Revelation 14:4

On account of the prerogative of dignity, by which to follow Christ wherever he goes and to sing the new song is proper to virgins, there will be a singular glory among virgins, according to what blessed John says in the fourteenth chapter of the …

For they are virgins, etc. Blessed Augustine beautifully expounded on these matters by admonishing the virgins. "Proceed," he says, "holy sons and daughters of God, males and females, celibate and unmarried, proceed perseveringly to the end. Praise the Lord more sweetly, whom you think of …

These were purchased from among all as first fruits to God and the Lamb. From that holy and immaculate flock of the Church, as holier and purer sacrifices for the merits of their will, they are chosen by the Holy Spirit: what the Apostle says …

These are they who had not been defiled with women - It seems that the deepest defilement, and the most alluring temptation, is put for every other. They are virgins - Unspotted souls; such as have preserved universal purity.

6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, 7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture

These are they which were not defiled with women,....

WHATEVER the saints are in Heaven, they began to be on earth. There is, no doubt, a perfection of character in the world to come, but the character must be formed here. In the next world there will be no real change—where the tree falls, there it will lie. He that is filthy will be filthy, still. He that is holy will be holy, still. I am going to talk to you, tonight, about those who surround the Lamb and are with Him in the blaze of His Glory, singing to His honor.

WHATEVER the saints are in Heaven, they began to be on earth. There is, no doubt, a perfection of character in the world to come, but the character must be formed here. In the next world there will be no real change—where the tree falls, there it will lie. He that is filthy will be filthy, still. He that is holy will be holy, still. I am going to talk to you, tonight, about those who surround the Lamb and are with Him in the blaze of His Glory, singing to His honor. I say that what they are in Heaven they were, in a measure, on earth. The life of Glory is the life of Grace. That life which men have in Heaven comes to them in regeneration on earth. When they are born again, they are born for Heaven—then it is that they receive the life which lives on throughout the eternal ages. If you do not have that life, here, you will never have it. If you die dead in sin, there is nothing for you, forever, but the abode of the dead, "where their worm dies not and their fire is not quenched." Today is the only time which we have for forming our character. Earth is the great place for making instruments of music—here they are tuned and prepared. Up there, they play them! But they will never play them, there, unless they have had them made and tuned here. The subject of my discourse will be, first, a survey of the outline of character of those who are to be with Christ hereafter. And then, secondly, a contemplation of the perfect picture of the saints with Christ in Glory, where I trust we, too, shall be, in the Lord's good time. I do not know whether these verses describe all the saints in Heaven. If they do, then you must be like they, or you can never be among them. If, however, they describe the elect of the elect, the innermost circle of Heaven.

YOU, dear Friends who belong to the Tabernacle, are well acquainted with our venerable friend, George Rogers. It was a great joy to me to find him alive when I came home from the Continent. He said that he must keep on living till he had seen me once more, and then he hoped that he should go Home. That was a month ago, but yesterday I saw him again and he seemed to be greatly revived and refreshed.

YOU, dear Friends who belong to the Tabernacle, are well acquainted with our venerable friend, George Rogers. It was a great joy to me to find him alive when I came home from the Continent. He said that he must keep on living till he had seen me once more, and then he hoped that he should go Home. That was a month ago, but yesterday I saw him again and he seemed to be greatly revived and refreshed. He has attained an extremely advanced age and it is only natural that he should soon go to his rest and reward. He remarked to me, yesterday, that he had bid farewell to the world, entirely, and he did not wish to renew the acquaintance! He did not know why he should linger here any longer, for everything was finished and he was ready to depart. And then he said to me, in his cheery way, "I wonder whether I shall see that new Baptist Chapel completed." You know that he is not a Baptist, but a Congregationalist, yet he has been with us so many years that we always claim him! He added, "When it is built, I hope they will send a regular old-fashioned Baptist to preach in it." I asked him, "What sort of old-fashioned Baptist do you mean?" "Why," he replied, "the oldest-fashioned Baptist was the man that cried, 'Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world.' That is the old-fashioned sort of Baptist I mean—John the Baptist—and that is the sort I hope will come there." "Yes," I said, "and I wish that was the sort of preacher who would go everywhere, for that is the Truth of God which still needs to be preached." "Ah, yes," said Mr.

These are they - In this verse, and in the following verse, the writer states the leading characteristics of those who are saved. The general idea is, that they are chaste; that they are the followers of the Lamb; that they are redeemed from among people; and that they are without guile. Which were not defiled with women - Who were chaste. The word “defiled” here determines the meaning of the passage, as denoting that they were not guilty of illicit sexual intercourse with women. It is unnecessary to show that this is a virtue everywhere required in the Bible, and everywhere stated as among the characteristics of the redeemed. On no point are there more frequent exhortations in the Scriptures than on this; on no point is there more solicitude manifested that the professed friends of the Saviour should be without blame. Compare the Act 15:20 note; Rom 1:24-32 notes; 1Co 6:18 note; Heb 13:4 note. See also 1Co 5:1; 1Co 6:13; Gal 5:19; Eph 5:3; Col 3:5; 1Th 4:3. This passage cannot be adduced in favor of celibacy, whether among the clergy or laity, or in favor of monastic principles in any form; for the thing that is specified is, that they were not “defiled with women,” and a lawful connection of the sexes, such as marriage, is not defilement. See the notes on Heb 13:4. The word rendered here “defiled” - ἐμολύνθησαν emolunthēsan, from μολύνω molunō - is a word that cannot be applied to the marriage relation. It means properly to “soil, to stain, to defile.” 1Co 8:7; “their conscience being weak, is defiled.” Rev 3:4; “which have not defiled their garments.” The word does not elsewhere occur in the New Testament, except in the passage before us, and it will be seen at once that it cannot be applied to that which is lawful and proper, and consequently that it cannot be construed as an expression against marriage and in favor of celibacy. […]