He difcourfes with them of the Coming of Elijah.

and told no one in thofe Days any of the Things which
they had now feen and heard.

And his Difciples, as they could not doubt but
he was the Meffiah, took that Opportunity of in-
forming themselves, as to a Scruple which had
long lain on their Minds, and asked him, faying,
Why then do the Scribes, the Teachers of our Na-
tion, and profeffed Students of the Law, fay, that
Elijah must first come before the Meffiah appear
Is this Vifion, that we have now feen, all the
Coming of that Prophet, which was to be ex-
pected?

?

And Jefus replying faid unto them, It does indeed appear from the Scripture, that Elijah fhall first come to make Way for the Meffiah, and regulate all Things (1), by preaching Repentance and Reformation: And yet, how little is the Influence that his Coming will have upon a wicked and ungrateful Generation? And how is it alfo written of the Son of Man himself (m), that illuftrious Person whom Elijah is to introduce? It is plainly foretold, that he must fuffer many Things, and be contemptuously rejected; which evidently implies, that his Forerunner alfo fhall be 12 difregarded, and his Preaching flighted. And

no Man in thofe Days any of thofe Things which they had

feen.] [LUKE IX. — 36.]

MAT. XVII. 10. And

his Difciples afked him, faying, Why then fay the come? [MARK IX. 11.]

Scribes, that Elias must first

II And Jefus answered and faid unto them, Elias truly fhall first come, and reftore all Things, [and how it is written of the Son of Man, that he must suffer many Things, and be set at nought.] [MARK IX. 12.].

12 But I fay unto you,

already,

the Event, you know, has been answerable to it: that Elias is indeed] come
Do not therefore expect another to appear, but
observe what I now fay to you, while I affure you
that Elijah is indeed come already, as it is written
of him (n) in various Paffages of Scripture; (fee

Ifa.

(1) Shall first come, and regulate all Things.] It is plain, that amonalasne here, (as anò nalasaσıs, Acts iii. 21.) cannot, as it generally does, fignify restoring Things to their former State, but only in the general, reducing them to Order. It is ftrange, Tertullian (de Refur. cap. 35.) fhould infer from hence, that Elijah the Prophet is to come before Christ's fecond Appearance. Grotius has well confuted that wild Notion, in his Annotations, in loc.

(m) And yet how is it written of the Son of Man himfelf?] The Conftruction of this Verfe in the Original, is as perplexed, as almost any in the New Testament. The Pruffian Teftament, which is followed by the late English Version, renders it roundly, and elegantly enough: "It is true, faid he, that Elias must first come to restore all Things, and that it is foretold "of him, as well as of the Son of Man, that he fhould have much to fuffer, and be rejected "with Contempt." But this is not strictly agreeable to the Original, nor can I find the Martyrdom of John the Baptist any where foretold in the Old Testament: I chufe therefore to render this Claufe, as a Question. That na fometimes fignifies [and yet,] evidently appears from John v. 40. Luke ix. 45. Mat. xxiii. 37. and other Places.

(n) Elijah is indeed come already, as it is written of him.] For the Reason affigned in the preceding Note, I chufe to connect these two Clauses, and conclude that the Words which lie between, both in the Original, and in our Tranflation, are to be included in a Parenthesis.

Reflections on the Transfiguration of CHRIST.

already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they lifted, [as it is written of him:] likewife fhall alfo the Son of Man fuffer of them. [MARK IX. 13.]

1.3 Then the Difciples underflood, that he spake unto them of John the Baptift.

12.

Ifa. xl. 3. and Mal. iii. r.) and they who pre- Sect. 90:
tended fo eagerly to expect him, did not know
and acknowledge him, but have treated him in the Mat. XVII.
moft arbitrary and cruel Manner, even just as they
pleafed, without any Regard to Piety, Juftice, or
Humanity: And thus likewife shall the Son of Man
quickly fuffer by them, and with the utmost En-
mity and Malice fhall be perfecuted by a hardened
People, who will fhew no more Regard to him,
than to Elijah his Herald.

Then the Difciples understood, that he spake to 13
them concerning John the Baptift, who was fore-
told under the Name of Elijah, as the Meffiah
was under that of David. (Compare Mal. iv.
and Ezek. xxxiv. 23, 24.)

IMPROVEMENT.

5.

OW glorious and delightful was this View of our Bleffed Redeemer,

HOW which the Apostles had, when he was transfigured before them, Mat.xvii. 2.

clothed, as it were, with the Divine Shekinah, and fhining with a Luftre like that of the Sun! How pleafing, and how edifying, must it be to them, to fee with him Mofes and Elijah, thofe Two eminent Saints, who Ver. 3. had so many Ages ago quitted our World, but whofe Names they had often read in the Sacred Records with Wonder and Reverence!

