5. And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful Witness, and the
First-begotten of the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth.
Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

6. And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to whom
be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Vs. 4-6.--Here we have the customary salutation, addressed to the
churches of Asia Minor. Many other churches had been organized in other
parts of the earth at this date; (A.D. 96:) but the special reason why
John saluted these seven, and addressed an epistle to each, would seem
to be his vicinity to them in the place of his present sojourning, and
probably his personal acquaintance with them in the exercise of his
ministry among them, (v. 11.) His prayer for these churches is
substantially the same as that prefixed to most of Paul's epistles.
Grace and peace are inseparable in the divine arrangement. "There is no
peace, saith my God, to the wicked." (Isa. lvii. 21.)

The solitary pilgrim in his place of banishment, contemplating the
Abrahamic covenant, and realizing that grace and that peace in which he
desires his fellow disciples to share, sets before us the threefold
source whence these divine influences flow. First, "from him which is,
and which was, and which is to come;" a description of God the Father,
whose personal subsistence has priority in the Godhead, and who occupies
the like priority in voluntary relationship and economic standing. From
the Father personally, as the representative of Trinity, we have seen
(in verse 1,) this book emanated; and now from the same we are taught
that "grace and peace" come to fallen man. Second, John's prayer here,
differs from Paul's usual form in the beginning of his epistles; for
Paul omits the Holy Spirit, commonly saying,--"Grace be to you, and