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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 Disciples; and to the furprising Progress and vast 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 fuppose 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 observe, 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 Difcourse with his Difciples, this moft 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 Earneft 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

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them fome fhort Glimpfe of that Glory with which his human Nature should 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 Refurrection, for Reasons which I fhall take Notice of afterwards; fo he did not think fit that all his Disciples fhould fee it. For fome or other, in fuch a Number, would be very apt to publish it before the appointed Seafon. And And yet it was proper to take so many of them with him as might be competent Witnesses of the Truth of the Fact, that in the Mouth of two or three Witneffes it might be eftablifhed. As to his fixing upon thefe particular Perfons, rather than any other of his Difciples, this depended upon his own free Choice, for which, undoubtedly, he had wife and juft Reafons. Thus we find him taking these three, Peter, James, and John,

with him, when he raised Jairus's Daughter from the Dead; and afterwards these were the Perfons he particularly chose to be Witneffes of his amazing Sorrows and Agonies in the Garden, at his Entrance upon his laft Sufferings. Peter was, on many Accounts, one of the most eminent of all the Apostles; James and John were called Boanerges, Sons of Thunder, for the Fervency of their Zeal and Efficacy of their Miniftry; and it is alfo obfervable that James was the first of the Apostles that fuffered Martyrdom for the Cause of Chrift; and that John, who was by Way of Eminency called the beloved Difciple, furvived all the reft, and lived for a great Number of Years to bear Testimony to what he had heard and feen concerning Jefus.

As thefe were the chofen Witneffes of his Transfiguration, fo the Scene he chofe for it was an high Mountain: He bringeth them up into a high Mountain apart. This is generally fuppofed to be Mount Tabor. Thither he went for the greater Convenience of Secrecy and Retirement, and he probably betook himself to fome Part of that Mountain that was little frequented. St. Luke obferves that he went up into a Mountain to pray. Luke ix. 28. This it was very usual for him to do, as VOL. IV. E

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we find by feveral Paffages in the Evangelifts; and therefore those of his Disciples whom he left behind were lefs surprised at it, and judged he was only going to pray, as he was wont to do in such retired Places. And accordingly he actually applied himfelf to that Exercife; for St. Luke informs us, that, as he prayed, the Fashion of his Countenance was altered. Ver. 29. What was the particular Subject of his Prayer is needless to inquire. But this may be obferved in general from it, as well as from all the other Paffages where we have an Account of our Saviour's Praying, that herein he hath left an excellent Example for our Imitation. If the incarnate Son of God himfelf, during his Abode here on Earth, in the Days of his Flesh, employed himself frequently in this Duty, how much more should we do fo, who have so many Sins to confefs and implore the Pardon of, and who, being infufficient of ourselves for that which is good, and prone to that which is evil, ftand in continual Need of the Influences and Aids of the Holy Spirit, to affift us in our Duty, and fuccour us against Temptation? Our bleffed Lord hath confecrated and recommended Prayer, and put a Dignity upon it by his own Practice and Example. In vain do those pretend to the Character of his Disciples,

that

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