William Perkins on Revelation 3:2

Verse 2. Be watchfull, and strengthen the things that remaine, that are readie to die: for I haue not found thy works perfect before God.

There be two degrees of hypocrisie: first, when men professe that which is not in their heart at all. The second, when men make profession of more then is in their heart. This second kind of hypocrisie oft befalleth the children of God; and it is that which Christ reprooueth in this Church of Sardis, in the former vers. After which reproofe, here he propoundeth a remedie to their vice, and a reason to mooue them to vse the same. The remedie is in the beginning of the verse, where are two duties prescribed: To bee watchfull, and to strengthen or confirme the decayed graces of God in them. For the first, Be watchfull: to bee watchfull here, is a most worthy and excellent dutie, it is not bodily, but spirituall: and it is practised when any man hath a circumspect care and diligent heed in respect of the saluation of his soule. This dutie of watchfulnesse concerneth two things; sinne, and death▪ Watchfulnes against sinne stands in two duties; First, a man must daily and continually bethinke himselfe before hand of all sinnes and vices into which he may happily fall & for the doing of this, he must consider in himselfe two [illegible: 1 letter]hings; his Nature and his Calling▪ Touching his Nature, he must consider, that in him remaines the seed and roote of all sin, and therefore that hee may fall into any sinne whatsoeuer. Againe, a man considering his nature, shall finde himselfe more inclined to some sinnes then to others: and those hee must especially marke and obserue. Secondly, for his Calling: a man must marke the sinnes thereof: for since the fall of man, euery calling hath his especiall sins, wherto men that walke therein are more incident. The Magistrate hath his sins, the Minister his: the Lawyer his, the Physition his, and the Trades-man his. And touching these, a man must consider vnto what vices and abuses men are most subiect, that walke in that calling wherein he liueth, and so shal he haue a foresight of the sinnes that he may fall into. Secondly, after this foresight of sin: he must watch his heart with all diligence, that though it bee tempted and assaulted, yet it bee not tainted with any one sin; as the wise man counselleth, Pro. 4.21. Keepe thy heart with all diligence, that so the fountaine of al thy actions may be kept holy and pure. The second part of this, watchfulnesse respecteth death, or the second comming of Christ. In this, two things must bee practised: first, a man must euery day bethinke him selfe of his ende, and of the comming of Christ, either in generall to all the world, or particularly vnto him by death: and in this consideration he must esteem and iudge of euery day, as of the day of his death, or the day of iudgement. Secondly, he must prepare himselfe against death, & against the day of iudgement, euery day, euē this present day, as though hee should now die, or meete Christ in iudgement; and the next day do the like, and so goe on continually to the day of his death. And for our furtherance in this Christian watch, we must be mindefull of temperance and sobrietie, that we keepe mediocritie in the vse of the creatures of God, and of the things of this life. For when men plunge themselus, either in the cares of this world, or in earthly delights, they quite forget both sinne and death, and the day of Iudgement; and thus wee see what Christ meaneth by watchfulnesse.

As Christ prescribeth this dutie vnto this Church: The vse. so are we in the name of Christ to bee enioyned the same Christian watchfulnesse, both against sinne and death, and the day of Iudgement. And to mooue vs hereto, consider these reasons. First wee are watchfull for the preseruation of the things of this life: as if a towne be in danger of sacking or burning; there is watch and ward kept continually: and if a mans house bee in danger of robbing, hee will sit vp night and day to saue his goods: yea euery man is verie painfull and watchfull to heape vp to himselfe, the things of this world: Now, what a shame is it, that men should bee watchfull for temporall things, and yet haue no care of their soule that must liue for euer? Againe, want of watchfulnesse is the forerunner of death, and eternall destruction. I. Thess. 5. vers. 3. When men say peace and safetie, then shall come vpon them sudden destruction. When the rich man had enlarged his barnes vpon the encrease of his substance, he promised to himselfe case and securitie: saying, [illegible: 1 letter]uk. 12.1[illegible: 1 letter].20. Soule, soule, take thy rest, &c. but it was sayd vnto him, Oh foole, this night shal thy soule be taken from thee. And the Mat. 24.39. old world knew nothing, till the flood came and destroyed them all. Now, if the want of watchfulnesse bee the forerunner of destruction, how great a cause haue wee to watch?

