Revelation 2

These are as it were the saints' wages; but besides, the great reward is to come, an eternal weight of glory (2 Corinthians 4:17). Christ makes all his subjects kings (Revelation 2:10): I'll give you a crown of life. This crown will be full of jewels, and it will never fade (1 P…

They are not of the world, though they live here, yet, they trade in the heavenly country. The world is a place where Satan's throne is (Revelation 2:13), a stage on which sin every day acts its part; now such as are called are in, but not of, the world. Quest. To what does God…

12. We glorify God by being zealous for his name (Numbers 25:11): Phinehas has turned my wrath away, while he was zealous for my sake. Zeal is a mixed affection, a compound of love and anger; it carries forth our love to God, and anger against sin in a most intense manner: zeal…

God will not be in any man's debt; (Malachi 1:10) Who has kindled a fire on my altar for nothing? 2. God lets men go on in sin and prosper, that he may leave them more inexcusable, (Revelation 2:21) I gave her space to repent of her fornication. God adjourns the sessions, spins…

3. You who have love to God, keep it flaming upon the altar of your heart. Love, as fire, will be ready to go out (Revelation 2:4). You have left your first love.

Therefore we must imitate Christ, who became obedient to the death (Philippians 2:8). The crown is set upon the head of perseverance (Revelation 2:26). He that keeps my works to the end, to him will I give the morning star.

This decay of grace I shall show in two particulars. 1. The lively actings of grace may be suspended (Revelation 2:4): You have left your first love. Grace may be like a sleepy habit; the godly may act faintly in religion, the pulse of their affections may beat low.

When gray hairs shine with golden virtues, this is a crown of glory. The church of Thyatira was best at last (Revelation 2:19). I know your patience and your works, and the last to be more than the first.

But the holiness of God is pure, like wine from the grape; it has not the least dash or tincture of impurity mixed with it. 2. A more unchangeable holiness: the saints though they cannot lose the habit of holiness (for the seed of God remains), yet they may lose some degrees of…

Through the bright mirror of his own essence he has a full idea and cognizance of all things; the world is to him Corpus diaphanum, a transparent body. He makes a heart-anatomy; he is [illegible] (Revelation 2:23). I am he which searches the reins and the heart.

By a lie in our words we deny the truth, by a lie in our profession we disgrace it. Not to be what we profess to God is telling a lie; and the Scripture makes it little better than blasphemy (Revelation 2:9). I know the blasphemy of them that say they are Jews, and are not.

Satan has a kingdom; he got his kingdom by conquest; he conquered mankind in Paradise. He has his throne (Revelation 2:13): "You dwell where Satan's throne is"; and his throne is set up in the hearts of men. He does not care for their purses but their hearts (Ephesians 2:2).

He who is truly sanctified cannot fall from that state. Indeed seeming holiness may be lost; colors may wash off; Sanctification may suffer an eclipse (Revelation 2:4): You have left your first love; but true Sanctification is a blossom of eternity (1 John 2:27): The anointing w…

And (verse 10). He has not rewarded us according to our iniquities. God has deferred his wrath, and given us space to repent (Revelation 2:21). God is not like a hasty creditor, that requires the debt, and gives no time for the payment.

Thus you see how the meditation of Heaven would be a means to bring us there. 18. The last means for obtaining the Heavenly Kingdom is, perseverance in holiness (Revelation 2:10). Be you faithful to death, and you shall receive the Crown of Life.

