John spake truth from the heart; for when they asked him, "What then, art thou Elias?" John i. 21, they were so carnal and outward in their apprehensions, that doubtless John saw they so little understood the scripture prophecies and promises, that they were looking for the personal coming of Elias from heaven; and perhaps in a fiery chariot; his ascension, or taking up, having been represented as in a chariot of fire. John answering their question according to their sense in asking it, saith, "I am not ;" thereby harmoniously coinciding with Christ's design in speaking in parables; for Christ thanked his Father that he had "hid these things from the wise and prudent, and revealed them unto babes." Mat. xi. 2, 5. These babes are the same with those who have ears to hear; and Christ spake in parables to concur with his Father in hiding these things from the pryings and investigations of this world's wisdom and prudence for when "the disciples came and said unto him, why speakest thou unto them in parables ?" Mat. xiii, 10., he answered and said unto them, "Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given." Verse 11. And in conformity to these designs of Christ and the Father, to make foolish the wisdom of this world, John answered, that he was not Elias; as truly he was not in the sense of the question, and yet in the sense of Heaven and of the holy ghost, he was indeed Elias, yea, the only Elias that was sent in fulfilment of the promise, to prepare the way of the Lord Jesus. So that had he not come in the power and spirit of Elias, the promise, for aught that appears, had utterly failed.

This point, thus clearly established in the sacred records, contributes much towards a right understanding of the transfiguration. The transactions of this ever memorable and important scene, I have no doubt, were designed to unfold, as far as those who saw and heard them, or those who since read them, have "ears to hear," the deep mystery of the three dispensations of Moses, John, and Jesus; the entire passing away of all that was but typical in the two former, as things liable in their very nature, and in the designs of Infinite Wisdom ever meant, to be shaken and removed; that so the latter, the dispensation of life and substance, the pure spiritual unshadowy gospel and kingdom

of Christ, as things that cannot be shaken or removed, might with greater clearness succeed, and remain.

To this purpose the Lord of this glorious dispensation, after testifying that some then standing there should live to see it; that is, should "not taste of death till they had seen the kingdom of God come with power," Mark ix. 1; in order to prepare some of his disciples for a more extensive and clear discovery of its purely spiritual, antitypical nature and glory, and to give, as it were, a clue to the same discovery to others (see Mat. xvii, Mark ix. Luke ix.) in that and after ages, "taketh with him Peter, and James, and John," (three eminent instruments in the primitive church,) " and leadeth them up into an high mountain, apart by themselves." This may show us, that in order to a clear reception of divine knowledge, our minds must both ascend above and be separated from the busy scenes of mere earthly joys, cares, and associations, as it were, into the mount of sequestration, into an holy abstraction of soul, where angels ascend and descend, and the converse is at times with God. "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." Here our Lord "was transfigured before them, and his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow, so as no fuller on earth can white them. And there appeared unto them Elias, with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here." Alas! too many think it is good to retain the long since fulfilled and abrogated symbols of good things, to this very day; and not content with, or not enough acquainted with, the one true "tabernacle of God," that is inwardly " with men," Rev. xxi. 3, are, with Peter, for building three, in order to retain a little from the ceremonies of Moses, as the passover, which they dignify with the name of the Lord's supper, and a little from John, (here seen as Elias, in whose life, power, and spirit, John came,) to wit, water baptism. So Peter ignorantly thinking it good to remain where all three might have place together, proposeth, or asks liberty, as followeth: "Let us make three tabernacles, one for thee, one for Moses, and one for Elias; for he wist not what to say." Mark ix. 2. 7. In very deed he wist not, or, according to Lake's account, "knew not, what he said:" knew not that this

proposal struck directly against the simplicity of the gospel, and was contrary to the life and design of the transfiguration.

He was for buildings which belong not to the gospel day; tabernacles for those whose dispensations were but preparatory to that which is purely of Jesus: for there was a cloud that over-shadowed them. Oh! that it may be seen, and daily considered, how exactly this is the case now, with those who still think it good to remain under the shadows. Is not the cloud still over them? The signs under Moses and John (here Elias) pointed men to Christ; but the full dispensation of Jesus, is nothing short of God and man in heavenly union. As then in him, so now, in all the seed, all his true disciples, there is a real joining and uniting of the life of man in and with the life of God in the soul. "He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit." 1 Cor. vi. 17.

