Revelation 2 1 7 commentary

REVELATIO 2:1-7 COMMETARYCOLLECTED AD EDITED BY GLE PEASE

ITRODUCTIO TO CHAPTER 2

Why These Seven? There were many other churches at that time that would seem to be more historically significant than the seven that Jesus addressed: the churches at Jerusalem, Rome, Galatia, Corinth, Antioch, Colossae, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe, Miletus, to name a few. Why did Jesus select just these seven Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea? Four Levels of Meaning There appear to be at least four levels of application to these letters:

Local: These were actual, historic churches, with valid needs. Archaeological discoveries have confirmed this.

Admonitory: In each of the letters there appears the key phrase, "Hear what the Spirit says to the churches". Note the plural, churches. It turns out that each of the letters applies to all churches throughout history. As we understand the sevenfold internal structure, the uniquely tailored messages, and the specific admonitions in each of the letters, we discover that any church can be "mapped" in terms of these seven composite profiles.

Homiletic: Each of the letters also contains the phrase, "He that hath an ear let him

hear..." Doesn't each of us "have an ear"? Each letter applies to each of us. There are some elements of each of these seven "churches" in each of us. Thus, this may be the most practical application of the entire Book of Revelation.

Prophetic: The most amazing discovery, however, of these seven letters is their apparent prophetic application. These letters describe, with remarkable precision, the unfolding of all subsequent church history. ( This last one is very debatable, but I leave it here, for it is a view held by some.)

Seven Key Elements A key aspect to understanding the letters is to grasp the structure of their design. A careful examination of the letters reveals seven key elements in their design:

The meaning of the name of the church being addressed (see below); The title of Jesus, each chosen relevant to the message to that particular church; The commendation of things that have been done well; The "criticism" of things that need attention; The exhortation, specific to the condition of the particular church; The promise to the "overcomer" included with each letter; The key phrase, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the

churches."

Merrill Tenny has them:1. THE COMMISSION

2. THE CHARACTER3. THE COMMENDATION4. THE CONDEMNATION5. THE CORRECTION6. THE CALL7. THE CHALLENGE

Another has:the Prefacethe Praisethe Problemthe Promise

The Meaning of amesEphesus: The Desired One

Smyrna: Myrrh; Death

Pergamos: Mixed Marriage

Thyatira: Semiramis

Sardis: Remnant

Philadelphia: Brotherly Love

Laodicea: People Rule

The Missing Elements Once the basic structure is evident, one also notices that two of the letters, Smyrna and Philadelphia, have no Criticism, Element 4. That's encouraging for them. Also, two of the letter, Sardis and Laodicea, have no Commendation, Element 5. That's rather grim.

For the next two chapters, Jesus will be dictating seven letters to seven churches. Each of these letters follows a structural pattern.- Each letter has a To/From beginning. To: The angel of the church of (church). From: (A self- description of Jesus).- Next, He gives them a pat on the back for what they're doing good and points out what they're doing bad.- Then He makes a statement of exhortation.- Followed by "He who has an ear..." and "To him who overcomes..."As we go through the seven letters, we'll learn much by looking at the pattern - by what He says, and what He doesn't say.The short epistles to the seven churches of Asia (Chapters 2 and 3) reveal the good and bad conditions of each church. No doubt the Lord wanted these revealed because they are general conditions that would be found in churches in all generations. Hence, a close study of the letters will reveal the strong and weak points of any church and will show how it stands in relation to Christ. Application of the principles are necessary for all churches of all time. To say that the seven churches represent seven dispensations through which the church must pass appears to be a ridiculous interpretation.

Tom Garner The seven churches mentioned in John's revelation given to him by Christ Jesus has as much to say to us today, as it did to the churches it was addressed to. Though many today say that these letters are not intended for the church today, I disagree wholeheartedly. For Christ would not have said "'He who has an ear, let

him hear what the Spirit says to the churches, " if the letters were only addressing these particular churches, Jesus would not have said what he did. Even Paul the Apostle defends the use of scriptures. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for

correction, for training in righteousness; 17 that the man of God may be

adequate, equipped for every good work. ()AS)

Introduction: Ephesus was a wealthy, prosperous, magnificent city, famous for its extravagant temple for the pagan goddess Diana. For many years it was the center of commerce in Asia. It was connected to all the major cities of Asia Minor by well maintained roads. Its harbor accommodated the largest ships of the day. The temple of Diana in Ephesus was a museum, a treasure house, and a place of refuge for criminals. That pagan temple provided employment for artisans and silversmiths, who made and sold little shrines, religious trinkets, and idols to the worshipers and tourists who passed through the temple. The Apostle Paul came to this city of more than 225,000 people on his third missionary journey. He preached the gospel in Ephesus for over three years (Acts 18-20). Multitudes were converted by the grace of God. A gospel church was established, which quickly became a lighthouse for truth, from which the gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace in Christ went preached. The church at Ephesus was devoted to Christ. It was known throughout the Christian world for its devotion to and zeal for Christ. But, now, more than forty years had passed. Another generation had arisen. The church at Ephesus still walked in the truth. The gospel of Christ was still proclaimed from her pulpit. But something desperately evil had happened. The Lord Jesus Christ discovered a sad, sad fault in his church at Ephesus. The pastor, the angel of the church, did not discern the fault. The people were unaware of it. But Christ saw it. Therefore he sent this letter to the church, to be read publicly in the assembly of the saints. How their hearts must have sunk when they read these words from the Savior - " I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love."

Rev. 2:1-7 - #1 Ephesus (The Loyal but Lacking Church)

Christ addresses Himself as holding the seven stars in His right hand (the seven angels of the seven churches, 1:20) and walking among the seven golden candlesticks (the seven churches, 1:20). This illustrates that He watches over His churches and cares for them.

Commendation. There were at least three things for which the Lord commended the

church at Ephesus (vss. 2,3,6): (1) They were praised for their work (the rendering of actual service), and labor (toiling effort that produces, even at the cost of pain). There is no place for an idler in the kingdom of God (Matt. 20:1). Their efforts were "for my name's sake" (Matt. 19:29; 1 Pet. 4:14) and they had "not fainted" (Gal. 6:9). (2) Patience--(mentioned twice). When work had to be done under trying circumstances they had endured with steadfastness (Matt. 24:13; Heb. 10:36). (3) Defense of truth and purity. In this they were praised for (a) not bearing them which were evil, vs. 2 (see 1 Cor. 5; 2 Thess. 3:6, 14-15), (b) testing and rejecting false apostles, vs. 2 (see 2 Cor. 11:13-15; 12:12; also with reference to false teachers, see 1 John 4:1; Rom. 16:17-18; 2 John 9-11), and (c) hating the deeds of the icolaitans, vs. 6. There has been much speculation concerning the Nicolaitans, but we can only conclude that they were followers of a man named "Nicolas," whose deeds and doctrine (vs. 15) were condemned without being mentioned. Jesus's "hate" of the deeds and doctrine of the Nicolaitans clearly exemplifies His attitude toward false doctrines and practices.

Our Savior always deals with his people in love, kindness, and tenderness. When there is a stern reproof to be given, he cushions it with a kind word of commendation and encouragement. Let no one imagine that the church at Ephesus was an apostate or even indifferent congregation. Nothing could be further from the truth! Few are the churches to whom such a laudable commendation could be given.

1. "I know thy works." These were not idle believers. Their faith was practical. By works of obedience to God, works of charity to men, and by works of devotion to Christ, the saints of God at Ephesus demonstrated their faith. They did not merely profess faith. They practiced faith. Their works were known, approved of, and accepted by Christ. 2. The Savior also said, "I know thy labor." These believers not only walked in good works before God, they put themselves whole-heartedly into the work God gave them to do for his glory. They zealously and anxiously went about serving the cause of Christ in their generation with all their might. These men and women were not lazy, loitering, listless people. They seized every opportunity to serve their Savior. And they did it willingly. 3. Next, the Lord said, "I know thy patience." There are many who labor, and labor well, but labor only for a while. They do not persevere in the work. Before long, they faint and fall by the wayside. Not these people! This congregation had labored steadily, in the face of great opposition, in the midst of great trials, and in a dark, pagan world of religious superstition and moral perversion. They had done so for more than forty years! This church threw all its energy and all its means into the cause of Christ, not in spurts and spasms, but in continual, unabated zeal for the glory of God! 4. Then, the Son of God commended the church at Ephesus for its intense adherence to gospel truth. "I know how thou canst not bear them which are evil." They had an intense loathing for that which is evil, both doctrinally and morally. They loved the truth. And their love for the truth made them "hate every false way" (Ps. 119:104). 5. The Lord went on to say, "I know thou hast tried them which say they are

apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars." Few there are to whom these honorable words could be spoken! But the saints at Ephesus knew the difference

between things that differ. They knew truth from error. When they heard Judaizers and free-willers (legalists and Arminians) preaching another gospel, another Jesus, and another spirit, their blood boiled. They boldly denounced all such pretentious preachers as liars, deceivers, and wicked men. 6. This church also bore reproach and persecution for Christ’s sake, and did so with patience. The Lord Jesus said, " I know how thou hast borne, and hast patience,

and for my sake hast labored." In the teeth of opposition, they stood firm. In the midst of Christ’s enemies, they boldly confessed him. In the face of hardship, trial, persecution, and imprisonment, they confidently served their Master. They were loyal to the core. 7. The Savior commended them for their rare faithfulness and perseverance. "I know

that thou hast not fainted." They never failed. They never faltered. They never quit. The saints of God at Ephesus were rare, rare people. 8. One other matter of commendation was their hatred of the Nicolaitanes. "I know

that thou hatest the deeds of the )icolaitanes, which I also hate." The Nicolaitanes were a sect of base antinomians which had arisen in those early days of Christianity. They contended that since we are saved by grace and are free from the law, nothing is evil. They made every excuse for lewdness and licentiousness. John Gill tells us that the Nicolaitanes "committed fornication, adultery, and all uncleanness, and had their wives in common." All this evil was practiced and promoted in the name of Christian liberty! All true believers, like these Ephesians and like Christ himself, despise those who promote ungodliness in the name of grace.

To the Church in Ephesus1 “To the angel[a] of the church in Ephesus write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lamp stands.

1. BARES, "The Epistle to the Church at EphesusThe contents of the epistle to the church at Ephesus - the first addressed - are these:

(1) The attribute of the Saviour referred to is, that he “holds the stars in his right hand, and walks in the midst of the golden candlesticks,” Rev_2:1.

(2) He commends them for their patience, and for their opposition to those who are

evil, and for their zeal and fidelity in carefully examining into the character of some who claimed to be apostles, but who were, in fact, impostors; for their perseverance in bearing up under trial, and not fainting in his cause, and for their opposition to the Nicolaitanes, whom, he says, he hates, Rev_2:2-3, Rev_2:6.

(3) He reproves them for having left their first love to him, Rev_2:4.

(4) He admonishes them to remember whence they had fallen, to repent, and to do their first works Rev_2:5.

(5) He threatens them that, if they do not repent, he will come and remove the candlestick out of its place, Rev_2:5; and,

(6) He assures them, and all others, that whosoever overcomes he will “give him to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God,” Rev_2:7.

Unto the angel - The minister; the presiding presbyter; the bishop - in the primitive sense of the word “bishop” - denoting one who had the spiritual charge of a congregation. See the notes on Rev_1:20.

Of the church - Not of the churches of Ephesus, but of the one church of that city. There is no evidence that the word is used in a collective sense to denote a group of churches, like a diocese; nor is there any evidence that there was such a group of churches in Ephesus, or that there was more than one church in that city. It is probable that all who were Christians there were regarded as members of one church - though for convenience they may have met for worship in different places. Thus, there was one church in Corinth 1Co_1:1; one church in Thessalonica 1Th_1:1, etc.

Of Ephesus - On the situation of Ephesus, see the notes on Act_18:19, and the introduction to the notes on the Epistle to the Ephesians, section 1, and the engraving there. It was the capital of Ionia; was one of the twelve Ionian cities of Asia Minor in the Mythic times, and was said to have been founded by the Amazons. It was situated on the river Cayster, not far from the Icarian Sea, between Smyrna and Miletus. It was one of the most considerable cities of Asia Minor, and while, about the epoch when Christianity was introduced, other cities declined, Ephesus rose more and more. It owed its prosperity, in part, to the favor of its governors; for Lysimachus named the city Arsinoe, in honor of his second wife, and Attalus Philadelphus furnished it with splendid wharves and docks. Under the Romans it was the capital not only of Ionia, but of the entire province of Asia, and bore the honorable title of the first and greatest metropolis of Asia. John is supposed to have resided in this city, and to have preached the gospel there for many years; and on this account, perhaps, it was, as well as on account of the relative importance of the city, that the first epistle of the seven was addressed to that church. On the present condition of the ruins of Ephesus, see the notes on Rev_2:5. We have no means whatever of ascertaining the size of the church when John wrote the Book of Revelation. From the fact, however, that Paul, as is supposed (see the introduction to the Epistle to the Ephesians, section 2), labored there for about three years; that there was a body of “elders” who presided over the church there Act_20:17; and that the apostle John seems to have spent a considerable part of his life there in preaching the gospel, it may be presumed that there was a large and flourishing church in that city. The epistle before us shows also that it was characterized by distinguished piety.

These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand - See the notes on Rev_1:16. The object here seems to be to turn the attention of the church in Ephesus to some attribute of the Saviour which deserved their special regard, or which constituted a special reason for attending to what he said. To do this, the attention is directed, in this case, to the fact that he held the seven stars - emblematic of the ministers of the churches - in his hand, and that he walked in the midst of the

lampbearers - representing the churches themselves; intimating that they were dependent on him, that he had power to continue or remove the ministry, and that it was by his presence only that those lamp-bearers would continue to give light. The absolute control over the ministry, and the fact that he walked amidst the churches, and that his presence was necessary to their perpetuity and their welfare, seem to be the principal ideas implied in this representation. These truths he would impress on their minds, in order that they might feel how easy it would be for him to punish any disobedience, and in order that they might do what was necessary to secure his continual presence among them. These views seem to be sanctioned by the character of the punishment threatened Rev_2:5, “that he would remove the candlestick representing their church out of its place.” See the notes on Rev_2:5.

Who walketh in the midst, ... - In Rev_1:13 he is represented simply as being seen amidst the golden candlesticks. See the notes on that place. Here there is the additional idea of his “walking” in the midst of them, implying perhaps constant and vigilant supervision. He went from one to another, as one who inspects and surveys what is under his care; perhaps also with the idea that he went among them as a friend to bless them.

2. CLARKE, "Unto the angel of the Church of Ephesus - By αγγελος, angel, we are to understand the messenger or person sent by God to preside over this Church; and to him the epistle is directed, not as pointing out his state, but the state of the Church under his care. Angel of the Church here answers exactly to that officer of the synagogue

among the Jews called שליח�ציבור sheliach�tsibbur, the messenger of the Church, whose business it was to read, pray, and teach in the synagogue. The Church at Ephesus is first addressed, as being the place where John chiefly resided; and the city itself was the metropolis of that part of Asia. The angel or bishop at this time was most probably Timothy, who presided over that Church before St. John took up his residence there, and who is supposed to have continued in that office till a.d. 97, and to have been martyred a short time before St. John’s return from Patmos.

Holdeth the seven stars - Who particularly preserves, and guides, and upholds, not only the ministers of those seven Churches, but all the genuine ministers of his Gospel, in all ages and places.

Walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks - Is the supreme Bishop and Head, not only of those Churches, but of all the Churches or congregations of his people throughout the world.

3. GILL, "Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write,.... Of the city of Ephesus; see Gill on Rev_1:11 and see Gill on Act_18:19. The church here seems to have been founded by the Apostle Paul, who continued here two years, by which means all Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, Act_19:10; of this church; see Gill on Act_20:17; it is named first, because it was the largest, most populous, and famous, and was nearest to Patmos, where John now was, and most known to him, it being the place where he had resided; and it was the place from whence the Gospel came to others, and spread itself in lesser Asia; but especially it is first written to, because it represented the church in the

apostolic age; so that this letter contains the things which are, Rev_1:19; and in its very

name, to the state of this church in Ephesus, there may be an allusion; either to εφεσις, "ephesis", which signifies "desire", and may be expressive of the fervent love of that pure and apostolic church to Jesus Christ at the beginning of it; their eager desire after more knowledge of him, and communion with him; after his word and ordinances, and the maintaining of the purity of them; after the spread of his Gospel, and the enlargement of his kingdom in the world; as well as after fellowship with the saints, and the spiritual

welfare of each other: the allusion may be also to αφεσις, "aphesis", which signifies "remission", or an abatement; and so may point out the remissness and decay of the first love of these primitive Christians, towards the close of this state; of the abatement of the fervency of it, of which complaint is made in this epistle, and not without cause. This epistle is inscribed to the angel of this church, or the pastor of it; why ministers are called angels; see Gill on Rev_1:20; some think this was Timothy, whom the Apostle Paul sent thither, and desired him to continue there, 1Ti_1:3, there was one Onesimus bishop of Ephesus, when Polycarp was bishop of Smyrna, of whom he makes mention in his epistle (x) to the Ephesians, and bids fair to be this angel; though if any credit could be given to the Apostolic Constitutions (y) the bishop of this place was one John, who is said to be ordained by the Apostle John, and is thought to be the same with John the elder (z), the master of Papias; but though only one is mentioned, yet all the elders of this church, for there were more than one, see Act_20:17; are included; and not they only, but the whole church over whom they presided; for what was written was ordered to be sent to the church, and was sent by John, see Rev_1:4; the letter was sent to the pastor or pastors, to the whole body of ministers, by them to be communicated to the church; and not only to this particular church did this letter and the contents of it belong, but to all the churches of Christ within the period of the apostolic age, as may be concluded from Rev_2:7.

These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand; the Syriac version reads, "that holds all things, and these seven stars in his right hand"; for the explanation of this character of Christ; see Gill on Rev_1:16; only let it be observed how suitably this is prefixed to the church at Ephesus, and which represents the state of the churches in the times of the apostles; in which place, and during which interval, our Lord remarkably held his ministering: servants as stars in his right hand; he held and protected the Apostle Paul for two years in this place, and preserved him and his companions safe amidst the uproar raised by Demetrius the silversmith about them; here also he protected Timothy at a time when there were many adversaries, and kept the elders of this church pure, notwithstanding the erroneous persons that rose up among them; and last of all the Apostle John, who here resided, and died in peace, notwithstanding the rage and fury of his persecutors: likewise Christ in a very visible manner held all his faithful ministers during this period in his right hand, safe and secure, until they had done the work they were sent about, and preserved them in purity of doctrine and conversation; so that their light in both respects shone brightly before men. Moreover, as this title of Christ is prefixed to the epistle to the first of the churches, and its pastor or pastors, it may be considered as relating to, and holding good of all the ministers of the Gospel and pastors of the other churches; and likewise of all the churches in successive ages to the end of the world, as the following one also refers to all the churches themselves:

who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; see Gill on Rev_1:12; see Gill on Rev_1:13; Christ was not only present with, and took his walks in this church at Ephesus, but in all the churches of that period, comparable to candlesticks,

which held forth the light of the Gospel, and that in order as the antitype of Aaron, to him these lamps, and likewise in all his churches to the end of the world; see Mat_28:20.

4. HERY, "I. The inscription, where observe, 1. To whom the first of these epistles is directed: To the church of Ephesus, a famous church planted by the apostle Paul (Acts 19), and afterwards watered and governed by John, who had his residence very much there. We can hardly think that Timothy was the angel, or sole pastor and bishop, of this church at this time, - that he who was of a very excellent spirit, and naturally cared for the good state of the souls of the people, should become so remiss as to deserve the rebukes given to the ministry of this church. Observe, 2. From whom this epistle to Ephesus was sent; and here we have one of those titles that were given to Christ in his appearance to John in the chapter foregoing: He that holds the seven stars in his right hand, and walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, Rev_1:13, Rev_1:16. This title consists of two parts: - (1.) He that holds the stars in his right hand. The ministers of Christ are under his special care and protection. It is the honour of God that he knows the number of the stars, calls them by their names, binds the sweet influences of Pleiades and looses the bands of Orion; and it is the honour of the Lord Jesus Christ that the ministers of the gospel, who are greater blessings to the church than the stars are to the world, are in his hand. He directs all their motions; he disposes of them into their several orbs; he fills them with light and influence; he supports them, or else they would soon be falling stars; they are instruments in his hand, and all the good they do is done by his hand with them. (2.) He walks in the midst of the golden candlesticks. This intimates his relation to his churches, as the other his relation to his ministers. Christ is in an intimate manner present and conversant with his churches; he knows and observes their state; he takes pleasure in them, as a man does to walk in his garden. Though Christ is in heaven, he walks in the midst of his churches on earth, observing what is amiss in them and what it is that they want. This is a great encouragement to those who have the care of the churches, that the Lord Jesus has graven them upon the palms of his hands.

5. JAMISO, "Rev_2:1-29. Epistles to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira.Each of the seven epistles in this and the third chapter, commences with, “I know thy

works.” Each contains a promise from Christ, “To him that overcometh.” Each ends with, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” The title of our Lord in each case accords with the nature of the address, and is mainly taken from the imagery of the vision, Rev_1:12-16. Each address has a threat or a promise, and most of the addresses have both. Their order seems to be ecclesiastical, civil, and geographical: Ephesus first, as being the Asiatic metropolis (termed “the light of Asia,” and “first city of Asia”), the nearest to Patmos, where John received the epistle to the seven churches, and also as being that Church with which John was especially connected; then the churches on the west coast of Asia; then those in the interior. Smyrna and Philadelphia alone receive unmixed praise. Sardis and Laodicea receive almost solely censure. In Ephesus, Pergamos, and Thyatira, there are some things to praise, others to condemn, the latter element preponderating in one case (Ephesus), the former in the two others (Pergamos and Thyatira). Thus the main characteristics of the different states of different churches, in all times and places, are portrayed, and they are suitably encouraged or warned.

Ephesus — famed for the temple of Diana, one of the seven wonders of the world. For three years Paul labored there. He subsequently ordained Timothy superintending overseer or bishop there: probably his charge was but of a temporary nature. John, towards the close of his life, took it as the center from which he superintended the

province.

holdeth — Greek, “holdeth fast,” as in Rev_2:25; Rev_3:11; compare Joh_10:28, Joh_10:29. The title of Christ here as “holding fast the seven stars (from Rev_1:16 : only that, for having is substituted holding fast in His grasp), and walking in the midst of the seven candlesticks,” accords with the beginning of His address to the seven churches representing the universal Church. Walking expresses His unwearied activity in the Church, guarding her from internal and external evils, as the high priest moved to and fro in the sanctuary.

6. BARCLAY, “EPHESUS, FIRST AND GREATEST

When we know something of the history of Ephesus and learn something of its conditions at this time, it is easy to see why it comes first in the list of the seven Churches.

Pergamum was the official capital of the province of Asia but Ephesus was by far its greatest city. It claimed as its proud title "The first and the greatest metropolis of Asia." A Roman writer called it Lumen Asiae, The Light of Asia. Let us see, then, the factors which gave it its preeminent greatness.

(i) In the time of John, Ephesus was the greatest harbour in Asia. All the roads of the Cayster Valley--the Cayster was the river on which it stood--converged upon it. But the roads came from further afield than that. It was at Ephesus that the road from the far-off Euphrates and Mesopotamia reached the Mediterranean, having come by way of Colossae and Laodicea. It was at Ephesus that the road from Galatia reached the sea, having come by way of Sardis. And from the south came up the road from the rich Maeander Valley. Strabo, the ancient geographer, called Ephesus "The Market of Asia," and it may well be that in Rev. 18:12-13 John was setting down a description of the varied riches of the marketplace at Ephesus.

Ephesus was the Gateway of Asia. One of its distinctions, laid down by statute, was that when the Roman proconsul came to take up office as governor of Asia, he must disembark at Ephesus and enter his province there. For all the travellers and the trade, from the Cayster and the Maeander Valleys, from Galatia, from the Euphrates and from Mesopotamia, Ephesus was the highway to Rome. In later times, when the Christians were brought from Asia to be flung to the lions in the arena in Rome, Ignatius called Ephesus the Highway of the Martyrs.

Its position made Ephesus the wealthiest and the greatest city in all Asia and it has been aptly called the Vanity Fair of the ancient world.

(ii) Ephesus had certain important political distinctions. It was a free city. In the Roman Empire certain cities were free cities; they had had that honour conferred upon them because of their services to the Empire. A free city was within its own limits self-governing; and it was exempted from ever having Roman troops garrisoned there. It was an assize town. The Roman governors made periodical tours of their provinces; and at certain specially chosen cities and towns courts were held where the governor tried the most important cases. Further, Ephesus held yearly the most famous games in Asia which attracted people from all over the province.

(iii) Ephesus was the centre of the worship of Artemis or, as the King James Version calls her, Diana of the Ephesians. The Temple of Artemis was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was four hundred and twenty-five feet long by two hundred and twenty feet wide; it had one hundred and twenty columns, each sixty feet high and the gift of a king, and thirty-six of them were richly gilded and inlaid. Ancient temples consisted mostly of colonnades with only the centre portion roofed over. The centre portion of the Temple of Artemis was roofed over with cypress

wood. The image of Artemis was one of the most sacred images in the ancient world. It was by no means beautiful but a squat, black, many-breasted figure; so ancient that none knew its origin. We have only to read Ac.19 to see how precious Artemis and her temple were to Ephesus. Ephesus had also famous temples to the godhead of the Roman Emperors, Claudius and Nero, and in after days was to add temples to Hadrian and Severus. In Ephesus pagan religion was at its strongest.

(iv) Ephesus was a notorious centre of pagan superstition. It was famous for the Ephesian Letters, amulets and charms which were supposed to be infallible remedies for sickness, to bring children to those who were childless and to ensure success in any undertaking; and people came from all over the world to buy them.

(v) The population of Ephesus was very mixed. Its citizens were divided into six tribes. One consisted of those who were descendants of the original natives of the country; one consisted of those who were direct descendants of the original colonists from Athens; three consisted of other Greeks; and one, it is probable, consisted of Jews. Besides being a centre of religion the Temple of Artemis was also a centre of crime and immorality. The Temple area possessed the right of asylum; any criminal was safe if he could reach it. The temple possessed hundreds of priestesses who were sacred prostitutes. All this combined to make Ephesus a notoriously evil place. Heraclitus, one of the most famous of ancient philosophers, was known as "the weeping philosopher." His explanation of his tears was that no one could live in Ephesus without weeping at its immorality.

Such was Ephesus; a more unpromising soil for the sowing of the seed of Christianity can scarcely be imagined; and yet it was there that Christianity had some of its greatest triumphs. R. C. Trench writes: "Nowhere did the word of God find a kindlier soil, strike root more deeply or bear fairer fruits of faith and love."

Paul stayed longer in Ephesus than in any other city (Ac.20:31). It was with Ephesus that Timothy was connected so that he is called its first bishop (1Tim.1:3). It is in Ephesus that we find Aquila, Priscilla and Apollos (Ac.18:19,24,26). Surely to no one was Paul ever more close than to the Ephesian elders, as his farewell address so beautifully shows (Ac.20:17-38). In later days John was the leading figure of Ephesus. Legend has it that he brought Mary the mother of Jesus to Ephesus and that she was buried there. When Ignatius of Antioch wrote to Ephesus, on his way to being martyred in Rome, he could write: "You were ever of one mind with the apostles in the power of Jesus Christ."

There can be few places which better prove the conquering power of the Christian faith.

We may note one more thing. We have spoken of Ephesus as the greatest harbour of Asia. Today there is little left of Ephesus but ruins and it is no less than six miles from the sea. The coast is now "a harbourless line of sandy beach, unapproachable by a ship." What was once the Gulf of Ephesus and the harbour is "a marsh dense with reeds." It was ever a fight to keep the harbour of Ephesus open because of the silt which the Cayster brings down. The fight was lost and Ephesus vanished from the scene.

EPHESUS CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH

Rev. 2:1-7 (continued)

John begins the letter to Ephesus with two descriptions of the Risen Christ.

(i) He holds the seven stars in his right hand. That is to say, Christ holds the Churches in his hand. The word for to hold is kratein (GSN2902), and it is a strong word. It means that Christ has complete control over the Church. If the Church submits to that control, it will never go wrong; and more than that--our security lies in the fact that we are in the hand of Christ. "They shall never

perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand" (Jn.10:28).

There is another point here which emerges only in the Greek. Kratein (GSN2902) normally takes a genitive case after it (the case which in English we express by the word of). Because, when we take hold of a thing, we seldom take hold of the whole of it but of part of it. When kratein (GSN2902) takes an accusative after it, it means that the whole object is gripped within the hand. Here, kratein (GSN2902) takes the accusative and that means that Christ clasps the whole of the seven stars in his hand. That means he holds the whole Church in his hand.

We do well to remember that. It is not only our Church which is in the hand of Christ; the whole Church is in his hand. When men put up barriers between Church and Church, they do what Christ never does.

(ii) He walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands. The lampstands are the Churches. This expression tells us of Christ's unwearied activity in the midst of his Churches. He is not confined to any one of them; wherever men are met to worship in his name, Christ is there.

John goes on to say certain things about the people of the Church of Ephesus.

(i) The Risen Christ praises their toil. The word is kopos (GSN2884) and it is a favourite New Testament word. Tryphena, Tryphosa and Persis all work hard int he Lord (Rom.16:12). The one thing that Paul claims is that he has worked harder than all (1Cor.15:10). He fears lest the Galatians slip back, and his labour is in vain (Gal.4:11). In each case--and there are many others--the word is either kopos (GSN2884) or the verb kopian (GSN2872). The special characteristic of these words is that they describe the kind of toil which takes everything of mind and sinew that a man can put into it. The Christian way is not for the man who fears to break sweat. The Christian is to be a toiler for Christ, and, even if physical toil is impossible, he can still toil in prayer.

(ii) The Risen Christ praises their steadfast endurance. Here is the word hupomone (GSN5281) which we have come upon again and again. It is not the grim patience which resignedly accepts things. It is the courageous gallantry which accepts suffering and hardship and turns them into grace and glory. It is often said that suffering colours life; but when we meet life with the hupomone (GSN5281) which Christ can give, the colour of life is never grey or black; it is always tinged with glory.

EPHESUS WHEN ORTHODOXY COSTS TOO MUCH


The Risen Christ goes on to praise the Christians of Ephesus because they have tested evil men and proved them liars.

Many an evil man came into the little congregations of the early church. Jesus had warned of the false prophets who are wolves in sheep's clothing (Matt.7:15). In his farewell speech to the elders of this very Church at Ephesus, Paul had warned them that grievous wolves would invade the flock (Ac.20:29). These evil men were of many kinds. There were emissaries of the Jews who sought to entangle Christians again in the Law and followed Paul everywhere, trying to undo his work. There were those who tried to turn liberty into licence. There were professional beggars who preyed on the charity of the Christian congregations. The Church at Ephesus us was even more open to these itinerant menaces than any other Church. It was on the highway to Rome and to the east, and what R. C. Trench called "the whole rabble of evil-doers" was liable to descend upon it.

More than once the New Testament insists on the necessity of testing. John in his First Letter insists that the spirits who claim to come from God should be tested by their willingness to accept

the Incarnation in all its fullness (1Jn.4:1-3). Paul insists that the Thessalonians should test all things and then hold on to that which is good (1Th.5:21). He insists that, when the prophets preach, they are subject to the testing of the other prophets (1Cor.14:29). A man cannot proclaim his private views in the assembly of God's people; he must abide in the tradition of the Church. Jesus demanded the hardest test of all: "By their fruits you will know them" (Matt.7:15-20).

The Church at Ephesus had faithfully applied its tests and had weeded out all evil and misguided men; but the trouble was that something had got lost in the process. "I have this against you," says the Risen Christ, "that you have lost your first love." That phrase may have two meanings.

(a) It can mean that the first enthusiasm is gone. Jeremiah speaks of the devotion of Israel to God in the early days. God says to the nation that he remembers, "the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride" (Jer.2:2). There had been a honeymoon period, but the first flush of enthusiasm is past. It may be that the Risen Christ is saying that all the enthusiasm has gone out of the religion of the Church of Ephesus.

(b) Much more likely this means that the first fine rapture of love for the brotherhood is gone. In the first days the members of the Church at Ephesus had really loved each other; dissension had never reared its head; the heart was ready to kindle and the hand was ready to help. But something had gone wrong. It may well be that heresy-hunting had killed love, and orthodoxy had been achieved at the price of fellowship. When that happens, orthodoxy has cost too much. All the orthodoxy in the world will never take the place of love.

EPHESUS THE STEPS ON THE RETURN JOURNEY


In Ephesus something had gone wrong. The earnest toil was there; the gallant endurance was there; the unimpeachable orthodoxy was there; but the love was gone. So the Risen Christ makes his appeal and it is for the three steps of the return journey.

(i) First, he says "Remember". He is not here speaking to someone who has never been inside the Church; he is speaking to those who are inside but have somehow lost the way. Memory can often be the first step on the way back. In the far country the prodigal son suddenly remembered his home (Lk.15:17).

O. Henry has a short story. There was a lad who had been brought up in a village; and in the village school he had sat beside a village girl, innocent and sweet. The lad found his way to the city; fell into bad company; became an expert pickpocket. He was on the street one day; he had just picked a pocket--a neat job, well done--and he was pleased with himself. Suddenly he saw the girl he used to sit beside at school. She was still the same--innocent and sweet. She did not see him; he took care of that. But suddenly he remembered what he had been, and realized what he was. He leaned his burning head against the cool iron of a lamp post. "God," he said, "how I hate myself." Memory was offering him the way back.

William Cowper wrote:

Where is the blessedness I knew When first I saw the Lord? Where is the soul-refreshing view Of Jesus and his word?

A verse like that may sound like nothing but tragedy and sorrow, but in fact it can be the first step of the way back; for the first step to amendment is to realize that something has gone wrong.

(ii) Second, he says "Repent". When we discover that something has gone wrong, there is more than one possible reaction. We may feel that nothing can sustain its first lustre, and so accept what we consider inevitable. We may be filled with a feeling of resentment and blame life instead

of facing ourselves. We may decide that the old thrill is to be found along forbidden pathways and try to find spice for life in sin. But the Risen Christ says, "Repent!" Repentance is the admission that the fault is ours and the feeling of sorrow for it. The prodigal's reaction is: "I will arise and go to my father and say I have sinned." (Lk.15:18). It is Saul's cry of the heart when he realizes his folly: "I have played the fool and I have erred exceedingly" (1Sam.26:21). The hardest thing about repentance is the acceptance of personal responsibility for our failure, for once the responsibility is accepted the godly sorrow will surely follow.

(iii) Third, he says "Do". The sorrow of repentance is meant to drive a man to two things. First, it is meant to drive him to fling himself on the grace of God, saying only: "God, be merciful to me a sinner." Second, it is meant to drive him to action in order to bring forth fruits meet for repentance. No man has truly repented when he does the same things again. Fosdick said that the great truth of Christianity is that "no man need stay the way he is." The proof of repentance is a changed life, a life changed by our effort in cooperation with the grace of God.

EPHESUS A RUINOUS HERESY


We meet here a heresy which the Risen Christ says that he hates and which he praises Ephesus for also hating. It may seem strange to attribute hatred to the Risen Christ; but two things are to be remembered. First, if we love anyone with passionate intensity, we will necessarily hate anything which threatens to ruin that person. Second, it is necessary to hate the sin but love the sinner.

The heretics we meet here are the Nicolaitans. They are only named, not defined. But we meet them again in Pergamum (Rev. 2:15). There they are very closely connected with those "who hold the teaching of Balaam," and that in turn is connected with eating things offered to idols and with immorality (Rev. 2:14). We meet precisely the same problem at Thyatira where the wicked Jezebel is said to cause Christians to practise immorality and to eat things offered to idols.

We may first note that this danger is coming not from outside the Church but from inside. The claim of these heretics was that they were not destroying Christianity but presenting an improved version.

We may, second, note that the Nicolaitans and those who hold the teaching of Balaam were, in fact, one and the same. There is a play on words here. The name Nicolaos (GSN3532), the founder of the Nicolaitans, could be derived from two Greek words, nikan (GSN3528), to conquer, and laos (GSN2992), the people. Balaam (HSN1109) can be derived from two Hebrew words, bela, to conquer, and ha'am (HSN5971), the people. The two names, then, are the same and both can describe an evil teacher, who has won victory over the people and subjugated them to poisonous heresy.

In Num.25:1-5 we find a strange story in which the Israelites were seduced into illegal and sacrilegious unions with Moabite women and into the worship of Baal-peor, a seduction which, if it had not been sternly checked, might have ruined the religion of Israel and destroyed her as a nation. When we go on to Num.31:16 we find that seduction definitely attributed to the evil influence of Balaam. Balaam, then, in Hebrew history stood for an evil man who seduced the people into sin.

Let us now see what the early church historians have to tell us about these Nicolaitans. The majority identify them with the followers of Nicolaus, the proselyte of Antioch, who was one of the seven commonly called deacons (Ac.6:5). The idea is that Nicolaus went wrong and became a heretic. Irenaeus says of the Nicolaitans that "they lived lives of unrestrained indulgence" (Against Heresies, 1.26.3). Hippolytus says that he was one of the seven and that "he departed from correct doctrine, and was in the habit of inculcating indifference of food and life" (Refutation of

Heresies, 7: 24). The Apostolic Constitutions (6: 8) describe the Nicolaitans as "shameless in uncleanness." Clement of Alexandria says they "abandon themselves to pleasure like goats...leading a life of self-indulgence." But he acquits Nicolaus of all blame and says that they perverted his saying "that the flesh must be abused." Nicolaus meant that the body must be kept under; the heretics perverted it into meaning that the flesh can be used as shamelessly as a man wishes (The Miscellanies 2: 20). The Nicolaitans obviously taught loose living.

Let us see if we can identify their point of view and their teaching a little more definitely. The letter to Pergamum tells us that they seduced people into eating meat offered to idols and into immorality. When we turn to the decree of the Council of Jerusalem, we find that two of the conditions on which the Gentiles were to be admitted to the Church were that they were to abstain from things offered to idols and from immorality (Ac.15:28-29). These are the very conditions that the Nicolaitans broke.

They were almost certainly people who argued on these lines. (a) The Law is ended; therefore, there are no laws and we are entitled to do what we like. They confused Christian liberty with unchristian licence. They were the very kind of people whom Paul urged not to use their liberty as an opportunity for the flesh (Gal.5:13). (b) They probably argued that the body is evil anyway and that a man could do what he liked with it because it did not matter. (c) They probably argued that the Christian was so defended by grace that he could do anything and take no harm.

What lay behind this Nicolaitan perversion of the truth? The trouble was the necessary difference between the Christian and the pagan society in which he moved. The heathen had no hesitation in eating meat offered to idols and it was set before him at every social occasion. Could a Christian attend such a feast? The heathen had no idea of chastity and sexual relations outside marriage were accepted as completely normal and brought no shame. Must a Christian be so very different? The Nicolaitans were suggesting that there was no reason why a Christian should not come to terms with the world. Sir William Ramsay describes their teaching thus: "It was an attempt to effect a reasonable compromise with the established usages of the Graeco-Roman society and to retain as many as possible of those usages in the Christian system of life." This teaching naturally affected most the upper classes because they had most to lose if they went all the way with the Christian demand. To John the Nicolaitans were worse than pagans, for they were the enemy within the gates.

The Nicolaitans were not prepared to be different; they were the most dangerous of all heretics from a practical point of view, for, if their teaching had been successful, the world would have changed Christianity and not Christianity the world.

EPHESUS THE GREAT REWARD


Finally, the Risen Christ makes his great promise to those who overcome. In this picture there are two very beautiful conceptions.

(i) There is the conception of the tree of life. This is part of the story of the Garden of Eden; in the midst of the garden there was the tree of life (Gen.2:9); it was the tree of which Adam was forbidden to eat (Gen.2:16-17); the tree whose fruit would make a man like God, and for eating which Adam and Eve were driven from Eden (Gen.3:22-24).

In later Jewish thought the tree came to stand for that which gave man life indeed. Wisdom is a tree of life to them that lay hold of her (Prov.3:18); the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life (Prov.11:30); hope fulfilled is a tree of life (Prov.13:12); a tongue is a tree of life (Prov.15:4).

To this is to be added another picture. Adam was first forbidden to eat of the tree of life and then he was barred from the garden so that the tree of life was lost for ever. But it was a regular

Jewish conception that, when the Messiah came and the new age dawned, the tree of life would be in the midst of men and those who had been faithful would eat of it. The wise man said: "They that do the things that please thee shall receive the fruit of the tree of immortality" (Ecc.19:19). The rabbis had a picture of the tree of life in paradise. Its boughs overshadowed the whole of paradise; it had five hundred thousand fragrant perfumes and its fruit as many pleasant tastes, every one of them different. The idea was that what Adam had lost the Messiah would restore. To eat of the tree of life means to have all the joys that the faithful conquerors will have when Christ reigns supreme.

(ii) There is the conception of paradise, and the very sound of the word is lovely. It may be that we do not attach any very definite meaning to it but when we study history, we come upon some of the most adventurous thinking the world has ever known.

(a) Originally paradise was a Persian word. Xenophon wrote much about the Persians, and it was he who introduced the word into the Greek language. Originally it meant a pleasure garden. When Xenophon is describing the state in which the Persian king lived, he says that he takes care that, wherever he resides, there are paradises, full of all the good and beautiful things the soil can produce (Xenophon: Oeconomicus, 4: 13). Paradise is a lovely word to describe a thing of serene beauty.

(b) In the Septuagint paradise has two uses. First, it is regularly used for the Garden of Eden (Gen.2:8; Gen.3:1). Second, it is regularly used of any stately garden. When Isaiah speaks of a garden that has no water, it is the word paradise that is used (Isa.1:30). It is the word used when Jeremiah says: "Plant gardens and eat their produce" (Jer.29:5). It is the word used when the preacher says: "I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees" (Ecc.2:5).

(iii) In early Christian thought the word has a special meaning. In Jewish thought after death the souls of all alike went to Hades, a grey and shadowy place. Early Christian thought conceived of an intermediate state between earth and heaven to which all men went and in which they remained until the final judgment. This place was conceived of by Tertullian as a vast cavern beneath the earth. But there was a special part in which the patriarchs and the prophets lived, and that was paradise. Philo describes it as a place "vexed by neither rain, nor snow, nor waves, but which the gentle Zephyr refreshes, breathing ever on it from the ocean." As Tertullian saw it, only one kind of person went straight to this paradise, and that was the martyr. "The sole key," he said, "to unlock paradise is your own life's blood" (Tertullian: Concerning the Soul, 55).

Origen was one of the most adventurous thinkers the Church ever produced. He writes like this: "I think that all the saints (saints means Christians) who depart from this life will remain in some place situated on the earth, which holy Scripture calls paradise, as in some place of instruction and, so to speak, class-room or school of souls.... If anyone indeed be pure in heart and holy in mind, and more practised in perception, he will by making more rapid progress, quickly ascend to a place in the air, and reach the kingdom of heaven, through these mansions (stages) which the Greeks called spheres and which holy Scripture calls heavens.... He will in the end follow him who has passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, who said: `I will that where I am, these may be also.' It is of this diversity of places he speaks, when he said: `In my Father's house are many mansions'" (Origen: De Principilis, 2: 6).

The great early thinkers did not identify paradise and heaven; paradise was the intermediate stage, where the souls of the righteous were fitted to enter the presence of God. There is something very lovely here. Who has not felt that the leap from earth to heaven is too great for one step and that there is need of a gradual entering into the presence of God? May it have been of this that Charles Wesley was thinking when he sang:

Changed from glory into glory, Till in heaven we take our place, Till we cast our crowns before thee, Lost in wonder, love, and praise.

(iv) In the end in Christian thought paradise did not retain this idea of an intermediate state. It came to be equivalent to heaven. Our minds must turn to the words of Jesus to the dying and penitent thief: "Today you will be with me in paradise" (Lk.23:43). We are in the presence of mysteries about which it would be irreverent to dogmatize; but is there any better definition of paradise than to say that it is life for ever in the presence of our Lord?

When death these mortal eyes shall seal, And still this throbbing heart, The rending veil shall thee reveal All glorious as thou art--

and that is paradise.

7. PULPIT, "The epistles to the seven Churches. Once more we have to consider rival

interpretations. Of these we may safely set aside all those which make the seven letters to be pictures of successive periods in the history of the Church. On the other hand, we may safely deny that the letters are purely typical, and relate to nothing definite in history. Rather they are both historical and typical. They refer primarily to the actual condition of the several Churches in St. John's own day, and then are intended for the instruction, encouragement, and warning of the Church and the Churches throughout all time. The Catholic Church, or any one of its branches, will at any period find itself reflected in one or other of the seven Churches. For two Churches, Smyrna and Philadelphia, there is nothing but praise; for two, Sardis and Laodicea, nothing but blame; for the majority, and among them the chief Church of all, Ephesus, with Pergamum and Thyatira, praise and blame in different degrees intermingled.The student will find it instructive to place the epistles side by side in seven parallel columns, and note the elements common to each and the order in which these elements appear. These common elements are:

The epistle to the Church at Ephesus.

Revelation 2:1

Unto the angel (see on Revelation 1:20). "The angel" seems to be the spirit of the Church personified as its responsible guardian. The Church of Ephesus. "In Ephesus" is certainly the right reading; in all seven cases it is the angel of the Church in the place that is addressed. In St. Paul's:Epistles we have "in Rome," "in Corinth," "in Colossae," "in Ephesus," "of Galatia," "of the Thessalonians." Among all the cities of the Roman province of Asia, Ephesus ranked as "first of all and greatest." It was called "the metropolis of Asia." Romans visiting Asia commonly landed first at Ephesus. Its position as a centre of commerce was magnificent. Three rivers, the Maeander, the Cayster, and the Hermes, drain Western Asia Minor, and Ephesus stood on high ground near the mouth of the central river, the Cayster, which is connected by passes with the valleys of the other two. Strabo, writing of Ephesus about the time when St. John was born, says, "Owing to its favourable situation, the city is in all other respects increasing daily, for it is the greatest place of trade of all the cities of Asia west of the Taurus." Patmos was only a day's sail from Ephesus; and it is by no means improbable that the gorgeous description of the merchandise of "Babylon" (Revelation 18:12, Revelation 18:13) is derived from St. John's own recollections of Ephesus. The Church of Ephesus was founded by St. Paul, about A.D. 55, and his Epistle to that and other Churches, now called simply "to the Ephesians," was written about A.D. 63. When St. Paul went to Macedonia, Timothy was left at Ephesus (1 Timothy 1:3) to check the wild speculations in which some Ephesian Christians had begun to indulge. Timothy probably followed St. Paul to Rome (2 Timothy 4:9, 2 Timothy 4:21), and, after his master's death, returned to Ephesus, where he is said to have suffered martyrdom at a festival in honour of the great goddess Artemis." He may have been still at Ephesus at the time when this epistle was written; and Plumptre has traced coincidences between this epistle and those of St. Paul to Timothy. According to Dorotheus of Tyro, he was succeeded by Gaius (Romans 16:23). In the Ignatian epistles we have Onesimus (probably not the servant of Philemon), Bishop of Ephesus. Ignatius speaks of the Ephesian Church in terms of high praise, showing that it had profited by the exhortations in this epistle. It was free from heresy, though heresy hovered around it. It was spiritually minded, and took God as its rule of life

(Ignatius, 'Ephes.,' 6.-8.). Write (see on Revelation 1:11; and comp. Isaiah 8:1; Isaiah

30:8; Jeremiah 30:2; Jeremiah 36:2; Habakkuk 2:2). Holdeth ( κρατῶν). Stronger than "had"

( ἔχων) in Revelation 1:16. This word implies holding fast and having full control over. In verse 25

we have both verbs, and again in Revelation 3:11. A Church that had fallen from its first love (Revelation 3:4, Revelation 3:5) had need to be reminded of him who "holds fast" his own; and one whose candlestick was in danger of removal had need to turn to him who is ever active (not merely is, but "walketh") "in the midst of the candlesticks," to supply them with oil when they flicker, and rekindle them when they go out. It is he, and not the apostle, who addresses them.

8. BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR, “The address to Ephesus

I. The form of address.

1. The place. Ephesus. Situated in a rich and extensive country, and upon the banks of a luxuriant river, it became, in all probability, celebrated for the pleasures of the chase, on which account its richest offerings were presented on the shrine of Diana. It was in its greatest glory in the apostolic age, its population at that time amounting to some hundreds of thousands. The ruins of its theatre still remain, which is computed to have accommodated twenty thousand spectators. Its commerce, its literature, its opulence, and its luxury were in similar proportion.

2. The Church of Ephesus.

(1) How great were the advantages which the Ephesian Church enjoyed! The foundation is laid during a few months’ visit from the great apostle of the Gentiles. It is sustained by the labours of Priscilla and Aquila. It is favoured with the discourses of the eloquent Apollos. It next enjoys the entire ministrations of Paul for two years and three months. He is succeeded by Timothy, of whom Paul says, he knew no man so like-minded with himself, who evidently gave the prime of his days to the Ephesians. A most instructive and encouraging letter is sent them by Paul, for their guidance both in doctrine and practice. Timothy receives full instructions from the apostle for the performance of his pastoral duties among them. And to crown all their privileges, during the apostolic age, John, the last of the apostles, gives them the benefit of the rich experience of his latter days, and the benedictions of his last breath.

(2) The chief difficulties with which the gospel had to contend in this city.

(a) The prejudices of the Jews.

(b) The pride of human learning.

(c) The influence of a popular idolatry and an interested priesthood.

(d) The effect of riches.

(e) Sensual indulgence.

(3) The gospel when faithfully preached, and accompanied by pastoral visits and fervent prayer, will surmount all opposition, and extensively prevail.

