admonition, and fuch an awful warning, ought to do good like" a medicine; faithful are the wounds of a friend, tho' they may be very painful and afflictive.

We fhall confider thefe words at prefent with relation to fpiritual decays in general, and as applicable to particular perfons, as well as churches.-Let us here enquire,

First, what thefe words which contain the reproof may be fuppofed to import.

Secondly, what is the duty of thofe who may find themselves immediately concerned herein.-In regard to the

Firft, you may obferve, the reproof does not contain any charge of grofs immorality, as in the cafe of the wicked, the profane and profligate part of mankind. With refpect to thefe, our Lord has not only fome things but many things against them. His charge against them is infinitely more heavy and dreadful, fuch as wilful ignorance, fecurity, obftinacy in fin contempt of religion, rejection. of his gofpel, trampling under foot his blood, doing defpite to the fpirit of grace, impenitency, unbelief, and a thoufand various and aggravated wickednefs for all which they will hereafter be called to an impartial and fearful account. But the perfons referred to in the text, are real chriftians, truly pious and good, as appears evidently from the context.

This charge implies more than common frailties and inperfections, to which the holt of faints are always fubject in this very imperfect ftate of holinefs. There is no man liveth and Anneth not. This text is defigned to teach us more, than that no man is free from infirmities. This reproof to the church of Ephefus, introduced with fo much folemnity, muß furely imply more than the common frailties to which the most

eminent chriftians are incident. There are fome weaker faints, whofe fpirits are tender and perhaps not well inftructed, who are too apt to apply fcriptural and providential rebukes to themselves in all their gloominefs and terror. They become fenfible of many evils by meditation on their own hearts and, clearer difcoveries of God and his perfections, from hence they conceive awful apprehenfions of their demerits, and pronounce bitter things against themfelves, especially, if they be of a melancholy habit and a penfive turn of mind. Such infirmities and weakneffes we find often attending the most pious and devout, and tho' these are arguments for conftant humility and watchfulness, yet they cannot be confidered in the light of wilful fins, nor ought the tender and feeling chriftian with keen feverity condemn himself as hereby breaking covenant with God. For tho' Chrift is always in the midst of his churches, and his all penetrating eye beholds the inmoft thoughts of every foul, yet he is far from aggravating and refenting the unwilling and lamented failings of his upright fervants. It is not agreeable to the infinite benignity and compaffion of his nature, to make the worst of their imperfections, especially where he obferves alfo in his people a due fenfibility of their failings and perceives penitential exercifes of heart.

But these words are to be confidered a charge against chrif tians as decaying and declining in religion. As if our Lord had faid, "O thou profeffor, and member of the chriflian church, thou renewed and converted foul, I know thy works, faith, patience and zeal; I charge thee not with hypocrify, nor infincerity in religion, that thou haft no love to me nor true grace in thy heart; but I charge thee with being a defective and declining chriftian, thy love is not fo fervent, thy faith fo fim, thy walk fo fteady, thy converfation fo favoury as it might and ought to be. Wert thou more attentive to, and better acquainted with thine own heart, thou wouldt dif.

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cern many deficiencies and fad blots and blemishes there. Once thou couldst allow me thy whole heart, and all thine affections flowed towards me; but, alas! how art thou backfliden, how is thy fine gold become dim, how haft thou forfa ken thy first love?"

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Whose heart now has not fome misgivings, left the reproof may be directed to him? Who among us can lay his hand upon his breaft, and plead, not guilty? Who has no reafon 'for jealousy over himself, and can venture to fay, the flame of his affections are not abated? Is there that high efteem of the incomparable worth and excellency of Chrift, that humble and devout gratitude for his dying love, that meek fubmiffion to his will, that active zeal in his fervice, that charity to the needy, that warm benevolence to mankind, that prayerfulness and holy walking, which were wont to be in us, and which we once poffeffed and discovered? O that we could all make the appeal to our precious Saviour, which the Apostle did, when he was afked this queftion, "Simon, fon of Jonas, loveft thou "me?"-And reply with him, "Lord thou knoweft all things, thou knoweft that we love thee." Happy church, and bleffed individuals, who can make this anfwer? Or have not many of us reafon to confefs, that a dull and fluggish temper have taken hold of us, by reafon of which we are lefs fervent in fpirit, less warm in our affections, defs devotional in the frames of our mind? Remember, O chriftians, time is faft haftening away, eternity is juft ready to open upon us, and what progrefs have we made towards heaven? While the bridegroom tarries, are there not too many of us flumbering and fleeping? May not Chrift with propriety addrefs us as he did his people of old in the prophecy of Jeremiah. "Thus faith the Lord, I remember thee, the kindnefs of thy youth, the love of thine efpoufals, when Ifrael was holiness to the Lord, the first fruits of his encreafe, but now they have forfaken *me the fountain of living waters, they are gone far from

