Revelation 3

Caesar after his victories, in token of honor had a chair of ivory set for him in the Senate, and a throne in the theater; the Saints having obtained their victories over sin and Satan, shall be enthroned with Christ in the Empyrean Heaven. To sit with Christ, denotes safety, to…

A man can no more by the power of nature reach Christ, than an infant can reach the top of the pyramids, or the ostrich fly up to the stars. See your need of Christ's anointing and teaching (Revelation 3:18). 2. Go to Christ to teach you (Psalms 25:5): Lead me in your truth, and…

As here he puts his grace upon the saints, so shortly he will put his glory upon them. This is comfort to the poorest Christian, perhaps you have scarce a house to put your head in, yet you may look up to heaven and say, There is my house, there is my country; and I have already…

2. Comfort to the godly in regard of their salvation (2 Timothy 2:19). The foundation of God stands sure, having this seal, the Lord knows who are his: God's counsel of election is unchangeable: once elected and for ever elected (Revelation 3:5). I will not blot his name out of…

Perhaps once we were mounted into higher orbs, we did [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉], set our hearts on things above, and speak the language of Canaan, but now our minds are taken off of Heaven, we dig our comfort out of these lower mines, and with Satan compass the earth: a sign w…

Thus God adopts us into the family of heaven; and God in adopting us does two things: 1. He ennobles us with his name; he who is adopted bears his name who adopts him (Revelation 3:12): I will write on him the name of my God. 2. God consecrates us with his Spirit: Whom he adopts…

3. I grant, true believers, though they do not fall away actually and lose all their grace, yet their grace may fail in the degree, and they may make a great breach upon their sanctification. Grace may be moritura, not mortua — dying but not dead (Revelation 3:2): Strengthen the…

God will make his sword drunk with the blood of apostates. 4. The promises of mercy are annexed only to perseverance (Revelation 3:5). He that overcomes, shall be clothed in white raiment, and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life.

The covenant of grace brings preferment. Our nature is now more ennobled, we are raised to higher glory than in innocency, we are advanced to sit upon Christ's throne (Revelation 3:21), we are by virtue of the covenant of grace nearer to Christ than the angels. They are his frie…

It was good advice Calvin gave to Melancthon, that he should not so affect the name of moderate, as to lose all his zeal. To be cool and silent, when God's blessed truths are undermined or adulterated, is not moderation, but lukewarmness, which is to God a most hateful temper (R…

Resp. They have greater honor than is conferred on the princes of the earth; They are precious in God's esteem; (Isaiah 43:4) Since you were precious in my eyes, you have been honorable; the wicked are dross (Psalm 119:119), and chaff (Psalm 1:4), but God numbers his children am…

These are lamps without oil, whited sepulchers, like the Egyptian temples, which had fair outsides, but within spiders and apes. The Apostle speaks of true holiness (Ephesians 4:24), implying, there is a holiness which is spurious and feigned (Revelation 3:1). You have a name to…

In serving your masters you serve Christ, and he will not let you lose your labor, you shall receive the reward of the inheritance. From serving on earth, you shall be taken up to reign in heaven, and shall sit with Christ upon his throne (Revelation 3:21).

They are conquerors over the world, and being victors they now have palm branches. 3. They sit upon the throne with Christ (Revelation 3:21). When Caesar returned from conquering his enemies, there was set for him a chair of state in the senate, and a throne in the theatre.

As the herb Heliotropium turns about according to the motion of the sun; so a godly man's actions do all move towards the glory of God. 11. If we would obtain the heavenly Kingdom, let us keep up fervency in duty, What is a dead form without the power (Revelation 3:16)? Because…

Hypocrites soon give over doing God's Will; like the chrysolite which is of a golden color, in the morning it is very bright to look on, but towards evening it grows dull, and has lost its splendor: We should continue in doing God's Will, because of that great loss that will bef…

Is there any such joy as to have the golden banner of Christ's love displayed over us? Is there any such honor as to sit upon the throne with Christ (Revelation 3:21)? O then long for the celestial kingdom.

And not only so, but delivers them up to Satan — that being the consequence of it, which therefore, because it implies the former, is put to express the whole proceeding. Which delivery of him to Satan was not a giving him a commission to carry him on to more sin, for the end pr…

And this teaches us to lay aside all self-love and pride of heart, and to practice the duties of humility, as the apostle exhorts the Philippians in the same place: and that shall we do when we begin to cast off that high opinion which every man by nature conceives of himself, a…

True piety sheds an excellency upon a person, as the sun imparts a luster to the stars. The righteous man has God's name written upon him (Revelation 3:12) and partakes of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). Which is not by a transubstantiation into the Divine Essence, but by a tra…

I say [truly righteous] to exclude the hypocrite, who has a form, and slight tincture of piety, but knows not the grace of God in truth (Colossians 1:6). He has nothing of religion but the name (Revelation 3:1), and religion often suffers by him: But he who is really righteous,…

Objection 5. Christ says (Revelation 3:4) that the faithful in the Church of Sardis shall walk with him in white: for they are worthy: therefore believers merit. Answer: Every believer is worthy to walk with Christ: yet not worthy in himself, but in Christ, to whom he is united,…

For all this may be, and probably is, the fruit of his love and care for your soul. Revelation 3:19: Whom I love, I rebuke and chasten. How much better is it to have an idolized enjoyment taken from you in mercy, than if God should say concerning you, as he said of Ephraim in Ho…

Thus the gospel calls not to an empty house that wants meat, but to a banqueting house where Christ is made ready as the cheer, and there wants no more but feasting on Him: so it's set out under the similitude of eating and drinking (John 6:57), He that eats me, even he shall li…

