John baptizing in that manner. It was to that end well adapted, and to that only. And that John knew this, seems evident by his declaring that baptism was for Christ's manifestation, by his so constantly pointing from it to its antitype,* the baptism that saves the soul; and by his acknowledgment that himself must decrease, and Christ increase. Had John been the administrator of a gospel ordinance, and therein abode faithful, he might, instead of decreasing, have increased therein; but being the administrator of a figurative ordinance, in its very nature, end, and design decreasing, he, as its administrator, must decrease; for though as great a prophet as any born of woman, yea, as Christ declares," much more than a prophet," the immediate forerunner and preparer of the way of the Lord, yet truly, as the Lord himself further asserts, Mat. xi. 2," he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he ;" that is, greater than John, as John the Baptist; for it is expressly as John the Baptist, that Christ says this of him, and in this sense it will forever hold true. For though as a saint and servant of God, as a prophet of the Most High, John was great, yea, very great, in the heavenly kingdom, "a burning and a shining light," as Christ still further testifies, John v. 35; yet that gospel kingdom which John proclaimed as near at hand, and prepared the way for, being void of all mere figurative ordinances,, and operating, wherever it cometh in its full glory, to their fulfilment, abolition, out-blotting, and entire removal out of the way; the least in the pure spirituality thereof, (having seen and advanced beyond and to the disuse and total rejection of all such signs and figures, as being comparatively mean and beggarly elements, of use only till the seed came, and at best but shadows of the good things to come,) is and ever must be, in this respect, greater than John, as John the Baptist, the administrator of one, though a very significant one, of those figurative ordinances. And even though John should sit higher, shine brighter, and be far greater in the kingdom of eternal glory, than many of these,

*The word in the common translation rendered figure, 1 Pot. iii. 21, speaking of the baptism which now saves us, is antitypon; and surely it is the antitype, and not the type or figure, that is saving.

yet as the Baptist, or baptizer in water, he was under a dispensation that was vastly low in comparison of that pure gospel state which these little ones all witness in the new covenant dispensation; which water baptism could no more be a part of, or belong to, than circumcision, burnt-offerings, or any other rituals of the Mosaic dispensation. And if Moses, however faithful in all his house, as a servant, must, as to his law of ceremonials, his dispensation of signs and shadows, decrease and give place to the son, surely so must John. The weakness, outwardness, and insufficiency, on account of which the shadows, of Moses have vanished, are as apparent in water baptism as in any of these; and it is of as much real necessity that this be decreased, fulfilled, and cease, in order to the true and pure enjoyment of its antitype, the saving baptism of Christ, as that circumcision, and the divers washings and offerings of the law should cease, for the same reason, or in order to the right enjoyment of their antitype.

It is rather mournful to see so many religious, good people, people who love God, and are in good degree enlightened, entangled as it were in the bondage of outward and typical ordinances, in these antitypical gospel days. What volumes of controversy, and not always in the sweetest temper, have been and are written, and from time to time, even unto this day, very zealously spread, read, and rejoiced in, which yet contain little or nothing relative to the life of God in the soul, the one soul-saving, sanctifying baptism of the gospel, or the one soulsatiating communion of saints, and supper of the Lord; but are filled with learned or unlearned argumentation, about things as foreign to the true christian life and dispensation, as the sacrificing of bullocks, rams, and lambs!

I feel real tenderness towards those who are not yet so translated into the glorious liberty of the sons of God, not yet so enlightened as to rise superior to their attachments to elementary and figurative observances; and I wish not unnecessarily to hurt the feelings of one sincere soul. I know some such hold water baptism, and what they call the other sacrament, in great veneration; and I do sincerely desire them not to take offence at my freely endeavouring to evince them to belong not to the

gospel. It is love in great sincerity that engages me to show them that these things stand exactly on a level with the long ceased ceremonials of the law, in point of obligation under the gospel. It would be as strictly a gospel controversy, were men now to write volume after volume respecting the due and precise manner of offering the ancient daily sacrifice, as is that about immersion and sprinkling, or that respecting the various opinions and modes of administration in what is called the Lord's supper. Thou need have no more, O thou true-hearted christian traveller, to do with these, than the former: it no more imports to thy real gospel duty, or to thy growth in the divine life, to understand and practise in the most precise manner, according to ancient original institution and usage, in these, than in the others. Think of what entire insignificancy it is, to controvert points respecting the offering of the lambs, "one in the morning, the other at even," as ordained of old to be done day by day for a continual burnt offering, Numb. xxviii. 3, 4. Think how unimportant to dispute whether a fifth or a tenth part of an ephah of flour, or whether mingled with a third, fourth, or eighth part of an hin of beaten oil, would now under the gospel be the most acceptable meat offering to the Lord; and thou mayst perhaps perceive to obtain a true glimpse at least of the real insignificancy to thy life and duty, as a Christian, of all the elaborate inquires and discussions, respecting either what is the proper mode, or who are the proper subjects, of either the one or the other of the sacraments so called.

