The Revelation Revealed, Chapter 2 · Verse 4
Verſe 4. Nevertheleſs I have ſomwhat against thee, becauſe thou haſt left thy firſt love.
We have heard the vertues and graces of the Church of Epheſus, and how ſhe had a juſt and honourable approbation for them, yet notwithſtanding there is a tang in the end, which ſhows ſome defection in her; and after all her commendations, there is a Nevertheleſs follows cloſe in the heels thereof, with ſomwhat to be ſaid againſt her: juſt as it is often ſaid of the good Kings of Iſrael, in the book of Kings, That they walked and did uprightly in the ſight of God, as David the King; but withal, there is added a but; But they departed not from the ſins of Jeroboam, that made Iſrael to ſin. Hence by the way Note.
Obſerv. That the pureſt churches, and the beſt chriſtians, are not altogether exempted from ſtains, but have their ſpots and blemiſhes, as well as reſplendent graces. It was the Spouſe condition in Cant. 1.5. where ſhe deſcribes her ſelf, and ſaith, I am black, but comly (O ye daughters of Jeruſalem) as the Tents of Kedar, as the Curtains of Solomon. Let us out ſurvey the firſt churches and chriſtians, to elucidate and confirm this truth; and ſeeing they ſtood neereſt the light, even the Sun of Truth, and his Twelve illuſtrious radiating Signs, (his Apoſtles) in my judgement, they are to be reputed the ſoundeſt, and the pureſt; yet ſee whether we read not of their Maculae, or ſpots, as well as of their ſhining graces. The church of Corinth was a famous church, yet ſhe had her failings, contaminating the holy feaſts, and their Agapees with ſurfetting and drunkenneſs, and beſides, the foul errors of falſe Apoſtles, as denying the Reſurrection, &c. The church of Galatia was not much inferiour in her wantonnizing after liveleſs ceremonial fancies, and preſſed them, as neceſſary (with Chriſt) unto ſalvation; and when Paul oppoſed them herein, for whoſe ſake they once were ready to pull out their eyes to do him good, yet now for croſſing their capricious whimſies, is become their greateſt adverſary. The churches of Epheſus, Pergamus, &c. had their ſeveral encomiums for their graces, yet there were ſome things chargeable on them, for waxing cold in their firſt love, for admitting the Doctrine of Balaam, Nicolaitans, Jezabel, &c. If we deſcend from bodies collective to individual perſons, we ſhall find the ſame lot befal unto all; conſider Noah, Job, David, Peter, &c. but I deſire not to rake up the faults of the Saints, which are not left upon record to encourage to ſin, but to be preſidents of the grace of God, and as examples for encouragement unto repentant ſinners.
Becauſe thou haſt left thy firſt love.] Some difficulty ſeems in theſe words; whether by firſt love be intended Chriſt whom the church of Epheſus had left? Or, that firſt ardent affection and zeal which ſhe bore to Chriſt at her firſt converſion? The latter Interpretation to me is clear, Becauſe the church of Epheſus had not withdrawn her ſelf from the faith of Chriſt, as is evident by the two precedent verſes; for it was for Chriſt's ſake, and his truth, that ſhe had ſuffered much, both from wicked perſons, and wicked teachers; therefore, as long as her faith was ſound, ſhe could not be ſaid to have left Chriſt, as her firſt Love, and taken a new love, or new object of her faith: But that for which ſhe is charged as faulty, is, that ſhe hath left her firſt love, that is, her firſt zeal, and fervent affections, which ſhe bore to Chriſt and his Ordinances at her firſt converſion; and this is plain from the next verſe, where ſhe is commanded to repent, and to do her firſt works. From hence obſerve,
Obſerv. That it is frequently ſeen, that many true and faithful chriſtians and churches, do much abate and fail in their firſt zeal and love to Chriſt and his ways, in a ſhort progreſs of time after their converſion, or from their firſt entertainment of the Truth. Paul did much complain of the church of Galatia in this particular, at their firſt entertainment of the truth, they were ſo full of affections and zeal, that they were even ready to pull out their eyes to do Paul ſervice, who was their great Apoſtle; yet ſhortly after he complains of them, as if they had entertained another Goſpel, and exclaims; O fooliſh Galathians! who hath bewitched you? It ſeems Epheſus was much faulty herein; and ſo were divers others of the primitive churches; and therefore the Apoſtles were very urgent and preſſing in their preachings, to maintain love alive, and of the three eminent Goſpel graces, Faith, Hope, and Charity, charity has the precedency, Firſt, in regard it hath a more extenſive object then the other two; faith and hope reſpects only God, and eternal glory as their object, charity hath not only God for its object, but the Saints alſo. Secondly, it hath the precedency, in that love abideth in glory, when faith and hope