in the second and third chapters of the Revelation had, all of them, the Gospel established among the people, through the labors of the apostles and their followers; and the Lord saw good to send them those remarkable messages, both as a warning to them and an example to us. You will observe, there is prophecy mingled in each message; and what I have to tell you is the wonderful fulfillment of those predictions at the present day, particularly those relating to Philadelphia, (now called Allah-Shehr, the city of God,) Sardis, and Laodicea. The other four have, some of them, a few remains of their Christian name, being still the abode of a few families calling themselves Christians; but these belong chiefly to the Greek Church, which is hardly more enlightened, in many respects, than the Church of Rome. Smyrna, and Thyatira,* and Pergamos, have little congregations, who confess the name of Christ, and most interesting it is to witness even these poor remains of what was planted by the hands of the Apostles but observe what is said concerning the other four, that we may the better perceive how the Lord has dealt with them according to

* Mr. Hartley says, "The Greeks occupy 300 houses, and the Armenians 30-each of them have a church."

his word. To the church at Ephesus, who had left their first love-that is, had ceased to look to the Lord with all the zealous devotion that they shewed when first they received the Gospel-He threatens to remove their candlestick out of its place, except they repent; and as by a candlestick is meant the church, we might expect to find no appearance of a Christian congregation. When I visited it, there was in all the place but one person who professed Christianity; and the whole of that magnificent city is a heap of ruins."

"What a visitation," said Mr. Cleveland, 66 on a place once so honored and blessed-so dear to the heart of God's faithful servant Paul, as his beautiful Epistle to the Ephesians testifies, where he says, that for their faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, he could not cease to give thanks for them! The warning is awful to those who are becoming cold and careless in prayer a sure sign that they are losing their first, earnest love for God. But in the morning of the resurrection, how numerous a company of faithful Christians shall arise from the dust of Ephesus, to partake in the fullness of that joy which the apostle delighted to set before them, as the sure portion of God's children! But what of

Sardis? for our Lord threatened that church, if they became not more watchful, that he would come upon them as a thief, unexpectedly; and from that I should suppose them to be severely visited."

"It is even so,” answered Mr. Peele; "for scarcely a single Christian was to be found there; and that most splendid city is reduced to a mass of ruins, with only a few miserable cabins, inhabited by Turkish peasants, throughout its spacious extent. I could not look on Sardis without remembering how awful it is to bear the name of Christ without having his Spirit within us. Of what avail is it to have our heads full of knowledge, and our mouths of religious talk, when He who searches all hearts can say to us, I know thy works: that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.' A corpse has still the form and features, and name, and nature of man; but who would therefore bring a dead body and place it at his table among living guests? Much less will the Lord endure that a soul dead in trespasses and sins, while still claiming the title of a child of God, shall appear, and occupy a place among his holy and happy family in heaven.

"But, sad as is the present state of Sardis, that

of Laodicea is even worse. You know that our Lord used the strongest expression possible to show how utterly he would reject that church, even as men cast out from their mouths something very nauseous and disgusting, that they cannot bear to swallow. From this threat we might expect a more total overthrow of all that was great, all that was, or appeared to be, holy in Laodicea, than any where else; and this I found to be the case. There is not only a total absence of the very name of Christianity in that place, but not even a Turk makes it his dwelling. It would be as totally without inhabitant as the ruined Babylon, only for a few tents which a wandering Arab tribe sometimes pitch there for a season. place is known, and the broken remains of its once magnificent buildings are tenanted by wolves and other wild beasts; while the most striking thing around it is the great number of sarcophagi, or places where the dead were deposited, as if to remind us of those who, by their sin, brought the wrath of the Lamb upon that proud and lukewarm church."

The

"Please to tell me, Sir," said Jane, "what is meant by a church being neither cold nor hot, but lukewarm; for the Lord says to Laodicea, I

know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.' I don't quite understand it."

"Then I will try to explain it, my dear," said Mr. Peele; “ for it is of very great consequence to us to consider it. When we say that a person's heart is warm towards us, we mean that he has a real affection for us-that he loves our company, and would delight to do us any service. Every body, I suppose, likes to see this character in a friend. But one who is cold towards us, would not care if we never met, is ready to turn away when we do meet, takes no notice of us or our concerns, and goes on as if we never had been born. Now, Jane, supposing you felt kindly towards two people of these very opposite characters, how would you behave to them ?”

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"Oh! I should take care to let the warm friend know that I valued his love," said Jane, looking very kindly at her brother as she spoke ;" and I would try to return all his kindness, and avoid doing any thing to lose it."

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Right; and what of the cold person who cared nothing about you ?"

"Why, Sir, I would watch for an opportunity of doing him some very great kindness, which he