had indeed forewarned them that after his departure "grievous wolves" would enter in among them, "not sparing the flock;" and that even of themselves men would arise "speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them." And we know that Cerinthus and Marcion were there, who denied the divinity of Christ. There were also Nicolas and Hymenæus and Alexander and Phygellus and Hermogenes. But men of this character who had belonged to that church, had been excluded; and the church in this very message are commended for their marked reprobation of the deeds of the Nicolaitans. Nor yet does it appear that the members of that church had fallen into any open immorality, or had relaxed in their attendance on divine ordinances. On the contrary, they are highly commended for their many labors, their patient sufferings for Christ, and their resolute resistance of those who had grossly departed from the Gospel in faith or practice. "I know thy works and thy labor 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. And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast labored and hast not fainted." Amidst this constellation of excellencies one spot appeared: they had forsaken their first love. That tender and fervent affection which they had felt in the days of their espousals, had grown cold. While sitting under the ministry of the heavenly minded John,-while bleeding under ferocious persecution, they grew cold. This is the only charge

brought against them, the only thing for which they are not even commended. This it was which drew upon that beloved and suffering church the stern reproof and awful threatening of the text: "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee because thou hast left thy first love. 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:" that is, I will unchurch thee; a threatening which has long since been fulfilled, though upon a generation then distant; for where is now, and where has long been, the church of Ephesus?

Although Christians in their general course grow in grace, yet there may be times after their conversion when they are in a frame less holy than at the first. A great proportion of these Ephesians were doubtless real Christians, and yet they had grieved and offended their Saviour by forsaking their first love. They do not appear to have sunk into actual lukewarmness. This character belonged to the Laodiceans, and is noticed in a far different manner. But here you see a church somewhere between Laodicean lukewarmness and the fervor of their first love; and at this alone the Saviour is so offended, that, dear as they are to him on account of their many labors and sufferings for his sake, he solemnly threatens to come unto them quickly and remove their candlestick out of its place, except they repent. I shall,

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

II. Inquire how we are to escape from this dreadful evil.

I. We will consider the greatness of the sin and how offensive it is to God.

But let us first find the persons that answer to this description. The subject has nothing to do with the professor who has apostatized to error or open vice, or has withdrawn from the assemblies of the saints. He is a Laodicean or something worse. But the person respected may be supposed to be always in his place in the house of God. He prays in his family and in his closet. He frequently attends the meetings for conference and prayer, and is regarded in general as an amiable and exemplary Christian. But he has lost the fervor of his first love. In the hour when he first found himself delivered by a Saviour from eternal death,—when first that heavenly countenance looked in upon his darkness covered with smiles and charms,-when first he dropped the calculation of eternal wo and found a title to heaven in his hands,--O, said he, I never shall lose the remembrance of this hour and this deliverance. If I forget thee, O my Saviour, let my right hand forget her cunning: let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth when it ceases to be employed in thy praise. Then his soul, full of tenderness and devotion, could wander over the glories of his Saviour's character, and sit and weep at his feet. The attributes and government of God appeared perfect, and his grace most amazing.

Every sentence in the Bible had a meaning; every doctrine possessed a charm; every promise was sweet. In communion with God and his people he felt that he could spend a whole eternity. Prayer was his breath; and he looked forward to the meetings with his brethren for prayer and praise, with all the sweetness and impatience of love. He could not look abroad on a world lying in wickedness but his eyes would be filled with tears, and he must seek some secret corner where to unburden his soul in prayer. He felt his heart united to his Christian brethren and to all mankind. He was melted into forgiveness to enemies. He longed to devote his property, his influence, his life, to the honor of his Redeemer. He was jealous of every thing that might grieve the divine Spirit, and watched his lips and his heart continually. He loathed every sin, and stretched forward with insatiable desires after the perfect possession of the divine image. But now all the glories of the divine nature seem little to affect him. The dying love of Christ is contemplated with dreadful indifference. He can look upon a world lying in sin without any great distress, and without one agonizing prayer for their deliverance. He feels less love for his Christian brethen, less love for mankind at large. His eyes can rove over those pages which contain a history of God's reign, the records of all his mercies, the charter of all the believer's rights, without seeing a glory there. His prayers are cold and heartless and difficult, and little else than mockery. He can hear words sung which might well employ an an

gel's harp, without one emotion. He has scarcely any realizing sense of eternal things, and finds his heart darkened with much remains of infidelity and atheism. Those blessed meetings for prayer and praise are no longer pleasant,-are often neglected. His exertions for the salvation of men are feeble and sluggish, and he seems almost to have made up his mind to leave the world with God without an anxious thought. In a word, both his love to God and love to man are dreadfully abated. This is the very person whom the Saviour is this moment regarding with unutterable displeasure; and if he were to break silence and send a message to him to-day, it would be the very message contained in the text: "I have somewhat against thee because thou hast left thy first love. 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."

The great sin and offensiveness of this frame of mind will appear from the following considerations.

1. You have no right to feel this indifference towards God or man. God never gave you a right. He constantly stands over you and says, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and thy neighbor as thyself." He requires the sweetest and most compassionate regard for your neighbor, and the most adoring and grateful affection towards himself, every hour, and has enjoined these with the same authority with which he says, "Thou shalt not kill." You are wont to complain of your dul