3. The angel of the Church at Ephesus.

4. The character in which Christ addresses this Church.

II. The subject of communication.

1. The Ephesians are commended here for their zealous and active performance of

Christian duties; for their patience and submission under trial and persecution; and for their purity of discipline.

2. He has something against them, as well as in their favour. He does not dispute the sincerity of their love, but reproves them for its diminished fervour. It was not so pure, burning, and enkindling as at first. Diminution of love in His people is displeasing to Christ, on their account as well as His own. Love is the fruit of all other graces of the Christian combined. If this decays, the whole work of grace in the soul is on the decline.

3. The admonition: “Remember, therefore, from whence thou art fallen,” etc.

4. The threatening: “Or else I will come unto thee quickly,” etc. Unless the flame of love be kept bright and glowing, He will withdraw His support. He will not hold up an expiring lamp. The light of the gospel is not extinguished, but is removed from one place to another. If it has become dim, or ceased to shine in one part of the earth, it burns with brilliancy in another. While its first fervour was declining in Judaea, it burst forth in the cities of the Gentiles. The gospel seeks the hearts of men. If they are withheld in one place, it seeks them in another.

5. The closing commendation: “But this thou hast,” etc.

III. General application is appended to the address to the Church at Ephesus, and the same order is observed in the rest: “He that hath an ear, let him hear,” etc. (G. Rogers.)

Ephesus—the strenuous Church

Ephesus is the type of a strenuous Church. There is something singularly masculine in the first part of the description. “I know thy works”—that is, thine achievements; not thy desires and purposes and aspirations, not even thy doings, but thy deeds. This Church in its severe self-discipline affords a welcome contrast to the easily-excited populace amid whom they lived, rushing confusedly into the theatre and shouting for two hours, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians.” The patience of the Church is twice men tioned; the second time it is patience not as a feature of the workman, but the patience of him who can suffer, and suffer in silence. And this virtue has a threefold delineation—patience, endurance, fortitude. “Thou hast patience, and thou didst bear for My name’s sake, and thou hast not grown weary.” There is another mark of the masculine character in Ephesus, a noble intolerance of evil—“thou canst not bear bad men.” And with this intolerance is the power to discriminate character, the clear judgment which cannot be deceived—“thou didst try them which call themselves apostles, and they are not, and didst find them false.” There is no surer mark of a masculine nature than this keen insight into pretentiousness, and fidelity of rebuke. Then comes the exposure of the great defect of Ephesus. “I have against thee that thou hast left that love which thou hadst at the first.” It is love in its largest sense which the Church once had and now has lost; the love of God animating piety undoubtedly, but no less certainly the love of men making service sweet. Nor is it the feeling alone which has changed, it is not that love as a sentiment is lost; but love in its far reach has gone, kindliness and tender consideration and disregard of self, the grace that suffers long and is kind, that beareth all things, hopeth all things, believeth all things. The toilsomeness, the endurance, the stern self-judgment, the keen discrimination of character, are obvious; but the spirit that rises above toil or sweetens toil, the grace to woo and wed, has fled. We can understand the history only too well. Life has many sore trials, none sorer than this—that virtues which are unexercised die out, and that the circumstances which call for some virtues and give

occasion for their development seem to doom others to extinction. The Christian character cannot live by severity alone. There were two demands which the Church at Ephesus had forgotten—the demand for completeness of Christian character, never more urgent than when the times are making us one-sided; the demand of God Himself for the heart. There must be impulse in His people if they are to continue His people; there must be love in all who, not contented with doing “their works,” desire to do the work of God.

I. There is an obscured, a limited perception of the grace of Christ. “These things saith He that holdeth the seven stars,” etc. A strenuous Lord for a strenuous Church; but also a Lord holding His manifold graces in reserve when He has to do with a reserved people. For the nurture of piety we need all that He will reveal to us of Himself, all that can endear Him, all that can startle us, all that can exalt His image. There is not a single channel by which Christ finds His way to the soul which should not be open to Him; a full Christ is needed for a full man and for a complete Church.

II. The warning of the fifth verse must have been very surprising to the angel of the Ephesian Church. The Church seemed to be so efficient. Its works had been so hard, and yet they had been done. Its achieve-merits were patent. Especially its service in the cause of truth was conspicuous; the Church had not lost its zeal, its candour, its piercing vision. Ephesus warns us against the perils of the Puritan temper; it warns us also against the stoical temper, with its tendency to a not ignoble cynicism, of which some of our gravest leaders in literature have been the exponents. Puritanism plus love ham accomplished great things, and will do yet more; for a masculine tenderness is God’s noblest gift to men. But Puritanism, when the first love is lost, drags on a sorrowful existence, uninfluential and unhappy; its only hope being the capacity for repentance, which, God be praised, has never failed it. Perhaps the most solemn part of the message is that in which the Lord Himself declares—“I am coming; I will shake thy candlestick out of its place.” The Lord can do without our achievements, but not without love. He can supply gifts unendingly, can make the feeble as David; but if love be wanting He will shake the noblest into destruction, and remove them out of the way. There is one striking word immediately following this warning, a word of commendation; it is the only one of the messages in which a word of commendation does come in after the warning has been uttered, and it is a commendation of feeling. “But this thou hast, that thou hatest,” etc. Hatred is hardly the feeling we should have expected to be commended: but it is feeling, and any feeling is better than apathy or stolidity. Where men can feel hatred, other feeling may come; love may come where men have not reduced themselves to machines.

III. An altogether unexpected thing in the message to the Church at Ephesus is the promise with which it ends—“To him that overcometh,” etc. In only two promises of the New Testament does this word “paradise” appear, with its suggestion of the primeval garden, where the father and mother of men wandered innocent and happy: in the promise made by the dying Jesus to the penitent thief, and here. The faithful men of Ephesus, stern-featured, with drawn brows, fighting on, knowing that their hearts are withering in the conflict, and yet not seeing how they can relax, are caught with a word. An image is presented to them which may break down even their self-control, and set them longing for the wondrous things God hath prepared for them that love Him. And this was exactly what Ephesus needed, although it was the one thing it had schooled itself to do without. Ephesus had too little of what so many have too much of—sensibility, passiveness, willingness to receive, to be made something of, to be quiet and let the Blessed One save them who had long been striving, and of late so ineffectually, to serve Him. Good as strenuousness is—and of human virtues it is among the chief—even better is the responsive spirit. When God is the giver, it is well for us to receive rather than to give. (A. Mackennal, D. D.)

Letter to Ephesus

I. The Head of the Church has a minute knowledge of all the services of His people.

1. There is distinguished labour. “I know thy works, and thy labour.” The Church at Ephesus had been a working Church. It had been operating on the sat rounding regions of depravity, darkness, and death. In its early life it was eminently an aggressive Church. I would have Christ’s Church as ambitious as Alexander. As he waved his battle-flag over a conquered world, so would I that the Church might unfurl the banner of a nobler conquest over every nation, and kindred, and people, and tongue.

2. There is distinguished patience. This patience may be understood as indicating long-suffering in relation to those by whom the saints in Ephesus were surrounded—long-suffering both in waiting for the germination of the seed which they had sown in many tears, and in the meek endurance of fiery trials. The point to be noted here is, that Christ is mindful, not only of the outward manifestations of the spiritual life—such as many labours and many offerings—but also of the hidden graces which cluster round the heart. He sees not only the moral warrior brandishing his sword in the thickest of the battle, hut also the wounded and suffering soldier; and sweetly says to such, “I know thy patience.” How few can tone themselves to the high strength of doing everything by doing nothing! Patience is undervalued by an excited world; but Jesus notes it in its long vigils, marks it trimming its dim lamp in the solemn midnight, and sweetly,whispers His word of commendation, which is always invigorating as the breath of immortality.

3. There is distinguished jealousy for the right. “Thou canst not bear them which are evil,” etc. It must ever be remembered that there is a spurious charity. It is morally impossible that Christians and anti-Christians can have any sympathetic fellowship. Woe unto the Church when moral distinctions are lightly regarded! To confound light with darkness, sweetness with bitterness, is to mock the first principles of holy government, and to destroy for ever the possibility of holy brotherhood. While, therefore, we would not presumptuously ascend the judgment-seat, we believe it is impossible to burn in too deeply the line which separates the sympathy of compassion from the sympathy of complacency.

3. There was distinguished persistence in the right course. “And hast borne, and hast patience, and for My name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.” The eulogium might be read thus: “I know thy labour, and yet thou dost not labour, i.e., thou dost not make a labour of thy duties”: in such case duty was not a hard taskmaster. There was such a sunny joyousness and musical cordiality about these saints, that they came to their work—work so hard—with the freshness of morning, and under their touch duty was transformed into privilege. There is a lesson here for Christian workers through all time. When work is done with the hand only, it is invariably attended with much constraint and difficulty; but when the heart is engaged, the circle of duty is run with a vigour that never wearies and a gladness which never saddens. Not only so, the Ephesian saints eminently succeeded in uniting patience with perseverance. They were not only patient in suffering, but patient in labour. They did not expect the morning to be spring and the evening to be autumn, but, having due regard to the plan of Divine procedure, combined in wise proportions the excitement of war with the patience of hope. The Ephesians were right: they blended

persistence with patience, and were extolled by Him who knew the hardest toil, and exemplified the most unmurmuring endurance. The fundamental point is, that Christ knew all this. “I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience.” There is not a toiler in the vineyard on whose bent form the Master looks not with approbation. He sees the sufferer also. All that He observes influences His mediation, so that in every age “He tempereth the wind to the shorn lamb.”

II. The Head of the Church marks every declension of piety. “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee.” This method of reproof is eminently suggestive. It gives a lesson to parents. Would you be successful in reproving your children? Let commendation precede rebuke; let your “nevertheless” be winged with love and hope, and it will fly to the farthest boundary of your child’s intellectual and moral nature, and showers of blessings will be shaken from those heavenly wings. It gives a lesson to pastors also. Our words of remonstrance or rebuke will be more successful as they are preceded by every acknowledgment which justice and generosity can suggest. When the Master is compelled, so to speak, to rebuke His Church, He proceeds as though He would gladly turn. The rebuke comes with a hesitation which did not mark the eulogy. He resorts to a negative form of statement—“Thou hast left thy first love.” Look at the declension spoken of.

1. This declension is described as having begun in the heart. Christ does not charge the saints at Ephesus with having changed their doctrinal views; but, placing His finger on the heart, says, “There is a change here.” You know the enthusiasm of “first love.” If any work is to be done in the Church—if any difficulties are to be surmounted—if any icebergs are to be dissolved—if any cape, where savage seas revel in ungovernable madness, is to be rounded, send out men and women in whose hearts this “ first love” burns and sings, and their brows will be girt with garlands of conquest. Our business, then, is to watch our heart-fires. When the temperature of our love lowers, there is cause for terror. It is instructive to mark the many and insidious influences by which the gush and swell of affection are modified. Take the case of one who has been distinguished for much service in the cause of God, and see how the fires pale. He becomes prosperous in business. His oblations on the altar of Mammon are costlier than ever. He toils in the service of self until his energies are nearly exhausted, and then his class in the school is neglected; the grass grows on his tract district; his nature has become so perverted that he almost longs for an occasion of offence, that he may retire from the duties of the religious life. Could you have heard him in the hour of his new-born joy, when he first placed his foot in God’s kingdom, you would not have thought that he ever could have been reduced to so low a moral temperature. What holy vows escaped him! How rich he was in promise! But look at him now; turn the leaves over, and with eager eyes search for fruit, and say, Is the promise of spring redeemed in autumn? Innumerable influences are continually in operation, which would cool the ardour of our first enthusiasm for Christ. Satan plies us with his treacherous arts; the world allures us with its transitory charms; our inborn depravity reveals itself in ever-varying manifestations; pride and selfishness, ambition and luxury, appeal to us in many voices, and beckon us with a thousand hands.

2. This declension may be accompanied by an inveterate hatred of theological heresy—“But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.” The head may be right while the heart is going in a wrong direction. I am indeed anxious that we should maintain a Scriptural theology, that we should “hold fast the form of sound words”; at the same time we must remember that a technical theology will never save a soul; and that a mere verbal creed will never protect and

increase our love for the Lord Jesus Christ.

3. This declension evoked the most solemn warnings and exhortations.

(1) The Church in its collective capacity may incur the Divine displeasure. There may be good individuals in the fellowship, yet the community as a whole may be under the frown of Him who “walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks.”

(2) The Church in its collective capacity must betake itself to repentance. This is evident when we remember that there is certain work properly denominated Church work. Take, for example, either home or foreign evangelisation. It is not my work solely as an individual to “go up and possess the land” of heathenism: but it is our work as a Church to carry the light of heaven into “the dark places of the earth.” It can only be done by individuals, in so far as they are atoms in a fabric—parts of a whole. If, therefore, we have neglected to enter the door of opportunity as a Church, the cry of the angry Saviour is, “Repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly.”

(3) Jesus will unchurch every organisation that is unfaithful to His name; lie threatens to “remove thy candlestick out of his place.” Such language may well make us pause. Organisation is not spiritual brotherhood. Tell me not of gorgeous temples, of skilful arrangements, of complete machinery; I tell you that you may have all these in an unparalleled degree, and yet “Ichabod” may be written on your temple doors! What is your spiritual life? Is your ecclesiastical mechanism the expression of your love?

III. The Head of the Church has the richest blessings in reserve for all who overcome their spiritual enemies. “Overcometh”—the word tells of battle and victory. There is intimation here of an enemy. There is a hell in this word, and in it there is a devil. That your spiritual life is a fight you need not be reminded: every day you are in the battle-field; you live by strife. “Eat”—the word tells of appetite. Desire is in this word, and desire satisfied. Our desire for more of God shall increase as the ages of our immortality expire, and yet increasing desire is but another way of saying increasing satisfaction. “The tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” It is but little we can say concerning such a tree: no worm is gnawing at its root, no serpent coils around its stem, no sere leaf trembles upon it as the prophet a coming winter; its every leaf is jewelled with purer dew than ever sparkled on the eyelids of the morning. A tree! ‘Tis but another word for beauty, for beauty walks forth in ever-varying manifestations. A tree! ‘Tis but another name for progress, for the circling sap bears through every fibre life and fruitfulness. A tree! Shall we assemble around that central tree? We cannot do so until we have assembled around the Cross. (J. Parker, D. D.)

The words of Christ to the congregation at Ephesus

I. Those which concern himself.

1. His relation to the Church.

2. His knowledge of the Church. He knows not merely overt acts, but inner motives.

II. Those which concern the congregation.

1. He credits them with the good they possess.

(1) Their repugnance to wrong.

(2) Their patience in toil.

(3) Their insight into character.

(4) Their hostility to error.

2. He reproves them for the declension they manifest.

3. He urges them to reform.

III. Those which concern the divine spirit.

1. The Divine Spirit makes communication to all the Churches.

2. Proper attention to these communications requires a certain ear.

IV. Those which concern moral conquerors.

1. Life is a battle.

2. Life is a battle that may be won

3. The winning of the battle is glorious. (D. Thomas, D. D.)

Peculiarities of this Ephesian letter

I. Opposition to error.

1. The origin of religious error is often involved in great obscurity.

2. The manifestation of religious error is in deeds as well as doctrines. There are those, alas l who are orthodox in doctrine, but corrupt in character. Why is this?

(1) Because the sound doctrine remains in the head, and never enters the heart, and the heart is the spring of action.

(2) Because sometimes the tempting spirit suddenly excites impulses which for a time bury the beliefs.

3. The defence of religious error is generally by an appeal to Divine authority. The men who set themselves up as “apostles” are more likely to be apostates.

4. The dissemination of religious error is often very rapid.

(1) Because human nature in its depraved state has a greater affinity for it than for truth.

(2) Because religious errorists are generally zealous propagandists.

5. The very existence of religious error should be hated by Christians. Nothing is more damning to the intellect, heart, soul.

II. Patient endurance. It needed patience—

1. Because it had to disseminate truth. The stupidity, prejudices, and indifferentism of men call for this.

2. Because it has to encounter opposition.

3. Because patience is necessary to wait. The results of Christian labour are not reached at once, and are seldom so manifest as to compensate the labour expended.

III. The decay of love.

1. “Remember.” Review the past, and call to mind the sweet, delicate, blooming affection of thy first love, with all the fresh joys and hopes it awakened.

2. “Repent.” This does not mean crying, weeping, confessing, and throwing yourself into ecstasies, but a change in the spirit and purpose of life.

3. “Reproduce”—“do thy first work.” Go over thy past life, reproduce the old feeling, and re-attempt old effort.

4. “Tremble.” Let declension go on, and ruin is inevitable. (Caleb Morris.)

Phases of Church life; the Church declining in moral enthusiasm

I. That the Church which is declining in moral enthusiasm may be characterised by many commendable excellences.

1. This Church was active in work. Ministerial and Church work ought to be labour—so earnest in its spirit and determined in its effort that it shall not be mere occupation, but a moral anxiety.

2. This Church was patient in suffering. The Church, in our own time, has great need of this virtue, to prayerfully await the culmination of all its purposes, when its victory shall be complete and its enthronement final. We have far too many impatient men in the Christian community who cannot bear reproach or impediment.

3. This Church was keen and true in moral sensibility. The world delights in calling the Church intolerant, how can it be otherwise of evil? It cannot smile upon moral wrong.

4. It was judicious in the selection of its officials. Who these false apostles were we cannot determine; suffice it to say that their credentials were examined and found defective. Such deceivers have existed in all ages of the Church, and have become the authors of innumerable heresies. Christians should always test the conduct and doctrine of those whose pretences are great, and who seek to obtain authority amongst them; as men will even lie in reference to the most sacred things of life, and as zeal is not the only qualification for moral service.

5. It was inspired by the name of Christ. His name is influential with the pious soul, because it is the source of all its good and hope.

II. That the Church which is declining in moral enthusiasm is in a most serious condition, and invites the Divine rebuke.

1. In what may the first love, or moral enthusiasm of the Church, be said to consist? It is, indeed, sad when the Church is beautiful in the face but cold at the heart.

2. What is it for a Church to decline in first love or moral enthusiasm?

3. What is it that occasions a decline in first love or moral enthusiasm?

4. What is it that Christ has against the Church which declines in first love or moral enthusiasm? He regards such a Church as neglectful of great privileges; as guilty of sad ingratitude; as inexcusable in its conduct; and earnestly calls upon it to repent and do its first works.

III. That the Church declining, in moral enthusiasm must earnestly seek the renewal of

its fervour.

1. A Church in such a condition must have a vivid remembrance of its past glory.

2. A Church in such a condition must have deep contrition of soul.

3. A Church in such a condition must repeat the loving activities of its new and early life.

IV. That the Church neglecting to regain the moral enthusiasm of its early life will meet with terrible retribution.

1. The retribution of such a Church will consist in the solemn visitation of Christ. It means affliction—it may be judgment.

2. The retribution of such a Church will consist in woful obliteration.

V. That the Church declining in moral enthusiasm should give timely heed to the threatened retributions of God. Lessons:

1. That the Church is surrounded by many hostile influences.

2. That the Church should, above all things, seek to retain its moral enthusiasm.

3. That the discipline of heaven toward the Church is for its moral welfare, but, if not attended to, will issue in great dejection. (J. S. Exell, M. A.)

These things saith He who holdeth the seven stars in His right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks.

Christ’s care in glory for His Church’s good on earth

I. Why is the Church called a candlestick?

1. A. candlestick hath no light in it of itself, but light must be put into it: and therefore in the case of the candlestick under the law, to which this here is an allusion, the priests were to light the candles.

2. The use of a candlestick is for no other end than to hold up and hold out the light, and to this very end the Lord hath instituted Churches.

3. A candlestick is a thing movable, and with the removing of the candlestick you carry away the light; the Lord removes the candlestick from place to place; though the land remain, the Church is gone, that is a dangerous judgment: not only an immediate removing of the ordinances, but of the Church, for which all ordinances were appointed; the kingdom of God shall be taken from them.

4. It is an allusion unto the candlestick under the law in the tabernacle, in Exo_25:31, which was a type of the Church of God.

II. Why is the Church called a golden candlestick?

1. Because gold is the purest metal, and the Lord will have His Church such; they shall differ as much from other men as gold doth from the common clay in the streets.

2. Because gold of all metals is the most precious, and of the highest esteem; there is as much difference between the Church of God and other men as there is between gold and dirt in the street; as between diamonds and pebbles in the Lord’s esteem.

III. How is Christ said to walk in the midst of the golden candlestick? It denotes a promise of especial presence and fellowship; this is the promise that the Lord made unto the Jews (Lev_26:12).

1. There is a gracious presence of Christ with His Church in all Church administrations.

2. There is the great glory of God to be seen in heaven; and you shall find that there is a great resemblance between His presence in His Church and in glory (Heb_12:22-23).

(1) Christ in heaven is present in majesty and glory; it is called the throne of His glory, and such is His presence in His Church too, and therefore observe it, He is said to sit upon a high throne in the midst of His Churches (Rev_4:8).

(2) In heaven the Lord is present as revealing His mind and will unto His people; there we shall know as we are known (1Co_13:12), and so He is present in the midst of His people (Deu_23:3).

(3) In heaven there shall be a glorious and full communication of all grace; as your communion shall then be perfect with Him, so shall the communication of all His grace be to you.

(4) In heaven the soul is wholly as it were resolved into God, that is, God wholly takes up the whole soul.

(5) In heaven there is the presence of His saints and angels. Application:

1. How should this command reverence in every soul of you when you come to have to do with any Church administrations!

2. Is there such a gracious presence of Christ in Gospel administrations, labour to see it there, labour to have your souls affected with the spiritual presence or absence of Christ there.

3. Remember Christ is present, but He is present in holiness.

4. Take notice He is present in jealousy.

(1) If you come at an adventure with God in Church administrations, the greatest temporal judgments shall be inflicted upon yon (Eze_10:2).

(2) If the Lord spare you in temporal judgments, He will pour out spiritual judgments. (Wm. Strong.)

The seven stars and the seven candlesticks

I. The Churches and their servants. I see in the relations between these men and the little communities to which they belonged, an example of what should be found existing between all congregations of faithful men and the officers whom they have chosen, be the form of their polity what it may.

1. The messengers are rulers. They are described in a double manner—by a name which expresses subordination, and by a figure which expresses authority. The higher are exalted that they may serve the lower. Dignity and authority mean liberty for more and more self-forgetting work. Power binds its possessor to toil. Wisdom is stored in one, that from him it may flow to the foolish; strength is given that by its holder feeble hands may be stayed. Noblesse oblige. The King Himself has obeyed the

law. We are redeemed because He came to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many. He is among us “as He that serveth.” God Himself has obeyed the law. He is above all that He may bless all. He, the highest, stoops the most deeply. His dominion is built on love, and stands in giving. And that law which makes the throne of God the refuge of all the weak, and the treasury of all the poor, is given for our guidance in our humble measure. But to be servant of all does not mean to do the bidding of all. The service which imitates Christ is helpfulness, not subjection. Neither the Church is to lord it over the messenger nor the messenger over the Church. All alike are by love to serve one another; counting every possession, material, intellectual, and spiritual, as given for the general good. The one guiding principle is, “He that is chiefest among you, let him be your servant,” and the other, which guards this from misconstruction and abuse from either side, “One is your Master, even Christ, and all ye are brethren.”

2. The messengers and the Churches have at bottom the same work to do. Stars shine, so do lamps. Light comes from both, in different fashion indeed, and of a different quality, but still both are lights. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man for the same purpose,—to do good with. And we have all one office and function to be discharged by each in his own fashion—namely, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus.

3. The Churches and their messengers are alike in their religious condition and character. The successive letters treat his strength or weakness, his fervour or coldness, his sin or victory over evil, as being theirs. He represents them completely. Is it not true that the religious condition of a Church, and that of its leaders, teachers, pastors, ever tend to be the same, as that of the level of water in two connected vessels? Thank God for the many instances in which one glowing soul, all aflame with love of God, has sufficed to kindle a whole heap of dead matter, and send it leaping skyward in ruddy brightness! Alas! for the many instances in which the wet green wood has been too strong for the little spark, and has not only obstinately resisted, but has ignominiously quenched its ineffectual fire!

II. The Churches and their work.

1. The Church is to be light.

(1) “Light is light, which circulates.” The substance which is lit cannot but shins; and if we have any real possession of the truth, we cannot but impart it; and if we have any real illumination from the Lord, who is the light, we cannot but give it forth.

(2) Then think again how silent and gentle, though so mighty, is the action of the light. So should we live and work, clothing all our power in tenderness, doing our work in quietness, disturbing nothing but the darkness, and with silent increase of beneficent power filling and flooding the dark earth with healing beams.

(3) Then think again that heaven’s light itself invisible, and revealing all things, reveals not itself. The source you can see, but not the beams. So we are to shine, not showing ourselves but our master.

2. The Church’s light is derived light. Two things are needed for the burning of a lamp: that it should be lit, and that it should be fed. In both respects the light with which we shine is derived. We are not suns, we are moons; reflected, not self-originated, is all our radiance. That is true in all senses of the figure: it is truest in the highest. In ourselves we are darkness, and only as we hold fellowship with Christ do we become capable of giving forth any rays of light. He is the source, we are but

reservoirs. He the fountain, we only cisterns. He must walk amidst the candlesticks, or they will never shine. Their lamps had gone out, and their end was darkness. Oh! let us beware lest by any sloth and sin we choke the golden pipes through which there steals into our tiny lamps the soft flow of that Divine oil which alone can keep up the flame.

3. The Church’s light is blended or clustered light. Union of heart, union of effort is commended to us by this symbol of our text. The great law is, work together if you would work with strength. To separate ourselves from our brethren is to lose power. Why, half dead brands heaped close will kindle one another, and flame will sparkle beneath the film of white ashes on their edges. Fling them apart and they go out. Rake them together and they glow.

III. The Churches and their Lord. He it is who holds the stars in His right hand, and walks among the candlesticks. The symbols ere but the pictorial equivalent of His own parting promise, “Lo, I am with you always”! That presence is a plain literal fact, however feebly we lay hold of it. It is not to be watered down into a strong expression for the abiding influence of Christ’s teaching or example, nor even to mean the constant benefits which flow to us from His work, nor the presence of His loving thoughts with us. The presence of Christ with His Church is analogous to the Divine presence in the material universe. As in it, the presence of God is the condition of all life; and if He were not here, there were no beings and no “here”: so in the Church, Christ’s presence constitutes and sustains it, and without Him it would cease. So St. Augustine says, “Where Christ, there the Church.” For what purpose is He there with His Churches? The text assures us that it is to hold up and to bless. His unwearied hand sustains, His unceasing activity moves among them. But beyond these purposes, or rather included in them, the vision of which the text is the interpretation brings into great prominence the thought that He is with us to observe, to judge, and, if need be, to punish. Thank God for the chastising presence of Christ. He loves us too well not to smite us when we need it. He will not be so cruelly kind, so foolishly fond, as in any wise to suffer sin upon us. Better the eye of fire than the averted face. He loves us still, and has not cast us away from His presence. Nor let us forget how much of hope and encouragement lies in the examples, which these seven Churches afford, of His long-suffering patience. That presence was granted to them all, the best and the worst,—the decaying love of Ephesus, the licentious heresies of Pergamos and Thyatira, the all but total deadness of Sardis, and the self-satisfied indifference of Laodicea, concerning which even He could say nothing that was good. All had Him with them as really as the faithful Smyrna and the steadfast Philadelphia. We have no right to say with how much of theoretical error and practical sin the lingering presence of that patient pitying Lord may consist. For others our duty is the widest charity,—for ourselves the most careful watchfulness. For these seven Churches teach us another lesson—the possibility of quenched lamps and ruined shrines. (A. Maclaren, D. D.)

Christ’s

care over Churches and ministers:—

I. What is meant by our Lord’s holding the stars, His ministers, in His hand.

1. It implies that it is He who appoints them to their office.

2. It is He who imparts the qualifications which are necessary for the effectual discharge of their office.

3. They are, with all their concerns, at His absolute disposal.

II. The import of His walking in the midst of the golden candlesticks.

1. It imports an accurate impression of the state, both as a society and as individuals.

2. It implies that His business, so to speak, lies in the management of His Churches. It is His “building,” His “husbandry.”

3. It denotes the complacency He takes in them. (R. Hall, M. A.)

Watchman, what of the night?

The mention made of “stars” and “candlesticks” (or rather “lamp-stands”) shows that it is night. It is the world’s night; it is the Church’s night. Day needs no lamps nor stars; night does both, for the outside earth and the inside chamber.

I. Who is He that thus walketh? It is as Priest and King that He appears in the midst of His Churches: as such they are to acknowledge Him. In the Epistle to the Hebrews we see Him specially as Priest; in the Book of Revelation as King.

II. Where does He walk? Among the seven golden candlesticks.

III. What does this walking mean?

1. He is near. A present Christ is specially taught us here—Jesus in the midst of His saints and His Churches. He is near to all of them, even the backsliding; as near to Laodicea and Sardis as to Ephesus and Philadelphia.

2. He watches over them. “I know thy works.” His eye, the eye of the watchful Priest and King, the eye of the watchful Saviour and Shepherd, is upon them. He inspects them, oversees them, cares for them, values them, delights in them, takes all interest in their welfare.

3. He supplies their need. All His fulness is at hand for each of them.

4. He mourns over their sins. His holy eye detects the sin; His loving heart mourns over it. There is no anger, no fury here. All is gentleness and grace.

5. He cheers them with the promise of victory and recompense. As if He would say to each, “Fight on, for I am with you; faint not, for I, with all My fulness, am near. Shine on, for I delight in your brightness, and will enable you to shine. And My reward is with Me: to him that overcometh!” (H. Bonar, D. D.)

I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience.—

False apostles

1. Christ would have us always walking in the sense of His Omniscience.

2. Christ is an unprejudged witness, as Its taketh notice of their good as well as their evil.

3. Such as Christ never called, may take on them highest titles in the Church, as it seemeth these had who called themselves apostles.

4. That diligence in duty, and difficulty in the performance of it, often go together: to do and to bear are often joined.

5. Patience in suffering, and impatience against corruptions and corrupt men, can well stand together.

6. There is no name, privilege, or title that should scare people, especially the ministers of God, from searching or trying corrupt men, that bring corrupt doctrine, though they should have the pretext of apostles, and had never so great gifts.

7. If folks will put to proof many things and persons that have fair names, they will be found very unlike the names they take.

8. The censuring of corrupt unsent ministers is a most difficult task, what from their nature, and sometimes from their parts; what from the addictedness of many unto them, yet it is a special duty: yet that it is acceptable before Jesus Christ may appear from these considerations.

(1) That the Scripture holdeth forth no kind of persons as more abominable in themselves and more hateful to Him (Isa_56:10).

(2) There is no kind of persons that prove more dishonourable to our Lord Jesus and to His gospel than such: these make the law to be despised.

(3) The scandalous unfaithfulness of ministers brings a special blot upon all religion, as if it were but mere hypocrisy.

(4) There is no such contempt done to our Lord Jesus, as for one to pretend to have commission from Him; and yet to be running unsent by Him; or, having gotten commission, to miscarry by unfaithfulness in it.

(5) As there is a suitableness in the censuring of such Church-officers to Christ’s mind, so there doth appear in the same a tenderness of and zeal unto His glory. Hence it is, that His most zealous servants, as Elias, Paul, did set themselves most against that generation.

(6) There is no sort of men more hurtful to the Church.

(7) Not only is there an obstruction to godliness by such, but they have a main influence upon the advancing of profanity. (James Durham.)

What Christ likes to see in a Church

1. Jesus likes to see a Church at work. He does not like to see a Church standing still, doing nothing to lengthen its cords and strengthen its stakes. It is our duty to ask ourselves, Does our work as a Church come up to the standard of what a Christian Church ought to be?

2. He likes also to see His people patient. He likes to see them labouring and not fainting, not becoming weary in well-doing. He likes to see them continuing instant in prayer, depending on Him to send the answer in His own good time.

3. Then, also, He likes to see within His Church a zeal for truth. “Thou canst not bear them which are evil.” The dread of being thought narrow-minded, or of giving offence to the godless, makes the Church become far too tolerant of sin. No society of men is considered strict or narrow-minded if it has certain rules of membership, and if it expels those who violate its rules. Why should the Christian Church be afraid or ashamed to maintain a discipline which even the societies of the world will carry out? Let us try to imitate the Church of Ephesus in this—and let us not be afraid of the charge of intolerance in doing so—that we cannot bear them who are evil. (C. H.

Irwin, M. A.)

Religion active

The new creature is not a marble statue or a transparent piece of crystal, which has purity but not life. It is a living spirit, and therefore active. (S. Charnock.)

Unwearied patience

Patience must not be an inch shorter than affliction. If the bridge reach but half way over the brook, we shall have but an ill-favoured passage. (T. Adams.)

And thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars.—

The false apostle tried and discovered

What a dangerous and mischievous people false teachers and false apostles are. They do deceive men in the matter of their souls; they are called deceivers and seducers (Joh_2:7; 2Ti_3:13), and deceitful workers (2Co_11:13; 2Co_11:6). Now a man loves not to be deceived in anything, no, not in a small matter. If I had spent or given away much more, it would never have grieved me, you say; but I cannot endure to be cheated and deceived. And if a man cannot endure to be deceived in lesser things, what an evil thing is it then to be deceived in the matters of his soul? Such are the things that these false teachers do deceive men in; yea, they will and do subvert men’s faith, and spoil them of the very fundamentals of their religion. Though they be a dangerous and mischievous people, yet it is an hard thing to discover them, for they walk in the dark, and transform themselves into ministers of light; they creep, and they privily creep into houses, saith the apostle; and they will come to you, saith our Saviour, in sheep’s clothing (Mat_7:15). That is, look whatever garb the true prophet was or is found in, that will they be found in also. Did the true apostles preach Christ? so did the false apostles also (Php_1:15-16). Did the true apostles and prophets declare the deep things of God? (1Co_2:10), so did the false prophets also (chap. 2:24). Look what that is which the true preachers do, that will false teachers in appearance do. The same crow of iron, the same scripture that is in the hand of a friend, is made use of by a heretic, one that is a thief, who comes to make a prey of your faith. All teachers are to be tried three ways. By their call; their doctrine; their fruits or lives. And thus you see how those that are false apostles, or false teachers, may be tried and discovered. And is it a commendable thing in the eyes of Christ to make discovery of them? That it is the special work of Church officers to try and discover false teachers; for this epistle is directed to the angel of the Church of Ephesus. But though it is their work especially, yet it is a work incumbent upon all the saints and Churches. Therefore, yet more practically, go to God for wisdom and the spirit of discerning; it is Christ alone that doth see men’s fruit under all their leaves: beg this discerning spirit, therefore, at the hands of Christ. Take heed that you do not lie in any sin or error, for all sin and error blinds. How shall you see the error of another, if you be blinded with your own sin and error? Be sure that you keep to the Scripture, and take heed that you do not judge of doctrines by impressions. Take heed that you have not too great a charity towards, and opinion of, those that are suspected to be false teachers. And if you would be sure to make up a right judgment in this great discovery, then stay your time, and wait

long before you close with any of their opinions; for saith Christ, Ye shall know them by their fruit. Now the fruit of a tree is not presently seen; an ill tree in winter may seem to be as good as the best: stay therefore your time. (W. Bridge, M. A.)

Hatred of evil essential to love

This hate (of evil) in as essential to true love as shade to light, ever deepening with the intensity of it. (Isaac Williams.)

For My name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.—

Labouring and not fainting

I. The positive and negative good here combined.

1. “Thou hast laboured.” To labour means hard work, vigorous action. Men may work, but yet not labour, and I fear there are many who claim to be working men who do not often trouble themselves with anything approaching to “labour.” There are also working Christians who do not approach to labouring; yet a lifetime of such work as theirs would not exhaust a butterfly. Now, when a man works for Christ he should work with all his might. If any master is to be served badly, let it not be our Master who is in heaven: we owe Him too much to wish to be eyeservants towards Him. If anywhere a dilatory servant may be excused, certainly it cannot be in the service of Him who redeemed us with His most precious blood. If I may use the figure, we ought to employ every particle of our steam power: we should drive the engine at high pressure; we have no force that can be allowed to escape in waste. But labour implies not merely strong effort, but a continuance of it, for a man might take up a workman’s tool and for a few minutes make a mighty show of effort, and yet be no labourer, unless he kept on working until his task was done. He merely plays at labour, that is all. So have we known too many whose service for God has been occasional; fits and starts of effort they have, but they are soon over; their spasmodic zeal is to-day so hot as to be well nigh fanatical, and to-morrow it will be succeeded by an indifference far more astounding. If the Church is said to labour, it means that she puts forth all her strength as a regular thing. Like the sun and moon she continues in her orbit of duty. She keeps at her life-work; with all her might she continues in well-doing, and is not weary. There is the positive good.

2. The negative crowns the positive—“And hast not fainted.” Now, there are different degrees of fainting. Some may be said to faint comparatively when they flag in exertion. They drop from running to walking, from diligence to indolence. They did run well; what did hinder them? Many continue to do as much as ever they did outwardly, yet their heart is not in it, and so they faint. Some flag by growing weak in all they do. They do put forth such force as they have, but they are essentially feeble. The power of God has departed from them, and, though they may not know it, Ichabod is written upon their works. Too many go further than this; they renounce all or a large part of the Christian work they were accustomed to do. Content with the efforts of other days they surrender to the sluggard’s vice. And some go even further than that, for after retiring from labour themselves, they cease to have any care about the Lord’s work.

II. Excuses for fainting.

1. There are some who faint in the work of God because the work itself has proved very tedious to them. When they first undertook it and the novelty was upon it they did not tire, but now the freshness is gone, and they have come into the real wear and tear of it, they do not enjoy it quite so much as they thought they should. They hoped for an office in which the chief labour should be to gather lilies, or lie upon beds of roses. The service of the Crucified is far less romantic, and far more laborious. There is no royal road to eminence in anything, it is always uphill work and rough climbing; and certainly there is no such road in the service of God.

2. Other excuses, however, will be sure to come, and amongst them this, that we have been disappointed up till now in the success of what we have attempted. We have sown, but the most of the seed has fallen upon the wayside, or upon the rocks. We must not give up the war because we have not conquered yet, but fight on till we can seize the victory. Let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.

3. Another set of excuses I must mention. They are little, pettish, pitiful, proud excuses, but they are very common. Here is one. “I shall leave the work, for I am sure I am not appreciated as I ought to be.” Do you mean to give way to such pettiness and silliness? If so, I have done with you, for you will never do any good in this world. The slave of such a mean feeling is incapable of being free. “Ah,” cries another, “my complaint is more reasonable, for I am discouraged because no one aids me in my work.” Oh, my brother, does your life after all depend upon the breath of other men’s nostrils? Has it come to this, that you cannot live upon the approbation of your master unless you gain also the smile of your fellow-servants?

III. The real causes of fainting.

1. The first is an actual decline in spiritual strength. It is not merely that you do not do so much, it is that you are not so much; you have not the amount of life in you which you once had. And is not this a sad thing? Oh, to be dead to these spiritual realities in any degree is a dreadful death, and to be callous to holy things is a terrible hardness. May God keep us from spiritual insensibility, and may we be sensitive to the faintest motion of the Holy Spirit.

2. It is to be feared, also, that those who faint have lost their reliance upon Divine power, at least in a degree. Confidence in God makes us strong, but by turning away from our great unseen Helper, we straightway begin to faint.

3. Moreover, I am afraid that we forget that the Lord requires of us an unselfish dedication to His service, and that we do not serve Him at all unless His glory is our chief object. You must feel that you would have the Lord use you just as in His infinite wisdom He sees fit to do. You should be a piece of iron on the Almighty’s anvil: to be welded into a sceptre, if He chooses with you to break the potter’s vessels; to be beaten into a ploughshare and plunged into the earth, if by you He means to turn up the furrows of the fallow ground; or fashioned into a spear-point, if by you He intends to smite His enemies.

IV. I have a little medical business to do in closing. Four sorts of persons are very common among us. To each of these four I desire to administer a little medicine.

1. There are some who neither labour nor faint.

2. The next sort of persons to be dealt with are those who faint but do not labour.

3. Our third patient is one who did labour once, but has fainted.

4. But there are some who labour and are ready to faint. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

Endurance

To lift up some heavy weight from the ground argues some strength; but to carry it for an hour, or all day, is a more perfect thing. (Thomas Manton.)

Thou hast left thy first love.—

Inward deterioration

Does it not often happen in the Christian life that the soul retains earnestness, patience, truth, endurance, a hatred of evil, long after it has left its first love; that its religious service is continued, apparently unaltered, while the spirit that prompted that service is changed for the worse? But though love is altered, there may yet remain the sense of duty. None without can detect the difference. The soul itself is perhaps hardly conscious of it. Or if conscious of anything, it is that prayer is not so easy and pleasant as it used to be, that the thoughts are more wandering, that temptation is more attractive, and thanksgiving is irksome, unreal, and unblessed. The whole tendency of our being is to deteriorate. Most of us can remember a time at which we think we were more fit to die than we are now. Our self-examination has told us that we are not now what we were; and perhaps self-examination was hardly necessary for the acquirement of this knowledge. It is forced upon us continually throughout the day as we feel and act so coldly towards good, so readily and kindly towards evil. Now if it be really that we have fallen back only one step in faith and love, if we have left our first love, what must we do? We must struggle against the languor which threatens to benumb us. We must struggle with all our might, not giving up any one duty merely because it is irksome. This may not indeed be restoration, but it will at least maintain that communication with the Source of all strength by which restoration may be looked for. When we have realised what we once were, and reflect that by God’s grace we might have lived the rest of our lives according to that beginning, and neared the goal in the heavenward race, then we may be able to measure our decline, and, weeping over what we have lost, pray for grace to regain it. “And repent.” Yes I this must be, We will not trust in that which remains, in our hatred of the worst sins, in sympathy with Him, not in our works, or our labour, or our patience, our distrust of false teachers, our perseverance under trial. These are nothing without love. We will confess that other lords besides Him have had dominion over us. We will confess that we have left our first love, and implore Him to recover us, and turn our hearts. (W. Mitchell, M. A.)

The enthusiasm of the first love

I. What is it? Most of us can probably remember an early enthusiastic preference or affection for some one. It was like nothing else in our lives. It stirred in us as the spring stirs in the earth when the green shoots appear. New capacities of working, enjoying, suffering, began to reveal themselves. Now, the same thing happens when Christ and His love are first revealed to us, and we rise up and meet them. It is an absolutely new experience. We feel an intense interest and a strong drawing of the heart. Spiritual things which seemed far off have suddenly come near. Life has become of meaning and value, not so much for what it brings to us, as for what it is; because it has become so full of love

and of God. And we feel within us the working of a new passion—a yearning to do good, to sacrifice ourselves in some way, to make some return to that wonderful Divine love which seems to surround us like an atmosphere and lift us like an inspiration. It is so easy to do right; it seems shameful, almost impossible, to do wrong; we could not be so disloyal as to think of any forbidden thing, and a keen remorse seizes us if we appear to swerve by a hairbreadth from the straight path. In this first love, where vividly experienced, there are these three elements—an awakening, an enthusiasm, and a jealous preference. We realise God; we realise life; we realise the claims of men, the beauty of goodness, the baseness of sin, the triumphant power of righteousness, and the wide, deep meaning of eternity. But this love is not mere contemplation. We are eager to act in the light of this revelation, because all these beliefs are full of conviction and impulse, and we must do something for the Christ who has made all things new—who has given us a possession in all things, and, above all, a possession in Himself. That is the enthusiasm of the first love. But love is not love unless it is jealous—jealous not in a mean, but in a high sense—jealous of any interference with its course. Nothing can be tolerated which takes the edge off the soul, that keen edge which ensures success in work and conflict and prayer.

II. Losing it, or rather leaving it. Sometimes a man looks back on the first love he felt to Christ with philosophic indifference: “Yes, I was rather interested in these things at one time—enthusiastic even after a fashion. Very curious, you know, how the mind works; I can scarcely credit it now. Oh, one of those passing phases of feeling, of course.” Sometimes a man looks back to it scoffingly or contemptuously: “I believe I did once rather make a fool of myself about religion. I have got more important things now to attend to.” Others assume a tone of self-congratulation. They narrate how they threw themselves into this piece of work or that; how there was nothing they would not do. A man plumes himself on the fact that, though, of course, he would never think of making sacrifices and exerting himself in Christ’s cause now, that at one time he was just as active and self-denying as any ardent young Christian. Others I have known look back despairingly: “Yes, I once had these experiences you speak of—hopes bright beyond expression, and feelings fresh as the dawn. But the light is gone; the tide has ebbed, and won’t flow again. I would that these feelings could come back, but we don’t look for miracles nowadays.” That is what some people say despairingly. Now the ways by which men generally forfeit their best spiritual possession are mainly these: Failure to feed it. All love is hungry, and the finer and purer a love is, the more it demands suitable nutriment. If your first love shows signs of failing, ask yourself, “Am I not starving it?” You are starving it if you are not seeking Christ as you sought Him at first, asking Him to reveal Himself to you; setting apart “still hours”; letting your heart go out to the only object to whom it is quite worth while for our hearts to cling. Or again, perhaps you are failing to develop your first love-to give it exercise. What sacrifices is your love making? what is it bringing to the Divine loved one’s feet? Once more, you may be forfeiting your first love through failure to guard it. There is a keen spiritual edge with which all the best part of spiritual work is done. We must whet the edge; but we must also sheathe it. In contact with certain things it gets blunt.

III. Keeping first love. There are two theories about love that are thoroughly false—the theory of disenchantment and the theory of emotional exhaustion. Sometimes we are told that all love in its very nature is illusion; that our enthusiasm for a person or cause is very largely a creation of our own fond imagination; and that the cold touch of reality slowly dispels all that sort of thing. This is the philosophy of the cynics, and cynics are a set of fools, blinded by the conceit of their own superior wisdom. Of course there is excuse for disenchantment when the object of our affection changes, or when we have

been deceived in it. But that cannot happen here; Christ does not change. And then as to what may be called emotional exhaustion. Love necessarily exhausting itself! what ignorant nonsense! Why, love grows by what it feeds on. And to love Christ is to keep near the fresh fount of all love. It is not an emptying of our full hearts; it is a filling of our empty hearts. Of course the Divine love—the first love—is not stereotyped. It does not retain always the same complexion or the same expressions, but it retains, or ought to retain, the same intensity. All love passes through phases, and develops not by standing still, but by moving forward. It is not meant that our first love to Christ should retain its juvenile form. But it is meant that it should retain its ardour, its capacity of sacrifice, and its jealous watchfulness. (John F. Ewing, M. A.)

The Peculiarities of the Christian’s first love

The prominent characteristic of every soul truly converted to Christianity is love to the Saviour. The faith which is the gift of God, and which is wrought in Christians by the Holy Spirit, always works by love. Love is, therefore, set down as the first and principal fruit of the Spirit. Now, there is something peculiar in the exercise of this first love of the young convert.

1. Its exercise is fervent and tender, not founded, indeed, on such accurate views of the character of Christ as are afterwards acquired; and commonly less pure from mere animal excitement, than that of the mature Christian, but accompanied with more joy and exultation.

2. Another thing which stamps a peculiarity on the first love of the Christian is the novelty of the objects and scenes which are now presented to his enlightened mind. All his lifetime he has been in darkness respecting the true nature of spiritual things. But now the eyes of his understanding being opened, and the true light shining into them, everything appears new and attractive; and sometimes a Divine glory is exhibited to the contemplation of the enlightened mind.

3. Again, God deals with His children in the infancy of their spiritual life as mothers with their children while they are young. They furnish them with the sweetest nutriment, cherish them in their bosoms, carry them in their arms, and rock them in the cradle. But when they have been weaned, and have grown strong, they are turned out to shift for themselves. Thus, our heavenly Father, who exercises a warmer and tenderer affection for His children than the kindest mothers, is pleased to deal very tenderly with young converts; and often pours streams of Divine comfort into their susceptible hearts. They are for a season led in smooth and pleasant paths. In their prayers and other religious exercises they enjoy liberty of access to their heavenly Father. These are indeed halcyon days, and will be often afterwards remembered with a mournful pleasure, when the scene is greatly changed; and especially when inbred corruption grows strong. The early days of the true Christian may also be well illustrated by the feelings of the newly enlisted soldier. He rejoices in the “pomp and circumstance” of the military life; is animated by the sound of martial music, and by the sight of splendid banners, and the gorgeous costume of his officers. But how different are the condition and feelings of the same person when he receives marching orders; and especially when he is led into battle. (A. Alexander, D. D.)

Spiritual declension reproved, admonished, and threatened

I. A reproof. Who does not lament to see an exquisite piece of workmanship marred by some one defect; for in this case, the neighbourhood and prominency of the excellency renders the fault more obvious, and more offensive. Everything in the Divine life is prone to degenerate. Where is the denomination or church that has long remained in its glory? But the reproof is addressed to individuals. There were those who had fallen, and the charge is-dereliction of their first love. Now in Christianity provision is made not only for a believer’s perseverance in the ways of God, but for his growth and progress. “Add to your faith, virtue,” etc. And as the Saviour demands this, so you must acknowledge that He deserves it; and why, do you love Him the less and serve Him less. “What,” says he, “have you been mistaken in my character, have I injured you; have I not been increasing my claims upon you; and while I am doing more for you, are you doing less for me?”

II. An admonition.

1. “Remember.” All religion commences in serious thought. There is nothing more useful than self-recollection; there is no means better for reviving the soul than a review of former experiences.

2. “Repent.” This is enjoined in Scripture not only on sinners, but also on saints; and they will be the subjects of it as long as they remain in the world, as long as the performance of duty has deficiency in it.

