They appeared in glory;" that is, their bodies were now in that glorious habit, in which the bodies of believers are to be at the morning of the refurrection. CHRIST was, as it were, now fitting in his royal robes; and as it is ufual for ambaffadors, when they are to be admitted into the king's presence, on bringing a meffage from one king to another, to appear in all their grandeur, to make the meffage more folemn; fo here, these heavenly meffengers being to wait upon the LORD JESUS CHRIST, are invested as with royal dignity, they appeared in glory, and "they fpake of his decease which he fhould accomplish at Jerufalem," they came to tell the Redeemer of his sufferings, and of the place of his sufferings, and to acquaint him, that his fufferings, however great, however bitter, were to be accomplished; that there was to be an end put to them, as our LORD himself speaks, "The things concerning me are to have an end." What other particulars they fpoke to our LORD, we are not told. But what effect this had upon the difciples, you may learn from the 32d verse, "Peter, and they that were with him, were heavy with Aleep."

We are not to suppose, that Peter, James and John, were now asleep in a literal sense; no, if we compare this, with another paffage of holy writ, I mean the account given us of Daniel's being impreffed and overcome, when he faw the angel of the LORD, you will find that this fleep implies what we call a fwoon. They were overcome with the fight of the glory of CHRIST's garments, the gliftering of his body, and the glory in Mofes and Elias appeared: these quite overcame them, funk them down, and, like the Queen of Sheba, when the faw Solomon's glory, they had no life in them. But they recovered themselves: "when they were awake," that is, when they had recovered their strength, when GOD had put ftrength into them, as the angel put ftrength into Daniel," they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him." And how do you think they gazed upon CHRIST? how may we suppose they fixed their eyes upon Mofes and Elias? Peter, who was always the firft fpeaker, out of the abundance of his heart, fpoke upon this occafion. Verfe 33." And it came to pass as they departed from him, Peter faid unto JESUS, Mafter, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles, one

for

for thee, and one for Mofes, and one for Elias, not knowing what he faid." Peter, when he had drank a little of CHRIST's new wine, speaks like a perfon intoxicated; he was overpowered with the brightness of the manifeftation. “Let us make three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Mofes, and one for Elias." It is well added, "not knowing what he faid." That fhe fhould cry out, "Mafter, it is good for us to be here," in fuch good company, and in so glorious a condition, is no wonder; which of us all would not have been apt to have done the fame? But to talk of building tabernacles, and one for CHRIST, and one for Mofes, and one for Elias, was faying fomething for which Peter himself muft ftand reproved. Surely, Peter, thou waft not quite awake! thou talkeft like one in a dream: If thy LORD had taken thee at thy word, what a poor tabernacle wouldst thou have had, in comparison of that houfe not made with hands, eternal in the heavens, in which thou haft long fince dwelt, now the earthly house of the tabernacle of thy body is diffolved? What! build tabernacles below, and have the crown, before thou haft borne the cross? O Peter, Peter!" Mafter, fpare thy felf," fticks too too closely to thee: And why fo felfifh, Peter? Careft thou not for thy fellow difciples that are below, who came not up with thee to the mount? carest thou not for the precious fouis, that are as fheep having no fhepherd, and must perifh for ever, unless thy Mafter defcends from the mount to teach, and to die for them? wouldst thou thus eat thy fpiritual morfels alone? Befides, if thou art for building tabernacles, why muft there be three of them, one for CHRIST, and one for Mofes, and one for Elias? are CHRIST and the prophets divided? do they not fweetly harmonize and agree in one? did they not prophefy concerning the fufferings of thy LORD, as well as of the glory that should follow? Alas, how unlike is their conversation to thine? Mofes and Elias came down to talk of fuffering, and thou art dreaming of building I know not what tabernacles. Surely, Peter, thou art fo high upon the mount, that thy head runs giddy.

However, in the midft of thefe infirmities, there was fomething that befpoke the honefty and integrity of his heart. Though he knew not very well what he faid, yet he was not fo ftupid as his pretended fucceffor at Rome. He does not fall

down

he said unto

down and worship thefe two departed faints, neither do I hear him fay to either, Ora pro nobis; he had not fo learnt CHRIST; no, he applies himfelf directly to the head, JESUS, Mafter, it is good for us to be here." And though he was for building, yet he would not build without his Mafter's leave. "Mafter, let us build," or, as St. Mark words it," wilt thou that we build three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Mofes, and one for Elias?" I do not hear him add, and one for James, and one for John, and one for Peter. No, he would willingly stay out with them upon the mount, though it was in the cold and dark night, fo that CHRIST and his heavenly attendants were taken care of. The fweetness of fuch a heavenly vifion, would more than compenfate for any bodily fuffering that might be the confequence of their longer abode there: nay farther, he does not defire that either CHRIST, or Mofes, or Elias, should have any trouble in building; neither does he fay, let my curates, James and John, build, whilft I fit idle and lord it over my brethren; but he says, "let us build;" he will work as hard, if not harder than either of them, and defire to be diftinguished only by his activity, enduring hardnefs, and his zeal to promote the welfare of their common LORD and Mafter.

