the fame glorious Church. There is no effential Difference between them. The main Principles and Practices of Religion are the fame in both. They both join in the Acknowledgment, Love, Fear, and Adoration of the one living and true God; And as the one looked by Faith, and with an earnest Expectation for the Coming of the great promised Saviour; so the other receive and embrace him, as having actually appeared. Both concur to form the general Affembly and Church of the First-born, whose Names are written in Heaven; and this little, but glorious Assembly, at Chrift's Transfiguration, might be regarded as an Image and Resemblance of it. There were Mofes and Elias, the Representatives of the Faithful, that had lived under the Old Testament Dispensation; there were also some of the Apostles of our Lord, the Representatives of Believers under the New; and there was our Lord Jesus Christ himself, the Head of the universal Church, in whom they are all united and gathered together into one. But how glorious shall it be, when the whole Number of God's Elect shall be accomplished, and all the good Men that ever lived, from the Beginning of the World to the Consummation of it, shall be gathered into one illustrious Society, united in holy Love and Concord, F4

under

under one God, our Heavenly Father; and one Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour !

There is one Question still remaineth to be confidered, and that is, How the Difciples came to know that the Persons whom they saw appearing in Glory, and converfing with Jesus, were Mofes and Elias? It was not because Jefus assured them afterwards that Mofes and Elias were the Persons they had feen; for it is plain they knew it at the very Time when they appeared, and hence it was that Peter proposed to make three Tabernacles, one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elias. It may therefore probably be supposed that they found who they were by the Conversation that paffed between them and our Lord. They might hear him diftinguishing them by their Names when he spoke to them, or there might be other Ways of their being informed of this, about which we need not viciously inquire. But there is one Reflection that offereth itself to us on this Occafion which deserveth fome Attention; and that is, that we may hence probably conclude, that the Saints shall retain their proper Individuation and distinctive Characters in the future State, whereby they shall be known and diftinguished from each other. It hath been made a Question, Whether good Men, that that are departed out of this World, shall know one another in Heaven? I see no Reafon to doubt of it; and this Text seems to afford a plain Proof of it. Moses shall be known to be Mofes, and Elias shall be known to be Elias. And as each of the glorified Saints shall continue to be the same individual Persons they were here on Earth, though in several Respects wonderfully changed and highly exalted and dignified; and shall know themselves to be the very Persons that lived under such and such Characters, and in such or fuch Circumstances in this State of Trial; so they shall probably be known to many, at least, of the Saints. And it shall be no small Satisfaction to those to meet together in the heavenly World, who knew one another, and conversed together here on Earth. And it may be justly supposed that the Knowledge and Acquaintance of the heavenly Inhabitants with one another shall then be incomparably more extensive than it could poffibly be in this present State. Moses and Elias, though they had lived so many Ages before, were here made known to the Disciples; and, in like Manner, it is probable that the Saints that lived in different Ages, and under different Dispensations, shall then be made known to one another, and cultivate a pure and facred Friendship, and heighten each other's Joys, Joys. And indeed as no small Part of the heavenly Happiness shall consist in the Intercourse of holy Love and Friendship, which shall then be maintained among the blessed Inhabitants of that glorious World; fo the more extensive we suppose their Acquaintance and Friendship to be, the more enlarged will be their Joys. We may justly also conceive that, fince it is plain, from many Passages of Scripture, that there shall be different Degrees of Glory among the Blessed, those that were the most eminent for their Piety, Zeal, and Usefulness, whilst on Earth, shall shine with a diftinguished Glory, and be more universally known than others that were less eminent. A Mofes and an Elias shall be generally known and distinguished. And it is a most delightful Contemplation to think of going to that City of the living God, where we shall behold with Joy the Saints of all Ages, and shall fit down with Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, the Patriarchs, Prophets, Apoftles, Martyrs, Confeffors, and converse with those excellent Persons whose eminent Faith and Piety and Virtue, whose Sufferings patiently endured for the Cause of God and Religion, or whose great Abilities usefully employed for the Glory of God, and the Good of Mankind, have rendered their Names illustrious; and shall be joined

with them in the same blissful Society, and behold the glorious Recompence of their Piety, their Sufferings and Services. Any Man that hath any Enlargement or Generofity of Soul, or any Disposition for relishing the Joys of Friendship and Society, cannot but be ravished and transported with the Thought, and feel a Divine Pleafure within, in the very Prospect of such a State of Things; and what then shall the actual Enjoyment be?

I have fuffered my Thoughts to expatiate on this Occafion, and I hope it may not be altogether without it's Use.

Having thus confidered the Persons represented here as coming from Heaven to fee and talk with Jefus, viz. Mofes and Elias,

Secondly, The next Thing to be inquired into is the Manner of their Appearance. St. Luke tells us, Chap. ix. 31, that they appeared in Glory. This is undoubtedly designed to fignify the Splendor with which they were arrayed, a Glory resembling that of our Lord Jesus Chrift, though inferior to his. We are affured that at the last Day, when Christ, who is our Life, shall appear, then shall we also appear with him in Glory. Col. iii. 4. So on this Occafion, when our Lord Jesus, even in the Days of his Humiliation here on Earth, thought fit to exhibit a wonder

ful