DIVINITY.

THE TRANSFIGURATION OF CHRIST:

A SERMON:

BY THE REV. DANIEL M'AFEE.

(Concluded from page 1190.)

In this splendid mirror of the transfiguration, we may again see, 6. Jesus as the promised Messiah, or Christ, the sum, substance, and completion of all former dispensations. "Messiah" in Hebrew, and "Christ" in Greek, amount to the same import. Thus the woman of Samaria: "I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ." So Andrew, Peter's brother, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ;" or, the Anointed One. Our Lord opened his mission in the Jewish synagogue, by quoting Isaiah lxi. 1: "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound." His office of a Prophet is to instruct; of a Priest, to bind up and heal by applying his precious blood; and of a King, to proclaim terms of pardon, remit sin, save and defend his people. The same anointing to the threefold offices is alluded to in various portions of the divine word. Thus, "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power." Again: "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou lovest righteousness and hatest iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." In these and similar declarations, there is an allusion to the holy anointing oil prepared by Moses at the command of God. It was used in the induction and consecration of Prophets, Priests, and Kings. The Jews considered it most precious, excellent, incorruptible, and glorious. It contained a compound of principal spices, and was deemed most holy. It ceased to be used hundreds of years before Christ came; but while the shadow fled, the substance remained: Jesus was anointed with the Holy Ghost; hence, the savour of his name, perfections, and various graces was better than that of the precious ointment. On Mount Tabor he appeared as the holy and anointed one. The voice of the Father proclaimed this to the witnesses present on the occasion. "This is my beloved Son :" the Messiah, the Prophet, Priest, and King, so long promised and expected, he is now anointed and crowned with glory and honour; therefore "hear ye him." The Baptist, who was the second Elijah, in spirit and power, witnessed his first anointing as a Prophet in Jordan; and Moses "the man of God" comes down in company with Elijah the Tishbite from heaven to witness his second anointing on "the holy mount," as a Priest. "And, behold, there

VOL. IV.-FOURTH SERIES.

4 Q

talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias; who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem." What a peculiar and glorious conjunction is here! It occurred only once, and must be full of import and worthy of all attention. Jesus the Sun of righteousness appears in his native glory. Moses and Elias, attracted by his influence, as satellites of the first order, shine forth also in the rays of the same glory. Why is it, then, that he who was surrounded by all the host of heaven was not openly accompanied by other great and noted characters? It is not Enoch, Noah, Job, Abraham, David, Daniel, or Isaiah, but Moses and Elias, "who appear in glory." Both of these were eminent for their faith, holiness, and unwearied zeal in their day and generation; both conferred with God in Horeb, wrought miracles, and fasted forty days; both divided the waters, one at the Red Sea, the other at the Jordan. The body of Elias was taken up into heaven in a chariot of fire; that of Moses was buried by the Lord himself. Who can tell but it was expressly hidden for this re-appearance? "Two men talked with him," saith St. Luke. This intimates that Moses was as completely man as Elias on this occasion. Could any of them be denominated so, if destitute of the body? But why did they alone appear on the Mount? The one introduced the Jewish dispensation; the other, in his successor John the Baptist, completed it, and linked it to Christianity. Moses was the giver of the law; Elias its great restorer in the days of Ahab. The former represented the system of law; the latter that of the Prophets. Moses lays the whole code ceremonial and judicial at the feet of Jesus. The very time, mode, and fact of his appearing says, "Lord, thou art the Christ, the sum and substance of the whole law. Here, then, are the priesthood, sacrifices, institutions, types and shadows of my dispensation. They were founded by thee, and for thee: take them now into thine own hand; dispose of and disannul them as thou pleasest; complete, finish, or fulfil them by thy decease at Jerusalem. For thou art not come to destroy, but to fulfil the law by causing the oblation and sacrifice to cease by the presentation of thy one offering, which will perfect the whole for ever."

