The Latin church hath a monaftery of Franciscans. The Armenians have one church. But the English, who are the most confiderable number, next to the Greeks and Armenians, have only a chapel in the conful's houfe; which is a fhame, fays Wheler, confidering the great wealth they heap up here, beyond all the reft: yet they commonly excel them in their paftor; for I efteem a good English prieft, an evangelift, if compared with any of the reft. Frequent plagues and earthquakes are the great calamities of the place; but the Chriftians are here more confiderable, and in far better condition, than in any other of the feven churches: as if the promise was ftill in fome measure made good to Smyrna, Fear none of thofe things, which thou shalt fuffer; be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

Pergamus, formerly the metropolis of the Hellefpontic Myfia, and the feat of the Attalic kings, is (9) by the Turks with fome little variation ftill called Bergamo, and hath its fituation about fixty-four miles to the north of Smyrna. Here are fome good buildings, but more ruins. All the city almoft is occupied by the Turks, very few families of Chriftians be

(9) Smith, Rycaut, Wheler and Spon. ibid. VOL. III.

D

ing

(1) Smith

ing left, whose state is very fad and deplorable. Here is only one church remaining, dedicated to St. Theodorus; and that the name of Christ is not wholly loft and forgotten in Pergamus, is owing to the care of the metropolitan of Smyrna, who continually fendeth hither a priest to perform the facred offices. The cathedral church of St. John is buried in its own ruins; their angel or bishop removed; and its fair pillars adorn the graves, and rotten carcafes of its deftroyers, the Turks'; who are esteemed about two or three thousand fouls in number. Its other fine church, called Santa Sophia, is turned into a mofque, and daily profaned with the. blafphemies of the falfe prophet. There are not in the whole town above a dozen or fifteen families of miferable Chriftians, who till the ground to gain their bread, and live in the moft abject and fordid fervitude. There is the lefs reafon to wonder at the wretched condition of this church, when we confider that it was the very throne of Satan; that they ran greedily after the error of Balaam, to eat things facrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication; and that they held the impure doctrins of the Nicolaitans, which Chrift detefted. It was denounced unto

1) Smith and Rycaut. ibid.

them

(2) Epiphan. adverf. Hares. Lib. 2. Tom. 1. Cap. 33. P. 455.

them to repent, or else be would come unto them quickly, and fight against them, as the event evinces that he hath done.

Next to Pergamus is Thyatira (1) fituated at the distance of about forty-eight miles to the fouth-eaft. Certain heretics called Alogi (which may not improperly be interpreted unreasonable men) have (2) affirmed, but have only affirmed without any proof, that at the time of St. John's writing there was no Chriftian church. at Thyatira. Epiphanius admits it, and thence infers that St. John must have wrote with a prophetic fpirit. The objection is frivolous, but the answer is worfe. For there is no juft reafon for doubting, that at this time there was a Christian church at Thyatira. This very epistle is a fufficient proof of it. It is faid exprefly, (Acts XIX. 10.) that all they who dwelt in Afia (meaning Afia Minor) heard the word of the Lord Jefus, both Jews and Greeks: and what ground is there for thinking that the city of Thyatira was alone excepted? It is faid particularly, (Acts XVI. 14.) that Lydia, an eminent trader and feller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, was baptized with her houshold. At prefent the city is called by the Turks (3) Akhisar

P. 455. Vol. 1. Edit. Petav. (3) Smith and Rycaut. ibid.

D 2

or

(4) Smith

or the white castle, from the great quantities of white marble there abounding. Only one ancient edifice is left ftanding. The rest, even the churches, are fo deftroyed, that no veftiges of them are to be found. The principal inhabitants are Turks, who have here eight mofques, when not fo much as one Chriftian church is ftill remaining. So terribly have the divine judgments been poured upon this church for committing fornication, and eating things facrificed unto id ls; And I gave her space to repent of ber fornication, and fhe repented not.

Sardis, once the renowned capital of Crœfus and the rich Lydian kings, (4) is now no longer worthy of the name of a city. It lieth about thirty-three miles to the fouth of Thyatira, and is called by the Turks Sart or Sard, with little or no variation from the old original name. is a moft fad fpectacle, nor can one forbear weeping over the ruins of fo great a city. For now it is no more than an ignoble village, with low and wretched cottages of clay; nor hath

It

it any other inhabitants, befides fhepherds and herdsmen, who feed their flocks and cattle in the neighbouring plains. Yet the great extent. and grandeur of the ruins abundantly fhow, how

(4) Smith, Rycaut, Wheler and Spon. ibid. Van Egmont's and Heyman's Travels. Chap. 10.

(5) Smith

how large and fplendid a city it was formerly. The Turks themfelves have only one mofque,

a beautiful one indeed, perverted to that ufe from a Chriftian church. Very few Chriftians are here to be found; and they with great patience, or rather fenfelefs ftupidity, fuftain a miferable fervitude; and what is far more miferable, are without a church, without a prieft among them. Such is the deplorable ftate of once the most glorious city: but her works were not found perfect, that is they were found blameable, before God; fhe was dead, even while fhe lived; and fhe is punished accordingly.

Philadelphia, fo called from Attalus Philadelphus its builder, (5) is diftant from Sardis about twenty-seven miles to the fouth-eaft. It is called by the Turks Alah Shahr, or the beautiful city, on on account of its delightful fituation, ftanding on the declivity of the mountain Tmolus, and having a moft pleafant profpect on the plains beneath, well furnished. with divers villages, and watered by the river Pactolus. It fill retains the form of a city, with fomething of trade to invite people to it, being the road of the Perfian caravans. Here is little of antiquity remaining, befides the ruins

(5) Smith, Rycaut, Wheler and Spon. ibid. D 3

of

(6) Smith,