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exalted in glory';" whilst "the wicked," who once treated them with scorn and contempt, shall themselves "be silent in darknessm."]

Having explained the promises, I will now,

II. Commend them to your most attentive consideration

Let your minds, my brethren, rise to the occasion. See, in these promises,

1. What encouragement they afford to the followers of Christ

[The Lord's people have, in this world, their cross to bear, and are destined to follow their Divine Master through much tribulation: but they are assured, that, "if they suffer with him, they shall also reign with him"," and that not the meanest of their services shall be unrewarded"." And here I would particularly call your attention to the parallel which our Lord himself has drawn in our text: "To him will I give.... even as I have received of my Father." Yes, every thing which God the Father has given to his Son, as the reward of his services, he will give to us, so far as we are capable of receiving and enjoying it. Has the Father given to him a throne and a kingdom? such will Christ confer on us also. He himself says, "I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me?:" and again; "To him that overcometh, will I grant to set with me on my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father upon his throne." There is no part of " the glory which his Father has given him, which he will not, according to our capacity, give to us'." And shall not the prospect of it all operate on us, as it wrought on Christ himself, when, for the "joy that was set before him, he endured the cross, and despised the shame, till he sat down at last at the right hand of the throne of Gods?" I say, then,"consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your mindst]

2. What a recompence they hold forth for our poor services

[Methinks, if nothing more had been said, than that his faithful people should have all their guilt cancelled, and be delivered from the judgments which they have so richly

1 Ps. cxii. 8-10. • Matt. x. 42. John xvii. 22. VOL. XXI.

m 1 Sam. ii. 8, 9.
P Luke xxii. 29.
s Heb. xii. 2.

G

n 2 Tim. ii. 12. q Rev. iii. 21.

t Heb. xii. 3.

merited, it would have been an ample recompence for all that we could either do or suffer for him in this life. Suppose that such a proposal were now made to one of the fallen angels, or to the rich man that is now lifting up his eyes in hell torments; would he not gladly embrace the offer, and account all his future labours well repaid, even though nothing but annihilation awaited him when he had performed his task? Let us look at our works, and see what they are: tell me if there be one for which you do not blush, on account of its defects? and whether, if they had been a thousand times more perfect, you would not still have accounted yourselves" unprofitable servants"?" But it is not in this way that God magnifies his grace. No: he giveth not in such scanty measure to his beloved children; nor does he so estimate their poor imperfect services. He accounts not all the glory and felicity of heaven too great for them. He makes them his very heirs, "heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; that, having suffered with him, they may also be glorified together." In truth, at the last day the saints shall all resemble Christ. It is said of HIM, that " HE shall smite the nations, and rule them with a rod of iron; and tread the wine-press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God." HE, too, says of himself, "I am the root and offspring of David, and the bright and morning star1." And this is the honour, and this is the glory, which he has promised to confer on us. As Joshua commanded the captains of his army to come and put their feet upon the necks of the vanquished kings, so will the Great Captain of our salvation make those who have fought under his banners to participate the glory and felicity of his triumphs. Tell me, then, whether it does not become us to "keep his works" with all diligence; accounting "no commandment grievous;" nor hesitating, if called to it, to lay down our life for his sake? Let us keep them then, my brethren, yea, and keep them all, and "even to the end." Let us 66 never be weary in well-doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint notb." I may further add, that " every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour." No doubt there will be a difference in the rewards, as well as the punishments, of men in a future life: for " one star will differ from another star in glory." And this may well stimulate us to the utmost possible exertion in the service of our God. But to the least and meanest of the saints shall the recompence be inconceivably great: for the very lowest in glory ""shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father, for ever and ever."]

u Luke xvii. 10. z Rev. xxii. 16.

c 1 Cor. iii. 8.

x Rom. viii. 17.
a Josh. x. 24.
d 1 Cor. xv. 41.

y Rev. xix. 15.
b Gal. vi. 9.
e Matt. xiii. 43.

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Rev. iii. 1. And unto the angel of the Church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.

