advent, as Judge. The parallel passages sufficiently explain the meaning. St. Luke says, "Till they see the kingdom of God;" and St Mark, "Till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power." "The kingdom of Christ," "the kingdom of God," and "the kingdom of heaven," are all phrases used to express the gospel dispensation, or Christian economy. It is called a kingdom, because all men are placed under the power of Christ as MEDIATOR, to redeem, govern, and save; and, under his power as LORD, to correct, and, if impenitent, to condemn and it has this appellation also because the administration of his gospel, under his authority. was a new species of control introduced into human society, regulating the hearts and conduct of obedient men; attractively influential by its kindness, admonitory by its threats, and, in the case of determined rebellion, terrible in the penalties which it has established. This kingdom our Lord began to found by his personal ministry; but it was not completed till his ascension, when, according to the prophecy of Daniel, "the Son of Man came to the Ancient of Days," " and there was given to him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him;" and then, to give efficiency to the means by which the sons of men should be thus brought into a state of willing, gracious, subjection to him as their Lord, he poured out the Holy Spirit, in his plenitude of graces and gifts, upon the disciples at the day of pentecost. This he himself termed enduing them "with power from on high;" which sufficiently explains the words of St. Mark: "Till they have seen the kingdom of God come with POWER." To taste of death is a Hebrew mode of expression equivalent to, see death. It merely signifies, to die, and is constantly so used by the Jewish writers. 'All the children of men taste the taste of death." Thus were the apostles encouraged; for although he had assured them that he must die, yet they were not to die till they had seen his kingdom set up in its power; from which was, they might also have inferred, had they not been as yet "slow of heart to understand," that even their Master's death in some manner, mysteriously connected with the full establishment of his kingdom. This they afterwards understood; they died not till they had witnessed the glorious triumphs of his kingdom over both Jews and Gentiles, the glorious earnest of its universal prevalence throughout the whole world. Those commentators who apply these words to the judicial visitation of the Jewish nation, and the destruction of Jerusalem, adopt an interpretation which is wholly forbidden by the parallel places from Mark and Luke, above referred to; for how that direful event could be the "coming of the kingdom of God with power," is utterly inconceivable, when the established sense of the phrase, the kingdom of God," as used in the Gospels, is considered. For though the infliction of punishment upon the Jewish nation by the exalted and glorified "Lord and Christ," whom they had rejected, be spoken of figuratively, as a “coming of the Son of Man in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory," the imagery being taken from the circumstances of the general judgment; yet this is never called the coming of the Son of Man in his kingdom," nor seeing the kingdom of God." It is true that our Lord says, "There be SOME standing here which shall not taste of death," which has been thought to intimate that the event alluded to was so distant, that all but a very few of the disciples must, in the course of nature, be dead before it arrived; and this they state best agrees with the destruction of Jerusalem, which happened about forty years afterwards. But a better reason may be found for the use of the word Twes, some, or certain persons. ONE, at least, then present, was to be excluded; ONE was to taste of death before" the glorious resurrection, and ascension, and coming of the Holy Ghost," which the others were to witness. That excepted person was Judas, who "went out and hanged himself." The declaration could not then include all; and it is restricted, " 1 The transfiguration of Christ. sion, 24 and payeth tribute. a CHAPTER XVII. 14 He healeth the lunatick, 22 foretelleth his own pas 1 AND after six days, Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, 2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine. as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. 3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. a Mark ix. 2; Luke ix. 28. accordingly, by an indefinite limitation. The opinion of those is not better founded which refers the text to the transfiguration mentioned in the next chapter. Then, indeed, the Son of Man appeared invested with glory; but in no good sense can it be said that he then "came in his kingdom," or that then "the kingdom of God came with power." The glory was great, but transient; and it was so because it was merely symbolical of something future to this illustrious event itself. CHAPTER XVII. Verse 1. And after six days.-St. Luke says "about, woel, eight days," including the day on which the preceding transactions took place, and the day of his ascent to the mountain, wo indicating that the time mentioned was not fully completed. Peter, James, and John.