He is commanded to write to the Churches of Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicia: recalling them
that erre, to penance by threatning, but praising the rest, and promising reward to him that
ouercometh: 15. detesting also the cold indifferent Christian. 20. He saith that God knocketh at the
doore of mens harts by offering his grace, for to enter in to him that wil open vnto him by consent
of free-wil.
1. AND to the Angel of the Church of Sardis, write: Thus saith he that hath the seuen
Spirits of God, and the seuen starres: I know thy workes, that thou hast the name that thou
liuest, and thou art dead.
2. Be vigilant, and confirme the rest of the things where were to die. For I find not
thy workes ful before my God.
3. Haue in mind therfore in what manner thou hast receiued and heard: and keep, and
doe penance. If therfore thou watch not,
*
1. Thes. 5,2.
2. Pet. 3,10.
Apoc. 16,15.
I wil come to thee as a theefe, and thou shalt not know
what houre I wil come to thee.
4. But thou hast a few names in Sardis,
✟
Such as haue not committed deadly sinne after Baptisme
which haue not defiled their garments: and
they shal walke with me in whites, because they
✟
Note that there is in man a worthinesse of the ioyes of heauen, by holy life: and this is
a common speach in holy Scripture, that man is worthy of God, of heauen, of saluation.
are worthy.
5. He that shal ouercome, shal thus be vested in white garments, and I wil not put
his name out of the booke of life, and I wil confesse his name before my Father, and before his
Angels.
6. He that haht an eare, let him heare what the Spirit saith to the Churches.
7. And to the Angels of the Church of Philadelphia write: This saith the Holy one and
the True one, he that hath the
*
Esa. 21,22.
key of Dauid; he that openeth, and no man shutteth, shutteth, and
no man openeth:
8. I know thy workes. Behold I haue giuen before thee a doore opened which no man can
shut: because thou hast a litle power, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
9. Behold I wil giue of the Synagogue of Satan, which say they be Iewes, and are not,
but doe lie. Behold I wil make them come and adore before thy feet. And they shal know that I haue
loued thee.
10. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, and I wil keep thee from the houre
of tentation, which shal come vpon the whole world to tempt the inhabitants on the earth.
11. Behold I come quickly: hold that which thou hast, that no man take thy crowne.
12. He that shal ouercome, I wil make him a piller in the temple of my God: and he shal
goe out no more: and I wil write vpon him the name of my God, and the name of the citie of my God,
new Hierusalem, which descendeth out of Heauen from my God, and my new name.
13. He that hath an eare, let him heare what the Spirit saith to the Churches.
14. And to the Angels of the Church of Laodicia write: Thus saith
✟
ὁ ἀμήν.
Amen, the faithful
and true witnesse,
*
Ecclesiastici 24,9. 14.
Col. 1,15.
which is the beginning of the creature of God:
15. I know thy workes, that thou art neither cold, nor hot. I would thou wert cold,
or hot.
16. But because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I wil begin to vomit thee
out of my mouth.
17. Because thou saiest, That I am rich, and enriched, and lacke nothing; and knowest
not that thou art a miser, and miserable, and poore, and blind, and naked.
18. I counsel thee to buy of me gold fire-tried, that thou maiest be made rich: and
maiest be clothed in white garmentes, that the confusion of thy nakednes appeare not: and with
eye-salue anoint thine eyes, that thou maiest see.
19. I,
*
Prou. 3,12.
Heb. 12,6.
whom I loue, doe rebuke and chastise. Be zealous therfore and doe penance.
20. Behold I stand at the doore and
✟
God first calleth vpon man and knocketh at the doore of his hart, that is to say, offereth
his grace. And it lieth in man to giue consent by free-wil holpen also by his grace.
knock. If any man shal heare my voice, and open to
me the gate, I wil enter in to him, and wil sup with him, and he with me.
21. He that shal ouercome, I wil giue vnto him to sit with me in my throne: as I also
haue ouercome, and haue sitten with my Fathers in his throne.
22. He that hath an eare, let him heare what the Spirit saith to the Churches.
ANNOTATIONS.
Cʜᴀᴘ. III.
5. He that shal ouercome.)
In al these speaches to diuers Bishops and their Churches, he continually encourageth them
to constancie in faith and good life, by setting before their eies the reward of the next
life. And yet the Caluinists would haue no man do good in respect of such reward.
9. Adore before thy feete.)
You see this word of adoration is in Scriptures vsed for worship of creatures also, and that to
fall before the feete of holy men or Angels for duety and reuerence, is not idolatrie, except the
proper honour due to God, be giuen vnto them. See the Annotations vpō the 19 & 22 Chapter
concerning the Apostles prostration before the Angel. And the Aduersaries euasion, saying that the
adoration was of God onely: and that, before the feete of the partie, signifieth nothing els but,
in his presence, is false and against the phrase of Scriptures. as 4 Reg. 4. where the Sunamite
adored Elisaeus, falling downe before his feete and 4 Reg. 2. the sonnes of the Prophets adored
him in the same sort. and here this adoration can not be meant but of the Bishop or Angel of
Philadelphia, because he promiseth this honour as a reward, and as an effecte of his loue towardes
him, saying And they shal know that I haue loued thee. And that which he saith in the 22 Chapter,
I fel downe to adore before the feete of the Angel: the very same he expresseth thus in the 19
Chapters, I fel before his feete to adore him: making it al one, to adore before his feete, and to
adore him.
11. That no man take thy crown.)
That is, his crowne of euerlasting life and glorie, if he perseuêre not to the end in faith & good v
vorkes: otherwise an other shal enter into his place, as Mathias did both to the dignitie of the
Apostleship, & to the heauenly crowne due for the wel vsing and executing of the same function:
which Iudas might and should haue had, if he had perseuêred to the end. and as the Gentiles came
into the grace and place of the Iewes. Other difficulties concerning this kinde of speache are
resolued in Schoolemen, and are not here to be stoode vpon.
16. Lukewarms.)
Zeale and feruour is commendable, specially in Gods cause: and the Neuters that be neither hote
nor cold, are to Christ and his Church burdenous and lothsome, as lukewarme water is to a mans
stomake, prouoking him to vomite, and therfore he threateneth to void vp such Neuters out of his
mouth.