crecy, till after his refurrection, should have been given; because he had already foretold his refurrection to his difciples, and he alfo apprized them before his death of his coming in glory to judge the worldt.. It does not therefore appear, how the publication of the vifion on the mount could have been attended with any other confe quence, than that of confirming what Jefus had already

made known.

But if we fuppofe that one purpose of the transfigura tion was to typify the abolition of the ceremonial law, and the establishment of the evangelical, a plain reafor prefents itself for this command of keeping it for fome time private; for it was one of thofe truths which the first con verts were not able to bear. Great numbers of them, though they firmly believed in Chrift, yet no lefs firmly belived that the Mofaical difpenfation was still in full force. This prejudice, it is well known, continued several years after our Lord's refurrection. Mention is made" of fev "eral thousand Jews who believed, and yet were all zeal "ous of the law." And it was the fufpicion that St. Paul had forfaken, and taught others to forfake Mofes, which brought his life into the most imminent danger, and actually occafioned his imprisonment. No wonder then that a tranfaction which was defigned to prefigure this very doctrine that St. Paul was charged with, and that was fo offenfive to the Jewish converts in general, should be thought unfit by our Lord to be publicly divulg ed till fome time, perhaps a confiderable time, after his refurrection.

From the whole, then, of the preceding obfervations, it appears, that the transfiguration of Chrift was one of thofe emblematical actions, or figurative representations, of which fo many inftances have been pointed out, and at the fame time very diftin&tly explained, and elegantly luftrated, by fome of our beft divines.

il

The things represented by this fignificant transaction

were :

*

Chap. xvi. 21,

+ Chap, xxv.

First, the future glory of Chrift, a general refurrection, and a future retribution.

Secondly, the abrogation of the Mofaical, and the eftablishment of the evangelical difpenfation.

And the immediate purpose of these representations was, as I before observed, to correct two inveterate prejudices which prevailed among the disciples, and the Jewish converts in general.

Of thefe one was the extreme offence they took at any mention of the death and sufferings of Chrift, which they conceived to be utterly inconfiftent with his dignity.

The other was their perfuation that the ceremonial law was not done away by the Gospel, but that they were to exift together in full force, and to have an equal obedience paid to them by all the difciples of Chrift.

But though the removal of these prejudices was, as I conceive, the primary and immediate defign of the transfiguration, yet there are alfo purposes of great utility to all Chriftians in general in every age, which it might be, and probably was intended to answer.

In the first place it affords one more additional proof of the divine miffion of Chrift, and the divine authority of his religion.

It is one of the few occafions on which God himfelf was pleased, as it were, perfonally to interpofe, and to make an open declaration from heaven in favour of his Son."This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased : hear ye him." Two other inftances only of this kind occur in the Gofpels; one at our Saviour's baptism, the other on his praying to his Father to fave him from the fufferings that awaited him.

Now these signs from heaven may be confidered as a diftinct fpecies of evidence, different both from miracles and prophecies, frequently and earneftly wifhed for by the

Jews, but not granted to them, nor vouchsafed to any one, but very fparingly, and on great and folemn occafions.

But befides this awful teftimony to the divine origin of our religion in general, a particular atteftation was (as we have feen) given on the mount to two of its principal doctrines, A GENERAL RESURRECTION, and A DAY OF RETRIBUTION. The visible and illuftrious representation of thefe in the glorified appearance of Chrift, and Mofes and Elias, has been already explained, and is appealed to by St. Peter, who faw it, as one convincing proof, among others, that "he had not followed cunningly devifed fables," when he made known" the power and coming of our Lord Jefus Chrift." And, indeed, fince these two doctrines, a RESURRECTION, and a DAY of JUDGMENT, are two of the most effential and fundamental articles of our faith; and fince it was one of the chief purposes of the Chriftian revelation, "to bring life and immortality to light," no wonder that God fhould graciously condescend to confirm thefe great truths to us in so many various ways; by words and by actions, by prophecies, by miracles, and by celeftial visions.

LECTURE

MATTH. xviii.

XVI.

THE

HE fubject of this Lecture is a part of the eighteenth chapter of St. Matthew. It is evident that the difciples of our Lord were, for a confiderable time, poffeffed with the imagination which prevailed universally among the Jews refpecting their Meffiah, that their Maf ter's kingdom was to be a temporal one; that he was at fome time or other to become a prince of great power and fplendor, and that they of course should enjoy the largest fhare of his favor, and be placed in fituations of great distinction and great emolument. And this delufion had taken fuch ftrong hold upon their minds, that although our Lord took frequent opportunities of combating their error, and made use of every means in his power to unde ceive them, yet they still perfifted in maintaining their favorite opinion; and in the beginning of this chapter they came to Jefus, faying, who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? It appears, from the parallel paffage in St. Mark, that they had been disputing by the way who should be the greateft. Our Lord knowing this, and finding that all he had faid on this fubject had produced no effect upon them, determined to try whether a different mode of conveying his fentiments to them might not ftrike their minds more forcibly. He therefore had recourse (as in the case of the transfiguration) to what may be called a visible kind of language. He took a little child, and placing him be-fore them, bid them contemplate the innocence and fimplicity, the meekness and humility which marked its countenance; and then affured them, that unless they were converted, and became as little children; that is, unless a total change took place in the temper and difpofition of their minds, unless they became as unambitious and unafpiring, as meek, as humble and contented, as little concerned about worldly honors and distinctions, as the 'child

before them, they could not enter into the kingdom of heaven; they could never be confidered as true objects of Christ's kingdom here, or be capable of inheriting the rewards of heaven hereafter. In the eye of God, true humility is a moft fublime virtue; and whoever fhall humble himself as this little child, the fame is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Our Lord then goes on to fay, "Whofoever receiveth one fuch little child in my name, receiveth me." That is, it is men of humble minds and meek difpofitions, whom I moft highly prize, and whom I moft ftrongly recommend to the notice, the kindnefs, the protection of all those who are friends to me and my reli gion; and fo dear are men of this description to me, that I make their interefts my own, and I fhall confider every man who receives, and affifts, and encourages them on my account, and for my fake, as receiving me. But inftead of receiving and protecting thefe my humble difci ples, any one fhould dare to injure them, he must expect the fevereft marks of my difpleasure. "Whofo fhall of fend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a mill-stone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the fea. Woe unto the world, because of offences; for it must needs be that offences come, but woe to that man by whom the of fence cometh."

In order to comprehend the full meaning of this denunciation, it will be neceffary to explain the peculiar meaning of the word offend. Now this expreffion in the prefent paffage, as well as in many other parts of the New Teftament, fignifies to caufe any one to fall from his faith, to renounce his belief in Chrift by any means whatever ; and againft every one that makes use either of violence or artifice to terrify or feduce the fincere and humble, and unfufpicious believer in Chrift from his faith and obedience to his divine Mafter, the feverest woes, and the heaviest punishments are here denounced.

This text of fcripture therefore I would moft earnestly recommend to the ferious confideration of those who either are or have been guilty of this most dangerous crime; I would alfo no lefs earneftly caution all thofe who

and