Behold Elias now on behalf of the Prophets. He presents him with their divine predictions, lofty discourses, plain declarations, obscure intimations and allegories, splendid visions, varied revelations, diversified glory and unfulfilled promises, confessing him as the great subject and centre of the whole, who in himself is to complete and harmonize all the dispensations of former ages into one. The light of the patriarchal dispensation was absorbed and embodied in the dispensation of Moses and the Prophets, but the glory of the whole is swallowed up in the superior glory of Mount Tabor. Moses and Elias, not only on the part of all antiquity, but of all heaven itself, make an official delivery of the previous dispensations into his hand, acknowledging him as the long-expected Messiah, the Son of the living God. What they performed in action was confirmed by the voice from the cloud, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him."

Lastly, in this mirror of unspotted holiness and majesty, we behold, 7. Jesus even in the midst of his humiliation as Lord of both worlds and Head of his church, visible and invisible. On becoming flesh, he ceased not to be what he was before: he relinquished no right, retained his essential personality, and only concealed his glory in the new mode of his subsistence. While dwelling in the cloud, he was Lord and Head of the Jewish church; and when he comes to dwell among men, in our nature, angels sing at his birth, "Unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." Devils also recognised him in the fashion of a man, and confessed him to be "the Holy One, the Son of God," and Lord of their destinies. "He was in the world, and the world was made by him," saith the beloved disciple, "and the world knew him not." The Baptist also testifies, "He that cometh from above, is above all." He having caused the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the lame to walk, the lepers to be clean, and the multitudes to marvel at his power, which fed them with a few small loaves and fishes, while the same power raised the dead and subdued the wind and waves into peaceful obedience; it is no wonder, that his disciples confess his dominion, and that he should say, "Ye call me Lord and Master; and ye say well, for so I am." Having "created all things visible and invisible," he remained Lord of his own workmanship; and no circumstances, however humble, into which he entered for the purpose of our redemption, could possibly affect his divine personality or claims. Thus, when he stoops from heaven to earth, assumes our nature and makes himself the servant of all, he travels in concealment to his destination on Calvary; but when he arrives at Mount Tabor, he deems it fit to hold a court, display his majesty, uncover his unspotted purity, manifest his ancient and future glory, exhibit the beauty and splendour of glorified humanity, demonstrate his Messiahship; and while he decks himself in his royal robes of light and immortality, he calls as universal Lord on both worlds, visible and invisible, to supply attendants, who may bear witness in their respective regions to the glory and majesty of his kingdom. Thus, Peter, James, and John went up at his call; and Moses and Elias came down. A junction was thereby established between the church visible and invisible, mortality and immortality, earth and heaven. The kingdom of Jesus includes all in itself, because he is universal Lord. Were not Moses and Elias "the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth?" (Zech. iv. 14.) They saw in the disciples what they themselves once were, dwellers in houses of clay, subjects of trial and temptation, and men of like passions and infirmity with themselves. The disciples, on the other hand, beheld in them what they expected to be, triumphant conquerors of sin, Satan, and death; glorified saints, and free denizens of the heavenly city. Their very appearance displayed the unsearchable riches, beauty, glory, and immortality of the region whence they came: it showed it to be a good land, well watered with the river of life, and abounding and blooming with immortal fruit. Their temporary return exhibited something far better than the grapes

of Eshcol.

Their appearing and talking with Jesus after an absence of so many ages from mortality, bore testimony to the existence of "another and a better world," where conscious, happy, and glorious life defies both time and death. They testified, in effect, that in that blessed place, there is light without the sun, perpetual spring without winter, joy without sorrow, purity without stain, friendship without defect, pleasure without pain, and servitude without weariness, lassitude, or sleep. They descended on Mount Tabor, as two refulgent and beautiful drops from the great cloud of witnesses, who had been raised up into glory by the exhilarating beams of the Sun of righteousness. How impressive and encouraging must the whole scene have been to the disciples! It is not marvellous that a man of Peter's constitution of mind should become confused, and utter the language of holy impulse, rather than the dictates of sober reason. He would retain the heavenly guests, and abide on the mountain. It was not the will of Jesus, however, that saints immortalized should return and dwell in tabernacles of earth. Those who expect such an event at any time yet to come, "wist not what they say." They are not to return to us: we are to go to them. "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear," as the great Judge of all, "then shall we also appear with him in glory." Our being probationers now, subject to trial, mortality, and death, form no greater barrier to us, than the same circumstances once did to Moses and Elias. The same power which first raised them up to glory, and then brought them down to Mount Tabor, can "raise us up also by Jesus," and present us with them. Ye who believe in Jesus are under the rule and care of the same Lord, belong to one and the same kingdom, and are associated with the same Mount Zion, with this difference between you and the heavenly inhabitants, that they have gained the top, while ye skirt the bottom, separated by the narrow Jordan of death. "Be thou faithful unto death," saith Jesus, "and I will give thee the crown of life." Then, like Moses and Elias, "we shall know even as we are known." We come now to consider the great and important part of this subject; namely,

