will! For, as our blessed Lord emphatically asks, What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? We should say that a man would be no gainer who should lose his life in endeavouring to obtain the necessaries or comforts of his earthly existence. But how much worse will be the condition of him, who shall forfeit his everlasting happiness and well-being in consequence of his love and pursuit of inferior things! Eternal woe in return for momentary pleasure,who can describe the folly of this exchange, or the loss incurred by those who shall have made it!-It seems impossible to do more than repeat these solemn words of the great friend and Saviour of our souls without weakening their force. Let them sink deeply into our hearts; and may their sanctifying influence be present with us whenever we may be tempted to set our affections on things below, or to turn aside from the path of holy and devoted obedience into the ways of vanity and sin. And, in order that the consideration thus suggested to our minds may have something like its due right, let us not fail to connect with it the remembrance of that great day which will fix our eternal state, will effectually declare our wisdom or our folly, our gain or our loss,-and will decide our happiness or misery for ever. For the Son of Man the once suffering but now glorified Jesus, "shall come in the glory of his ed unto them Moses and Elias unto him whatsoever they listtalking with him. 4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. ed. Likewise "shall also the Son of man suffer of them. 13 "Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist. a Mark ix. 2. Luke ix. 28.-b 2 Pet. i 17.-c ch. iii. 17. Mark i. 11. Luke iii. 22.-d Is. xlii. 1.-e Deut. xviii. 15. 19. Acts. iii. 22. 23.- 2 Pet. i. 18.-g Dan. viii. 18; & ix. 21; & x. 10. 18.-h ch. xvi. 20. Mark viii. 5 'While he yet spake, behold, 30; ix. 9. Mal. iv. 5. ch. xi. 14. Mark 9. 11. & Mal. 8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. 9 And as they came down from the mountain, "Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead. 10 And his disciples asked him, saying, 'Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? 11 And Jesus answered and said, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. 12 'But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but " have done m iv. 6. Luke i. 16. 17, Acts iii. 21.- ch. xi. 14. Mark ix. 12. 13.-m ch xiv. 3. 10.-n ch. xvi. 21.-o ch. xi. 14. Reader. We have here an account of one of the most remark able of the circumstances connected with our Saviour's eventful history, -a circumstance in every way capable of exciting our lively interest, and of making a deep impression upon our memories and hearts. The same narrative (in substance), is found in Mark ix. 2—10, and Luke ix. 28-36. You can have little difficulty in understanding the terms in which this history is conveyed; although neither your ideas, nor any explanation which I may give, can equal the majesty and glory of the scene described. There are, however, one or two particulars to which I will call your attention, before we proceed to a consideration of the practical and devotional lessons to be derived from this passage of the sacred record. St. Matthew and St. Mark fix the date of this event at six days after the foregoing; but St. Luke speaks of it as having taken place "about an eight days" after. There is no real difference in this note of time;-six being the number of clear days intervening, and eight including the two on which the several events occurred. The sacred narrative does not give us any information respecting the precise locality of this transaction. Some suppose that the "high mountain " was Mount Tabor; others think that more probably it was Mount Hermon; but nothing has been made known to us on this head, and therefore we may rest satisfied that there is nothing which it is needful for us to know. Contented ignorance, in which Scripture leaves us, is far better than vain knowledge, which tradition is always ready to supply. The prophecy of Malachi concerning the coming of Elijah is here expounded as having received its fulfilment in the ministry of John the Baptist;-who came in "the spirit and power of Elias" (Luke i. 17.) By his 'restoring all things' is meant his effecting a general reformation, and preparing, the people for the coming of Christ. This he did, as far as the execution of his office was concerned; but if the reformation and preparation was not universally and effectually made, that was the fault of the unbelieving and impenitent Jews who did not properly attend to his preaching. Scripture often speaks of a thing as done, when God designs it, and orders his dispensations for the accomplishment of it, although, in point of fact, the event never takes place. "Elias shall first come, and shall restore all things." That was punctually fulfilled: Elias did come, and, so far as in him lay, did restore all things. And yet all things were not restored. Why not? Not because Elias was wanting on his part, but because the Jews were wanting on theirs. Thus also St. Paul says, (Rom. viii. 30,) Whom God called, them he justified,-and glorified; and yet many have been called, who will not be eventually glorified. Why not? Not because God is wanting on his part, for he has arranged his dispensations in accordance with his declared design, and he has done his part in bringing these men to glory. But they have been wanting on their part; and therefore they come short of the glory which has been prepared for them. This mode of speech is frequent in Scripture, and should be carefully considered :—a word describing the performance of an act is used to denote the design and operation of an agent, expressing strongly the certainty of that design, and the reality of that operation, but not necessarily implying that the design is fulfilled, or that the operation takes effect. Elias restored all things; and yet all things were not restored. God glorified certain men; and yet they were not glorified. Through faith you are saved; and yet through unbelief you may be lost. READER. Jesus taketh Peter and James and John his brother.