IF we thought, as some do, that the epistles to the different Churches in Asia were descriptive of the state of the Church, in successive periods of time, to the end of the world, we should be ready to fix on this epistle, above all others, as characterizing the present time. There is much profession of religion in the world, and somewhat of the reality; but very many, who "have the form of godliness, are either wholly destitute of its power," or so inanimate as to excite suspicions that they are "dead." Without intending to say that any such parallel was designed of God (for I conceive that all the epistles were merely descriptive of the several Churches at the time they were written), I yet feel no doubt, but that, so far as the circumstances of any particular Church at this day accord with those of any Asiatic Church, what is spoken to that Asiatic Church may well be applied to us at this time. I therefore avail myself of this to point out to you,

I. The reproof given to the Church of Sardis

Our blessed Lord, in this, as in all the other epistles, assumes to himself such titles and attributes as are peculiarly suited to the subject-matter of the epistle itself. He was about to declare the real state of the Church at Sardis to be very different from that which was generally supposed: we therefore here find,

1. His qualifications for exercising judgment—

[He has in himself all the fulness of the Spirit. This is intimated in that expression, "He hath the seven Spirits of God." The number, seven, denotes both variety and perfection and he has, both for his own personal endowment and

:

for the benefit of his people, the Holy Spirit in all his diversified powers and operations. As Messiah, it was foretold of him, that "he should be anointed with the oil of joy and gladness above his fellows;" that is, above all, whether in earth or heaven, who should partake of this divine unction. It was said, "The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord, and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord"." So endowed, he was able to discern every motion of men's hearts not the slightest "imagination of a thought" could escape his notice: "every spirit could be weighed by him" in a perfect balance; and his " judgment could not but be according to truth." Hence it is expressly said of him, that "all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do"." At the same time, "he holdeth the seven stars in his hand;" and observes whether they move with perfect regularity in their respective orbits, and reflect with unclouded splendour, for the benefit of the world, the light which they derive from him. He has formed them for his own glory; and he expects that they exist and move for no other end.

But, from the closest inspection of them, he gives this as,] 2. His that degenerate Church

testimony respecting that

["Thou hast a name that thou livest, and (but) art dead." The Church of Sardis was held in repute by the other neighbouring Churches to which the different epistles were written: but they were really in a very degenerate state; many of them being yet altogether "dead in trespasses and sins;" and those who had a spark of life within them, being so cold, as to be to all appearance "dead." "dead." What were the precise points in which they failed, we are not informed. It does not appear that there was any flagrant violation of God's law among them, or any toleration of principles that were fundamentally erroneous; for then they would have been condemned on these accounts, as the other Churches had been: but, while they were externally blameless, he "found," and testified, that their inward state was lamentably defective. Of this he complained; and,]

From his complaint, I will take occasion to shew, II. How far it is applicable to the Christian Church at this day

a Ps. xlv. 7.

b Isai. xi. 2, 3.

e Heb. iv. 13.

There is doubtless a great profession of religion at the present day—

[Religion, in some respects, has of late become, I had almost said, the fashion of the day. The leading doctrines of Christianity, such as our fall in Adam and our recovery by Christ, are so generally acknowledged now, that, if they were kept out of sight in the degree in which they were withheld from public notice through the seventeenth and the greater part of the eighteenth century, there would be a general complaint against those ministers who so treacherously withheld from men the bread of life. Mere morality would not satisfy men now, as it did through that unhappy period, when the extravagances of those who had professed a more than ordinary zeal for the Gospel had driven men to a contrary extreme, and led them almost to expel the Gospel from their public ministrations. A concern to propagate the Gospel has arisen of late, and pervaded all ranks and orders of men. Even kings upon their thrones have used their influence to send the light of divine truth to the remotest nations of the earth, where not a ray of it had ever shone before. Nobles have also lent their influence, and even personally stood forth to advocate the cause of Christ before men: and vast assemblies of persons, who could find no other common ground to stand upon, have met, to advance the diffusion of divine knowledge, and to help forward, in every possible way, the salvation of the world. Societies have been formed, by every class of Christians, for the furtherance of this good work; and even the poorest in the land have gladly contributed their aid, that, through the collective efforts of the Christian world, ignorance might be banished from the earth, and that the light of the Gospel might shine into the hearts of the most benighted heathen. In this view, it may well be said of the great mass of the Christian community, that "they have a name to live."]

But, though a profession of religion is general, the actual possession of it is rare

[The greater part of these very persons, it is to be feared, whilst they have a name to live, are dead." Many have patronized the spread of the Bible, and promoted the reading of it by others, who yet have never had it written in their own hearts; and many have advocated its leading truths, who have never experienced them in their own souls. Many have spoken well about repentance, and faith, and obedience, as to be inculcated on others, who have never wept for their own sins; never fled to Christ for refuge from the wrath of God; never yielded up themselves as living sacrifices to God, to be employed, and, if need be, to be consumed for him. And

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