This is livingly taught, in the Christ of God being truly both the son of God and the son of man. Here all preceding dispensations end; the signs are superseded; Christ becomes our one life in the heavenly fellowship, and, as Paul says, "I live; yet not I but Christ liveth in me." Gal. ii. 20. Here we enjoy the true riches and glory of his inheritance in the saints, which is Christ in us the hope of glory. See Eph. i. 18. Col. i. 27. What can all the shadows of the good things to come do for those who possess and enjoy the good things themselves, are led unto, live and act in the life and substance pointed at by all the types and figures of old? Did Christians know and enjoy this mystery in its true fulness and glory, all old things would be done away; for here all things become new, all things of God. Here we are complete in Jesus, in whom the fulness dwells, and have no need at all of signs to perfect us in our christian duty; no need of outward washing, being washed in his blood, inwardly sprinkled, to the cleansing of the heart; no need of outward circumcision, our circumcision and baptism are in Christ, into death with him, putting off the body of the sins of the flesh; no need of eating bread and drinking wine, in remem, brance of him, seeing he has become our life: we enjoy his soulsatiating, his all consolating presence; he sups with us, and we with him; eating the bread of life, and drinking the new wine

of salvation with us in the heavenly kingdom of his Father, inwardly and spiritually; where all types cease forever; where the faith which is the very substance of things hoped for, the new creature in this union of God and man, is all in all. Here every thought is "brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ." 2 Cor. x. 5. No mere outward observations can add any thing useful to this state; and this is the reason why they must and do here cease. The reason why they were once used was, that men were too much alienated from the life and substance; they were used as outward pointers to the inward life. When the resurrection of Christ the life, is fully known in us, all mere signs are, and in the very nature of things, must be, entirely superseded. Till then, we may be in a state of mixture, as many are with their three tabernacles, one for Jesus, one for John, and one for Moses. Hence the figurative dispensation was not altogether abolished outwardly, till Christ's outward. resurrection; this being generally the case in the inward. Those who have not known this pretty fully in themselves, are mostly some way or other relying more or less on outward things; but they whose life is full and truly in him, who is the resurrection and the life, are got beyond all improper reliance on any thing but the life of Jesus in them. This is the plain reason why the antitypical baptism, which now saves us, is by the resurrection of Christ; not by washing in water to put away the filth of the flesh; for though some of the translators use the word figure in a text which speaks plainly of this spiri tual baptism, it is not so in the Greek. The original word, as already noted, is antitypon: so that the saving baptism, there spoken of, and which is by the resurrection and life of Christ, is not a figure, but the very antitype itself. Had Peter known this at the time of the transfiguration, as well as he did when he wrote his epistles, it is in no wise probable that he would have thought the building of tabernacles, for the retention of signs and shadows, a gospel labour. But seeing Peter was as yet so far from a clear understanding of the nature and pure spirituality of the gospel, as to propose three tabernacles even then, just when Christ was specially opening the dismission of all but one, that is "the tabernacle of God, that is with men," Rev. xxi. 3; let

none marvel that this same Peter afterwards commanded the household of Cornelius to be baptized in water, a thing in no wise strange for him to do, even though it had not been done merely in condescension, as there is much reason to believe it was. He remained for some time too outward and limited in his ideas; he did not know that the gospel was an universal thing, extending to Gentiles as well as Jews; so that a wonderful vision was vouchsafed, to remove his scruples, and induce his visit to Cornelius; and when there, God gave him words suitable to the occasion, and which being delivered in the evidence and demonstration of the spirit, and with divine power, were eminently instrumental to their baptism with the holy ghost who heard him, even in such a remarkable manner, that at his first utterance, as he began to speak, the holy ghost fell on them.

This at once struck Peter, as being an exact and gracious performance of the promissory word of the Lord Jesus: "John indeed baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the holy ghost." See Acts xi. 15, 16. For this baptism was now so evidently dispensed through Peter's preaching, that he immediately remembered this precious promise of our blessed Lord; which had been very illy applied by him to the holy ghost falling on them, had that not been strictly the baptism of the holy ghost, as intended by the promise; nor indeed can any, who clearly know this baptism, think strange of Peter's recollecting this promise, and applying it to what took place at this memorable season. Nor is there any doubt with me but that the holy ghost brought it to his remembrance, and showed him it was now actually performed through himself as an instrument; for God had truly and eminently enabled him to execute, in a very exact and striking manner, the great commission of our Lord, Mat. xxviii. 19, which was, to teach baptizing: not teach, and then baptize, as two separate acts; but by teaching in the power and efficacy received from on high, they were to baptize them in the very name, that is the life and power of the Father, son, and holy ghost. And into this name, life, and power, Peter did baptize them: they received it as he spake unto them, which exactly answered the commission, "teach, baptizing."