But now perhaps your love has grown cold ; your delight in the word of God and prayer has abated ; your exertions in the pursuit of heavenly things have languished ; and the power of divine grace upon your souls has visibly declined. Now pru- dence has not merely regulated (for that it ought to do) your zeal, but has greatly abated, if not altogether superseded, it. Now the cares of this life have regained an ascendant over you : the frowns of the world, which once were disregarded, are become formidable in your eyes; and the fear of suffering loss in your worldly interests damps all your ardour. Now, instead of being altogether crucified to the world, and living only unto God, as in former days, you can scarcely be distin- guished, except by an outward profession, from those who were never yet irradiated by the light of Gospel truth. Is this an uncommon case? Would to God it were ! But what we see in the Church of Ephesus of old is yet visible, wherever the Gospel has been long preached. Of them the Lord Jesus says, " Thou has borne, and hast had patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. 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'^." So then say I to you : " Call to remembrance the former days :" remember what you once were, and what your former works : and let the view of your declension fill you with shame and sorrow and contrition. Be afraid and tremble, lest the Lord withdraw from you the light with which you have been illumined ; and beg of him to return in mercy to your souls, and to " strengthen in you the things which remain, and are ready to die'^."]
2. For your encouragement —
[It may be that either outwardly from men, or inwardly from Satan, you are strongly tempted at this time, and need to have a word of consolation and encouragement spoken to your souls. If this be the case, " Call to remembrance the former days." Trials have not for the first time come upon you now : you have in a greater or less degree experienced them from the time that ye were first illuminated. Who is it then that strengthened you to bear them at that time? Is he not still as able and as willing to help you as ever? Is not the grace of Christ as suflicient for you now as in former days ? And does he not deserve as much at your hands now as he did formerly ? If you rejoiced in doing and suflering for him years ago, is there not the same reason that you should do so now ? If there was " a need that you should be in heaviness through manifold temptations" formerly^, may there not be the same occasion
c Rev. ii. 3—5. ^ Rev. iii. 2. ^ i Pet. i. 6.