[He calls, as well he may, their special attention to this encouraging promise ; " Behold," says he, " I stand at the door and knock ;" I, the Creator and Governor of the universe, condescend to become a suitor to sinful man ; and with incre- dible patience to solicit admission into his heart, when it is barred against me, and filled with all manner of wickedness. " If, adds he," " any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come into him, and su]) with him, and he with me :" I will forget at once all his unkindness, and fill him with cdl the endearments of my love. What a wonderful condescension is here manifested ! Yet is it precisely such as we ourselves shall experience, if we hear his voice and open to him. He is knocking daily at the door of our hearts by his word, his Spirit, his providence : he is using every etfort to gain admis- sion into our souls : and, if we were prevailed upon to let him in, what a feast would he bring along with him ! He would delight himself in our exercises of faith and love ; and he would refresh us with such displays of his beauty, such communications of his grace, such tastes of his love, as should prove to us an antepast of heaven itself. How can we resist such an overture as this ?]
2. That the conflicts of time shall be recompensed with the glories of eternity —
[Our blessed Lord himself was once engaged in a war- fare with sin and Satan, and knew by painful experience the difficulty of conflicting with them. But when he had com- pleted his conquests over them, he sat down as victor on his Father's throne, to enjoy his triumphs in his Father's pre- sence for evermore. A similar exaltation and joy he pro- poses even to the lukewarm Laodiceans, if they will but war a good warfare, till they have subdued their spiritual enemies. It is in his power to impart this honour to whomsoever he will ; and he engages that to every victorious saint he will give a participation of his throne, as he participates the glory and felicity of his Father's throne. Who then that reflects on this promise, and considers it as spoken by the " Amen, the faithful and true witness ;" who, I say will refuse to light ? Who will indulge a lukewarm disposition? Who will not rather be " fervent in spirit, serving the Lord*^?"]
Application —
[" Hear" then, ye lukewarm Christians, if indeed " ye have an ear to hear ;" hear your danger, your duty, your pri- vilege. Surely, while you continue so httle influenced by your principles, and so rich in your own conceits, there is no pros- pect for you but that of being disowned, rejected, and ab- horred
* Rom, xii. 11.