3. Renewed obedience, “do the first works”; begin again, be as simple, as earnest, as patient, as circumspect, as at first. How mortifying would be such a requisition to an Israelite in the wilderness, to be turned back to walk over all his journey again;—how mortifying to an apprentice, after being for years engaged in business, expecting to get forward, to be put back to his first work, and to have the first rough implements put into his hands again;—how mortifying to a scholar when hoping to be dismissed from his studies, and to return home, to be led back from class to class, and have the first elementary book again put into his hands.

III. A threatening.

1. How are we to understand this threatening? how is it to be accomplished? It is accomplished when men tall into such languor and insensibility in Divine things as to be incapable of edification. If a man cannot use aliment, or it he cannot digest it, it is the same as if it was taken away, for he will surely die; and such is the condition of thousands who, from week to week, hear the gospel; it makes no impression, they hear it, but they are sermon proof, heaven proof, and hell proof. The gospel is to them of no avail whatever.

2. The dreadfulness of this state. If God were from tiffs hour to declare that the sun should never rise again on this country, or that no rain should ever again drop upon the land, it would be an infinitely less judgment, than if he were to withdraw the gospel and the means of grace; for this judgment does not so much regard the body as the soul; or time so much as eternity. Some judgments are corrective, but this is penal. Some judgments are meant to convert, but this to destroy.

3. The certainty of this threatening. We are slow to believe. How superficial our belief is in this respect appears from the unsteadiness of our Christian practice. Surely if we believed we should be established; but when you hear such language as this, you are prone to suppose it never can be realised. It; will be necessary for me, therefore, to inform you, that he who has denounced this threatening is faithful. “God is not a man that He should lie, or the Son of Man that He should repent.” (W. Jay, M. A.)

On leaving our first love

I. A charge preferred. “Thou hast left thy first love.”

1. What is meant by the first love? Ask the young convert, who, after having received the sentence of death in his conscience; after trembling under the curse of a broken law; after struggling in the bondage of darkness, doubt, and fear, has come forth under the leading of the Spirit, into the light, liberty, and joy of the gospel!

2. What then is it to leave this happy state? It is to let the heart grow cold and indifferent to Him whom we can never love enough! It is to lose the sweet enjoyment of privileges, and consider duty wearisome. It is to have services formal and ordinances barren. It is to have idols in the temple of the soul, so that the whole is not, as it ought to be, consecrated to the Lord.

II. We have an admonition given.

1. This admonition relates to the past. The Lord here calls the Ephesian Church to bring their past experience and character to mind. They had fallen. They had been once much higher in Christian standing than now. Their minds had been more elevated in holy and heavenly conceptions, and their practice more dignified and honourable. Then, leaving our first love to Christ is falling. Now, this is a state just the reverse of what a Christian’s state ought to be.

2. This admonition relates to the present. “Repent!” seeing by a review of the past, to what danger the soul has been exposed; what guilt has been contracted; what honour and enjoyments have been lost; what injury has been done to religion; what injustice to Christ, the work of reformation must immediately begin.

3. This admonition relates to the future. “And do thy first works.” All will be vain and unreal without this. There must be fruits meet for repentance, to prove it genuine.

III. A threatening denounced. Lessons:

1. It is possible for there to be many things commendable in Christians, and yet something to call for a solemn threatening, like that in our text.

2. It is evident that leaving our first love is very criminal in the sight of Christ.

3. The removal of the gospel from souls in any way is a most awful punishment. (Essex Remembrancer.)

Love’s complaining

I. Christ perceives.

1. He does not so perceive the faults as to be forgetful of that which He can admire and accept. He has a keen eye for all that is good. When He searches our hearts He never passes by the faintest longing, or desire, or faith, or love, of any of His people. He says, “I know thy works.”

2. But this is our point, that while Jesus can see all that is good, yet in very faithfulness He sees all that is evil. His love is not blind. It is more necessary for us that we should make a discovery of our faults than of our virtues.

3. This evil was a very serious one; it was love declining. It is the most serious ill of

all; for the Church is the bride of Christ, and for a bride to fail in love is to fail in all things.

4. It was Jesus Himself who found it out. How good of Him to care one jot about our love! This is no complaint of an enemy, but of a wounded friend.

5. Jesus found it out with great pain.

6. The Saviour, having thus seen this with pain, now points it out.

7. The Saviour pointed out the failure of love; and when He pointed it out He called it by a lamentable name. “Remember, therefore, from whence thou art fallen.”

8. The Master evidently counts this decline of love to be a personal wrong done to Himself. “I have somewhat against thee.” It is an offence against the very heart of Christ.

II. What the Saviour prescribes.

1. The first word is Remember. “Thou hast left thy first love.” Remember, then, what thy first love was, and compare thy present condition with it. At first nothing diverted thee from thy Lord. He was thy life, thy love, thy joy. Remember from whence thou art fallen. Remember the vows, the tears, the communings, the happy raptures of those days; remember and compare with them thy present state. Remember and consider, that when thou wast in thy first love, that love was none too warm. Even then, when thou didst live to Him, and for Him, and with Him, thou wast none too holy, none too consecrated, none too zealous. Remember the past with sad forebodings of the future. He who has sunk so far may fall much farther.

2. The next word of the prescription is “Repent.” Repent as thou didst at first. Repent of the wrong thou hast done thy Lord.

3. But then he says in effect, Return. The third word is this—“Repent, and do the first works.” There must be in every declining Christian a practical repentance. Do not be satisfied with regrets and resolves.

III. He persuades.

1. With a warning. “I will come unto thee,” etc. Our Lord means, first., I will take away the comfort of the Word. But the candlestick also symbolises usefulness: it is that by which a Church shines. The use of a Church is to preserve the truth, wherewith to illuminate the neighbourhood, to illuminate the world. God can soon cut short our usefulness, and He will do so if we cut short our love.

2. With a promise. “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” Observe, those who lose their first love fall, but those who abide in love are made to stand. In contrast to the fall which took place in the paradise of God, we have man eating of the tree of life and so living for ever. If we, through grace, overcome the common tendency to decline in love, then shall we be confirmed in the favour of the Lord. Note again, those who lose their first love wander far; they depart from God. “But,” saith the Lord, “if you keep your first love you shall not wander, but you shall come into closer fellowship. I will bring you nearer to the centre. I will bring you to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” The inner ring is for those who grow in love; the centre of all joy is only to be reached by much love. Then notice the mystical blessing which lies here, waiting your meditation. Do you know how we fell? The woman took of the fruit of the forbidden tree, and gave to Adam, and Adam ate and fell. The reverse is the case in the promise before us: the Second Adam takes of the Divine fruit from the tree of

promise, and hands it to His spouse; she eats and lives for ever. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

Forsaking the first love

I. The greatness of the sin of coldness in Christians, and how offensive it is to God.

1. You have no right to feel this indifference towards God or man.

2. This coldness is not a mere defect, it bespeaks some degree of the positive action of the most polluting passions.

3. It is a dreadful abuse of God. It is passing by His infinite glories after other objects.

4. It involves all the guilt of base ingratitude.

5. There is in this thing the violation of an oath, or a solemn breach of covenant.

II. What is to be alone, and how we are to escape from. This fearful condition. (E. Griffin, D. D.)

Backsliding

I. Its nature.

1. Some backslide in heart. This consists in the withdrawment of the affections from God.

2. Some backslide in life. When a person becomes careless of God in his heart, he will probably soon manifest the defect in his conduct.

3. There are others who backslide in doctrinal sentiment.

II. Its symptoms.

1. Love of the world.

2. A cold formal spirit in the exercises of devotion.

3. When the heart has lost all delight in spiritual things, we have another evidence of being in a backsliding state.

4. Association with men of the world is another evidence of a backsliding state. By this we mean, all that association which is uncalled for by the business or relationships of life.

5. A state of backsliding is testified by negligence in attending the means of grace.

III. Its evils.

1. It dishonours God.

2. It deprives us of happiness. The pleasures of religion are suspended where there is inconsistency of conduct, and where the spirit of the world reigns.

3. It gives our enemies advantage over us.

4. It prepares us for terrible darkness in a dying hour.

IV. Its cure. We must take heed of that disposition which would lead us to suppose that the case is incurable. This is the greatest obstacle in the way of recovery. We must

remember that against such reasoning the testimony of the word of God is directed. The facts of Scripture prove it. David, Peter, and others fell far from God; and they verified the word, “the’ a just man fall seven times, he shall rise again.”

1. Come back with fervent prayer.

2. If we would have this state rectified, we must begin where we began at first: we must repent and do our first works. And in doing this, let us be sure that we rest on the right foundation.

3. We must call to mind former days, and compare them with the present. (Essex Remembrancer.)

Declension from first love

I. What was our first love? Oh, let us go back—it is not many years with some of us. Then if you are Christians, those days were so happy that your memory will never forget them, and therefore you can easily return to that first bright spot in your history. Oh, what love was that which I had to my Saviour the first time He forgave my sins. I could realise then the language of Rutherford, when he said, being full of love to Christ, once upon a time, in the dungeon of Aberdeen—“O my Lord, if there were a broad hell betwixt me and Thee, if I could not get at Thee except by wading through it, I would not think twice, but I would plunge through it all, if I might embrace Thee and call Thee mine.” Now it is that first love that you and I must confess, I am afraid, we have in a measure lost. Let us just see whether we have it. When we first loved the Saviour how earnest we were; there was not a single thing in the Bible that we did not think most precious; there was not one command of His that we did not think to be like fine gold and choice silver. That first love does not last half so long as we could wish. Some of you stand convicted even here; you have not that burning love, that ridiculous love as the worldling would call it, which is, after all, the love to be most desired. No, you have lost your first love in that respect. Again, how obedient you used to be. If you saw a commandment, that was enough for you—you did it. But now you see a commandment, and you see profit on the other side; and how often do you dally with the temptation, instead of yielding an unsullied obedience to Christ! Again, how happy you used to be in the ways of God. There was a time when every bitter thing was sweet; whenever you heard the Word, it was all precious to you. Now you can grumble at the minister. Alas! the minister has many faults, but the question is, whether there has not been a greater change in you than there has been in him. Again, when we were in our first love, what would we do for Christ? Now, how little will we do.

II. Where did you and I lose our first love, if we have lost it? Have you not lost your first love in the world, some of you? Is it not marvellous, that when you grew richer and had more business, you began to have less grace? It is a very serious thing to grow rich. Dost thou not think, again, that thou hast lost thy first love by neglecting communion with Christ? Has there not been, sometimes, this temptation to do a great deal for Christ, but not to live a great deal with Christ? Perhaps, too, you attend the means so often, that you have no time in secret to improve what you gain in the means. Mrs. Bury once said, that if “all the twelve apostles were preaching in a certain town, and we could have the privilege of hearing them preach, yet if they kept us out of our closets, and led us to neglect prayer, better for us never to have heard their names, than to have gone to listen to them.” We shall never love Christ much except we live near to Him.

III. Seek to get your first love restored. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

Loss of the first love

I have often been constrained to notice that when Christians, from time to time, throw themselves into actual labour for the Lord, there is a great danger of a reaction coming, a consciousness of weariness: they begin to grow “weary of well doing”; perhaps there are a few disappointments; the work is not going on so flourishingly. When the wind and tide are in our favour, there are some of us who can work very hard; we can pull a very lusty oar as long as the boat. It seems to make progress, but when we find the tide dead against us, and it seems as though we were making no headway, we begin to feel faint, and weary, and ask somebody to take the oar. That is a dangerous snare. Can we honestly and truthfully say that we are workers, that we are labourers, and that we are patient labourers, so plodding that we have “not fainted” in spite of all the difficulties with which we have been surrounded? Is there anything more that could be said in their favour? Yes, something still. These Ephesian converts had held to God’s truth in a day when there was a good deal of theological discussion, and also theological misconception and error. They were “orthodox to the backbone”; our Lord had no fault with them in this respect; they “hated the deeds of the Nicolaitanes,” they would have nothing to do with them. How happy were these men! the Word of God, how they loved to pore over it! what treasures they found in it! It was a joy to them to open the sacred page. “But,” you say, “I suppose Christian experience will not always be identical”: and, certainly, it is not. Well then, when we have first passed out of darkness into light, it is natural that there should be a good deal of emotion in our experience, and much of this may reasonably be expected to pass away as we become more established Christians. Now there may be a great deal of truth in all this, and yet such pleading may indicate but too surely “the loss of the first love.” Our experience is subject to change. But how is it to change? I wonder whether St. Paul loved his Master less, or more, when he said towards the end of his life, “I have finished my course, I have kept the faith, henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness,” than he did at the moment when he first committed his soul into His hands. Do you suppose it is a sign of ripening experience to substitute work, energy, and a thousand other things for “love.” Oh, let us not delude ourselves. There is one thing more important than “work,” yes, more important than “labour,” even more important than orthodoxy, and that one thing is Jesus Christ Himself. If we have got Him we shall have all the rest, and if we have got the rest and have not got Him, we have nothing. “I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.” How do people “lose their first love”? We think, as we first experience it, that it is so delightful in itself, there is so much of heaven upon earth in such experience, that we must be worse than mad ever to forfeit it. Now do not suppose that anybody throws it away wilfully. “It is little by little that the first love” is lost.

1. Many people “lose” it by earthly business. They lead bustling lives; they have so many cares pressing upon them, so much to think about, so much to be undertaken. It is even so with some of our Christian workers. Or, perhaps, in our worldly employment, we are bent upon certain objects which are out of harmony with the will of Christ. There is some dark form of worldly care, or it may be of religious activity—something or other has crept in between us and God, and the whole heaven is darkened, the light is eclipsed, and the blessedness is gone.

2. Or, again, there are many Christians who “lose their first love” by forming another love. Thou art forfeiting that blessed inner life of love, which can only be realised by those who understand the full force of the first great commandment, “Thou shalt

have none other gods but Me.”

3. Yet again, how many of us “ lose our first love” by little acts of thoughtlessness. Love is a very jealous thing. (W. H. M. H. Aitken, M. A.)

Spiritual declension

I. Its symptoms: The first test, to which we would bring the professing Christian who is anxious to determine whether love is growing cold in himself, is that furnished by secret prayer and the study of God’s “Word. Prayer has been not inaptly called the breathing of the soul; and you may be sure, that where this grows shorter and more difficult, there can be no healthful play in the organs of life. And as one great symptom of spiritual decline may be derived from the more private means of grace, so may another from the more public. The Christian in whom vital religion is in a healthy condition, attaches great worth to the public ordinances; neglect of these is, however, a sign of declining love. But now take another symptom—equally decisive, though perhaps more easily overlooked. There is no feeling stronger in the Christian than that of desire to promote God’s glory in the salvation of his fellow-men. But suppose him to become comparatively indifferent to the diffusion of the gospel—so that it is not with the heart, though it may be with the purse and the hand, that he helps forward the cause of the Redeemer; ah! who will say that the love is not losing its fervour? who will deny the spiritual decline? But again; there is a broad separating line between the men of the world and the men of religion. And the healthful Christian is quite aware of this. He guards accordingly with godly jealousy against any such conformity as would do violence to his profession. But there may be—and there often is—a great change in these respects. The man of religion comes to view the world with less fear, and less repugnance. Alas! this is one of the strongest of symptoms that the fervour is departing from the love. And not unlike the symptom of making light of the difference between religion and the world is that of making light of the difference between various creeds. The distinguishing doctrines of the gospel are prized by the ardent Christian as treasures without which he were unutterably poor. Hence he looks with abhorrence, for example, on Socinianism; it would strip Christ of His Divinity, and this he feels would be the stripping himself of immortality. But this repugnance to error may not continue. And wheresoever there is this lowered sense of the indispensableness of fundamental truths, and of an increasing disposition to think gently of wrong systems of religion, you may be sure that the love is fast losing its fervour. You may be certain, further, that where there is no increase in religion there must be some radical deficiency; nay, where there is no increase there must be a decrease. Judge then yourselves, ye who would know whether ye are the subjects of spiritual declension. Is it a greater privilege to you to pray, and a less labour to be obedient? Have you a firmer command over your passions? Is the will more in harmony with the Divine? Is the conscience more sensitive, and is the judgment prompter in deciding: for what is right against what is agreeable?

II. Its dangers. For some of you might be disposed to say—“Well, what if our love be less ardent than it was? it does not follow that we must be in great peril; the love may be warm enough for salvation, and yet not as warm as it was at first.” But if you remember how our Lord reasoned in regard of “the salt which had lost its saltness”—and this is but another figure to express the same thing as the love losing its fervour. The grand difficulty is not that of producing love at first, but of restoring its heat when it has been suffered to grow cold. Even amongst ourselves, in reference to human attachment, the difficulty of rousing a decayed affection is almost proverbial. The party who has loved

and then ceased to love, is of all others the least likely to love again. The ashes of the decayed sentiment seem to smother the fresh sparks. And the difficulty which is experienced in the revival of human affection might be looked for, when it is the love of God and of Christ which has grown languid. You are to observe, that a great deal must have been done for the man in whom the love of God has once been kindled. The Spirit of God must have striven with this man—so as to arouse in him the dormant immortality, and brought him to experience the power of the gospel. But it is not the course of this celestial Agent, to persist in working where there is no earnestness in holding fast what He has already granted. If you expose yourselves to the damps of the world or unnecessarily permit the icy winds of temptation to beat upon you, He will work on you with less and less energy or communicate less and less of animating grace. And we cannot but suppose, that this Spirit is more displeased when neglected by one on whom He has effectually wrought, than when resisted by another with whom He has striven in vain. But the Spirit may be recalled; and then the smothered flame may be rekindled. We will not deny it; God forbid that we should. We are not required to make the case out hopeless, but only full of difficulty. Take away the life from religion, leave us nothing but formality, and there is not upon the face of the earth an individual, so useless to others and to himself, as the one in whom the love remains, but remains in its ashes and not in its fires. It is the insidiousness of the disease which makes it so difficult to cope with. The resemblance is continually fixed on us, between what our medical men call consumption, and what our theological call spiritual decline. You know very well, that the presence of consumption is often scarcely suspected till the patient is indeed past recovery. There is perhaps no disease which less tells its victim what its fatal errand is. You know how beautifully brilliant it often makes the eye and the cheek. Alas! this is but emblematic of what it does to the heart, flushing it with hope and suffusing it with life, when the winding sheet is woven and the shadow is falling. But this disease, so insidious, so flattering, so fatal, is the exact picture of spiritual decline. Ministers and kinsmen may perceive no difference in the man; equally regular in the public duties of religion, equally large in his charities, equally honourable in his dealings, equally pure in his morals. The fatal symptoms may be all internal; and because they are not such as to draw observation, there may be no warning given by others; and the sick man, not examining himself, and not finding that his religious friends suppose him to be on the decline, will be all the more likely to feel persuaded of his safety, and to learn his disease, alas! only from his death. (H. Melvill, B. D.)

The true problem of Christian experience

I. The relation of the first love, or the beginning of the Christian discipleship, to the subsequent life.—What we call conversion is not a change distinctly traceable in the experience of all disciples, though it is and must be a realised fact in all. There are many that grew up out of their infancy, or childhood, in the grace of Christ, and remember no time when they began to love Him. Even such, however, will commonly remember a time when their love to God and Divine things became a fact so fresh, so newly conscious, as to raise a doubt whether it was not then for the first time kindled. In other cases there is no doubt of a beginning—a real, conscious, definitely-remembered beginning—a new turning to God, a fresh-born Christian love. It is now realised, as far as it can be—the very citizenship of the soul is changed; it has gone over into a new world, and is entered there into new relations. But it has not made acquaintance there; it scarcely knows how it came in, or how to stay, and the whole problem of the life-struggle is to become established in what has before been initiated. What was initiated as feeling must be

matured by holy application, till it becomes one of the soul’s own habits. A mere glance at the new-born state of love discovers how incomplete and unreliable it is. Regarded in the mere form of feeling, it is all beauty and life. A halo of innocence rests upon it, and it seems a fresh made creature, reeking in the dews of its first morning. But how strange a creature is it to itself—waking to the discovery of its existence, bewildered by the mystery of existence. An angel, as it were, in feeling, it is yet a child in self-understanding. The sacred and pure feeling you may plainly see is environed by all manner of defects, weaknesses, and half-con-quered mischiefs, just ready to roll back upon it and stifle its life. It certainly would not be strange if the disciple, beset by so many defects, and so little ripe in his experience, should seem for a while to lose ground, even while strenuously careful to maintain his fidelity. And then Christ will have somewhat against him. He will not judge him harshly, and charge it against him as a crime that has no mitigations; it will only be a fatal impeachment of his discipleship, when he finally surrenders the struggle, and relapses into a prayerless and worldly life.

II. The subsequent life, as related to the beginning, or first love. The paradise of first love is a germ, we may conceive, in the soul’s feeling of the paradise to be fulfilled in its wisdom. And when the heavenly in feeling becomes the heavenly in choice, thought, judgment, and habit, so that the whole nature consents and rests in it as a known state, then it is fulfilled or completed. At first the disciple knows, we shall see, very little of himself, and still less how to carry himself so as to meet the new state of Divine consciousness into which he is born. At first nothing co-operates in settled harmony with his new life, but if he is faithful, he will learn how to make everything in him work with it, and assist the edifying of his soul in love. A very great point to be gained, by the struggle of experience, is to learn when, one has a right to the state of confidence and rest. At first the disciple measures himself wholly by his feeling. If feeling changes, as it will and must at times, then he condemns himself, and condemning himself perhaps without reason, he breaks his confidence towards God and stifles his peace. Then he is ready to die to get back his confidence, but not knowing how he lost it, he knows not where to find it. But finally, after battering down his own confidence and stifling his love in this manner by self-discouragement for many years, he is corrected by God’s Spirit and led into a discovery of himself and the world that is more just, ceases to condemn himself in that which he alloweth, so to allow himself in anything which he condemneth; and now behold what a morning it is for his love! His perturbed, anxious state is gone. God’s smile is always upon him: first love returns, henceforth to abide and never depart. Everywhere it goes with him, into all the callings of industry and business, into social pleasures and recreations, bathing his soul as a divine element. By a similar process he learns how to modulate and operate his will. On one side his soul was in the Divine love. On the other he had his will. But, how to work his will so as perfectly to suit his love, he at first did not know. He accordingly took his love into the care of his will; for assuredly he must do all that is possible to keep it alive. He thus deranged all right order and health within by his violent superintendence, battered down the joy he wished to keep, and could not understand what he should do more; for, as yet, all he had done seemed to be killing his love. He had not learned that love flows down only from God, who is its object, and cannot be manufactured within ourselves. But he discovers finally that it was first kindled by losing, for the time, his will. Understanding now that he is to lose his will in God’s will, and abandon himself wholly to God, to rest in Him and receive of His fulness; finding, too, that will is only a form of self-seeking, he makes a total loss of will, self, and all his sufficiency; whereupon the first love floods his nature again, and bathes him like a sea without a shore. And yet it will not be strange if he finds, within a year, that, as he once overacted his will in self-conduct, so now he is underacting it in quietism; that his love grows thin for want of energy, and, returning to his will again, he takes it up in God;

dares to have plans and ends, and to be a person; wrestles with God and prevails with Him; and so becomes, at last, a prince, acknowledged and crowned before him. At first he had a very perplexing war with his motives. He feared that his motive was selfish, and then he feared that his fear was selfish. He dug at himself so intently, to detect his selfishness, as to create the selfishness he feared. The complications of his heart were infinite, and he became confused in his attempt to untwist them. He blamed His love to God because he loved Him for His goodness, and then tried to love Him more without any thought of His goodness. He was so curious, in fact, to know his motives that he knew nothing of them; and finally stifled his love in the effort to understand it, and act the critic over it. At length, after months or years, it may be, of desolation, he discovers, as he had never done before, that he was a child in his first love, and had a child’s simplicity. And now he has learned simplicity by his trial! Falling now into that first simplicity, there to abide, because he knows it, the first love blooms again—blooms as a flower, let us hope, that is never to wither. His motive is pure because it is simple; and his eye, being single toward God, his whole body is full of light. You perceive, in this review, how everything in the subsequent life of the disciple is designed of God to fulfil the first love. A great part of the struggle which we call experience, appears to operate exactly the other way; to confuse and stifle the first fire of the Spirit. Still the process of God is contrived to bring us round, at last, to the simple state which we embraced, in feeling, and help us to embrace it in wisdom. Then the first love fills the whole nature, and the divine beauty of the child is perfected in the divine beauty of a vigorous and victorious manhood. The beginning is the beginning of the end—the end the child and fruit of the beginning. Where the transition to this state of Divine consciousness, from a merely self-conscious life under sin, is inartificially made, and distorted by no mixtures of tumult from the subject’s own eagerness, it is in the birth, a kind of celestial state, like that of the glorified—clear, clean, peaceful and full, wanting nothing but what, for the time, it does not know it wants—the settled confidence, the practically-instructed wisdom, the established and tried character of the glori-fled. And yet all the better is it, imparadised in this glory, this first love, this regenerative life, this inward lifting of the soul’s order, that a prize so transcendent is still, in a sense, to be won or fought out and gained as a victory. For life has now a meaning, and its work is great—as great, in fact in the humblest walks and affairs as in the highest. (H. Bushnell, D. D.)

The decline of spiritual love

I. Its indications. How can we discern the subtle beginnings of this decline? At the outset, let us clear away an error which has been the source of perplexity and even needless despondency to some earnest men. The loss of the first freshness of spiritual emotion is not necessarily a decline of spiritual love. The early excitement is not strength—true strength comes when it passes into action. The early splendour of the morning is beautiful, but who would wish that it should never melt into the stronger glory of the noonday? The first emotions of childhood are beautiful, but who would not exchange them in all their freshness for the calm, sober power of manhood? So in Christian life: the young excitement must mature into more quiet but abiding power. We must, then, look deeper than the changefulness of emotion to detect the signs of declining love; we must enter into the very nature of love itself, and we shall find them there.

1. Love is profound self-sacrifice. In love the soul comes out of the sphere of merely personal life: the thought of the “I,” and the “mine,” are no longer supreme; they almost vanish in living for another. A man’s self becomes associated with another self, and the two souls become one in devotion. Therefore, when our life finds

another centre, and the world, or its friendships, or its ambitions, create our ruling emotions; when to be alone with God is no longer blessedness; when prayer loses its inspiration; when we begin to trust in our own power—to rest in self, and be coldly contented there; when the feeling rises, “I am rich and increased in goods, and have need of nothing,” knowing not all the time that “we are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind,” then the light of love is fading, and earthborn clouds are quenching its brightness.

2. Love proves its reality by the resemblance it creates to the beloved. No man can long conceal the fire that burns on his heart’s altar, so no true Christian can conceal his love to Christ. If we do not grow more true, more holy, more submissive, our resemblance to Christ is growing fainter and our love is declining.

3. Love proves its reality by its courage m confronting opposition. Therefore, when men can turn us aside, when expediency can mould us, when we stand like cowards looking back lingeringly on the path we have forsaken, afraid to return, afraid to go on; when, in the midst of a sinful generation, we are ashamed of Christ, and deny Him by selling our Christian principle for gain, truth for peace, devotion for safety, Christian profession for the friendship of the world—then is the fire of our love going down, the altar becoming cold, the temple growing dark, and “we have left our first love.”

II. Its dangers.

1. It renders the Christian a hindrance to the power of truth. A man professing to live for Christ, professing to be inspired by an infinite love, professing to believe in a glorious immortality, and yet cold and indifferent! The world reads that, and what wonder that it mocks at faith? Like an iceberg, such a man stands between the world and the sun of God’s gospel, chilling its warmth, and killing its power.

2. The inner coldness of heart is the beginning of denial in the life. The man whose love is declining is going on a path that will soon lead him into open denial, for when spiritual love lights not his altar, there are dark powers ever slumbering near that will kindle another fire there. The man’s besetting sin is never far away, and it will soon crowd his circumstances with temptation. And this danger is all the greater because it is so silent.

III. Its remedy.

1. “Remember.” It is sad work to look back over the past, and trace the path of failure and decline. The decay of all beautiful life is sad, but sad it is indeed when a man can trace it in his own soul. It is well to be thus sorrowful; it is a blessed thing if the tears do fall!

2. But rest not in mournful retrospect. “Repent, and do the first works.” Go back to the Cross of Christ, and gaze there till your coldness is melted and your love springs afresh. (E. L. Hull, B. A.)

Spiritual declensions

I. Inquire into the nature of this first love, and the manner in which it generally operates in the commencement of the Christian life.

1. The early love of true believers has in it something which distinguishes it from that which follows afterwards, not indeed in its nature, but in its adjuncts and mode of

operation. An increasing knowledge of Christ will increase and confirm our attachment to Him, and we shall be rooted and grounded in love, in proportion as we cultivate communion with Him. Yet at first there is often a greater warmth of affection, a more operative energy, a greater disposition to make sacrifices and to encounter difficulties, than is displayed in the subsequent parts of life.

2. This “first love” is probably so-called because it is generally the first principle that discovers itself in Christian converts; and before the other parts of their character have had time to develop themselves, we often witness some of the effects of this holy principle.

(1) In producing an aversion of the mind from what is displeasing to the object beloved.

(2) The Christian’s first love produces ardent desires and a vigorous pursuit after spiritual and heavenly objects.

(3) It appears in a fixed and decided resolution to cleave to the Lord, and to follow Him.

(4) Early love discovers itself in an affectionate regard for those who have been the honoured instruments of bringing us to the knowledge of Christ.

(5) Another effect of this principle is, a readiness to submit it to the institutions of the gospel, and openly to profess the name of Jesus, notwithstanding the difficulties which may lie in the way.

II. Point out some of the symptoms of spiritual declension, or when it may be said that we have “left our first love.”

1. Losing that relish and savour of heavenly things which was formerly experienced, is an unhappy sign of religious declension.

2. A vain and trifling conversation is another of these symptoms of decay. When persons are disposed to talk about anything rather than the concerns of their souls, and the things pertaining to the kingdom of God, though there may be nothing directly sinful in the subject of discourse, yet it betrays a great want of spirituality, and a declension in the power of religion.

3. Religious declensions generally begin at the closet; and where the important duties of meditation, self-examination, and private prayer, are either totally neglected or performed in a superficial manner, we need no stronger proof of having indeed forsaken our first love.

4. The prevalency of a selfish spirit is another fearful sign. Instead of adding grace to grace, and building up themselves on their most holy faith, they are adding house to house, and land to land, while the edification of the Church and the general interests of religion are only regarded as secondary objects. What can more fearfully portend the ruin of a people who are in such a case!

5. A disposition to contend for doctrinal religion, rather than for that which is practical and experimental, is a sign of spiritual decay. Where persons are over-zealous about minor points, and are little concerned to promote the religion of the heart and a universal obedience to the will of God, they resemble the Pharisees, who were punctilious enough in tithing mint and anise and cummin, while they neglected the weightier matters of the law, judgment, faith, and the love of God.

6. When the care of our families is neglected, and the observance of the Sabbath is

not strictly inculcated, this also is a sign of spiritual declension. (B. Beddome, M. A.)

First love left

These are words of complaint; some would call it fault-finding; and, as such, might have repelled us from the complainer. But such is the nature and tone of the complaint, that we feel attracted, not repelled; humbled, but not hurt. The reproof is keen, yet it casts no shadow on the grace of the reprover. But the preface to the complaint claims special notice; for that complaint does not stand alone. And what strikes us most in it, is the minute enumeration of services performed by this Church, ere He speak the words of censure. “I know thy works,” etc. He was no austere man, no hard master, no censorious fault-finder, but loving and generous, possessed to the uttermost of that “charity which suffereth long,” etc. But it is not the mere recital of His servant’s good deeds that strikes us; it is His manifest appreciation of these, His delight in them, His grateful sense of the service rendered. Faults there would be in these labours, but He sees none; imperfections in the endurances of trial, but He makes mention of none. He speaks as one full of gratitude for favours conferred. He names His servant’s name, and is not ashamed to confess him. What a dignity, what a value, is thus affixed to every act, even of the simplest, commonest service for Him! But our text goes beyond all this. It teaches us His desire for our love, and His disappointment at losing it, or any part of it. It is not so much our labour as our love that He asks. The star had grown dim, the flower faded, warm love had cooled, and the Ephesus of the second generation was not the Ephesus of the first. Over this lost first love He mourns, as the gem which of all others He prized the most. It is not of slothful service, or waning zeal, or failing liberality, or slackening warfare that He complains. This is the substance of the complaint, the burden of the disappointment—the loss of half a heart! What true hearted man but must be humbled and melted down beneath it! Why should He love so much and I so little? But let us follow out a little further this Divine rebuke, this touching remonstrance. “Thou hast left thy first love!” And for what reason? Did the coldness begin on My side or on thine? Have I become less lovable, less loving? “Thou hast left thy first love!” And what or whom hast thou substituted? Hast thy power of loving ceased, and thy heart contracted? Or is there some second love that has usurped the place of the first? Is it the world that has thus come in? Is it pleasure? Is it literature or science? Is it business? Is it politics? Is it the creature in some of its various forms, and with the seductive glitter of its many-sided beauty? “Thou hast left thy first love!” And what hast thou gained by the leaving? What has this strange turn of capricious affection done for you? Has it made you a happier, holier, truer, stronger, more noble, more earnest man? Ah! ask your hearts what has been your gain? A few indulgences which once you did not dare to venture on. A few gay smiles of worldly companionship. A few pleasures, for which, till your first love had gone, you had no relish. These are some of the things for which thou hast exchanged thy first love! For these thou hast sold thy Lord! Oh, heartless Ephesian, retrace thy steps at once! Thou didst run well: who hath hindered thee? Begin once more at the beginning. Go back to the fountain head of love—I mean thy Lord’s love to thee, the sinner—there refill thy empty vessel. Go back to the blessed Sun, whose light is still as free and brilliant as ever; there rekindle thy dying torch; there warm thy cold heart, and learn to love again as thou didst love at first. (H. Bonar, D. D.)

The fatal flaw in the Ephesian Churches

It is curious that a Church so marked for its patience and purity should be threatened with the loss of its very existence unless it repented. Had sensuality, or violence, or fraud entered the Church? Far from it, the Church is praised for its exclusion of the evil lives. A high morality marked its members, and in maintaining their high standard they had exercised their patient endurance of the world’s scorn and opposition. Such a character had seemed to us almost perfect. But God looks upon the heart. He saw beneath this admirable exterior a weakening in the springs of spiritual life. The pride of consistency had continued to keep the Church to its old forms of excellence, but the Divine love in the heart, which had been before its only source of conduct, had lost its strength. The outward life was beautiful, but the heart was decaying. Zeal, orthodoxy, carefulness, boldness, heroism, were all there, but the love of God, out of which all these virtues should spring, in order to be Godlike and permanent, was failing, and on this failing oar Lord rests His eyes as He warns this prosperous Church of its danger. It had begun to lose its spiritual stimulus: to substitute self for Christ, pride for humility; to change principle into routine, and to make the religious life a perfunctory life. It was only a beginning, but God saw the danger of a beginning, and warned the Church accordingly. The beginning was the great departure; all else would be but natural sequence. Hence the beginning was to be stoutly rebuked. The beginning was the sin, the root-sin, to be repented of. We do not know to what influences the Ephesian Church yielded when it began to lose its love principle as the source of its life. It may have been a strong satisfaction with its own attainments. It scarcely could have been a conformity to the world. That side of error it seems to have avoided, and to have exposed itself on the other to spiritual pride. But these extremes meet. They are equally hostile to a genuine godly life. The worldly conformity is the more odious because it is so open and conspicuous, but the spiritual pride is as really a departure from God and a surrender to Satan. It is often hard to detect, because it goes clothed with the garb of a strict outward life, and this fact makes it peculiarly dangerous as a guide to undeveloped Christians. Still, there are marks by which even this type of Christian can be discovered, and its harmfulness avoided. These spiritually proud Christians are apt to show great severity toward all who differ with them. They are right in all their views and practices, and all others are wrong. Dogmatic and dictatorial, they will brook no opposition, and in disposition and in action (as far as they can be) they are as relentless as the Dominican inquisitors. Their faith is presumption, their zeal fanaticism. And all this comes about because their love is giving place to pride. You will see these zealots oversetting the Divine order for their favourite hobby. They will dip the shafts of controversy into poison and spend their strength in aiming them at their brethren who cannot pronounce their shibboleth. In all this they are most sincere. Their lives are pure and honest. They have much that commands commendation, and their steadfastness is a glory to the Church. But they have allowed the principle of love to fade in their hearts, and Satan has found an entrance there to vitiate motive and impulse. (H. Crosby.)

Red-hot religion

has its place and value, but white-hot religion, the silent, intense force which acts without sparks or noise, is a diviner thing. Is it thus with our love to God? Has that passion simply changed from red to white? Has sentiment become principle, the ecstasy a habit, the passion a law? If so, the former days were not better than these. (W. L. Watkinson.)

Ashes on a rusty altar

The religious profession of some people is like the ashes on a rusty altar, which show that there once were warmth and light and flame, but which also show that it is long since they worshipped there. (J. Hamilton, D. D.)

Emotion wanted in religion

It is said we want principle in religion, not sentiment. We want both. As well say we do not want sails, only the hull of the vessel. With conscience for the rudder, and truth for the hull, we want emotion—for that is motion, surely. And Christ says: “I know thy works. Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou has left thy first love.”

Decay of love

“As when the root of a tree perisheth,” says Thomas Manton, “the leaves keep green for a while, but within a while they wither and fall off; so love is the root and heart of all other duties, and when that decayeth other things decay with it.”

Neglected love

The hottest heart of love, like heated iron, if left, will get cold of itself. (W. W. Andrew, M. A.)

Zeal for truth must be loving

There is something without which even zeal for truth may be but a scorching and devouring flame; and that is the “first love,” the love ever fresh and tender for Him who first loved us, the love which teaches us to win and not to alienate, to raise and not to crush, those who may only be mistaken in their views, and are not determined enemies of God. (W. Milligan, D. D.)

Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen.—

Now, and then

A celebrated orator once delivered a lecture, the title of which was “Now and Then;” and he proceeded to point out in eloquent language the vast improvements in civilisation and in useful arts which had been effected since his own early days. But a very different Now and Then is suggested by the text.

1. First, consider man as he appears to view when newly created. How great he seems! He was created in the image, after the likeness, of God Himself. This was true of him in respect of his personality. As distinguished from the things and creatures having life, which had been previously created, man was a “person” with powers of will, of origination, of causation, of thought. As a person, he was made capable of holding communion with a personal God. Man was created in the image of God, too, in respect of his dominion. He is the vicegerent of God on earth, ruling a mighty empire; the rest of creation lies at his feet. Everything animate and inanimate was subjected to his sway. And this supremacy of man was a shadow of the sovereignty of God. Again, man was created in the image of God in respect of purity. There was not a thought of his heart which he would have been ashamed for God to know. His will

was in entire harmony with the will of God. He rejoiced in fellowship with Him.

2. “Remember from whence thou art fallen.” The fall of man. It is an event which we cannot ponder without being oppressed by a sense of awful mystery. Like all the facts connected with sin, its nature, its punishment, and the cure provided for it in the gospel, the narrative of the Fall leaves on the mind a deep conviction that God regards sin with a hatred which we cannot fully comprehend, and to which revelation itself does not supply the key. Mysterious as this doctrine of original sin is, the whole religion of the Bible assumes the truth of it and is based upon it. The evil extends not only to the actual deeds of men, but to the imaginations, the thoughts, desires, and affections of the heart. Those who have been brought up in a moral and religious atmosphere are happily guarded from the outbreak of sin by their habits and associations and the good opinion of those around them. But this outward appearance does not affect or govern the state of the heart. Even under favourable circumstances the corrupt state of the heart may be recognised. “Remember from whence thou art fallen.”

(1) Let the remembrance of it remind us of the absolute necessity of conversion. Man must be changed in nature and disposition, in mind and heart, in order that he may be restored to the image of God.

(2) Let the remembrance of it deepen our humility. There is nothing which effectually hides pride from man, save the consciousness wrought in him by the Holy Spirit that he is by nature sinful. “Where is boasting then? It is excluded.”

(3) Let the remembrance of it strengthen our hatred of sin. It is the man who comes up to the Temple, crying out of the depths of a contrite heart, “God, be merciful to me a sinner,” whom God sends “down to his house justified.”

(4) Lastly, let the remembrance of it exalt our conceptions of the surpassing love of Christ, and of the mighty work of redemption, which He died to accomplish. He came to restore in man the image and likeness of God. There is no salvation in any other. Think of what man is. There is no tribe, no race, not infected with this taint of sin. The holiest men ever known are those who have most keenly felt, most bitterly lamented, their own sinfulness. There must be a mediator, a sacrifice, an advocate, to make such beings acceptable to God. (F. F. Goe, M. A.)

Backsliding

I. What then, in the first place, are the great evils which are peculiar to the sin of backsliding from God?

1. In the first place, I say to you that it is awfully aggravated for the reason that it is committed against more light than others have. There are men that sin through ignorance. This cannot, however, be said of the man who has once “tasted that the Lord is gracious: “ he does not sin because he knows no better. But you are to observe that there is a light which he cannot extinguish: and what is that? There is the light which his memory casts upon him.

2. Secondly, backsliding is a sin not only against light, but against the love of God. Backsliding is a sin against pardoning mercy.

3. In the third place, remember that this conduct greatly injures the cause of God. First of all it has a saddening effect on the Church itself. And, secondly, it very often

happens that when one backslides from God he takes others with him.

4. This conduct condemns itself, and is a witness against itself. Observe the two states. Once you sought the Lord earnestly, and called on Him in sincerity and in truth. Remember what you were, and look at what you are now. I ask you for a moment, which of these two states is the right one? Would you say, I am right now; or must you not be obliged to say, Oh, no, those were the days in which indeed I was right.

5. Remember that you are bringing, by your conduct, an evil report on good men. How is it that you left the Lord, and left His people? What is the language of this conduct to those that are round about you but this—“I tried religion, and I did not like it?” There are, as I have said, evils in your case. And will you just allow me to remind you that you are in danger. You are in danger of desertion from God. Secondly, I must remind you that you are in danger not only of desertion, but of the terrors which are consequent on the fulfilment of His awful threat. If this be the case, then take heed, brethren, some of you are standing on the brink of a precipice now, into which, if you fall, oh, the terrors of that eternity, the horrors of that state, into which you will plunge yourselves by the carelessness of walking and backsliding from the Lord your God! (P. C. Turner.)

Religious declension

I. What are the first works of the sincere convert? They were penitence, prayer, and faith.

II. A state of religious declension, of spiritual decay, will manifest itself either in a partial or total abandonment of these first works.

III. The only way is to retrace the steps you formerly took, or as it is emphatically described in the text, “to do the first works.” (T. Morell, M. A.)

His lost ideal

The degenerate plant has no consciousness of its own degradation, nor could it, when reduced to the character of a weed or a wild-flower, recognise in the fair and delicate garden-plant the type of its former self. The tamed and domesticated animal, stunted in size, and subjugated in spirit, could not feel any sense of humiliation when confronted with its wild brother of the desert, fierce, strong, and free, as if discerning in that spectacle the noble type from which itself had fallen. But it is different with a conscious moral being. Reduce such an one ever so low, yet you cannot obliterate in his inner nature the consciousness of falling beneath himself; you cannot blot out from his mind the latent reminiscence of a nobler and better self which he might have been, and which to have lost is guilt and wretchedness. (J. Caird.)

I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.—

The coming of Christ a warning against declension

The awfulness of this warning will the more appear, if we consider to what Church it was

directed. It was not spoken to the Church of Galatia, which had been so soon shaken from the faith, and entangled in the heresies of Gnostics and judaising teachers: nor to the Church in Corinth, which had been rent by schisms, tempted by rivalry among its gifted members, and profaned by a contemptuous usage of the Holy Sacrament of His Body and Blood. It was spoken to the Church in Ephesus, famous from the beginning for its burning and indignant zeal against the illusions of Satan; in the midst of which they that had used curious arts brought forth their costly books and burnt them before all men; illustrious for the long abode of St. Paul; for his three years of tears and warnings; for his epistle of prayers and commendations; it was to this Church so cherished, illuminated, and blessed that these words were spoken; “I have somewhat against thee: because thou hast left thy first love.” The Ephesian Church in its outset so kindled and ardent, had, by slow and measured decrease, parted with its inward devotion. There are certain inferences which bear pointedly upon our own state and probation to be drawn from this warning, and to these we shall do well to turn.

1. For example, one great practical truth issuing from what has been said is this: that there may be much fair and really commendable religion, where all is not right at heart. Whole branches of the Church, with all their altars standing, and with all their visible appointments of Divine worship abundantly and publicly maintained, may yet be far gone before God. And a Christian, with all his usages of religion still continued, may yet have left his first love. For these outward and passive customs are the last to give way; the inward disease must be far advanced towards its full and fatal ripeness before the outward habits, which cost so little and imply so much, are visibly affected. Cankered trees still put forth their leaves, long after their source of fruitfulness is dry. A sense of duty outlives all fervour of heart. What was once a delight is still felt to be an obligation. There can be no doubt that such is the state of multitudes whom the Church refrains to censure, and the world believes devout.

2. Another truth we may learn is, that when there is anything wrong at heart, all beside, how good soever it may appear and be, is marred. The state of the heart is the very soul of a religious life; and it is on this that the direct eye of God is fixed. Where there is any permitted declension of the heart, there two evils are always present. It cancels and annuls the whole worship and service of outward religion. It opens the beginnings of incalculable departures from God. And that for this reason. All acts of a religious life are thenceforth done with a slack and unmeaning intention. But all the force of obedience is in the motive. It is this that gives emphasis and meaning to fasts, prayers, labours, alms, for the Name of Christ. To feed natural hunger from mere natural benevolence is not ministering to Christ, but obeying a mere animal impulse, good indeed, but stunted, and not necessarily Christian. The same is more manifestly true of the higher acts of religion; for instance, the Holy Communion. What does it become but a dutiful formality, a heartless reverence? And further, as the motives of the heart grow slack, they become divided. It is intensity that unites the will; when it moves slowly and with reluctance it is soon distracted by s multitude of forces. Self-sparing, neighbouring temptations, worldly regards, personal schemes, private attachments, the influence of example, indulgence of particular affections of the mind, soon come in to divide a heart which has ceased to be united in the love of Christ. “Where the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.” And this slack and divided state of heart, as it cancels the force of all religion, so it is the beginning of unknown declension. Even though it begin in no more than a colder affection or a relaxed resolution, yet it may end in quenching the Spirit of God. Slight diseases bring on great decays: the least bias in a never-resting wheel tends to the extremest deviations: a selfish heart may end in crucifying Christ afresh unto itself;

and a soul without love may sink into the darkness of atheism. There are certain classes of people to whom these truths are especially needful.

1. As first, to those that have been carefully broughti up from childhood in the knowledge and duties of religion. It often happens that those who in childhood have been deeply affected by religion, become in after years cold and relaxed. Little by little a new tone of feeling comes over them, and combines uneasily with old practices; and as the new power strengthens, they must needs give way first in one habit, then another, till the barriers of the whole character are broken through.

2. Another class of persons to whom these warnings are most pointed are those who, after a sinful or careless life, have once been brought to repentance. Afflictions, death of friends, great sicknesses, narrow escapes of life or ruin, worldly reverses, and the like, often bring about great changes of heart. They awaken sharp pangs of remorse, and a sudden sense of danger. This is followed by deep humiliation, and by emotions of sorrow and shame, by earnest resolutions. Perhaps few people have been afflicted without some such emotions as these; and true and heartfelt as they are, they often endure but a little time. They are the sudden burst of a forced shoot, not the steady growth of years. Their very fulness makes them unstable. After recovery or return to the usual ways of life, their first emotions gradually find a level in the ordinary commonplace of former habits. After awhile they countenance doubtful acts, and in the end themselves commit them: and then begins a reaction against the change. Little by little it is rescinded: first one resolution is annulled, and then! another. In the end they return into their former selves with this only difference, that they have once repented, and again turned from their repentance.

3. And once more, these thoughts are full of wholesome admonition to those that habitually communicate. It is the effect of the Holy Communion to confirm the habits of mind with which we approach the altar. If we come to it with a lively repentance, and an awakened conscience, with thankfulness, and love, howsoever faint, be it only true, the spiritual virtues which go forth from that Holy Sacrament will deepen and perfect all these devout affections. Ii we come with unimpressed hearts and a sluggish conscience, with shallow emotions, and thoughts that terminate on the bread, and on the wine, frequent communion will be an occasion of making these dangerous states of heart inveterate. Perhaps you can remember that day when, after long preparation, and fear, and anxious searching of yourselves, you came with a beating heart to the altar. How you were only half aware, as you knelt before the unseen Presence of your Lord, how near He was to you; and yet your hearts burned while your eyes were holden; and all that day, and all the day after, the consciousness was present still. Have you ever so communicated since? Do you now go to that Holy Sacrament with a cold self-possession, as to some familiar thing which you have measured, and weighed, and scrutinised; or with a mind less sensitive and fearful, and with a whole tone of character lowered and less devout? To all these, then, and to all who are conscious that they are not what they were, there is but one way of return. The first step is penitent recollection. “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen.” Call up again with all the vividness of memory the holier seasons of your past life. Remember your confirmation—your first communion—your earlier devotions—the aspirations you once breathed towards Him whose love has waxed cold in you; and the tokens of His tender care, to which you once clung so fast. The next step is by special confession of our particular and detailed offences, to repent; that is, in sorrow to forsake our present self with a perfect change of heart. Before we can be once more what we have forfeited, our new and debased character must be thoroughly put off. This is the penalty of sin. And, lastly, we must begin the greatest work of life all over

again. “Do the first works”; that is, the earliest and the best—the first-fruits we offered in better days to God. This is the inevitable law of our recovery. “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven.” (H. E. Manning.)

