In his right hand.'-The right hand of his righteousness, (Is. xli. 10.) As the star is upheld by the hand alluded to, so the system, if a system of truth, must be upheld by divine righteousness as its basis. And as the right of the Creator to control the universe arises from the fact that he sustains the universe, so the right of the Redeemer to control or dictate a system of faith, arises from the fact that such a system must depend upon his own imputed righteousness for its foundation. In other words, as the right hand of Jehovah's righteousness is declared, in the passage above quoted, to be the instrument of salvation; so the same right hand, or the precious truth represented by it, must control and regulate all views pertaining to the scheme of redemption.

'Who walketh,' &c.-This walking amidst the golden candlesticks, ecclesiæ, or assemblages of select truths, may indicate that amidst these only Christ is to be found, bearing the characteristics represented in the description given of him in the preceding chapter.

Vs. 2, 3. I know thy works and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear (them which are) evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: and hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.

οἶδα τὰ ἔργα σου καὶ τὸν κόπον σου καὶ τὴν ὑπομονήν σου, καὶ ὅτι οὐ δύνῃ βαστάσαι κακούς, καὶ ἐπείρασας τοὺς λέγοντας ἑαυτοὺς ἀποστόλους καὶ οὐκ εἰσί, καὶ εὗρες αὐτοὺς ψευδεῖς, καὶ ὑπομονὴν ἔχεις, καὶ εβάστασας διὰ τὸ ὄνομά μου, καὶ οὐ κεκοπίακας.

42. There are some slight differences here in the various Greek editions, as well as in the English versions, but such as to require no comment. The rendering of the close of the last verse, may be, according to Leusden, "and has suffered for my name, and hast not been wanting or deficient." The words, them which are, in the second verse, are supplied by our translators; the reading without them would be better-and how thou canst not bear evil ones, that is, evil principles; but this is immaterial, as we consider here, as well as throughout the whole book of Revelation, the terms of persons when introduced, as well as of animals, angels, and material things, to be figuratively employed. Principles being personified by men and angels, or typically represented by beasts, birds, living creatures, and even inanimate objects.

'I know thy works,' &c.-A doctrinal system is here addressed under the figure of the angel, or ministering spirit, of a church. Its tendency to activity and perseverance in promoting the glory of the Redeemer is praised ; at the same time, its deficiency in one important respect is pointed out; while due credit is given for its opposition to certain incorrect views of Christian faith, and its examination and condemnation of false doctrines, spoken of as pretended apostles.

We have no particulars of the Ephesian Church to throw light upon this passage, unless it be the faith and love towards the saints,

alluded to, Ephesians i. 15. The quality praised or reprehended, and not the person or persons, is that to which our attention is to be directed. It is unnecessary to inquire what particular works or labour are here alluded to-we have only to take the representation as it is in the general. The Ephesian angel was not deficient, apparently, in works, but he may have relied too much upon works for salvation, as contradistinguished from grace. He laboured, too, but he may have laboured or gone about to establish his own righteousness; he exercised patience, but he may have relied upon his patience as a work; he had zeal, too, in contending with the elements of error, and, according to Paul, as above referred to, he had faith towards God, and love or benevolence towards the saints, but he may have considered his faith a merit, and his benevolence a merit; and thus, after all, have contemplated salvation as a result of works of righteousness done by the disciple, although not works professedly fulfilling the law. That such was the case, appears probable from the character of the error for which he is admonished. V. 4. Nevertheless I have somewhat ̓Αλλ' ἔχω κατὰ σοῦ, ὅτι τὴν ἀγάπην σου against thee, because thou hast forsaken την πρώτην ἀφῆκας. thy first love.