The second dutie inioyned, is to confirme the graces of God decaied in them. Strengthen the thinges which remaine, that are readie to die: as if hee should say, sundry be the graces which I haue bestowed on you: but many are lost and gone: and those which remain, are about to perish, vnlesse you confirme them; therefore see nowe that you strengthen and repaire the same.

In this dutie, Christ teacheth this church and vs an excellent lesson, that whosoeuer hath receiued any gift of God, must haue care to preserue it, and to make the same gift strong in him by continuall increase. If a man haue receiued knowledge, faith, and repentance, or any other gift of grace, he must not suffer the same to lye dead in him, but stirre vp, increase, and confirme it dayly, that hee may bee a perfect man in Christ. For the gifts which men haue are not their owne, but Gods also, who looketh to receiue his owne with aduantage. And therefore men like good Stewards must so vse the gifts receiued, that they may returne them to God with increase. Thus Paul perswadeth Timothy, 2 Tim. 1.6. stirre vp the gift of God that is in thee: for else the receiuer is an vnfaithfull seruant, and so shall be rewarded. And for the better perfourmance of this dutie: we must often read the word of God, and meditate therein: we must heare it often preached; and with due reuerence and preparation receiue the sacrament. And pray continually: striuing earnestly against the corruptions that bee in vs; and dayly stirring vp our heart to all good duties: Thus did Dauid checke the corruption and deadnesse of his heart: Ps. 42.[illegible: 1 letter]1. Why art thou so cast downe oh my soule? and also stirre vp the same vnto all good duties, saying, I haue applyed my heart to fulfill thy statutes alway, euen to the end. Ps. 119.112.

Hereby are reprooued, the common sort of professors & hearers of the word: The vse. who stand at a stay, and goe not forward in grace. This is a great fault, for as we haue receiued grace, so we ought to stirre vp the same, that we may confirme, and increase it dayly.

Further Christ addeth, Which are about to die, where he answereth to a question, that is mooued by sundry at this day, namely: whether graces that concerne saluation, may be vtterly lost or not? Christ answeareth by a distinction, that some graces that pertaine to saluation, may be lost quite: and others may be decayed, so as they are about to die. For the graces of God that pertaine to saluation, be of two sorts: some be absolutely necessarie, so as without them a man of yeares cannot be saued: and such are faith and regeneration. Others bee lesse necessary, which sometime goe with faith, but not alwaies; such are, A plentifull feeling of the fauour of God, ioy in the holy Ghost, and boldnesse in prayer; these may be lost wholy for a time in the seruants of God. Yea, faith and regeneration themselues, may decay greeuously, and be readie to di[illegible: 1 letter], as this text saith. Secondly, consider fayth and regeneration in themselus, and they may be wholly lost, for nothing in it selfe is vnchangeable, but God. The state of the elect Angels by nature is changeable, for they stand by the power of God. Thirdly, these graces may perish and decay finally, vnlesse thy bee confirmed. Question. Why then doe not the elect finally fall away after their calling? Ans. Their standing cometh not from the constancie of grace or faith, but from the promise of God made vnto them, & to their faith, so Christ saith to Peter, [illegible: 1 letter]at▪ 16.1[illegible: 1 letter] Thou art Peter, and vpon this rocke, that is, vpon thy faith which thou hast professed, will I build my temple, and the gates of hell shall not preuaile against it: that is, though they may assault it, and greeuously weaken it, yet they shall neuer bee able finally to ouercome it.