Neglect of the gospel followed by its removal

What then is it which a man has to do who is desirous of becoming truly repentant? We reply that his great business is earnest prayer to Christ, that he would give him the Holy Spirit, to enable him to repent. Of course we do not mean that he is to confine himself to prayer, and make no effort at correcting what may be wrong in his conduct. But there is more in this exhortation than the summons to repentance: memory is appealed to as an assistant in the duty to which men are called. The great evil with the mass of men is, that, so far at least as eternity is concerned, they never think at all—once make them think, and you make them anxious; once make them anxious, and they will labour to be saved. We should feel that we were gaining a great moral hold on a man, if we prevailed on him to contrast what he is with what Adam was ere he ate the forbidden fruit. It is a contrast which must produce the sense of utter degradation. And if I have been like the Ephesian Church, what Scripture calls a backslider, may not memory tell me of comforts I experienced, when walking closely with God, of communion with eternity so real and distinct that I seemed already delivered from the trammels of flesh? It may well be, if indeed I have declined in godliness, that through musing on past times, there will be excited within me a poignant regret. There will come back upon me, as upon the criminal in his cell, the holy music of better days; and there will be a penetrating power in the once gladdening but now melancholy strain, which there would not be in the shrill note of vengeance. And thus in each case, memory may be a mighty agent in bringing me to repentance. But we turn from the exhortation to the threatening contained in our text, “I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” Where are those Christian societies to which St. Paul and St. John inscribed their Epistles? Where is the Corinthian Church, so affectionately addressed, though so boldly reproved, by she great apostle of the Gentiles? Where is the Philippian Church, where the Colossian, where the Thessalonian, the letters to which prove how cordially Christianity had been received, and how vigorously it flourished? Where are the Seven Churches of Asia, respecting which we are assured that they were once strenuous in piety, and gave promise of permanence in Christian profession and privilege? Alas, how true is it that the candlesticks have been removed. And never let it be thought that such sentence is of no very terrible and desolating character. Come any evil rather than the unchurching which is threatened in our text. It is not merely that Christianity is taken away—though who shall measure, who imagine, the loss, if this were indeed all?—but it is that God must frown on a land from which He hath been provoked to withdraw His gospel; and that, if the frown of the Almighty rest on a country, the sun of that country’s greatness goes rapidly down, and the dreariness of a moral midnight fast gathers above it and around it. (H. Melvill, B. D.)

The gospel removed

I. That a nation has been unchurched, and the gospel has been removed.

1. The Jews are an eminent instance. They had the gospel in a type while they enjoyed the ceremonies, they had the gospel unveiled while they had the presence of

Christ among them.

(1) They were a people that had the greatest titles. They were called by His name (Jer_2:2-3). They were His peculiar treasure; yet He hath flung this treasure out of His coffers.

(2) The privileges they enjoyed.

(3) The multitude of strange providences they had. He delivered them to the amazement of all round about them; they were a happy people, in being a people saved by the Lord (Deu_33:29). They never were conquered, but God raised them up some patrons. Yet notwithstanding all these providences, whereby God so miraculously owned them, and all the dangers from whence He so powerfully delivered them, they are now pulled up by the root, persecuted by man, abandoned by God, the generation of His wrath (Jer_7:29). No spiritual dew falls upon these mountains of Gilboa.

2. The Seven Churches of Asia, to whom these Epistles are written, are another instance. How do their places know them no more, as once they were? Not only their religion, but their civil politeness is exchanged for barbarism. They have lost their ancient beauty for a Turkish deformity. Mahomet’s horse hath succeeded in the place of the Gospel-Dove. The triumphant banners of an impostor advanced where the standard of the gospel had been erected.

II. That the removal of the gospel and unchurching a nation is the greatest judgment. Can there be a greater judgment than to have the Word of God removed, to want a prophet to instruct and warn? The shutting up the book of mercy is the opening the book of justice.

1. The gospel is the choicest mercy, and therefore the removal of it the sharpest misery. The gospel is so much the best of blessings, as God is the best of Beings. Without this we should sink into an heathen or devilish superstition.

2. It is made worse than those judgments that are accounted the severest. Plagues, wars, famine, are lighter marks of Divine anger than this. God may take notice of a people under the smartest afflictions, but when He takes away His Word He knows a people no longer. We may live in our souls by the influence of the Word, when we have not bread to convey strength to our bodies; but how must the soul languish when it is deprived of spiritual food to nourish her (Isa_30:20)? how doleful would it be to have the ground parched by the sun, the sky emptied of clouds, or the bottles of heaven stopped close without venting a drop of refreshing rain? But how much more deplorable is this judgment than the withholding the clouds from dropping upon our earth, or the sun from shining upon our fruits?

3. When the gospel departs all other blessings depart with it.

(1) The honour and ornament of a nation departs.

(2) The strength of a nation departs. The ordinances of God are the towers of Sion. The Temple was not only a place of worship, but a bulwark too. When the gospel of peace removes eternal peace goes with it, temporal peace flies after it; and whatsoever is safe, profitable, prosperous, takes wings and attends it.

4. God hath no other intention in the removing the gospel, and unchurching a nation, but the utter ruin and destruction of that nation. Other judgments may be medicinal, this is killing; other judgments are but scourges, this is a deadly wound.

5. This judgment is accompanied with spiritual judgments, which are the sorest. The

pounding of the jewel is far worse, and of greater loss than the breaking the casket.

Use:—Doth God often remove the gospel upon provocations, as the severest judgment he can inflict upon an unworthy people? Then—

1. Be afraid of this judgment. How do we know but that God hath limited the preaching of the gospel, and the standing of the candlestick in this and that place only for a time; and when that is expired, it may be carried to another place? We see it hath been so with others.

(1) Is not our profaneness a just ground of our fear? Have not many that have been lifted up to heaven by the presence of the gospel walked as if they had the seal of hell in their foreheads? A fulness of iniquity makes the harvest ripe and fit for the sickle (Joe_3:13).

(2) Is not the slighting of the means of grace a just ground of this fear? What can be expected, when children throw a precious commodity in the dirt, but that the parents should take it away, and lay it in another place, and lash them too for their vanity? God will not obtrude the gospel long against men’s wills.

(3) And what shall I say of the barrenness of the Church? When the ground yields but a faint increase, and answers not the cost and labour of the husbandman, he lays it fallow. The abatement of the powerful workings of the spirit is a presage of a removal or dimming the light in the candlestick.

(4) And may not the errors in the nation step in as the occasion of our fears? Not little petty errors, but errors about the foundation.

(5) What should I speak of the divisions amongst us? These preceded the ruin of the Jews, and made way for the fall of the Seven Churches of Asia. We may justly fear God will take away that light which we quarrel by, instead of walking and working by.

2. If the removal of the gospel be so great a judgment we have reason to bless God for its continuance so long among us.

3. It should teach us to improve the gospel while we enjoy it. The time of the gospel revelation is the time of working. Good entertainment and good improvement invites the gospel to stay; ill-usage drives it out of doors.

4. Let us prevent by repentance and prayer the removal or eclipse of the gospel. The loss of your estates, the massacring of your children, the chains of captivity, are a thousand times more desirable than this deplorable calamity. Estates may be recovered, new children raised, fetters may be knocked off, new houses may be reared upon the ashes of the consumed ones, the possession of a country regained; but it is seldom the gospel returns when carried away upon the wings of the wind. Let us therefore seek to Him, chiefly to Him, only to Him; He only can remove the candlestick; He only can put His Hand as a bar upon the light. (S. Charnock.)

`To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life.—

The heavenly Christ’s first promise to the victors

I. The victor’s reward.

1. As for the substance, it is simply that all-comprehensive, and in one aspect greatest of all hopes, the promise of life. It is as impossible for us to conceive of what the

manner of future existence is as it is to predict, from looking at the egg, what plumage shall deck the wings of the creature that shall, in due time, come forth from it and soar to the empyrean. “It doth not yet appear what we shall be.” Only this we know, that life in all its meanings shall be perfect. Limitations shall drop away; weariness, weakness, languor, disgust, which often creeps over us, shall have no place there. The eternal life of heaven is one in kind with the eternal life that Christians possess here. If we are to have the life beyond, we must have its beginnings to-day.

2. Turn to the form which this promise assumes. It carries us back to the beginning of Scripture, and reminds us of the story of Eden, and the tree of life there. So the end circles round to the beginning, and the purpose of God shall be fulfilled, and more than fulfilled, and all the weary centuries, with their sin and crime and failures, shall be, as it were, in a parenthesis.

II. The giver of the reward. Jesus Christ steps into the place here of the absolute disposer of all human affairs and settler of man’s destiny. In another place in Scripture we read that the gift of God is eternal life; here the Giver of it is Jesus Christ. So He said on earth, as well as from the heavens. He is the Judge. He knows the history and the affairs of all men. He gives eternal life. The Giver is more than His gift. No mere humanitarian ideas of Jesus Christ and His mission avail to explain such words as these of my text.

III. The condition of receiving. “To him that overcometh.” Well, then, all noble life in the world is a fight. And to say “I trust in Jesus Christ” is not enough, unless that trust manifests itself in strenuous antagonism to evil, and realises victory over it. “To him that believeth” the promise is made in other places, but we must carry with that promise this other, “to him that overcometh”; and remember that no man who cannot say “I have fought a good fight” will ever be able to say with truth, “henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness.” What is an overcoming life? Many a man goes out of this world apparently a dead failure, beaten; none of his plans having prospered, none of his enterprises having been much else than semi-failures. And yet he may be one of the victors. And, on the other hand, a man that has achieved all that he desired, prospered in his business, been successful in his love, happy in his family, abundantly blessed with good, and crowned with universal applause, that man may be one of the beaten ones. For he conquers the world who uses it to bring him nearer to Jesus Christ; and the world conquers him whom it draws away from God. And how is that victorious life to be achieved? “This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” I have said that mere trust without conflict and conquest cannot inherit the crown, but I also say that, wherever there is the true trust there will be conflict, and wherever there is the trusting conflict there will be victory. (A. Maclaren, D. D.)

The great condition

I. Success in this world is not a matter of course. Life in this world is surrounded by dangers, beset by enemies, liable to failure. This truth has its illustration in all spheres of life; even down to the lowest. The conflict of the ages is miniatured in the life of the ephemera. The few hours of their existence are full of little dangers, little enemies, possible ills; and so with these the battle of life goes on. Now come up a little higher, and into a clearer region. Every species of vegetable life is shut off from its highest and fullest end by the line at the enemy. Every grain of wheat is menaced; so is every stalk of corn, every springing grass-blade, every flowering shrub, and every fruiting tree. And not otherwise is it in the animal kingdom—in the region of organised physical life. Of birds

and beasts only a few reach the end. The rest perish by the way; are beaten back; are overcome. How full is our earth’s crust with the dust of infant forms I And even if they continue, why continuance is often not health, not strength, not beauty, not the victory of physical life. But I widen the view. Within the body hides the true man, who, with the hand of his free choice, reaches out for the supreme object of life; and, by the voice of his will, summons all his powers to the contest. But is success sure to such s one? Why, the world is full of men who have failed here. Full of men who have murdered their manhood for gain, and then failed of the gain. But now come up higher. Introduce moral quality, and how still farther does this reduce the class who have overcome t Ever in the highest regions the classes are smaller. There are more toadstools than Yosemite pines. There are more ants than elephants. There are more in the schools who know how to read than there are who are able to call the stars by their names, or to paint a Madonna. So there are more who have made money than there are who have grown manhood; more who haze gotten office than there are who have gotten character.

II. The danger to each human life is special. That which is a temptation and a snare to me is none to you. The rock upon which you may split may be altogether out of your neighbour’s path. He may not be steering in that direction. As with the body, so with the soul. What is poison to one is harmless to another. Some men can be trusted with money. It is not a bait for them; not what they care to sell their souls for. While others never can feel the money of others passing through their hands without an involuntary itching to close upon it. Then there is alcohol; nausea to many a stomach. No more desired, no more palatable, than croton oil. There is no possible danger to such from this quarter. Then right by their side are others who, with diseased brain and trembling nerves and blood on fire, would jump into hell itself for a draught of the accursed poison.

1. Natural constitution rules here. I do not mean in such a sense as to rid any man of responsibility. No matter where his blood came from, when at last it runs in his own veins a man must feel that it is his own. “My father was a drunkard before me, and I must be one.” This is fatality, contradicted by our sense of freedom. It is materialism, contradicted by our own knowledge of ourselves, as more than mere matter. It is reasoning which no man’s conscience accepts, and with which no man can go to the bar of God. So with a man’s mind. It is his own at last. His own to correct, to guide, to inform. And if a man finds himself with a sceptical tendency, it is his duty to overcome here, as truly as in the region of physical appetite.

2. Providential circumstances rule here. Joseph was thrown into Egypt, and into the presence of great temptation, by no choice of his own. What now? Is Joseph thus relieved from responsibility? By no means. His providential circumstances govern as to the danger which he must overcome. The responsibility is still his own. So with us all. Your great spiritual danger may lie hidden in a circumstance which you had no voice in choosing. This may be wealth, or it may be poverty; your familiar associations, or an unavoidable crisis in your business affairs. But this does not free you from responsibility. Your obligation is still found in the word “overcome.” You must overcome the temptation which is brought to bear upon your integrity, or you fall guiltily, and shall never “eat of the Tree of Life.”

III. It is possible for a man, for any man, to overcome. His crown is his own, and he may defy any hand of earth or hell to rob him of it.

1. This truth rests upon the sincerity of the Saviour of men. “To him that overcometh,” says He. And, when He so declares, He surely does not mean to mock men by grounding their salvation upon an impossible condition.

2. This truth, that a man may overcome, rests upon the infinite love of God. It is not possible for the human mind to conceive of infinite love allowing man to be placed in a condition that he may not overcome.

3. This truth rests upon the great provision of salvation which God has made for man. This salvation, inaugurated by the Great Father’s love, must reach unto the end of making the salvation of every man to whom it comes possible.

I now turn to the applicatory fulness of the text.

1. It holds up religion before us in its true greatness and worthiness. Overcome. This is the voice with which Christ speaks to men. Overcome. This is the true view of religion; the religion which thoughtful men need, which endangered lives need; which this world, so full of shams, needs.

2. Again, this subject Palls to a careful ordering of the external circumstances of our lives, so far as these are in our power. If your fortune depended upon your lifting a certain weight, you would not first place your feet upon bog or quicksand. Yet, in the moral world, how many needlessly expose themselves to disadvantage!

3. This subject holds up the Church and all the means of grace in their true light. They are so many helps to man in his great struggle. Let us not think of the Church as an end in itself; as a beautiful and dignified institution to which we ought to contribute our quota of respectable living. But rather let us think of the Church as our servant; as something out of which we can get help. So of the prayer hour in the midst of the busy week. So of any Christian service, and of every Christian duty. (S. S. Mitchell, D. D.)

The conflict of the Christian life

I. The conflict of the Christian life. The Christian life is one of severe moral conflict. Its enemies are seen and unseen. They are malignant. They are subtle. They necessitate constant vigilance on the part of the good.

1. It is a conflict with evil principles. The soul of the good must be pure in its feeling, holy in its dispositions, loyal to Christ in its affections, and devout in its contemplations.

2. It is a conflict with evil men. It is sometimes hard to withstand the charming, but sinful, attractions of a friend, who would lead us into the very camp of the enemy.

3. It is a conflict with evil spirits. They watch the varying attitudes of the human mind, as manifested in external conduct, and seek each moment to effect the moral ruin of the good.

II. The victory of the Christian life.

1. The victory is present. This is a distinguishing feature of the battle of the soul. It feels now the inspiration, and can sing the hymn of triumph, though, no doubt, when the last enemy has been conquered, which is death, and the soul joins the army above, its triumph will then be more jubilant.

2. The victory is progressive. Every time the soul is victorious in its battle it gathers new energy, and is more prepared for the conflict of the future.

3. The victory is glorious. It is a token of heroic manhood. It is strengthening. It is ennobling. It makes the soul veteran in goodness.

III. The reward of the christian life.

1. The Christian victor shall be rewarded with eternal life.

2. This reward will be Divinely bestowed and richly enjoyed. Christ is Himself the life, which He will bestow upon the faithful victor. The life will be such that the soul will be able to appropriate.

Lessons:

1. That the Christian life is a stern conflict.

2. That the Christian has many aids in the conflict.

3. That victory over sin is possible to the good. (J. S. Exell, M. A.)

The tree of life

This first of the sevenfold promises to the victors carries us back to the earliest pages of Scripture. The end circles round to the beginning. The fruit is accessible again, not now, indeed, by man’s reaching out his own hand to it, but as a gift from the Captain under and by whom the victors fight. This recurrence of the early possibility as a finally-accomplished reality is significant. Whatever Adam threw away Christ brings back. “There shall never be one lost good.” But there is more than that. Paradise is better than Eden.

I. The gift. In the Gospel and Epistles of St. John, Life and its antithesis, Death, are two of his key-notes. In these letters to the Seven Churches the frequent recurrence of the same significant word Life, and its correlative, Death, is one of the main links of connection which, with all differences of form, bind together the Apocalypse and the Gospels. Now I cannot persuade myself that by this great word the writer means nothing mole than continuous existence. He means that, but he means something more than that; and the something more is what warrants him in calling continual existence life. He means, in fact, the whole aggregate of blessednesses which makes the State of men whose lives are passed in communion with, and likeness to, God. This is his conception of what life consists in. Wheresoever a heart is knit to God, there is the germ and the beginning of the only real Life. And the highest promise that can be given for the blessedness of that blessed and far-off future is, “I will give him to cat of the Tree of Life.” It is well and fitting that this most comprehensive and general promise should be the first in the sevenfold series. Those which follow unveil various portions of its contents, and show us various aspects of its glory. Then, mark, it is the life of Jesus Christ Himself which He gives. He is the Life of our lives, the Soul of our souls, the Heaven of our heaven; and in Him is all that we need. Then, note how, in the other reference in this Book to that Tree of Life, we have set forth, very beautifully, the infinite variety and unbroken succession of the blessednesses that result to those who partake of it. The last chapter of this Revelation tells us that “it bare twelve manner of fruits,” and that “every month.” The former of these symbols sets forth that all delights and nutriments which spirit, heart, will, intellect, and whatever else may make up the immortal man can require are to be found there. Whatsoever is pleasant to behold, or sweet to taste, is all in Jesus Christ. And the other symbol of “yielding fruit every month” suggests the unbroken succession of delights and blessednesses and sustenances. Sparkle will touch sparkle as in the moon’s path across the sea, making a broad and continuous band of silvery shimmer. So “in Thy presence are pleasures for evermore.” Then note, further, that this Life must begin here ii it is to be perfected hereafter. Here we must begin laying hold of

that Lord in whom are the life and the light of men, if we are ever to stand by His side, and receive from His hand fruits from the Tree of Life. They are sent across the sea to us in our island home, though it be planted in a happier and sunnier clime, and we dwell here amidst frost and snow. But the perfecting will be when we shall go to it. Fruit tastes best if fresh plucked from the tree.

II. The giver. This ascended Christ speaks in royal fashion. He assumes to be the Bestower of the fruit from the Tree of Life. And that suggests large thoughts about Him. I believe that in all senses of the word Life, from the lowest physical up to the highest spiritual, immortal, and eternal, the revelation of the New Testament, is that Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of the Father, and the Agent of all creation and of all preservation, is its Giver and its Source. By virtue of His Divine nature He gives physical life to all that live. In Him “was life, and the life was the light of men.” But it is not His Divine nature alone which has made it possible for Him to give to us the better life, of which my text speaks. He is the Source thereof, because He Himself has experienced the opposite. He died that He might be the Lord and Giver of Life; and rising from the grave, by the power of His death, and the merit and might of His sacrifice, He has become, for all who will trust Him, the Source of that life which standeth in the knowledge of God, and is perfected hereafter in immortal felicity and blessedness. Further, there is involved in this representation of Jesus Christ as the Giver of Life, the thought that, through eternity, all who live that blessed being in the heavens shall be as dependent upon Him for every moment (if we can speak of moments in the timeless state) of their continual existence as we are here below. He is the Fountain who hath life in Himself. We are the empty vessels that are filled from Him.

III. The recreants. In the original the language is made very emphatic: “To him that overcometh, to him will I give.” And that emphasis is very significant, ii we remember how strongly this same John, especially in his Gospel, sets forth the thought that the condition of receiving life here and hereafter is faith. Faith without fighting is nothing. Fighting without faith, indeed, is impossible; but it is not enough that a man shall exercise an idle and inoperative trust, unless he can show his faith by his works. It is not the same whether you, calling yourselves Christian people, live in the daily struggle with the evil that besets you, or indolently let yourselves be carried unresisting along by the stream. It is the victor, that is crowned. Then, again, observe that martial metaphor. “To him that overcometh.” Then the highest conception of a noble life on earth is conflict. God has set us here, not to enjoy ourselves, but to wrestle and to run and to fight. Shame on us ii we choose the indolent, self-indulgent, luxurious, and fatal course [ What is it to overcome? The sailor who trims his sails and sets his helm so that adverse winds and opposing currents help him to run his course has conquered, though they howl about his ears and beat upon his barque. And the man who does not let the world hinder him from godly obedience, who does not allow it to divert him from the path of duty, who does not let its dainties spoil his appetite for the bread of heaven, who does not permit its near and flaunting beauties to affect his heart so that he sees no beauty in God and Christ, who does not take its good for his best—that man has conquered it. (A. Maclaren, D. D.)

The tree of life

I. The tree of life as exhibited in the primitive paradise. The garden of Eden is not to be regarded merely as a place of delight and pleasure. It was a kind of natural temple; a sacred enclosure. In this consecrated spot was planted the tree of life; planted that its fruit might be eaten, and not prohibited like that of the tree of knowledge. Yet it was not

to be partaken of in the same manner as the fruit of the other trees, which was appointed for food, since this tree was specially distinguished from them. Not without reason have many eminent divines considered this tree as a constant pledge to Adam of a higher life; and since there was a covenant of works, the tenor of which was, “This do, and thou shalt live”—and as we know that God has ever connected signs, seals, and sacraments with His covenants—analogy may lead us to conclude that this tree was the matter of a sacrament, the eating of it a religious act; and that it was called “the tree of life,” because it was not only a means of sustaining the immortality of the body, but the pledge of spiritual life here, and of a still higher and more glorious life in a future state, to which man might pass, not, indeed, by death, but by translation.

II. The substitution of Christ for “the tree of life,” to give hope to man as a sinner. We see man, the sinner, expelled from the garden of Eden; all hope of receiving the pledge of mercy and kindness, by being allowed to eat of the tree of life, gone; and the way to that tree fearfully guarded. But it is equally certain that he was not absolutely excluded from hope. The judge passes sentence, but the judge also gives a promise; and man is bidden to hope in another object, “the seed of the woman.” That seed was henceforward to be his “tree of life.”

1. This presence of God was always approached through sacrifice.

2. It is this atonement which always keeps the way to God open and safely accessible.

3. To eat and live is the term both of the covenant in paradise and the new covenant of grace; but the subject is changed. To live in paradise, the fruit of the tree of life was eaten; but it was not a sacrifice. It was a pledge of life, but not through the death of a victim. There was then life without death. The flesh of Christ which He gives for the life of the world, and which we eat spiritually, this also is the pledge of life, but of life through death. Nor is the act of eating under the two covenants the same. One is expressive of the confidence of an innocent creature in the goodness and faithfulness of God never offended, promising life; the other of faith, properly speaking,—the trust of a guilty creature, of one who feels and acknowledges his guilt, in the rich and sovereign grace of God offended, and exercised through Christ alone.

III. The tree of life, “in the midst of the paradise of God.”

1. The residence of the saints in another and a blissful state is called paradise. Could we remove from this world death, disease, age, infirmity, hatred, prejudice, ignorance, sin, the separation of friends, what a transformation should we witness! All this, and more, is done in the heavenly paradise; and upon its inhabitants and their blessedness is stamped the character of eternity.

2. The tree of life is there; and he that overcometh shall eat of it. This is a figurative representation of Christ. He is there to give this immortal blessedness, and to sustain it, and thus the benefits of His death run on for ever. The tree represents Christ to remind us that our life is from Him, and the whole of our salvation shall be eternally ascribed to His dying love. (R. Watson.)

Conquest and immortality

See what the promise is. Man’s life seems to die out in death; to him that overcometh the world there shall be given a vitality that goes beyond this world. It is in virtue of man’s power to overcome this world that he lays hold upon immortality. The reason why man, in spite of every discouragement, in spite of disease, and death, and the grave, has so

inextinguishable a belief in immortality of life is the mastery which he has had over this life. If all men had been slaves of circumstances, mankind never could have believed in immortality. It is because man has proved his power to conquer circumstances that he has believed ultimately in his power to conquer that last great circumstance, and believed that death was nothing but an event, an experience in life. To him that overcometh it is given to eat of the tree of life, and to know himself immortal. (Bp. Phillips Brooks.)

How to conquer

When I was a child I read a book of Eastern Tales. It was the reading of the same book that stimulated Dr. Adam Clarke to study Eastern literature. One of the tales was to this effect: In a certain place, among bleak and gloomy mountains, was a steep and narrow pass, at the summit of which a spring sent forth streams of living waters. By the margin of the spring, nourished by its immortal rills, stood a tree which bore golden fruit, and as the breezes blew upon the trees it gave forth enchanting music. Whosoever might force his way up the difficult ascent should have these delights as his reward; but if he halted in his way, or attempted to turn back, he died upon the spot. Thousands made the trial, but none succeeded. At last an adventurous youth determined to win the prize, or perish in the effort. He asked one stationed at the foot what was the real difficulty, and how it could be overcome. He was assured there was no danger whatsoever, but that as he went along he would be assailed by hosts of voices assuming every kind of tone. All he had to do was boldly to go forward, and not regard them. Resolving not to heed the voices, he nerved himself for the endeavour. The moment he entered the valley the sounds began. It was as if the very rocks had tongues. Some groaned and entreated and warned, some mocked and jeered. As he stumbled on knee-deep among the reedy shanks and shapeless skulls of those who had perished in the attempt, a voice, seemingly at his very ear, implored him to take warning, and pause. Sometimes he was on the point of halting, but he pressed his fingers to his ears and hurried on. As he neared the top a chorus well-nigh stunned him; but he pressed his fingers the closer to his ears, and thus gained the summit. Then every voice that had assailed him broke forth in loudest plaudits. (F. J. Sharr.)

An exhortation and encouragement to individual Christians

It is as if He said, No matter what the Church of Ephesus may be, to him that overcometh will I give a special blessing. Jesus says that to every member of His Church still. No matter what the Church is, it does not take away your individual responsibility. If the Church be holy and active, that does not lessen your responsibility to work. If the Church be sinful and idle, that makes your responsibility all the greater. The Church may have lost its first love. It is your duty, in the first instance at least, not to leave it, but to try to make it better. It is your duty, so far as in you lies, to overcome. Overcome evil with good, overcome strife by promoting a spirit of peace, overcome slothfulness by giving an example of activity, overcome fault-finding by showing a spirit of charity. Overcome, in the strength of Christ, the sins of yourself, the sins of the Church, the sins of the world around you. (C. H. Irwin, M. A.)

But this thou hast, that thou hatest the works of the Nicolaitanes, which I

also hate.—

The Nicolaitane doctrine hateful to Christ and His Church

Here are two things.

1. An exception from the former reproof, “But this thou hast.”

2. A commendation, “that thou hatest the works of the Nicolaitunes. In the exception, note how careful the Spirit of God is, not to pass over any good in this Church, without due commendation.

Reason:

1. He walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, and exactly discerneth their works and describeth them.

2. Iniquity is not in Him to call good evil or evil good (Isa_32:5). He justifies not the ungodly nor condemns the innocent.

3. His pure eyes sever between the precious and the vile. He hath a fining pot, which tries gold from the dross; and a fan in His hand, which in the same floor severeth wheat and chaff.

Use:

1. To teach us to imitate this goodness of God in acknowledging and encouraging good gifts and graces wherever they be.

2. Those sin against this example of Christ who (as flies follow festers) fasten upon the faults of men and are eloquent in disgracing their evils; some perhaps only pretended or conceived, but all that is praiseworthy they bury and traduce.

3. The ministers (the angels of the Churches) must imitate their Lord in writing to the angel of this Church, namely, so warily to touch upon the faults of professors, as not to throw down their profession or oppose all that is good in them. A wise husbandman will rather spare the weeds than hurt the corn.

4. Encourage good men in pursuing what is good; for, howsoever they may reap reproach among men, yet there is nothing commendable in them which shall want its due praise before God.

5. To keep us in humility. Sometimes we may be commended for many things, as was this Church, and yet be in great danger and near cutting off. Let us, therefore, take notice of these rules of wisdom. First, let no man content himself with some good things unless he separate from all evil, both in affection and actual endeavour. Secondly, content not thyself with the presence of some good things unless thou hast attained the best things and graces which only shall prevent this danger of casting off; such as are faith, love, repentance, humility, and the fear of God. Thirdly, content not thyself with many acts of goodness, but labour for sincerity, else many seemly and good things will prove unsound and unfruitful in the end.

6. Note the lively power of the Word of Christ. As His eyes are pure and sharp to discern between good and evil, so is His Word as piercing and descries in the soul and conscience that good or evil which other men, yea, the own heart itself, never takes notice of (Heb_4:12). Of the commendation that followeth, “Thou hatest the works of the Nicolaitanes.” This commendation is for a work of the soul, for an affection, and that not such an affection as whereby they were carried unto good, but such an affection as whereby they were averted from gross evil. The good

commended was this affection. Where observe the abundant patience and pity of the Lord, who for a poor affection, and that not unto good, but against evil, and that very weak and cold spareth this Church and removeth not her candlestick as she had deserved. The true commendation of a people or person is from true inward disposition and affection (1Co_4:5).

Reason:

1. The just judge of all the world judgeth by the surest rule of trial, and approveth or reproveth from that which is within, and that which is hid from men’s eyes.

2. The affections and desires are the feet which move the soul, and are most respected of God as being chiefly and principally commanded in the taw; all the duties of the first table, and all service and worship of our Creator being comprised under that one affection of love.

3. The chief matter of praise or dispraise, both in good and bad men, is the desire and affection, because, first, action without affection is but as a body without a soul, as a painted fire without heat, or the picture of a man without life. Secondly, God accepteth the affection more than the action, as in many kings of Israel, who did such and such good things, but the heart and soul and inward affections being wanting, they lost their commendation. Thirdly, for evil men: they are not so bad in action as in affection and desire; they have more evil in their hearts than in their hands. Fourthly, for good men: their goodness is not in perfection but in affection, and striving to perfection. And they have more goodness in their hearts than in their hands, as there is more water in the fountain than in the stream.

4. It is affections and desires that formally make a man good or bad, and lead him either to a final happy or unhappy estate. By all which arguments we have cleared the conclusion, that the true commendation of a people or person is from true inward disposition and affection.

Use:

1. To discover the vain practice of many professors that engross knowledge and please themselves in speculation, contemplation, and place all their religion in hearing, reading, and adding to their knowledge; but look not to their affections or desires, to add or gain anything unto them, as if God’s image consisted alone in knowledge and not in righteousness and holiness.

2. Hence we learn which is the most commendable ministry and most approved of God, namely, that which worketh most (not upon the understanding, but) upon the heart and affections, to warm the heart and make it burn within a man, as Christ’s speech did the two disciples going to Emmaus.

3. To show who are the best hearers in our assemblies, namely, those that bring best desires and affections unto these sacred ordinances and exercises of religion.

4. If the Lord especially commendeth good affections, how unlike are they to the Lord, that pinch and reproach good affections, and are of that malignant quality that no good desire or affection can peep or appear in any near them, but they nip and blast it.

5. All Christians must be ambitious to seek this true commendation from the Lord, that He may say of us, But this thou hast, a true affection and sound desire of grace. In the persons that hate the works of the Nicolaitanes, note that a man may live in a deep consumption of grace for a time and yet retain the hatred of some foul sins.

Reason:

1. A man wanting grace may hate some sins; and much more a man in decay of grace. A Jew may abhor a Samaritan, and yet have no love to the light and truth offering itself unto him. And hardly can we conceive any so wicked, but may hate some sin.

2. Carnal policy and earthly respects may ground the hatred of some sin, when neither the love of God nor the hatred of sin as sin, doth ground it. And any Ephesian can hate a Nicolaitane if his works will not stand with the light of nature, or credit of men, or name of profession.

3. Where the love of goodness is decayed, no marvel if hatred or evil be for sinister respects; and men may hate what the Lord hateth, though not because the Lord hateth it, for so did this Church. And no hatred of evil is good, but that which floweth from the love of good. Use: Here is a rule of trial of our hatred of evil. As is our love of good so is our hatred of evil. Fervent love stirs up earnest hatred; little love of good, little hatred of evil; no love of good, no hatred of evil. We must not hate the persons of men, but their evil works. Not the Nicolaitanes but the works of the Nicolaitanes (Psa_101:3; 2Sa_15:31).

Reason:

1. The object of our hatred must be works, not the man, because we must hate nothing that comes from God by grace or nature. God made the man, but the man made himself sinful.

2. We must hate no man without a cause. For, as we must not love vices for persons, so neither may we hate persons for vices, nor the man for his evil manners.

3. All just hatred floweth from the love of God; therefore we may not hate the person of our brother (1Jn_4:20).

4. There is an unwarrantable hatred which fasteneth on that that God hateth not. This is a hatred of malice, not of zeal which is kindled in heaven. But we know not the state of the persons of our brethren, whether they belong to God or no, but their works are hateful to God, and condemned in His law.

Use:

1. We must not hate where no hateful work appeareth; and where it doth appear we must hate nothing else.

2. Seeing much deceit lieth herein, and we often do mistake ourselves thinking we do well in hating sins, when, indeed, our hatred is against persons, we shall do well to examine our hatred. For the trial whereof take these rules.

(1) Hasty reproofs issue commonly more from the hatred of persons than of sins, when a man is reproved before his offence be proved (1Co_5:1).

(2) When our own causes be primarily interested with God’s cause, we may suspect ourselves carried rather against persons than sins. When a man is as a lamb, mild and moderate in the cause of God, but a lion in his own cause, here is apparent hatred of persons more than sins.

(3) The hatred of sin in another, but not of the same sins in ourselves, is the hatred of the person, not of the sin. For true hatred of sin hateth it in himself most of all. No man can hate that sin in another which he loveth in himself.

(4) The true hatred of sin doth restrain from sin in the hatred, and casts out

raging, railing, scorning, swearing, reviling, or abusing of the person. For, where any of these discover themselves, the hatred is of the person, not of the sin. Satan is not cast out by Satan.

(5) True hatred of sin goes ever with love and pity of the person. Moses so hates the sin of Israel that he still prayeth for their persons.

(6) According to the measure of true hatred of thy brother’s evil is thy rejoicing in his good. Here is the reason of the commendation: because they hated what God hated. God is well pleased when our affections are comfortable to His; whence are those many precepts and exhortations (Mat_11:29; Luk_6:36; 1Pe_1:15).

Reason:

1. His affections flow from His righteous will; He loveth good, because His nature is goodness itself, and His will the rule of all goodness. So He hateth evil, because His nature and will is absolutely contrary unto it. And, therefore, because His will must be our will, our affections must be framed to His also.

2. He is an unfailing pattern and an unerring example, and we shall be sure never to miss in the proper object of our love or hatred if we love what He loveth and hate what He hateth.

3. That perfection which we expect in heaven we must begin on earth. But this is the life of heaven, that our souls shall so perfectly cleave unto Him, as we shall be like Him, and be satisfied with His image. We shall never love nor hate but what He loveth and hateth. And to this life we must frame here in sincere affection and endeavour.

4. If one affection of ours resembling His prevail so much with Him, as we see in this text, how much more if all our affections were trained to His? If the hatred of gross evils bring us in request with Him, what would the love of all the goodness that He loveth. Use: This doctrine affords us many directions concerning our affections which are quick and hardly kept in order, and in which as many sins lie in the dark as in any other faculty.

I. Concerning the matter of our hatred. Whatsoever we love or hate we must ask ourselves whether God loveth or hateth it. If God love it, it is worthy of our love. If God express hatred against anything we must take heed we affect it not.

II. Concerning the rule of our hatred. That which we may lawfully hate we must inquire whether we hate it because God hateth it. For, first, heathen can hate some sins for the inconveniences they bring who hath no eye to God in them. Secondly, to avoid sin because men punish it, or human laws condemn it, or because shame attends it is not praiseworthy. Thirdly, even so it is in embracing good. To love religion and embrace the truth because the law favours it and the kingdom embraceth it, and is now the safest, is but policy, and an atheist can do it. But a truly religious heart therefore embraceth it, because it is the truth of God, and because God Himself loveth, honoureth, and promoteth it, and hath commended it to our love and trust.

III. Concerning the measure of our hatred. Our direction is, that wheresoever the Lord expresseth the greatest measure of hatred, we must also there most earnestly hate. For our affection must even in the measure of it be framed to God’s. The manner of our hatred.

1. We must try the intention and vehemency of our affections. The Lord doth not

lightly hate sin or barely mislike it, but pursues it with an hostile hatred, and abhors it as the most hateful thing in the world, even so we must not only simply refuse sin or forbear it, but bear a fervent indignation against it, esteeming it the most hateful and hurtful thing in the world (Psa_119:163).

2. The Lord hateth sin generally and universally; not one, or two, or more scandalous sins, but all sin everywhere, both all kinds and all acts of sin. So we must try our hatred by the generality, whether we hate all the ways of falsehood. It is not enough to hate this or that sin, but the heart must be set against all that is called sin.

3. The Lord hateth sin only and innocently; so hateth evil, that He hateth not the good near it or with it; no, nor will not hate the good for it. He will be sure His wrath shall fasten on the works of Nicolaitanes, but rejects no good for evil, no wheat for chaff, no gold for dross. So we may not hate good with evil or for evil.

4. The Lord hateth sin implacably; He can never be reconciled unto it, but goes on to the abolition and destruction of it. So must we try our affection against sin, whether it be a short fit of anger or an extreme just hatred. And the rule of trial of just hatred is, that of the Jews toward their wives, “If thou hatest her put her away”; divorce thy sin from thyself: allow it no room or harbour. One thing it is for a Jew to be angry at his wife, another to hate her to divorce. And so are many sometimes angry at some sins in extremity, and will curb and moderate and keep them in some compass; but they put them not away altogether because they hate them not.

5. The Lord hates all sin perpetually and constantly. His wrath is so kindled against it that it can never be quenched, but burneth to the bottom of hell. So if our hatred of sin be true it will be lasting and increasing. We see, therefore, what an advantage it is to hold our affections in conformity unto the Lord’s, and a piece of His own image who, being perfectly good, cannot but hate that which is perfectly evil. And the more we grow to His perfection in good the more perfectly must we hate all that is evil. (T. Taylor, D. D.)

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches.—

God’s voice to the Church

I. That Divine revelations are given to the Christian Church.

1. They are revelations of the truth of God.

2. They are revelations of the condition and duty of the Church. They are practical in tendency. They are faithful. They are definite. They are plain. They are merciful.

3. These revelations are given by the Divine Spirit. He only can give men to see the beauty of truth and the beauty of holiness.

II. That Divine revelations should be attentively heeded by the Christian Church.

1. The Church should seek to understand the revelations of God. These revelations of God are clear to the devout soul.

2. The Church should believe the revelations of God. They are precious. They are Divine. They contemplate important issues. They ought, therefore, to awaken the warm assent of the Church.

3. The Church should submit to the revelations of God. If these Asiatic Churches had meekly yielded to the messages sent to them, they would have averted the retribution

that came upon them so woefully.

III. That Divine revelations are frequently neglected by the Christian Church. Lessons:

1. That God speaks to the Church.

2. That the Church should cultivate its hearing faculty.

3. That the utility and destiny of the Church is dependent upon the heed it gives to the messages of God. (J. S. Exell, M. A.)

The paradise of God.—

Heaven, a garden

I. Heaven is not merely a state, but a place. Men try to be too sublimely immaterial when they deny the thought of locality to human conceptions of heaven. Dr. Chalmers says we “make it a lofty aerial region, floating in aether, suspended on nothing.” Are we not wrong then? For—

1. Is it not probable that God is the only pure Spirit?

2. Do not all human instincts and all Scriptural revelations point to a place?

II. Heaven is a place of surpassing beauty.

III. Heaven is a place of appropriate labour

IV. Heaven is a place of God’s special habitation. It is a most sacred reminiscence of paradise that the Lord God was there amid the trees of the garden. The central glory of heaven is the felt presence of God. (D. Thomas, D. D.)

Paradise

1. First of all, it is plain, is it not, from the persistent use of this word “paradise,” that departed saints already find the consequences of the fall reversed, and the old primaeval blessedness of man restored to them in Christ? To be done with unfriendly estrangements such as part the best friends here, and all fear of change, which haunteth even earthly love; to be done with unrequited labour, done with evil speaking and ingratitude, done with an unquiet mind and black care that sits behind the rider; to find for all the ills of this life only refreshment and sweet repose, to find peace in the place of strife, and for labour rest, and progress with contentment, and endless youth and gain of knowledge that adds no sorrow, and ever perfect love and charity—this reversal of all that ancient curse which sits upon mankind, this, were there no more but this, how good were it I how good to look forward to! how blessed to possess!

2. In the next place, it is made abundantly evident that the second paradise excels the first in this—that its blessedness is secure from loss or change. Not only is sin shut out, with all sin’s fruits, but it is shut out for ever. Under whatever aspect the state of the beatified dead is represented, its permanence is always made emphatic. Is it the home of a heavenly Father? Then its chambers are styled “mansions,” “abiding places,” as the word signifies, they never lose their tenants. Is it like Eden, a garden of God? Then my text tells you that the tree of life stands open there to all the happy dwellers, and the Lamb shall guide their feet to fountains of immortal life. Or is it a

strong city as well as a garden enclosed? Then the conception of its imperishable foundations and lofty walls is that it stands secure at the centre of the Almighty empire—a capital free from the possibility of corruption, dreading no foe.

3. But, in the third place, a careful examination of all the intimations in Scripture leave it, I think, beyond doubt that our paradise is no middle ground of temporary exile, like the Sheol of the Hebrews, but includes admission to the immediate presence and vision of God. One thing only seems needful to complete the felicity of our Christian dead that is, the resurrection of the body. But though that be wanting, there is, nevertheless, a heavenly paradise, for they behold the face of God in light and glory, even while they are waiting still for the full redemption of their bodies. In all the higher moods of earthly experience after what do you find the pure heart of God’s children pant, when at their best, if not after full knowledge of Jesus, full fruition of His wondrous love, full likeness of His holiness, full devotion to His service, full communion with His person? These deep yearnings of saintly hearts on earth, think how they are to be gratified when, every veil withdrawn, these saints behold Him as He is, and are satisfied with His likeness. Close to that primal fountain of spiritual life, of light and joy and energy and bliss, low, at His feet, near to His heart, within the reach of His voice, within the beaming of His eyes, there must be the Christian heaven. (J. O. Dykes, D. D.)

The paradise of God

Eden, with all its loveliness, is to be surpassed. It was but a faint type of that heavenly paradise which is opened by Christ to all believers. Futurity is to transcend antiquity. The best is to come at the last. How can we speak of that heavenly paradise? Experience cannot help us. And imagination grows dumb beneath that “weight of glory” (2Co_4:17), or is blinded by that excess of light. It hath not entered into the heart of man to conceive it. Emblems we have, but they are nothing more. We can only know the Invisible as shadowed by the things that do appear. What various and enchanting hopes start at such words as these: life, a feast, a temple, a city, a kingdom, a Father’s house, glory, the paradise of God. Walking in permitted meditation amid that heavenly paradise, behold—

1. Beauty. How lovely the brief descriptive touches found in the Divine Word! Emblem mingles with emblem and glory blossoms into glory. Is it a garden? The privileged John thus describes it (Rev_22:1-5; Rev_6:16-17). Is it a city? It is “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev_21:2). “Her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal” (Rev_21:11). And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished,” etc. (Rev_21:19-21). These are emblems of surpassing loveliness. Nothing more than emblems? Is there no city radiant in splendour? Is there no garden with its crystal river and trees of unfading beauty? Who can say? Any way, if only emblems, heaven is a place of transcendent beauty.

2. Knowledge will mark the inhabitants of the paradise of God. We shall not need to ask, “What is it?” We shall know it by intuition, and not by tedious search. There to see will be to understand. No mistake will be made by us. And the Great Teacher will instruct us by parable no more. Wide, and ever-widening, will be that sphere of knowledge. But how little all else will be to the knowledge we shall then possess of the Divine character and dealings.

3. In that heavenly paradise there will be supreme enjoyment. Not the sensual

pleasures of a Mahometan paradise, but the highest satisfaction and delight of our quick and ever-quickening spiritual powers.

(1) The joy of fellowship. In heaven there will be no solitude in a crowd. Thought will be interchanged. Love will glow. No distrust will cool that warmth of friendship. And more, infinitely more than all, we shall be with Christ. It will be more than vanished paradise come again—more than a restitution of all things.

(2) The joy of holiness. No hindering defilement! No lingering spot!

(3) The joy of rest. The hurly-burly done, the last stroke struck, the last foe vanquished—oh, how blessed the everlasting rest!

(4) The joy of service. Who can tell in what various ways we shall find highest, purest exhilaration in doing God’s commandments? (Rev_22:3). One part of the service will be worship (Psa_16:11).

4. And yet another thought in the paradise of God—eternity. No tree of the knowledge of good and evil is there. The life of probation is over. In that paradise is no decay, no old age, no death (1Pe_1:4). And this high estate of glory, this paradise of eternal bliss, is Christ’s purchase for men, Christ’s donation to man. (G. T. Coster.)

9. MEYER, “ RENEW THY FIRST LOVE

Rev_2:1-7

Each of these letters consists of three parts: 1. The introduction, specifying some characteristic from the vision of the preceding chapter, which is appropriate to the need of the church addressed. 2. A description of the condition of the church. 3. A promise to the overcomer, following the successive revelations of God in the Old Testament, which begin with the tree of life and include the manna, the conquest of Canaan, the glory of the Temple, and the reign of Solomon.

We may go far in outward activity for the cause of the Redeemer and yet be threatened with the removal of our candlestick. Full of labor, opposed to wicked men and false teachers, persistently orthodox, not fainting in the day of trial; and yet, if love be wanting, nothing can compensate. Is the complaint true of us, that we have lost our first love? The exuberance of its emotion may have passed with the years, but has it been replaced by a deep, all-constraining, and masterful devotion to our Lord? It is the Spirit’s prerogative to shed abroad His love in our hearts and to teach us to love Him. But none of us can acquire that love without perpetually feeding on the Tree of Life, which is the emblem of Himself, Gen_2:9; Rev_22:2; Rev_22:14; Rev_22:19.

10. HAWKER, “(1) Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; (2) I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: (3) And hast borne, and hast patience,

and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. (4) Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. (5) Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. (6) But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. (7) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

I beg on our entrance, of viewing these messages of Christ to his Churches, to make one or two general observations, as suited to the whole; and which, I request the Reader to keep in remembrance, through all the parts of this book of God.

And, first. It evidently appears, from several striking circumstances which meet us in the body of those several Epistles, that what our Lord then caused to be delivered by his servant John to those Churches, while it had an immediate eye to them, from particular things the Lord reproved in them; yet was intended as so many messages to the Church of Christ, from that period, to the very end of time; different parts corresponding to the different ages. And, indeed, whoever reads with attention the Lord’s charges against some of those Churches, will find, that they were not special to that age, or confined to that Church, to whom the Lord sent it; but that the same spots are seen in the Lord’s Church even now. As for example. In this first charge to Ephesus, the Lord complains, that she had left her first love. Not that the Church was totally void of love, but that it was less warm, and fervent, than in the first days of her espousals. Reader! this is but too common now. And wherever it is found, we here learn how painful it is to Christ. See how sweetly the Lord took notice of the first love of the Church, at the coming forth out of Egypt; and how highly the Lord prized it, Jer_2:1-3. So again, to the Church at Sardis - I know thy works, that thou hast a name, that thou livest and art dead, Rev_3:1. Reader! is not this very resembling the present hour, of the professing Church?

Secondly. Some of those Churches to whom John was directed to write, could hardly be said at that time, to be formed, but were forming. We have no account, either of the Church of Sardis or Philadelphia, before the Second Century. It doth not follow, indeed, from hence, that they were not in being. However, from the slenderness of those Churches in general, and from the too much sameness in defects, between those spoken of, and the Church of Christ in the several ages since, even to the present hour; we have full authority to conclude that the Lord Jesus, whose eyes are as a flame of fire, and who looketh through all time, intended these Epistles for the Church, to the latest period of the world.

Thirdly. To render this statement the more probable, it should be observed also, that while the Lord sent these Epistles to those seven Churches, which were in Asia; and some of them hardly in being, there were none of a like nature directed by the Lord to the Churches in Judaea, and Corinth, and Colosse, and Philippi, or the Thessalonians. All which carries a very strong conviction with it, that not those Churches only, and at that period, the Lord Jesus had in view, but to be of perpetual use in his Church, through all the intermediate ages, to the end of time.

Fourthly. As all these seven Churches are now no more, but the Lord hath, as he threatened he would, removed the candlestick out of its place, and the very ground where those highly favored temples once stood, are in the possession of the deluded followers of the false Prophet; and yet those messages sent to them, are with us, it should seem to be a most plain, and self evident conclusion, the Lord intended those Epistles for persons, and not places; and that in them the Lord still speaks to the Church, here represented by

the perfect number seven, as representing the whole body in the different periods of time.

Having premised these observations, I would now call upon the Reader, to attend to the precious and important subjects, contained in those Epistles, and according to the order, in which they are here placed.

And first, of Ephesus. Of this city we have an account, Act_28:19. It was a place of great trade and magnificence but wholly given to Idolatry. Here the Lord directed the steps of his Servant the Apostle Paul, and caused him to plant a Church in it. And so greatly did the Lord bless and own his labors, that he continued in it two years; so that all they which dwell in Asia, heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks, Act_19:10. Here then, as this Church was in being, the message of the Lord Jesus to it, came under that part of Christ’s command to John, in writing the things which he had seen, and the things which are. The other parts, either to Churches afterwards to rise, or of prophecies afterwards to be fulfilled, came under that part of Christ’s command to his servant, to write of the things which were to be hereafter, Rev_1:19.