Where God pardons he purifies. As in the inauguration of kings, with the crown there is the oil to anoint: so when God crowns a man with forgiveness, there he gives the anointing oil of grace to sanctify (Revelation 2:17): "I will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new n…

Quest. 17. Which are the principal institutions of the Gospel to be observed in the worship of God? Answ. (1.) The calling, gathering and setling of Churches with their Officers, as the seat and subject of all other solemn instituted worship. (2.) Prayer with thanksgiving. (3.)…

And to give more strength hereunto, our Lord Jesus Christ in the revelation that he made of his mind and will personally after his ascension into Heaven, insisted principally about the condition, order and preservation of particular Churches; not taking notice of any of his disc…

Quest. 41. What is the discipline of the Church? Answ. It consists in the due exercise of that authority and power which the Lord Christ in and by his Word has granted to the Church, for its continuance, increase, and preservation, in purity, order, and holiness, according to hi…

Secondly, offences against that mutual love which is the bond of perfection in the Church, if pertinaciously persisted in (Matthew 18:16, 17). Thirdly, false doctrines against the fundamentals in faith or worship, especially if maintained with contention, to the trouble and dist…

(4) To admit them being approved into the order and fellowship of the Gospel in the Church. Acts 8:20, 23; Titus 1:10; Revelation 2:2; Jeremiah 15:19; Acts 18:26; 1 Thessalonians 2:7, 8, 11; Acts 9:29, 27; Romans 14:1. Qu. 50 What is the duty of the whole Church in reference to…

Qu. 6. May not such an estate of faith and perfection in obedience be attained in this life, as wherein believers may be freed from all obligation to the observation of Gospel institutions? Answ. No! For the ordinances and institutions of the Gospel being inseparably annexed to…

Qu. 8. How many we sanctify the name of God in the use of Gospel institutions? Answ. 1. By a holy reverence of his sovereign authority appointing of them. 2. A holy regard to his special presence in them. 3. Faith in his promises annexed to them. 4. Delight in his will, wisdom,…

And by this his long experience and observation he has his set and composed machinations (2 Corinthians 2:11), his methods of temptations (Ephesians 6:11) which are studied and artificially molded and ordered — even such systems and methods of them as tutors and professors of ar…

As in the sacraments, the bread conveys whole Christ and the wine also whole Christ, so in the word every promise conveys whole Christ. And if you can say as the church of Ephesus in Revelation 2:6, 'This thing I have — that I hate sin, and every sin as God hates it, and because…

But his own, God gives up to him but as prisoners to a jailer, as a magistrate may do his child to commit him; who has not a power over his prisoner to do anything with him, but only by appointment, for a time, with a limited commission, and therefore cannot put him on the rack…

Which shows us clearly the truth of Gods word, which says of Christ, that he reigns in the middle among his enemies. Howsoever they rage, and seek to blot out his name, and to root out his kingdom, yet despite their throats, he will rule in the middle of their kingdoms, and ther…

If we frequent devised forms of worship in prayer or praise, we shall lay a stumbling block before a weak brother, and cause him to fall. Woe be to them that follow the way of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel (Revelation 2:14; Jude…

In this case it is not only lawful but expedient, yes necessary that we should testify to them that good persuasion which we have concerning their state and condition with the grounds thereof, as the Apostle does in this place. So in like case testified our Savior himself concer…

The words we so render, are [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉], and sometimes [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉], singly, as (1 Thessalonians 5:23). [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉] and [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉], are indefinitely used to this end (ch. 3:6; ch. 4:14; Revelation 2:25; ch. 3:11). S…

For it does not become the greatness and goodness of God to call his own people to sufferings for his Name, and to his glory, and therein the loss of their lives many times, with all enjoyments here below; and not propose to them, nor provide for them, that which shall be infini…

To deny the continued accomplishment of this promise, and that on any pretence whatever, is the venom of infidelity. If therefore they have an irrevocable divine institution; if Christ be present in their administrations, as he was of old (Revelation 2:1), there can be no abatem…

Who makes reckoning of corn that sheds before harvest? It was the glory of the church of Thyatira, her last works were more than her first (Revelation 2:19). Perseverance carries away the garland; a true Christian does not only set out in the race, but hold out; The righteous al…

Sechem yields to be circumcised for Dinah's sake, because he loved her; and Jacob endured his seven years service for Rachel's sake: so will love make us obey God cheerfully in things contrary to our natural inclination. Love and labor are often coupled in Scripture; and those t…