-This James was a son of Zebedee, the same who was afterwards slain by Herod; not James the Less, the author of the Epistles. John was the beloved disciple, and brother of James. These three disciples were chosen to be witnesses of some of the most remarkable facts in the history of our Lord; and especially of the transfiguration, and the agony in the garden; scenes which from their nature demanded privacy, and which yet it was most important to establish by the testimony of two or three witnesses. said to have been Mount Tabor; but nothing is more uncertain. That it was not far distant from Cæsarea Philippi, is probable. It was our Lord's custom, contrary to that of the Jews, generally to select high mountains for prayer. The motive might be to secure greater privacy. This was the evident reason here; for he allowed only three of his disciples to accompany him, designing that the knowledge of the transaction which followed should be deposited solely with them until after his resurrection. Verse 2. And was transfigured before them. The word signifies a change of form or appearance, which change is immediately described, his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light; or, as Mark and Luke express it, "The fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering, exceeding white as snow." The light therefore with which he was invested appears to have penetrated his garments themselves, and to have arrayed his whole form with intense and dazzling splendour. Verse 3. Moses and Elias.-St. Luke calls them, "two men," because as such they appeared, though they also were arrayed "in glory ;" and either from the conversation which they overheard, or from the information of Christ afterwards, they knew them to be Moses and Elias. A high mountain.-This, by tradition, is Elijah had been translated into heaven, so 4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed b 2 Peter i. 17. that he appeared in his transformed BODY; Moses was a disembodied SPIRIT, yet having a bodily form; for though some have fancied that he was raised from the dead to attend our Lord on this occasion, not the least evidence of this is to be gathered from the history. Why should men attempt to be wise above what is written?" Lightfoot, Schoetgen, and Wetstein, have produced passages out of the Rabbinical writings to show that it was an ancient tradition among the Jews that both Moses and Elijah should appear in the time of the Messiah. But if this tradition were as ancient as supposed, it is worthless and vain, and nothing occurred on this occasion to sanction it. By the appearance of Elijah, they did not mean a transient apparition of that prophet, but his fulfilling his office among men, so that there was no appearance of either Moses or Elijah here in the sense of their tradition. Nor is the tradition, as far as relates to Moses, so ancient as the time of our Lord. This is evident from verse 10, where the disciples refer to the tradition of the scribes respecting Elias, but say nothing of Moses; and from the opinions before mentioned, that Christ might be "John the Baptist, or Elias, or Jeremiah, or one of the prophets," but where also no reference is made to Moses. This, like many other attempts to find illustrations of the New Testament in Rabbinical works, fails, among other reasons, from assuming that their authors always, or at least often, express the notions of the more ancient Jews. Passages indeed occur which speak of "the two," Moses and Elias, "coming together in the days of the Messiah;" but these personages were thus probably united after the Rabbins had read this account of the transfiguration in the Gospels, or had heard it related by Christians. The same Rabbins also speak of Elias sometimes appearing to their doctors, conversing with them, and teaching them; designing by this, no doubt, to depreciate the glory of this miracle as to Christ, and the honour which it put upon him as the great Teacher above all the rest. Verse 3. Talking with him.-St. Luke is more particular, and introduces the interesting circumstance, that they "spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem." See note on Luke ix. 31. Verse 4. Let us make three tabernacles. -The three disciples had been asleep while Jesus was engaged in prayer, and when they awoke the scene of the transfiguration commenced, "and they saw his glory, and the two men that were with him ;" and though sore afraid," though an indescribable awe rested upon them, it was yet mingled with so much solemn delight and satisfaction, that Peter wished to form three tents for the illustrious personages before him, that they might remain with them, and that they might enjoy the glory and felicity of this unexpected manifestation. This may be fairly interpreted to have been Peter's meaning. As for the opinion of those who state that Peter now thought that his Master was about to assume his proper dignity, and to set up his visible and splendid kingdom, they assign to him ideas more definite than he at the time was capable of forming; for St. Luke says, "he knew not what he said; " he was in a bewildered state of mind, and expressed merely his wish that the persons and the scene should continue. By tabernacles, are meant tents or booths, such as were made of the boughs of trees at the feast of tabernacles, to keep off heat or cold. Verse 5. A bright cloud.-A shining them; and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. 6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. 7 And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. 8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. 9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead. cloud, a cloud with intensely bright beams shining out of it. This is called by St. Peter, in his second Epistle, “the excellent glory;" and is to be distinguished from the glory which beamed from and invested our Lord's person, and from that also in which Moses and Elias "appeared." It was "the glory of the Father," the Shechinah, or visible symbol of the divine presence. : Overshadowed them.—Enokiaw signifies to envelope in shade, which seems inconsistent with the descent of a bright or shining cloud, and it has therefore been sometimes rendered in the forced sense of to surround. No difficulty, however, exists; for the Shechinah was at once dark and bright; a dark cloud which sent forth rays of light in the wilderness it was dark in one part, light in another; in the holy of holies it was entirely a "thick darkness," except where special breakings forth of light intimated the will of God, and his acceptance of the service rendered to him. With reference to its darkness in the holy place, the Lord is said "to dwell in thick darkness." In the present instance there was a cloud," a "brightness issuing from it; then by the dark part of the cloud the whole company was overshadowed, or enveloped with darkness; thereby rendering the voice out of the cloud, which immediately followed, the more awful; for when the disciples heard it they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.