G OD's little remnant keeping their garments
U clean in an evil day. In a sermon on

Rev. iii. 4
Tbou balt a few names even in Sardis, which have

not defiled their garments; and they all walk with
me in white : for they are worthy. Page 1

By Mr. Ebenezer ERSKINE.

II. The wind of the Holy Ghost blowing upon the dry bones in the valley of vision. In a fermon on

Ezek. xxvii. 9. Come from the four winds, o breath, and breathe upon these pain, that they may live.

41 By Mr. EBENEZER ERSKINE.

III.

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

2 Cor. V. 4. We that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened

By Mr. EBENEZER Erskine.

78

KINE.

IV.
Law-death, Gospel-life; Or, The death of legal

righteousness, the life of gospel-holiness. Being
the substance of several sermons on

GAL. ii. 19... I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.

109 By Mr. RALPH ERSKINE.

V: The

V. The harmony of the divine attributes displayed, in

the redemption and salvation of sinners by Jesus Christ. In a sermon on

. Psal. lxxxv. 10. Mercy and truth have met together : righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

244 By Mr. Ralph Erskine.

VI. The best bond, or surest engagement. In a sermon on

JEREM. XXX. 21.
For who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto

me ? saith the Lord.
· And a Discourse after the solemn work.

By Mr. Ralph ERSKINE.

316

VII. The gradual conquest: Or, heaven won by little

and little. In two sermons on

DEUT. vii. 22. And the Lord thy God will put out these nations before thee by little and little.

390 Ir. RALPH ERSKINE.

By

VIII. The rainbow of the covenant surrounding the throne of grace. Being the substance of some sermons on

Rev. iv. 3. And there was a rainbow round about the throne, in fight like unto an emerald. By Mr. EBENEZER Erskine.

GOD's

God's little remnant keeping their gar

ments clean in an evil day.

. BEING A SERMON preached at the Sacrament

of Strathmiglo, June 3, 1714.

By the Rev. Mr. EBENEZER ERSKIN E.

Rev. iii. 4.
Thou hast 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 H E first fix verses of this chapter contain

an epistle sent by Jesus Christ unto the
Church of Sardis ; where we have, first,

the preface, and then the body of the epistle. In the body of the epistle we may notice these three things, (1.) An accusation or charge in the close of the first verse. (2.) An exhortation unto several duties, such 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, 1/, The commendation itlelf, Thou hast a few names even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments. 2dly, A reward, they shall walk with me in white. 3dly, The VOL. II.

reason

reason and ground of this, for they are worthy. First, I say, 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 seven spirits of God, and the seven stars, v. 1. It is Christ himself; and his commendation may be depended upon; for he trieth the heart and reins, and needs not that any should testify of man unto him, because he knows what is in man. 2. The party commended ; who are described, (1.) From their designation, 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 Jerusalem ; they were marked among the rolls of his chosen, redeemed and sanctified ones; by their zeal, uprightness, integrity, and their honest appearance for God, in that degenerate day and place, they had distinguished themselves from others, and so 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 described by their paucity, they are a few names; they were comparatively few, when laid in the balance with the multitude and bulk of carnal secure professors in this church; there was but a small 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 residence, Sardis, one of the seven churches of the Lesser Ajia. The expression here is observable, a few names even in Sardis. Christ's character of this church, in the close of the first

verse,