his saints in that life he had begun to bestow upon them. Or, as he began in this world to raise men from the dead, to bestow upon them other great benefits, to make them very precious promises of greater favours, and to seal them with his blood; so he would have them rest assured he would continue to the end to do them good, and at the last to raise all his faithful servants from the dead, and take them up to live with himself; and in the mean time perform every other promise he had made, for their present satisfaction and support in this troublesome world. As he died for them, so he would have them make account he lived for them; because he is always the same, at last the very same that he was at first and therefore since he lives, they might expect to live also. III. But he did not leave them merely to draw these inferences themselves from that great name whereby he now made himself known to St. John; but immediately after he had told who he was, he more clearly and particularly declares this very thing, that he hath life in himself. For you read that St. John, beholding him in such glory, with a countenance as bright as the sun when it shineth in its strength, (which was a sight too strong for our weak eyes to look upon,) fell at his feet as one dead". He was as much astonished at his presence, though he knew Jesus loved him, as St. Paul was while he was a persecutor of him. Which shows that our Lord appeared now in a most amazing glory; too splendid for the capacity of his best friends to endure long, without the danger of ceasing to be men. For so far were those words which our Lord spake from giving him life, that, like to those who heretofore beheld the glory of God, he was more astonished at what he saw than comforted with what he heard; and thought, it is probable, he should die presently and give up the ghost. But in this trembling fit Jesus was pleased graciously to approach, and, laying his right hand on him, bade him not fear, nor let that majesty of God which he beheld in him cast him into such a great consternation. "It is true indeed, (says he), I am the first and the last, as I said before; that is, am invested with all the power of God, bearing his name and authority but there is so much comfort in this, that it ought rather to have transported thee with joy than struck thee with terror. For (as it there follows), I, who call myself Alpha and Omega, the first and last, am he that liveth and was dead x; I the very same person who loved thee and the rest of mankind so well as to die for you, and never made use of my power to your hurt; am risen from the dead; and after all my sufferings (such as you must endure for my sake) am alive, as thou seest, and in a far better condition than I was before, when thou wast not thus afraid of me. Though in my first attempt to raise a church I suffered death, and laid the foundation of it in my blood; yet it is apparent I have overcome death, and now live in greater splendour than ever." If our Lord had stopped here, and said no more, this had been sufficient to convince him of his power to present to himself a glorious church; and, from the lowest and most afflicted condition, to raise it to the greatest honour here, and to eternal glory in the other world. But he proceeds, for the stronger confirmation of his faith, and says, " Behold, more than this, I am alive for evermore. I have eternal life, and can never lose this power; and therefore thou mayest believe me when I say that I am the Omega, whom thou knowest to be the Alpha; for I can perfect what I have undertaken, and bring to an happy issue all the good I have begun to work for you. The latest posterity shall find that I am alive, and able to promote them to everlasting bliss. Fear not, these words are all true, and therefore I conclude them with an Amen, (wherewith I was wont, thou mayest remember, to confirm my sayings,) that thou mayest rest assured I now say nothing but the certain indubitable truth, when I tell thee, I am he that was dead, and now am alive, and that I live for evermore. Πως οὖν οἷόν τέ σε παθεῖν τι κακὸν ἐκ τῆς ἐπιφανείας μου; (as Andreas Cæsariensis conceives his meaning y,) How canst thou imagine then that thou art in danger to suffer any harm by my appearing to thee,' since the power which thou seest me have is to give life, not death, unto my servants? I never used, thou mayest remember, to kill men, but to save them; and therefore thus, thou mayest be confident, I will still employ my omnipotent power, for I am Alpha and Omega, the same y [Ad calc. Ecum. tom. ii. p. 660 C.] * Rev. i. 18. at last that I was at first: I am come, that you might have life, and that you might have it more abundantly. "And indeed, as he still goes on, I have the keys of hell and of death; or (as we render the word "Atons, here translated hell, in 1 Cor. xv. 55) the keys of the grave and of death. I can open the graves, as I did at my death, and can loose the bands of death, as I did at my resurrection. I can bring you out of that dark estate where nobody sees you, and restore you to life again; nay, raise you to that light wherein thou beholdest me to shine." And here again it is observable, that our Saviour takes to himself that very power which is ascribed to Almighty God by Hannah, who says in her song, The Lord killeth, and maketh alive he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up2. Whereby he would suggest to St. John, that all things are committed to his trust, and are in his power: (for that is frequently denoted in the holy language by keys, the badge of a steward's authority and power in a family :) and therefore it is not too hard for him to overcome the great conqueror of all men, to open the prison doors that have been so long shut and fast locked, to loose the chains of death, and overthrow him quite who hath the power of it, that is, the devil. But this he would have us steadfastly believe, and therefore immediately bids him (not lie as a man dead, but get up and) write the things that thou hast seena. This is, Let my church know that I am alive, and that I bear the same affection to them that I ever had. Send them this comfort from me, that I not only live, but always live, and have all power committed to me, even over the grave and death so that if any man lose his life for me, I can give it him again with such an increase of dignity and glory as thou seest me enjoy." 