LECTURE NINTH.

EPISTLE TO LAODICEA.

REVELATION, chap. iii. 14-end. "And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: 15. I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16. So then, because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18. I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich: and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear: and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see. 19. As many as I love I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore and repent. 20. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 21. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. 22. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."

IN treating of the epistle to the church at Sardis, whose peculiar characteristic was that it had “a name

to live and was dead," I said that I thought it was peculiarly applicable to the church at the present time, to the orthodox part of the church of Christ; and I would say the same of the epistle here brought before us, though I think its application is to a different class of persons in the church, as we shall see from the address.

I. But first we have to speak of the title of Christ :"These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true "Witness, the beginning of the creation of God," a title which, as observed of all the titles adopted by the Lord Jesus in these epistles, has a peculiar reference to the state of the church here addressed. That, as we shall see, was an undecided state. They are described as neither "hot nor cold, but lukewarm;" and accordingly the Lord Jesus Christ assumes a title which signifies decision of purpose and steadfastness of character in opposition to all wavering and neutrality"These things saith THE AMEN." For that such is the meaning of this title, and the purpose of the Lord in applying it to himself here, is confirmed by reference to another passage, where this word is used to indicate this character as belonging to Christ: namely, 2 Cor. i. 15-20, where the Apostle, speaking of a promise which he had made in his first epistle to visit the Corinthians again, and which it might appear he had forgotten, says "And in this confidence I was minded to come "unto you before, that ye might receive a second bene"fit. . . . When I therefore was thus minded, did I use "lightness? or the things that I purpose, do I purpose

according to the flesh, that with me there should be "yea, yea, and nay, nay? But as God is true, our "word toward you was not yea and nay: for the Son "of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you "by us, even by me and Sylvanus and Timotheus, was "not yea and nay, but in him was yea. For all the "promises of God in him are yea, and in him AMEN, "unto the glory of God by us:" in which view also this part of the title corresponds exactly with that which follows

"The faithful and true Witness." The difference between this character and the former-"The Amen," I would say is, that this refers to what the Lord has revealed, and the former to what he has promised; as if he said to this church, whose character was that of wavering and indecision, Neither in what I have re'vealed to you as your ground of hope, or in any pro'mise that I have made to you, have I exhibited uncertainty or indecision of purpose, that yours should be 'such a character as that which you now in return 'exhibit. In all that I have promised I am "the 'Amen;" in all that I have revealed, I am "the faith'ful and true Witness." The word "witness" we know means one who testifies that which he has seen and knows of a truth: and the propriety of the application of this title to Christ is, that he reveals to us that which he has seen of the Father, the truth and character of God specially in relation to redemption: as it is said, John, i. 18, "No man hath seen God at any "time, the only begotten Son which is in the bosom of

"the Father, he hath revealed him :" (compare chap. xvii. 6,) whence he is named "The Truth." And in this testimony he is found and experienced by every believer of the Gospel to be indeed "the faithful and true Witness," as well as "the Amen" of all the promises which hinge upon that revelation.

"The beginning of the creation of God." So at the opening of the Gospel according to John-"In the 'beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the "beginning with God. All things were made by (diu) "him; and without him was not anything made that

was made." And again, Ephes. iii. 9, "Who created all things by Jesus Christ." And again, Coloss. i. 16, "Who is the image of the invisible God, the first-born "of every creature: FOR by him were all things created "that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and "invisible; whether they be thrones, or dominions, or

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principalities, or powers; all things were created by "him and for him: and he is before all things, and by "him all things consist." A great security and pledge, truly, for the steadfastness of his word and the fulfilment of his promises, in addition to the two preceding titles, if so it be intended-the fact that through him as the executive of God (so to speak) creation itself came into being, and all things are under his control. But, on the other hand, an awful attribute of the great Bishop and Head of the church to those whose character was that which the address following assigns to this church::

II. "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot I would thou wert cold or hot." Here are three states brought before us—that described as "hot," as "cold," and as neither cold nor hot, but "lukewarm." As to the first, expressed by the word "hot," it least of all requires explanation, the word explains itself. It consists in an overwhelming sense of the love of God in Christ, which produces an unreserved devotion to him, a fervency and zeal in his service, a readiness "to spend and be spent for Christ:" something like what the Apostle expresses in 2 Cor. v. 14, "The "love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge, "that if one died for all, then were all dead, and that

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one died for all, that they which live should not "henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him that "died for them and rose again :" or in such a passage as "Ye are not your own, but ye are bought with a "price; therefore glorify God in your bodies and your "spirits which are God's:" an example of which was afforded by the church at Ephesus in its first state alluded to by the Lord Jesus Christ, when he says, "I "have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy "first love," the fervency and warmth of affection which the first discovery of the love of God in Christ produced.

The state opposed to this is characterized as cold;" and at first sound it may seem strange that there could be a state worse than this word describes, or to which it could be preferred by the Lord Jesus Christ, which yet undoubtedly there is the third state of "lukewarm