-See note on chap. iii. 17. Hear ye him.-This is spoken with reference to the presence of Moses and Elias; one the giver of the law, the other representative of the whole order of the prophets. Thus "the law and the prophets " appeared before the disciples, impersonated, as it were, in these venerable visitants; but there was also THE SON, the BELOVED SON, in whom the Father is emphatically WELL PLEASED: and when the disciples were commanded by the awful voice from the cloud to hear HIM, it was thus solemnly enjoined upon them to take him for their SUPREME TEACHER. He was declared invested with the authority which now passed away from Moses and the prophets. This was wholly concentrated in Christ; and he had the supreme power to establish, to explain, enlarge, and in many respects entirely to abrogate, what was enjoined in the law and enforced by the prophets, under that commission from God which, after a course of ages, was about to close. Verse 9. The vision.-The word οραμα, rendered vision, signifies a supernatural representation of any thing to the eyes of men awake; and so stands opposed to a dream, which represents things to the imagination during sleep. Whatever subordinate ends might be intended by this solemn and glorious event, the transfiguration, it must have had one leading and principal design; nor is this difficult to ascertain. Rightly understood, it must be considered as the solemn inauguration of our Lord in the presence of his three chosen disciples, into the office of SUPREME LAWGIVER in the church of God. This will explain the reason why Moses and Elias rather than any other of the departed saints, as Abraham, and some inferior prophet to Elias, appeared on the occasion. The whole action, by their introduction, became symbolical; and its meaning was rendered more impressive. Moses and Elias were the two great authorities of the Jewish church, and they both agreed in giving their authority to the upholding of the whole law of the Jews in its utmost exactness. There was a strong conviction among the disciples, and it became a subject of great future contention in the early church, that the ceremonial as well as the moral law, was to continue in force for ever; and for this, the authority of Moses and the prophets, acknowledged on both sides to be that of divine inspiration, was pleaded. How could that which God had formally and under great penalties enforced, be neglected with impunity? It is plain that nothing but the same authority which enjoined the law of ceremonies could revoke or change them; and that he only who had laid down the modes of acceptable worship under the old covenant could appoint them under the new. That authority was here given by the proclamation of the Father, commanding that the Son should be heard or obeyed; and as this command was without limitation, it included, necessarily, obedience in all matters of faith, worship, and practice: Hear ye HIM. And the circumstances were suited to the weight and solemnity of the occasion. This supreme authority was, in the presence of Moses and Elias, declared to be in Christ: they appeared there in the character of SERVANTS; he is proclaimed to be the beloved sox; and the same voice, from the same Schechinah, which had given to Moses his commission, and declared the statutes and ordinances which he was to enjoin upon the people, and which had appointed Elijah, the champion and restorer of the law, now appoints our Lord to be exclusively heard and obeyed. Thus was the mission of Christ to set up a new and spiritual kingdom, and to appoint its laws and ordinances, though that might impiy the abolition of many previous divine institutions, most unequivocally confirmed. And that this was the view which St. Peter took of it appears from his second epistle. He there shows that the transaction took place in confirmation of the truth of Christ's claims; because he argues from it to show that "they had not followed cunningly devised fables;" and also, that our Lord on that occasion received from the Father, "honour and glory;" which honour and glory was manifestly that of being declared that beloved Son of God, whom all were commanded to "HEAR," as their teacher and Lord. By this voice from heaven he was also pointed out to be that prophet of whom Moses himself had uttered this express prediction, "The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall HEARKEN," Deut. xviii. 15: words which imply, that the Jews should be put under an obligation to hearken to this Prophet, and no longer to Moses; and that under so great a penalty, that all who refused should be "destroyed from among the people." Thus, as Calvin observes, “we are placed under his tuition alone; and commanded from him alone to seek the doctrine of salvation, to depend upon, and listen to ONE; to adhere to ONE; in a word, as the terms import, to hearken to ONE ONLY." The conclusion of the whole scene, as bishop Porteus observes, harmonizes with this declaration. Moses and Elias instantly disappear; and “when the disciples lift up their eyes, they see no man, save Jesus only." The former objects of their veneration are no more; Christ remains alone, their unrivalled and undisputed Sovereign. Subordinate to this general design, however, the transfiguration served other and highly important purposes. It would doubtless tend to animate the courage of our Lord himself to meet his sufferings, by the foretaste which he in his human nature was here allowed to enjoy of his |