66 And we must needs confess that there is an exceeding great comfort in this assurance, which he gave thus in his own person and with his own mouth to this holy apostle; who knows, as he speaks in another case, that he saith true. For hereby we rest satisfied of one part of the record which is to be proved, that life is in Jesus; and see moreover much reason to believe the other part, that he intends to bestow it on us. a Rev. i. 19. b John xix. 35. Z I Sam. ii. 6. IV. But for a fuller evidence of that, you may consider, in the last place, that this Word of God gave frequent testimonies of it to St. John in the following letters to the seven churches of Asia: where they are so obvious, that I may leave it to the most careless hand to gather them. To one he saith, I will give to him that overcometh to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of Gods. To another, I will give him a crown of life; and, he shall not be hurt of the second death. To a third, I will give him the white stone, &c., a certain knowledge and assurance, i. e. (as I hope to show in another place) of the promised reward. To another, He shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angelsf. And, to name no more, he promises to grant to him that overcometh to sit down with him in his thrones. Which, though it may have some respect to the high place and dignity he should enjoy in the church in this world, yet had not its full completion but in the other life; where he will crown the fidelity of all victorious souls with the greatest glory and honour. How can we doubt of it when we hear such express promises of immortal bliss so oft repeated from the mouth of the Word of God himself, after he went to heaven? Great is our assurance, great is the confidence we may take from such a record as this, if we be in the number of those that overcome; remain constant, that is, and fixed in our Christian resolution, notwithstanding any assaults that are made upon us, either by the good or bad things of this world, to tempt us to revolt from our duty. For St. John saw and heard these things from the Lord Jesus himself, upon his own day, (the day of his resurrection from the dead,) and in a glory so bright, that it was an emblem of the happiness he will bestow upon us; and with such earnest asseverations of their truth and certainty as are sufficient to awake the dullest and most lethargic souls to attend to what he says. For thus he begins his letter to the church of Laodicea, who were grown strangely chill and indevout These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the beginning of the creation of God1. e Ver. 17. c Rev. ii. 7. d Ver. 10, II. h jii. 14. f iii. 5. 6 By the name of Amen, which he gives himself, he would have them understand, that by him all the promises made to the church shall undoubtedly be fulfilled, according to that of St. Paul, in him all the promises of God are yea, and in him Ameni. "He may be believed, for he is a witness who affirms and testifies nothing but the very truth, which can never fail; because he is the efficient cause of all things, by whom they were at first created, and by whom mankind is now repaired; and therefore is the Head of all creatures, especially of all Christians, who shall rise again from the dead to immortal life." So I expound the last words, the beginning of the creation of God, as Andreas Cæsariensis doth k; who takes in both senses the word 'Apxǹ, (as I have of the word creation,) which signifies not only principium, the beginning or original,' but principatum, the principality or dominion' which the Son of God hath over all creatures, of which he is the Author. What may we not expect from so great a Prince, who hath such an absolute command over all things? And why should we doubt of his sovereignty, who appeared in such an amazing splendour to St. John, and proclaimed in these and other such like titles the supereminent glory of his Majesty? Or why should we question his truth, who had approved himself so many ways the true and faithful Witness; especially by sending the Holy Ghost (as you shall hear presently) to bear witness to him, according to his promise? We ought to rely upon his word, and to fear nothing, but lest we should reject or distrust the testimony of a Person so great and so just; whose power appeared, from his very first entrance into the world, to be so far transcending all creatures, that the apostles might see, before his ascension to the glory wherein St. John beheld him, that as he had the words of eternal life, so he had that life in himself which, in due time, he would bestow upon them. "For though he had all the passions of a man, yet he had all the perfections likewise of God; that none might be so profanely contumelious as to contemn his deity because he took upon him the grossness of our humanity. He was born of a i 2 Cor. i. 20. k [Ἡ ἀρχὴ τῆς κτίσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἀντὶ τοῦ ἡ βασιλεία καὶ ἡ ἀρχῇ πάν των ὡς κτισμάτων δεσπόζουσα,ε calc. Ecum. tom. ii. p. 684 C.] |