in what Proportion do we Now imitate S ER M. the Piety and Holiness of thofe Primitive XIII. Churches? And if fome even of these

were charged with falling in fome meafure from their firft Love

;

and com

manded to confider and remember from
and repent;

whence they were fallen,
what Reflexions ought this to excite in our
Minds, when we compare the Failings of
fuch bright Examples of Piety, with the
open Profaneness and Debauchery, with
the irreligion and wickednefs of later Ages?
the Two remaining Churches of the Seven,
are represented as falling extremely short of
the Character of the other Five. Con-
cerning One of them our Saviour declares,
ver. 1ft, of this iiid chapter, I know thy
Works, that thou haft a Name that thou
liveft and art Dead; Be watchful, and
Atrengthen the things which remain, that
are ready to die. To the other he says,
ver. 15, I know thy works, that thou art
neither cold nor hot, i. e. art grown care-
lefs and indifferent in the great Works of
Piety and Righteoufnefs; Thou fayeft, I
am rich and increased with goods, and have
need of nothing; and knoweft not that

thou

SER M. thou art wretched and miferable, and poor; XIII. and blind, and naked, i. e. very defective

in the weightier matters of Religion, in Works of Goodness, Charity, and true Holiness. And yet even of Those our Saviour in the very fame place fo expreffes himself, as of Churches not wholly caft off, or under his entire and final Difpleafure: As many as I love, I rebuke and chaften; Be zealous therefore, and repent, ver. 19. If fome of thofe Primitive Churches, for whom our Saviour declares fo great a Concern and Love, were worthy of fuch fevere Reproofs for the decay of their Piety even in thofe Purer Times; what concern muft it needs raife in the Breast of every fincere Christian, to confider how much greater Corruption of Manners, how much more open Profaneness and Impiety, how much more uncharitableness and unreasonable Animofities how much more general Unrighteoufnefs and Iniquity of all Kinds, has in these later Ages overfpread the Face of the Chriftian World? What feverer Reproofs We have too just reason to fear from the Hands of God; and how much more remarkable a Repen

I

tance

tance and more univerfal a Reformation S ER M. of Manners, 'tis incumbent upon Us to XIII. fet about; least when the Son of Man cometh, there remain not fo much as Room for that Question, fhall be find Faith upon the Earth? The Things which were threatened to fome of the Primitive Churches, that our Lord would remove their Candlestick out of its place, and that he would spue them out of his Mouth ; and which, upon their further Decay in Virtue actually came upon them; befell them, not only upon their own Account, but for Examples alfo to Others; and they are written for Our written for Our Admonition, upon whom the Ends of the World are

come.

THE Words of the Text, are taken out of our Saviour's Admonition to the former of those two Churches, which fell under his more particularly severe Reproof; and they may ferve for a perpetual direction in all Ages, to fuch Perfons as, in the midft of a degenerate and contentious World, are defirous to underftand and practife that Religion, which at its first institution was fo deservedly eminent,

SER M. eminent, for Amending Men's Manners, XIII. and Reforming their Lives. Thou hast a few Names even in Sardis, that have not defiled their Garments; and they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy.

WHICH Words, I in a former Dif course observed to contain in them the four following Particulars. 1ft, An intimation of the Number or Proportion of thofe, who fhall inherit Salvation; Thou haft a Few Names even in Sardis. 2dly, The Qualification by which they are intitled to that inheritance: Which have not

defiled their Garments. 3dly, The Nature or Description of the Reward promised them; They shall walk with me in white. And 4thly, The Character or Encomium given the perfons, who fhall obtain this Inheritance; For they are Worthy. The 1ft of Thefe, we have already confidered, namely, The Number or Proportion of thofe, who fhall inherit Salvation; Thou hast a Few names even in Sardis. Without repeating therefore what has been before said upon That Head, proceed we now in the 2d place, to confider the Qualification. mentioned

mentioned in the Text, by which thofe SE RM. who shall be faved, are reprefented as be- XIII. ing prepared or intitled to a Share in that glorious Inheritance. And This is, their having not defiled their Garments. Could a man for the prefent lay afide the Scripture, and, forbearing to look into the Characters There given of true Chriftians, view the prefent Face of the Christian World, and judge from thence what the Defign and Nature of our Religion was, he could not but be tempted to imagine, that Chriftianity was rather a Contentious and uncharitable Art of difputing about needlefs Ceremonies, and unintelligible Opinions, than than a Rule of Life and Practice, an Obligation to Virtue, Holiness, and univerfal Charity. But in the Scripture itself, the great Stress of Religion, is always laid upon the Influence it has upon Men's Manners; And the highest Character of a true Disciple of Chrift, is That given in the Text, that he has not defiled his Garments. The Expreffion is figurative, but yet of a very Obvious Signification; And by confidering on the contrary what the Scripture VOL. IV.

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calls