Well might Peter say, It is good for us to be here. Well might he be Ver. 4 contented to refign his Entertainments and his Hopes elsewhere, that they might prolong thefe delightful Moments, feafting their Eyes with thefe Divine Vifions, and their Minds with thefe more than Human Difcourfes. Nor can we wonder that the Scene, tranfitory as it was, left fo abiding a Savour on his Spirits, that in an Epiftle which he wrote many Years after, and but å little before his Death, he should fingle this Story from a thoufand others, to atteft it as he does, and to argue from it. (Compare 2 Pet. i. 16,-18.) But oh how much more defirable is it, to stand upon Mount Zion, and to behold those brighter Glories, which our Jefus wears in the Heavenly Regions! To behold, not merely Mofes and Elijah, but all the Prophets, the Apoftles, and Martyrs, and in a Word, all the Saints of GOD in every Age, whether to us perfonally known or unknown, furrounding him in a radiant Circle; and not only to behold them, but to converfe with them. Lord, it is good for us to be there, in our Defires at least, and in our Meditations; till thou pleaseft to call us to that happy: World, and to take us thither, where no Drowsiness will cloud our Eyes, Luke ix. 32. where no Hurry will difcompofe our Thoughts; but where the Perfection Mark ix. 6.

of

8

Sect. 90.

On the next Day, the People feeing him are amazed.

of Holiness, and of Love, fhall caft out every Degree of Terror, as well as of Sorrow.

In the mean Time, let us reverently attend to that Saviour, who appeared in this Majeftic Form, and who comes recommended to us with Mat. xvii. 5. fo many Teftimonials of his Divine Authority. He was again declared by a Voice from Heaven, to be the beloved Son of GOD; as fuch let us hear him, receiving all his Revelations with the Afurance of Faith, and all his Commands with the Obedience of Love. If thefe Sentiments govern our Hearts and our Lives, the Thoughts of that Departure from this World, Luke ix. 31. which we are shortly to accomplish, will be no Grief, or Terror to our Souls. Like our bleffed Mafter, we may connect the Views of it, and intermix Discourse upon it, with the most delightful Enjoyments and Converse; nay, it will ferve to render them yet more pleafing. For who would not long, to be made conformable to Chrift, even in his Sufferings and Death, if it may be a Means of transforming us into the Resemblance of his Glories!

CHRIST defcending from the Mountain on which he was tranffigured, drives out an Evil Spirit, which had obftinately withstood the Attempts of his Apoftles. Mat. XVII. 14, 21. Mark IX. 14,-29. Luke IX. 37-43.

T

LUKE IX. 37.

Sect. 91.
HUS did our Lord difcourfe with his
Three Difciples, after he had been tranf-
Luke IX. 37. figured in fo glorious a Manner in their Pre-
fence: And it came to pass, that on the next Day,
when they came down from the Mountain, on which
the Night had been fo delightfully spent, a great
Croud of People met him. And being come to
Mark IX. the Difciples, and particularly to the reft of the
Apostles, who, knowing their Mafter was on the
Hill, waited for him in the adjacent Valley, be
Jaw a great Multitude around them, and among
the reft, fome of the Scribes and Pharifees, who
were difputing with them, and endeavoured to take
the Opportunity of their Mafter's Abfence; to
expofe and distress them.

14.

A Lunatick poffeffed with a dumb Spirit is brought to him.

15.

9

And immediately, as foon as he came near them, Sect. 91.
all the Multitude feeing him was ftruck into Aftonish-
ment, at thofe unusual Rays of Majefty and Glo- Mark IX.
ry, which yet remained on his Countenance (a);
and running to him, they faluted him with the great-
eft Marks of Refpect and Affection: Yet the
Scribes and Pharifees, without regarding his Re-
turn, continued their ill-natured Attack on his
Disciples.

And taking Notice of the warm Dispute they 16
were engaged in, he asked the Scribes, What is
the Point you are debating, and what do you con-
tend with them about?

