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our unbelief. The beft of us have need to SERM. afk pardon for the weakness of our faith, IV. and to use care and caution in getting its deficiencies fupplied, that fo it may be lively and vigorous enough to influence our practice, and by bringing forth fruit unto holinefs in this life prefent, may conduct us in the end to life everlasting, thro' the all-fufficient merits of that crucified Re deemer, whom it fets before us as having paid a fatisfactory ransom for our fins, and offered up himself a propitiatory facrifice for this end and purpose, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish but have eternal life.

To Him, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be all honour, &c.

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SERMON V.

CHRIST the LIVING ONE, and the Giver of LIFE.

SERM.

V.

REV. i. 18.

I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

T'

HESE are the words of Christ the great Author and captain of our falvation, in the beginning of that Revelation, which it pleased him to give unto his fervant John. The Apoftle was in the fpirit (i. e. in a tranfport or ecftafy) on the Lord's day, or the first day of the week, which had now in memory of our Lord's Refurrection abolish'd and fucceeded to

the Jewish fabbath. In this tranfport he heard behind him a great voice as of a trumpet, faying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the laft, the manifest characters of him who has neceffary existence,

istence, eternal and unchangeable, and SER M. which are more fully deliver'd at the eighth V. verfe, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and ending, faith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

The fame glorious voice continued to give our Apostle a commiffion to the feven Afiatick Churches: And what thou feeft (fays he) write in a book, and fend it unto the feven churches which are in Afia, unto Ephefus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. Surprized, either at the voice or the commiffion, he turned about to fee if he could difcern who it was that fpake with him: and being turned (fays he) I faw feven golden candleflicks, and in the midst of the feven candleSticks, which are afterwards explained to be the emblems of the feven churches, there appear'd as the Guardian and Protector of thofe churches, one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head, and his hairs were white like wooll, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; and his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace his voice as the found of many waters. And he had in his right hand feven ftars (which are afterwards explain'd to be the

K 3

Angels

SERM. Angels or Bishops of the feven churches, V. taken thus into his fpecial care and protection:) and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged fword (his word being, as the fcripture elsewhere fpeaks, quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged fword) and his countenance was as the fun fhineth in bis ftrength.

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It will need but little thought to underftand that this must be the Head of the Church Chrift Jefus, appearing in fuch awful Majefty. Astonish'd therefore at this glorious appearance, the Apostle when he faw him, fell at his feet as dead: and be laid (fays he) bis right hand upon me, faying unto me, fear not (recover, i. e. from this furprize, and rather truft in my protection than dread my vengeance) I am the firft and the laft. And then it follows in the text, I am be that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. In which words he does describe or fet forth himself under thefe four characters, viz.

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I. As he has, in refpect of his Divinity,
an independent principle of life in
himself by neceffity of nature: 1 am
be that liveth, or the living one.
II. As in his human nature he was fub-
ject to a frail and mortal condition,

and

and actually underwent the pains of SER M.
death. I am be that liveth, and was V.
dead.

III. As he quickly triumph'd over that
enemy, by rifing from the grave to
immortality, never to return unto cor-
ruption: And behold, I am alive for e-
vermore, Amen. And

IV. As he is the Author of life and im-
mortality to mankind, and has (as he
fpeaks) the keys of hell and of death.

I. FIRST therefore I begin with that part of his character, where, in respect of his Divinity, he is reprefented to have an independent principle of life in himself by neceffity of nature: I am he that liveth, or the living one.

So the words ftand in our Tranflation: But it ought to be obferv'd, that the words I am do not here occur in the original, but instead of them the particle xal, and, which together with the following character of ¿ Cuv, be that liveth, or the living one, ought not to have been feparated from the verfe foregoing, but connected with it in this manner, ἐγὼ εἰμι ὁ πρῶτος καὶ ὁ ἔσχαλος καὶ å v, I am the first and the last, and be that liveth, or the Living One.

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In oppofition to the Idols of the Heathen, which were destitute of life, and incapable of action, we find that the character of

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