"Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love." There may be a preacher here present. But it is in our text, I fear the mass of us must find our character. I am afraid we have not enough of patience, enough of labour, and enough of good works, to get even as much as this said of us. Often have I been ready to faint in the Master's work and though I trust I have not been tired of it, yet there has sometimes been a longing to get from the work to the reward, and to go from the service of God, before I had fulfilled, as a hireling, my day. Who among us here present could lay claim to so much praise as this? What Sunday-school teacher have I here who could say, "I have laboured, and I have borne, and have had patience, and have not fainted." Ah, dear friends, if you can say it, it is more than I can.
"And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted." They had borne persecutions, difficulties, hardships, embarrassments, and discouragements, yet had they never flagged, but always continued faithful. And when we listen to those who preach another gospel, a holy anger burns within us, for we love the truth as it is in Jesus and nothing but that will satisfy us.
The husks, the bran, and the chaff, are not things that we can feed upon. Arminianism will never go down with us the doctrine of men will not suit our taste. I know the difference between truth and error. "And thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars." Here, too, I think some of us may hope to be clear. "I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil." The thorough hatred which the church had of evil doctrine, of evil practice, and its corresponding intense love for pure truth and pure practice-in that I trust some of us can bear a part. "I know thy patience." I say again, beloved, I tremble to think how few out of this congregation could win such praise as this. But this church had laboured on for many years it had thrown out all its energies-not in some spasmodic effort, but in a continual strain and unabated zeal for the glory of God. But what does hinder them? They only labour for a little season, and then they cease to work and begin to faint. He might say, "I know thy loitering I know thy laziness I know thy shirking of the work I know thy boasting of what little thou dost I know thine ambition to be thought something of, when thou art nothing." But ah! friends, it is more than most of us dare to hope that Christ could say, "I know thy labour."īut further, Christ says, "I know thy patience." Now there be some that labour, and they do it well. Could the Lord Jesus say as much as that of you-"I know thy labour?" No. It is not work merely, it is anxious work it is casting forth the whole strength, and exercising all the energies for Christ. He was "in labours more abundant." Many were they in the apostle's days who did works for Christ but pre-eminently the apostle Paul did labour for souls. There were many preachers in Whitfield's day that had works, but Whitfield had labour. Many Christians have works, but only few Christians have labour. But further, Christ said, "and thy labour." This is more still. I say again, happy is that man to whom Christ can say, "I know thy works." It is a commendation worth a world to have as much as that said of us.
You are Christians by profession, but you are not Christians as to your practice. Jesus Christ himself can bear no witness to your works, for you have not done any. "I know thy works." Alas! some of you cannot get so far as that. He is no idle Christian, he has practical godliness he seeks by works of piety to obey God's whole law, by works of charity to manifest his love to the brotherhood, and by works of devotion to show his attachment to the cause of his Master. Happy the man whose works are known and accepted of Christ. Just read what "Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness," said of them-"I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: and hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted." Oh, my dear brothers and sisters, we may feel devoutly thankful if we can humbly, but honestly say, that this commendation applies to us. IT IS A GREAT THING to have as much said in our commendation as was said concerning the church at Ephesus. Declension from First Love "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love."-Revelation 2:4
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