THE APOCALYPSE OF IOHN THE APOSTLE — CHAPTER III
Nota Bene: Before proceeding, the reader is advised to review our post titled, PREFATORY TO THE TRANSCRIPTION OF THE APOCALYPSE OF JOHN THE APOSTLE as well as our post titled, THE ARGVMENT OF THE APOCALYPSE OF S. IOHN. The reader is also advised that the source text of THE APOCALYPSE OF IOHN THE APOSTLE — CHAPTER III transcribed herewith can be accessed online by referring to pp. 704–706 of the original Rheims New Testament through the following link: THE NEVV TESTAMENT OF IESVS CHRIST, TRANSLATED FAITHFVLLY INTO ENGLISH, out of the authentical Latin, according to the beſt corrected copies of the ſame, diligently conferred vvith the Greeke and other editions in diuers languages: Vvith Argvments of bookes and chapters, Annotations, and other neceſſarie helpes, for the better vnderſtanding of the text, and ſpecially for the diſcouerie of the Corrvptions of diuers late tranſlations, and for cleering the Controversies in religion, of theſe daies: In the English College of Rhemes. PRINTED AT RHEMES, by Iohn Fogny. 1582.
Chap. III.
He is commaunded to vvrite to the Churches of Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicia : recalling them that erre to penance by threatening, but praiſing the reſt, and promiſing revvard to him that ouercommeth : 15 deteſting alſo the cold indifferent Chriſtian. 20 He ſaith that God knocketh at the doore of mens hartes by offering his grace, for to enter in to him that vvil open vnto him by conſent of free vvil.
1. And to the Angel of the Church of Sardis, write, Thus ſaith he that hath the ſeuẽ Spirites of God, and the ſeuen ſtarres, I know thy vvorkes, that thou haſt the name that thou liueſt, and thou art dead. † 2. Be vigilant, and confirme the reſt of the things vvhich vvere to die. For I finde not thy vvorkes ful before my God. † 3. Haue in minde therfore in vvhat maner thou haſt receiued and heard: and keepe, and doe penance. If therfore thou watch not,* I vvil come to thee as a theefe 1 Theſ.5,2. 2 Pet.3,10. Apo.16,15., & thou ſhalt not knovv vvhat houre I vvil come to thee. † 4. But thou haſt a fevv names in Sardis, c vvhich haue not defiled their garments c Such as haue not cõmitted deadly ſinne after baptiſme. : and they ſhal vvalke vvith me in vvhites, becauſe they ⸬ are vvorthy.⸬ Note that there is in mã a vvorthineſſe of the ioyes of heauen, by holy life. & this is a cõmõ ſpeache in holy Scripture, that man is worthy of God, of heauẽ, of ſalvatiõ. † 5. ″ He that ſhal ouercome,1 ſhal thus be veſted in vvhite garmentes, and I vvil not put his name out of the booke of life, and I vvil confeſſe his name before my father, and before his Angels. † 6. He that hath an eare, let him heare vvhat the Spirit ſaieth to the Churches.
† 7. And to the Angel of the Church of Philadelphia vvrite, Thus ſaith the Holy one and True one, he that hath the * key of Dauid : he that openeth, and no man ſhutteth : ſhutteth, and no man openeth. Eſa.22,22. † 8. I know thy vvorkes. Behold I haue giuen before thee a doore opened vvhich no man can ſhut : becauſe thou haſt a litle povver, and haſt kept my vvord, and haſt not denied my name. † 9. Behold I vvil giue of the ſynagogue of Satan, vvhich ſay they be Ievves, and are not, but doe lie. Behold I vvil make them come and ″ adore before thy feete.2 and they ſhal knovv that I haue loued thee. † 10. becauſe thou haſt kept the vvord of my patience, and I vvil keepe thee from the houre of tentation, vvhich ſhal come vpon the vvhole vvorld to tempt the inhabitants on the earth. † 11. Behold I come quickely : hold that vvhich thou haſt, ″ that no man take thy crovvne.3 † 12. He that ſhal ouercome, I vvil make him a piller in the temple of my God : and he ſhal goe out no more : and I vvil write vpon him the name of my God, and the name of the citie of my God, nevv Hieruſalem vvhich deſcendeth out of heauen from my God, and my nevv name. † 13. He that hath an eare, let him heare vvhat the Spirit ſaith to the Churches.
