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not the

admitted

to it.

Why the For, befides that this was a vouchthree Ape fafement, fit only to be communicated files, and to fuch, as were of his more immediate Multitude Confidence, and ftood in the highest Degree of his Efteem; to fuch, as, for their Zeal and Affection to him, were honour'd and distinguish'd * with a peculiar Title, and, after his Refurrection; appointed by Providence to be the great Pillars of his Church; and befides, that it would have look'd like Vanity and Oftentation in him, to have taken the Multitude into the Mount, and there made a publick Sight of his Miracles, which was the Thing he always carefully declin'd: Befides this, I fay, there feems to be fomething in the Transfiguration itfelf, which might have been of dangerous Confequence for the Multitude to have been admitted to.

The Na

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St. Peter, who himself was one of ture of it. thofe, who were with him on the holy Mount, gives us this account of it. We have not follow'd cunningly devifed Fables, fays he, when we made known unto you the Power and Coming of our Lord Jefus Chrift, but were Eye-witnesses of his Majefty; for he received from God the Fa ther Honour, and Glory, when there came Such a Voice to him from the excellent Glory, this is my beloved Son, in whom I

Vid. Matth. vii. 17.2 Pet. i. 16, &c.

am

m

k

am well pleafed. Now, by his Majefty, in this Place, moft properly is to be underftood that Luftre and Radiency, wherein he appeared, when his Face fhone as the Sun, and his Garments (pierced through with the Beams, that were darted from his Body) became as white as Light: For to fhine as the Sun, is a Phrafe expreffing fomething belonging to celeftial Majefty; and white and fplendid Garments, are proper for Kings, and Royal Minifters of the Heavenly Court. And, in like manner, by the excellent Glory, from whence the Voice proceeded, can be meant nothing, but the bright and fhining Cloud, that then appear'd, which the Jews call the Shechinah, and is made up (as moft imagine) of an Hoft of Angels, the constant Symbol of the Divine Prefence; and how great and magnificent this Symbol is, we may, in fome measure, learn from the Vifion of the Prophet Daniel: n The Ancient of Days did fit, whofe Garment was white as Snow, and the Hair of his Head like the pure Wooll: his Throne was like the fiery Flame, and his Wheels as burning Fire: a fiery Stream did iffue from before him; Thousands of Thousands miniftred unto him, and ten

*Vid. Whitby, 2 Pet. i. 6. Rev. iii. 4.

Dan. vii. 9, 19.

Thoufand

Matth. xiii. 43.

Thousand times ten Thousands flood bes fore him.

Why

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Suppofing then that this was the manner of our Saviour's Transfiguration; that not only, in his own Person, he was array'd with all this Glory and Luftre, but had likewise an Angelick Hoft furrounding him, two of the greateft Prophets of ancient Ages attending him, and a Voice from Heaven declaring him to be the well-beloved Son of God, while the Multitude ftood by, and faw and heard all this; it would have been almost unavoidable, but that, upon fuch Conviction of his being the Meffiah, they would have taken him by Force and made him a King. But fince (as our Saviour tells us) his P Kingdom was not of this World, nor to come with the Pomp and Obfervation, which the Jews expected; and fince one of his great Concerns was, that no disturbance of the Civil Government should be occafion'd by him, or laid to his charge; he wifely made choice of three only, (but these the principal of his Apoftles) to whom he exhibited a Specimen of his future Glory: And, as he came down from the Mount, he charged them that they should tell the Vifion to no Man, till after his Refur

John vi. 15.. Matth. xvii. 9.

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rection; because, before that most illuftrious Inftance of his Power this Glorification of him (which was not very fuitable to his mean outward Circumftances) would scarce have been credited by the Jews: but, after his Refurrection, and when he was actually to enter into that glorious State, of which this Transfiguration was Emblematical; the Teftimonies of three competent Witneffes would be receiv'd with greater conviction: especially confidering, (what makes their Teftimony of more avail, than that of ten Thousand others) that they could prove the Truth of what they teftified, and convince Mankind, that there was no Fraud or Imposture, by any fuppos'd Management of a Cloud in any affignable Situation of it, by the Gifts of the Holy Ghoft, which they having receiv'd from him, after his Resurrection, both exercifed themselves and imparted to Believers.

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We cannot but imagine, indeed, that The Apo fo fplendid and fo awful an Appea- mistaken rance muft needs have affected the A- in it.. postles with Wonder and Amazement;

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and the Evangelifts tells us, that they fell into an Ecftacy, as being unable,

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Bp. Smallbroke's Vind. Ch. 4. Vol.az. p. 77. Matth. xvii. 6, 7. Vol: 2.0 p. 360.

at

Miffel. Sacra,

Young's Serm.

there.

at prefent, to fuftain the Sight of that Majefty and Glory, which they themfelves, in due time, were to put on : but, as we may obferve, from our Saviour's injoining them Silence, that, in their Return from the Mount, their Converfation turn'd upon the Subject; we cannot but fuppofe, that their Curiofity would naturally lead them to ask many Queftions concerning the Circumftances of this wonderful Tranfaction, which our Saviour, out of his great Goodness and Humanity, would not fail to refolve fo that whatever Defect might be occafioned by their Aftonishment or Confternation at the Sight, might amply be fupplied by their Mafter's kind Information of what had paffed.

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That Mo Their Mafter (as we faid) in his fes and Elias were coming down from the Mountain, perfonally charged them that they fhould tell no Man what they had feen; and from the Word opapa, which we render Vifion, fome have fuppofed, that Mofes and Elias were not there in their proper Perfons, but that the Apoftles, in their Fancy and Imagination, had only a ftrong Idea, or Impreffion of them, or at moft,that their Spectres,or fome fhadowy Refemblances of them only were there. Since the Evangelift's, however, fpeak

of

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