The Lord begins his charge, with a short but sublime account of himself. These things, saith he, that holdeth the seven stars in his right-hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden Candlesticks. What a sweet thought to the Church of Jesus in all ages, both as it concerns the Servants of the Lord, whom he dignifies amidst all their unworthiness, with the name of stars; and his people, in the midst of whom he here declares himself to walk, as in the midst of golden Candlesticks. Reader! do not fail to keep these things always in remembrance! All the Pastors, the Holy Ghost ordaineth to the Church, however weak in themselves and humble, Jesus calls them stars, and He it is that holdeth them up, and blesseth them, both in their own souls, and to the souls of his people. And all his regenerated people, they are golden in Christ’s view, being comely in his comeliness which he hath put upon them; and His is the office, to supply them with grace, amidst all their own darkness, that as golden Candlesticks, they may shine as lights in the world, Eze_16:14; Php_2:15.

The Lord next proceeds to tell the Church, how perfectly well acquainted he was, with all that concerned his people. I know thy works. And this includes, the complete knowledge the Lord hath, of all their persons; and of all their thoughts, and words, and actions. Oh! what a sweet testimony, in proof of Christ’s Godhead! But what I particularly beg the Reader to observe, in the Lord’s charge to this Church, (yea, and all the Churches in this and the following Chapter, for the same observation suits the whole,) is, that though the Lord had somewhat against all, yet he had much more to speak in the favor of all, from their union with, and interest in him. This is a great point to be kept in view, and always highly proper, for every regenerated child of God, to bless God for. From what Jesus here saith, in commendation of the Church at Ephesus, it is plain that they were in a state of regeneration. And the God of all grace, which had called them to his eternal glory, by Christ Jesus, in that call, and by that quickening their souls into a state of spiritual life, had thereby given them, an earnest of that glory, 2Co_5:5; Eph_1:13-14.

As this is a point of great importance, I beg indulgence to state it somewhat more particularly. When God the Holy Ghost quickens a sinner, which before was dead in trespasses and sins, by that spiritual life imparted, the child of God is truly and everlastingly united to the Lord Jesus. The Holy Ghost bears this testimony himself, by his servant Peter. According (saith he) as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge of him, that hath called us unto glory and virtue, 2Pe_1:3-4. Hence, there is now in this awakened and regenerated new creature; an union with Christ, and an interest in Christ. He is brought out of

darkness and the shadow of death, and being justified freely through the grace that is in Christ Jesus, he is habitually in a state of favor, and acceptance with God. This is his high calling in Christ. And this is the general frame and state of his mind. But beside this habit of grace, in which the soul is formed by regeneration, there is an actual state, for the exercise of grace upon the Person of Christ, belonging to the believer, and this will be more or less lively, as the Lord the Holy Ghost calls forth into action, the graces by regeneration, which he hath planted in the soul. Here it was in a defect of this exercise, the Church of Ephesus was discovered by Christ. On this ground, the Lord reproved them. They had not left Christ, neither lost their joy and confidence in Christ. For Jesus tells them, that he knew their labors and patience, and their hatred for his sake of false Apostles, and the deeds of the Nicolaitanes. But, though they had not lost all love to Jesus, yet they had left their first love. Reader! do not overlook this, for it is a great point to be well understood in the Church of Christ. The Lord’s children when called by grace, are savingly called, and their spirit being born of the Spirit, can die no more. But there may be a great leanness of soul, and there will be, where spiritual strength is not spiritually received, by a life of faith upon Jesus day by day. Hence Jesus, when describing his Church, as branches in himself, the Vine enjoins an abiding in him, that is, a lively acting of faith upon him, Joh_15:5. If the soul desires a perpetual spring and summer season, it must be induced from drawing all life, and nourishment, and fruitfulness from Christ. From me, saith the Lord, is thy fruit found, Hos_14:8. But it will be winter in that soul where, though there is no separation from the root, and therefore the tree still lives, the communication is just to keep alive, and that’s all. Oh! how needful to feel our daily want of Christ, and as constantly to be in the exercise of faith upon Christ.

But perhaps it may be said, that in the exhortation Christ gives to this Church of Ephesus, (and in like manner to all his Churches, under the same circumstances,) to remember and repent, on pain in the neglect of which, the Lord saith, that he will remove the Candlestick out of his place, there should seem, as if a total separation from the Lord might follow. To which the answer is direct. All the word of God, with one voice declares the work of regeneration, is the imparting of spiritual life, which can die no more. The children of God in that sovereign act, are expressly said to be born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, which liveth and abideth forever, 1Pe_1:23. The Candlestick, which is a moveable in God’s house, (as it is in a Man’s house,) may be removed out of its place; and as it was indeed in the instance of this Church at Ephesus, but the house itself is founded upon Christ, the rock of ages; against which the gates of hell can never prevail. God’s children may, and (without his grace keeping them alive, in active fruitfulness, upon Christ’s Person and righteousness) God’s children will, continually feel the workings of sin, in a body which is virtually all sin. But it is Christ’s special office, to keep all his redeemed from finally falling, and to present them faultless, before the presence of his glory, with exceeding joy. Jud_1:24. Oh! then for grace, to hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches.

11. COFFMAN, “This chapter contains the first four of the seven letters to the churches which received these special communications from the Lord Jesus Christ through the apostle John as intermediary, these being: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum and Thyatira. But what do the letters mean? Are they to be understood as prophetic revelations regarding the seven successive ages of church history? Many scholars, of course, who take such view of them rather confidently interpret these seven ages of the church thus:

The Church Addressed / Typifies:

Ephesus -- The apostolic period

Smyrna -- The period of persecution

Pergamum -- The times of union with the state of Rome

Thyatira -- The Dark Ages

Sardis -- The Reformation

Philadelphia -- The evangelization movement

Laodicea -- The final period before the Second AdventSIZE>

G. Campbell Morgan made the above applications.[1]

A deep respect is felt for the sincere students of the Holy Scriptures who accept this and similar views of these seven churches; but there are a number of considerations which forbid our agreement with them:

(1) The applications simply do not fit. Sardis, for example, could not possibly represent the church of Jesus Christ during the age of Reformation, because this, as regards the true church was a time of its greatest zeal and purity.

(2) The conditions typical of each of these seven congregations, from the very beginning of the Christian era, and until the present time, are to be found simultaneously existing in all the ages of the church. Right now, there are "brotherly love" churches (Philadelphia), "lukewarm" churches (Laodicea), and even "wicked" churches (Sardis), etc.; and we find full agreement with Criswell who wrote:

All seven co-exist together: some that are aflame with missions (Philadelphia), some that are paying the price with their lives (Smyrna), some that are cooling off in their devotion (Ephesus), and some that are taking it easy in Zion (Laodicea).[2]

(3) These letters appear here in their normal geographical sequence, each in turn being next on the list for anyone attempting to visit all seven. They have nothing to do with any chronological succession of churches or conditions to the end of time.[3]

(4) Furthermore, all seven of these churches existed simultaneously in a relatively small area at the time John wrote. This is a powerful suggestion that the various conditions pointed out would continue to exist simultaneously throughout history, which they do, as a matter of fact.

(5) Added to all this is the absolute lack of any solid agreement as to when one age terminated and another age began. For these, and for other reasons that will appear in the comments on these letters, they shall be regarded here as applicable in their entirety to all generations. In fact, the material addressed to each church was, at the time John wrote, applicable to all. As Hinds pointed out:

It is unnecessary to conclude that these very short letters were sent separately to the respective churches. Each congregation received all of them, with the rest of the book.[4]

The repeated admonition "Hear what the Spirit saith to the churches" makes what is written to any one of these applicable to all the "churches."

Despite our disagreement with what for many is the normal understanding of these letters, it must be admitted that, "There is a remarkable coincidence between these seven letters and the sequence of periods suggested."[5]

[1] G. Campbell Morgan, An Exposition of the Whole Bible (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1959), pp. 533,534.

[2] W. A. Criswell, Expository Sermons on Revelation (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1962), p. 43.

[3] R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. John's Revelation (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Augsburg Publishing House, 1943), p. 82.

[4] John T. Hinds, A Commentary of Revelation (Nashville: Gospel Advocate Company, 1962), p. 34.

[5] Ralph Earle, Beacon Bible Commentary, Vol. 10 (Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 1967), p. 489.

To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, he that walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks:

EPHESUS

This is actually the second inspired letter to Ephesus, the canonical book of Ephesians having, in all probability, been directed to this same congregation. See the introduction in my Commentary on Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. Regarding the city itself:

It was the major city of the great Roman province of Asia which embraced a large area of what is now Asia Minor. Its history reached into the remote past, tradition claiming that it was originally founded by the Amazons. Blaiklock stated that the "city was at least ten centuries old when Paul entered it."[6] Alexander the Great captured it in 334 B.C.; but one of his generals, Lysimachus, inherited it; but by the times of the apostles, it was a thoroughly Roman city, but with a Culture deeply colored by the pagan associations with the city's past. Artemis, the principal deity (the Biblical Diana), actually went back to the old Asiatic goddess of nature; but by Paul's time her worship had taken on a different character. Symbolized by a monstrous object of worship (reportedly having fallen from heaven, and possibly a meteorite) that resembled roughly a human female figure with grotesque multiple breasts, her temple, four times the size of the Athenian Parthenon, had become in the days of the apostles perhaps the most important building in Asia. It was a combination of the Bank of England, a city of refuge, a manufacturing and commercial center, and the heart of the whole pagan area. The original temple burned the night Alexander the Great was born; and later, he offered to give his wealth to rebuilding it, if they would inscribe his name on the portal. The Ephesian priests declined with the comment that it was not appropriate for one God's name to be inscribed on the temple of another God! The character of that temple as a city of refuge resulted in the entire sanctuary area, a quarter of a mile in all directions, becoming one of the vilest collections of thieves, murderers, and lawless persons ever known on earth.[7]

By the times of the apostles, the harbor had begun to silt up, and Ephesus was rivaled by other cities. It was, in a sense, a decaying metropolis; and some have supposed that the general character of the city may have contributed to the waning ardor of the Ephesian congregation.

Despite this, it was far and away the most important city of the entire area when John wrote, and it was appropriate enough that the first of these letters should have been addressed to the congregation in Ephesus.

Ephesus with its great temple continued until 262 A.D., when it was sacked and destroyed by the Goths. The Edict of Theodosius closed all the pagan temples about 389 A.D.

Today, a Turkish village, Ayassoluk, the modern representative of ancient Ephesus, stands about a mile northeast of the ancient city.[8] In view of the wretched history of this city in the post-apostolic period, one must conclude that God did indeed remove her candlestick out of its place.

The angel of the church ... See introduction for discussion of this. It cannot be that a literal angel is meant, because that would involve supposing that God sent a message through a mortal to a supernatural being. It cannot mean the local bishop, pastor, or other officer of the church; because it would not be in harmony with the justice of God to believe that such a human officer would have been condemned, or complimented, for what other humans were doing. The angel here is fully accountable for the condition of the church, and this demands the thought of some kind of personification, or by extension, every Christian. After all, every Christian is kept firmly in the Saviour's right hand.

The seven stars in his right hand ... All of these letters reflect the magnificent description of the Christ given in the foregoing chapter, the particular details chosen for the reference to Christ in each case being usually understood as especially appropriate to the time and circumstance in each city. Christ's holding the stars in his hand, as here, suggests the utmost concern of the Lord for every single one of the Christians, the waning love of the Ephesians for each other (as some think) being a tacit denial of the great truth thus symbolized.

Walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks ... This indicates the active, constant, and persistent energy in which Christ is concerned with the welfare of every church and every Christian.

[6] E. M. Blaiklock, Cities of the New Testament (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1965), p. 62.

[7] E. J. Banks, ISBE, p. 961.

[8] Encyclopedia Britannica (Chicago: William Benton, Publisher, 1961), Vol. 8, p. 644.

2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.

1. BARES, "I know thy works - The common formula with which all the epistles to the seven churches are introduced. It is designed to impress upon them deeply the conviction that he was intimately acquainted with all that they did, good and bad, and that therefore he was abundantly qualified to dispense rewards or administer punishments according to truth and justice. It may be observed that, as many of the things referred to in these epistles were things pertaining to the heart - the feelings, the state of the mind - it is implied that he who speaks here has an intimate acquaintance with the heart of man, a prerogative which is always attributed to the Saviour. See Joh_2:25. But no one can do this who is not divine; and this declaration, therefore, furnishes a strong proof of the divinity of Christ. See Psa_7:9; Jer_11:20; Jer_17:10; 1Sa_16:7; 1Ki_8:39.

And they labor - The word used here (κόπος kopos) means properly “a beating,” hence wailing, grief, with beating the breast; and then it means excessive labor or toil adapted to produce grief or sadness, and is commonly employed in the New Testament in the latter sense. It is used in the sense of trouble in Mat_26:10, “Why trouble ye (literally, why give ye trouble to) the woman?” (compare also Mar_14:6; Luk_11:7; Luk_18:5; Gal_6:17); and in the sense of labor, or wearisome toil, in Joh_4:38; 1Co_3:8; 1Co_15:58; 2Co_6:5; 2Co_10:15; 2Co_11:23, 2Co_11:27, et al. The connection here would admit of either sense. It is commonly understood, as in our translation, in the sense of labor, though it would seem that the other signification, that of trouble, would not be inappropriate. If it means labor, it refers to their faithful service in his cause, and especially in opposing error. It seems to me, however, that the word “trouble” would better suit the connection.

And thy patience - Under these trials; to wit, in relation to the efforts which had been made by the advocates of error to corrupt them, and to turn them away from the truth. They had patiently borne the opposition made to the truth, they had manifested a spirit of firm endurance amidst many arts of those opposed to them to draw them off from simple faith in Christ.

And how thou canst not bear them which are evil - Canst not “endure” or “tolerate” them. Compare the notes on 2Jo_1:10-11. That is, they had no sympathy with their doctrines or their practices, they were utterly opposed to them. They had lent them no countenance, but had in every way shown that they had no fellowship with them. The

evil persons here referred to were, doubtless, those mentioned in this verse as claiming that “they were apostles,” and those mentioned in Rev_2:6 as the Nicolaitanes.

And thou hast tried them which say they are apostles - Thou hast thoroughly examined their claims. It is not said in what way they had done this, but it was probably by considering attentively and candidly the evidence on which they relied, whatever that may have been. Nor is it certainly known who these persons were, or on what grounds they advanced their pretensions to the apostolic office. It cannot be supposed that they claimed to have been of the number of apostles selected by the Saviour, for that would have been too absurd; and the only solution would seem to be that they claimed either:

(1) That they had been called to that office after the Saviour ascended, as Paul was; or,

(2) That they claimed the honor due to this name or office, in virtue of some election to it; or,

(3) That they claimed to be the successors of the apostles, and to possess and transmit their authority.

If the first of these, it would seem that the only ground of claim would be that they had been called in some miraculous way to the rank of apostles, and, of course, an examination of their claims would be an examination of the alleged miraculous call, and of the evidence on which they would rely that they had such a call. If the second, then the claim must have been founded on some such plea as that the apostolic office was designed to be elective, as in the case of Matthias Act_1:23-26, and that they maintained that this arrangement was to be continued in the church; and then an examination of their claims would involve an investigation of the question, whether it was contemplated that the apostolic office was designed to be perpetuated in that manner, or whether the election of Matthias was only a temporary arrangement, designed to answer a particular purpose. If the third, then the claim must have been founded on the plea that the apostolic office was designed to be perpetuated by a regular succession, and that they, by ordination, were in a line of that succession; and then the examination and refutation of the claim must have consisted in showing, from the nature of the office, and the necessary qualifications for the office of apostle, that it was designed to be temporary, and that there could be properly no successors of the apostles, as such. On either of these suppositions, such a line of argument would be fatal to all claims to any succession in the apostolic office now. If each of these points should fail, of course their claims to the rank of apostles would cease; just as all claims to the dignity and rank of the apostles must fail now. The passage becomes thus a strong argument against the claims of any persons to be “apostles,” or to be the “successors” of the apostles, in the uniqueness of their office.

And are not - There were never any apostles of Jesus Christ but the original twelve whom he chose, Matthias, who was chosen in the place of Judas Act_1:26, and Paul, who was specially called to the office by the Saviour after his resurrection. On this point, see my work on the Apostolic Church (pp. 49-57, London ed.).

And hast found them liars - Hast discovered their pretensions to be unfounded and false. In 2Co_11:13, “false apostles” are mentioned; and, in an office of so much honor as this, it is probable that there would be not a few claimants to it in the world. To set up a claim to what they knew they were not entitled to would be a falsehood, and as this seems to have been the character of these people, the Saviour, in the passage before us, does not hesitate to designate them by an appropriate term, and to call them liars. The point here commended in the Ephesian church is, that they had sought to have a “pure ministry,” a ministry whose claims were well founded. They had felt the importance of this, had carefully examined the claims of pretenders, and had refused to recognize those who could not show, in a proper manner, that they had been designated to their work by the Lord Jesus. The same zeal, in the same cause, would be commended

by the Saviour now.

2. CLARKE, "I know thy works - For the eyes of the Lord are throughout the earth, beholding the evil and the good; and, being omnipresent, all things are continually open and naked before him. It is worthy of remark, that whatsoever is praiseworthy in any of these Churches is first mentioned; thereby intimating that God is more intent on finding out the good than the evil in any person or Church; and that those who wish to reform such as have fallen or are not making sufficient advances in the Divine life, should take occasion, from the good which yet remains, to encourage them to set out afresh for the kingdom of heaven. The fallen or backsliding who have any tenderness of conscience left are easily discouraged, and are apt to think that there is no seed left from which any harvest can be reasonably expected. Let such be told that there is still a seed of godliness remaining, and that it requires only watching and strengthening the things which remain, by prompt application to God through Christ, in order to bring them back to the full enjoyment of all they have lost, and to renew them in the spirit of their mind. Ministers continually harping on Ye are dead, ye are dead; there is little or no Christianity among you, etc., etc., are a contagion in a Church, and spread desolation and death wheresoever they go. It is far better to say, in such cases, “Ye have lost ground, but ye have not lost all your ground; ye might have been much farther advanced, but through mercy ye are still in the way. The Spirit of God is grieved by you, but it is evident he has not forsaken you. Ye have not walked in the light as ye should, but your candlestick is not yet removed, and still the light shines. Ye have not much zeal, but ye have a little. In short, God still strives with you, still loves you, still waits to be gracious to you; take courage, set out afresh, come to God through Christ; believe, love, obey, and you will soon find days more blessed than you have ever yet experienced.” Exhortations and encouragements of this kind are sure to produce the most blessed effects; and under such the work of God infallibly revives.

And thy labor - He knew their works in general. Though they had left their first love, yet still they had so much love as excited them to labor, and enabled them to bear persecution patiently, and to keep the faith; for they could not tolerate evil men, and they had put fictitious apostles to the test, and had found them to be liars, pretending a Divine commission while they had none, and teaching false doctrines as if they were the truths of God.

3. GILL, "I know thy works,.... The good works, both of ministers and churches; no evil works are mentioned, nor anything complained of in this church but an abatement of the fervour of her first love. Christ, as the omniscient God, knows all the works of his people, and the springs, and principles, and ends, and views of them, whether they are done in obedience to him, and spring from love to him, and are performed in his strength, and by his grace, and are directed to his glory; and such he takes notice of, approves of, and is well pleased with, not as the ground of his delight in their persons, but as the fruits of his own grace; and during the apostolic age, churches and ministers were very diligent in working; yea, they were laborious, as follows:

and thy labour: particularly the labour of ministers of the Gospel, in these times, in the frequent preaching of it, in season and out of season; and in the constant administration

of the ordinances; and in the diligent exercise of church discipline. The work of the ministry is a laborious work to the mind in studying, and to the body in the outward discharge of it; and it becomes more so, through the malice and opposition of enemies, and the weakness of friends; and such as are diligent and laborious deserve respect, even double honour; and though they may not have it from men, yet Christ takes notice of them and their labours, and commends them for them, and will reward them,

And thy patience; as this may refer to the ministers of the word, it may denote their patience in suffering reproaches and persecutions for the sake of the Gospel, which they bore patiently, cheerfully, and constantly; and in bearing the infirmities of weak saints, in their several communities; and in reclaiming and restoring persons out of the way; and in waiting for the success of their ministry, and their continuance and perseverance in it. And as this may respect members of churches, it may point at their patience under afflictions from the hand of God, and under reproach and persecution from men, for their embracing and professing the Gospel; and their patient waiting for the heavenly glory, and their firm expectation of it, and their perseverance unto it,

And how thou canst not bear them that are evil; that were so either in their principles or in their practices, or both; men that lived immoral lives, and held erroneous doctrines, these the primitive ministers and churches could not bear; they had an inward abhorrence and detestation of them in their minds; they could not bear them in communion with them; they admonished them according to the nature of their offence, and cast out such as were obstinate and incorrigible; they withdrew from such as were disorderly, and rejected heretics after the first and second admonition; their zeal for church discipline is here taken notice of to their commendation,

And thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not,

and hast found them liars; this doubtless was done in the church at Ephesus, where, after the Apostle Paul's departure, grievous wolves, in sheep's clothing, entered, and men arose from among themselves, speaking perverse things, Act_20:29; yet it was not peculiar to that church, though it was to the apostolic age; for in no other could men with any face pretend to be the apostles of Christ; and such there were, who sprung up in the several churches at Jerusalem, Corinth, Galatia, and elsewhere, who called themselves the apostles of Christ, but were false apostles, deceitful workers; they pretended to have their doctrine, call, mission, and commission, immediately from Christ, as the true apostles had, and a power to work miracles, and talked of inspirations and revelations by the Spirit of God. Now the apostles, ministers, and churches of those times, tried their pretensions and doctrines by the word of God, and by the fruits which they produced in themselves and others; and through that discerning of spirits which they had, they found them to be liars; that they were not, nor had they what they pretended to be, and have, and exposed them as such.

4. HERY, "II. The contents of the epistle, in which, as in most of those that follow, we have,1. The commendation Christ gave this church, ministers and members, which he

always brings in by declaring that he knows their works, and therefore both his commendation and reprehension are to be strictly regarded; for he does not in either speak at a venture: he knows what he says. Now the church of Ephesus is commended, (1.) For their diligence in duty: I know thy works, and thy labour, Rev_2:2. This may

more immediately relate to the ministry of this church, which had been laborious and diligent. Dignity calls for duty. Those that are stars in Christ's hand had need to be always in motion, dispensing light to all about them. For my name's sake thou hast laboured, and hast not fainted, Rev_2:3. Christ keeps an account of every day's work, and every hour's work, his servants do for him, and their labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. (2.) For their patience in suffering: Thy labour and thy patience, Rev_2:2. It is not enough that we be diligent, but we must be patient, and endure hardness as good soldiers of Christ. Ministers must have and exercise great patience, and no Christian can be without it. There must be bearing patience, to endure the injuries of men and the rebukes of Providence; and there must be waiting patience, that, when they have done the will of God, they may receive the promise: Thou hast borne, and hast patience, Rev_2:3. We shall meet with such difficulties in our way and work as require patience to go on and finish well. (3.) For their zeal against what was evil: Thou canst not bear those that are evil, Rev_2:2. It consists very well with Christian patience not to dispense with sin, much less allow it; though we must show all meekness to men, yet we must show a just zeal against their sins. This their zeal was the more to be commended because it was according to knowledge, a discreet zeal upon a previous trial made of the pretences, practices, and tenets of evil men: Thou hast tried those that say they are apostles and are not, and hast found them liars. True zeal proceeds with discretion; none should be cast off till they be tried. Some had risen up in this church that pretended to be not ordinary ministers, but apostles; and their pretensions had been examined but found to be vain and false. Those that impartially search after truth may come to the knowledge of it.

5. JAMISO, "I know thy works — expressing His omniscience. Not merely “thy professions, desires, good resolutions” (Rev_14:13, end).

thy labour — Two oldest manuscripts omit “thy”; one supports it. The Greek means “labor unto weariness.”

patience — persevering endurance.

bear — evil men are a burden which the Ephesian Church regarded as intolerable. We are to “bear (the same Greek, Gal_6:2) one another’s burdens” in the case of weak brethren; but not to bear false brethren.

tried — by experiment; not the Greek for “test,” as 1Jo_4:1. The apostolical churches had the miraculous gift of discerning spirits. Compare Act_20:28-30, wherein Paul presciently warned the Ephesian elders of the coming false teachers, as also in writing to Timothy at Ephesus. Tertullian [On Baptism, 17], and Jerome [On Illustrious Men, in Lucca 7], record of John, that when a writing, professing to be a canonical history of the acts of Paul, had been composed by a presbyter of Ephesus, John convicted the author and condemned the work. So on one occasion he would not remain under the same roof with Cerinthus the heretic.

say they are apostles — probably Judaizers. Ignatius [Epistle to the Ephesians, 6], says subsequently, “Onesimus praises exceedingly your good discipline that no heresy dwells among you”; and [Epistle to the Ephesians, 9], “Ye did not permit those having evil doctrine to sow their seed among you, but closed your ears.”

6. SBC, “What Christ approves in Ephesus.

These words disclose the Lord’s marvellous generosity. He is quick to see and ready to acknowledge all the good that exists among His people; in this how different from many that speak in His name, and who are perpetually engaged in faultfinding and depreciation. Even where we err, we may ask Him to overrule and bless our very blunders.

I. First the Lord says, "I know thy works." There is to be no dealing with us in the dark, as man is oftentimes compelled to deal with his fellow-man. He brings us into the light. The true knowing of a man’s work involves the knowing of the heart, inasmuch as the quality of the work depends on the motive. It is because of this that even our own works are so ill understood by us. There are dim, half-lighted chambers of thought into which we have not penetrated with all our self-scrutiny, and a cunning self-complacency gives everything a turn in our own favour. The Lord knows all our works.

II. Opening out His initial statement, the Lord says, "I know thy labour and patience." (1) One department of labour is Christian learning; (2) a second thought is the labour involved in spreading the Gospel; (3) standing out as the grandest of all things is the doing of Christ’s will in our daily life.

III. The Gospel is essentially intolerant—intolerant, not merely of evil in the abstract, but of evil men. Such men we must learn to "try" as the Ephesian Church did. And if they are liars, then, whatever their professions of zeal, spirituality, or holiness, we must reject them.

IV. The patience of Ephesus is commended. Christian patience is not the result of a process of deadening the sensibilities. There is nothing stoical in it, no pretence that we do not feel, but the hardihood that is associated with the keenest capacity of suffering, and that has its root in a firm confidence in God.

J. Culross, Thy First Love, p. 27.

Reference: Rev_2:3.—Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xviii., No. 1069.

7. OTES, “ I know 7 things about you:1. Deeds2. Hard work3. Perserverance4. Can't tolerate wicked men.5. You have tested them.6. You endured hardships.7. You have not grown weary.

Jesus recognized the positive before He reproved the negative. Paul did this as well. It is the only way to be constructive in criticism. o criticism is constructive that is not coming from one who loves you and makes that love a priority. Jesus knows every labor done for Him even if no one else does. He delights in all service in His name. Praise before you correct and you will be Christlike in your criticism. "People don't care how much you know till they know how much you care."

Jesus does not minimize, but gives them credit for their hard work. It was an active and aggressive church with plenty going on. Barclay points out that the word

for their labor is the word used to describe labor to the point of sweat and exhaustion.

Their perserverence means they did not give up because their hard work did not immediately pay off. They kept on keeping on. Wellington said that his men were not braver than the enemy, but just brave 5 minutes longer.

o one is beaten till he quits. o one is through till he stops.o matter how hard failure hits; o matter how often he drops.A fellow is not down till he lies In the dust and refuses to rise.

Perserverence is defined in Thayer-Grimm's Lexicon, "Characteristic of a man who is unswerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and suffering."

Don't you ever do anything fast a lady said to her maid. Yes, she said, I get tired fast. Some do this in Christian work. If the world does not burst into flame after a few sparks of their effort, they give up and stop trying, but not these Ephesians. They did not weary of toil but pressed on.

Although Thyatira shows up in Acts 16, and Laodicea in the book of Colossians, Ephesus is really the only church of these seven that actually figures prominently in the New Testament. Paul had told the Corinthians: 1Cor. 16:8-9 But I shall remain in Ephesus until Pentecost; for a wide door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.There were many adversaries to the work in Ephesus. Then in Acts 20, we read of the first "pastor's conference", when Paul called the Elders of the Ephesian church to him at Miletus. He told them, Acts 20:28-31 "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.A warning of savage wolves coming in. And later, he wrote to Timothy, 1Tim. 1:3 As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus, in order that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrinesThe church at Ephesus began to be under attack - not from the world's persecutions, but from wolves in sheeps' clothing, corrupt and reprobate teachers. Paul warned them. Timothy warned them. Did they endure? Jesus dictates, Rev. 2:2 "...you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false".

So they listened! They had been warned to be on guard for wolves, and had heeded the warning! Unfortunately today, those who guard against strange doctrines, savage wolves, and sinful men who desire to draw away disciples after themselves, are scorned. Hank Hanegraaff, known as "The Bible Answer Man", heads up the Christian Research Institute. CRI's main purpose is to expose cults and false teachings in the church, using the Bible as the means to discern. CRI in general, and Hank in particular, have continually been called "judgmental, divisive, and hateful". Yet Jesus commends the Ephesians for testing and judging people's teaching based on Scripture. In Acts chapter 17, the Lord commends the Bereans for doing this: Acts 17:11 ow these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so.And Jude explained emphatically, Jude 3-4 ...I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.The apostle John also wrote, 1John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.And now we must be more diligent than ever to do this, since 1Timothy 4 states, 1Tim. 4:1 ...The Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,I am continually checking and weighing what I will teach against the Bible, for it scares me to death to think that I might be teaching something that is unbiblical. Paul wrote in no uncertain terms, Gal. 1:6-9 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you, and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed.So James wrote, James 3:1 Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we shall incur a stricter judgment.And Paul told Titus that an Elder must be... Titus 1:9-2:1 holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, that he may be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict. But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine.So we as teachers and herers absolutely MUST strive for doctrinal purity, weighing all teaching that we receive against the Bible, because, as Peter says: 2Pet. 2:1 ...There will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresiesIt is amazing to see how unwilling the church is to obey the overwhelming amount of

Scripture that tells us to test all things. We are told so clearly: 1Ths. 5:19-21 Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully ; hold fast to that which is good;May we be a church that the Lord would commend in such a way as He did the church at Ephesus.

Paul warned the church at Ephesus of false prophets-Acts 20:25-31. It was a common problem in the early church because there was money and power in getting a relgious following-II Cor. 2:17. It was part of Satan's attact on the church-II Cor. 11:13-15, Gal. 1:6-8, 2:4-5.

8. PULPIT, "Owing to the inaccurate use of a corrupt text, the Authorized Version is hero very

faulty. The Revised Version is to be preferred throughout. I know thy works. This introductory "I know" appears in all seven letters. He whose eyes are "as a flame of fire" (Revelation 1:14) has perfect knowledge of his servants, and this knowledge is the basis of the praise and blame. "Works," a favourite word with St. John, and very frequent in both Gospel and Apocalypse, is used in a wide sense, including the whole of conduct (comp.John 3:19, John 3:20; John 5:36; John 7:3, John 7:7; John 8:39, John 8:41, etc.; 1 John 3:8, 1 John 3:12;2 John 1:11; 3 John 1:10). Thy toil and patience. Explanatory of "thy works;" the Ephesians know how to toil and how to suffer patiently. They have "learned to labour and to wait." St. Ignatius says that he must be trained "in patience and long suffering" by the Ephesians ('Ephes.,' 3.). And that thou canst not bear evil men. Again St. Ignatius supplies a commentary: "Now, Onesimus of his own accord highly praiseth

your orderly conduct in God, for that ye all live according to truth, and that no heresy hath a home

among you; nay, ye do not so much as listen to any one, if he speak of aught else save concerning

Jesus Christ in truth" ('Ephes.,' 6.). The word for "evil" ( κακός), though one of the commonest in

the Greek language, is rare in St. John; it occurs only here and in Revelation 16:2 (see note); John

18:23; 3 John 1:11. Didst try them which call themselves apostles, and they are not. It is incredible that this can mean St. Paul. Even allowing the prodigious assumption that the "Jewish Christianity" of St. John was opposed to the "Gentile Christianity" of St. Paul, what chance would an opponent of St. Paul have had in a Church which St. Paul founded and fostered? And had such opposition existed, could St. Polycarp, St. John's own disciple, have spoken of "the wisdom of the blessed and glorious Paul" ('Philippians,' 3.)? This mention of false apostles is doubly interesting:

9. COFFMA, “I know thy works, and thy toil and patience, and that thou canst not bear evil men, and didst try them that call themselves apostles, and they are not, and didst find them false;I know ... This clause appears throughout the letters, reminding all people that, "All things are naked and open before the eyes of him with whom we have to do" (Hebrews 4:13).

Works ... toil ... patience ... Like the other letters, except in cases where no commendation was possible, this one begins with the Lord's approving recognition of their good points. No list of their works is given, but presumably there were many. Scholars point out that "toil" refers to arduous, sweat-producing labor. They were indeed working at their religion. "Patience" here is the great New Testament word [@hupomone], meaning: "The gallantry which accepts suffering, hardship and loss and turns them into grace and glory."[9]

And didst try them that call themselves apostles ... Many commentators have pointed out that, "To the apostle John, apostle always means one of the Twelve";[10] and so we understand it here. There were men pretending to be apostles in the highest sense of that word. Those who reject this view suggest that this was such a bold claim that none would have dared to make it; but they forget

that some even pretended to be Christ! We find full agreement with Carpenter who considered this verse "additional evidence of an early date of the Apocalypse."[11] Supporting the same interpretation, Plummer said:

In 68 A.D., when contemporaries of the apostles were abundant, the claim to be an apostle might with some show of reason be made; but in 95 A.D. such a claim would be ridiculous.[12]

Practically all interpreters are aware of this, but having already chosen a late first century date, they are compelled to insist that "apostles" is here used in some secondary sense. Plummer commented on that thus:

Trench admits this (the implication of an early date), and hence tells us that "apostles" must not be pressed, as though it implied a claim to have been sent by the Lord Jesus; but this is exactly what "apostle" does imply.[13]

Didst try them ... and find them false ... That Christ himself commended the diligence and faithfulness of the Ephesian church in disproving the claims of false apostles indicates that the false claims were reasonably and plausibly advocated, and that the refutation of them was not always easy.

[9] William Barclay, The Revelation of John (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1976), p. 24.

[10] G. B. Caird, The Revelation of St. John the Divine (New York: Harper and Row, 1966), p. 30.

[11] W. Boyd Carpenter, Ellicott's Bible Commentary, Vol. VIII (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1959), p. 540.

[12] A. Plummer, The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 22, Revelation (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1950), p. 57.

[13] Ibid.

3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

1. BARES, "And hast borne - Hast borne up under trials; or hast borne with the evils with which you have been assailed. That is, you have not given way to murmuring or complaints in trial, you have not abandoned the principles of truth and yielded to the prevalence of error.

And hast patience - That is, in this connection, hast shown that thou canst bear up under these things with patience. This is a repetition of what is said in Rev_2:2, but in a somewhat different connection. There it rather refers to the trouble which they had experienced on account of the pretensions of false apostles, and the patient, persevering, and enduring spirit which they had shown in that form of trial; here the expression is more general, denoting a patient spirit in regard to all forms of trial.

And for my name’s sake hast laboured - On account of me, and in my cause. That is, the labor here referred to, whatever it was, was to advance the cause of the

Redeemer. In the word rendered “hast labored” (κεκοπιακας kekopiakas) there is a

reference to the word used in the previous verse - “thy labor” (κόπον�σου kopon�sou); and the design is to show that the “labor,” or trouble there referred to, was on account of him.

And hast not fainted - Hast not become exhausted, or wearied out, so as to give

over. The word used here (κάµνω kamnō) occurs in only three places in the New Testament: “Lest ye be wearied, and faint,” Heb_12:3; “The prayer of faith shall save the sick,” Jam_5:15; and in the passage before us. It means properly to become weary and faint from toil, etc.; and the idea here is, that they had not become so wearied out as to give over from exhaustion. The sense of the whole passage is thus rendered by Prof. Stuart: “Thou canst not bear with false teachers, but thou canst bear with troubles and perplexities on account of me; thou hast undergone wearisome toil, but thou art not wearied out thereby.” The state of mind, considered as the state of mind appropriate to a Christian, here represented, is, that we should not tolerate error and sin, but that we should bear up under the trials which they may incidentally occasion us; that we should have such a repugnance to evil that we cannot endure it, as evil, but that we should have such love to the Saviour and his cause as to be willing to bear anything, even in relation to that, or springing from that, that we may be called to suffer in that cause; that while we may be weary in his work, for our bodily strength may become exhausted (compare Mat_26:41), we should not be weary of it; and that though we may have many perplexities, and may meet with much opposition, yet we should not relax our zeal, but should persevere with an ardor that never faints, until our Saviour calls us to our reward.

2. CLARKE, "And hast borne - The same things mentioned in the preceding verse, but in an inverted order, the particular reason of which does not appear; perhaps it was intended to show more forcibly to this Church that there was no good which they had done, nor evil which they had suffered, that was forgotten before God.

And hast not fainted - They must therefore have had a considerable portion of this love remaining, else they could not have thus acted.

3. GILL, "And hast borne,.... Not evil men, nor false apostles, but "burdens", as the Ethiopic version reads, and as the word signifies; meaning afflictions, reproaches, and persecutions, which pressed sore, and lay heavy on these ministers and churches; and yet they bore them with constancy and cheerfulness, and were not moved by them. The Arabic version reads, "and thou hast borne me"; my name and Gospel, among the Gentiles, and carried it from place to place; see Act_9:15,

and hast patience; which they had from God, as his gift, and which they had in their hearts, and in exercise, and found it useful to them. It was in exercise in a suitable time, and it continued with them; it was not worn out through the length and greatness of their trials,

And for my name's sake hast laboured: which may refer either to enduring sufferings for Christ's name's sake, for his Gospel's sake, for righteousness sake, for the sake of the elect, and for the sake of the honour, glory, and interest of Christ; or to

labouring in the ministry, not for filthy lucre sake, nor for party sake, but for the honour of Christ, and the good of souls; and there never was an interval in which this was more true:

and hast not fainted: so as to sink under the burden borne; to have patience quite tired out; to, be weary of labouring for Christ's name's sake; and so as to give out, and quit the service of Christ.

4. RWP, "Thou hast (echeis). Continued possession of patience.

Didst bear (ebastasas). First aorist indicative of bastazō, repeated reference to the crisis in Rev_2:2.

And hast not grown weary (kai�ou�kekopiakes). Perfect active indicative of kopiaō,

old verb, to grow weary (Mat_6:28), play on the word kopos, late form in -es, for the

regular -as (lelukas). like aphēkes (Rev_2:4) and peptōkes (Rev_2:5). “Tired in loyalty, not of it. The Ephesian church can bear anything except the presence of impostors in her membership” (Moffatt).

5. JAMISO, "borne ... patience — The oldest manuscripts transpose these words. Then translate as Greek, “persevering endurance ... borne.” “Thou hast borne” My reproach, but “thou canst not bear the evil” (Rev_2:2). A beautiful antithesis.

and ... hast laboured, and hast not fainted — The two oldest manuscripts and oldest versions read, “and ... hast not labored,” omitting “and hast fainted.” The difficulty which transcribers by English Version reading tried to obviate, was the seeming contradiction, “I know thy labor ... and thou hast not labored.” But what is meant is, “Thou hast not been wearied out with labor.”

6. COFFMA, “and thou hast patience and didst bear for my name's sake, and hast not grown weary.Thou hast patience ... Here again is the word which means not merely a passive submission to what must be endured, but the dynamic ability of endurance and faithfulness without discouragement by any or all difficulties.

For my name's sake ... The New Testament emphasis upon the name of the Lord is extensive. Salvation is in no other name (Acts 4:12); all Christian activities are to be done in his name (Colossians 3:17); we are justified in his name (1 Corinthians 6:11); we are baptized in his name (Acts 2:38; 19:5); we are called by his name (James 2:7); our sins are forgiven for his name's sake (1 John 2:12); we should believe on his name (1 John 5:13), etc. Here, the patient endurance of the Ephesian church was commended by the Lord himself because their faithfulness had regard to the holy name of the Son of God.

7. PULPIT, "The text followed in the Authorized Version is here very corrupt; we must read with

the Revised Version,And thou hast patience (as in Revelation 2:2), and didst bear for my

Name's sake, and hast not grown weary. The last verb ( κεκοπίακες) is closely akin to toil

( κόπος) in Revelation 2:2. The seeming contradiction between "I know thy toil" and "thou hast not

toiled" has caused confusion in the text. Yet οὐ κεκοπίακες does not mean "thou hast not toiled,"

but "thou hast not wearied of toil." It is all the more probable that this play of words is intentional,

because "bear" ( βαστάζειν) is used in two different senses in Revelation 2:2 and Revelation 2:3 : "canst not tolerate evil men," and "didst enduresuffering" (comp. John 16:12). "So is patience set over the things of God that one can obey no precept, fulfil no work well pleasing to the Lord, if estranged from it. The good of it even they who live outside it honour with the name of highest virtue Q Grand testimony this is to it, in that it incites even the vain schools of the world unto praise and glory! Or is it rather an injury,' 'in that a thing Divine is bandied about among worldly sciences (Tertullian, 'De Pat.,' 1.).

4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.

1. BARES, "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee - Notwithstanding this general commendation, there are things which I cannot approve.

Because thou hast left thy first love - Thou hast “remitted” (/φ0κας aphēkas) or let down thy early love; that is, it is less glowing and ardent than it was at first. The love here referred to is evidently love to the Saviour; and the idea is, that, as a church, they had less of this than formerly characterized them. In this respect they were in a state of declension; and, though they still maintained the doctrines of his religion, and opposed the advocates of error, they showed less ardor of affection toward him directly than they had formerly done. In regard to this we may remark:

(1) That what is here stated of the church at Ephesus is not uncommon:

(a) Individual Christians often lose much of their first love. It is true, indeed, that there is often an appearance of this which does not exist in reality. Not a little of the ardor of young converts is often nothing more than the excitement of animal feeling, which will soon die away of course, though their real love may not be diminished, or may be constantly growing stronger. When a son returns home after a long absence, and meets his parents and brothers and sisters, there is a glow, a warmth of feeling, a joyousness of emotion, which cannot be expected to continue always, and which he may never be able to recall again, though he may be ever growing in real attachment to his friends and to his home.

(b) Churches remit the ardor of their first love. They are often formed under the reviving influences of the Holy Spirit when many are converted, and are warm-hearted and zealous young converts. Or they are formed from other churches that have become cold and dead, from which the new organization, embodying the life of the church, was constrained to separate. Or they are formed under the influence of some strong and mighty truth that has taken possession of the mind, and that gives a special character to the church at first. Or they are formed with a distinct reference to promoting some one

great object in the cause of the Redeemer. So the early Christian churches were formed. So the church in Germany, France, Switzerland, and England came out from the Roman communion under the influence of the doctrine of justification by faith. So the Nestorians in former ages, and the Moravians in modern times, were characterized by warm zeal in the cause of missions.

So the Puritans came out from the established church of England at one time, and the Methodists at another, warmed with a holier love to the cause of evangelical religion than existed in the body from which they separated. So many a church is formed now amidst the exciting scenes of a revival of religion, and in the early days of its history puts to shame the older and the slumbering churches around them. But it need scarcely be said that this early zeal may die away, and that the church, once so full of life and love, may become as cold as those that went before it, or as those from which it separated, and that there may be a necessity for the formation of new organizations that shall be fired with ardor and zeal. One has only to look at Germany, at Switzerland, at various portions of the reformed churches elsewhere; at the Nestorians, whose zeal for missions long since departed; or even at the Moravians, among whom it has so much declined; at various portions of the Puritan churches, and at many an individual church formed under the warm and exciting feelings of a revival of religion, to see that what occurred at Ephesus may occur elsewhere.

(2) The same thing that occurred there may be expected to follow in all similar cases. The Saviour governs the church always on essentially the same principles; and it is no uncommon thing that, when a church has lost the ardor of its first love, it is suffered more and more to decline, until “the candlestick is removed” - until either the church becomes wholly extinct, or until vital piety is wholly gone, and all that remains is the religion of forms.

2. CLARKE, "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee - The clause should be read, according to the Greek, thus: But I have against thee that thou hast left thy first love. They did not retain that strong and ardent affection for God and sacred things which they had when first brought to the knowledge of the truth, and justified by faith in Christ.

3. GILL, "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee,.... So the Jews represent

God saying, concerning their fathers, "Abraham", &c. יש�לי�עליהם "I�have�something�against�

them"�(a).�Christ�has�nothing�against�his�people,�his�faithful�ministers,�and�true�churches,�in�a�

judicial�way,�or�to�their�condemnation,�for�there�is�none�to�them�that�are�in�him;�but�he�has�often�

many�things�to�complain�of�in�them,�and�to�rebuke�and�chastise�them�for,�in�a�way�of�providence:�

and�what�he�had�against�the�church�at�Ephesus,�and�against�the�churches�in�the�period�which�that�

represents,�follows,�

because�thou�hast�left�thy�first�lovebecause�thou�hast�left�thy�first�lovebecause�thou�hast�left�thy�first�lovebecause�thou�hast�left�thy�first�love:�by�which�is�meant,�not�hospitality�to�strangers,�or�an�

affectionate�care�of�the�poor�of�the�church,�or�a�zealous�concern�to�feed�the�flock,�and�maintain�

church�discipline;�but�the�love�of�the�saints�to�God,�and�Christ,�and�one�another,�which�appeared�

at�the�beginning�of�this�church�state,�when�they�were�all�of�one�heart�and�one�soul,�as�generally�at�

first�conversion�love�is�the�warmest;�and�so�it�was�at�the�first�planting�of�Gospel�churches,�and�

therefore�here�called�first�love.�Now�this,�though�it�was�not�lost,�for�the�true�grace�of�love�can�

never�be�lost,�yet�it�was�left;�it�abated�in�its�heat�and�fervour;�there�was�a�remissness�in�the�

exercise�of�it;�what�our�Lord�had�foretold�should�be�before�the�destruction�of�Jerusalem�was�

fulfilled�in�this�period�of�time,�the�love�of�many�waxed�cold,�Mat_24:12;�through�the�prevalence�

of�corruption�in�some;�and�through�an�over�love�to�the�world,�as�in�Demas,�and�others;�and�

through�a�desire�of�ease�and�freedom�from�reproach�and�persecution;�and�through�the�

introduction�of�errors,�which�damp�the�heat�of�love,�and�spirit�of�religion;�and�through�the�

contentions�and�divisions�among�themselves,�as�at�Corinth,�Galatia,�and�elsewhere,�which�greatly�

weakened�their�love�to�one�another,�and�to�divine�things;�and�which�was�very�displeasing�to�

Christ,�who,�for�the�restoring�of�them,�gives�the�following�advice.�Compare�with�this�2Ti_1:15.�

4. HERY, " The rebuke given to this church: Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, Rev_2:4. Those that have much good in them may have something much amiss in them, and our Lord Jesus, as an impartial Master and Judge, takes notice of both; though he first observes what is good, and is most ready to mention this, yet he also observes what is amiss, and will faithfully reprove them for it. The sin that Christ charged this church with was their decay and declension in holy love and zeal: Thou hast left thy first love; not left and forsaken the object of it, but lost the fervent degree of it that at first appeared. Observe, (1.) The first affections of men towards Christ, and holiness, and heaven, are usually lively and warm. God remembered the love of Israel's espousals, when she would follow him withersoever he went. (2.) These lively affections will abate and cool if great care be not taken, and diligence used, to preserve them in constant exercise. (3.) Christ is grieved and displeased with his people when he sees them grow remiss and cold towards him, and he will one way or other make them sensible that he does not take it well from them.

5. JAMISO, "somewhat ... because — Translate, “I have against thee (this) that,” etc. It is not a mere somewhat”; it is everything. How characteristic of our gracious Lord, that He puts foremost all He can find to approve, and only after this notes the shortcomings!

left thy first love — to Christ. Compare 1Ti_5:12, “cast off their first faith.” See the Ephesians’ first love, Eph_1:15. This epistle was written under Domitian, when thirty years had elapsed since Paul had written his Epistle to them. Their warmth of love had given place to a lifeless orthodoxy. Compare Paul’s view of faith so called without love, 1Co_13:2.

5B. COFFMA, “But I have this against thee, that thou didst leave thy first love.What a shocker is such a statement as this. The charge is not that they were in danger of leaving their first love, but that they had already done so! A lot of ink has been wasted on the explanation of "what" exactly was their first love. The first love of every true church is our Lord himself; and what is indicated here is the departure (in heart) of the Ephesian church from their Lord who had redeemed them. Oh yes, they were still busy with all kinds of tremendous works; but, significantly, these were not designated as "the work of faith." They were running their religion from a center of affection, not in the Lord, but in themselves. Of course, they were still advocating and defending all of the great doctrines of the faith, but the love of the Saviour was missing.

