My Sermon to Men, at St. Margaret's Church, on Sunday afternoon, January 23, has also been introduced. It was not my original intention that this Sermon should appear in print, but, as it has been much in request, and is more likely to be useful than any other Sermon in the volume, to a certain class of readers, I have consented to its publication. It shall be my earnest hope and prayer, that, as my labours at Brighton were so suddenly and unexpectedly cut short, "the Lord of the harvest" may be pleased to make such use of these printed addresses as may compensate for any loss which His work may, for the moment, have seemed to sustain by my sudden withdrawal from active service. Greatly will it cheer and comfort my heart, if, from time to time, I am permitted to hear that in the dissemination of these Sermons, God has been pleased to carry on all over the land, the work which, for His own wise purposes, He saw fit to bring to a somewhat abrupt termination here; and, even if I am not allowed this encouragement, I shall continue to entertain the hope, till the Great Harvest Day reveals the results of all our earthly sowing. Brighton, February, 1876. W. HAY M. H. AITKEN. * Sermons 4, 7 and 18 may be had separately; Price, Twopence each. The First and Second Series of Sermons delivered during the I. 9 'Loss of the First Love." "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love."-REVELATION ii. 4. N returning to visit you, dear friends, after about twelve months' absence, and recalling, as one must of necessity do, on an occasion like this, the blessing that God was pleased to give us while we were together last year, my heart's desire and prayer is that this time of our present intercourse may not only be blessed by God the Holy Ghost, for the conversion of those who are still without spiritual life, but may also be a time of revival of God's work of grace in the hearts of His own children. I hope and trust that there are very few, if any-I would fain hope there are none-of those who received spiritual benefit in the course of last year's Mission, to whom the words of our text are applicable; but one's experience, one's sorrowful experience, leads one to conclude that there is, at any rate, a probability that there will be some to whom they are. And again, there may be some others present who have been brought under spiritual influences at other times, and by other agencies, to whom in all probability they will also be applicable. If, while we meet together now, God the Holy Ghost is pleased to begin a work of restoration in the souls of such as these, surely the fire will spread from such re-quickened hearts into the society in which they move: the blessing, beginning with God's people, we may look forward with confidence to a rich harvest of those who have hitherto belonged to the world. Now observe, it is no mean eulogy that our blessed Lord pronounces upon the church at Ephesus. The Lord Jesus. Christ does not flatter anybody or class of persons, yet He says some very strong things in favour of the church at Ephesus; in fact, I apprehend there are comparatively few congregations of whom as much could be said as is actually said of this B church: "I know thy works, saith He who walketh among the seven golden candlesticks, and holdeth the seven stars in His right hand." You will observe, my dear friends, that in each of these commencements our Lord gives Himself a different title, and in each case the title is in keeping with the message which He has to deliver. I have not time to point out how true this remark is, by adducing instance after instance, but if you will, at your leisure, study these seven epistles from that point of view, I think you will be struck by this considera tion. 66 In the present instance our blessed Lord calls attention, first of all, to His closeness to those who are His own, His nearness to them. He represents Himself as walking in the midst of the golden candlesticks, and as holding those," who are the representatives of the churches, "in His right hand," so close is their relationship to Him. The everlasting love of God brings Him very near to us. There is not one of you who is a real child in God to whom God has not been brought very near. If you are His child, He is near you still. It is your blessed privilege to recognise this nearness to God, like Enoch, to "walk with God." But just because God is so near, He is all the better able (if I may say so) to see the secrets of our hearts. When God's love is so warm towards us, and His sympathy so full, if there is anything in our hearts that does not respond to Him, that sets itself up against Him, or if there is any spiritual faculty or attribute which ought to be present, but which is "conspicuous by its absence," He is all the more sure to detect it, just because of this closeness of relationship. Were He a mere stranger, He might not detect "the loss of the first love; at any rate, it might not impress Him so painfully. A mere stranger does not expect manifestations of love. If we meet with civility, politeness, and consideration, that is all we can expect or require. But if we are bound in the relationship of real love, then we expect that the love shall be reciprocated. And just because our Lord loves with such tenderness and affection, because His love is something so actual and real, He has a right to expect, and He does actually expect a reciprocity on our part, and, if that be wanting, quick as lightning the heart of the Lord Jesus Christ must be conscious of the want, He must have "something against us," as He had against the church at Ephesus, because we have "left our first love." |