ed, and hast not fainted.

Nevertheless,"

fays he, in the 4th verfe," I have somewhat against thee, because thou haft left thy first "love." Their affection was cooled, their zeal was abated, they were become more remifs and lukewarm in the duties of religion. Now, this our Saviour could not bear, he therefore calls them to remember their first eftate, to confider their prefent degenerate condition, to mourn over it, and to rise from it by a speedy repentance and reformation; and to give this fummons the greater efficacy, he threatens them with the removal of the gofpel from them, if they did not repent. "I "will come unto thee quickly, and remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent."

Many useful obfervations might be made from this paffage, as, firft, That our Lord Jefus Chrift takes fpecial notice of those to whom the gofpel is fent. His eyes are in every place, beholding the evil and the good; but he walks in the midst of the golden candlesticks, and carefully observes the improvement which men make of this precious light. This teaches us what manner of perfons we

ought

1

ought to be. We are placed here, as it were on a theatre, and act in the immediate view of our King and Judge: Yea he hath in a manner entrusted us with his glory, and called the world to take notice of us, as the perfons by whom he expects to be honoured, and therefore our behaviour cannot be indifferent to him. He may wink at others, but cannot wink at us. The hufbandman is not difhonoured by the unfruitfulness of a wild tree, upon which he has bestowed no culture; but the barrennefs of what is planted in his garden, or inclofed field, reflects upon himself, and therefore he cannot be unconcerned about that, but muft vindicate his honour upon it, by cutting it down, and cafting it out as a cumberer of the ground.

Secondly, We may obferve, that not only grofs apoftacy, but even the fmalleft decays among his people, are highly offenfive unto him. This church had many good things among them, and after the commendation that was given them in the fecond and third veries, one would be ready to put the question, What lack they yet? But our Lord remarks the coldness of their hearts, and resents that

inward and fecret declenfion from their former love and zeal, and threatens them with fwift deftruction if they did not repent. how does this magnify God's patience towards us; and what cause have we to tremble and be afraid of his judgments, feeing we have not only fallen from our first love, but by grofs and open acts of enmity, have made it extremely doubtful, whether there be any remains of love abiding with us at all. But, without infifting upon these, my design is to confider this threatening separately by itselfAnd my method fhall be,

I. To show that God may be provoked by the fins of a people, to remove the gofpel from them.

II. I fhall reprefent to you the terribleness of this judgment. And,

III. Direct you to the proper use of this awful fubject.

In the Scriptures we have many comfortable promises of the churches stability; it is built upon a rock, and the gates of Hell fhall not prevail againft it. It was Chrift's promife

promise to his Apoftles, "Lo I am with you "always, even unto the end of the world;" not with their perfons, for these were foon to be removed out of the world by death; but with their doctrine, which was to endure throughout all generations; so that we have the fullest affurance, that the Zion of God, or the univerfal church, shall never perish ;that the light of the gospel shall never be extinguished; but that the King of Zion fhall always have fubjects to ferve him in some corner of the earth or other. But though the gospel shall never be removed out of the world altogether, yet it may be removed from particular places. The candlestick is a moveable thing, and not an entailed inheri

tance.

The Jews are an eminent inftance of this. Never was a nation fo highly favoured ast they. To them pertained the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the fervice of God, and the promises; theirs were the fathers, and of them as concerning the flesh Chrift came, who is over all, God bleffed for ever. They were God's chofen people, his peculiar trea

fure,

fure, his first born, and his fpoufe; for by these honourable titles were they long distinguished from the reft of the world. Nor were they only diftinguished by titles, but actually blessed with all the privileges which these titles imported. God was indeed a father and hufband unto them; he cherished them in his bosom, and employed his almighty power for their prefervation. He con

ducted their arms, and dictated their laws; he formed their ftate, and was prefent among them by a visible glory, and established a method of correspondence, by which they might have conftant accefs to him for counsel and direction in every cafe of difficulty. Never had any people fuch illuftrious displays of the divine providence in their favours. Some nations have had a long track of profperity, a feries of lucky accidents, as it were, by the help of which they have grown up to a very flourishing condition; but the various fteps of their advancement were vifible, and eafy to be accounted for, and were nothing more extraordinary than a plentiful crop after a favourable feed-time and harveft; or the riches of a fkilful and induftrious merchant. But