the fame glorious Church. There is no effential Difference between them. The main Principles and Practices of Religion are the fame in both. They both join in the Acknowledgment, Love, Fear, and Adoration of the one living and true God; And as the one looked by Faith, and with an earnest Expectation for the Coming of the great promised Saviour; fo the other receive and embrace him, as having actually appeared. Both concur to form the general Affembly and Church of the Firft-born, whofe Names are written in Heaven; and this little, but glorious Affembly, at Chrift's Transfiguration, might be regarded as an Image and Resemblance of it. There were Mofes and Elias, the Representatives of the Faithful, that had lived under the Old Teftament Difpenfation; there were also fome of the Apoftles of our Lord, the Representatives of Believers under the New; and there was our Lord Jefus Chrift himself, the Head of the univerfal Church, in whom they are all united and gathered together into one. But how glorious fhall it be, when the whole Number of God's Elect fhall be accomplished, and all the good Men that ever lived, from the Beginning of the World to the Confummation of it, fhall be gathered into one illuftrious Society, united in holy Love and Concord, under

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under one God, our Heavenly Father; and one Lord Jefus Chrift, the Saviour!

There is one Question ftill remaineth to be confidered, and that is, How the Dif ciples came to know that the Perfons whom they faw appearing in Glory, and converfing with Jefus, were Mofes and Elias? It was not because Jefus affured them afterwards that Mofes and Elias were the Perfons they had feen; for it is plain they knew it at the very Time when they appeared, and hence it was that Peter proposed to make three Tabernacles, one for Jefus, one for Mofes, and one for Elias. It may therefore probably be fuppofed that they found who they were by the Conversation that paffed between them and our Lord. They might hear him diftinguishing them by their Names when he fpoke to them, or there might be other Ways of their being informed of this, about which we need not vicioufly inquire. But there is one Reflection that offereth itself to us on this Occafion which deferveth fome Attention; and that is, that we may hence probably conclude, that the Saints hall retain their proper Individuation and diftinctive Characters in the futurę State, whereby they fhall be known and diftinguished from each other. It hath been made a Question, Whether good Men,

that

that are departed out of this World, fhall know one another in Heaven? I fee no Reafon to doubt of it; and this Text seems to afford a plain Proof of it. Mofes fhall be known to be Mofes, and Elias fhall be known to be Elias. And as each of the glorified Saints fhall continue to be the fame individual Perfons they were here on Earth, though in feveral Refpects wonderfully changed and highly exalted and dignified; and fhall know themfelves to be the very Perfons that lived under fuch and fuch Characters, and in such or fuch Circumftances in this State of Trial; fo they fhall probably be known to many, at least, of the Saints. And it shall be no fmall Satisfaction to those to meet together in the heavenly World, who knew one another, and conversed together here on Earth. And it may be justly supposed that the Knowledge and Acquaintance of the heavenly Inhabitants with one another shall then be incomparably more extenfive than it could poffibly be in this prefent State. Mofes and Elias, though they had lived fo many Ages before, were here made known to the Disciples; and, in like Manner, it is probable that the Saints that lived in different Ages, and under different Difpenfations, fhall then be made known to one another, and cultivate a pure and facred Friendship, and heighten each other's Joys,

Joys. And indeed as no fmall Part of the heavenly Happiness fhall confift in the Intercourfe of holy Love and Friendship, which shall then be maintained among the bleffed Inhabitants of that glorious World; fo the more extenfive we suppose their Acquaintance and Friendship to be, the more enlarged will be their Joys. We may justly alfo conceive that, fince it is plain, from many Paffages of Scripture, that there shall be different Degrees of Glory among the Bleffed, thofe that were the most eminent for their Piety, Zeal, and Usefulness, whilst on Earth, fhall fhine with a diftinguished Glory, and be more univerfally known than others that were lefs eminent. A Mofes and an Elias fhall be generally known and distinguished. And it is a moft delightful Contemplation to think of going to that City of the living God, where we shall behold with Joy the Saints of all Ages, and fhall fit down with Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, the Patriarchs, Prophets, Apoftles, Martyrs, Confeffors, and converse with thofe excellent Perfons whose eminent Faith and Piety and Virtue, whofe Sufferings patiently endured for the Caufe of God and Religion, or whofe great Abilities usefully employed for the Glory of God, and the Good of Mankind, have rendered their Names illuftrious; and fhall be joined

with them in the fame blissful Society, and behold the glorious Recompence of their Piety, their Sufferings and Services. Any Man that hath any Enlargement or Generofity of Soul, or any Difpofition for relifhing the Joys of Friendship and Society, cannot but be ravished and tranfported with the Thought, and feel a Divine Pleafure within, in the very Profpect of fuch a State of Things; and what then shall the actual Enjoyment be?

I have fuffered my Thoughts to expatiate on this Occafion, and I hope it may not be altogether without it's Ufe.

Having thus confidered the Perfons reprefented here as coming from Heaven to fee and talk with Jefus, viz. Mofes and Elias,

Secondly, The next Thing to be inquired into is the Manner of their Appearance. St. Luke tells us, Chap. ix. 31, that they appeared in Glory. This is undoubtedly defigned to fignify the Splendor with which they were arrayed, a Glory refembling that of our Lord Jefus Chrift, though inferior to his. We are affured that at the laft Day, when Chrift, who is our Life, fhall appear, then shall we also appear with him in Glory. Col. iii. 4. this Occafion, when our Lord Jefus, even in the Days of his Humiliation here on Earth, thought fit to exhibit a wonder

So on

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