The vse. Seing sundry graces of God may be lost, and the most necessary graces greatly decay, yea of themselues quite die: wee that haue receiued from God any grace, either of faith or repentance, are hereby taught not to bee presumptuous, or ouer confident in our selus, but with feare and trembling worke out our saluation. Phillip. 2.13.

The reason to enforce the former remedie is this: For I haue not found thy workes perfect before God: and therefore watch, and confirme the decayed graces of God that be in thee. In this reason, Christ giueth thē & vs to vnderstand, that he maketh a search in his church of al the works that men doe in the same, that he may accordingly reward them; for not finding, doth presuppose a search. And so the scripture speaketh of God vsually. Before the old world was destroyed, it is sayd; The Gen. [illegible: 1 letter].[illegible: 1 letter]. Lord saw that the wickednesse of man was great vppon the earth, as if he had looked from heauen vpon the earth, and beheld that it was corrupt, speaking after the manner of men, to signifie that search which he maketh into mens actions. And so he is sayd to come down from heauen, at the building of Babell, Gen. 11. and before he destroyed Sodome and Gomorrha, Gen. 18.2[illegible: 1 letter] He came downe to see whether they had done according to that crie, which was come vp to him: and so before the Lord punished the wickednes of the Israelits, Ierem. [illegible: 1 letter].12 He made a search into their wai[illegible: 2 letters]: and the second Commaundement is this, God will visite the sinnes of the father vpon the children: that is, he will make a search, whether the sinnes of the fathers be among the children, and if they be, he will punish them.

Seing Christ makes this search into all mens actions, The vse. we are taught in all things to haue care to conforme our selus to the will of Christ: and to set our selues to the doing of all good duties, according to his word: If we knew a Magistrate would come to make search in our house, wee would bee sure to set all thinges in order against he came: shall we be thus circumspect to prepare for the comming of an earthly man? & shall we not much more prepare our selues against the search of our Sauiour Christ the euerliuing God, from whom nothing can be hid?

I haue not found thy works perfect. Works are perfect two waies; by the law, or by the Gospell. By the law, whē in our works wee doe all that the law requireth: and thus are no mans workes perfect in this life. By the Gospel, our works are perfect when they proceed from a belieuing hart, that hath a care to please God in all things: & these works are perfect not in thēselus, but in the acceptation of Christ. Here by perfect works Christ meaneth not the perfection of the law, but of the Gospell, as if he had sayd, I haue searched into your waies; you doe many workes in shew, but they proceed not from sincere faith, nor from a heart that hath care to please God in all his commandements, and a full purpose not to sinne against him: you haue a shew of godlynesse, but you want the power thereof.

Here obserue that Christ condemneth this church, not because their works were not outwardlye conformable to the will of God; but because they proceeded not from a beleeuing hart, that had a full purpose to forsake all sinne, and to please God in all things.

Wee therefore must take heede of all hypocrisie by the Example of this Church: The vse. and labour to bee of Dauids minde: and praye with him; Psa. 1[illegible: 1 letter]9.[illegible: 1 letter]0. That our harts may be vpright in the Statutes of the Lord: that wee may say with Hezekias; Isay. 38.3. Behold Lord how I haue walked before thee with an vpright minde: for this is a notable token of grace, and an infallible badge of him that is the child of God.

Before God. Some may say, Christ here distinguisheth himselfe from God, and therefore hee is not God. Answere. By (God) in this place we must vnderstand not God simply, but God the father. For Christ here speaketh of himselfe, not as he is God, but as he is mediator God & man; in which respect, euen as he is now glorified, he is inferiour vnto his Father.

Where note that Christ being now glorified in heauen, carrieth himselfe as mediator, whence we gather that we may lawfully, and without presumption pray vnto Christ, without the meanes or intercession of Saints or Angels. The church of Rome denie this; and say, because Christ is now in full glorie in heauen, therefore wee must vse vnto him the mediation of Saints: but Christ being now in heauen, marks our workes in particular: and therefore we may without presumption come vnto him by prayer.