Doubtlefs, Peter had read how the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle, and the temple of old; and now JESUS is tranffigured, and Moses and Elias appear in glory, he thinks it right that new tabernacles fhall be erected for them. Such a mixture of nature and grace, of fhort-fightedness and infirmity, is there in the most ardent and well-meant zeal of the very best of men, when neareft the throne of grace, or even upon the mount with GOD. Perfection in any grace must be looked for, or expected, only among the fpirits of just men made perfect in heaven. Thofe who talk of any fuch thing on earth, like Peter, they know not what they say.

But how came Peter fo readily to distinguish which was Mofes, and which was Elias? He feems to speak without the leaft hefitation, "Let us build three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Mofes, and one for Elias," as though he was very well acquainted with them, whereas they had both been dead, long, long before Peter was born. Was there, do you imagine, any thing diftinguishing in their apparel? or any thing in their converfation

conversation that discovered them? or rather, did he not know them here on the mount, as we may from hence infer, that departed faints do, and will know each other in heaven, even by intuition and immediate revelation? But alas! how tranfient are our views of heaven, during our fojourning here on earth: Verse 34. “Whilst he thus fpake," whilft Peter was talking of building tabernacles, whilft he was faying," it is good for us to be here," whilft he was dreaming that his mountain was so strong that it never could be moved, “there came a cloud and overshadowed them." St. Matthew obferves, it was a bright cloud, not dark like that on mount Sinai, but bright, because the gospel opens to us a far more bright difpenfation than that of the law. This overshadowed, and thereby not only filled them with an holy awe, but also screened them, in fome measure, from the brightness of that glory with which they were now furrounded, and which otherwife would have been infupportable. This cloud was like the veil thrown on the face of Mofes, and prepared them for the voice which they were foon to hear coming out of it.

not much furprized at being informed by St. Matthew, that "they feared as they entered into the cloud, or by St. Mark that they were fore afraid." For fince the fall, there is fuch a consciousness in us all of deferved wrath, that we cannot help fearing when we enter into a cloud, even though JESUS CHRIST himself be in the midst of it. Ah Peter, where is thy talk of building tabernacles now? is thy ftrong mountain fø quickly removed? what, come down fo foon? why do we not now hear thee faying, "It is good for us to be here?" Alas! he and his fellow difciples are quite ftruck dumb; fee how they tremble, and, like Mofes upon another occasion, exceedingly quake and fear. But how quickly are thofe fears difpelled, how foon is the tumult of their minds hufhed and calmed, with that foul-reviving voice that came from the excellent glory, verse 35, "This is my beloved Son, hear him."

St. Mark and St. Matthew add "in whom I am well pleased." The fame teftimony that God the Father gave to the bleffed JESUs at his baptifm, before he entered upon his temptation, is now repeated, in order to ftrengthen and prepare him for his impending agony in the garden. Probably, it was a small ftill though articulate voice, attended nei

ther

ther with thunder nor lightning, nor the found of a trumpet, but, agreeable to the bleffed news which it contained, ufhered in with tokens of unfpeakable complacency and love. Gop the Father, hereby gives Mofes and Elias a folemn discharge, as though they were fent from heaven on purpose to give up their commiffion to their rightful LORD, and like the morning ftar, disappear when the Sun of Righteoufness himself arifes to bring in a gospel day. "This is my beloved Son, hear Him." But the emphasis upon the word this; this Son of Man, this JESUS, whom you are fhortly to fee in a bloody fweat, blindfolded, fpit upon, buffeted, fcourged, and at length hanging upon a tree, I am not afhamed to own to be my Son, my only begotten Son, who was with me before the heavens were made, or the foundations of the earth were laid; my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom my foul delighteth, and whom I do by these presents, publicly conftitute and appoint to be the king, prieft, and prophet of the church. "Hear ye Him." No longer look to Mofes or Elias, no longer expect to be faved by the works of the law; but by the preaching and application of the ever-bleffed gospel. Hear ye him, so as to believe on, love, ferve, obey, and, if needs be, to die and lay down your very lives for him. "Hear him," hear what he hath to fay, for he comes with a commiffion from above. Hear his doctrine; hear him, so as to obey him; hear him, fo as to put in practice his precepts, and copy after his good example.

In the 36th verse, we have the close of this heavenly feaft; "When the voice was paft, JESUS was found alone; and they kept it close, and told no man in those days, any of thofe things which they had feen." If we compare this, with the account which the other Evangelifts give of our bleffed LORD's transfiguration, you will find this was done by CHRIST's order: Peter, James, and John, would otherwife have gone down and told the whole world, that they had feen the LORD CHRIST upon the mount of transfiguration; but our LORD ordered them to keep it filent. Why fo? If they had gone down from the mount, and told it to the other dif ciples, it might have raifed ill blood in the others; they might have faid, Why did our Master single out Peter, James, and John? Why might not we have had the privilege of VOL. V.

Ff

going

1