J

And prefently upon his making this Enquiry, 17 behold, a [certain] Man of the Multitude came, and kneeling down to him, anfwered the Queftion in Effect; and crying out with a loud and eager Voice faid, O thou great Teacher and Mafter in our Ifrael, I have brought thee my poor afflicted Son, who has for a long Time been poffeffed with a Dumb Spirit, and the malicious Dæmon has deprived him of the Ufe of his Hearing and Speech: And in this moving Cafe, O Lord, I befeech thee, Mat. XVII. look upon my Son, for he is mine only Child, [and] 15. yet inftead of being any Comfort to me, is a most melancholy Spectacle of Horror; let me intreat thee therefore to bave Compaffion on [him,] for he is Lunatick (b), and grievously tormented with terrible

(a) Was ftruck into Aftonishment, &c.] It is ftrange, that fo few Criticks fhould have said any Thing, concerning the Reafon of the Multitude's being thus aftonished. It could not be, as Dr. Clarke fuppofes, his coming down from the Mountain the Day after he went up; for they were gathered round it, in Expectation of his Descent; and I do not remember, that he ever continued more than one Night in such a Retirement. Nor is it easy to imagine, the Multitude were under any Apprehenfion, after he had been no longer abfent, that they never should be able to find him again. I therefore follow Dr. Whitby's natural Conjecture in his Paraphrafe, which is agreeable to what we read of Mofes, that the Skin of his Face Shone, when he came down from the Mount. (Compare Exod. xxxiv. 29, 30. and 2 Cor. iii. 7.) One would indeed have expected that Luke, who has mentioned the Luftre on Stephen's Countenance, when pleading his Caufe before the Sanhedrim, (Acts vi. 15.) should have taken fome Notice of the Fact here fuppofed: But it is obfervable, Mark tells the Story before us, far more circumftantially than either of the other Evangelifts; which, by the Way, is another moft convincing Proof, that his Gospel was not (as Mr. Whifton fuppofes,) an Abridgment of Matthew.

(b) He is Lunatick.] Grotius well obferves, that this Word, (which exactly anfwers the Etymology of the Original,) might with great Propriety be ufed, tho' there was fomething preternatural in the Cafe; as the Evil Spirit would undoubtedly take Advantage of thofe

VOL. II.

B

Dif

ΙΟ

Luke IX. 39.

His Difciples were unable to cure him.

Sect. 91. rible Fits, which frequently feize him, and fome-
times endanger his Life; for he often falleth into
the Fire, and often into the Water.
And behold,
wherever [this] Spirit feizes him, he has no Strength
or Thought to take Care of himself, but fuddenly
cries out in a violent Manner; and it convulfes him
fo, that he foams again at the Mouth, and gnashes
with his Teeth in Extremity of Anguish; and
thus he miferably pines, and withers away in the
Bloom of his Age: And [it] is with great Diffi-
culty that the malignant Dæmon departs from him
for a little while, having bruifed him to fuch a
Degree by violent Distortions, that he is hardly
able to use his Limbs in the Interval of these
Mat. XVII. dreadful Agitations. And I am perfuaded
there is fome more than ordinary Difficulty in the
Cafe; for I brought him to thy Difciples, and fpake
to [them] concerning him, and intreated [them] in
the most affectionate Manner, to use their utmost
Efforts to caft him out; and they could not accom-
plish it, nor heal him.

16.

17

Mark IX.

20,

Then Fefus faid in Reply to him, O ye incre-
dulous and perverfe Generation of Men, how long
fhall I be with you, before you will learn a be-
coming Regard to me? how long shall I endure
that Infidelity, which you are fhewing on fo many
Occafions? And thus did he mean at once to re-

prove the Weakness of Faith in the Father, and
in his Difciples, as well as the Obftinacy and Per-
verfeness of the Jewish Teachers, who were tri-
umphing in their prefent Difappointment: And
then turning to the Father of the Child and his
Attendants, he said, Bring thy Son hither to me,
and you shall fee what my Power can effect.

And upon this, they brought him that was pof-
feffed to Jefus, and presented the poor Creature
to him. And immediately, as foon as he faw him,
while he was yet coming, the Evil Spirit in a Rage
wrought in him with fuch Violence, that he
threw him down, and convulfed him; and he fell on

the

fore vexed: for oft-times he falleth into the Fire, and oft into the Water. [LUKE IX.-38.]

LUKE IX. 39. And lo, [wherefoever] this Spirit takout, and it teareth him, that eth him, he fuddenly crieth he fometh again, ( and gnafheth with his Teeth, and pineth away; and bruifing him, it hardly departeth from him. [MARK IX. 18.—]

MAT. XVII. 16. And I

brought him to thy Difci[LUK. and befought them ples, [and fpake to them,] to caft him out,] and they could not cure him. [MARK IX.—18. Luke IX. 40.]

Disorders, into which the Brain and Nerves of this unhappy Child were thrown by the
Changes of the Moon.

(c) From