when God tells to the members of the Church of Smyrna the sufferings they were to be called upon to endure, he precedes it with the exhortation-"fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer." Yes, brethren, I care not the situation of difficulty in which an individual may be placed; if he is a real, heart-changed Christian, he has sources of comfort of which neither men nor devils can possibly deprive him. "Fear not, I am with thee," says God; "be not dismayed, for I am thy God; when thou passest through the waters I will be with thee, and through the rivers they shall not overflow thee; when thou walkest through the fire thou shall not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." "The Lord is my salvation, whom then shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?" "Though an host of men were laid against me, yet will I not fear; and though there rise up war against me, yet will I put my trust in God," for "all things shall work together for good to them that love God;" and if they are sure of this, they may set the world of men and the hosts of hell at defiance; for if God be for us, who can be against us? But, my friends, the Christian's ultimate, everlasting welfare, depends upon his perseverance in the path® which God hath laid out, and therefore in this epistle we have, in the

Vth place, the expressive exhortation-"Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life." From this part of the epistle we cannot fail to learn, that the persecution and tribulation alluded to were to extend even unto death. In the persecutions which occurred under the Emperors of Rome,

and especially in that alluded to above, the lives of the Christians were sacrificed with the greatest prodigality. No age, no sex, no condition of life, afforded a shelter. For any one to proclaim himself or herself a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, was but the prelude to torment and to death. Those were times of moral grandeur, which have not yet been equalled in the annals of the world. The testimony of Jesus was borne on the lip of many a martyr as the flames enveloped his body, and thousands are the instances where the exhortation, to "be faithful unto death," was literally exemplified, both in the city of Rome and throughout the various provinces of her extensive empire. It is here that I desire to call your attention to a particular alluded to in my last discourse, as attaching more than ordinary interest to the epistle now under our consideration. You remember that this epistle was addressed to the angel or bishop of the Church of Smyrna, and I stated to you that this sacred office was then held by the celebrated Polycarp, a disciple of St. John. If this supposition be correct, then was the exhortation most remarkably appropriate; for it is a well ascertained fact that he was burnt to death at Smyrna, for the testimony of Christ, in the year of our Lord one hundred and sixty-six. "Be thou faithful unto death," writes the Spirit of the Lord, "and I will give thee a crown of life." And I know of no better, no more impressive comment on the passage, than the recital of that event, the martyrdom of Polycarp, as it stands in the page of history, and there you will discover what it was to be "faithful unto death." When Polycarp was brought to the tribunal, the proconsul asked him "if he was Polycarp?" to which he as

sented. The proconsul then began to exhort him, saying "Have pity on thine own great age; swear by the fortune of Cæsar; repent; say, take away these Atheists;" (meaning Christians.)

Polycarp, casting his eyes solemnly over the multitude, waving his hand to them, and looking up to heaven, said, "Take away those Atheists;" (meaning the idolators around.) The proconsul still urging him, saying "Swear, and I will release thee; reproach Christ." Polycarp said "eighty and six years have I served him, and he never wronged me."

What a specimen of the moral sublime is here. Methinks I can realize the scene. The proconsul on his throne, with the priests and implements of idolatrous sacrifice before him. In front of the representative of the imperial Cæsar are the multitude, thirsting for the blood of the well-tried disciple of Jesus. In the midst, between his judge and his relentless persecutors, stands the venerable Polycarp, bowed beneath the weight of years, yet firm and unawed, and meekly majestic. "Swear by the fortune of Cæsar and offer sacrifices to the gods of Rome; curse thy master Christ, and I will release thee." Life bought at such a price were worthless, indeed, to a Christian. From his posture of holy meditation and from his intensity of prayer, the venerable man lifts his eyes to meet the gaze of the proconsul, and he says-"How can I blaspheme my King who hath saved me?" It would seem that such an answer might have touched the heart even of such an officer. But no. The heart of the bloodthirsty monster knew none of the soft relentings of pity, and firm to his purpose of destruction, he pro

ceeds to try the force of intimidation on the aged disciple. "I have wild beasts," said the proconsul, "and will expose you to them, unless you repent of your obstinacy." A shade passed over the countenance of the martyr, and for one brief moment a slight though scarcely perceptible tremor fell upon the limbs which he already imagined within the grasp of the tiger, but it was only for a moment. Again the eye of the aged man met the gaze of his judge, and his tongue did not falter as he answered— "Call them, I am ready." Once more the proconsul tried the effect of intimidation-"I will tame your spirit by fire," said the Roman. Little knew he of the spirit of the man whom he was addressing, for it was then that the long smothered flame burst forth, and Polycarp, on the very eve of eternity, like another Paul, dares to proclaim to his unrighteous judge the terrors of the law. "You threaten me,' said Polycarp, "with the fire which burns only for a moment, but are yourself ignorant of the fire of eternal punishment, reserved for the ungodly."

Soon after, it is added, being bound to the burning stake, he exclaimed-"O Father of thy beloved and blessed Son, Jesus Christ; O God of all principalities and of all creation; I bless thee that thou hast counted me worthy of this day and this hour, to receive my portion in the cup of Christ; I praise thee for all these things, I bless thee, I glorify thee by the Eternal High Priest, Jesus Christ, thy beloved Son, through whom and with whom in the Holy Spirit, be glory to thee, both now and for ever. Amen."

The passage, "be thou faithful unto death," needs no more expressive commentary than this

history of the martyrdom of that saint of God just quoted. For him death had lost its sting. The flame which consumed his body, soon melted the links of that chain which bound the soul in its earthly prison. And long before the senseless multitude had ceased to gaze on the blazing pile, the spirit of the martyr, who had been thus faithful unto death, had entered upon its joys; and long before they had ceased to rend the air with their shouts of blasphemy, did the spirit of the martyr hear the songs of the redeemed, and then did he realize the promise, “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." Observe, my friends, the reward of faithfulness-" a crown of life." A crown is figuratively used to denote the highest state of dignity, because it is wont to be considered as the highest honour to which men can attain. But the crown of faithfulness, was not a crown composed of gold and precious stones. It had an infinitely higher value. It was a crown of life, importing the highest dignity of immortality and the full fruition of an eternity of glory. How strikingly does this promise contrast with the then condition of the members of the Church of Smyrna. They were in poverty, but they were to have a crown; they were to suffer death for the cause of Christ, but death was to issue into immortal life, and in the fulness of their faith they might say,

His presence beams eternal day,

O'er all the blissful place;

Who would not drop this load of clay,
And die to see his face?

In my consideration of the whole of this epistle, I have endeavoured to bring all my remarks to their