Some very interesting postulations have been presented regarding the situation here, such as the following:

Their intolerance of imposture and their hatred of heresy had bred an inquisitorial spirit which left no room for love. They had set out to be defenders of the faith ... only to discover that in the battle they had lost the one quality that really matters.[14]

While true enough, in a sense, such an interpretation seems to imply that it was their very loyalty to the faith that resulted in their lapse. Their hatred of heresy "bred" their defection; and that cannot be true. Whatever caused their failure, it was not intolerance of imposture, nor hatred of heresy. "Only the pure Word produces a pure faith, and ... pure love."[15] To suppose that brotherly love could exist without a hatred of heresy and intolerance of imposition is to suppose that apples can grow where there is no tree. "Love itself is misconceived when it is supposed that it can be great and strong without faithfulness to the Word."[16]

Some of the interpreters of this passage seem to be of the opinion that love of the brothers is here contrasted with sound doctrine, and that, of course, the latter is more important; but such teaching is not in the passage. As a matter of fact, it is an addition to the word of God to affirm that, "A slackened sense of the obligation to mutual love formed the cardinal sin at Ephesus."[17] That such a lessening of mutual love had indeed occurred is doubtless true, but it was not the cardinal sin; that was "their leaving their first love, who is Christ." A failure in the Christian's heart of his love for Christ results quickly in all of the other failures.

We should not pass this verse without noting the allegations often based upon it to the effect that this slackening of love and zeal must indicate that at least a generation had elapsed following the days of Paul before such a defection could have occurred. Almost all of those who prefer a 95 A.D. date for this book rely heavily upon such an assumption. However, as Plummer said, "This verse is certainly no obstacle to the theory that the Apocalypse was written about A.D. 68."[18] The notion that many years must have elapsed prior to the failure of the Ephesians does not take account of many facts given in Scripture. The Galatians defected from the gospel within two or three years (at the most) after they were converted. The frequent apostasies of Israel in the Old Testament often occurred at once after periods of loyalty. Only a few days elapsed while Moses was on Mount Sinai, but that was plenty of time for Aaron to make the golden calf. Not only do the theories of many years preceding the lapse ignore such Scriptures, but they are grounded in an ignorance of human nature. The same city that welcomed Jesus Christ on Sunday with palms and hosannas shouted him to the cross on Thursday! No "thirty or forty years" was necessary to produce that!

[14] G. B. Caird, op. cit., p. 31.

[15] R. C. H. Lenski, op. cit., p. 86.

[16] Ibid., p. 87.

[17] James Moffatt, Expositor's Greek New Testament, Vol. V (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1967), p. 351.

[18] A. Plummer, op. cit., p. 68.

6. PULPIT, "But I have (this) against thee, that thou didst leave thy first love. The

Authorized Version unwarrantably softens the censure by inserting "somewhat;" the Greek means rather, "I have (this grave thing) against thee." In "hath aught against thee" (Matthew 5:23) and

"have aught against any" (Mark 11:25), the "aught" ( τι) is expressed in the Greek; here nothing is

expressed. "Thy first love" is expressed very emphatically with the article repeated; "thy love, thy first one." The meaning of it is much disputed. It cannot mean "thy former gentleness towards evil men and false apostles." It may mean "thy love of the brethren," so much insisted upon in St. John's First Epistle. More probably it means "thy first love for me." Christ is here speaking as the Bridegroom, and addresses the Church of Ephesus as his bride (comp. Jeremiah 2:2-13). This thought would be familiar to the Ephesians from St. Paul's teaching (Ephesians 5:23-33). It shows strange ignorance of human frailty and of history to argue that "a generation at least must have passed away, and the thirty years from Nero to Domitian must have elapsed, ere the change here noted could come to pass." Does this writer forget the Epistle to the Galatians? In a very few years the Churches of Galatia had left their first love. The frequent and rapid lapses of Israel into idolatry show the same thing from the time when Aaron made the calf down to the Captivity. This verse is certainly no obstacle to the theory that the Apocalypse was written about A.D. 68.

7. SBC, “What was Wrong in Ephesus.I. The spectacle Ephesus presented was that of a Church working most laboriously and patiently, the machinery kept steadily in motion, all at work and always at work, but with waning love, the fires going down. The word "somewhat" in our English version suggests that the evil was comparatively slight. In point of fact, however, there is no "somewhat" in the original, and the charge is really a very grave and serious one: "I have against thee that thou hast left thy first love." It is as if the doctor, called in to prescribe for what you deem a trifling ailment, should startle you by pronouncing, "There is disease of the heart."

II. How is this decline of love to be accounted for? The answer must vary according to the case. In the onset we must be clear about this: that it is not due to any capricious action on the part of Christ, to any unaccountable desertion of the soul by Him, to any arbitrary hiding of Himself behind a veil, far less to any change in His heart. (1) One man tries to retain the joy of conversion all his days, without making any progress or seeking anything beyond. A kind of fitful emotion is kindled, a flashing up of affection with vows of fresh consecration and a better life, followed in a little while by apathy and gloom, and he resigns himself helplessly to let things take their course. This cause of declension is operating today more widely and subtly than many of us think. (2) Another cause of waning love is the abuse of self-examination. It is beset with many and most subtle dangers. (3) Again, a Christian man becomes absorbed in worldly pursuits and enjoyments. He has no time for spiritual pursuits, for meditation, for making acquaintance with things unseen and eternal. Can any one be surprised that he loses his first love? Would it not be a miracle if he kept it? Or again, there are worldly friendships, followed in no long space by worldly conformity. "Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?"


8. COLLECTED OTES, “OTICE - Jesus did not say they had LOST their first love. ILLUS. I LOST some notes I needed to prepare for this message. ILLUS. Curtis Hutson tells of the time he LOST his wallet with several hundred dollars in it.

OTE - We lose things all the time, but losing something is UITETIOAL. OTICE - Jesus said they had LEFT their first love. (This is ITETIOAL.) The Great Physician says they have a heart problem.The flame of love needs to be rekindled in every relationship, even that of our relationship to our Lord and Saviour.

Jospeh Parker writes, "Let me draw your special attention to the manner in which this "evertheless" is introduced. In the first instance, Jesus acknowledges, with most amble commendation, all the good deeds which had been done by the church. He gathers all the bright and beautiful flowers of service and suffering, and having wreathed these into a garland, places it upon the chief of the church, and then gently whispers-so low, methinks, that no enemy could overhear-"evertheless I have somewhat against thee." This method of reproof is eminently suggestive. It gives a lesson to parents. Would you be successful in reproving your children? Let commendation precede rebuke; let your "evertheless" be winged with love and hope, and it will fly to the farthest boundary of your child's intellectual and moral nature. And showers of blessings will be shaken from those heavenly wings. It gives a lesson to pastors also. Our words of remonstrance or rebuke will be more successful as they are preceded by every acknowledgement which justice and generosity can suggest."

Condemnation. Nevertheless, Jesus had something against them; they had left their first love. The warm praise now changes to reproof and rebuke. Commendations for virtues will not atone for faults. Formality and outward faithfulness had been persistently practiced, but they had lost genuine love and devotion in their hearts. Normally, when a few individuals establish a church in their community, they are diligent in zeal and work, but as they become more stable in numbers, they often grow lax in their enthusiasm and rest on past accomplishments. Notice the Lord's admonition--vs. 5. Removing the candlestick represents removing their identity as one of His churches. Those that have the disposition to hear--those that will hear--let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. This emphasizes universal application.

"Where is the blessedness I knew

When first I saw the Lord?

Where is the soul-refreshing view

Of Jesus in His Word?

What peaceful hours I then enjoyed,

How sweet their memory still!

But now I find an aching void

The world can never fill!"

Our work for God can quickly become hollow when passion is replaced by obligation. Love is recommended, but not required, for faithful membership on a church committee. Humorist Garrison Keillor has made the tongue-in-cheek observation that "a strong sense of personal guilt is

what makes people willing to serve on committees."In human relationships, we have all observed or experienced the tragicresults of a love grown cold. Interest and intimacy give way toshallow conversation about people and events. Romance is replaced byroutine. Life becomes less like a garden and more like a factory. Weget used to going through the motions, slowly accepting the monotonyas the best we can hope for. Surrounding it all is an atmosphere of profound sadness.

Defenders of the faith can easily become so suspecious of everyone that they lose their love for people and seek only to find error and live for condemnation. Their zeal leads them to be very unloving and when that happens they no longer represent Christ.

First Love LeftSo the church at Ephesus was doctrinally sound. This was the thing Jesus congratulated them on. But... there was also something wrong. He said, Rev. 2:4 "But I have this against you, that you have left your first love."This word "first" does not mean first in order, it means "the greatest, highest ranking." What was that first love? A lawyer once asked Jesus, Matt. 22:36-38 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And He said to him, "'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and WITH ALL YOUR MID.' This is the great and foremost commandment."That first, greatest love that they had left was their love for God. Oh, they hadn't stopped loving God - they had just taken Him out of first place. Our love for God is to be so intense that it makes our love for anyone else look like hate. Jesus told the multitudes, Luke 14:26 "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple."Being doctrinally sound is fantastic. But if you lack intense love for Jesus Christ, you have accomplished nothing. Paul wrote, 1Cor. 13:1-3 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

There are some who think this is a reference to their love for one another. Moffatt has, "You have given up lovding one another as you did at first." The feeling is they had developed such zeal in exposing false prophets that they became heresy hunters and suspicious of everyone, even their friends.

"Love cannot be weighed in scales or measured with a foot rule. It overleaps the channel you cut for it, and laughs it's way into meadows, leaving behind it the track

of furtility and the fragrance of flowers. You cannot compress it into mathematical formula. It sings in poetry, and forgets calculation. It worships in abandonment, and oversteps arithmetic. It is a vestal flame. It is the crowning consciousness of life."

Vance Hanver wrote, "There is a reckless enthusiasm about first love. It is not cold and calculating. A young lover buys his sweetheart a gift he cannot afford. When you were a young Christian you could not do too much for the Lord. Like the poor widow at the treasury, you wanted to put in everything. Mary of Bethany did not count the cost of that high-price perfume."

First love is love aflame, and when it is gone it is like ashes. What begins as the center of affection is pushed to the side and other things and interests take the center stage. They may be legitimate things, but they can never take the place of Christ or it is idolatry. Jesus is the jealous lover of his bride and will not tolerate second place. He will not be anywhere on a list but first. Jesus confirms Paul in I Cor. 13 and says that love is the top priority. The good is no good without the best which is love. Spurgeon said, "When love dies orthodox doctrine becomes a corpse, a powerless formlism. adhesion to the truth sours into bigotry when the sweetness and light of love to Jesus depart." The church does not represent Christ when it is not loving. Spurgeon goes on, "Mere hate of evil will tend to evdil if love of Jesus be not there to sanctify it." Loss of love makes the most successful church a failure. Markham famous poem fits:

He drew a circle that shut me out.Heretic, rebel, a thing to floutBut love and I had the wit to win;We drew a circle that took him in.

Barclay writes, "It can mean that the first enthusiasm is gone. Jeremiah speaks of the devotion of Israel to God in the early days. God says to the nation that He remembers, "The kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousalas"-Jer. 2:2. There had been a honeymoon period, but the first flush of enthusiasm was passed. It may be that the Risen Christ is saying that all the enthusiasm and the thrill has gone out of the religion of the church of Ephesus. But much more likely what this means is that the first fine rapture of Christian fellowship and love for the brotherhood is gone. In the first days the members of the Church in Ephesus had really loved each other; they had been a band of brothers; dissension had never reared its head; the heart was ready to kindle and the hand was ready to help. But something had gone wrong. It may well be that heresy-hunting had killed love; it may well be that the eagerness to root out all mistaken men had ended in a soar and rigid orthodoxy............all the orthodoxy in the world will never take the place of love.

This was a church Paul founded and served for 3 years, and where men like John and Timothy were pastors, and yet it became an unloving church. The worst things

can happen to the best of churches. You cannot fall back on the past. Every church is only as good as its present love relationship to Christ. It heritage is nothing if it does not treasure it and practice it. The good old day will not cut it if there are not good new days of loving. There is no substitute that can make up for lack of love. Labor cannot compensate for the lack of love. Here is clear evidence that Christians can be severely out of the will of God. All that is is not God's will, for the churches were much that was not his will. Jesus does not suffer in silence but lets his church know he is hurt when they do not love as they did at first. A bride may be a good cook and do housework and many other things, but if she is not loving her husband will not be satisfied or pleased. Love never fails, but the lack of love sure does.

First love is characterized by appetite-a hunger for the Word and for fellowship and the things of God. It is baby like. A baby loves to taste everything. Tlhley shove everything into their mouth: carpet tacks, soap, bugs, toys, shoes, buttons, and pens. You name it and they taste it. Such is the zeal of the new Christian for tasting the spiritual world. All is fresh and exciting and they want to taste it all. They hunger and thirst for righteousness.

Father, forgive the cold love of the years As here in the silence we bow.Perish our cowardice, perish our fears; Kindle us, kindle us now.

Lord, we accept, we believe, we adore, Less than the least though we be.

First of love, burn in us, burn evermore, Till we burn out for Thee.

I. What is this first love? I am not sure that I can really define the term "first love;" but I am sure that it can be clearly identified. Do not imagine that this is merely an emotional or sentimental thing that has no real significance. This thing called first love is very important to our God and Savior (Jer. 2:1-2). When our Savior says, "Thou hast left thy first love," it is obvious that he is not talking about believers who once loved him, but have now ceased to love him. True love can never be quenched. Anyone who ceases to love Christ never truly loved Christ at all. Love for Christ is a gift of God’s grace that can never be taken away, lost, or destroyed (Jer. 32:38-40; Hos. 2:19-20). Yet, God’s people do sometimes leave their first love. Through indolence, neglect of duty, and the care of this world, the heat and fervor of our love for Christ abates, and the exercise of love toward him diminishes. Let me stir up your memories a little, and see if there are not yet some burning coals which will break out into a flame with a little stirring. Go back with me to the place where we first met the Savior. Go back to Mt. Calvary, where the Lord Jesus Christ first appeared to you, bleeding upon the cross as your Substitute. I remember how he spoke to my heart and said, "I am thy salvation. I have redeemed you. All your sins are forgiven, washed away in this fountain of blood." Immediately, I fell in love with him. Had he

asked me then to give everything I had to him, I would gladly have done it. In fact, he did ask it, and I laid all at his feet most gladly. I think I could have used the language of Samuel Rutherford in those days with honesty and could have said to Christ, "Oh, my Lord, if there were a broad hell betwixt me and thee, if I could not get at thee except by wading through it, I would not think twice, but I would plunge through it all, if I might embrace thee and call thee mine." It is that love, that first reckless, careless, uninhibited, unrestrained love, that I am afraid we have in measure left. A. That first love caused us to earnestly and zealously confess Christ to men. B. That first love inspired our hearts to almost unceasing prayer, praise, and communion. C. That first love for Christ made His Word our most delightful treasure. D. That first love made the house of God, the ministry of the Word, and the fellowship of God's saints the most important and most joyful things in the world to us.

- The songs of Zion.- The breaking of bread.- The preaching of the gospel.

E.That first love caused us to do the will of God with unquestioning faith and unhesitating obedience.

- We would give anything for the cause of Christ.- We would do anything for the glory of Christ.- We would go anywhere at the bidding of Christ.

Those peaceful hours we once enjoyed,

How sweet their memory still!

Do you remember how it was then, when your heart was still burning with those coals from off the altar? But now we are more refined. Now we are more settled. Now we are more learned, more mature, more cold, more dead, more useless! II. What happened? Where did we go wrong? How did we leave our first love? Rarely, if ever, does this decline in love begin with some climatic event. It gradually steals over our hearts and suffocates us by degrees. But the cause of the decline is not hard to find. If we will be honest with ourselves, we will find , I am sure, that any decay from our first love comes from three sources. A. Our love decays whenever we willfully neglect Christ (Song 5:2-6). Now let the preacher be honest and preach honestly to himself. One of my most besetting sins is the neglect of Christ, the neglect of sweet communion with my Savior. I am not a lazy man. Give me something to do for Christ, for the good of his church, for the furtherance of the gospel, and I will immediately put myself into the work. But I am not, I shamefully confess, nearly as quick to open my heart to communion with Christ. Yet, love to Christ very much depends upon nearness to Christ. We are like the planets and the sun. Some of the planets are as hot as fire. Others are as cold as ice. Some move very slowly around the sun. Others move in rapid orbits. Why? Because some are near the sun and others are far, far away. So it is with us. If we live near Christ, we cannot help loving him and being controlled by love for him. The heart that lives nearest Christ in sweet communion is most aflame with love for Christ. B. Another thing that causes our love to decay is the love of the world (Matt. 13:22). There are few, few men who increase in riches and increase in grace at the same time. Of all the temptations to which God’s people are exposed in this world, this is the most dangerous, because it is the most subtle. Too much of the world is an evil encumbrance to

any man. C. The third thing which causes our love for Christ to decline is our carnal tendency toward presumption, self-confidence, and self-righteousness - "Woe unto them that are at

ease in Zion" (Amos 6:1). When a man begins to think much of himself, he will think little of Christ. Presumption destroys perseverance. Self-confidence destroys faith. And self-righteousness destroys love. III What can be done to regain our first love? I sound this word of warning to us all. If we belong to Christ, through we decline in love to him, his love toward us will never decline; and because he loves us he will chasten us and cause us to return to him (Song 5:6-7). If we do not return to Christ, if our hearts do not again glow with love for him, if our decline is a permanent decline, it is because our love is a fake, a pretense, a sham profession, and no more. My soul, do not be presumptuous here!

What's The Problem?(Murray Teigh Bloom)

For twenty years Professor Edwin R. Keedy of the University of Pennsylvania'sLaw School used to start his first class by putting two figures on theblackboard: 4 & 2. "What's the solution?" he would ask. A studend wouldcall out, "six." Another would say, "two" but Keedy would pass them by.

Several men would shout the final possibility, "eight" and the teacher wouldshake his head. Finally Keedy would point out their collective error. "Allof you failed to ask the key question - what is the problem? Gentlemen,unless you know what the problem is, you cannot possibly find the answer."

Dr. Keedy's classroom gambit was deadly serious. He knew that in law, as ineveryday life, too much time is spent trying to solve the wrong problem -like polishing brass on a sinking ship.

A little girl stayed for dinner at the home of her first-grade friend. The vegetable was buttered broccoli and the mother asked if she liked it. The child replied very politely, "Oh, yes, I love it." But when the bowl of broccoli was passed she declined to take any. The hostess said, "I thought you said you loved broccoli?" The girl replied sweetly, "Oh, yes, ma'am, I do, but not enough to eat it." Here is a weak love that is really no love at all.

Chuck Swindoll tells of the man who saw in the yellow pages The Church Of God Grill. He called it out of curiosity and asked how they got a name like that. The owner said we had a mission and began to sell chicken dinners after church. People so liked the dinners and we did such a great business that we began to cut back on church. Finally we closed down the church and went full time selling chicken, and

we decided to keep the name.

William Evans writes, "There was a heart leakage. All this could be done and still the fire of love on the altar of heart be going out. It may be quite possible to hate what Christ hates without loving what He loves, to forget to love the icolaitanes while hating their deeds." They were a great church with a heart problem. It happens to the best. To be satisfied with a life less loveing than before is a sin to be repented of.

Help me to love Thee more and more,

If I love at all, I pray:

If I have not loved before

Help me to begin today.

5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

1. BARES, "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen - The eminence which you once occupied. Call to remembrance the state in which you once were. The duty here enjoined is, when religion has declined in our hearts, or in the church, to call to distinct recollection the former state - the ardor, the zeal, the warmth of love which once characterized us. The reason for this is, that such a recalling of the former state will be likely to produce a happy influence on the heart. Nothing is better adapted to affect a backsliding Christian, or a backsliding church, than to call to distinct recollection the former condition - the happier days of piety. The joy then experienced, the good done, the honor reflected on the cause of religion, the peace of mind of that period, will contrast strongly with the present, and nothing will be better suited to recall an erring church, or an erring individual, from their wanderings than such a reminiscence of the past. The advantages of thus “remembering” their former condition would be many; for some of the most valuable impressions which are made on the mind, and some of the most important lessons learned, are from the recollections of a former state. Among those advantages, in this case, would be such as the following:(a) It would show how much they might have enjoyed if they had continued as they began, how much more real happiness they would have had than they actually have enjoyed.

(b) How much good they might have done, if they had only persevered in the zeal with which they commenced the Christian life. How much more good might most Christians do than they actually accomplish, if they would barely, even without

increasing it, continue with the degree of zeal with which they begin their course.

(c) How much greater attainments they might have made in the divine life, and in the knowledge of religion, than they have made; that is, how much more elevated and enlarged might have been their views of religion, and their knowledge of the Word of God. And,

(d) Such a recollection of their past state as, contrasted with what they now are, would exert a powerful influence in producing true repentance; for there is nothing better adapted to do this than a just view of what we might have been, as compared with what we now are.

If a man has become cold toward his wife, nothing is better suited to reclaim him than to recall to his recollection the time when he led her to the altar, the solemn vow then made, and the rapture of his heart when he pressed her to his bosom and called her his own.

And repent - The word used here means “to change one’s mind and purposes,” and, along with that, “to change one’s conduct or demeanor.” The duty of repentance here urged would extend to all the points in which they had erred.

And do the first works - The works which were done when the church was first established. That is, manifest the zeal and love which were formerly evinced in opposing error, and in doing good. This is the true counsel to be given to those who have backslidden, and have “left their first love,” now. Often such persons, sensible that they have erred, and that they have not the enjoyment in religion which they once had, profess to be willing and desirous to return, but they know not how to do it - how to revive their ardor, how to rekindle in their bosom the flame of extinguished love. They suppose it must be by silent meditation, or by some supernatural influence, and they wait for some visitation from above to call them back, and to restore to them their former joy. The counsel of the Saviour to all such, however, is to do their first works. It is to engage at once in doing what they did in the first and best days of their piety, the days of their “espousals” Jer_2:2 to God. Let them read the Bible as they did then; let them pray as they did then; let them go forth in the duties of active benevolence as they did then; let them engage in teaching a Sunday school as they did then; let them relieve the distressed, instruct the ignorant, raise up the fallen, as they did then; let them open their heart, their purse, and their hand, to bless a dying world. As it was in this way that they manifested their love then, so this would be better suited than all other things to rekindle the flame of love when it is almost extinguished. The weapon that is used keeps bright; that which has become rusty will become bright again if it is used.

Or else I will come unto thee quickly - On the word rendered “quickly” (τάχει�

tachei), see the notes on Rev_1:1. The meaning is, that he would come as a Judge, at no distant period, to inflict punishment in the manner specified - by removing the candle-stick out of its place. He does not say in what way it would be done; whether by some sudden judgment, by a direct act of power, or by a gradual process that would certainly lead to that result.

And will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent - On the meaning of the word “candlestick” see the notes on Rev_1:12. The meaning is, that the church gave light in Ephesus; and that what he would do in regard to that place would be like removing a lamp, and leaving a place in darkness. The expression is equivalent to saying that the church there would cease to exist. The proper idea of the passage is, that the church would be wholly extinct; and it is observable that this is a judgment more distinctly disclosed in reference to this church than to any other of the seven churches. There is not the least evidence that the church at Ephesus did repent,

and the threatening has been most signally fulfilled. Long since the church has become utterly extinct, and for ages there was not a single professing Christian there. Every memorial of there having been a church there has departed, and there are nowhere, not even in Nineveh, Babylon, or Tyre, more affecting demonstrations of the fulfillment of ancient prophecy than in the present state of the ruins of Ephesus. A remark of Mr. Gibbon (Decline and Fall, iv. 260) will show with what exactness the prediction in regard to this church has been accomplished.

He is speaking of the conquests of the Turks. “In the loss of Ephesus the Christians deplored the fall of the first angel, the extinction of the first candlestick of the Revelations; the desolation is complete; and the temple of Diana, or the Church of Mary will equally elude the search of the curious traveler.” Thus, the city, with the splendid temple of Diana, and the church that existed there in the time of John, has disappeared, and nothing remains but unsightly ruins. These ruins lie about ten days’ journey from Smyrna, and consist of shattered walls, and remains of columns and temples. The soil on which a large part of the city is supposed to have stood, naturally rich, is covered with a rank, burnt-up vegetation, and is everywhere deserted and solitary, though bordered by picturesque mountains. A few grainfields are scattered along the site of the ancient city. Toward the sea extends the ancient port, a pestilential marsh.

Along the slope of the mountain, and over the plain, are scattered fragments of masonry and detached ruins, but no thing can now be fixed on as the great temple of Diana. There are ruins of a theater; there is a circus, or stadium, nearly entire; there are fragments of temples and palaces scattered around; but there is nothing that marks the site of a church in the time of John; there is nothing to indicate even that such a church then existed there. About a mile and a half from the principal ruins of Ephesus there is indeed now a small village called Asalook, a Turkish word, which is associated with the same idea as Ephesus, meaning, The City of the Moon. A church, dedicated to John, is supposed to have stood near, if not on the site of the present mosque. Dr. Chandler (p. 150, 4to) gives us a striking description of Ephesus as he found it in 1764: “Its population consisted of a few Greek peasants, living in extreme wretchedness, dependence, and insensibility, the representatives of an illustrious people, and inhabiting the wreck of their greatness. Some reside in the substructure of the glorious edifices which they raised; some beneath the vaults of the stadium, and the crowded scenes of these diversions; and some in the abrupt precipice, in the sepulchres which received their ashes. Its streets are obscured and overgrown. A herd of goats was driven to it for shelter from the sun at noon, and a noisy flight of crows from the quarries seemed to insult its silence. We heard the partridge call in the area of the theater and of the stadium ... Its fate is that of the entire country; a garden has become a desert. Busy centers of civilization, spots where the refinements and delights of the age were collected, are now a prey to silence, destruction, and death.

Consecrated first of all to the purposes of idolatry, Ephesus next had Christian temples almost rivaling the pagan in splendor, wherein the image of the great Diana lay prostrate before the cross; after the lapse of some centuries Jesus gives way to Muhammed, and the crescent glittered on the dome of the recently Christian church. A few more scores of years, and Ephesus has neither temple, cross, crescent, nor city, but is desolation, a dry land, and a wilderness.” See the article” Ephesus” in Kitto’s Cyclopedia, and the authorities there referred to. What is affirmed here of Ephesus has often been illustrated in the history of the world, that when a church has declined in piety and love, and has been called by faithful ministers to repent, and has not done it, it has been abandoned more and more, until the last appearance of truth and piety has departed, and it has been given up to error and to ruin.

And the same principle is as applicable to individuals, for they have as much reason to dread the frowns of the Saviour as churches have. If they who have “left their first love” will not repent at the call of the Saviour, they have every reason to apprehend some fearful judgment, some awful visitation of his Providence that shall overwhelm them in sorrow, as a proof of his displeasure. Even though they should finally be saved, their days may be without comfort, and perhaps their last moments without a ray of conscious hope. The accompanying engraving, representing the present situation of Ephesus, will bring before the eye a striking illustration of the fulfillment of this prophecy, that the candlestick of Ephesus would be removed from its place. See also the engravings prefixed to the notes on the Epistle to the Ephesians.

2. CLARKE, "Remember - Consider the state of grace in which you once stood; the happiness, love, and joy which you felt when ye received remission of sins; the zeal ye had for God’s glory and the salvation of mankind; your willing, obedient spirit, your cheerful self-denial, your fervor in private prayer, your detachment from the world, and your heavenly-mindedness. Remember - consider, all these.

Whence thou art fallen - Fallen from all those blessed dispositions and gracious feelings already mentioned. Or, remember what a loss you have sustained; for so

εκπιπτειν is frequently used by the best Greek writers.

Repent - Be deeply humbled before God for having so carelessly guarded the Divine treasure.

Do the first works - Resume your former zeal and diligence; watch, fast, pray, reprove sin, carefully attend all the ordinances of God, walk as in his sight, and rest not till you have recovered all your lost ground, and got back the evidence of your acceptance with your Maker.

I will come unto thee quickly - In the way of judgment.

And will remove thy candlestick - Take away my ordinances, remove your ministers, and send you a famine of the word. As there is here an allusion to the candlestick in the tabernacle and temple, which could not be removed without suspending the whole Levitical service, so the threatening here intimates that, if they did not repent, etc., he would unchurch them; they should no longer have a pastor, no longer have the word and sacraments, and no longer have the presence of the Lord Jesus.

3. GILL, "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen,.... Believers cannot totally and finally fall away from the grace which they have received; but they may fall into sin, and from a degree of grace, and the exercise of it, as these first and pure churches did, from some degree of their love to God, and Christ, and one another; and therefore are called upon to remember, mind, and observe from what degree of it they were fallen; in order to bring them under a conviction and acknowledgment of their evil, and a sense of their present state, and to quicken their desires after a restoration to their former one:

and repent; of their coldness and lukewarmness, of the remissness of their love, and of those evils which brought it upon them:

and do the first works; of faith and love, with the like zeal and fervour, which will show the repentance to be sincere and genuine; so the Arabic version reads, "and exercise the former works, to wit, charity" or "love". The Jews have a saying (b),

"if a man repents, do not say to him, "remember" מעשיך�חראשונים,�"thy�first�works";�

which�they�seem�to�understand�of�evil�works;�but�former�good�works�are�to�be�remembered�and�

done,�to�show�the�truth�of�repentance�for�evil�ones,�

Or�else�I�will�come�unto�thee�quicklyOr�else�I�will�come�unto�thee�quicklyOr�else�I�will�come�unto�thee�quicklyOr�else�I�will�come�unto�thee�quickly;�not�in�a�spiritual�way,�to�pay�a�love�visit,�nor�in�a�judicial�

way,�to�take�vengeance�or�inflict�punishment,�but�in�a�providential�way,�to�rebuke�and�chastise:�

and�will�remove�thy�candlestick�out�of�his�place,�except�thou�repentand�will�remove�thy�candlestick�out�of�his�place,�except�thou�repentand�will�remove�thy�candlestick�out�of�his�place,�except�thou�repentand�will�remove�thy�candlestick�out�of�his�place,�except�thou�repent;�or�thee�out�of�the�

candlestick,�the�pastor�from�the�church,�either�by�persecution�or�by�death;�or�else�the�church,�and�

church�state�itself,�signified�by�a�candlestick;�See�Gill�on�Rev_1:12;�and�may�design�a�shaking�and�

an�unsettling�of�it,�which�is�sometimes�done�by�violent�persecutions,�and�by�false�teachers�and�

their�doctrines,�and�by�the�divisions�and�contentions�of�saints�among�themselves;�and�by�the�

former�particularly�was�there�a�change�made�in�the�state�of�this�apostolic�church,�when�it�passed�

into�the�Smyrnean�one,�which�was�a�period�of�great�persecution�and�distress;�for�this�cannot�be�

understood�of�the�total�removing�of�the�church�state�itself�quickly,�no,�not�of�Ephesus�itself;�for�

though�there�is�not�now�indeed,�nor�has�there�been�for�many�hundred�years,�a�church�of�Christ�in�

that�place,�yet�there�was�one�till�the�times�of�Constantine,�when�there�was�none�in�any�of�the�

other�seven�cities,�and�a�long�time�after;�See�Gill�on�Act_20:17;�which�shows,�that�this�was�not�a�

commination�or�threatening�of�divine�vengence�to�that�church�literally,�but�to�the�state�of�the�

church,�which�that�represented;�nor�does�it�intend�the�utter�abolition�of�that�church,�for�the�

apostolic�church�still�continued,�though�it�ceased�to�be�in�the�circumstances�it�was�before,�

4. HERY, "The advice and counsel given them from Christ: Remember therefore whence thou hast fallen, and repent, etc. (1.) Those that have lost their first love must remember whence they have fallen; they must compare their present with their former state, and consider how much better it was with them then than now, how much peace, strength, purity, and pleasure they have lost, by leaving their first love, - how much more comfortably they could lie down and sleep at night, - how much more cheerfully they could awake in the morning, - how much better they could bear afflictions, and how much more becomingly they could enjoy the favours of Providence, - how much easier the thoughts of death were to them, and how much stronger their desires and hopes of heaven. (2.) They must repent. They must be inwardly grieved and ashamed for their

sinful declension; they must blame themselves, and shame themselves, for it, and humbly confess it in the sight of God, and judge and condemn themselves for it. (3.) They must return and do their first works. They must as it were begin again, go back step by step, till they come to the place where they took the first false step; they must endeavour to revive and recover their first zeal, tenderness, and seriousness, and must pray as earnestly, and watch as diligently, as they did when they first set out in the ways of God.

5. JAMISO, "whence — from what a height.do the first works — the works which flowed from thy first love. Not merely “feel

thy first feelings,” but do works flowing from the same principle as formerly, “faith which worketh by love.”

I will come — Greek, “I am coming” in special judgment on thee.

quickly — omitted in two oldest manuscripts, Vulgate and Coptic versions: supported by one oldest manuscript.

remove thy candlestick out of his place — I will take away the Church from Ephesus and remove it elsewhere. “It is removal of the candlestick, not extinction of the candle, which is threatened here; judgment for some, but that very judgment the occasion of mercy for others. So it has been. The seat of the Church has been changed, but the Church itself survives. What the East has lost, the West has gained. One who lately visited Ephesus found only three Christians there, and these so ignorant as scarcely to have heard the names of St. Paul or St. John” [Trench].

5B. COFFMAN, “Remember therefore whence thou art fallen, and repent and do the first works; or else I come to thee, and will move thy candlestick out of its place, except thou repent.

Remember ... How often has the Lord admonished his human children to remember! "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth" (Ecclesiastes 12:1); "This do ye in remembrance of me" (1 Corinthians 11:25); "Remember how he spake unto you" (Luke 24:6); "Remember his holy covenant" (Luke 1:72); "Remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things" (Luke 16:25), etc. There are actually three "R's" in this passage: Remember ... Repent ... Reform.

Repent and do the first works ... This is one of the most important clauses in the whole passage; it is the key to understanding what had happened. What were those first works which the Ephesians had stopped doing? They were the commandments of the Lord. Oh, to be sure, they were carrying on an extensive program of works, but such things were not the work of faith. The interpretation that fills many of the commentaries with the view that the Ephesians had all the works they needed misses this point altogether. It was not a question of their having discharged their full obligation regarding works, but a case of their having failed in this very category. They were not, at the time of John's writing, doing the "work of faith"; they were doing their own thing religiously. Such things, no doubt, were indeed good works, else Christ would not have commended them; but the first obligation of every Christian and every church on earth is to do the works Christ commanded. This failure, of course, was due to their having left their first love; and the shameful condition of this congregation is the Biblical exhibit of much that is going on right now in the so-called Christian world of the present time.

Did the Ephesian church heed the admonition here given? It would appear that, for some little time, at least, they did so. Bruce noted, "That the church at Ephesus paid heed to this warning is a fair inference from the testimony of Ignatius, who commends it for its faith and love."[19]

Or else I come to thee, and will remove thy candlestick ... This reference to the "coming" of Christ is not to the Second Advent, but to a visitation of providential judgment upon the Ephesians unless they repented. As McGuiggan put it: "This coming depends upon whether or not they repent; if they repent, he will not come and remove their candlestick."[20] Beasley-Murray observed that:

Such statements in no wise conflict with the truth of the final appearing, a fact which theologians have not always remembered when speaking of the "coming" of Christ, as though the recognition of these lesser appearings in any way invalidated the truth of the great appearing.[21]

The final coming of Christ in the Second Advent will occur, irrespective of any group's repenting or not.

Remove thy candlestick ... This does not refer to any total destruction of a church or of a city, but to the removal of the impenitent from any effective status as a lampstand of the truth in Jesus Christ. Many a church has continued to enjoy life on earth long after their utility as an effective instrument of spreading the gospel of Christ has perished. Such churches have indeed had their "candlestick" removed.

It is wise, here at the outset of Revelation, to observe that, "The coming of Christ, as here and elsewhere in the book, does not represent an imminent coming of Christ to end the world.[22] As Caird expressed it, "The conditional threats to Ephesus, Pergamum and Sardis are evidence that an imminent Parousia was not one of the events which John believed was bound to happen soon."[23]

[19] F. F. Bruce, A New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1969), p. 637.

[20] Jim McGuiggan, The Book of Revelation (West Monroe, Louisiana: Wm. C. Johnson, 1976), p. 46.

[21] G. R. Beasley-Murray, The Book of Revelation (Greenwood, South Carolina: The Atlantic Press, 1974), p. 1283.

[22] J. W. Roberts, The Revelation of John (Austin, Texas: R.B. Sweet Company, 1974), p. 39.

[23] G. B. Caird, op. cit., p. 32.

6. SBC, “The Cure of what was Wrong.How shall old, faded love be revived? In reply to this question, a great many plans have been proposed and urged, while the Lord’s own method has been either overlooked or perversely set aside. The directions He gives are few and simple, but they go to the very core of the matter, whether it be a single individual who has left his first love or a whole Church. Let us mark the things that He names, and the order in which He names them. Memory, conscience, will, are called into play.

I. "Remember whence thou art fallen." That is sure to be painful, but it is the first step towards healing. There was a better estate, an estate that has been left by thine own fault; thou art "fallen" from it. Remember this better estate; call it up again into memory; live the old days over again, those days of heaven upon earth when the name of Jesus sounded so sweetly in your ears, and joy dwelt in your soul. Take the best of them, the most heavenlike of them, and in thought live them over again. This is one of the most blessed uses of memory, and it is the first step in a return to first love.

II. "And repent." This is the Lord’s second word of direction. It is an absolutely vital word. He who summons to repentance will see to it that nothing of needful grace is lacking. He "gives" repentance, and we are to take this for granted without need of argument, however dull or insensible our hearts may have become. This word "repent" is one of the profoundest words in the Bible, however superficially modern evangelism or modern legalism may deal with it. It does not indicate mere regret, such as may be caused by the consequence of our actions. That regret may be the beginning of good, but of itself it is not repentance. Repentance is a change in the mind. It implies a true sense

of sin and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ. It is the turning of the inner being from sin to God.

III. The Lord’s third word is this, "And do the first works." They might seem at Ephesus to have ground for saying, "We have never ceased working from the very beginning," and in a sense they had not. But their works were not the same as at first; in a measure the love was out of them, the love that not merely made them vital, but gave them beauty in the Lord’s sight. The summons to do the first works is, therefore, a summons to begin, as it were, over again, throwing love into every deed. To secure compliance He adds this word of warning: "Or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of its place, except thou repent." He will bring salutary fear into play as well as gratitude, love, and hope. It is not loss of the soul that is threatened, but loss of the privilege of usefulness and the suppression of them as a Church. The sure way to ruin and extinguish a Christian Church as a light in the world is that it should lose its love.


7. PULPIT, "The exhortation and threat are clear as trumpet notes: "Remember, repent, and

return, or I will return and remove thee." A modem heathen philosophy teaches us that in this world to be happy is to forget. That is not the teaching of Christ. The past is both an encouragement and a warning to us; therefore "remember." Some have to remember heights from which they have fallen; others, depths from which they have been raised; others again, both. Cicero ('Ad. Att.,' 4.16) would remember the one and forget the other. Non recorder unde ceciderim, sed unde resurrexerim. The present imperative here shows that the remembering is to continue; on the other hand, the repentance (aor. imp.) is a thing to be done immediately, once for all. "The first works" means "the fruits of thy first love." Christ will have works, not feelings. I come to thee. There is no "quickly" in the true text; and the verb is present, not future (comp. John 14:18). The coming, of course, refers to a special visitation, not to the second advent. The removing of the candlestick is not the deposition of the bishop, but the dethroning of the Church, cancelling its claim to the kingdom, severing its union with Christ. Compare "The kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof" (Matthew 22:43). The warning would seem to have been heeded at first, judging from the account of Ephesus in the Ignatian Epistles. But the

Church has long since ceased to exist. Ephesus itself is a heap of ruins. Except thou repent. This

repetition drives home the charge given above; repentance is the thing absolutely necessary, and at once. This shows that what Christ has against them cannot be a mere "somewhat" (Authorized Version in Revelation 2:4). It is nothing less than this—that with all their discernment of evil, and zeal against it, they lacked reality. Their light still burned, but in a dull, lifeless way; their service had become mechanical.

8. NOTES, “Remember and Repent and Return.What if you've found yourself there today? You've got great knowledge and understanding of the Word of God - but your heart has drifted away from Him. What I love about the Bible is that it doesn't just tell you what to do, but how to do it. Jesus doesn't just point out that it's wrong - He gave us the solution: Rev. 2:5 "Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first..."A two-step program: Remember and repent.Remember: Stop and think about what it was like when you were first saved. You were so excited, you'd tell anyone about Jesus! God loved you, and you were saved ! I remember that my every thought was consumed with God - wanting to understand Him, to know more about Him, to know what He thought about things. It was that same,

thought-consuming love that you have when you're head over heels in love with someone. Remember. Then Repent.Repent: Change your way of thinking and go back to where you were before. Now that you're doctrinally sound, you might think you've got God all figured out - that's wrong, so realize that's wrong. Repentance is the key to having a huge love for God.Once when Jesus was having dinner at a Pharisee's house, a sinful woman came in and cried all over Jesus' feet. When the Pharisees scorned the situation, Jesus said Luke 7:47 "...I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little."If you've begun to love God little, it is because you have neglected to make confession of your sin a regular part of your life. Habitually acknowledging your sin and God's forgiveness will cause you to fall deeper and deeper in love with God, for... 1John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.And when we've been forgiven by Him much, we love Him much.

Repent as you did at the first. Repent of the evil you have done to Christ in leaving your first love.

1. Repent of your shameful neglect of your Savior.2. Repent of your sinful love of the world (Col. 3:1-3).3. Repent of your proud presumption, self-confidence, and self- righteousness

The good news is that we can go home. We can go back to where we first lived in love. First love can live again. True repentence takes us back to where we were. Just to feel bad that you are not as loving is not true repentence. Some tend to say I cannot go back and accept the loss of love as inevitable, but this is false thinking. The Prodigal came home and so can we. Sometimes the only way to get ahead is to go back. The past often does hold the best, and the good old days are real and need to be renewed. Vance Havner says the last word of Christ to the church was not the great commission, but repent. He says it to 5 of the 7 churches. He wrote, "When the church membership grows statistically but the church members do not grow spiritually in proportion that is not revival. The greatest need of the church today is not more members, more buildings, more money. The supreme issue is not even missions or evangelism. It is repentence and revival." It is revival or removal.

The goal is not to get back to the early church, for they had every problem possible. It is to get back to first love. Past experience is like money in the bank. You can fall back on it when the present is void of value. It is capital that we can use to build anew. It sets the standard by which we measure the present. Real maturity is getting back to the zeal of immaturity with the added benefit of experience and learning.

In The Root of the Righteous, A. W. Tozer writes, "A good way to avoidthe snare of empty religious activity is to appear before God everyonce in a while with our Bibles open to the thirteenth chapter ofFirst Corinthians. This passage, though rated one of the

mostbeautiful in the Bible, is also one of the severest to be found inSacred Writ. The apostle takes the highest religious service andconsigns it to futility unless it is motivated by love. Lacking love,prophets, teachers, orators, philanthropists, and martyrs are sentaway without reward." The answer: "Remember the love you once had for Me," said Jesus."Repent--turn around, come back to Me, change your mind and heart. Dothe things you used to do to show your love for Me." How tragic to have the Lord say of us, "These people come near to Mewith their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts arefar from Me" (Isa. 29:13).

Lampstand RemovalNow, Jesus tells them that they must remember and repent, turning back to their first love... Rev. 2:5 "...or else I am coming to you, and will remove your lampstand out of its place Ñunless you repent."Many have read this as saying that they would lose their salvation. But don't forget the picture. The church is the lampstand, bearing light, the only source of light to the world. If we don't love God intensely, then no matter how doctrinally pure we might be, God will use some other group of people, some other local church, to shine His light to the community.The sad finale to this story is that there is in fact no longer a church of Ephesus - they didn't heed Jesus' warning to remember and repent. Will we?

There is a coming of Christ which the church does not look for and hopes will never happen, and that is his coming in judgment to remove the church from usefulness. Paul feared being put on a shelf and all of us ought to fear that, and make sure it does not happen. The church is being judged all the time and not just at the end of history. Once a church not always a church, for it can be removed. Remember, repent, return, or be removed. The priest had to remove the impurities in the 7 branched lampstand that burned all the time or it would eventually go out. So Jesus must trim any church that hinders the buring of the light that leads the lost to Him. If the light is dim and going out it has to be replaces by what does shine for Jesus.

The churches is North Africa are an example of great lights that became so worldly that they were removed and now all is dark as Islam controls that land that once was Christian.

Ed Lewis points out that leaving mates and getting divorces is also forsaking first love and this leads to jungement on the church. He writes:"I believe God is withdrawing His hand of protection from the church in judgment, but the church hasn't realized it yet. It's a well-known fact that there are as many divorces today within the church as outside it. The pleasures and values of most people in the church are not much different from other people's, either. The line that once distinguished Christians from nonChristians has become severely blurred. Why has God not judged . . . ? When God described in Deuteronomy the judgments He would bring if Israel disobeyed Him, the scattering of families was His final judgment. Because of America's high

divorce rate--both inside and outside the church--children are being torn away from their families and being torn apart emotionally. Yet the church seems to be mostly unaware that today's events may be part of God's judgment on the church in America. The main problem is not so much secularism as it is the secularization of the church. "The salt is losing its savor," he says. The purity of the church has been compromised, and we've lost sight of the value of a pure church. Persecution always cleanses and purifies the church wherever it occurs, but we don't have to wait for persecution. We can repent now for violating God's Word, bringing the world's values into the church, and failing to obey God's voice."

BECAUSE EVE THE BEST OF CHURCHES CA BE OUT OF THE WILL OF CHRIST, WHAT IS THE MEASURE OF THE CHURCH?

One of the problems of the early church was its closeness to the paganism of the day. Many of the great leaders came out of it, but still appreciated its positive influence. Clement wrote, "Philosophy was a tutor for the Greeks, as the law was for the Hebrews, to bring them to Christ." There were good and valid truths in the Greek philosophers, but this led Christians to keep going back to pagan ideas and resources and this led to taking the bad with the good. This is always a problem. Today we can find much good in cultic teaching even, but it is mixed with that which can lead us astray, and so it takes great discernment to avoid the evil in many sources of secular good.

Criswell points out that the early church guided and directed by the Apostles and the very best leaders ever had all kinds of problems. They fell into heresy and lost their love and had every problem known to man. So we are not called to go back to that, but to get back to the basics that we have in Christ and be like Him, and love Him supremely. Jesus cannot make us repent and get back to what we ought to be. It is our responsibility to choose to do so, just like the Prodigal. Jesus did not tell tear-jerking stories and appeal to the emotions. He just told it straight out that we need to repent and get back to first love. It is a choice we can make if we choose to do so. We sin by choice and that is how we stop and go back.

6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the icolaitans, which I also hate.

1. BARES, "But this thou hast - This thou hast that I approve of, or that I can commend.

That thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans - Greek, “works” (τ_�`ργα ta�erga). The word “Nicolaitanes” occurs only in this place, and in the Rev_2:15 verse of this chapter. From the reference in the latter place it is clear that the doctrines which they held prevailed at Pergamos as well as at Ephesus; but from neither place can anything now be inferred in regard to the nature of their doctrines or their practices, unless it be supposed that they held the same doctrine that was taught by Balaam. See the notes on Rev_2:15. From the two passages, compared with each other, it would seem that they were alike corrupt in doctrine and in practice, for in the passage before us their deeds are mentioned, and in Rev_2:15 their doctrine. Various conjectures, however, have been formed respecting this class of people, and the reasons why the name was given to them:

I. In regard to the origin of the name, there have been three opinions:

(1) That mentioned by Irenaeus, and by some of the other fathers, that the name was derived from Nicolas, one of the deacons ordained at Antioch, Act_6:5. Of those who have held this opinion, some have supposed that it was given to them because he became apostate and was the founder of the sect, and others because they assumed his name, in order to give the greater credit to their doctrine. But neither of these suppositions rests on any certain evidence, and beth are destitute of probability. There is no proof whatever that Nicolas the deacon ever apostatized from the faith, and became the founder of a sect; and if a name had been assumed, in order to give credit to a sect and extend its influence, it is much more probable that the name of an apostle would have been chosen, or of some other prominent man, than the name of an obscure deacon of Antioch.

(2) Vitringa, and most commentators since his time, have supposed that the name Nicolaitanes was intended to be symbolical, and was not designed to designate any sect of people, but to denote those who resembled Balaam, and that this word is used in the same manner as the word “Jezebel” in Rev_2:20, which is supposed to be symbolical

there. Vitringa supposes that the word is derived from νίκος nikos, “victory,” and λαός�

laos, “people,” and that thus it corresponds with the name Balaam, as meaning either �צלc�

,c baalà�̀am, “he destroyed the people”; and thatלץ�צם bàal�̀am, “lord of the people,” or צםas the same effect was produced by their doctrines as by those of Balaam, that the people were led to commit fornication and to join in idolatrous worship, they might be called “Balaamites” or “Nicolaitanes,” that is, corrupters of the people. But to this it may be replied:

(a) That it is far-fetched, and is adopted only to remove a difficulty;

(b) That there is every reason to suppose that the word used here refers to a class of people who bore that name, and who were well known in the two churches specified;

(c) That in Rev_2:15 they are expressly distinguished from those who held the

doctrine of Balaam, Rev_2:14, “So hast thou also (καg kai) those that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes.”

(3) It has been supposed that some person now unknown, probably of the name Nicolas, or Nicolaus, was their leader, and laid the foundation of the sect. This is by far the most probable opinion, and to this there can be no objection. It is in accordance with what usually occurs in regard to sects, orthodox or heretical, that they derive their origin from some person whose name they continue to bear; and as there is no evidence that this sect prevailed extensively, or was indeed known beyond the limits of these churches, and as it soon disappeared, it is easily accounted for that the character and history of the founder were so soon forgotten.