In the evangelical covenant, the promises that are made are not made to any work or virtue in man, but to the worker: not for any merit of his own person or work, but for the person and merit of Christ. For example, it is a promise of the Gospel (Revelation 2:10): Be faithful to…

Remember the place where you are is the place of his feet (Isaiah 60:13). Act faith upon the omniscience of God: 'All the churches shall know that I am he that searches the heart and tries the minds, and will give to everyone according to their works' (Revelation 2:23). 'All thi…

Oh then what manner of persons ought you to be! You have many eyes over you: the omniscient eye of God that searches the heart and minds (Revelation 2:23); the vigilant eye of Satan (Job 1:7-8); the envious eyes of enemies that curiously observe you (Psalm 5:8); the quick and ob…

The wild beasts and boars of the forest will attempt to break down the hedges of the Lord's Vineyard, how much more if any breach be left in the hedges? If therefore you would make a sure Reformation, make a perfect Reformation; lest Christ have this controversy with England, Ne…

And those proud idolaters (Isaiah 65:4) are reproved not only for eating swine's flesh, but because the broth of such abominable things was in their vessels. And Christ from Heaven reproves those two churches of Pergamus and Thyatira for eating meat sacrificed to idols (Revelati…

5. Apostacy. Jer. 6. 28. They are all grievous revolters, Reprobate silver shall one call them, because the Lord hath rejected them. This made God remove his golden Candlestick from the Church of Ephesus, because she had left her first Love, Rev. 2. 4. And if apostacy will make…

Christ has but one wife or spouse (Canticles 6:9). The Catholic Church indeed is but one; namely the whole company of God's elect in heaven, in earth, dead, now living, and not yet born: But as there is the Church Catholic, which is but one; so there are particular and visible c…

Here is some good number imported. To the Angel of the Church of Smyrna, that is, to the Pastors thereof collectively taken, Christ says, The Devil shall cast some of you into prison (Revelation 2:10), which (if not only yet) principally is spoken to the Pastors, though for the…

But it may be said, what need we any more writing, what need we any truer proof, or testimony? The learned Doctor in his Dissertations, Dissert. 4. cap. 5. has abundantly discharged this worke, and proved the seven Bishops of the seven Churches mentioned (Revelation 2–3) to have…

Yet the Midianites also offered sacrifices to it along with the Moabites. For they employed their snares against the Israelites who were sacrificing to it; and they did so with Balaam as their instructor (Numbers 31:15, 16); and in the New Testament, the enticements to fornicati…

But that every assembly which is called a particular church from some particular place where it assembles can fail with the passage of time, Scripture teaches; and that particular churches have in fact failed, events confirm. For the Holy Spirit testifies that some churches, wit…

Strength is, when according as the good or evil is, there lacks no earnestness of affection (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37). Here is forbidden the least remission or weakness (Revelation 2:4). Uprightness is, when the affection loves, desires, etc. in a single heart, only becau…

And, O, what massive consolation have such words as these, in them; and what confidence may believing sinners have to come to this Mediator; that is a mother, a father, a brother, and a parent, that has begotten us out of His own bowels; and in some respect, (as we are believers…

And though the godly do steadfastly believe their salvation is in a castle, above losing; yet in reason, sin bringing broken bones, (Psalm 51:10), a sad cloud, the damming up of a spring of Christ's love spread abroad in the heart, a temporary hell in the soul, it must be sorrow…

No man whatever mettle he be of, the finest of men can come, or has power to come to me, and to believe on the only begotten Son of God, except the Father who sent me draw him. We know Christ was much to extol his Father, his Father was ever in his esteem an eminent one, as (Mat…

He that does the will of my heavenly Father, the same is my brother, etc. (1 Corinthians 9:24). So run, that you may obtain (Revelation 2:2). I know your works and your labor (1 Thessalonians 1:3).