— It pleased our blessed Lord to choose these three disciples as witnesses of his extraordinary glory or sufferings on more occasions than one. Perhaps there was something in their condition, or character, or their future employment in the church, which formed the ground of this choice; but this is not a point which we are concerned to ascertain, and it is sufficient for us to resolve the fact into the wisdom and will of the Saviour. These disciples were present, when others were excluded, at the raising of Jairus' daughter (Mark v. 37); and they were the selected witnesses of our Saviour's agony in the garden of Gethsemane (Mark xiv. 33.) Was it not one proof of the wisdom and goodness of their divine master, that they were prepared for the more humiliating and painful scene, by a peculiar exhibition of his power and glory previously displayed? And have we not abundant reason to hope, if we are the true disciples of Christ, that have been vouchsafed to ourselves. And was transfigured before them. -The Lord Jesus had condescended to shroud and conceal his divine glory beneath the veil of human nature; but he was now pleased to cause the divinity to shine through that veil, and to cover it with heavenly splendour. Doubtless, the radiant form which he now assumed was, in some respects, if not entirely, the same as that glorious body which he now wears, and to which the bodies of his saints will be, in their measure, conformed after the resurrection. See 1 John iii. 2.We are not to expect, during our earthly pilgrimage, any display of the Redeemer's glory, such as that which is here recorded; but let us remember that the prayer of the gospel exhibits that glory which is of the deepest importance to us, and that we are invited, at once for our comfort and our benefit, to behold there the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. And in the transfiguration of our blessed Saviour on the mount we may behold a striking image of the transformation of our own minds by the power of the Holy Spirit now, as well as a pattern of the glorification of our whole and Master. This event, as was nature hereafter. likely, made a deep impression on formed by the renewing of your the minds of the favoured disciples; minds," says the apostle, and the it is mentioned by St. John in his word "transformed" in the original Gospel, chap. i. 14; and by St. is the same as that which is rendered Peter in his second epistle, chap. i. "transfigured" in the verse before 16, 17. Let us thankfully remem- us. May we, by divine grace, be ber spiritual favours, and devoutly thus transformed more and more meditate upon those manifesta- into the likeness of our adorable tions of a Saviour's glory which Redeemer,-"changed into the same as our day so shall our strength be;"—that if heavy trials are before us, the Lord will mercifully prepare us for them, and support us under their pressure?—And bringeth them up into an high mountain apart.—It is the privilege of all Christ's disciples, to retire and to ascend spirit ually, in the company of their Lord - "Be ye trans image, from glory to glory, even as salem; doubtless in a very different by the Spirit of our God." strain from that which had lately been adopted by St. Peter on the same subject, and perhaps encouraging the man Christ Jesus, and strengthening him, in that holy resolution which he had expressed in reply to the apostle's offensive observation. It was thus also that, after the temptation in the wilderness, angels came and ministered unto him. This decease was indeed the great "accomplishment" or fulfilment of Jewish types and prophecies. See Luke xxiv. 44-48.Observe, in the company present on the mount, as described in this short verse, a beautiful picture or compendium of the universal church in its head and members;- Christ himself,-his glorified saints,—and his believing disciples upon earth;the church under the Law and the church under the Gospel ; - the church militant, and the church triumphant. And behold there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.Moses and Elijah, two eminent servants of God,—the history of whose lives, in several passages, bears a remarkable likeness to that of our blessed Lord himself,-appear now as the companions of Christ in glory; reminding us that they who cheerfully endure labour, suffering, and reproach for his sake, will be abundantly rewarded, and made more than conquerors through him that loved them. Here is a most encouraging earnest of the honour which will hereafter be put upon even the bodies of Christ's believing people. It may be remembered that the body of Moses was not found after his death; and that Elijah was translated without dying. But the bodies, as well as the souls, of both were in the hands of God; and here we have a proof that God can give the same glory to those who die, and to those who do not die, before the coming of their Lord.-In Moses and Elias we see a representation of the Law and the Prophets waiting upon Christ, and doing him homage. The institutions of the Law, and the predictions of the Prophets, pointed to him, and received their accomplishment in his person and his work. It is in talking with Christ, and talking of him, that they are supremely entitled to our regard. They talked with him on this occasion, as St. Luke informs us, concerning his decease which he should accomplish at Jeru- in the assemblies of his people Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus,-not unto the saints, even though visibly present,—not imagining that he required their mediation, although Christ was revealed in glory before him,-but, with the simple confidence of true Christian faith, addressing Jesus himself;— and hereby reminding us that prayer ascends to the throne of grace as directly from the heart of a believer on earth as from that of a saint in glory-Lord, it is good for us to be here. It is indeed good for us to be wherever Christ is pleased to reveal himself in his majesty and goodness, |