43. Because thou hast forsaken,' &c.-The word άyánny, here translated love, is the same as that rendered, 1 Cor. xiii., charity. We may either say here, thou hast forsaken thy first charity, or we may say there, without love we are nothing. It is to be regretted that the same English term has not been uniformly employed in our common version. So, Romans xiii. 10, love is said to be the fulfilling of the law, while, according to Tim. i. 5., the end of the commandment is charity. The term in both cases being the same as that which is expressed, Rev. ii. 4, by love, and ii. 19, by charity. The manner in which the verb, derived from the same root, is employed, 1 John iv. 19, shows us more exactly what we are to understand from the Scripture use of it—ἡμεῖς ἀγαπῶμεν αυτὸν ὅτι αὐτὸς πρῶτος ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς "We love him, because he first loved us ;" from which it is evident, that this principle of love on the part of the disciple is that commonly called gratitude; although it appears somewhat extraordinary that the term grateful, or gratitude, is nowhere to be found in our common version of the Scriptures; and even the term thankfulness occurs but once, Acts xxiv. 3, and then it is only used as a complimentary expression towards a Roman governor. The term thankful, occurs but once in the Old Testament, Ps. c. 4, and once in the New, Col. iii. 15, and once, Rom. i. 21, where the want of thankfulness, or of gratitude, is spoken of as a characteristic of those who, although they knew God, glorified him not as God. That the same principle of gratitude, spoken of by John as love towards God, is also recognized by David, appears from his language, Ps. cxvi. 1, "I love the Lord because he hath heard my voice and my supplications."

We are to be grateful to God, as the Scriptures teach us, for the love, or loving kindness exhibited by him towards us. This is the disciple's love or charity manifested towards God, in obedience; towards man, in benevolence. The love of God consists in his free and unmerited goodness towards us; our love to him is something which He has deserved, merited, in the highest possible degree. His love towards us, is something entirely undeserved on our part; our love towards him, is in return for favours received from him. The great love wherewith God has loved us, (Eph. ii. 4,) is entirely a matter of grace, a free gift; our love to him, is something which we are under the highest obligations to render-something not to be withheld by us, without the basest ingratitude. His love towards us is something which He is under no obligation to give, and which He may at any time withhold without any act of injustice.

Although the term love may be the same in both cases, it is evident from the difference of the circumstances that the cause of the sentiment must equally differ. To pretend that our love of God should be like his towards us, entirely irrespective of any antecedent cause, is to place ourselves in the position of the Deity, a degree of presumptuousness virtually bordering upon blasphemy. It is at the same time undermining that foundation upon which our obligation of service is to rest, and from which our love is to grow up and increase with every retrospective glance of favours received, throughout eternity. The greater the love or benevolence we believe God to have manifested towards us, the greater, necessarily, must be our return of gratitude, or love to him. Could the love of God towards us have been merited on our part, in the first instance, there would have been no room for gratitude; or could it have been partially so, our gratitude in the same proportion must be partial, if such a thing were possible. If we believe what God has done for us to be but an act of justice towards us-nothing but what we have merited, as a reward of some goodness of our own-our belief will not admit of the principle of gratitude. With foolish hearts so darkened, we must necessarily be unthankful. So, if we believe ourselves to have partially merited what we receive at his hands, in the same proportion we lose that love which is due to him for all his favours, but especially for his redeeming mercy.

Such we suppose to have been the error pervading the Ephesian system -a persuasion that the benefit of eternal salvation is the result of some good quality or meritorious work on the part of the recipient-a persuasion calculated to destroy in the disciple that sentiment of love or gratitude so unavoidably felt in the first moments of conversion. It may have been, therefore, especially in view of the ungrateful tendency of these errors, that the Apostle prayed, as he says, for the Ephesians, "That they, being rooted and grounded in love, might be enabled to comprehend the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, and to know the love of Christ," Eph. iii. 17,

that by this knowledge they might themselves be brought back to what is called in the Apocalypse their first love.

Our views may be perhaps better illustrated here, by supposing the case of an individual.

The heart or mind of the sinner on his first conversion, when first convicted of his sinfulness, overflows with gratitude towards his Saviour for that love of God which he believes and trusts is manifested in his redemption. He does not then admit a thought of any merit of his own. The involuntary expression of his feelings corresponds with that of the Psalmist, "What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits," (Ps. cxvi. 12.) The more sensible he is of his entire unworthiness of the least of the favours. of his God and Saviour, the more grateful will he be for the distinguished privilege he enjoys. This state of mind may be denominated that of the disciple's first love. Conversion, however, being followed by reformation in mind and conduct, attention to religious and moral duties takes place perhaps of reckless self-gratification, and habits of thoughtlessness being now changed for those of piety and devotion, the same individual begins to look upon himself with some degree of self-complacency. He compares his conduct with that of those around him, not so correct in their deportment, and he gradually imbibes the idea that there is some good thing in him. That the favour he receives from God is a reward or recompense of something that he has done. Some work of his own, or, as he supposes, his own penitential feelings, may have been a merit calling for this reward. He no longer considers his eternal salvation entirely a matter of grace, and consequently he no longer possesses those unmingled feelings of gratitude with which his heart once overflowed. He loses his first love.