III. The grand and chief DESIGN of the transfiguration. We have already seen the essential properties and accompaniments, which necessarily presented themselves to our view in the act of contemplation. That the transfiguration could not have taken place without an exhibition of these, must at once be admitted; but the question occurs, What was the design of the wonderful transaction itself? Was it to exhibit his Divinity, display a model of the future resurrection-body, show forth the purity of his humanity, display his ancient and future glory, prove himself to be the Messiah and the Lord of all things visible and invisible? Or were these things only necessary adjuncts or accompaniments of the great change which took place in his personal appearance, while its design was totally distinct from any or all of the particulars already enumerated? These are distinctly pointed out, and demonstrated in other forms in the divine word, and are plainly inculcated independently of the transfiguration.

The

question then assumes this form, whether this mighty change was not absolutely necessary to our Lord himself, to fulfil the great designs of the Godhead in the redemption of the world? Could mankind have been redeemed unless Jesus was transfigured? Was it not as essential an act towards the fulfilment of this purpose, as either his incarnation, death, resurrection, or ascension into glory? In this view, if no disciple had ever seen or recorded it, would it not have taken place, as absolutely necessary to the great work which he came to perform? In the investigation of this point, I grant, we are about to tread on high, holy, and even critical ground. Here, we are to wind our way, not only with judgment and caution, but also with modest ditdence and reverential awe, especially as, so far as I am aware, we are about to enter on a new and untrodden path. It would seem as if the brightness and glory of the scene had hitherto claimed all the attention of Divines, and so dazzled their vision, that they have not penetrated into the great and mysterious design of the occurrence itself. Truth, however, is accessible, although in some cases it lies deep. Let us now endeavour to raise it from this well of salvation; and in doing so, I trust we shall discover, that the grand design of our Lord's transfiguration was an actual consecration, qualification, and preparation for atonement and sacrifice. Viewing it in this light, the cloud of mystery which now envelopes it will pass comparatively away; new wonders will burst on our view, a due and proper connexion will appear in the great acts of redemption, and the transfiguration will no longer stand as an insulated fact to excite astonishment, but appear in its proper place as an essential measure in the great work of redeeming love. In elucidation of this, let us notice,

1. The intimate connexion between Christ's sufferings and his transfiguration. This connexion has been amply pointed out already, to prepare the way for its application to this part of our subject. At the period of Peter's noted confession, Jesus first began to speak of his sufferings, death, and resurrection. The three Evangelists note this in a most especial manner. It is there emphatically stated, that about a week afterwards he was transfigured. The dates here given, therefore, link it with his sufferings. Great additional strength is afforded to this connexion by the subject of conversation in which Moses and Elias engaged, during the time our Lord's face shone as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. 'They talked of his decease, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem." Why was this the chief, nay, the only, subject of converse recorded on this occasion? Was not the life and glory of the transfiguration connected intimately in their estimation with his humiliation, sufferings, and death? They conversed only concerning his sufferings in the midst of his great though temporary display of glory. Not one word is said concerning his Divinity, or any other of the great adjuncts already pointed out; but they dwell on his sufferings and obedience unto death. These were to complete his character as Mediator, finish the journey which he took from the throne to the cross, which formed the starting-point of returning home to his Father. The very light