Ver. 7, that Jefus came and touched them, and jaid, Arife, and be not afraid. He himself was under no Terror. That Glory was as it were familiar to him; but he had Compaffion on their Frailty, and, both by his comforting Words, and by his powerful vital Touch which had a quickening and ftrengthening Virtue that went along with it, raised them from the Amazement they were under, difpelled their Fears, and recovered them to a due Compofure of Mind.

And this leadeth me to what I propofed to confider, in the laft Place, viz. the Conclufion of the Whole, and the Injunction our Saviour laid upon his Difciples not to difcover to any Man what they had feen, till after he had rifen from the Dead. We are told, that, when the Disciples, raised and encouraged by his Voice and Touch, lifted up their Eyes, and faw no Man, fave Jesus only. Ver. 8. Mofes and Elias were gone to Heaven; the Cloud of Glory had disappeared; the awful majestic Voice, which had filled them with Dread and Amazement, was now no more; and the unutterable Splendor of our Lord's Countenance, and the glittering Brightness of his Garments, was paffed away; he appeared to them in his ordinary wonted Garb, which was more fuitable to their present Condition,

Condition, as well as to his State of Humiliation. They, perhaps, before this had been apt to think that his Appearance was too mean and humble for the Mefiah, but now they were made fenfible that he could have arrayed himfelf with inexpreffible Splendor and Majefty, if he had thought fit to do fo; but that his prefent humble Appearance was more proper for them; for how could they have attended him, or have been able to converfe with him, if he had arrayed himself with fuch Robes of Glory? This would not have been confiftent with his familiar and condefcending Way of teaching and inftructing his Difciples and the People. The glorious Appearance had now lafted long enough to anfwer the Defign intended by it, though, how long it had continued, we cannot pretend exactly to determine. But we

have Reason to think it might last fome Hours: For Jefus and his Difciples went up the Mountain one Day, and came down the next, as was before obferved from Luke ix. 37. And now Jefus was to return to his wonted Miniftry, and to go through the Remainder of the Work incumbent upon him in his humbled State. The Difciples were alfo to return to their proper Work and Office, which was to attend upon their Lord, to hear his Inftructions, and to perform whatfoever he should fend

I 3

fend them upon and give them to do. And accordingly now they fet out to leave the Mountain, the Scene of that glorious Appearance. And we are told, that, as they came down from the Mountain, Jefus charged them, faying, Tell the Vifion to no Man, until the Son of Man be rifen again from the Dead. Ver. 9. Several Reasons may be affigned for this Injunction. The principal feems to be this: That it was neceffary, for anfwering the great Ends of his Miffion, that he fhould still for fome Time longer appear in the Form of a Servant, which he had taken upon him; that be fhould be defpifed and rejected of all Men, as was foretold concerning him; and go through a Courfe of the moft grievous Sufferings, and, finally, fubmit to a cruel and ignominious Death. And the open Discovery of that furprising heavenly Glory, with which his Difciples faw him arrayed, whilst they were with him in the Mount, was not proper to be published to the World, till his humbled State was It was not very confiftent with the outward Meannefs of that Condition in which he was ftill to continue for fome Time, and with Regard to which we find him declaring, foon after this happened, to a Man that faid he would follow him whitherfoever he went: Foxes have Holes,

over.

and

and Birds of the Air have Nefts; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his Head. Luke ix. 58.

The Jews had their Heads filled and intoxicated with flattering Notions of the outward Splendor and Magnificence in which the Meffiab was to appear, and erect a Kingdom among Men. And hence they fo often demanded of our Saviour to give them a Sign from Heaven, by which probably they meant fome illuftrious Appearance in the Clouds. And, if they had heard of the wonderful Glory in which he appeared to his Difciples on the Mount, they would no Doubt have defired and expected that he fhould fhew the fame Splendor of his Majefty before them: And, if they had believed the Account that had been given of it, confidering the Temper they were in, and the Notions and Expectations which at that Time prevailed among them, it would have been scarce poffible to have contained them within proper Bounds, or to have kept them from Infurrections and Commotions, and from open Attempts to fet up Jefus for their King, and to shake off the Roman Yoke; which would have been intirely inconfiftent with the Defign of his Coming, and brought the greatest Disreputation on his Gofpel, and on the fpiritual Nature of

I 4

his

his Kingdom. Accordingly we find that, though he continually performed many Miracles among them, which really exhibited a demonftrative Evidence of his Divine Power as well as Goodness, yet they were not accompanied with fuch outward Difplays of Majefty as might be apt to dazzle the Multitude. He fhunned

Oftentation and Shew, and, all the Time that he was performing his wonderful Works, he himself went about among the People in a mean external Form and Appearance, familiarly converfing with them, as if he were one of themselves.

And,

with Regard to fome of his moft remarkable Miracles, he forbid the Perfons on whom they were wrought to spread them abroad. But, after he had gone through the appointed Courfe of Sufferings and Humiliations, and had been rejected of the chief Priests and Rulers, and had submitted to Death itself, the cruel, the ignominious Death of the Cross, then the proper Seafon came for the full Manifeftation of his Divine Glory to the World. It appeared from bis Sufferings and Death, that his Kingdom was not of this World, and that the Salvation, of which he was the Author, was fpiritual and divine. And then the Discoveries of his Glory were proper to take off the Prejudices that his Sufferings

had