II. In regard to the opinions which they held, there is as little certainty. Irenaeus (Adv. Haeres. i., 26) says that their characteristic tenets were the lawfulness of promiscuous sexual intercourse with women, and of eating things offered to idols. Eusebius (Hist. Eccl. iii., 29) states substantially the same thing, and refers to a tradition respecting Nicolaus, that he had a beautiful wife, and was jealous of her, and being reproached with this, renounced all intercourse with her, and made use of an expression which was misunderstood, as implying that illicit pleasure was proper. Tertullian speaks of the Nicolaitanes as a branch of the Gnostic family, and as, in his time, extinct. Mosheim (De Rebus Christian Ante. Con. section 69) says that “the questions about the Nicolaitanes have difficulties which cannot be solved.” Neander (History of the Christian Religion, as translated by Torrey, vol. i, pp. 452, 453) numbers them with Antinomians; though he expresses some doubt whether the actual existence of such a sect can be proved, and rather inclines to an opinion noticed above, that the name is symbolical, and that it is used in a mystical sense, according to the usual style of the Book of Revelation, to denote corrupters or seducers of the people, like Balaam. He supposes that the passage relates simply to a class of persons who were in the practice of seducing Christians to participate in the sacrificial feasts of the pagans, and in the excesses which attended them - just as the Jews were led astray of old by the Moabites, Num. 25.

What was the origin of the name, however, Neander does not profess to be able to determine, but suggests that it was the custom of such sects to attach themselves to some celebrated name of antiquity, in the choice of which they were often determined by circumstances quite accidental. He supposes also that the sect may have possessed a life of Nicolas of Antioch, drawn up by themselves or others from fabulous accounts and traditions, in which what had been imputed to Nicolas was embodied. Everything, however, in regard to the origin of this sect, and the reason of the name given to it, and the opinions which they held, is involved in great obscurity, and there is no hope of throwing light on the subject. It is generally agreed, among the writers of antiquity who have mentioned them, that they were distinguished for holding opinions which countenanced gross social indulgences. This is all that is really necessary to be known in regard to the passage before us, for this will explain the strong language of aversion and condemnation used by the Saviour respecting the sect in the epistles to the Churches of Ephesus and Pergamos.

Which I also hate - If the view above taken of the opinions and practices of this people is correct, the reasons why he hated them are obvious. Nothing can be more opposed to the personal character of the Saviour, or to his religion, than such doctrines and deeds.

2. CLARKE, "The deeds of the Nicolaitanes - These were, as is commonly supposed, a sect of the Gnostics, who taught the most impure doctrines, and followed the most impure practices. They are also supposed to have derived their origin from Nicolas, one of the seven deacons mentioned Act_6:5 (note). The Nicolaitanes taught the community of wives, that adultery and fornication were things indifferent, that eating meats offered to idols was quite lawful; and mixed several pagan rites with the Christian ceremonies. Augustine, Irenaeus, Clemens Alexandrinus, and Tertullian, have spoken largely concerning them. See more in my preface to 2d Peter, where are several particulars concerning these heretics.

3. GILL, "But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans,.... Though these Christians had left their first love, yet they bore an hatred to the filthy and impure practices of some men, who were called "Nicolaitans"; who committed fornication, adultery, and all uncleanness, and had their wives in common, and also ate things offered to idols; who were so called, as some think (c), from Nicolas of Antioch, one of the seven deacons in Act_6:5; though as to Nicolas himself, it is said (d), that he lived with his own lawful married wife, and no other, and that his daughters continued virgins all their days, and his son incorrupt; and that these men, so called, only shrouded themselves under his name, and abused a saying or action of his, or both, to patronize

their wicked deeds: he had used to advise παραχρησθαι�τη�σαρκι, by which he meant a restraining of all carnal and unlawful lusts; but these men interpreted it of an indulgence in them, and so gave themselves up to all uncleanness; and whereas, he having a beautiful wife, and being charged with jealousy, in order to clear himself of it, he brought her forth, and gave free liberty to any person to marry her as would; which indiscreet action of his these men chose to understand as allowing of community of wives. Dr. Lightfoot conjectures, that these Nicolaitans were not called so from any man, but from

the word נכילה,�"Nicolah",�"let�us�eat",�which�they�often�used�to�encourage�each�other�to�eat�

things�offered�to�idols.�However�this�be,�it�is�certain�that�there�were�such�a�set�of�men,�whose�

deeds�were�hateful;�but�neither�their�principles�nor�their�practices�obtained�much�in�this�period�

of�time,�though�they�afterwards�did;�see�Rev_2:15.�Professors�of�the�Christian�religion�in�general�

abhorred�such�impure�notions�and�deeds,�as�they�were�by�Christ:�

which�also�I�hatewhich�also�I�hatewhich�also�I�hatewhich�also�I�hate;�all�sin�is�hateful�to�Christ,�being�contrary�to�his�nature,�to�his�will,�and�to�his�

Gospel;�and�whatever�is�hateful�to�him�should�be�to�his�people;�and�where�grace�is,�sin�will�be�

hateful,�both�in�themselves�and�others;�and�men's�deeds�may�be�hated�when�their�persons�are�not;�

and�hatred�of�sin�is�taken�notice�of�by�Christ,�with�a�commendation,�

4. HERY, "This good advice is enforced and urged, (1.) By a severe threatening, if it should be neglected: I will come unto thee quickly, and remove thy candlestick out of its place. If the presence of Christ's grace and Spirit be slighted, we may expect the presence of his displeasure. He will come in a way of judgment, and that suddenly and surprisingly, upon impenitent churches and sinners; he will unchurch them, take away his gospel, his ministers, and his ordinances from them, and what will the churches or the angels of the churches do when the gospel is removed? (2.) By an encouraging mention that is made of what was yet good among them: This thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate, Rev_2:6. “Though thou hast declined in thy love to what is good, yet thou retainest thy hatred to what is evil, especially to what is grossly so.” The Nicolaitans were a loose sect who sheltered themselves under the name of Christianity. They held hateful doctrines, and they were guilty of hateful deeds, hateful to Christ and to all true Christians; and it is mentioned to the praise of the church of Ephesus that they had a just zeal and abhorrence of those wicked doctrines and practices. An indifference of spirit between truth and error, good and evil, may be called charity and meekness, but it is not pleasing to Christ. Our Saviour subjoins this kind

commendation to his severe threatening, to make the advice more effectual.

5. JAMISO, "But — How graciously, after necessary censure, He returns to praise for our consolation, and as an example to us, that we would show, when we reprove, we have more pleasure in praising than in fault-finding.

hatest the deeds — We should hate men’s evil deeds, not hate the men themselves.

Nicolaitanes — Irenaeus [Against Heresies, 1.26.3] and Tertullian [Prescription against Heretics, 46] make these followers of Nicolas, one of the seven (honorably mentioned, Act_6:3, Act_6:5). They (Clement of Alexandria [Miscellanies, 2.20 3.4] and Epiphanius [Heresies, 25]) evidently confound the latter Gnostic Nicolaitanes, or followers of one Nicolaos, with those of Revelation. Michaelis’ view is probable: Nicolaos

(conqueror of the people) is the Greek version of Balaam, from Hebrew “Belang�Am,” “Destroyer of the people.” Revelation abounds in such duplicate Hebrew and Greek

names: as Apollyon, Abaddon: Devil, Satan: Yea (Greek, “Nai”), Amen. The name, like other names, Egypt, Babylon, Sodom, is symbolic. Compare Rev_2:14, Rev_2:15, which shows the true sense of Nicolaitanes; they are not a sect, but professing Christians who, like Balaam of old. tried to introduce into the Church a false freedom, that is, licentiousness; this was a reaction in the opposite direction from Judaism, the first danger to the Church combated in the council of Jerusalem, and by Paul in the Epistle to Galatians. These symbolical Nicolaitanes, or followers of Balaam, abused Paul’s doctrine of the grace of God into a plea for lasciviousness (2Pe_2:15, 2Pe_2:16, 2Pe_2:19; Jud_1:4, Jud_1:11 who both describe the same sort of seducers as followers of Balaam). The difficulty that they should appropriate a name branded with infamy in Scripture is met by Trench: The Antinomian Gnostics were so opposed to John as a Judaizing apostle that they would assume as a name of chiefest honor one which John branded with dishonor.

5B. COFFMA, “But this thou hast, that thou hatest the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.The works of the Nicolaitans ... This is not a reference merely to the evil deeds of the group mentioned, but to the promulgation of their evil doctrine, as appears a little later. Who were they? Irenaeus said that, "They are the followers of that Nicolas who was one of the seven first ordained to the diaconate by the apostles."[24] They taught that it was a matter of indifference to commit adultery or eat things sacrificed to idols. "It was an exaggeration of the doctrine of Christian liberty which attempted an ethical compromise with heathenism."[25] The reference to the Nicolaitans and to the doctrine of Balaam in the same passage (Revelation 2:14,15), a moment later, together with the phrase "in like manner" seems to indicate that the teachings were essentially the same. Despite the assertion of Irenaeus cited above, some students refuse to allow the identification of that sect with Nicolas, one of the Seven (Acts 6:5), Lenski complaining that, "It is a moral law not to make a noble Christian man a Judas without full evidence that he turned out to be a Judas."[26] Of course, no one can disagree with that; but Moffatt declares that, "There is no reason to doubt the original connection of the party with him (Nicolaus)."[27] Still it must be confessed that very little is known of this sect except what is revealed here.

[24] Irenaeus, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. I, Translated by Roberts and Donaldson (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, n.d.), p. 352.

[25] Merrill C. Tenney, Interpreting Revelation (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1957), p. 61.


[27] James Moffatt, op. cit., p. 351.

6. VWS, “The Nicolaitans

From νικoν�to conquer, and λαός�the people. There are two principal explanations of the term. The first and better one historical. A sect springing, according to credible tradition, from Nicholas a proselyte of Antioch, one of the seven deacons of Jerusalem (Act_6:5), who apostatized from the truth, and became the founder of an Antinomian Gnostic sect. They appear to have been characterized by sensuality, seducing Christians to participate in the idolatrous feasts of pagans, and to unchastity. Hence they are denoted by the names of Balaam and Jezebel, two leading agents of moral contamination under the Old Testament dispensation. Balaam enticed the Israelites, through the daughters of Moab and Midian, to idolatry and fornication (Numbers 25; Num_31:16). Jezebel murdered the Lord's prophets, and set up idolatry in Israel. The Nicolaitans taught that, in order to master sensuality, one must know the whole range of it by experience; and that he should therefore abandon himself without reserve to the lusts of the body, since they concerned only the body and did not touch the spirit. These heretics were hated and expelled by the Church of Ephesus (Rev_2:6), but were tolerated by the Church of Pergamum (Rev_2:15). The other view regards the name as symbolic, and Nicholas as the Greek rendering of Balaam, whose name signifies destroyer or corrupter of the people. This view is adopted by Trench (“Seven Churches”), who says: “The Nicolaitans are the Balaamites; no sect bearing the one name or the other; but those who, in the new dispensation, repeated the sin of Balaam in the old, and sought to overcome or destroy the people of God by the same temptations whereby Balaam had sought to overcome them before.” The names, however, are by no means parallel: Conqueror of the people not being the same as corrupter of the people. Besides, in Rev_2:14, the Balaamites are evidently distinguished from the Nicolaitans.

Alford remarks: “There is no sort of reason for interpreting the name otherwise than historically. It occurs in a passage indicating simple matters of historical fact, just as the name Antipas does in Rev_2:13.”

7.SBC, “What was Hopeful in Ephesus.At a first glance this verse seems out of its place. It looks like a part of the Lord’s commendation that had been forgotten at the proper moment, and is now mentioned as an afterthought. A little reflection, however, shows that it occupies its proper place, and it carries force from this very fact. Here is, so to speak, a starting-point for return to first love. This very "hatred" will make the revival of love the easier. Let them be encouraged and take heart and hope accordingly.

I. I do not think we can speak with much certainty about Nicolaitanism. We may set it down as a heathenish mode of life under a Christian designation, turning the grace of God into licentiousness, a reconciling of Christian faith with the practice of fleshly lusts, or Antinomian principles.

II. The Ephesian believers had not been poisoned by that false and deadly charity which speaks smooth and honeyed things to sin, and stands on friendly terms with it. They "hated" the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, and we are to take the word "hate" in its full force as the opposite of love. Coexistent with hatred of their deeds, there doubtless was compassion for the men themselves and some endeavour to save them.

III. Christ hates as well as loves. He would not be perfect if He did not; He would lack one of the most regal qualities of His nature. The angel of the Church of Ephesus was at one with Christ in hating the deeds of the Nicolaitanes; and this, so far as it went, was a token of vitality and vigour in the Church’s system, and it formed a starting-point for return to first love. It was not merely a good sign, but a good thing. Once let a Church or an individual cease to be shocked by Nicolaitane deeds, make light of them, wink at them, apologise for them, and the downward course is all but certain. On the other hand, so long as evil is sternly hated, there is not merely the possibility, but the hope, of returning first love, with all that this restoration involves.


8. OTES, “The icolaitansIt is thought that "icolaitans" is actually an untranslated Greek word, "nikao-laos". It comes from the Greek word "nikao", meaning "victory, conquer", and "laos", meaning "people". ikao-laos - "to conquer the people".Even at the beginning of the church age, people instinctively perceived a difference between the clergy and the people. In the book of Acts, we read that at the hands of the apostles, many signs and wonders were taking place among the people. Acts 5:13 But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, the people held them in high esteem.The people had placed the apostles on a high pedestal where they didn't belong - Jesus had called them to be ministers - and the word minister means "servant". Luke writes, Luke 22:24-27 And there arose also a dispute among (the disciples) as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest. And (Jesus) said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called 'Benefactors.' But not so with you, but let him who is the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as the servant. For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table, or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.But as the years went on and more and more teachers and apostles arose, more and more of them bought into the deception of ruling the people instead of serving the people. Pastors, elders, and teachers are not called to rule over you or to be placed on a pedestal. If those guys want to be great in God's kingdom, they must learn to be the servant of all.

Hatred of evil is good, but when it is more important than the love of the good, then it is a perversion. This leads to Christian witch hunts and all kinds of division in the church."A bridge builder told me that a bridge must be flexible or it would collapse and fall. A bridge must be designed to expand and contract with the heating and cooling of the atmosphere. It must also be flexible in high winds. The right kind of flexibility is a sign of strength not weakness. Especially if it is intent on bringing one to Jesus Christ the judge of all."

It is generally agreed that these people were over indulgent. They said we are not under law, and so we can do as we please without sin, and so they did and got into all kinds of immorality and felt justified in doing so. They used their liberty as an occasio;n for the flesh, which Paul warned about in Gal. 5:13. The body was not important they said and

so what you did with its lusts was not a spiritual matter at all. They wanted the best of both worlds and so lived like pagans through the week and were good Christians on Sunday.

9. PULPIT, "They are again commended for their good points. But it is possible to hate what

Christ hates without loving what he loves. It is possible to hate false doctrine and lawlessness, and

yet be formal and dead one's self. Who the Nicolaitans were we cannot now determine with

certainty. The name Nicolaus may be intended as a Greek equivalent of Balaam, but this is by no means certain. Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria write as if the sect of Nicolaitans existed in their day. A common belief was that their founder was Nicolaus of Antioch, one of the seven deacons. Irenaeus (1.26), followed by Hippolytus ('Refut.,' 7.24), supports this view; Ignatius ('Trall.,' 9) and the Apostolic Constitutions (6.8), are against it. The Nicolaitans may have claimed him as their founder, or similarity of name may have caused confusion with a different person. The doctrine of the Nicolaitans, and that of Balaam (Revelation 2:14), and that of the woman Jezebel (Revelation 2:20), seem to have this much in common—a contention that the freedom of the Christian placed him above the moral Law. Neither idolatry nor sensuality could harm those who had been made free by Christ. The moral enactments of the Law had been abrogated by the gospel, no less than the ceremonial. The special mention of "the pollutions of idols" and "fornication," in the decrees of the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:20, Acts 15:29), seems to show that this pernicious doctrine was

already in existence in A.D. 50. In 2 Peter 2:1-22 and Jude 1:7-13 a similar evil is denounced. It

appears in other heretical sects, especially those of Gnostic origin, e.g. Cerinthians, Cainites, Carpocratians. In this way we may explain the statement of Eusebius ('Hist. Eccl.,' 3.29), that the Nieelaitan heresy lasted only for a short time; i.e. its religious libertinism did not die out, but passed over into other sects. Note that it is "theworks of the Nicolaitans," not the men themselves, that Christ hates. He loves the sinner, while he hates the sin. "It would have been well with the Church had this always been remembered" (Alford).

7 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

1. BARES, "He that hath an ear, let him hear ... - This expression occurs at the close of each of the epistles addressed to the seven churches, and is substantially a mode of address often employed by the Saviour in his personal ministry, and quite characteristic of him. See Mat_11:15; Mar_4:23; Mar_7:16. It is a form of expression designed to arrest the attention, and to denote that what was said was of special importance.

What the Spirit saith unto the churches - Evidently what the Holy Spirit says -

for he is regarded in the Scriptures as the Source of inspiration, and as appointed to disclose truth to man. The “Spirit” may be regarded either as speaking through the Saviour (compare Joh_3:34), or as imparted to John, through whom he addressed the churches. In either case it is the same Spirit of inspiration, and in either case there would be a claim that his voice should be heard. The language used here is of a general character - “He that hath an ear”; that is, what was spoken was worthy of the attention not only of the members of these churches, but of all others. The truths were of so general a character as to deserve the attention of mankind at large.

To him that overcometh - Greek, “To him that gains the victory, or is a conqueror”

- τp�νικqντι tō�nikōnti. This may refer to any victory of a moral character, and the expression used would be applicable to one who should triumph in any of these respects:

(a) Over his own easily-besetting sins;

(b) Over the world and its temptations;

(c) Over prevalent error;

(d) Over the ills and trials of life, so as, in all these respects, to show that his Christian principles are firm and unshaken.

Life, and the Christian life especially, may be regarded as a warfare. Thousands fall in the conflict with evil; but they who maintain a steady warfare, and who achieve a victory, shall be received as conquerors in the end.

Will I give to eat of the tree of life - As the reward of his victory. The meaning is, that he would admit him to heaven, represented as paradise, and permit him to enjoy its pleasures - represented by being permitted to partake of its fruits. The phrase “the tree of life” refers undoubtedly to the language used respecting the Garden of Eden, Gen_2:9; Gen_3:22 - where the “tree of life” is spoken of as what was adapted to make the life of man perpetual. Of the nature of that tree nothing is known, though it would seem probable that, like the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, it was a mere emblem of life - or a tree that was set before man in connection with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and that his destiny turned on the question whether he partook of the one or the other. That God should make the question of life or death depend on that, is no more absurd or improbable than that he should make it depend on what man does now - it being a matter of fact that life and death, happiness and misery, joy and sorrow, are often made to depend on things quite as arbitrary apparently, and quite as unimportant as an act of obedience or disobedience in partaking of the fruit of a designated tree.

Does it not appear probable that in Eden there were two trees designated to be of an emblematic character, of life and death, and that as man partook of the one or the other he would live or die? Of all the others he might freely partake without their affecting his condition; of one of these - the tree of life - he might have partaken before the fall, and lived forever. One was forbidden on pain of death. When the law forbidding that was violated, it was I still possible that he might partake of the other; but, since the sentence of death had been passed upon him, that would not now be proper, and he was driven from the garden, and the way was guarded by the flaming sword of the cherubim. The reference in the passage before us is to the celestial paradise - to heaven - spoken of under the beautiful image of a garden; meaning that the condition of man, in regard to life, will still be the same as if he had partaken of the tree of life in Eden. Compare the notes on Rev_22:2.

Which is in the midst of the paradise of God - Heaven, represented as paradise. To be permitted to eat of that tree, that is, of the fruit of that tree, is but another expression implying the promise of eternal life, and of being happy forever. The word “paradise” is of Oriental derivation, and is found in several of the Eastern languages. In

the Sanskrit the word “paradesha” and “paradisha” is used to denote a land elevated and cultivated; in the Armenian the word “pardes” denotes a garden around the house

planted with grass, herbs, trees for use and ornament; and in the Hebrew form �פרדס�

pardēc, and Greek παράδεισος paradeisos, it is applied to the pleasure gardens and parks, with wild animals, around the country residences of the Persian monarchs and princes, Neh_2:8. Compare Ecc_2:5; Ca. Ecc_4:13; Xen. Cyro. i. 3, 14 (Robinson’s Lexicon). Here it is used to denote heaven - a world compared in beauty with a richly cultivated park or garden. Compare 2Co_12:4. The meaning of the Saviour is, that he would receive him that overcame to a world of happiness; that he would permit him to taste of the fruit that grows there, imparting immortal life, and to rest in an abode suited up in a manner that would contribute in every way to enjoyment. Man, when he fell, was not permitted to reach forth his hand and pluck of the fruit of the tree of life in the first Eden, as he might have done if he had not fallen; but he is now permitted to reach forth his hand and partake of the tree of life in the paradise above. He is thus restored to what he might have been if he had not transgressed by eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; and in the Paradise Regained, the blessings of the Paradise Lost will be more than recovered - for man may now live forever in a far higher and more blessed state than his would have been in Eden.

The Epistle to the Church at Smyrna

The contents of the epistle to the church at Smyrna are these:

(1) A statement, as in the address to the church at Ephesus, of some of the attributes of the Saviour, Rev_2:8. The attributes here referred to are, that he was “the first and the last,” that “he had been dead, but was alive” - attributes suited to impress the mind deeply with reverence for him who addressed them, and to comfort them in the trials which they endured.

(2) A statement Rev_2:9, as in the former epistle, that he well knew their works and all that pertained to them - their tribulation, their poverty, and the opposition which they met with from wicked people.

(3) An exhortation not to be afraid of any of those things that were to come upon them, for, although they were to be persecuted, and some of them were to be imprisoned, yet, if they were faithful, they should have a crown of life, Rev_2:10.

(4) A command to hear what the Spirit said to the churches, as containing matter of interest to all persons, with an assurance that any who would “overcome” in these trials would not be hurt by the second death, Rev_2:11. The language addressed to the church of Smyrna is throughout that of commiseration and comfort. There is no intimation that the Saviour disapproved of what they had done; there is no threat that he would remove the candle-stick out of its place. Smyrna was a celebrated commercial town of Ionia (Ptolem. v. 2), situated near the bottom of that gulf of the Aegean Sea which received its name from it (Mela, Rev_1:17, Rev_1:3), at the mouth of the small river Meles, 320 stadia, or about forty miles north of Ephesus (Strabo, 15, p. 632). It was a very ancient city; but having been destroyed by the Lydians, it lay waste four hundred years to the time of Alexander the Great, or, according to Strabo, to that of Antigonus. It was rebuilt at the distance of twenty stadia from the ancient city, and in the time of the first Roman emperor it was one of the most flourishing cities of Asia. It was destroyed by an earthquake, 177 a.d., but the emperor Marcus Aurelius caused it to be rebuilt with more than its former splendor.

It afterward, however, suffered greatly from earthquakes and conflagrations, and has declined from these causes, though, from its commercial advantages, it has always been a

city of importance as the central emporium of the Levantine trade, and its relative rank among the cities of Asia Minor is probably greater than it formerly bore. The engraving in this vol. will give a representation of Smyrna. The Turks now call it Izmir. It is better built than Constantinople, and its population is computed at about 130,000, of which the Franks compose a greater proportion than in any other town in Turkey, and they are generally in good circumstances. Next to the Turks, the Greeks form the most numerous portion of the inhabitants, and they have a bishop and two churches. The unusually large portion of Christians in the city renders it especially unclean in the eyes of strict Moslems, and they call it Giaour Izmir, or the Infidel Smyrna. There are in it about 20,000 Greeks, 8,000 Armenians, 1,000 Europeans, and 9,000 Jews. It is now the seat of important missionary operations in the East, and much has been done there to spread the gospel in modern times.

Its history during the long tract of time since John wrote is not indeed minutely known, but there is no reason to suppose that the light of Christianity there has ever been wholly extinct. Polycarp suffered martyrdom there, and the place where he is supposed to have died is still shown. The Christians of Smyrna hold his memory in great veneration, and go annually on a visit to his supposed tomb, which is at a short distance from the place of his martyrdom. See the article “Smyrna” in Kitto’s Cyclopedia, and the authorities referred to there.

2. CLARKE, "He that hath an ear - Let every intelligent person, and every Christian man, attend carefully to what the Holy Spirit, in this and the following epistles, says to the Churches. See the note on Mat_11:15, where the same form of speech occurs.

To him that overcometh - To him who continues steadfast in the faith, and uncorrupt in his life; who faithfully confesses Jesus, and neither imbibes the doctrines nor is led away by the error of the wicked; will I give to eat of the tree of life. As he who conquered his enemies had, generally, not only great honor, but also a reward; so here a

great reward is promised τv�νικωντι, to the conqueror: and as in the Grecian games, to which there may be an allusion, the conqueror was crowned with the leaves of some tree; here it is promised that they should eat of the fruit of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God; that is, that they should have a happy and glorious immortality. There is also here an allusion to Gen_2:9, where it is said, God made the tree of life to grow out of the midst of the garden; and it is very likely that by eating the fruit of this tree the immortality of Adam was secured, and on this it was made dependent. When Adam transgressed, he was expelled from this garden, and no more permitted to eat of the tree of life; hence he became necessarily mortal. This tree, in all its sacramental effects, is secured and restored to man by the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Christ. The tree of life is frequently spoken of by the rabbins; and by it they generally mean the immortality of the soul, and a final state of blessedness. See many examples in Schoettgen. They talk also of a celestial and terrestrial paradise. The former, they say, “is for the reception of the souls of the just perfect; and differs as much from the earthly paradise as light from darkness.”

3. GILL, "He that hath an ear,.... Such who have new ears given them, as all have who are made new creatures; such who have their ears circumcised, and opened by the Spirit of God; who hear with understanding, affection, and faith; who try what they hear,

and approve, embrace, and retain that which is good,

Let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; let such hearken, and listen with attention to what is said by the Spirit, in what goes before, and follows after, in this epistle, designed for the use of all the churches; from whence it appears, that this epistle was endited by the Spirit of God, and is of divine inspiration; that it was not intended for the single use of the church at Ephesus, but of all the churches; and not of the seven churches only, though the Alexandrian copy reads, "to the seven churches": but of all the churches in that period of time, which the Ephesine church represents; and which may also be useful to the churches of Christ in all other ages and periods of time. And moreover, it may be concluded from hence, that there are in this epistle, and so in all the rest, for the same words are subjoined to them all, some things which are parabolical and prophetic, and not obvious to everyone's understanding and view; for a like expression is used by our Lord, when he had delivered anything in a parabolical way, or was obscure; see Mat_11:15.

To him that overcometh: the false apostles, false teachers, and their doctrines; coldness, lukewarmness, and remissness in love; the impure tenets and practices of the Nicolaitans:

will I give to eat of the tree of life; by which is meant Jesus Christ himself, in allusion to the tree of life in the garden of Eden; and is so called, because he is the author of life, natural, spiritual, and eternal; and because of his fruit, the blessings of life and grace, that are in him, of which believers may eat by faith, and which they find to be soul quickening, comforting, strengthening, and satisfying; and which are Christ's gift to them, even both the food they eat, and the faith by which they eat, are his gifts. So Christ, under the name of Wisdom, is called the Tree of life, in Pro_3:18; and this is a name which is sometimes given by the Jews to the Messiah (e):

which is in the midst of the paradise of God; as the tree of life was in the garden of Eden, Gen_2:9. The Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions read, "the paradise of my God"; the God of Christ, as well as of his people; and by which may be meant, either the church on earth, which is as a paradise, Son_4:12; in the midst of which Christ is, affording his gracious presence, and reaching forth his grace, and the benefits of it, to his people; or heaven; see Gill on 2Co_12:4, said to be of God, because it is of his preparing, and where he dwells, and in the midst of which Christ, the Tree of life, is; and this shows, that he is to be come at by faith, and his fruit to be eaten, and lived upon; and he is to be beheld and enjoyed by all his saints, as he is now, and will be more perfectly hereafter,

4. HERY, "We have the conclusion of this epistle, in which, as in those that follow, we have,1. A call to attention: He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the

churches. Observe, (1.) What is written in the scriptures is spoken by the Spirit of God. (2.) What is said to one church concerns all the churches, in every place and age. (3.) We can never employ our faculty of hearing better than in hearkening to the word of God: and we deserve to lose it if we do not employ it to this purpose. Those who will not hear the call of God now will wish at length they had never had a capacity of hearing any thing at all.

2. A promise of great mercy to those who overcome. The Christian life is a warfare

against sin, Satan, the world, and the flesh. It is not enough that we engage in this warfare, but we must pursue it to the end, we must never yield to our spiritual enemies, but fight the good fight, till we gain the victory, as all persevering Christians shall do; and the warfare and victory shall have a glorious triumph and reward. That which is here promised to the victors is that they shall eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God. They shall have that perfection of holiness, and that confirmation therein, which Adam would have had if he had gone well through the course of his trial: he would then have eaten of the tree of life which was in the midst of paradise, and this would have been the sacrament of confirmation to him in his holy and happy state; so all who persevere in their Christian trial and warfare shall derive from Christ, as the tree of life, perfection and confirmation in holiness and happiness in the paradise of God; not in the earthly paradise, but the heavenly, Rev_22:1, Rev_22:2.

5. JAMISO, "He that hath an ear — This clause precedes the promise in the first three addresses, succeeds it in the last four. Thus the promises are enclosed on both sides with the precept urging the deepest attention as to the most momentous truths. Every man “hath an ear” naturally, but he alone will be able to hear spiritually to whom God has given “the hearing ear”; whose “ear God hath wakened” and “opened.” Compare “Faith, the ears of the soul” [Clement of Alexandria].

the Spirit saith — What Christ saith, the Spirit saith; so one are the Second and Third Persons.

unto the churches — not merely to the particular, but to the universal Church.

overcometh — In John’s Gospel (Joh_16:33) and First Epistle (1Jo_2:13, 1Jo_2:14; 1Jo_5:4, 1Jo_5:5) an object follows, namely, “the world,” “the wicked one.” Here, where the final issue is spoken of, the conqueror is named absolutely. Paul uses a similar image (1Co_9:24, 1Co_9:25; 2Ti_2:5; but not the same as John’s phrase, except Rom_12:21).

will I give — as the Judge. The tree of life in Paradise, lost by the fall, is restored by the Redeemer. Allusions to it occur in Pro_3:18; Pro_11:30; Pro_13:12; Pro_15:4, and prophetically, Rev_22:2, Rev_22:14; Eze_47:12; compare Joh_6:51. It is interesting to note how closely these introductory addresses are linked to the body of Revelation. Thus, the tree of life here, with Rev_22:1; deliverance from the second death (Rev_2:11), with Rev_20:14; Rev_21:8; the new name (Rev_2:17), with Rev_14:1; power over the nations, with Rev_20:4; the morning star (Rev_2:28), with Rev_22:16; the white raiment (Rev_3:5), with Rev_4:4; Rev_16:15; the name in the book of life (Rev_3:5), with Rev_13:8; Rev_20:15; the new Jerusalem and its citizenship (Rev_3:12), with Rev_21:10.

give ... tree of life — The thing promised corresponds to the kind of faithfulness manifested. They who refrain from Nicolaitane indulgences (Rev_2:6) and idol-meats (Rev_2:14, Rev_2:15), shall eat of meat infinitely superior, namely, the fruit of the tree of life, and the hidden manna (Rev_2:17).

in the midst of the paradise — The oldest manuscripts omit “the midst of.” In Gen_2:9 these words are appropriate, for there were other trees in the garden, but not in the midst of it. Here the tree of life is simply in the paradise, for no other tree is mentioned in it; in Rev_22:2 the tree of life is “in the midst of the street of Jerusalem”; from this the clause was inserted here. Paradise (a Persian, or else Semitic word), originally used of any garden of delight; then specially of Eden; then the temporary abode of separate souls in bliss; then “the Paradise of God,” the third heaven, the

immediate presence of God.

of God — (Eze_28:13). One oldest manuscript, with Vulgate, Syriac, and Coptic, and Cyprian, read, “MY God,” as in Rev_3:12. So Christ calls God, “My God and your God” (Joh_20:17; compare Eph_1:17). God is our God, in virtue of being peculiarly Christ’s God. The main bliss of Paradise is that it is the Paradise of God; God Himself dwelling there (Rev_21:3).

5B. COFFMA, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To

him that overcometh, to him will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.He that hath an ear, let him hear ... So! People do not receive spiritual information regarding their salvation from any inner impulses, dreams, impressions, or inner strivings of the soul, but by listening to the words given by the Holy Spirit. "This shows that God's revelations are spoken to man, not put into his heart through some mysterious spiritual power."[28] Also notable in this paragraph and in this verse is the fact that, "God dictated these seven letters to John in the literal sense of the word. Therefore, the ancient prophets received verbatim messages: Thus saith the Lord."[29] Our Lord himself often used this expression, as in Matthew 11:15; 13:9,43, etc.

What the Spirit saith to the churches ... This is of great value in the interpretation of these passages, since it is clear here that the messages written by John were not: (1) to a supernatural being such as an angel; (2) to any human authority in the church; nor (3) to any single one of the congregations, but "to the churches." All that is written to any one of them applies to all. Even beyond this, all that is written is to the churches of all time.

To him that overcometh ... The verb in this phrase can be translated conquereth,[30] or conquers. It occurs only twice in the Gospels (Luke 11:22; John 16:33) and only once in the writings of Paul (Romans 12:21). However, it is found in all seven of these letters to the churches, and John also used it repeatedly in 2John (2 John 1:2:13,14, and 2 John 1:5:4,5).[31] Hendriksen was mightily impressed with the implications of this term and named his book on Revelation after it.[32] John seemed to have some kind of preference for the word. It may be properly applied to a battle or a trial; but the word is used here independently of reference to any particular contest. "It means a victory over all kinds of evil that would harm the church or prevent the salvation of the contender."[33]

I will give to eat of the tree of life ... These words regarding the "tree of life" are found in Genesis 2:9and in Revelation 22:2,4,19, thus binding the beginning and the end of the Bible together, all of which, first to last, is concerned with the recovery of that which was lost in the Fall. As to just what the tree of life actually is, it is difficult to think of it as any kind of literal fruit. It undoubtedly has reference to Christ himself, as indicated by the following:

The Hebrew word in Genesis 2:9 was rendered by the Septuagint (LXX) translators with a Greek word which means, not tree, but wood; and the New Testament writers used that same word (wood) for all four passages where it occurs in Revelation, and in Acts 5:30; 10:39; 13:29; Galatians 3:13, and in 1 Peter 2:24 regarding the cross upon which Jesus died.[34]

Such blessed promises as this and all the others given in these passages seem to have been designed with a connection between them and the false superstitions of the people to whom they were addressed, in the sense of the good and the true being offered instead of the false. In this case, "Excavated coins of Ephesus show a date-palm, sacred to Artemis, and symbol of her life and beneficent activity."[35] It is not unlikely, therefore, that the tree of life is a holy symbol of the Son of God himself.

Which is in the Paradise of God ... The Greek word here rendered Paradise is Oriental, being first used by the historian Xenophon, denoting the parks of Persian kings and nobles.[36] The thought of a garden is in it. Jesus used the word in his promise to the thief (Luke 23:43), and Paul was caught up into it (2 Corinthians 12:4), apparently identifying it as "the third heaven." Vine states that 2 Corinthians 12:3 does not introduce a different vision.[37] Paradise is most certainly an extraterrestrial location, because the tree of life is positively not found anywhere on earth. Heaven is

perhaps as good a synonym for it as we have. However, such conclusions should not be applied to the use of "Paradise" in Luke 23:43, where a slightly different sense is evident. The usage of it there would appear to be equivalent in meaning to "Abraham's bosom" (Luke 16:22). See further comment on this in my Commentary on Matthew, p. 501.

[28] John T. Hinds, op. cit., p. 39.


[30] W. Boyd Carpenter, op. cit., p. 541.

[31] Ibid.

[32] William Hendriksen, More than Conquerors (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1956).

[33] John T. Hinds, op. cit., p. 39.


[35] E. M. Blaiklock, op. cit., p. 67.

[36] W. E. Vine, Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1940), 3p. 158.

[37] Ibid.

6. PULPIT, "He that hath an ear, let him hear. These solemn conclusions of these epistles

remind us of the conclusion of many of Christ's parables. It is very noteworthy that, although the epistle is addressed in each case to a Church in the person of its angel, yet the concluding exhortation and promise are always addressed to the individual Christian. Each must hear for himself. His Church may perish, yet, if he overcomes, he shall live. His Church may be crowned with eternal life, yet, if he is overcome, he will lose the reward. What the Spirit saith to the Churches; not "what he saith to this Church." The contents of each epistle are for all; for each individual Christian and for the Church at large, as well as for the particular Church addressed in the epistle. The epistle in each case is not from John, who is only the instrument, but from the Son of God and from the Spirit of God (Revelation 1:4). In the first three epistles the exhortation to hearken precedes the promise to the victor; in the four last it follows the promise, and closes the epistle. Is this change of arrangement accidental or deliberate? There should be a full stop at "Churches." In the Authorized Version it looks as if "what the Spirit saith" were confined to the promise in the second half of the verse. This error was avoided by Tyndale and Cranmer. It comes

from the Genevan and the Rhemish Versions. The verb to "overcome" or "conquer'' ( νικᾷν) is

strongly characteristic of St. John. It occurs seven times in the Gospel and the First Epistle, and

sixteen times in the Revelation; elsewhere only in Luke 11:22; Romans 3:4 (quotation from Psalms

51:6) and Romans 12:21; comp. especially 21:7, where, as in these epistles, it is not stated what is to be overcome. We might render, "to the victor," or "to the conqueror." The expression, "tree of life," of course comes from Genesis; we have it again in Revelation 22:2, Revelation 22:14. It means the tree which gives life. So also "the water of life" (Revelation 21:6) and "the bread of life" (John

6:35). In all these cases "life" is ζώη, the vital principle which man shares with God, not βίος, the

life which he shares with his fellow men. The latter word occurs less than a dozen times in the New Testament; the former, which sums up the New Testament, occurs more than a hundred times. The Paradise of God. The word "Paradise" occurs only thrice in the New Testament (Luke 23:1-56. 43; 2 Corinthians 12:4). It is of Persian origin, and signified a park or pleasure ground. In the New Testament it seems to mean the resting place of departed saints. There is strong evidence (B, versions, Cyprian, Origen) in favour of reading, "the Paradise of my God" (see notes onRevelation

3:2, Revelation 3:12). In considering this passage, Genesis 3:22 should be carefully compared

with John 6:51. "For him who conquers" the curse which barred Adam from the tree of life will be revoked by Christ.

7. GTB. “The Tree of LifeTo him that overcometh, to him will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the

Paradise of God.—Rev_2:7.

The Church at Ephesus had an early history full of promise. St. Paul addressed to it a noble and eloquent Epistle; but in the end of it he gave emphatic warning of spiritual dangers, and charged the Ephesian Christians to put on the panoply of God that they might “stand in the evil day.” The same Apostle, in an address to the elders of the Church, warned them that “grievous wolves” would enter into the fold “not sparing the flock.” His exhortation to them to watch, and the subsequent admonitions of St. John, were not without good effect. Firm discipline was maintained; false apostles were detected and repudiated; a libertine sect tried to obtain a footing, but was deservedly scouted. And yet a temptation had made some way among the orthodox Christians of Ephesus. Their fault was a decay of spiritual affection; there was a waning of their first love. There were, it is true, work, labour, patience, intolerance of evil men, spiritual discrimination, unfainting perseverance. The Ephesians saw through the pretensions of those who falsely claimed apostleship; they resisted the wiles of the Nicolaitans, who would have sapped their very life through fleshly indulgences. But, with all that was good among them, they had left their first love. The process had not produced lukewarmness, as in Laodicea; nor was there, as in Sardis, the chill of death. But the cooling process had begun; the fervour of first love was gone. Whatever individual exceptions there might be, this was the condition of the church as a whole. The overcomer, in Ephesus, therefore, would be the man who rose above the tendencies to waning love, the man in whose heart love continued not merely to abide, but to deepen and intensify. Health and strength might fail, inducing physical languor; age might come stealing on, with its feebleness and loss of enjoyment; but even unto death would love continue, profounder, more ardent and more fit for service and sacrifice in the end than in the beginning—able to take up the glorious challenge, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through him that loved us.” To this victor, loving on in spite of all deadening and benumbing influences, a very great promise is given: “To him that overcometh, to him will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.” The Nicolaitans promised sensual enjoyment, as in an earthly paradise, in the gratification of the appetites of the flesh; the Christian victor shall inherit the paradise of God, and shall eat of the tree of life in the midst thereof.

I have a recollection of a book I read when a boy called Danesbury House. It was written in order to illustrate the value of temperance. Though it is forty years since I saw it, or read it, there is a scene in that book which has remained with me all my life. It describes one of the boys of the house who had become a victim of drink. By the grace of God he determined to break the habit and to overcome. The picture is given of the struggle in his room, of his turning to the Bible and opening at this text, “To him that overcometh I will give to eat of the tree of life.” And the picture is drawn of that young man, broken by indulgence, his will weakened by drink, falling on his face and covering the Bible with his tears as he prayed to overcome. And the end of it was he did overcome, and became completely reclaimed. That has haunted me all my life. It seems to me that to overcome temptation, even one temptation, is to taste of the tree of life. To overcome all temptations is to eat of the tree and dwell in the paradise of God.1 [Note: R. F. Horton.]

I

Access to the Tree of Life

“The tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.”

1. The word “Paradise” has a curious history. Originally it was a name given to certain royal pleasure parks in which the sovereigns of ancient Persia took delight; a vast tract of enclosed country abounding in natural forest, timber as well as cultivated fruit trees; a place half park, half orchard, with springs of clear water keeping cool the meadow-lands, as well as open glades for sport, with here and there a terraced garden gay with flowers. Such was the scene styled first a Paradise. The Hebrews learned the word through their captivity in the East, as the Greeks learned it a little later during the campaigns of Alexander; and when the Old Testament came to be translated into Greek it was by this borrowed name that scholars interpreted the ancient garden of God, which had been man’s primeval seat in his golden age of innocence. Thus it became fairly naturalized among the Jews, and in our Lord’s time it had come to be transferred from Eden to the site of that Hades where the disembodied spirits lived—the region where all the Jews were believed to await Messiah’s coming.

In the New Testament the word “Paradise” is to be found only three times. Its first occurrence is in the great word of our Lord addressed to the penitent malefactor on the cross “To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise.” What the rude outlaw understood by the gracious words of his great Fellow-Sufferer that day could be nothing but this, that when death should release them both from their agony they should be received together among the righteous dead—he, undeserving child of Abraham, received beneath the favouring of Israel’s martyred Christ and King. On each of the two other occasions in which the term “Paradise” occurs in the New Testament it is used in a new sense—to describe the heaven of the Christian. The first time it recurs is where St. Paul is boasting of his rapture from earth to the immediate seat and vision of God—“caught up into Paradise” he writes, “and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.” The last time the word occurs, which is in this text in Revelation, it is again used as an equivalent for heaven—the final home of the beatified saints. Of this celestial Eden restored to men we have a description, very familiar to all of us, in the closing chapters of this same Apocalypse—a description which has coloured all the imagery of Christendom and its sacred songs.

That Eden of earth’s sunrise cannot vie

With Paradise beyond her sunset sky

Hidden on high.

Four rivers watered Eden in her bliss,

But Paradise hath One which perfect is

In sweetnesses.

Eden had gold, but Paradise hath gold

Like unto glass of splendours manifold

Tongue hath not told.

Eden had sun and moon to make her bright;

But Paradise hath God and Lamb for light,

And hath no night.

Unspotted innocence was Eden’s best;

Great Paradise shows God’s fulfilled behest,

Triumph and rest.1 [Note: Christina G. Rossetti, Poetical Works, 162.]

The Paradise of God can no more be determined locally than the original Garden of Eden. It is no more invisible than visible. It belongs to a region of another kind of experience than that of the senses. A paradise of God—we shall get the meaning of it by being of it. Let us repeat it to ourselves day and night for a week: “The tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.” The meaning of it will begin to clear itself without effort. It is a state, a condition of experience which is closely connected with Jesus. It is not in a particular locality; it is in Him, or, rather, He is in it. It is a place where His thought has become the atmosphere and His life the life.2 [Note: R. F. Horton.]

2. It is touching to see, in the later Jewish literature, how conscious men were of that shut door which Adam had closed against himself and his posterity; and in their books a favourite image of the goodness of the end was that then the prohibition should be withdrawn, and men should come back to what they had lost. In the Book of Esdras we read, “For you is Paradise opened and the tree of life planted”; and in Enoch, “No mortal is permitted to touch this tree of delicious fragrance till the Great Day of Judgment; but then it will be given to the righteous and the humble.” In this Book of Revelation the image comes again and again: “Blessed are they that wash their robes, that they may have right to the tree of life.” It had become a symbol of all that men had lost in their existence, which only God could restore. It was a symbol of great depth of meaning; for when men talked of the hope of Eden they confessed that what they lamented daily was not a fresh disaster or exclusion, but an old one, running back to Adam and the beginning.

In the first glimpse of the Garden that is given us in the Book of Beginnings we are shown a picture of the ideal home of innocence, of the soul of the untried child of humanity. But there falls a shadow upon the picture as we note the entrance of sin, which results in the loss of innocence and the expulsion from the Garden and the unsheathing of the flaming sword to guard the sacred Tree of Life.

But there is given us another picture of the Garden in that other Book of Beginnings, the revelation that was given to John of the new heaven and the new earth. Beautiful is the Garden now as when it first sprang fresh from its Maker’s hand. The gates are open to the four quarters of the wilderness. The flaming sword is in its sheath, and One like unto a Son of Man, clad in white robes and wearing a crown of victory, stands to welcome the returning exiles. As they come, they come by way of a Cross in the wilderness and along the banks of a glorious river, whose source they find to be in the Garden, where it waters the Tree of Life, of which they may now freely eat. One Garden is lost to us—we may not go back to Eden. But there is another Garden we may gain—it is ours to go forward, and the way of the Cross will lead us to its gates.1 [Note: J. B. Maclean, The Secret of the Stream, 138.]

3. Men who have little thought of the sin of Adam have yet a haunting sorrow because of what they have lost in life. There is a real pathos in the common legend of a golden age coming first which Greeks and Romans cherished, when existence was sweet and fresh and right, and all men lived in peace. The Jews also thought of a blessed spring-tide of the world. Man’s life began in a garden with flowers and streams, and God walked with him there, till by the one disobedience the charm was broken, and Adam must go out to a world with thistles instead of flowers, with labour and sickness and dying. They believed in God enough to believe that Eden was not lost, though no wandering horsemen ever came to encamp in it, or water their horses in its rivers, or caught sight of the flashing sword of God’s angel who kept the way of entrance. They believed that there was a way

back, but they tried in vain to find it. To some the story of the earthly paradise, standing at the head of the Bible history of man, has seemed a mere fable or myth, with no more truth in it and of no more account than the dream of a golden age; to some it has seemed an allegorical method of setting forth, as for children, the sinlessness and happiness of man’s original estate and the misery of departure from God, true only in the sense in which the “Pilgrim’s Progress” is true; to some the outward and literal have been all in all, and under the influence of a strong fascination they have even dreamed of discovering some lingering traces of the garden, or at least finding out where it lay. In vain: every trace of it has vanished as completely as the dew from last summer’s grass. The paradise of promise and hope is the paradise of God; no earthly garden, however fair, no restoration (through a cancelled forfeiture) of the paradise that has withered and died; in the paradise of God grows the tree called “the tree of life.”

The tree of life was as significant a symbol of life-giving Divine power to the Asian Greeks as to the Jews, though in a different way. Trees had been worshipped as the home of the Divine nature and power from time immemorial, and were still so worshipped in Asia Minor as in the ancient world generally. On some sacred tree the prosperity and safety of a family or tribe or city was often believed to depend. When the sacred olive-tree on the Acropolis of Athens put forth a new shoot after the city had been burned by the Persians, the people knew that the safety of the State was assured. The belief was widely entertained that the life of a man was connected with some tree, and returned into that tree when he died. The tree which grew on a grave was often thought to be penetrated with the spirit and life of the buried man. The tree of life in the Revelation was in the mind of the Ephesians a Christianization of the sacred tree in the pagan religion and folk-lore; it was a symbolic expression which was full of meaning to the Asian Christians, because to them the tree had always been the seat of Divine life and the intermediary between Divine and human nature. The problem which was constantly present to the ancient mind in thinking of the relation of man to God appears here: how can the gulf that divides human nature from the Divine nature be bridged over? how can God come into effective relation to man? In the holy tree the Divine life is bringing itself closer to man. He who can eat of the tree of life is feeding on the Divine power and nature, is strengthening himself with the body and the blood of Christ. The idea was full of power to the Asian readers.1 [Note: W. M. Ramsay, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia, 247.]

4. “To him will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God” is the mystical expression of the great truth that Jesus can incorporate us in His own life, and make us sharers of His own joy. He is in paradise. If we are in Him, we are in paradise.

Why should a Divinely sustained and everlasting life be promised as the reward of victory, seeing it is the present possession of all believers? For thus runs the testimony of Scripture: “He that believeth on the Son of God hath everlasting life”—hath this life already; it is already kindled and shrined in his breast. “This is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life.” Not only is all this true, but it is pre-supposed in the promise given in the text to the overcomer. For it is to be borne in mind that the earnest, enjoyed in this life, is of the same nature as the future felicity and glory. While the life eternal in its beginnings is a present possession of the believer in Jesus, yet in its glorious fulness, or what Jesus calls its “abundance,” it shall be also the future reward of him that overcometh. Hence St. Paul writes to Timothy, “Lay hold on eternal life”; and the Apostle John says, “This is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.”

It will not meet us where the shadows fall

Beside the sea that bounds the Evening Land;

It will not greet us with its first clear call

When Death has borne us to the farther strand.

It is not something yet to be revealed—

The everlasting life—’tis here and now;

Passing unseen because our eyes are sealed

With blindness for the pride upon our brow.