ceaſeth: Thirdly, it is as the ſoul and life unto other graces: faith it ſelf is but as a dead carcaſs, unleſs it be enlivened by love. To know and entertain the Goſpel and its truth, is an excellent gift and quality, yet if we do not foreign, Receive the truth in the love thereof; we may know ſo much as may juſtly condemn us for our unproficiency, but not ſave us, for want of love. Indeed I could wiſh that this were ſtill a paradox, That the love of chriſtians is waxed cold; for it was once a hard ſaying, to be a chriſtian, and to want love; I have read that ſome chriſtians of the firſt ages after Chriſt were ſo famous amongſt their heathen adverſaries for this grace of love, that they were ready even to die one for another; whereof their very enemies taking notice, with approbation, when they would commend the love of any, they would ſay proverbially, that it was like the love of chriſtians: but now, O chriſtians! Quantum mut aſt is ab illo! It was far otherwiſe with you at your firſt coming to the truth, then it is now; then every one loved one the other for the truths ſake At the firſt breaking out of light in England from under Antichriſtian clouds and darkneſs, every one had his breaſt on fire for the promotion of truth and godlineſs; Presbyterian, Independent, and Anabaptiſt, were then all under the notion of Puritans, and Non-conformiſts, zealous for the common cauſe of advancement of Chriſt and his Goſpel: what is the cauſe that ye have now left your firſt love, both towards God, and towards one another? Is God and Truth grown leſs lovely then at firſt? Or were you miſtaken then in the right objects of your love? I rather fear, of the both, that the God of the world hath blinded you, when ye ſeek to advance every one his particular intereſt by rearing one the other moſt uncharitably, as bears, not as chriſtians; who are meek, full of bowels of compaſſion, eaſily to be entreated, &c. Have ye not one Lord, one Faith, one Baptiſm, one Spirit, one Scripture, one common hope of Salvation? and yet look upon one the other, as the Jews did on the Samaritans, and that for ſome ſmall differences in circumſtantials of Religion: It would better beſuit chriſtians to be like the good Samaritan, that will be ready to pour oyl and wine into the wounds of their afflicted brethren, not vinegar and gall, which was the work of thoſe that piercd Chriſt, not of his followers and diſciples.
Tantane Ira Fratrum?—
Sed praeſtat motes componere fluctus.
In the next place, all ſorts of chriſtians have ſadly experienced the truth of this poſition, that they have forſaken their firſt love. Where is the love of the Presbyterian to his Geneva model, as if it had been the very Elixar of all church Diſcipline? Was he not even fire and ſword againſt Epiſcopacy, that ſtood in his way as a bar to the advancement of his Form; and now Epiſcopacy being down, and the aſpect of authority benigne towards them, yet how remiſs and cold are they in ſetting up their Elders? I believe they fear the Iure Divine of it, and therefore will not move a foot farther, without a Soveraign hand for to ſupport it: but all this ſhows they have much abated in their firſt love. Next, What is become of the ardent affections, and frequent private and publique exerciſes and aſſemblings of the Independents? Were they not the only men in the world, in their firſt appearance, that carried the face and judgement of Saints, yet now how remiſs and cold they are grown, all ſee? How formal, or rather carnal, are ſome of them become, that were once as fire in the hearth, and in the ſheaf, ready to warm and enflame all that came by, by their ardent affections and duties? Yea, are not many of them, that would not be ſatisfied otherwiſe, but with hewen ſtones for the building of the Temple, evidentially viſible Saints for the Houſe of the Lord, now content, and ſit down ſatisfied in a parochial congregation of a mixed multitude, the tenth whereof, if ſo much be good wheat amongſt the pile of chaff that anſwereth that part which they have for their maintenance, they may account themſelves moſt happy … And laſtly, How is the great zeal of the Anabaptiſts (ſo called) ſlaked? There was a time when they would compaſs Sea and Land to make a proſelyte, at their firſt appearance, how ſtrict they were to Diſcipline and Order, that they might juſtly be called above all others, the Diſciplinarians? Yet now how remiſs they are unto it, all know, by a too large toleration of errours amongſt them? And how flat their zeal is for the promotion of the truth, all ſee: yea ſtrange how they are changed from their firſt principles, who at firſt loved one the other as chriſtians, and for the Truths ſake; yet now who more worldly or haughty then they? Therefore ſeeing ye have all come ſhort of your duty, and made a defection from your firſt love, take the exhortation of the Spirit in the next verſe.