"me."-Well chriftians, if fuch be the cafe of any of you, hearken to the affectionate rebuke and admonition of your Redeemer addreffed to you, to warn you of the languishing ftate of your graces, and to aroufe you to return to your first love. Wherefore I proceed,

Secondly, to explain the duty of thofe who may apprehend the reproof applicable to them. "Remember therefore from "whence thou art fallen, and repent and do thy firft works, "or elfe I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy "candlestick out of his place, except thou repent."

First, be thoroughly fenfible of thy condition. We can not be too deeply concerned about our everlasting peace and welfare. Let us confider how matters ftand between God and our fouls. We are ready to enquire after, be careful of, and confult the health of our bodies; why fhould we not be as anxious about the health and vigour of our immortal spirits? Whether they profper or languifh ?-Whether their graces encrease or decline ?-Whether our faith, love, holy affections, and hope flourish, or whether they wither, fade and decay? -Whether we make advances in religion, or go backward? Whether we grow in regard to, and ftedfaftness in duty, or whether we become more indifferent to, and negligent of the divine fervice. Let us awake up and fearch and try ourfelves. If upon fcrutiny, we find ourfelves departing from our first love; is it because God is lefs good, Jefus lefs amiable, religion lefs excellent, heaven lefs defirable, and lefs a relish for divine ordinances? If this be our unhappy cafe, nothing ftrange that doubts and fears fhould arife, that there fhould be fecret damps, fearful mifgivings, and fad fuf picions of heart. Examine yourselves, try yourfelves, know. ye not your own felves, how the love of Jefus is in you?

Secondly, be deeply affected with the unhappiness of your prefent circumftances. We fhould not only endeavour to

know our condition, but we should lay it to heart, lament and bewail it, and repent in duft and ashes. Let us remember from whence we have fallen. How warm our affections once, how tranquil our fouls, ferene our hopes, and fubftantial our joys, when God first pacified our troubled confciences and revealed his pardoning love to our hearts. How did we feel in a world of pleasure, as tho' heaven had come to earth? Sentiments of gratitude then glowed in our breafts, and we felt as tho' we would be no longer faithlefs but believing. With a facred ardour and humble dependence upon divine grace, we fe: forward in our journey towards the heavenly Canaan. But doleful confideration, where are we now? How has our love and zeal, our hopes and comforts languifhed? What drowliness and ftupefaction befet us? How many fellow christians are outstriping us in every grace and virtue, in every good word and work? What spiritual pleasures do they enjoy, what celestial delights do they tafte? Let our fouls blush and be confounded, when we contemplate others far afcended to wards paradife, and we perhaps ftill groveling on the earth, or it may be, going the down ward way. Can we charge God with unkindness, or our bleffed Immanuel with negligence? Where is the wisdom, truth, honor or grace in our hearts when we unrefervedly dedicated ourfelves to the Lord and folemnly vowed to be forever his? Has he been a barren wilderness to us or a land of drought? Has he dealt with us untenderly, unfaithfully or deceitfully? No. We know that his love is perfect and unchangeable. If he hath forfaken us, it is becaufe we first departed from him. What will be our wretched condition if he fhould treat us as we do him; if he should refent our coldnefs and neglects as they deferve? Tremble at the thought, O chriftian! and shake off thy fupineness.

Thirdly, repent and do thy firft works. Confider the path on which thou didst take thy departure from God, and return back in the fame way in which thou wenteft aftray. A