nothing but enmity betwixt GoD and the foul-with' him, all is love and peace. Behold the Son of God, the reconciler of the world, the teacher and legiflator of his Church! Behold him, demanding our faith, our love, our adoration, our obedience! O LORD, we obey, we love, we believe, we adore. The LORD is our Judge, the LORD is our Lawgiver, the LORD is our King, He will fave us.

THE bright cloud caufed wonder in the difciples-but the voice, though the voice of mercy, overpowered their mortal faculties. Who can blame a frail and perishable creature for being thus affected by the voice of his Creator? Yet this word was merely an exhortation to obedience unto life. O God, what fhall be the horrour and confternation of thine enemies, when they hear the dreadful fentence of death? Who fhall not be afraid in that awful hour,

VOL. IV.

C

when

when they who have flighted the gracious invitations of thy love fhall call on the rocks to hide them from the terrour of thy judgments!

THE GOD of mercy pities our infirmities. While the disciples lay in a state of amazement, their whole fouls abforbed by what they had seen and heard, the voice of the Redeemer of mankind awakened and comforted them—" Arife, " and be not afraid!" That voice might well raise them from the earth, which fhall hereafter recal them from the grave. O Saviour, let thofe accents chear us, let that gracious hand be extended to our relief; whether we are entranced in forrow, or fleeping in vain fecurity, or even dead in fin, we shall arife.

"THEY looked up, and faw no man, fave JESUS alone." They faw Him, and doubtless in his wonted form. All was now gone-Mofes, Elias, the cloud,

the

the voice, the radiant majefty. Heaven will not allow to earth any long continuance of its glory. Conftant happinefs can only be looked for and enjoyed in thofe regions, where we fhall behold our Saviour in his unchangeable brightnefs-where the light fhall be never clouded, never varied.

MOSES and Elias are gone-CHRIST only is left. The glory of the law and of the prophets was but temporary-it endured but for a moment, that the bringing in of a better hope might be more confpicuous, more perfect. JESUS CHRIST alone is the fame yesterday, and to-day, and for ever. They came but to bear teftimony to the Meffiah, when that is done, they are vanished.

BUT why fhould their departure occafion any regret to the difciples, as long as their Master was yet with them? Had JESUS been gone away, it had been little fatisfaction to them, when they re

covered their fcattered fenfes, that Mofes or Elias, or both, were yet on the mount. Their fociety, though glorious, could not have comforted themtheir abfence affords not a moment's forrow. O Saviour, it matters not who is away, as long as thou art on our right hand to help and defend us. Thou art GoD all-fufficient-while thou art our fhepherd, we can lack nothing: though we walk through the valley of the fhadow of death, we will not fear for thou art with us.

;

BUT, O bleffed LORD, why are thine enraptured difciples compelled to filence? Why may they not impart to their companions, why may they not publish to the world, the majefty and greatness of their Lord? It is fufficient that thy wisdom gave the charge, which it had been impiety and madness to disobey. It is not for frail mortality to know the times and the feasons which thou haft

put

put in thine own power. The day was not far diftant, when thy rifing from the dead fhould take off all restrictionswhen the chofen witneffes of thy transfiguration fhould no longer be obliged to conceal the heavenly vifion; but should be at full liberty to confirm the faith of thy Church, by recounting this prelude of thy glory.

In the mean time they are prepared for the diftressful scenes about to follow-"Let these sayings fink down into

your ears for the Son of man fhall "be delivered into the hands of men." Be not difmayed, nor fhaken in your faith, when you fee your Mafter betrayed, tormented, bafely and facrilegiously murdered. Let not your hearts be troubled-ye believe in GoD-believe alfo in me. Ye have feen a portion of my glory-be not difcouraged or offended, when ye fhall be once more felected from your brethren to witness C 3 mine