dence and fupreme dominion over all his creatures, and to give them the most awful proofs that, from his all-fearching eye, no wickedness can be concealed.

The remaining part of this chapter is occupied with the recital of two miracles, on which I have only to observe, that they have both of them a spiritual as well as a literal meaning, are both of a very extraordinary nature, as calculated to make, as they did, a moft powerful impreffion on the minds of the spectators; these were, the feeding above five thousand persons with five loaves and two fishes, and our Saviour's walking on the fea. The first of these had a reference to that spiritual food, that celestial manna, that bread of life, which our Lord was then dispensing in fuch abundance to those that hungered and thirsted after righteoufnefs. The other was meant to encourage the great principle of faith; of trust and reliance upon God, in oppofition to that felf-confidence, that high opinion of our own ftrength, which we are too apt to entertain, and to which St. Peter, above all the other apoftles, was peculiarly liable. When therefore, in confequence of his own request, he was permitted to go to Jefus on the water, and forgetting immediately who was his guide and fupport, began to be afraid and to fink, and called out to his divine mafter to fave him, our Lord graciously stretched forth his hand and caught him, and faid unto him, "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" A reproof well calculated to convince him that it was not in proportion to his own natural ftrength, but according to the degree of his faith, that he must rise or fink. And what he fays to Peter, he fays to all who waver in their belief: "O ye of little faith why do ye doubt ?"

But there is another circumstance belonging to these miracles, which is of great importance; they are very extraordinary and astonishing inftances of our Lord's power over nature, and of fuch a kind as to admit of no poffibility of being counterfeited. And accordingly we find that although fome cheats have pretended to cure diseases miraculously, and fome have even attempted to raise the dead, yet no impoftor I believe has ever yet been fo bold as to undertake to feed five thousand people at once with five loaves and two fishes, or to walk upon the fea. And

the reafon is plain. It would not be very easy to perfuade five thousand people that they had been plentifully fed, when in fact they had received no nourishment at all; and it would be rather too dangerous an experiment for any man, not really fupported by the hand of God, to attempt walking on the fea, when he cannot but know that the lofs of life must be the inevitable confequence of it. Indeed this act has always been confidered as utterly beyond all human power to atchieve; accordingly two feet walking upon water was an Egyptian hieroglyphic to denote impof fibility. And Job represents the power of treading on the waves of the fea as a diftinguishing mark and attribute of the Deity. Yet this did Jefus do; this impoffibility did he accomplish a most inconteftible proof that God was with him. And in fact, this miracle feems to have made a ftronger impreffion on the minds of his difciples that any other recorded in the gofpels, even than that of raising the dead; for we are told in St. Mark†, that when our Lord went up into the fhip from walking on the fea, the difciples were fore amazed in themfelves beyond measure, and wondered. The words in the original are still stronger; indeed fo ftrong, that it is impoffible for the English language to exprefs all their force. In comparison of this miracle, even that of the loaves and the fishes seems to have appeared nothing in the eyes of the difciples; for St. Mark tells us, that they confidered not the miracle of the loaves, for their heart was hardened; but at the act of walking on the fea they were amazed beyond measure; they were overwhelmed and overcome with this aftonishing difplay of divine power; they fell instantly at the feet of Jefus, and worshipped him; and exclaimed, as every one who confiders this ftupendous miracle must do, "Of a truth thou art the Son of God!"

LECTURE

MATTHEW xvii.

XV.

I

SHALL now requeft your attention to a very remarkable part of our Saviour's hiftory, that which is called by the evangelist his TRANSFIGURATION, and which is related in the feventeenth chapter of St. Matthew. It fo happens, that many years ago I turned my thoughts very much to this particular subject in the facred writings, and ventured (though without my name) to lay my fentiments concerning it before the public. I could have wifhed therefore to have excufed myself from repeating here any part of what I have faid elsewhere, and to have paffed over this incident unnoticed. But when I confidered that this tranfaction is of a very peculiar and extraordinary nature; that there are circumstances attending it which cannot fail to excite the curiofity of an inquifitive mind; that there are difficulties in it which stand in need of a folution, and conclufions to be drawn from it of confiderable utility and importance; when I confidered further, that much the greatest part of this audience had probably never seen or even heard of what I had formerly written on this fubject; I determined not to omit fo material a part of the task I am engaged in, but to give you what I conceive to be a true explanation of this interesting event. And I now feel the lefs difficulty in doing this, because, upon a careful review of that interpretation, after an interval of twelve years, I am still convinced of its truth, and have had the additional fatisfaction of finding it confirmed by the authority of fome learned and judicious commentators, whofe opinions on one or two leading principles coincide with my own ; but whofe obfervations I had not feen (having confulted but very few. expofitors on the fubject) when my effay went to the prefs.

The relation of this fingular tranfaction is given us by three out of four evangelifts, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and alluded to in the writings of the fourth. They all agree in the main points. There is no material variation, and not the leaft contradiction between them. But, as is very natural, where different perfons relate the fame fact (and as indeed muft generally happen where the story is not concerted among them) a few particulars are taken notice of by fome which are paffed over in filence by others. St. Matthew's account of it is as follows:

"And after fix days Jefus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high moun tain apart, and was transfigured before them; and his face did fhine as the fun, and his raiment was white as the light. And behold there appeared unto them Mofes and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jefus, Lord, it is good for us to be here; if thou wilt, let us make three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Mofes, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold a voice out of the cloud, which faid, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were fore afraid. And Jefus came and touched them, and faid, Arife, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they faw no man fave Jefus only. And as they came down from the mount, Jefus charged them, faying, tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be rifen again from the dead.

"And his difciples afked him, faying, Why then fay the fcribes, that Elias muft first come? And Jefus anfwered and faid unto them, Elias fhall truly first come, and restore all things. But I fay unto you, that Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they lifted: likewise alfo fhall the Son of man fuffer of them. Then the difciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptift."

Such is the history which the evangelift gives us of the transfiguration; and on the very first view of it, every one

muft fee that a tranfaction of so uncommon and splendid a nature could not be intended merely to furprize and amuse the disciples. There must have been fome great object in view; fome end to be obtained, worthy of the magnificent apparatus made ufe of to accomplish it.

Now there were, I conceive (befides fome collateral and fubordinate defigns) two principal and important purposes, which were meant to be answered by this illuf trious scene.

The first was to fet before the eyes of the difciples a vifible and figurative representation of Chrift's coming in glory to judge the world, and to reward, with everlasting felicity, all his faithful fervants

In order to prove this, and at the fame time to bring to the reader's view thofe circumftances which preceded, and in fome degree gave occafion to this celestial vision, it will be neceffary to look back to the chapter immediately before that in which the transfiguration is related.

In the 21ft verfe of the fixteenth chapter we find, that Jefus then, for the first time, thought fit to give fome intimations to his difciples of the strange and extraordinary scenes he was foon to pafs through; his fufferings, his death, and his refurrection; things of which, before this declaration, they feem not to have had the smallest conception or fufpicion.

"From that time forth began Jefus to fhew to his difciples how that he must go to Jerufalem, and fuffer many things of the elders and chief priefts and fcribes, and be killed, and raised again the third day*."

This information, fo perfectly new and unexpected to the disciples, and so destructive of all the fond hopes they had hitherto indulged, overwhelmed them with aftonish-ment and grief. And St. Peter, whose natural warmth and eagerness of temper generally led him both to feel fuch mortifications more fenfibly, and to express his feelings more promptly and more forcibly,. than any of

* Matth. xiv. 21.