But seeing many pious souls are yet under the vail in these things, wishing to serve God, and fearing to offend him; and seeing it is much for the worldly interest, emolument, and popularity of too many who assume the character and office of gospel ministers, to keep them still under this vail and covering, and in bondage to the beggarly elements; I am willing to use my endeavours to evince yet more fully and clearly the absolute cessation and dismission of signs and symbols, as never having pertained to the fulness of the gospel state. I think this is clearly exhibited by our Lord at the transfiguration; and I think it as much includes John as Moses; as much water baptism as circumcision; and as much the passover as burnt offerings. In

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short, it is evident to my mind, that the whole tendency and design of the vision was to show the equal dismission of all those shadows of the good things to come. And that for this reason; of all the holy men of old, all the great types of our Immanuel, Moses, and John in the character of Elias, appeared, on this wonderful occasion, with Christ and his disciples in the mount. None else would have fully answered the design of the transfiguration. But these two, representing the complete body of signs and ceremonies, were the identical persons to appear and disappear to them, and in testimony of the disannulling of all those foregoing ordinances. As the washings, oblations, &c. under Moses, were but signs, and but until the full coming in of the dispensation of life and substance, and as the baptism used by John was also but a sign, so now, in exhibiting the entire abolition of both, our Lord in some sort did it by way of sign or representation. And as it requires some spiritual discernment, clearly to perceive that offerings, water baptism, &c. never were, nor could be more than signs and figures, what they were particularly the signs and figures of, how long they were properly used, and when utterly abolished; so does it also require some true illumination from on high, to read and understand the mystery of transfiguration, and to see plainly that the whole drift and design of it was to teach us that the gospel, the kingdom, the baptism of Jesus, are all inward and spiritual, the antitypical righteousness, which remains, and ever will remain to the true church, though all that typical righteousness, which Christ spake of in his answer to John, introductory to his baptism in the figure, be fulfilled.

When God would show Abraham, (Gen. xv.) that his seed should be a stranger in a land not theirs, and after four hundred years' affliction "come out with great substance," he ordered him to take a heifer, she-goat, ram, turtle-dove, or a young pigeon. Dividing several of these in the midst, he "laid each piece one against another." And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abraham, and lo, "an horror of great darkness fell upon him ;" and further, it "came to pass, that when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp, that passed between those VOL. II.-59

pieces." A very striking representation of Israel's iron furnace of affliction in Egypt, and the burning lamp, or, as the margin reads, "a lamp of fire," very beautifully betokened their joyful deliverance, when, long after, the angel of the Lord led them by a "pillar of fire" from the severe exactions of their hard-hearted enemies and task-masters. Thus dealt infinite wisdom and goodness with his favoured servant, good old Abraham, by striking representations showing him things to come; and divers other instances of somewhat similar representations might be adduced.

But passing them, we come now to that very important one, the transfiguration, and to unfold a little its genuine import and meaning, according to the degree of understanding received. I shall first endeavour to evince, that it was John the Baptist who, with Moses, appeared in the mount, though under the denomination and character of Elias. It is clear that John was the Elias, that is the Elijah, whom the Lord by the prophet promised to send to prepare the way of the Lord. Mal. iii. 1, 4, 5. This promise Mark recites expressly as fulfilled in the coming and services of John, (Mark i. 2,) as it is written in the prophets, "Behold I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee."

That this was John, is further evident by what the angel said to John's father, good old Zacharias, (Luke i. 16, 17,)" Many of the children of Israel shall be turned to the Lord their God; and he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias," &c. Indeed Christ's own words are full to the purpose: he positively declares, (Mat. xi. 14,) "If ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come." But as he did not mean that Elias was actually come again in person, but that John was come "in the power and spirit of Elias," as before mentioned; he adds, (verse 15,) knowing how outward the people's minds were, and how spiritually dull they were of hearing, "he that hath ears to hear, let him hear." He doubtless knew that many could not so hear as to believe and receive it, in its naked signification, especially as John had denied his being Elias. These are contradictions to mere human wisdom: the ear that understandingly hears them, the Lord alone openeth.