SERM. the true God, and the living God, is em- God of Ifrael; and when men are urged Nor was this only matter of custom or difcretionary practice, but we find it exprefly authorised and prescribed to them: Thou shalt fwear THE LORD LIVETH (fays the prophet) in truth, in judgment and in righteousness. Agreeably to which practice as well the, man clothed in linen in the prophet Daniel §, as the Angel in the Apocalypfe **, are reprefented to have lifted up their hands to heaven, and fworn by him that liveth for ever and ever. In Jer. x. 10. + Act xiv. 15. § Dan. xii. 7. Deut. xxxii 40. ** Rev. x. 5, 6. imitation imitation of this practice, when the people SER M. of the ten tribes fell into idolatry, we find V. it was usual among them to speak in the fame form of the Idols they had set up; and that is it which the prophet Amos refents as fo high an indignity, and taxes as an intolerable act of idol-worship, that they fhould SWEAR by the fin of Samaria, and Jay, Thy God, O Dan, LIVETH, and the manner of Beersheba LIVETH *. And to the fame purpose God complains of the Jews, by the prophet Jeremiah, that inftead of fwearing by his name, The Lord liveth, his people had been taught to swear by Baal +. From all which we may collect, that the ground of this character, as it is appropriated to God, is to denote his Being to be neceffarily exiftent and independent, whereby he fubfifts of and from himself, without any beginning of days or end of life, neither referring his original to any prior cause or Author, nor receiving from any other what may conduce to his fupport and continuance. Whilft all other things derive their being from him, and owe their prefervation to the care of his providence, it is he only has immortality in himself, altogether perfect in his own nature, without change or variation. The Heathen Idols were either lifeless images, or heavenly lu* Amos viii. 14. + Jer. xii. 16. minaries, SERM. minaries, or departed Heroes or Demons, V. all precarious in their own being, to whom their votaries most vainly afcribed a fictitious Divinity; whilft there is one only God, fupream over all, who made the heavens and the earth, and all things that are in them, who liveth for ever and ever, having life and existence from himself alone, and being the fource and fountain of it to all others. When therefore this fame character of the Living One is attributed to our bleffed Saviour, what are we to collect from it, but that he is God over all, of one fubftance with the Father, eternal and unchangeable, fubfifting by a natural neceffity, the fame yesterday, and to-day, and for ever. So he has exprefs'd himself more fully in this very chapter, and other parts of the Apocalypfe: I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, the first and the laft, which is, and which was, and which is to come: The very character by which God. has chofen in the old testament to diftinguish himself from heathen Idols. I am the firft, (fays he) and I am the last, and befides me there is no God*. And tho' our bleffed Lord has this, like all the other Divine perfections, communicated or derived to him from the Father, yet this being done by an eternal and neceffary emanation, it is aś *Ifai. xliv. 6. much much a natural perfection in him as in the SERM. Father, and as the Father bath life in himself V. by neceffity of nature, fo hath be given to the Son to have life in himself*. II. SECONDLY, next to this glorious confideration of his Divine nature, the great Author of our Text is proposed to us in his human nature, as he was fubject to a frail and mortal condition, and actually underwent the pains of death. I am be that liveth (fays he) and was dead. This is indeed a truth which is freely granted us by the most implacable adverfaries of our religion. Both Jews and Heathens are willing to admit that Jefus did expire on the crofs, and they mention it, as the reproach of chriftianity, that he whom we profefs to follow, should be treated with fuch indignity. And there have been hereticks fo far influenced by their prophane fcoffings, as to deny that he really fubmitted to fuch fufferings, or even put on the weakneffes of human flesh: Whilst it is the diftinguishing character of the true thriftian, neither to infult nor be ashamed of the crofs of Chrift, but rather to glory in this ftupendous inftance of Divine love, and esteem that to be matter of the jufteft confolation, which the one fide would have * John v. 26. + Vid. Com. in Rom. viii. 34. trea 4 SERM. treacherously given up, and the other igV. norantly urge to our difhonour. The comfort we receive by this affurance, that the Son of God did really affume our nature, and fuffer'd death upon the cross for our redemption, as it gives an ample reason why it should be here mention'd among the more auguft characters of Chrift, to raise the truft and confidence of the Afiatick churches, fo it fupplies abundant ground and argument why we fhould contend earnestly for this important doctrine, and never fuffer ourfelves to be banter'd or fcoff'd out of it. Since then our bleffed Lord, even when raised and glorified, difdained not in the Text to mention his preceding death: let it not be thought too great an interruption to the joyful folemnity of this Festival, if we ftay a while to attend to thofe circumftances of the fact, which do effectually take off all fufpicion of impofture in the matter. Let it therefore be confider'd in the first place, that the care of his crucifixion was committed to his enemies. The Roman foldiers, who had already mocked and derided him, had now their barbarous malice fupported by the Governor's authority. They were moreover attended and affifted by the Jewifb Rabble, who purfued him now with reproaches and invectives, whom erewhile they had received with Hofannas, and ap 6 1 plauded |