on the mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as to a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn and the daystar arise in your hearts, knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of old spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."1 Peter, James, and John were eye-witnesses of the majesty of the Lord, as in the mount he was transfigured in their sight. But besides this, repeated testimonies from the New Testament and the Old bear that the Lord did appear, or visibly manifest himself in his glory, so far as men could look on it, after his resurrection from the dead, and also before his incarnation, or manifestation in the flesh.

He not only showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of his apostles forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God, and was seen of above five hundred brethren at once;3 but after his ascension to the right hand of the Father he appeared unto Paul, then a persecutor, on his way to Damascus, as he was arrested at mid-day by a light from heaven, above the brightness of the Syrian meridian sun. He and all that were with him fell to the earth; and the Lord said unto Saul, "I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest.' 994 In majesty and glory, as he had seen him on the mount, he appeared unto John, as described in the sequel of this chapter, his countenance as the sun shineth in his strength; and when he saw him he fell at his feet as dead. He appeared to Abraham, the father of the faithful; to Moses in the burning bush, as also in Sinai, &c.; to Joshua, as the captain of the Lord's host; to Isaiah, as he saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, amidst the praises of the seraphim, while they adored him as the Lord of hosts; even as in the New Testament it is written, that Isaiah saw his glory, and spake of him. Again and again was the glory of the Lord seen by Ezekiel the prophet. In heavenly vision, out of the midst of a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, he saw the likeness of four living creatures, and above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, upon which was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. This was the appearance

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3 1 Cor. xv. 6.

5 Rev. i. 12-18.

6 Isa. vi. 1; John xii. 41.

till the times of the restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by all his holy prophets, since the world began; and his testimony has to be heard as he spake by them, and not as men of any race or of any age would wrest the word that abideth forever.

The record which John here bears concerning the personal coming and visible appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ, is as explicit as it is express. Behold he cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him. These words are not to be stretched into an additional affirmation that his reign, though not less real, shall be as personal and visible as his coming, or that every eye shall see him while He reigns, as every eye shall see him when He cometh. Things that differ have to be distinguished; and they are not to be indiscriminately mixed up together, so as possibly to confound things that may be secret, with things that are revealed. Each truth which Scripture reveals has to be viewed in the light which Scripture imparts. Each topic, or distinct thing, when brought to the test, has to be weighed in the scales. of that sanctuary in which alone the divine Oracle resides. Then sensitive minds, justly tremulous, as the nicest balance, at the thought of error, may be fixed in purely scriptural faith, without the hazard of rejecting things revealed, because of any unwarranted and unhallowed intermingling of the thoughts of man's heart with the counsel of the Lord. The sayings of this book have to be kept without being either sullied by any addition, or rifled by any subtraction. The kingdom of God and of his Christ has its own ample testimonies throughout the Scriptures, as it has its place again and again in subsequent pages of the book of Revelation.

Though the sight of Christ by every eye shall be a new thing upon the earth, it is nevertheless a scriptural truth, that to some, in ages long past, he did appear otherwise than he was seen while he tabernacled in the flesh.

It is written by another apostolic witness, "We have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eye-witnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard when we were with him

on the mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as to a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn and the daystar arise in your hearts, knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of old spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."1 Peter, James, and John were eye-witnesses of the majesty of the Lord, as in the mount he was transfigured in their sight. But besides this, repeated testimonies from the New Testament and the Old bear that the Lord did appear, or visibly manifest himself in his glory, so far as men could look on it, after his resurrection from the dead, and also before his incarnation, or manifestation in the flesh.

He not only showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of his apostles forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God, and was seen of above five hundred brethren at once;3 but after his ascension to the right hand of the Father he appeared unto Paul, then a persecutor, on his way to Damascus, as he was arrested at mid-day by a light from heaven, above the brightness of the Syrian meridian sun. He and all that were with him fell to the earth; and the Lord said unto Saul, "I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest.' In majesty and glory, as he had seen him on the mount, he appeared unto John, as described in the sequel of this chapter, his countenance as the sun shineth in his strength; and when he saw him he fell at his feet as dead. He appeared to Abraham, the father of the faithful; to Moses in the burning bush, as also in Sinai, &c. ; to Joshua, as the captain of the Lord's host; to Isaiah, as he saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, amidst the praises of the seraphim, while they adored him as the Lord of hosts; even as in the New Testament it is written, that Isaiah saw his glory, and spake of him. Again and again was the glory of the Lord seen by Ezekiel the prophet. In heavenly vision, out of the midst of a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, he saw the likeness of four living creatures, and above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, upon which was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. This was the appearance

1 2 Pet. i. 16-21, &c. 4 Acts xxvi. 13-16.

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of the likeness of the glory of the Lord; and when he saw it, he fell upon his face, and heard a voice of one that spake. The glory of the Lord stood over the cherubims. The glory of the Lord stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city (Jerusalem).1

These testimonies may suffice to show that prophets and apostles saw his glory, and spake of him; as they also testified of his power and coming. Behold he cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him. The dead shall hear his voice, and arise to judgment. But some of the prophets as of the apostles there were who saw his glory ere they tasted of death. Generation after generation of the sons of men have passed into their graves, save those of whom it is recorded in Scripture, without seeing the Lord as he appeared to them; but they shall all appear before the judg ment seat of Christ, when he shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom.

The fact that some of the prophets and of the apostles saw the glory of the Lord, and were eye-witnesses of his majesty, is not to be denied without a denial of their testimony, and of the Divine record in which it is confirmed. Whether his appearing and his coming, as actual realities, can be disbelieved without a similar denial of the testimony concerning them, he that hath ears to hear may judge of himself.

After the Lord had put the question to his disciples, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? and after he had told them that he must suffer many things, and be killed, and raised again the third day, and he had said unto Peter, who had rebuked him for that saying, Get thee be hind me, Satan, for thou art an offense unto me, for thou savorest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men; Jesus said unto his disciples, "if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels; and THEN He shall reward every man according to his works. Verily I say unto you, there be some standing here which shall not

1 Ezek. i. 4, 26-28; iii. 23; x. 18, 19; xi. 23.

taste of death till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them; and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And behold there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him."1 The same things are recorded, in the same connection, in the parallel passages in Mark and Luke. In the former it is written, "Whosoever ther fore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adul terous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed when he cometh in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels. And He said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that there be some of them that stand here which shall not taste of death till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power. And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, and James, and John, and he was transfigured before them, &c." In the Gospel by Luke it is written, "For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's and of the holy angels. But I tell you of a truth there be some standing here which shall not taste of death till they see the kingdom of God. And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings (or words, μεTà TоÙÇ λÓYOνS TOUTOUS) he took Peter, and John, and James, and went up into a mountain to pray, and as he prayed the fashion of his countenance was altered."

Thus obvious is the connection in the gospels between what Jesus said that some standing there should see, and what these three disciples, to whom as to others this saying was addressed, did thereafter see. The thrice-repeated record that thus connects these things, without the interposition of a word, is unparalleled in the history of Jesus, and is not to be overlooked, as if it failed to supply a uniformly conjoined illustration of the words of the Lord. Clearly did He testify that the Son of man shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, with his angels; and that THEN he shall reward every man according to his works, and shall be ashamed of them that are ashamed of him and of his words. The dead shall arise and stand at his judgmentBut some there then were who did not taste of death 1 Matt. xvi. 24-28; xvii. 1-3, &c.

seat.

2 ix. 1-9.

3 ix. 26-36.