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How must the ftouteft infidel be appalled, when he shall behold, arrayed in all his terrors, THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE OF ALL THE EARTH,"-here described in the moft fimple and artlefs, yet the most fublime and beautiful imagery-the most awful and awakening, yet the most mildly condescending form, to the enraptured difciple "whom He loved!"-and on whom He "laid his right band," as well to affure him of the reality of the vifion, as to encourage him under fuch an insufferable blaze of glory-and to enable him to fupport it :

"to fee and tell

Of things invifible to mortal fight."

Milton.

This was a glory, in diftinctness and fplendour, furpaffing what He formerly fhewed, as the TUTELAR GOD OF ISRAEL, to Mofes and Elijah, the great founder and the great reformer of the Levitical Law, on Mount Sinai, and its other fummit Horeb, as "THE ORACLE OF THE LORD,"-Exod. xxxiii. 18-23. 1 Kings

99

xix. 9-18. To the evangelical prophets Ifaiah and Daniel—Isa. vi. 1. and Dan. x. 5-10.; where, in the latter inftance, He appeared in the dress of the Jewish HighPrieft, alfo, and "a hand touched the highly-favoured Daniel-who experienced fimilar fenfations with John-(that laft and greatest mystagogue that ever wrote) And at his Transfiguration, to the joint witnesses of the Old and New* Covenants, the glorified Mofes and Elijah; and his confidential apoftles, Peter, fames and Johnas recorded by the eye-witneffes Peter and John-2 Pet. i. 16—18. John i. 14.; and from them by the Evangelifts, Matt. xvii. 1-9. Mark ix. 2-10. Luke ix. 28-36,

This is the fovereign arbiter of the deftinies of mankind, whose first coming was in humiliation, but whofe fecond coming (at the end of the grand prophetic period of 2300 days, Dan. viii. 14.) will be in glory; as He himself declared publicly on his iniquitous trial, when he announced to the whole nation his tranfcen

dant

dant dignity as THE SON OF GOD, as well as SON OF MAN, Matt. xxvi. 63–64. as he had done before in private to his difciples, Matt. xxiv. 30. And at his last manifestation to the beloved John, he declares to the whole world, Rev. xxii. 20. : Ναι, ερχομαι (1) ταχύ.

"YEA, I AM TO COME QUICKLY.”

(1) In numberless paffages of the New Teftament the prefent tenfe is taken for the inceptive futureερχομαι for μελλω ερχεσθαι, σε I am about to come.”. Thus, in Herod's enquiry from the General Jewish Synod, Matth. ii. 4. II i Xp1s yevvalai; " Where is the Chrift to be born"—according to prophefy?— Tevala, as the accurate Scott remarks in his Notes, is put for μελλει γεννασθαι : and ὁ ερχομεν©—the title of the MESSIAH or CHRIST, as well as of THE DEITY, is plainly put for μe exxeoba, in Rev. i. 8. and iv. 8. and xi. 17.

WHO IS, AND WHO WAS, AND WHO IS TO COME."

And in Heb. x. 37, quoting Habak. ii. 3.

Έλι γαρ μικρόν

ὅσον ὁσον, ὁ ερχομενα ήξει, και 8 χρονιει

"For yet, in a very short time, HE WHO IS TO

COME will arrive, and will not tarry,”.

May

26

May the remnant that is left, of the faithful witnesses," of the Patriarchal and Evangelical Churches, devoutly join with the great mystagogue :

Αμην. . Ναι ερχε, Κύριε Ιησο!

"AMEN. YEA come, Lord Jesus!"

The exercise of his fovereignty, even during his terreftrial miffion-is noticed in fundry paffages of Holy Writ.

1. He affumed the power of forgiving fins, as well as of healing difeafes." And who can forgive fins, except THE Deity only," or his VICEGERENT? Mark ii. 7. -in whom " HIS NAME or authority was intimately vefted," Exod. xxiii. 21. under the Old Difpenfation or Covenant; and "his NEW NAME".

"HIS

EVERY NAME

THE NAME ABOVE "KING OF KINGS AND

THE

LORD OF LORDS. Philip. ii. 9-11. Rev. xix. 16. under the New,-as 66 MEDIATOR of a new and better covenant," -GoD's laft and beft gift to mankind.

2. With what infinite addrefs, at his first series of trials, “ immediately after ”

the

the folemn commencement of his miffion, at Baptifm, did he refute, by clearer and plainer texts of Scripture, the methodifms of the TEMPTER-probably affuming the disguise of an " Angel of light," 2 Cor. xiii. 15.;—as may be collected also from "the ministration of good Angels unto Him;"-when, by the act of a Sovereign, he not only detected, but banished from his prefence, the Tempter-foiled and overcome at his own weapons:

"Avaunt, Satan! &c.· when "the Devil," we are told, "left him for a Seafon."

It is truly remarkable that the trials of our LORD-" the bleffed Seed of the Woman, whofe caufe he came, in the fulness of prophetic time, to avenge and the temptations of Eve, were fimilar in kindintended to work on his appetite, his vanity, and his worldly ambition.

3. Soon after, with what "imperial brevity" and commanding authority did he filence" the impure fpirit, poffeffing a

demoniac