It hi, however, but a miserable village,· inhabited chiefl.y by shepherds, though it is :one IJf the 11topping~p1aoea of the· Petsian caravans. The original city was plundered by Cyrus, and afterwards desolated by an earthqnake, the ruins of it being still visible a little distance to the south of the present town. Nothing is now to be seen but a few mud huts, inhabited by ·ignorant, stupid, filthy Turks, and the only men who bear, the Christian name are at work -a11 day in their milL Everything seems as if God had cursed the plaee, and left U to the dominion of Sa.tan." A modem traveller illlys, "I liat beneath the sky of Asia to gaze upon the ruins of Sard.is from the banks of the golden-sanded Pactolus. Beside me were the cliffs of that Acropolis which centuries ~ore the hardy Median scaled while lea.ding on the conquering Persians whose tents had covered the very spot on which I was Teclining, Before me were the vestiges of what had boon the-palace of the gorgoous Crcesus; within its walla were once congre,, gated the wisest of mankind, Thales, Cteotolus, and Solon. Far in the distance were the gigantic tumuli of the Lydian monarch, and around them .!!pread those very plains once trod~n by the oountlesa hosts of Xerxes when hurrying on to find a sepulchre at :Maratnon. But all bad passed away I There before me were the fanes of a dead rt,ligion, and the tombs of forgotten monarchs, and the palm tree that waved in the banqnet-h&lls of kings." ·Who founded the Cluistian community at Sardis, or the exact period when the gospel was first preached there, are questions that .have not been, and perhapa cannot be, settled. The address of Christ to this community, as recorded in' these verses, forei bly calls our ·. attention to the · consideration . of. three things---t/le gemral cluiracter of the many; thtl cceptional charact(fl' of llie Jew; and the absolute Judge of all. Notice- · I. TBB GENERAL OHAl!.AOTER OP '1'Hl!l VANT. They were in a very lamentable condition. .1. Thty had. a reputation for king what they were not. " Thon hast a na~e that thou livest, and [thou] art dead." Jt. was bad. enough for them to be "dead," that is, all but destitute of that supreme sympathy with spiritual goodness which is the essence of moral life. It was worse still for them to bave,tbe reputation of life, and for them to believe in that reputation. The sight of death is bad enough, but death garbed an:d decorated with the semblances of life makes it more ghastly to behold. _How this community obtained this· name . .for living, this high· reputation, in the neighbourhood, does not appear, albeit it is not difficult to gueas. ·Perhaps. it tnade loud· professions, appeared very zealous ·and active, and paraded 'ita affected virtues. Then, as now, perhaps, men were ta.ken by-their contemporaries to be rather •whait they appeared- than what they were. In these days, and in our England, there are Churches that have the reputation of wonderful· usefulness. All their doings, their prayers, their sprinklinga and dippings, their pulpit deliverances and their pealmodies, their architectural expansions and numerical additions, are emblazoned in the 110-C&lled "Christian• journals, so that they have a great D8Dle to live, whereas .spirituaHy they may be all hut dead. Reputation is one thing, character la another. 'Everywhere in a corrupt world like this the basest characters have the · brightest reputation, and the reverse. The barren fig tree w1111 oovered with luxuriant leafage. M Thou htlst a name that thou livest, and art dead." 2. They toere m a state oJ .pirieual conaumption. " 'l'hat are ready to die." It would seem that, whilst they were not all spiritually dead, tllere was a 8piritual consumption amongst &0me. ~• Things ready to die." What things are these? The greatest things in the universe, eternal principles of _virtue and truth, What things are comparable to these ? To them _literatures, markets, governments, are puerilities. There is a spiritual consump- tion:, and the symptoms are manifest. W~ne.u, morbid appetit,e,,falu tMtlJ8 of lifi~ em. 3. They were in a state 'ring prompt and urgent a#ention. "Be (thou watohfut, and strengthen [stabi:{:j the things which remain, that are [which were readyt.o die." What is to be done? (1) They were to be vigi,lant. "Watchful, wakeful, to shake off slothfulness, open their eyes to eternal realities, fan the dying ,sparks into a tlame. (2) They were to be curative. "Strengthen the things which remain." How stmngthen? Appropriate the true remedial element, fruit from the tree of life ; use wholesome food, the " sincere milk of the Word; " take proper exercise 1..:..inaction leada to disease; "exercise thyself unto godliness;" -inbreathe 'the pure
'atmosphere of holiness. (3) They were io be reoollective. "Remember therefore how -thou hast received. '1 Call up all thll good of the past. {4) Th-e7 weru to b!) repent&il'- cm. in. 1--22,] THE l\EVEJ;.ATION OP ST. JOHN TIIE DIVJNPJ. ,l39