It calls us ’mid the traffic of the street,

And calls in vain, because our ears are lent

To these poor babblements of praise that cheat

The soul of heaven’s truth, with earth’s content.

It dwells not in innumerable years;

It is the breath of God in timeless things—

The strong, divine persistence that inheres

In love’s red pulses and in faith’s white wings.

It is the power whereby low lives aspire

Unto the doing of a selfless deed,

Unto the slaying of a soft desire,

In service of the high, unworldly creed.

It is the treasure that is ours to hold

Secure, while all things else are turned to dust;

That priceless and imperishable gold

Beyond the scathe of robber and of rust.

It is a clarion when the sun is high,

The touch of greatness in the toil for bread,

The nameless comfort of the Western sky,

The healing silence where we lay our dead.

And if we feel it not amid our strife,

In all our toiling and in all our pain—

This rhythmic pulsing of immortal life—

Then do we work and suffer here in vain.1 [Note: P. C. Ainsworth, Poems and Sonnets, 9.]

II

Access through Christ

“To him will I give to eat of the tree of life.”

1. Every word of the text might stand our scrutiny, and none calls for more careful examination than the word “give,” indicating that Christ is the bestower of the reward. He who overcomes might seem to have earned something, and the reward be his by right. But in the Kingdom of God there is no thought of meriting. All faithfulness in duty has its reward, and many Scriptures declare that the reward is in some way proportioned to the work, so that a man may actually reap the thing which he has sown. And yet has any man who has known God ever dared to think of Him as in his debt? At every stage of life such a man is apt to be impressed by his own extraordinary mercies; the element of grace in life, of things better than he has worked for, bulks largely in his view. And when he comes to the end, and the question of the wages due to him comes up for settlement, the thought of self-assertion is far away; for the least of God’s rewards has in it something that passes human expectation. A man might humbly ask only to be within the door, to have a sight, however distant, of that Face; but to be within the door includes the whole—“a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” And those to whom that blessedness is given take it not as the deserved return for their poor services on earth, but as one last miracle of the grace of God, who gives men what they never could have earned; and they take it from the hands of Him who “overcame the sharpness of death, and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.” For it is Christ who says, “I will give,” Jesus Christ risen and enthroned, who has ascended on high, and has received gifts for men.

The result of our Lord’s varied teaching about life is to exhibit it as the ultimate and fundamental form of human good, the highest and the deepest blessing which man can in any wise attain; and that especially because it is what most closely links him to God, and may most truly be represented as issuing from God’s own being. But while the disciples were being led by this gradual and often indirect guidance to esteem rightly the preciousness of life, they were learning also in like manner that the life thus highly exalted was in some sense embodied in the person of their Lord. After the earlier days of intercourse had brought them to recognize Him as a trustworthy teacher concerning life and the way to attain it, nay as Himself a giver of it, they soon came to feel that when He was giving them life He was giving them of Himself, for they received it after a fashion which the externality of such terms as “given” and “gift” renders them incompetent to describe.1 [Note: F. J. A. Hort, The Way: the Truth: the Life, 109.]

2. In the text Jesus Christ claims to be the Arbiter of men’s deserts and the Giver of their rewards. He has said that He will give to all the multitude of faithful fighters who have brought their shields out of the battle, and their swords undinted, the gift of life eternal. In Christ risen from the dead we have, says St. John, the assurance of things which the past never had. The tree of life is promised, which was denied to Adam. The Eden of earth’s sunrise had a beauty of its own, yet, fugitive and ill-secured, it was not fit to last; but the things which Christ brought in are not to be withdrawn. If He undid by His long warfare an old disaster, it is for ever; the salvation of Jesus is irreversible. The text at least implies that there is some power in Jesus Christ to give lost things back again; and those who know His work must have seen startling resurrections of old things—purity returning to those whose life had been sullied, hope returning to some who had sinned their chances all away. “I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten,” says God. All is not lost; and Christ holds the secret of how to give it back to men. Eden is not lost, it is with God; and through the grace of God we may see what life took from us—the

wishes too great, the hopes too fair, the knowledge too wonderful. After all, it is a heathen fancy that the golden age is behind; it is the thought of those who erred, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God; and we should learn from Jesus Christ to trust Him to do better for us than the best the past has seen.

Of all the various ways in which the imagination has distorted truth none has worked so much harm as reverence for past ages. It is this which inspired poets with the notion of a Golden Age, in which the world was filled with peace, and crime was unknown. And it is this same principle which diffused a belief that in the olden time men were not only more virtuous and happy, but attained to a larger stature and lived to a greater age than is possible for their degenerate descendants.1 [Note: A. W. Momerie.]

The Golden Age is in the future, not in the past, whatever the poets may say. We look back with humiliation to one Garden, the defiled and deserted Paradise of Eden: we look forward with joy and hope to another Garden, the glorious and incorruptible Paradise of Heaven that shall never be destroyed.2 [Note: J. B. Maclean, The Secret of the Stream, 136.]

3. In the promise “I will give” there is involved the eternal continuance of Christ’s relation to men as the Revealer and Mediator of God. Not only when the victor crosses the threshold and enters the Capitol of the heavens, but all through the ages, Christ is the Medium by which the Divine life passes into men. True, there is a sense in which He shall deliver up the Kingdom to His Father, when the partial end of the present dispensation has come. But He is the Priest of mankind for ever; and for ever is His Kingdom enduring. And through all the endless ages which we have a right to hope we shall see, there will never come a point in which it will not remain as true as it is at this moment: “No man hath seen God at any time, nor can see him; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.” Christ is for ever the Giver of life, in the heavens as on earth. There all the blessedness and the existence, which is the substratum and condition of the blessedness, are ours only because, wavelet by wavelet, throbbing out as from a central fountain, there flows into the redeemed a life communicated by Christ Himself.

The immortality which Christ proclaimed in His own Person and life had indeed been adumbrated in deeds of valour and lives of heroic self-sacrifice, but as a revelation of life, of the true and proper life of man, it was as new as it has ever since been unique. “I am come that they might have life” was the burden of all He taught and did and suffered: and but for that “coming” it is impossible to conceive of our eyes being opened to the measureless possibilities of our spiritual life. When St. Paul exclaimed in the simple rendering of Luther, “Christ is my life,” he defined what immortality really is. The triumph lies in the instinct to triumph; the extension of life in the quality of the life.1 [Note: T. J. Hardy, The Gospel of Pain.]

To be a Christian is to have a new life in the soul. Christ Himself lives in each one who believes in Him. St. Paul puts it very graphically when he says that he is dead, crucified with Christ, that is, as to his old life. Then he adds: “Yet I live; and yet no longer I, but Christ liveth in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me.” These words reveal the secret of St. Paul’s wonderful life. It was Christ living in him that made him the man he was. This is the secret of every transfigured life. There is no other way to get it. We must open our heart and let Christ enter into us and fill us. He is ever eager to do this, and will possess us just as far as we yield our life up to Him.2 [Note: J. R. Miller.]

III

Access for the Victor

“To him that overcometh.”

Whilst access to the tree of life is a gift, we cannot miss the fact that there is a condition—the gift is only “to him that overcometh.” In all God’s greater gifts there is a certain condition of congruity. These noble things cannot be passed from hand to hand like sums of money; even Christ can give only to those who are in a condition to receive. “If ye forgive not,” He said, “neither will your Father forgive you.” Now, as to this condition of overcoming, it tells us how St. John conceived of the Christian life. To him it was a course of overcoming the world and one’s self, and he found its earliest impulse in that great victory of the cross.

1. Here is life promised in all its range and detail; in all its clear meaning and wide power: life through all eternity. But how hard a promise it is: “to him that overcometh will I give,” leaving all with ourselves. Christ does not say here—I give thee life that thou mayest overcome; but, Overcome and the life will be thine. The responsibility, the start, the strain He leaves upon our own wills; even as His Apostle intends, where he says, not “accept the faith,” but “fight the good fight of faith.” Yes, it is stern; but how true to our experience. Did we ever pass through a temptation in which we did not feel: Here even God cannot go before us, nor stand instead of us. Otherwise it were not worth the name of temptation; it were not in any wise our temptation. For who is it that is to be tempted, tested, put to proof and trial? Is it God or Christ? It is ourselves. But precisely as the loneliness and rigour of such an experience come home to us, God has begun to fulfil His promise of life. For it is in the bare realization of ourselves—and all the more if it even come upon us for the moment without any religious mitigation of its solitude and its pain—it is in this very moment, of lonely responsibility and unmitigated strain, that life begins. It is the necessity and prerogative of our manhood that in its moral conflicts, God, who has assuredly called us and is ready to help us, must wait for a decision and victory which shall be our own. However clear His call,—and all our salvation starts from that,—however near His help, we have to decide, we have to overcome.

Bishop Welldon in one of his sermons to the boys at Harrow, of which famous public school he was for many years head-master, spoke of the many bright lads whom he had known as scholars—pleasant, popular, courteous, and frank—of whom every one spoke well, but who never dreamt of such a thing as self-discipline or self-denial, who made no effort, who would never do what was irksome or unpleasant. After these boys left the restraints of school, a subtle, surprising change came over them. Some from mere self-indulgence lapsed into open sin; others became simply do-nothings, amusing themselves in sport or luxury or worldly ways, doing little or nothing of good to any human being. They lacked any power of overcoming; and this it was which proved so dangerous or fatal to their lives. “Since this is so,” said Dr. Welldon preaching in the school chapel, “I put to you the pointed question—to every one of you—what have you ‘overcome’? Has there in your life been any battle, any victory? Are there any scars upon your breast, or any laurels on your brow? Is there any habit, any disposition, any desire of which you can say, ‘I have fought and I have overcome it; it is beaten’? Yes, I know you will be brave in the face of danger; but oh! that I could be sure you would be equally brave in the face of temptation. You will conquer others; but, my boys, will you conquer yourselves? What does God ask of you—of every Church, of every person? It is one thing—one thing only. It is not that he should be great or clever or adventurous. It is that he should ‘overcome.’ ‘To him that overcometh,’ to him who is patient and strong, to him alone is given the amaranthine crown.”1 [Note: J. E. C. Welldon, Youth and Duty, 249.]

There was once on a door in Edinburgh a motto, and it ran: “He that tholes overcomes,” and a lad passing the house on his way to school read the motto, but did not understand

it. He came home and asked: “What is the meaning of that word ‘thole’?” He was told by his parent it meant to bear with patience—“he that tholes overcomes.” The boy, passing that motto day by day, formed the resolution that he would thole, that he would bear with patience. That boy eventually became the founder of the great Edinburgh firm of Chambers, and he attributed the extraordinary success of his life to realizing the meaning of that motto, “He that tholes overcomes.”1 [Note: R. F. Horton.]

2. But the question is, “Can we overcome?” Is it to be assumed the victory is easy? Is it easy to overcome the obstacles, the difficulties of life, to overcome the temptations in our own nature and in the world around us, to overcome ourselves and stand supreme over that lower self which is of the earth earthy? Is it possible to overcome? The prize is beautiful. The promise is a vision. But is it possible? We can overcome if there is an adequate power behind, and that adequate power is there—Christ, who is the reward of overcoming. It all turns upon that. The power by which we can overcome cannot be said to be ours. It would be a contradiction in terms to say it is. We have to overcome ourselves. What is the power to overcome the self? It must be another. It is Christ. “This is the victory that overcometh the world.” “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” He can enable every one to overcome. The victor can conquer only in one way. If we trust in Christ we shall get His power into our hearts, and if we get His power into our hearts, then “we shall be more than conquerors through him that loved us.” The power of sin is great, but His power is much greater. Temptation is dazzling and sometimes seductive; but He can give us the victory. Actual sin is overcome by an actual Saviour.

I saw some time ago a beautiful remark. Among the Irish labourers who come over every year to the harvest in England was one who was accustomed to come to the same place year after year. He was of a sullen, moody nature, but one year he came completely changed—bright, joyful, ready to help, encouraging every one. They asked him what the cause was, and they twitted him, and made humorous suggestions about the change that had come over him. At last he turned to them all and said: “You are quite right about the change, but you are wrong about the cause. The truth is, I found the greatest friend in the world, Jesus, and my heart is just full of joy.” That was his answer. I cannot see how it could be better or truer. When you have found Jesus, you may be sad in a sense, and sick and weary in a sense, but your heart is full of joy. He has given you “to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.”2 [Note: Ibid.]

3. Let Christ Himself be our example, whose whole life on earth was a warfare with the powers of evil; who found its crises and its agonies in the hours when He was alone with the Father; “who in the days of his flesh when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears … was heard for his godly fear.” Let us follow Him, who was tempted in all things like as we are, till by feeling our fellowship with Him in agony and the awful difficulty of doing the Father’s will, we shall also share His faith that we have this conflict to endure just because we can bear it, just because of our freedom, and just in order to realize that we are alive. “As I also overcame, and sat down with my Father in his throne.” Our Lord Jesus conquered all opposed to Him. In their presence He never fainted, He never failed, He never suffered defeat. Calm, confident victory rests upon every page of the sacred story. As one reads the narrative of conquest, one is amazed at the prolific and abundant spiritual energy which everywhere confronts the powers of ill. Our Lord overcame the world; He never bowed to the enticements or the glitter; they would make Him a king of the worldly order, but He rejected the allurement and went away to pray. He overcame the flesh; His life is characterized by order and beauty; on the one hand there was no harsh asceticism, and on the other hand there was no unseemly excess. He overcame the devil; they met again and again; “the prince of this world cometh”; he was ever coming, but he came to no purpose, and he

achieved no triumph. Our Lord was always victor over the antagonists which stand in our path to-day.

There is, perhaps, no one term whose significance is less truly understood than that of overcoming. When Jesus said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world,” there was something meant quite different from its commonly received interpretation. Many persons have translated it to imply that in this world—this present life—tribulation is the appointed lot of man; but that death will end this, and by that event we “overcome the world”—that is, enter into joy and peace as inevitable conditions of the life beyond. But is there not undoubtedly a far deeper and nobler meaning than this? The “world” does not refer merely to life on this planet—the threescore years and ten allotted to man in this present state of existence—but rather it has reference to a condition. By “the world” is meant all that materiality which must be overcome before one can enter into that state of mind which is the kingdom of heaven, and which may be the condition of life here just as surely as hereafter. We overcome only as we rise to the spiritual plane. “Be of good cheer,” said Jesus: “I have overcome the world.” Where He has gone we may follow. If He overcame the world, so may we. It is not easy; it is possible. Not being easy to achieve, it is, when once attained, a condition so easy that it preserves itself and progresses by its own momentum. One who is succeeding in living to any perceptible degree the spiritual life rather than the material, realizes for himself the profound truth in the assertion of the Christ, that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. There is in it the peace which indeed passeth all understanding, and the joy that the world can neither give nor take away. Believe and love—all the duties of the world and all the privileges of heaven are condensed in those three words. Believe and love. Not only trust, but know, believe. Hold fast to the conviction that the forces of life are Divine. Come into harmony with them, and thus live above the plane on which discord is possible, thus overcome the world.1 [Note: Lilian Whiting, The World Beautiful, 161.]

4. After every temptation conquered, after every self-indulgence refused, after every duty accepted and patiently performed, we do feel, in a hundred fresh impulses of moral vigour and hopefulness, this life which those enjoy who overcome. He who conquers is a new man—fresh, elastic, confident. The skies are bright above him, and his heart is clear within. There is given to him an enjoyment of God’s world denied to other men; and at the same time a power of patience with things that are evil, for he has already conquered these in himself, and knows that their day is determined. What a generous trust in others our victories over ourselves give us! What an eye for the good that is in them! What a power of encouraging that good! While about us is the atmosphere of peace which springs from the faith that God reigns.

When Philip Henry was thirty years old, he noted in his diary that “so old and no older was Alexander when he conquered the great world; but I have not subdued the little world, myself.”2 [Note: J. Moffatt, The Golden Book of John Owen, 159.]

A life of renunciation appeared to Francis as the goal of his efforts, but he felt that his spiritual novitiate was not yet ended. He suddenly experienced a bitter assurance of the fact. He was riding on horseback one day, his mind more than ever possessed with the desire to lead a life of absolute devotion, when at a turn of the road he found himself face to face with a leper. The frightful malady had always inspired in him an invincible repulsion. He could not control a movement of horror, and by instinct he turned his horse in another direction.

If the shock had been severe, the defeat was complete. He reproached himself bitterly. To cherish such fine projects and show himself so cowardly! Was the knight of Christ then going to give up his arms? He retraced his steps and springing from his horse he gave to

the astounded sufferer all the money that he had; then kissed his hand as he would have done to a priest. This new victory, as he himself saw, marked an era in his spiritual life.

This victory of Francis had been so sudden that he desired to complete it; a few days later he went to the lazaretto. One can imagine the stupefaction of these wretches at the entrance of the brilliant cavalier. If in our days a visit to the sick in our hospitals is a real event awaited with feverish impatience, what must not have been the appearance of Francis among these poor recluses? One must have seen sufferers thus abandoned, to understand what joy may be given by an affectionate word, sometimes even a simple glance.

Moved and transported, Francis felt his whole being vibrate with unfamiliar sensations. For the first time he heard the unspeakable accents of a gratitude which cannot find words burning enough to express itself, which admires and adores the benefactor almost like an angel from heaven.1 [Note: Paul Sabatier, Life of

8. VWS, “He that hath an ear, etc.Compare Mat_11:15; Mar_4:9. The phrase is not found in John's Gospel. It is used

always of radical truths, great principles and promises.

To him that overcometh (τp�νικqτp�νικqτp�νικqτp�νικqντιντιντιντι)

A formula common to all these Epistles. The verb is used absolutely without any object expressed. It is characteristic of John, occurring once in the Gospel, six times in the First Epistle, sixteen times in Revelation, and elsewhere only Luk_11:22; Rom_3:4; Rom_12:21.

Will I give

This phrase has a place in every one of these Epistles. The verb is John's habitual word for the privileges and functions of the Son, whether as bestowed upon Him by the Father, or dispensed by Him to His followers. See Joh_3:35; Joh_5:22, Joh_5:27, Joh_5:36; Joh_6:65; Joh_13:3; Joh_17:6. Compare Rev_2:23; Rev_3:8; Rev_6:4; Rev_11:3.

Of the tree (wwwwκ�κ�κ�κ�ξύξύξύξύλουλουλουλου)

The preposition wκ�out of occurs one hundred and twenty-seven times in Revelation, and its proper signification is almost universally out of; but this rendering in many of the passages would be so strange and unidiomatic, that the New Testament Revisers have felt themselves able to adopt it only forty-one times out of all that number, and employ of, from, by, with, on, at, because of, by reason of, from among. See, for instance, Rev_2:7, Rev_2:21, Rev_2:22; Rev_6:4, Rev_6:10; Rev_8:11; Rev_9:18; Rev_14:13; Rev_15:2; Rev_16:21. Compare Joh_3:31; Joh_4:13, Joh_6:13, Joh_6:39, Joh_6:51; Joh_8:23, Joh_8:44; Joh_9:6; Joh_11:1; Joh_12:3, Joh_12:27, Joh_12:32; Joh_17:5.

Tree, lit., wood. See on Luk_23:31; see on 1Pe_2:24. Dean Plumptre notes the fact that, prominent as this symbol had been in the primeval history, it had remained unnoticed in the teaching where we should most have looked for its presence - in that of the Psalmist and Prophets of the Old Testament. Only in the Proverbs of Solomon had it been used, in a sense half allegorical and half mystical (Pro_3:18; Pro_13:12; Pro_11:30; Pro_15:4). The revival of the symbol in Revelation is in accordance with the theme of the restitution of all things. “The tree which disappeared with the disappearance of the earthly Paradise, reappears with the reappearance of the heavenly.” To eat of the tree of

life expresses participation in the life eternal. The figure of the tree of life appears in all mythologies from India to Scandinavia. The Rabbins and Mohammedans called the vine the probation tree. The Zend Avesta has its tree of life called the Death-Destroyer. It grows by the waters of life, and the drinking of its sap confers immortality. The Hindu tree of life is pictured as growing out of a great seed in the midst of an expanse of water. It has three branches, each crowned with a sun, denoting the three powers of creation, preservation, and renovation after destruction. In another representation Budha sits in meditation under a tree with three branches, each branch having three stems. One of the Babylonian cylinders discovered by Layard, represents three priestesses gathering the fruit of what seems to be a palm-tree with three branches on each side. Athor, the Venus of the Egyptians, appears half-concealed in the branches of the sacred peach-tree, giving to the departed soul the fruit, and the drink of heaven from a vial from which the streams of life descend upon the spirit, a figure at the foot of the tree, like a hawk, with a human head and with hands outstretched.

In the Norse mythology a prominent figure is Igdrasil, the Ash-tree of Existence; its roots in the kingdom of Eels or Death, its trunk reaching to heaven, and its boughs spread over the whole universe. At its foot, in the kingdom of Death, sit three Nornas or Fates, the Past, the Present, and the Future, watering its roots from the sacred well. Compare Rev_22:2, Rev_22:14, Rev_22:19. Virgil, addressing Dante at the completion of the ascent of the Purgatorial Mount, says:

“That apple sweet, which through so many branchesThe care of mortals goeth in pursuit of,Today shall put in peace thy hungerings.”“Purgatorio,” xxvii., 115-117.

Paradise

See on Luk_23:43. Omit in the midst of. Παράδεισος�Paradise “passes through a series of meanings, each one higher than the last. From any garden of delight, which is its first meaning, it comes to be predominantly applied to the garden of Eden, then to the resting-place of separate souls in joy and felicity, and lastly to the very heaven itself; and we see eminently in it, what we see indeed in so many words, how revealed religion assumes them into her service, and makes them vehicles of far higher truth than any which they knew at first, transforming and transfiguring them, as in this case, from glory to glory” (Trench).

9. SBC, “The Promise to the Overcomer.I. In Ephesus the special evil to be contended against was the waning of first love. The overcomer, therefore, in Ephesus, would be the man who rose above the tendencies to waning love, the man in whose heart love continued, not merely to abide, but to deepen and intensify. Health and strength might fail, inducing physical languor; age might come stealing on, with its feebleness and loss of enjoyment; but even unto death would love continue, profounder, and more ardent, and more fit for service and sacrifice in the end than the beginning, able to take up the glorious challenge, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?"

II. To this victor, loving on in spite of deadening and benumbing influences, a very great promise is given. The promise is announced with the utmost solemnity, in the hearing of the whole Church, in order that all might be inspired for the conflict, the promise of blissful and glorious, if yet mysterious reward, not as bribe, but as hope set before them.

The doctrine of reward is really a further disclosure of the infinite generosity of Christ, and is fitted to captivate the heart. In suspecting the doctrine, we are really mistrusting, if not blaming, Christ Himself.

III. The Christian victor shall eat of fruit that grows in the paradise of God; the overcomer shall enjoy a Divinely sustained and everlasting life. While the life eternal in its beginnings is a present possession of the believer in Jesus, yet in its glorious fulness, or what Jesus calls its abundance, it shall be also the future reward of him that overcometh. What we are sure of is that body, soul, and spirit shall all share in the perfectness of the redemption; and that the perfected and triumphant life of love shall have suitable nourishment, Divinely provided and supplied, in the fruit of the tree of life. The very mystery of the promise enkindles desire, and gives intensity to the prayer, "Even so come, Lord Jesus."


The Tree of Life.

We always look with great interest on any representation of a future state of things which borrows its imagery from the paradise wherein our first parents were placed. There is nothing which more assures us how complete will be the final triumph of the Redeemer than sketches of the thorough restoration of what sin hath destroyed or defaced, so that the garden of Eden shall again blossom in all its loveliness, and be once more filled with its sacramental mysteries. The question is not whether these sketches are accurate delineations of what is yet to occur. They may be only employed as parables, and not to be literally interpreted. But the mere fact that representations of the future are given in what may be called the language of paradise does always seem to us a most striking proof that the effects of redemption shall at last be commensurate with those of apostacy; so that there is nothing of what the one hath lost which shall not be finally recovered through the other. Let this globe resume its lost place among the morning stars of the universe, let its first verdure return, and everything like discord and unhappiness be banished from its habitations, and then will there be a demonstration such as can hardly be given on any other supposition that Christ Jesus hath effected the very purpose for which He was "manifested"—namely, "that He might destroy the works of the devil."

I. Our text is a beautiful instance of the employment of what we call the imagery of paradise. Our Lord Himself is the Speaker. He is addressing the Church of Ephesus, which, though still presenting many things for which it gains commendation, had somewhat declined from its first love, and needed, therefore, to be bidden to remember from whence it had fallen—to "repent and do the first works." And Christ would encourage the Ephesians to the attempting of the recovery of the ground which has been lost by speaking to them of the recompense which is laid up for the righteous: "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches." The Christian life must be a warfare: a constant battle has to be maintained with "the world, the flesh, and the devil"; but "to him that overcometh"—to him who perseveres to the end, "fighting the good fight of faith"—to him "will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God."

II. We must not forget that our text refers to the heavenly state. The paradise in the midst of which is the tree of life is the final dwelling-place of those who shall overcome in the "good fight of faith." Therefore we must not illustrate the matter under review by

reference to what belongs only to our present condition. Yet who shall say that what is figuratively set forth by the combination of the river and the tree will not equally hold good in our eternal inheritance? Rather, since it is in our eternal inheritance that the combination is represented as subsisting, we are bound to believe that the river, whose streams shall "make glad the city of our God," will be bordered hereafter, as it is now, by the tree of life; in other words, that Christ and the Spirit will never be separated from the experience and the happiness of the Church. The occupation and gladness of eternity shall greatly consist, we may believe, in the searching more deeply into the mysteries of redemption and comprehending more and more that love which will always pass knowledge. Now we see only through a glass, darkly; and dim and feeble are our apprehensions of that magnificent scheme which perhaps includes the whole universe of animated beings in that unlimited mercy which held nothing too costly that this scheme might be perfected. But hereafter, in the manhood of our faculties and in possession of eternal life, we shall be admitted into acquaintance with the height, and depth, and breadth of the Atonement; and we shall be able at last so to climb, and penetrate, and explore, as vastly to outstrip our present feeble progress, though the result of every advance may be that untravelled immensity is still stretching beyond. And why may we not suppose that in these our lofty and glorious researches we shall be aided by the Spirit who now "takes of the things of Christ and shows them" to the soul?

III. But the Evangelist John tells us yet more of this tree of life—more by which he encourages us in the endeavour to overcome all the enemies of our salvation. It may be that wherever the river rolls only one species of tree is found on its banks; nevertheless there is no sameness, for we are told of this tree that it bears twelve manner of fruits, and yields fruit every month. It is not, surely, for us to suppose the number of twelve is the exact number of fruits which are produced. The number is evidently given with reference to the length of the year, that we may know that the tree, unlike every other tree, yields fruit at all seasons, and is at no time barren—a beautiful emblem of the Lord our Redeemer! He is represented as the tree of life, inasmuch as He is the root whence every order of being derives its animation. But He is also the tree of life to sinners who have banished themselves from paradise, where that tree was first planted. The grand thing for us to be satisfied of in reference to the Redeemer is that there is in Him a supply for our every necessity. If He be the tree of life, we must be able to obtain from Him whatever we require as candidates for immortality. And what can more admirably affirm that He is such a tree than the saying that it bears twelve manner of fruits and yieldeth fruit every month? This is certainly a description, if any can be, of the largeness and fulness of the Mediator’s office. This sets before us the Mediator as offering to every individual case exactly what is suited to its circumstances. We do not believe that the variety and sufficiency which we can now find in the Mediator shall have ceased in another state of being. There will not, indeed, be precisely the same wants to satisfy, nor the same desires to appease; and therefore neither do we suppose that precisely the same fruits will hang on the branches of the tree. But this is only saying that the fruits change with the season. Why should they be the same beneath the cloudless shinings of eternity as amid the bleak winds of time? Nevertheless there may be a great variety, and yet there may still be the twelve manner of fruits. There are to be degrees in heaven hereafter, each being happy up to the full measure of his capacity, but the capacity of one differing from that of another, as "one star differeth from another star in glory." Why may not this be represented by the twelve manner of fruits? Why may we not think that when the tree of life grows in the midst of the celestial paradise—for we read of no other tree, though every species were found in the terrestrial—and when this is represented as yielding varieties of produce, why may we not think that it is a figurative declaration that Christ will hereafter fill the capacities of the whole company of the redeemed, giving Himself to

each individual exactly in that measure in which there is power to receive Him? Every one who enters heaven shall find himself made perfectly happy. Eating of that tree which is in the midst of the paradise of God, he will enjoy in full measure the highest felicity of which he is capable. But there must be warfare, struggle, endurance, beforehand. "To him that overcometh," to no other, is the promise made. Fight, then, as those who strive for the mastery. The prize is worth the conflict. Yet a little while, and the battle shall be ended; and they who have "overcome," by the aid of that Spirit "which speaketh unto the Churches," shall sit down beneath the shadow of "the tree of life," and its fruits shall be "sweet to their taste."

H. Melvill, Penny Pulpit, No. 1807.

10. OTES, “Of the seven churches discussed in Revelation, five needed renewal, and that was only 60 years into church history! To each church John writes, "He who has an ear, let him hear . . . John is asking them to stop, look and listen to what Jesus Christ is saying.

Overcomers are the heroes of church history. This is the goal of every believer-to be an overcomer. It is a perpetual role, for last year's victories will not be good enough, for this year there are many new obstacles. The Greeks used this word to refer to the winners who gained the victory over opponents. Overcoming is the name of the game, for we must be always overcoming all that hinders us from being loyal to Christ. Life is perpetual competition. There are foes everywhere and many obstacles to following Christ completely. There are temptations within and tribulations without. We are always being overcome by something, or we are overcoming something and pressing on. We are all overcoming or we are being overcome, for nothing just stands still in life.

This word overcome is IKAO, which means to gain the victory. ike was the goddess of victory. It is used 28 times in the .T. and 23 of them by John and 16 of those are in Rev. More than half of them are in this book for it is the book where the greatest battles are fought against the forces of evil seeking to overcome the church.

The fact is there have always been overcomers. The impact of the church on the history of the world is amazing beyond calculation. With all of its problems and weaknesses, it has been a major force in all of history. Millions have been saved and the cultures of many parts of the world have been dominated by Christian values because of the church.

The Tree of LifeJesus says, Rev. 2:7 "...To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God."What is the Tree of Life? It first shows up in Genesis 2, in the Garden of Eden: Gen. 2:9 And out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is

pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.But once Adam and Eve had sinned by eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Gen. 3:22-24 Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, lest he stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"Ñ therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned every direction, to guard the way to the tree of life.So we know that if a man ate from the tree of life, he would live forever. Also, the way was guarded by the cherubim and the flaming sword. The tree of life is now in the Paradise of God, according to Revelation 2. We will read in ch. 22 that Rev. 22:2 ...On either side of the river (of the water of life) was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.Jesus says, Rev. 22:14-15 "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying."There is also a dire warning at the end of the book: Rev. 22:18-19 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God shall add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.Having a part in the tree of life means living forever. Each of the seven letters to the seven churches have a "to him who overcomes" statement, leading us to a study of salvation. What and how are we to over come? John wrote in his first epistle, 1John 5:4-5 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world Ñour faith. And who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?What are we to overcome? The world. How? By our faith in Jesus Christ.

This world is not my home,I’m only passing through;

A stranger here, I must go on,My home is now in view:"Forever with the Lord!"Amen! So let it be!

With Christ I’ll live forevermoreIn immortality!

The first Adam took the fruit of this tree from his bride and fell. The second Adam is

offering this same fruit to his bride that she might stand and be blessed forever. In other words, if you stick with Christ you will have all of the pleasure and values the world treasures in abundance in the will of God and it will be for ever and not just temporary.Self-indulgence made Adam fall, but self-control will make the bride of the second Adam stand forever. The tree is dangerous and bad for you when you take it by your will. It is forbidden fruit. But when you receive it freely as a gift of Christ, then it is the best thing to ever happen to you. God is not opposed to pleasure, and even the pleasures of the flesh, but he is opposed to taking them in a way that is hurtful. Be patient and you will have them all legitimately.

Rev. 2:8-11 - #2 Smyrna (The Poor-Rich Church)

See message by Don Fortner in file Dfsh1210Christ designates Himself by referring to His eternal existence and His death and resurrection.

Commendation. Christ possessed a complete and perfect knowledge of their (1) Works--their spiritual accomplishments and deeds (James 1:25). He knew the works of all His churches (2:2,9,13,19; 3:1,8,15). No church anywhere deceives the Lord; He knows us. (2) Tribulation--living the Christian life and serving the Lord had brought them under many difficulties (2 Tim. 3:12). The Jews blasphemed (reviled, railed, showed contempt) against the religion of the Christians in Smyrna--other examples, Acts 13:45; 18:5-6. The Jews considered themselves as the synagogue of God, but were actually the synagogue of Satan. They turned the Christians over to the Romans because they would not confess Caesar as lord. This would cause some of them to be cast into prison (the "devil" would do it through his servants executing his will). In this instance, though, they were not to fear because it would be only for a short time--ten days (vs. 10). (3) Poverty--They were extremely poor in this worlds goods but were rich in spiritual goods. Contrast Laodicia--3:17.

Promise. If they were faithful "unto" death (to the point of death; "until" death is expressed in other passages, Matt. 10:22; 24:13), they would be given the crown of life and not be hurt of the second death. For explanation of the second death, see Rev. 20:13-15; 21:8, and for companion verses on the "crown," see 1 Cor. 9:25; 2 Tim. 4:8; James 1:12; 1 Pet. 5:4.

SmyrnaLATIN ARCHDIOCESE OF SMYRNA (SMYRNENSIS), in Asia Minor. The city of Smyrna rises like an amphitheatre on the gulf which bears its name. It is the capital of the vilayet of Aïdin and the starting-point of several railways; it has a population of at least 300,000, of whom 150,000 are Greeks. There are also numerous Jews and Armenians and almost 10,000 European Catholics. It was founded more than 1000 years B.C. by colonists from Lesbos who had expelled the Leleges, at a place now called Bournabat, about an hour's distance from the present Smyrna. Shortly before 688 B.C. it was captured by the Ionians, under whose rule it became a very rich and powerful

city (Herodotus, I, 150). About 580 B.C. it was destroyed by Alyattes, King of Lydia. Nearly 300 years afterwards Antigonus (323-301 B.C.), and then Lysimachus, undertook to rebuild it on its present site. Subsequently comprised in the Kingdom of Pergamus, it was ceded in 133 B.C. to the Romans. These built there a judiciary conventus and a mint. Smyrna had a celebrated school of rhetoric, was one of the cities which had the title of metropolis, and in which the concilium festivum of Asia was celebrated. Demolished by an earthquake in A.D. 178 and 180, it was rebuilt by Marcus Aurelius. In 673 it was captured by a fleet of Arab Mussulmans. Under the inspiration of Clement VI the Latins captured it from the Mussulmans in 1344 and held it until 1402, when Tamerlane destroyed it after slaying the inhabitants. In 1424 the Turks captured it and, save for a brief occupation by the Venetians in 1472, it has since belonged to them. Christianity was preached to the inhabitants at an early date. As early as the year 93, there existed a Christian community directed by a bishop for whom St. John in the Apocalypse (i, II; ii, 8-11) has only words of praise. There are extant two letters written early in the second century from Troas by St. Ignatius of Antioch to those of Smyrna and to Polycarp, their bishop. Through these letters and those of the Christians of Smyrna to the city of Philomelium, we know of two ladies of high rank who belonged to the Church of Smyrna. There were other Christians in the vicinity of the city and dependent on it to whom St. Polycarp wrote letters (Eusebius, "Hist. Eccl.", V, xxiv). When Polycarp was martyred (23 February), the Church of Smyrna sent an encyclical concerning his death to the Church of Philomelium and others. The "Vita Polycarpi" attributed to St. Pionius, a priest of Smyrna martyred in 250, contains a list of the first bishops: Strataes; Bucolus; Polycarp; Papirius; Camerius; Eudaemon (250), who apostatized during the persecution of Decius; Thraseas of Eumenia, martyr, who was buried at Smyrna. Noctos, a Modalist heretic of the second century, was a native of the city as were also Sts. Pothinus and Irenaeus of Lyons. Mention should also be made of another martyr, St. Dioscorides, venerated on 21 May. Among the Greek bishops, a list of whom appears in Le Quien, (Oriens Christ., I, 737-46), was Metrophanes, the great opponent of Photius, who laboured in the revision of the "Octoekos", a Greek liturgical book. The Latin See of Smyrna was created by Clement VI in 1346 and had an uninterrupted succession of titulars until the seventeenth century. This was the beginning of the Vicariate Apostolic of Asia Minor, or of Smyrna, of vast extent. In 1818 Pius VII established the Archdiocese of Smyrna, at the same time retaining the vicariate Apostolic, the jurisdiction of which was wider. Its limits were those of the vicariates Apostolic of Mesopotamia, Syria, and Constantinople. The archdiocese had 17,000 Latin Catholics, some Greek Melchites, called Alepi, and Armenians under special organization. There are: 19 secular priests; 55 regulars; 8 parishes, of which 4 are in Smyrna; 14 churches with resident priests and 12 without priests; 25 primary schools with 2500 pupils, 8 colleges or academies with 800 pupils; 2 hospitals; and 4 orphanages. The religious men in the archdiocese or the vicariate Apostolic are Franciscans, Capuchins, Lazarists, Dominicans, Salesians of Don Bosco, Assumptionists (at Koniah), Brothers of the Christian Schools, and Marist Brothers (at Metellin). Religious communities of women are the Carmelites, Sisters of Charity (13 houses with more than 100 sisters), Sisters of Sion, Dominicans of Ivrée, Sisters of St. Joseph, and Oblates of the Assumption. S. VAILHÉ Transcribed by Lucia Tobin

by James A. FowlerSmyrna, like Ephesus, was a sea-coast city with a natural harbor on the West side of the Aegean Sea. In terms of natural beauty, Smyrna was the "jewel" of all the cities in the region. Apollonius of Tyana mentioned the "crown of porticoes" which circled the summit of Mount Pagos in Smyrna, creating a particularly beautiful center point of the city.The Greek word smyrna is the same word translated "myrrh" in reference to an aromatic spice brought to Jesus by the Magi (Matt. 2:11), and used in His embalming (John 19:39). Smyrna is the only location of those mentioned for the seven churches, where there is still a city. The modern city of Izmir, Turkey is at the same site as Smyrna of the first century.Like all of the cities at the end of the first century, idolatry was rampant in Smyrna. Not only did they indulge in the Greek gods, such as Dionysius, the god of wine, but the citizens of Smyrna were at the forefront of Roman emperor worship. The first temple of Dea Roma, dedicated to the worship of the goddess of Rome, was constructed at Smyrna. There was also a temple to honor the Emperor Tiberius. This emphasis on worshipping the Roman emperor as "savior" and "lord," led to intensified persecution of the Christians who worshipped Jesus Christ alone as "Savior" and "Lord." Being a Christian in Smyrna at the end of the first century was not easy; in fact, it was risky!

11. MACLARE, “THE VICTOR'S LIFE—FOODThe sevenfold promises which conclude the seven letters to the Asiatic Churches, of which this is the first, are in substance one. We may, indeed, say that the inmost moaning of them all is the gift of Christ Himself. But the diamond flashes variously coloured lights according to the angle at which it is held, and breaks into red and green and white. The one great thought may be looked at from different points of view, and sparkle into diversely splendid rays. The reality is single and simple, but so great that our best way of approximating to the apprehension of that which we shall never comprehend till we possess it is to blend various conceptions and metaphors drawn from different sources,

I have a strong conviction that the Christianity of this day suffers, intellectually and practically, from its comparative neglect of the teaching of the New Testament as to the future life. We hear and think a great deal less about it than was once the case and we are thereby deprived of a strong motive for action, and a sure comfort in sorrow. Some of us may, perhaps, be disposed to look with a little sense of lofty pity at the simple people who let the hope of heaven spur, or restrain, or console. But if there is a future life at all, and if the characteristic of it which most concerns us is that it is the reaping, in consequences, of the acts of the present, surely it cannot be such superior wisdom, as it sometimes pretends to be, to ignore it altogether; and perhaps the simplicity of the said people is more in accordance with the highest reason than is our attitude.

Be that as it may, believing, as I do, that the hope of immortality is meant to fill a very large place in the Christian life, and fearing, as I do, that it actually does fill but a very small one with many of us, I have thought that it might do us all good to turn to this wealth of linked promises and to consider them in succession, so as to bring our hearts for a little while into contact with the motive for brave fighting which does occupy so large a space in the New Testament, however it may fail to do so in our lives.

I. I ask you to look first at the Gift.

Now, of course, I need scarcely remind you that this first promise, in the last book of Scripture, goes back to the beginning, to the old story in Genesis about Paradise and the Tree of Life. We may distinguish between the substance of the promise and the highly metaphorical form into which it is here cast. The substance of the promise is the communication of life; the form is a poetic and imaginative and pregnant allusion to the story on the earliest pages of Revelation.

Let me deal first with the substance. Now it seems to me that if we are to pare down this word ‘ life ‘ to its merely physical sense of continuous existence, this is not a promise that a man’s heart leaps up at the hearing of. To anybody that will honestly think, and try to realize, in the imperfect fashion in which alone it is possible for us to realize it, that notion of an absolutely interminable continuance of being, its awfulness is far more than its blessedness, and it overwhelms a man. It seems to me that the ‘crown of life,’ if life only means conscious existence, would be a crown of thorns indeed.

No, brethren, what our hearts crave, and what Christ’s heart gives, is not the mere bare, bald, continuance of conscious being. It is something far deeper than that. That is the substratum, of course; but it is only the substratum, and not until we let in upon this word, which is one of the key-words of Scripture, the full flood of light that comes to it from John’s Gospel, and its use on the Master’s lips there, do we begin to understand the meaning of this great promise. Just as we say of men who are sunk in gross animalism, or whose lives are devoted to trivial and transient aims, that theirs is not worth calling life, so we say that the only thing that deserves, and that in Scripture gets, the august name of ‘life,’ is a condition of existence in conscious union with, and possession of, God, who is manifested and communicated to mortals through Jesus Christ His Son. ‘In Him was life, and the life was manifested.’ Was that bare existence? And the life was not only manifested but communicated, and the essence of it is fellowship with God through Jesus Christ. The possession of ‘ the Spirit of life which was in Christ,’ and which in heaven will be perfectly communicated, will make men ‘free,’ as they never can be upon earth whilst implicated in the bodily life of this material world, ‘from the law of sin and death.’ The gift that Christ bestows on him that ‘overcometh’ is not only conscious existence, but existence derived from, and, so to speak, embraided with the life of God Himself, and therefore blessed.

For such a life, in union with God in Christ, is the only condition in which all a man’s capacities find their fitting objects, and all his activity finds its appropriate sphere, and in which, therefore, to live is to be blessed, because the heart is united with the source and fountain of all blessedness. Here is the deepest depth of that promise of future blessedness. It is not mainly because of any changes, glorious as these must necessarily be, which follow upon the dropping away of flesh, and the transportation into the light that is above, that heaven is a place of blessedness, but it is because the saints that are there are joined to God, and into their recipient hearts there pours for ever the fullness of the Divine life. That makes the glory and the blessedness.

But let us remember that all which can come hereafter of that full and perfect life is but the continuance, the development, the increase, of that which already is possessed. Here it falls in drops; there in floods. Here it is filtered; there poured. Here, the plant, taken from its native climate and soil, puts forth some pale blossoms, and grows but to a stunted height; there, set in their deep native soil, and shone upon by a more fervent sun, and watered by more abundant warm rains and dews, ‘they that ‘on earth’ were planted in the house of the Lord shall, transplanted, ‘flourish in the courts of our God.’ The life of the Christian soul on earth and of the Christian soul in heaven is continuous, and though there is a break to our consciousness looking from this side the break of death the reality

is that without interruption, and without a turn, the road runs on in the same direction. We begin to live the life of heaven here, and they who can say, ‘I was dead in trespasses and sins, but the life which I live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God,’ have already the germs of the furthest development in the heavens in their hearts.

Notice, for a moment, the form that this great promise assumes here. That is a very pregnant and significant reference to the Tree of Life in the paradise of God, The old story tells how the cherub with the flaming sword was set to guard the way to it. And that paradise upon earth faded and disappeared. But it reappears. ‘ Then comes a statelier Eden back to man,’ for Jesus Christ is the restorer of all lost blessings; and the Divine purpose and ideal has not faded away amidst the clouds of the stormy day of earth’s history, like the flush of morning from off the plains. Christ brings back the Eden, and quenches the flame of the fiery sword; and instead of the repellent cherub, there stands Himself with the merciful invitation upon His lips: ‘Come! Eat; and live for ever.’

There never was one lost good; what was shall live as before.

On the earth the broken arcs; in heaven the perfect round.’

Eden shall come back; and the paradise into which the victors go is richer and fuller, by all their conflict and their wounds, than ever could have been the simpler paradise of which souls innocent, because untried, could have been capable. So much for the gift of life.

II. Notice, secondly, the Giver.

This is a majestic utterance; worthy of coming from the majestic Figure portrayed in the first chapter of this book. In it Jesus Christ claims to be the Arbiter of men’s deserts and Giver of their rewards. That involves His judicial function, and therefore His Divine as well as human nature. I accept these words as truly His words. Of course, if you do not, my present remarks have no force for you; but if you do not, you ought to be very sure of your reasons for not doing so; and if you do, then I see not how any man who believes that Jesus Christ has said that He will give to all the multitude of faithful fighters, who have brought their shields out of the battle, and their swords undinted, the gift of life eternal, can be vindicated from the charge of taking too much upon him, except on the belief of His Divine nature.

But I observe, still further, that this great utterance of the Lord’s, paralleled in all the other six promises, in all of which He is represented as the bestower of the reward, whatever it may be, involves another thing, viz., the eternal continuance of Christ’s relation to men as the Revealer and Mediator of God. ‘I will give’ and that not only when the victor crosses the threshold and enters the Capitol of the heavens, but all through its ceaseless ages Christ is the Medium by which the Divine life passes into men. True, there is a sense in which He shall deliver up the kingdom to His Father, when the partial end of the present dispensation has come. But He is the Priest of mankind for ever; and for ever is His kingdom enduring. And through all the endless ages, which we have a right to hope we shall see, there will never come a point in which it will not remain as true as it is at this moment: ‘No man hath seen God at any time, nor can see Him; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him.’ Christ is for ever the Giver of life in the heavens as on earth.

Another thing is involved which I think also is often lost sight of. The Bible does not know anything about what people call ‘natural immortality. ‘Life here is not given to the infant once for all, and then expended through the years, but it is continually being bestowed. My belief is that no worm that creeps, nor angel that soars, nor any of the beings between, is alive for one instant except for the continual communication from the

fountain of life, of the life that they live. And still more certainly is it true about the. future, that there all the blessedness and the existence, which is the substratum and condition of the blessedness, are only ours because, wavelet by wavelet, throbbing out as from a central fountain, there flows into the Redeemed a life communicated by Christ Himself. If I might so say were that continual bestowment to cease, then heaven, like the vision of a fairy tale, would fade away; and there would be nothing left where the glory had shone. ‘I will give’ through eternity.

III. Lastly, note the Recipients.

‘To him that overcometh.’ Now I need not say, in more than a sentence, that it seems to me that the fair interpretation of this promise, as of all the other references in Scripture to the future life, is that the reward is immediately consequent upon the cessation of the struggle. ‘To depart ‘ is ‘to be with Christ,’ and to be with Christ, in regard of a spirit which has passed from the bodily environment, is to be conscious of His presence, and lapt in His robe, feeling the warmth and the pressure of His heart. So I believe that Scripture teaches us that at one moment there may be the clash of battle, and the whiz of the arrows round one’s head, and next moment there may be the laurel-crowned quiet of the victor.

But that does not enter so much into our consideration now. We have, rather, here to think of just this one thing, that the gift is given to the victor because only the victor is capable of receiving it; that future life, interpreted as I have ventured to interpret it in this sermon, is no arbitrary bestowment that could be dealt all round miscellaneously to everybody, if the Giver chose so to give. Here on earth many gifts are bestowed upon men, and are neglected by them, and wasted like water spilled upon the ground; but this elixir of life is not poured out so. It is only poured into vessels that can take it in and hold it.

Our present struggle is meant to make us capable of the heavenly life. And that is I was going to say the only, but at all events incomparably the chiefest, of the thoughts which make life not only worth living, but great and solemn. Go into a mill, and in a quiet room, often detached from the main building, you will find the engine working, and seeming to do nothing but go up and down. But there is a shaft which goes through the wall and takes the power to the looms.

We are working here, and we are making the cloth that we shall have to own and say, ‘Yes, it is my manufacture!’ when we get yonder. According to our life to-day will be our destiny in the great tomorrow. Life is given to the victor, because the victor only is capable of possessing it.

But the victor can only conquer in one way. ‘This,’ said John, when he was not an apocalyptic seer, but a Christian teacher to the Churches of Asia, ‘this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.’ If we trust in Christ we shall get His power into our hearts, and if we get His power into our hearts, then ‘we shall be more than conquerors through Him that loved us.’ Christ gives life eternal, gives it here in germ and yonder in fullness. In its fullness only those who overcome are capable of receiving it. Those only who fight the good fight by His help overcome. Those only who trust in Him fight the good fight by His help. He gives to eat of the Tree of Life; He gives it to faith, but faith must be militant. He gives it to the conqueror, but the conqueror must win by faith in Him who overcame the world for us, who will help us to overcome the world by Him.

Help us, O our God, we beseech Thee; ‘teach our hands to war, and our fingers to fight.’ Give us grace to hold fast by the life which is in Jesus Christ; and living by Him the lives which we live in the flesh, may we be capable, by the discipline of earth’s sorrows, of that

rest and fuller ‘life which remaineth for the people of God.’