"fons of God, even to them that believe on his "name: which were born, not of blood, nor of "the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but "of God." Rom. viii. 30.-"Whom he called, "them he alfo juftified; and whom he juftified, "them he alfo glorified."

The excellency of the character, and the purity, fublimity, and permanency of the enjoyment, expreffed by the name of fons of God, are the greatest to which the nature of man is capable of being raised. Rom. viii. 17.-" And if children, then

heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Chrift." 1 John iii. 1,-3.-" Behold what manner of love "the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we "fhould be called the fons of God: therefore the "world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

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Beloved, now are we the fons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we fhall be; but we know that, when he fhall appear, we fhall be "like him; for we fhall fee him as he is."

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This new name no man knoweth, faving he who hath received it. The degenerated fons of meri, the children of the devil, are perfectly ignorant of. that excellency, which confifts in the refloration of the image of God to the foul of man, and. of that happiness which confils in the enjoyment of God. Their ignorance of the new nature, the fpiritual life, is no fingularity in nature; it is analogous to what takes place among all the orders of God's crea

tures. Thofe which are of an inferior nature, and poffefs a life of an inferior kind, can form no diftinct perception of the nature of life of a fuperior kind. For inftance, vegetables, poffeffed of vegetable life, know nothing of animal life; and mere animals know nothing of fpiritual life: Why then fhould it be furprising that the fons of men know not the nature and the fpiritual life of the fons of God? 1 Cor. ii. 12, 14.-" Now we have received, not the fpirit of the world, but the fpirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given us of God. But the "natural man receiveth not the things of the

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fpirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; "neither can he know them, because they are fpiritually difcerned."

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Verfe 18.-And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira, write; These things faith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brafs.

This epiftle is addreffed to the minister of the church in Thyatira. This was a very confiderable city of Lydia, in Afia Minor, under the jurifdiction of Pergamus. See Plin. Nat. Hift. 1. 5. . 30. Some perfons belonging to this city were early converted to Christianity, by the miniftra

tion of Paul and Silas, as appears from Acts xvi. 14, 15. Chrift takes, in this epiftle, his well known name of the Son of God. His perfect knowledge and clear difcernment are expreffed by eyes like a flame of fire, and his ftability and purity by feet like fine brass. These two features of his hieroglyphical character were peculiarly proper to be exhibited to this church, when he was about to defcribe the concealed parts of their character, and to reprove them for their impurity.

Verse 19th.-I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.

Chrift mentions, with high approbation, the charity of this church, confifting in fupreme love to God, and fincere love to man, her fervice, confifting in her attendance upon, and beneficial fervices to the poor, the fick, and the afflicted. The word, tranf lated fervice, is that which fignifies the work of a deacon, whofe office was to attend to the fituation of the poor and fick. He praises her for her faith, that is, her diftinct and firm belief, and hearty approbation of all the truths of the gofpel; her patience under the trials and perfecutions to which fhe had been exposed; and her works, that is, her outward conduct in every refpect, correfpondent to

her.

her charity, faith, and patience, and particularly for making daily progrefs in all these graces and virtues of the Chriftian life.

Verse 20th,-23d.-Notwithstanding, I have a few things against thee, because thou fuffereft that woman Jezebel, which calleth herfelf a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my fervants to commit fornication, and to eat things facrificed to idols. And I gave her fpace to repent of her fornication, and fhe repented not. Behold I will caft her unto a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches fhall know that I am he which fearcheth, the reins and hearts, and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.

In these verfes Chrift reproves this church for not discountenancing a falfe teacher, who laid claim to infpiration, and taught in that city with confiderable fucceis, certain impure and impious tenets and practices. She was very artful, and too fuccefsful in feducing the fervants of Chrift. On that account fhe is called Jezebel, and compared to the perfon of that name, wife to Ahab king of Ifracl,

Ifrael, who artfully mifled the elders and nobles of the city of Naboth to become her inftruments, in unjustly taking away the life and vineyard of Naboth, under the mask of religion and law. She alfo induced King Ahab to encourage impurity and idolatry. The various particulars relative to Jezebel are recorded in the whole 21ft chapter of 1 Kings. For fuch wickednefs God fent the prophet Elijah to denounce judgements on Jezebel, and the house of Ahab, fo exactly correfponding to the fins of which fhe had been guilty, that it fhould clearly appear that God perfectly knew her conduct, however artful, fecret, and difguised; and that he rendered unto her according to her works. Ahab having humbled himself before God, these punishments were not inflicted, in their full extent, on his family, in his day; but they were all inflicted on Jezebel, and their children, as appears from 2 Kings chap. ix. and x.

The reader is defired to perufe the 21st chap. of 1 Kings, and these two, with attention, as they contain a moft ftriking hiftory of the character of Jezebel, and a beautiful and aweful account of the omniscience of God, and of the impartiality of his juftice in the government of the world. In like manner, Chrift fays, that he had given this falfe prophetess at Thyatira time to repent, as he had given Jezebel; but like her, fhe repented not. That, therefore, he would punish her and her vo

taries