The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 107

The two are of equal importance. Without the one the othet would be impossible. The atoning work was completed on earth; the baptizing work is ever being carried on in ~ven. The Gospels record the one ; the Aots and the Epistles recount and cpound the other. His work of humiliation on earth laid the basis of pardon. His baptizing work as our eitalted Redeemer is the secret of power. He has "the aeven Spirit.a of God" ("for the Father giveth not the Spirit by measure·unto him"), that he may ever give life and power to those who with open l:\earts long for "all the fulness of God." Note: 'l'he comiag together of the Spirit of God and the spirit of man ie the secret of inspiration, revelation, religion, regeneration, consecration,1 When the Spirit of God unveils a truth, there is revelation; when he inbreathes into a man,·there is inspiration; when he renews, quickens, and inspires, there is religion, even regenera:tion and consecration. 'l'he Holy Ghost may either illume the mind with truth, or set it on fire with love. .And when his power is exerted in all its sevenfold might, any one so charged with Divine energy may receive it in any form whatever, for the purpose of fulfilling any kind of life-work which God may have for him to do. There is no limit to our possible equipment for service. III. 'fms IS THE SPECIAL ASPECT OF OUR LORD'S WORK AT WRIOB A DEAD Cmraou: NEEDS TO LOOK. The Church at Bardis was" dead." It had not always been so. At one time it had so much vitality·that it had acquired a "namen for being full of qulck snd quickening force. :And, among men, its name still stood. But he whose eyes are as a flame of tire, snd who walks among the golden csndlestioks, observed s deciline in piety. There was as yet the same outside appearance-, and yet it was already injured even unto death. We do not read of any opposition or tribulation of any kind that the Church at Sardis had to meet;-it was dead. And neither Satan nor any of his hosts will care to disturb either a dead Church or a dead pastor. Nothing would beUer please the powers of evil than to see such a Church falling to pieces because there was no spirit to keep the bodily framework together! It is no wonder to find such a Church's works defective. "I have not found thy works filled np before God." Either there were spheres of duty which were altogether neglected, or else those duties were discharged in a !lJ)irit grievously lacking in fervour. It is sad indeed when the Lord Jesus sees any Church to be dead I For observe: 1. It i8 incongruous. For what is the Church? It is, in theory at. lesst, a company of men "alive unto God," bound together for his worship $11d work. In the world, indeed, death is what we expeot to see; but in the Church- Death here is fearfully out of plaoe, Nor let us think of Sardis as the only city where a dead Church was to be found. There is very much even now that makes many a pastor si&h and cry, "Oh the death!" Such lethargy, inertness, and slumber steal over this Church and that, so that it is far easier even to move the world than such a Churoh as this. Surely this is fearfully incongruous for a Churoh to be so untrue to its name. 2. This de&th· ia needless. For he who bath the seven Spirits of God is Lord of his Church. He loves to enrich her with the· fulness o( life. He is ever ready to hear the prayers of his own. The gift of the Spirit is the one promise·of hilt Word, and its bestowment the one purpose of his life. It has but to be received from him by faith. Then why should any Church be lagging and flagging? 'fhere is no occasion for it whatever. 3. This death is unnatural. For it shows that, in spite of the profession of the Church, many in it are holding on to the world. They put on a Christian uniform, and then fight on the world's side. One of the terrible punishments of olden time was for living men to be chained to a corpse. Not. less terribly unnatural is it for the name and honour or a living Saviour to-be in any way tied to a dead Church I 4. This dealh ia dishonouring to the Lord Je,vs. By dead professors Christ is wounded in the house of his friends. For many a young convert, coming to the Church as the home of a spiritual brotherhood, gets there his fint ohill of disappointment. And if we were asked-Who are most responsible for the scepticism of the age? we should reply-Dead profel!SOrs I 5. 7Ylis tkath ia tJ.ffe,mw to the eye. Spiritual death anywhere is offensive. But, in the Church, which professes to be the very encfosure of life, it is unutterably so, How odious must it be to the Lord and Giver of life to see his own Name and ordinanoes yoked with spiritual death, especially when he lives and reigns on purpose to give life I 6. A dead (Jhurch is in a ,tat, i1i tohicA (Jkriat call, aloud for a review tJ/ it, oonditian. ~here is a fourfold eall. · (1) Be ·1 Cf. homily by the present. v.riler oa DeuL uxiv, ln the • Pulpit Oomment.ary.'  tPO THE REVELATION OJ' ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. (en. m.1~