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OD's little remnant keeping their garments clean in an evil day.

In a fermon on

REV. iii. 4.

Thou haft a few names even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.

By Mr. EBENEZER Erskine.

II.

Page I

The wind of the Holy Ghost blowing upon the dry bones in the valley of vifion. In a fermon on EZEK. xxvii. 9.

Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon thefe flain, that they may live.

By Mr. EBENEZER ERSKINE.

III.

4I

The groans of believers under their burdens. In a fermon on

2 COR. v. 4.

We that are in this tabernacle do groan, being bur

dened

By Mr. EBENEZer Erskine.

IV.

78

Law-death, Gofpel-life; Or, The death of legal righteousness, the life of gofpel-holiness. Being the fubftance of feveral fermons on

GAL. ii. 19.

I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.

By Mr. RALPH ERSKINE.

109

15

V. The

GOD's little remnant keeping their garments clean in an evil day.

BEING A

SERMON preached at the Sacrament of Strathmiglo, June 3, 1714.

By the Rev. Mr. EBENEZER ERSKINE.

REV. iii. 4.

Thou haft a few names even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white; for they are worthy.

T

HE first fix verfes of this chapter contain an epiftle fent by Jefus Chrift unto the Church of Sardis; where we have, first,

the preface, and then the body of the epiftle. In the body of the epiftle we may notice thefe three things, (1.) An accufation or charge in the close of the firft verfe. (2.) An exhortation unto feveral duties, fuch as, repentance, watchfulness, and the like, v. 2, 3. (3.) We have a commendation given to this church in the words of my text, Thou hast a few names even in Sardis, &c. Where, more particularly, we have, 1ft, The commendation itfelf, Thou hast a few names even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments. 2dly, A reward, they fhall walk with me in white. VOL. II.

B

3dly, The

reafon

;

reafon and ground of this, for they are worthy. First, I fay, we have the commendation itself, where we may notice the commender, the commended, and the ground on which the commendation runs. 1. The commender, who he is may be gathered from the connection: It is he that hath the feven fpirits of God, and the seven stars, v. 1. It is Chrift himself; and his commendation may be depended upon; for he trieth the heart and reins, and needs not that any fhould teftify of man unto him, because he knows what is in man. 2. The party commended who are described, (1.) From their defignation, they are called names, God had given them a new name, a name better than of fons and daughters, even a name among the living in Jerufalem; they were marked among the rolls of his chofen, redeemed and fanctified ones; by their zeal, uprightnefs, integrity, and their honeft appearance for God, in that degenerate day and place, they had distinguished themselves from others, and fo purchased a name to themselves, and they were known to men as well as unto God: The Lord knoweth the righteous, and he knows them by name, they are marked out from among others. (2.) They are defcribed by their paucity, they are a few names; they were comparatively few, when laid in the balance with the multitude and bulk of carnal fecure profeffors in this church; there was but a fmall part of them, that had kept themselves free of the corruptions and defections of that church, and that had not bowed the knee unto Baal. (3.) They are described from the place of their refidence, Sardis, one of the feven churches of the Leffer Afia. The expreffion here is obfervable, a few names even in Sardis. Chrift's character of this church, in the clofe of the first

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