An eighth expression is that of opening to Christ, (Song of Solomon 5:2) Open to me my dove, etc. (Revelation 3:20) Behold I stand at the door and knock, if any man open the door to me, etc. (Acts 16) it's said, the Lord opened the heart of Lydia: when the Word comes, sinners' h…

For we have not only the Mediator, and His satisfaction to look upon in this soul-travel, but also the contrivance of the Covenant, called in the former words, the pleasure of the Lord; who, while we were enemies gave His Son, and was content to want Him for a time (to speak so)…

3. It implies the Mediator's fitness for this service, that He is furnished, fitted, and qualified for, as well as taken up with, the justifying of sinners, and setting them free before the throne of God. He has a full purse (to speak so) to pay their debt; therefore He bids sin…

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…

2. And those who will not be invited, he must draw them, rather than want them: he draws with compassion, as being overcome with love; for his bowels are moved for Ephraim (Jeremiah 31), he draws while his arms bleed. 3. And does not only knock, but he stands and knocks (Revelat…

Verse 3: Incline your ear to me, and hear, and your soul shall live, and I will make an everlasting Covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Then a soul dies a soul's death — he is lean, he eats dirt, he has no bread — while he comes to Christ (Revelation 3:18): I coun…

5. How long he seeks; how long a night-rain wet his locks and hair! How long a night is it, he stands at the church door knocking? (Song of Songs 5:1; Revelation 3:20). There be many hours in this night; since he was preached in Paradise, and yet he stands to this day, how gladl…

Christ with a great condescension took upon him the office of his Father's Ambassador to the Church, to promote the Covenant of Reconciliation between God and man, and make offers of it in preaching the Gospel, and he it is that does by his Spirit persuade the elect, and does ma…

(Psalm 32:6) Hence says David, verse 7. You are my hiding place, you shall preserve me from trouble: Some way or other God will attest and testify the integrity of his praying servants before the world: Thus he dealt in the case of Job: God's children may be long concealed from…

For it is a manifest beguiling when a man persuades himself that he is somewhat, when in deed he is nothing. Such men are well described in the third chapter of Revelation in these words: You say: I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing, and do not know how…

Christ was even consumed with the zeal of God's house (John 2). The angel of the Church of Laodicea is blamed, because he is neither hot, nor cold (Revelation 3). He is accursed of God, that does the work of God negligently (Jeremiah 48).

The Church of Laodicea, thought shee was rich, and increased with goods, and had neede of nothing: whereas shee was wretched, and miserable, andpoore, and blind, and naked. Apoc 3:17. And so the skarlet strūpet thought her selfe a Queene, and that shee was out of all daunger of…

Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify with himself a peculiar People, zealous of good Works. And this is spoken of, as the great Thing wanting in the luke-warm Laodiceans, Revelation 3. 15, 16, 19. I have mentioned but a few Texts, out of…

The Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the Soul: The Testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the Simple: The Statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the Heart: The Commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the Eyes: The Fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever: T…

She at some times appears greatly affected and delighted with texts of Scripture that come to her mind. Particularly, about the beginning of November last year, the text came to her mind: 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will…

First, the bestowing a reward carries in it a respect to a moral fitness, in the thing rewarded, to the reward: the very notion of a reward being a benefit bestowed in testimony of acceptance of, and respect to, the goodness or amiableness of some qualification or work, in the p…

And hear how Christ, to encourage you, represents himself as a lamb: he tells you that he is meek and lowly in heart — are you afraid to come to such a one? And again, Revelation 3:20: 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hears my voice and opens the door, I will c…

(1.) Of all mercies, this comes through most and greatest difficulties, Ephesians 1. 19, 20. (2.) This is a spiritual mercy, excelling in dignity of nature all others, more than gold excels the dirt under your feet, Revelation 3:18 One such gift, is worth thousands of other merc…

They that invent a worship, must invent a doctrine to maintain it by. Some perhaps may stumble at that text (Revelation 3:9), where this promise is made to the Church of Philadelphia, Behold I will make them of the Synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews and are not, but do…

He is so indeed who has no grace in him; but not he alwaies who can find none in him: But these are different things. A man may have grace, and yet not have it at some times much acting; he may have grace for life, when he has it not for fruitfulness and comfort, though it be hi…

The comfortable fellowship that is to be had with him by the Gospel is held forth under the similitude of a great feast; as fellowship in glory and enjoying of him there is set out by eating and drinking with him at his Table (Luke 22:29-30). Now this is most friendly, when Chri…

It is like that wondering expression (Isaiah 49:21): You shall say (to wit, when the sudden change comes) Who has begotten me these? Or, as it is (Revelation 3:9) where it is promised to the Church of Philadelphia, that others should fall down, and worship at her feet, as being…

The third word is, drink abundantly: that shows the largeness of his allowance, and the heartiness of his welcome, as a gladsome host, so cherishes he his guests; and all this is [reconstructed: to] be understood spiritually, of the joy and comfort which he allows on his people,…

They are cited as having authority, and not to get it; and therefore there are many scriptures in the Old Testament, which were never cited in the New: although it may be said, there are many near resemblances (at least) in the New Testament, to diverse passages in this Song; as…

And therefore the Apostle has twice cautioned parents against this provoking way of discipline; (Ephesians 6:4) You fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: And again, (Colossians 3:21) Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. Yet notwithstandin…

First, sometimes it is taken for the nature and being of the deity itself. Nor is it an unusual figure to put name for that thing or person that is expressed by it; as Revelation 3:4. You have a few names in Sardis, that have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with…