SERMON XIX.

THE TRANSFIGURATION.

2 PET. i. 16-18.

"We have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eye-witnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount."

ST. PETER here speaks of that wonderful and glorious transaction, the Transfiguration of our blessed Lord, which according to ancient tradition took place on the holy mountain Tabor, and of which you have heard a more full account in the second lesson for this morning's service'. It appears that in his own preaching he had insisted strongly on it as a most sure and unanswerable testimony of " the power and coming," or of the coming with power, "of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ:" and he determines that "after

1 Luke ix.

T

his decease" also they should have the subjects of his preaching "always in remembrance." This was his object in writing the Epistle, and he still more compleatly effected it by superintending and directing St. Luke in the composition of his Gospel. St. Luke himself had not the advantage of personally attending our Lord's ministry while on earth as one of his chosen apostles. But every particular was "delivered to him by those who from the beginning were eye-witnesses and ministers of the word:" and we are informed on good authority that St. Peter was the great eye-witness and minister who gave him this "perfect understanding of all things" necessary to be delivered to us. The account of the Transfiguration then may be considered as St. Peter's testimony of the sublime scene which he witnessed. And if he judged it important that Christians should be fully acquainted with it, our time must be well employed in contemplating this glorification of our Lord. The Holy Spirit did not think good that any direct explanation of the object of this manifestation should be given to us. We may therefore reasonably conclude, that we can attain to it by an exercise of our own understanding. Only let us supplicate his guidance, that he who preaches, and they who hear, may on this and every occasion be preserved from important error, and that our explanations may be given in harmony with the analogy of faith; in full agreement with the other doctrines and revelations of Scripture. The first three Evan

gelists all narrate the event, and with great resemblance to each other, not only in the particulars of the transaction itself, but of the circumstances which went before and which followed it. They plainly considered these as closely connected: it is therefore by an attention to them that we obtain a clew for unravelling the meaning of the whole.

The close of our Lord's ministry on earth was now fast approaching. His simple hearted, unlettered disciples had faithfully followed him, believing indeed that he was the promised Messiah; but having very confused notions of his divine character, of the method by which he was to work out the salvation of his people, and of the nature of the kingdom which he was on the point of setting up. It was then expedient to unfold these grand truths to their understanding, as they were able to bear them. He commenced with demanding from them an avowal of what they believed him to be. Simon Peter in reply made that confession, on which, as on a rock, all our faith and hope are built: "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." Though Jesus had heretofore avoided a direct claim of this glorious title, leaving it to be discovered and inferred by those who listened to his teaching, and who witnessed his mighty works, he now thought good solemnly to accept and to avow it; but he did not avow it publicly; it was to his disciples alone. A public assumption of his dignity would not suit the purposes for which he had humbled himself to become the carpenter's

reputed son.

He therefore strictly charged them to tell no man. And having fortified their faith with this positive declaration that he was the true Messiah and the Son of God, he proceeds to unfold to them the degradation and suffering which he was soon to undergo. "From that time forth he began to shew unto them, how he must suffer many things, and be killed and be raised again the third day1." Had he taught this before he had solemnly assumed his own exalted character, their faith would have had nothing to rest upon. Even then Peter could not bear it; it overturned all those hopes of crowns and kingdoms, of earthly riches and honour, which he and his fellows had dreamt of. Their faith of future, invisible glories was as yet, like a grain of mustard seed, hardly visible and they must endure severe discipline and much patient teaching, before they could exalt their minds, above the comparatively low and worthless things of this world, to the spiritual kingdom of their Lord. Jesus however does not disguise the bitter cup which his disciples, as well as himself, must all drink. He proceeds to tell them, that if they would continue his followers, they also must "deny themselves;" must sacrifice their innocent and natural feelings; must " daily take up the cross;" must despise the whole world in comparison with him; nay, must "lose life itself for his sake and the Gospel's "." These were hard sayings, and the most powerful motives were

1 Matt. xvi. 21.

2 Mark viii. 35.

necessary to preserve them from faintness and falling away. He arrays therefore the greater fear against the less declares that whoever is ashamed of him before men, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed, when he comes in his Father's glory, having received the kingdom, which is rightfully his own, "as the Christ the Son of the living God:" he asks "what a man can give in exchange" for the loss of his immortal soul; assures them that when he comes he will "reward every man according to his works ;" and finally foretels that some of them should "not taste of death till they had seen the kingdom of God come with power!" A few days after he took three of them into Mount Tabor apart from the rest, and in their presence the glorious change of his bodily appearance took place; "his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light." He put on that divine form, in which St. John a second time saw him in the isle of Patmos, when he knew him to be the Son of Man. Then also "his countenance was as the sun shining in his strength was this glorified body which shone upon St. Paul with "a light above the brightness of the sun 3," and struck him to the earth. It has always the same effect upon the weak senses of sinful man. St. John "fell at his feet as one dead;" the Apostles at the Transfiguration were overpowered and sunk into a sleep-like trance.

1 Mark ix. 11.

2 Rev. i. 16.

3 Acts xxvi. 13.

2 "

It