"Write to Sardis," saith the Lord,
"And write what he declares,
Rev. 3:1-6
"Write to Sardis," saith the Lord,
"And write what he declares,
He whose Spirit, and whose word,
Upholds the seven stars:–
All thy works and ways I search,
Find thy zeal and love decayed;
Thou art called a living church,
But thou art cold and dead.
"Watch, remember, seek, and strive,
Exert thy former pains;
Let thy timely care revive,
And strengthen what remains;
Cleanse thine heart, thy works amend,
Former times to mind recall,
Lest my sudden stroke descend,
And smite thee once for all.
"Yet I number now in thee
A few that are upright;
These my Father's face shall see,
And walk with me in white.
When in judgment I appear,
They for mine shall be confessed;
Let my faithful servants hear,–
And woe be to the rest!"
~ William Cowper