ τιςὺς καὶ
ἀληθινὸς, ἡ ἀρχὴ τῆς
κτίσεως το Θε..
15 Οίδα σε τὰ ἔρα,
ὅτι ἔτε ψυχεὸς εἶ,
ἔτε ζεσὸς ὄφελον
ψυχρός ᾖς, ο ζεστός

16 Οντως, ὅτι χλι αρὸς εἶ, καὶ ἔτε ψυ χρός, ἔτε ζεσός, μέλλω σε ἐμέσαι ἐκ το σόματός μα 17 Ὅτι λέγεις" "Οτι πλέσιος εἰμι, καὶ πεπλέτηκα, καὶ ἐδε τὸς χρείαν ἔχων καὶ ἐκ οἶδας, ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ ταλαίπως, καὶ ὁ ἐλεεινὸς, καὶ τίω χος, καὶ τυφλὸς, κα 18 γυμνός Συμβουλεύω σοι, ἀγοράσαι παρ' ἐμὲ χρυσίον πεπυρωμένον ἐκ τσυρός, ἵνα πλετήσῃς καὶ ἱμάτια λευκὰ, ἵνα περιβάλῃ, καὶ μὴ φανερωθῇ ἡ αἰσχύνη τῆς γυμνότητάς σ

CHAP. iii. VER. 14-21.

14 And to the Angel of

the Church in Laodicea, write: Thus saith the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the 15 Creation of God. I

know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot; I would that

thou wert cold or hot: 16 So then, because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to nauseate thee out of my mouth; 17 Because thou sayest that I am rich, and am grown wealthy, and have need of nothing,

and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. 18 I counsel thee to buy

of me gold purified in the fire, that thou may'st be rich; and white raiment, that thou may'st be clothed; and that the shame of thy nakedness may not

14 And unto the Angel of the Church of the Laodiceans, write, These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the Creation 15 of God; I know thy

works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold 16 or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth: 17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not ap

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