fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer, as though you might not be able to endure these pains, and forced to apostacy, hurt my cause, and lose your souls at last. Take courage, and go on to perform the duties of your offices in every department, I will never forsake you. Be christians, and bishops of souls in sincerity; all your sufferings will work together for your good. You will be sifted like grain, and tried like gold in a furnace, that you may be qualified for my purposes.

Crown of life. The Revelation takes notice of two sorts of crowns, a regal or imperial crown, and a crown of victory; this last is to be understood in this place. It was customary among the ancients, to crown a hero after a victorious campaign. This crown was not only a badge of high honour, it also conferred a dignity and certain privileges, which the conqueror enjoyed in preference to his fellow citizens. But these were only perishable crowns, and earthly privileges the Lord Jesus promises a crown of life, with the privilege of immortality in his everlasting kingdom. And this peculiar felicity is here offered the gospel ministry, as the reward of being faithful unto death. Their prerogatives then, are not merely citizenship in heaven; but titles to large possessions, peculiar favour and special employments in the most important concerns of Christ's kingdom.

Verse 11. Second death. The first death is the separation of body and soul, whereby we are deprived of our first life; the second death is the casting of body and soul into everlasting perdition, whereby we are deprived of the second and eternal life. This state of eternal punishment is therefore called the second death. See chapter xx. 14. xxi. 8.

This pastoral charge is given to the gospel ministry during the time of persecution by public authority, in which Jews and Gentiles were united, for the total destruction of the Church of Christ. They have withstood that terrible

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storm, with a few exceptions, and now enjoy the promise before the throne of the Lamb. Great has been their sacrifice, much greater is their reward now in heaven. Consider, O ye pastors of Christ's flock! that a similar time of such peril and temptation is now again near at hand, and perhaps nearer than we all imagine. How far will our constancy and faithfulness go? What sacrifices shall we be prepared to make? What return shall the Lord receive from us, for the travail of his soul? May the Lord enable us to light our lamps, and provide oil in time, ere it be too late! For the most violent and trying crisis of that persecution, Rev. xiii. 11-18. xiv. 13, is not past, and the beast from the abyss is yet to rise, whose element is now maturing throughout the civilized world.

1

A PASTORAL CHARGE

TO THE ANGEL AT PERGAMOS.

12. And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; these things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges.

13. I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days, wherein Antipas was my faithful. martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

14. But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto Idols, and to commit fornication. 15. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.

16. Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

17. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto [at, in] the churches; to him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

Here is an other proof, why these addresses should be considered in the light of pastoral charges. The Lord

appears at the head of his church, in his episcopal character, and pronounceth public excommunication against the corrupters of his institution, in the face of all. He protests at Ephesus, against the false Apostles; at Smyrna, against the false Jews; and here at Pergamos against those, who confused Christianity by blending it with Paganism; and these together with the Nicolaitanes, are hereby solemnly excluded from the sheepfold of Christ. Against all these heretics and their principles, the ministers of those times seem to have been too lenitive and surrendered privileges, derogatory to the prosperity and majesty of the Church; for which the Lord here censures them, and corrects their faults.

Verse 12. A sharp sword with two edges. See chap. i. 16. Verse 13. Thou dwellest, where Satan's seat is. Ogóvos ought not to be translated seat, but throne. Seat is only a place of rest and abode; but throne implies government, regal authority, the centre of empire; and this last signification is certainly the meaning here. Such a residence and throne of Satan has been Paganism, and the city of Rome in the Roman empire, in which Satan made the emperors his magistracy, and the Pagan priests his legal instruments of persecution against the religion of Christ, as the 9th, and 10th verses clearly affirm. For though all sanguinary persecutions ceased, after the conversion of the emperor Constantine to Christianity; yet Satan's kingdom fell into many paroxysms of rage and fury in the provinces, where even after this happy change the Heathens retained their temples and religious rites for several centuries. But also in the very heart of the empire Satan held his throne for a considerable time, where the Roman senate, and many of the magistrates, philosophers, rhetoricians, military leaders, and persons of emi-nence and distinction, remained attached to the service of the Pagan deities. But the words of the Lord convey an other idea on this subject, which it imported the church

very much to know. He tells them, that Paganism in the Roman empire is the throne and centrepoint, the visible residence of Satan's kingdom in this world, where his power and influence was of the first importance. Thus he informs them of their danger and peril, and what momentous effects their constancy and faithfulness would have, towards the glory of Christ's Church, and the destruction of the power of Satan on earth.

But also Pergamos was such a little throne of Satan's, wholly given to idolatry, and full of images, of Pagan deities, priests, and worshippers in the temples of Æsculapius and Diana. In this city, many Christians praised God by martyrdom.

Thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith. This praise of their constancy and faithfulness in such a place, and on the lips of the Lord, makes their virtue in our estimation of high worth and excellence. However, it does not appear to me, as if the Lord by these words, alluded only to the struggles of Paganism against Christianity; his expressions indicate a time, in which the purity of the christian doctrine was in great danger of being perverted, and particularly his name and faith. His name denotes the doctrine concerning his person and office, as the Son of God, and the Redeemer of the world. This they were very much in danger to deny, during the rage of Arianism, in which the orthodox Christians underwent severe trials and sufferings on account of their confession; especially in Africa, where the name of Christ, as being equal with the Father, and considered the Redeemer of mankind, had many martyrs. The faith of Christ here signifies his religion, the doctrine generally which he taught. To deny the religion of Christ, the gospel ministry also were in the greatest temptation during the reign of Julian the apostate, who reduced the Church to the brink of destruction by art and stratagem, which he carried on especially against the ministers with the utmost