V.5. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

Μνημόνευε οὖν πόθεν πέπτωκας, καὶ με τανόησον καὶ τὰ πρῶτα ἔργα ποίησον· εἰ δὲ μή, ἔρχομαί σοι ταχὺ καὶ κινήσω τὴν λυχνίαν σου ἐκ τοῦ τόπου αὑτῆς, ἐὰν μὴ μετανοήσης.

§ 44. The word translated repent, is the imperative of the verb uɛzarośw, compounded of uerà, change, or after, and vow, I think. The compound expressing a change of mind, or after-thought, in Latin sententiam et mentem muto-post intelligo. In the Latin versions of Leusden and Beza, it is expressed by resipisco, to come to one's senses again. It signifies, strictly, a mental or intellectual operation, a change of opinions, a change typically represented by that described as taking place in the mind of the prodigal son, when, as it is said of him, Luke xv. 17, he came to himself; so also by the change wrought on the demoniac, (Luke viii. 35,) when after his cure he sat clothed, and in his right mind. Such was the meaning of the word in the times of our Saviour and his apostles, although in subsequent ages of

the church different ideas came to be associated with the term. Some of

our lexicographers give two meanings to this and other Greek Scripture terms, one according to profane writers, and the other according to ecclesiastical writers; but we may reasonably suppose the evangelists and apostles to have written the New Testament in Greek, for the perusal and understanding of those who were familiar with that language, as it was spoken and written in their time; of course we must go to the profane writers of that day to know what was understood by the words then used; for we cannot suppose the apostles to have looked forward prophetically to the meaning to be given to certain words by the schoolmen or ecclesiastical writers, some hundred years afterwards.*

'Remember, therefore, whence thou art fallen.'-Change thy mind, come to thy senses again. Go back to those views of faith which were given thee when thou wast first convinced of sin, and first cast thyself upon the atonement of Christ for salvation-when, most sensible of thy utter unworthiness, the whole work of thy redemption appeared to thee a work of sovereign grace, and a call for unadulterated love, or gratitude, towards him who gave himself for thee.

Such appears to be the admonition addressed to this personification of a system of faith, possessed of many good features, but labouring under the influence of an error peculiarly hostile to the system of the gospel. Under the figure of this angel all are admonished who are under the influence of the same error. Wherever the first love is forsaken, there the golden candlestick will be taken away.

'Or else I will come unto thee quickly,' that is, suddenly, (§ 4.)—I will manifest myself as the only Saviour, and show the inconsistency of thy system with the assemblage of true principles, represented by the golden candlestick.

* Mɛrávia, says Suicerus, apud scriptore profanos, notat mutatam mentem et sententiam; apud scriptores vero ecclesiasticos, notat, 1, penitentiam sive resipiscentiam. 2, Pœnas canonicas eorum qui ob delicta sua castigabantur, atque hi dicebantur oi èr Metavola. Repentance, according to profane writers, signifies a change of mind, or opinion. But according to ecclesiastical writers, it denotes-1st, penitence, or coming to one's right mind-2d, the canonical punishments, or penalties of those who were chastened on account of their misdeeds—or, as he says of the verb Mɛtarośw, specialiter uɛtarovrtes vocantur, qui ob delicta sua in ecclesiæ pœnis ecclesiasticis castigabantur. Those were especially styled repenting persons, who were being chastened, on account of their offences against the church, with ecclesiastical penalties.

The design of this chastisement was, no doubt, to bring these delinquents to a change of mind-but in process of time, in the use of terms, the means were substituted for the end, and the endurance of penalty was put for repentance; and subseqently penance and repentance were considered identic. It is evident that the apostles, in their use of language, did not contemplate these interpretations of a subsequent age.