tured upon it all concerns of the soul, and all the interests of eternity; on you, if constant and victorious, shall be conferred all the privileges pledged to the world by the sacred "name" of the Messiah-the "Anointed One of God." O how glorious is the scene which the text, thus considered, unfolds to us! Behold the faithful follower of a crucified Saviour, struggling, perhaps, in the last agony between life and death; pitied and wept over by the by-standers; every object of his earthly affection fading on his eye, and the shadows of death darkening the whole field of vision. Wait for a moment, and then follow him but a step beyond that last conflict. The chain is broken; the spirit is free; he has met his Lord in the air; the white stone of acquittal is presented to him; his doubts and fears are dispersed for ever; he is borne on angels' wings to the region of unalterable happiness and love! Oh, who would detain him here? who would not seek the same Lord, and live in the same Spirit, that he might enter into the same world of peace and glory?" Blessed Lord, may we be among the privileged number who thus overcome. Thou alone canst save us. Thou alone canst cast our transgressions into the depths of the sea,' and bestow upon us a title to eternal life. Give us constancy to thine own greatName;' courage in the profession of thy faith;' a deep and universal hatred of all sin, and love of all virtue. Pardon us, sanctify us, fit us for heaven; and then, in thine own good time, take us to it."-May such, my Christian brethren, be the prayer of every individual in this assembly; and may every part of our daily practice correspond with it! May we be "followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises!" And, finally, may the "God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after we have suffered a while," if suffering be necessary to us," make us perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle us. To Him be glory for ever and ever." SERMON XII. THE CHURCH OF SARDIS.-NOMINAL RELIGION. REV. iii. 1-6. 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. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received, and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Thou hast a few names, even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment and I wil not blot his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before has angels. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. THE city of Sardis, to which the words of the text were addressed, was the metropolis of Lydia, and the capital of the empire of Croesus, so notorious in history, at once for his wealth, and for his inordinate attachment to it. Sardis is supposed to have been the first city of Asia which was converted by the ministry of St. John, and the first which abandoned the profession of the Gospel. The address to this city proceeds, like those to the rest of the churches, from the lips of the Saviour of the world, Jesus Christ. In this also, as in the other addresses to the churches of Asia, the description given of our Lord is highly figurative. "Those things saith He that hath the seven spirits of God and the seven stars." Commentators have differed upon the precise meaning of these expressions. But the representation of Christ, as "having the seven spirits of God," is commonly considered to mean, that He is the universal Lord and Director of all spiritual influence; that, as he originally "sent the Comforter," so now, by a mysterious co-operation with the Holy Spirit, he wields and directs the secret power by which the heart is regenerated and sanctified. In like manner, the declaration that "He has the seven stars," is conceived to mean, that he has the control and guidance of the ministers of the church; that all derive their authority from him, and all must owe their success to his mediation and -- grace. These interpretations are not, however, it must be admitted, sufficiently certain to be insisted upon with any degree of confidence. And perhaps it may be enough for us, to collect from them the truth so frequently and explicitly stated in Scripture, that the Son of God, in common with his Father, has power to wield the resources both of heaven and earth, the influences of the Spirit, and the gifts and faculties of his ministers, for the instruction and consolation of his church; and, therefore, that it behoves every member of the body of Christ to listen, with profound reverence, to all that he may say to the churches. After these preliminary observations, let us go on to consider, I. THE GENERAL REBUKE HERE GIVEN TO THE II. THE COMMENDATION BESTOWED ON A PART OF IT. III. THE COUNSEL GIVEN TO IT. IV. THE THREAT ISSUED AGAINST IT. V. THE PROMISE WITH WHICH THE TEXT CLOSES. And may He, who can give efficacy even to the most imperfect statements, bless this endeavour to discover the meaning, and convey the lessons of eternal truth! I. And, first, we are to consider THE REBUKE GIVEN IN THE TEXT TO THE CHURCH OF SARDIS: "I know thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead." It appears from these words, that this church was of high reputation amongst the followers of Christ-celebrated, it may be, for the correctness of its creed, and the multitude of its works; for the munificence of its bounties, and its pre cise adherence to all the rites of religion. And yet this church, so distinguished among men, and to which perhaps thousands were looking up, with an anxious desire to catch something of its spirit and qualification, was "dead" in the sight of God; "dead in trespasses and sins;" "dead" in character; "dead" as to all the real purposes of our being-the glory of God, the salvation of the soul, and the recovery of a guilty and suffering world. And it is added, even with regard to some of those in whom the spirit of religion was not altogether extinct, that it was "ready to die." The spark of piety burned, where it burned at all, so dimly that total darkness was soon to be expected How solemn is the lesson, my Christian brethren, which this statement conveys to us! The possibility is here stated, that a church may be high in the estimation of man, at the very moment when it is so odious to God as to be under the sentence of eternal death. And what is true of a whole community, is, of course, true of the various individuals of which it is composed. It is possible, therefore, that you or I might stand high in the judgment of multitudes around us, even whilst lying under the curse of God. Your the benevolence, or love of truth, or spirit of justice, or display of kind tempers and feelings, may RES have won for you the regard of the world; not SAB merely, nor chiefly, because these qualities are lovely in themselves, but because they are eminently calculated to promote the happiness of ch others, without disturbing their conscience. But wer the persons pronouncing thus favourably upon your moral character, may have wholly cast out of consideration those spiritual qualities of faith, SARZ and corn WOR wo its! |