temporal Life, fhall lofe that which alone deferves the Name of Life; and whosoever fhall, out of Love to me, and a faithful Adherence to my, Gofpel, lofe this temporal Life, fhall obtain that which is the noblest and happiest Kind of Life, viz. Life everlafting.) For, as he adds, Ver. 26, What is a Man profited, if he shall gain the whole World, and lofe his own Soul? Or what fball a Man give in Exchange for his Soul? And then to fhew the Certainty of all this, of the Happiness that fhall be conferred upon all his faithful Difciples and Followers, and of the Punishment that fhall be inflicted on those that deny and forfake him, he affures them that, though his Kingdom was not of this World, attended with the Glory and Magnificence of earthiy Monarchs, yet he fhould be a King in a far nobler Senfe, and have a Dominion of an higher Nature. The Son of Man (faith he, Ver. 27.) fhall come in the Glory of his Father with his Angels; and then he shall reward every Man according to his Works, i. e. not merely with temporal Rewards and Punishments in this Life, but with thofe of an everlafting Duration in a future. State.

He adds, Ver. 28, Verily I fay unto you, there be fome Standing here, which shall not tafe of Death, till they fee the Son of Man

coming in his Kingdom. The Coming of the Son of Man admitteth of various Senfes in the New Teftament. In the most eminent Sense it is to be understood of his

Coming in Glory to judge the World at the laft Day; and this Coming he had spoken of just before. But this is not the Coming here intended, when he faith, that fome of those that were then prefent with him should not die till they faw him coming in his Kingdom. Sometimes his Coming is to be understood of the glorious Manifestation of his Power and Justice in the fignal Vengeance inflicted upon the Jewish Nation, for their obftinate Unbelief and Difobedience; and, as this happened about forty Years after our Saviour spoke these Words, fome then present with him might live to fee it; which was particularly the Cafe of the Apostle John. Or his Coming in his Kingdom may be understood of his Refurrection from the Dead, and Afcenfion into Heaven, and confequent Exaltation, by which, and by the extraordinary Gifts and Powers of the Holy Ghoft, and the wonderful Progrefs of the Gospel, his Kingdom and Glory was illuftriously manifefted. And in this Sense it is evident, that feveral of thofe that were then with him faw his Coming in his Kingdom. They were Witneffes to his Refurrection

and

and Afcenfion, which was as it were his folemn public Inauguration into his Kingdom; and to the marvellous Difplays of his Glory in the extraordinary Gifs and miraculous Powers of the Holy Ghost, which, being exalted at the right Hand of God, he poured forth upon his Difciples; and to the surprising Progress and vaft Diffufion of the Gofpel. And of this his glorious Exaltation and Kingdom he defigned in a few Days to exhibit an illuftrious Specimen and Pledge in his Transfiguration; to which fome fuppofe these Expreffions of our Saviour, whereby he fignifieth that fome of thofe, who were then with him, fhould fee him coming in his Kingdom, have a fpecial Reference. So feveral of the ancient Chriftian Writers understand it.

Thus I have given a general View of that remarkable Difcourfe of our Saviour, which all the Evangelifts who mention his Transfiguration take Notice of. The Evangelifts Matthew and Mark obferve, that in fix Days after this the Transfiguration happened, Luke faith it was about eight Days. This may at firft View look like a Contradiction; but it admitteth of an eafy Reconciliation. When St, Matthew and Mark fay it was after fix Days, they intend by it fix intire Days, befides the

the Day on which he had the Discourse that hath been confidered, and the Day on which he was transfigured, neither of which Days they reckon; whereas St. Luke takes them both into the Account, and therefore faith, It was about eight Days after thefe Sayings. And both these Ways of Reckoning are ufual, not only in Scripture, but in common Language.

Thus, in a very fhort Time after having had that remarkable Discourse with his Difciples, this most wonderful Event happened. He had been speaking to them of his going to Jerufalem, and fuffering and dying there, at which they were greatly astonished and concerned; and now they were to hear fome of the heavenly Inhabitants, Mofes and Elias, converfing with him about his Deceafe, which he was to accomplish at Jerufalem; by which they might both know the Certainty and Neceffity of it, and would be the better prepared for it, when it actually came to pafs. He had been speaking to them of his Kingdom, and now he would give them fome prefent Pledge and Earnest of it, whereby they might be convinced it was not to be of a temporal worldly Nature, but Divine and Heavenly. He had been fpeaking to them of his Coming in Glory, and now he was refolved to give

them

them fome short Glimpfe of that Glory with which his human Nature fhould be arrayed, that Nature which was foon to be fubjected to fuch grievous Sufferings and Indignities; whereby they might be convinced that it was not through Want of Power that he suffered, but because it was neceffary, for wife and valuable Ends, that he fhould do fo.

But it was not all his Difciples that our Saviour chofe to be Witneffes of his Tranffiguration. We are told in Ver. 1. of this Chapter, that he took Peter, James, and John with him. As he defigned that this fhould not be publicly known or divulged till after his Resurrection, for Reasons which I fhall take Notice of afterwards; fo he did not think fit that all his Difciples fhould fee it. For fome or other, in fuch a Number, would be very apt to publish it before the appointed Seafon. And yet it was proper to take fo many of them with him as might be competent Witneffes of the Truth of the Fact, that in the Mouth of two or three Witnefes it might be eftablished. As to his fixing upon these particular Perfons, rather than any other of his Difciples, this depended upon his own free Choice, for which, undoubtedly, he had wife and just Reasons. Thus we find him taking these three, Peter, James, and John,