† 14. And to the Angel of the Church of Laodicia vvrite, Thus ſaith c Amen c ό ’αμην, the faithful and true vvitneſſe,* vvhich is the beginning of the creature of God. Eccleſiaſtici 24,9. 14. Col.1,15. † 15. I knovv thy vvorkes, that thou art neither colde, nor hote. I would thou were colde, or hote. † 16. But becauſe thou art ″ lukevvarme,4 and neither cold nor hote, I vvil begin to vomit thee out of my mouth. † 17. Becauſe thou ſaieſt, That I am riche, and enriched, and lacke nothing: and knovveſt not that thou art a miſer, and miſerable, and poore, and blinde, and naked. † 18. I counſel thee to bye of me gold fire-tried, that thou maieſt be made riche : and maieſt be clothed in vvhite garmentes, that the confuſion of thy nakednes appeare not : and vvith eie-ſalue anoint thine eies, that thou maieſt ſee. † 19. I, * vvhom I loue, do rebuke and chaſtiſe. Prou.3,12. Heb.12,6. Be zelous, therfore and doe penance. † 20. Behold I ſtand at the doore and ⸬ knocke.⸬ God firſt calleth vpõ man and knocketh at the doore of his hart:that is to ſay, offereth his grace. and it lieth in a man to giue cõſent by free wil holpen alſo by his grace. if any man ſhal heare my voice, and open the gate, I vvil enter in to him, and vvil ſuppe vvith him, and he vvith me. † 21. He that ſhal ouercome, I vvil giue vnto him to ſitte vvith me in my throne: as I alſo haue ouercome, and haue ſitten vvith my father in his throne. † 22. He that hath an eare, let him heare vvhat the Spirit ſaith to the Churches.
ANNOTATIONS
Chap. III.
Chap. III.
5. He that ſhal ouercome.] Doing vvel in respect of revvard. 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 revvard of the next life. And yet the Caluaniſts vvould haue no man do good in reſpect of ſuch revvard.↩️
9. Adore before thy feete.] Adoration of creatures called Dulîa. You ſee this vvord of adoration is in Scriptures vſed for vvorſhip 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 upõ the 19 & 22 Chapter concerning the Apoſtles proſtration before the Angel. And the Aduerſaries euaſion, ſaying that the adoration vvas 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. vvhere the Sunamite adored Eliſaeus, falling dovvne 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 revvard, and as an effecte of his loue tovvardes him, ſaying, And they ſhal knovv that I haue loued thee. And that vvhich he ſaith in the 22 Chpater, I fel dovvne to adore before the feete of the Angel : the very ſame he expreſſeth thus in the 19 Chapter, 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 crovvne.] Perſeuêrance in good & continuing to the end. That is, his crovvne of euerlaſting life and glorie, if he perſeuêre not to the end in faith & good vvorkes:othervviſe an other ſhal enter into his place, as Mathias did both to the dignitie of the Apoſtleſhip, & to the heauenly crovvne due for the vvel vſing and executing of the ſame function : vvhich Iudas might and ſhould haue had, if he had perſeuêred to the end. and as the Gentiles cam into the grace and place of the Ievves. Other difficulties concerning this kinde of ſpeache are reſolued in Schoolemen, and are not here to be ſtoode vpon.↩️
16. Lukevvarme.] Neuters or indifferents in religion. 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 lukevvarme vvater is to a mans ſtomake, prouoking him to vomite. and therfore he threateneth to void up ſuch Neuters out of his mouth.↩️