my body will become found, my foul innocent, my heart at rest, and my life an eternal glory.

The Gospel for Saturday the first week in Lent, and the Sunday following, out of St. Matthew xvii.

Of the transfiguration of our Lord.

AN

ND after fix days Jefus taketh unto him Peter and James, and John his brother, and bringeth them into a high mountain apart; and he was transfigured before them. And his face did fhine as the fun, and his garments became white as fnow. And behold there appeared to them Mofes and Elias talking with him. And Peter anfwering, faid to Jefus, Lord, it is good for us to be here; if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, one for Mofes, and one for Elias. And as he was yet fpeaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them and lo! a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved fon, in whom I am well pleafed, bear ye him. And the difciples hearing it, fell upon their face, and were fore afraid, And Jefus came and touched them; and he faid to them, arife, and fear not. And they lifting up their eyes, faw no body but only Jefus. And as they defcended from the mount, Jesus

E3.

commanded

commanded them, faying, tell the vision to na body till the fon of man be rifen from the dead.

MORALITIES.

1.THE words of the prophet Hofea are accomplished; the nets and toils planted on mount Tabor, not to catch birds but hearts. The mountain which before was a den of tygers and panthers (according to the ftory) is now beautified by our Saviour, and becomes a place full of sweetness and ravifhments. Jefus appears transfigured in the high robes of his glory. The cloud made him a pavilion of gold, and the fun made his face fhine like itself. The heavenly father doth acknowledge his fon as the true prince of glory; Mofes and Elias both appear in brightness, the one bearing the tables of the law and the other carried in a burning chariot, as Origen faith, which made the apoftles know him. For the Hebrews had certain figures of the most famous men of their nation in books. They both, as St. Luke faith, were seen in glory and majesty, which fell upon them by reflexion of the beams which came from the body of Jefus, who is the true fountain of brightness. The apoftles lofe themfelves in the deliciousness of this great fpectacle; and by feeing more

than

than they ever did, defired to lose their eyes. So the world is moft contemptible to him that knows how to value God as he ought. So many fine powders, fo many pendants and favours of glafs, fo many towers and columns of dirt plaifter'd over with gold, are followed by a million of idolaters. To conclude, fo many worldly jewels are like the empty imaginations of a fick fpirit, not enlightened by the beams of truth. Let us rely upon the word (faith St. Auguftine) which remains for ever, while men pass like the water of a fountain, which hides itself in the fpring, fhews itself in the ftream, and lofeth itself at last in the fea. But God is always himfelf; there needs no tabernacle made by the hands of man to remain with him, for in paradife he is both the God and the temple.

2. Tabor is yet but a fmall pattern, we muft get all the piece; we must go to the palace of angels and brightness, where the tabernacles are not made by the hands of men. There we shall see the face of the living God clearly, and at full: There the beauties fhall have no veils to hide them from us: our being fhall have no end: our knowledge will not be fubject to error, nor our loves and affections to displeasure. O what

a

a joy will it be to enjoy all, and defire nothing; to be a magiftrate without a fucceffor; to be a king without an enemy; to be rich without covetoufnefs; to negotiate without money, and to be ever living without fear of death.

3. But who can get up to this mountain, except he of whom the prophet speaks, who hath innocent hands and a clean heart; who hath not received his foul of God in vain, to bury it in worldly pelf? To follow Jefus we must transform ourselves into him, by hearing and following his doctrine, fince God the father proposes him for the teacher of mankind, and commands us to hearken. unto him. We must follow his examples, fince thofe are the originals of all virtues. The beft trade we can practife in this world is that of transfiguration; and we may do it by reducing our form to the form of our Lord, and walking upon earth like men in heaven: Then will the fun make us have fhining faces when purity fhall accompany all our actions and intentions. Our cloaths fhall be as white as fnow when we once become innocent in our conversations; we fhall then be ravish'd like the apoftles; and after we have been at mount Tabor we shall be blind to the reft of the world, and fee no

thing but Jefus. It is moreover to be noted, that our Saviour did at that time entertain himfelf with discourse of his great future fufferings, and of his death, to teach us that his crofs was the ftep by which he mounted up to beatitude.

ASPIRATIONS.

Bleffed palace, O magnificent Tabor! which this day didft hold upon thee the prince of glory; I love and admire thee, but I admire fomewhat else above thee: It is the heavenly Jerufalem, that triumphant company, that face of God, where all those beauties are, which fhall never cease to be beauties. It is for that I live, for that I die, for that I languifh with a holy impatience. O my Jefus, my moft benign Lord, tranf form me then into thee, that I may thereby be transformed into God. If I have carried the earthly image of Adam, why should Į not alfo carry the form of Jefus ? Catch me, O Lord, within thofe tiflued nets and golden toils of brightnefs, which thou didft plant upon this facred mountain. It is there I would leave mine eyes; it is there I refolve to breathe out my foul. I afk no tabernacles to be there built for me, I have long fince contemplated thy heart, O father

of