experience; for he gives them the express command, "Grieve not the holy
Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." Chap.
4:30. And again, "After that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy
Spirit of promise." Chap. 1:13. Their ministers, also, had been placed
in their position by authority of the Holy Ghost, and were commanded to
feed the flock. See Acts 20:28. When this was their heavenly experience,
their "first works" of patience, love, and perseverance, were acceptable
unto Christ; but it was not their present condition. A sad declension
had taken place; therefore the declaration, "I have somewhat against
thee, because thou hast left thy first love." This was no mere human
estimate placed upon their piety, but it was their condition as Christ
himself knew it to be. He "who walketh in the midst of the seven golden
candlesticks," and knoweth the hearts of all men, declared they had
fallen, and commanded them to repent and to do the first works. How sad
that a congregation which had one time enjoyed the fulness of God's
favor should fall from grace and be threatened with destruction by the
Lord himself! But there is one consolation to be obtained from the
experience of this church, and that is, that even if persons have
enjoyed an experience of pardon and of sanctification and have lost it,
there is a possibility of their recovering the favor of God, provided
they "repent, and do the first works."

But Christ, who in chapter 1:5 is said to be "the faithful witness,"
will not overlook anything that is good, nor censure a congregation
unjustly. He finds in this church one fact worthy of commendation--their
abhorrence of the deeds of the Nicolaitans. The infamous practises
attributed to this party are promiscuous sexual intercourse and the
eating of things sacrificed to idols. It is said to have derived its
name from Nicolas, a proselyte of Antioch, who was one of the seven
deacons appointed by the church at Jerusalem, Acts 6:5. But there is no