voluntariness with which Jesus advanced to his death is very remarkable: inasmuch as he was then in a country where he appears never to have been much molested, and where his adherents were very numerous, and in the part of Palestine the most remote from Jerusalem; and the time was nearly a twelvemonth before the Passover when he suffered.

The Transfiguration is next recorded: respecting which I am at present only concerned to observe upon so much as is related of Jesus himself. It is stated that the prophets who appeared in his company, "spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem:" Luke ix, 31; and in correspondence with this, the subject of their discourse, we are told that Jesus charged those who were present not to make the vision known, "till the Son of man were risen from the dead"."

z Mark ix, 9; Matt. xvii, 9. It is observable that these two Evangelists, who mention the time when the silence of the witnesses was to have an end, do not mention the subject of the conversation of the prophets with our Lord, though connected therewith; and St. Luke, who mentions the subject of their discourse, does not give the caution to secrecy, and the time to which it was limited ; nor our Lord's prediction, on this occasion, of his suffering. It may also be remarked that St. Luke who does not mention the caution to secrecy, yet agrees with the others that it was kept secret. ix, 36.

All this appears to evince the consistency of truth,

It is remarkable that they could not understand what was meant by "resurrection from the dead;" which was the subject of frequent questioning among those present at the Transfiguration. Mark ix, 10a.

combined with an utter absence of any concerted plan to make it apparent.

a It is highly observable how constantly these declarations of our Lord prophetic of His death and resurrection failed to impress or prepare the minds of His uninstructed followers. See, immediately afterwards, Luke ix, 45; "But they understood not this saying (that the Son of man should be delivered into the hands of men), and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not: and they feared to ask him of that saying." Mark ix, 31, 32; "For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day. But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him."

Yet it is apparent from the verses which follow in both the above places, that they understood generally that He should be taken away from them; for their unsubdued love of pre-eminence led them to dispute among themselves (the constant question among men !) "Who should be the greatest;" i. e. Who should be the Chief, when their master should be taken away.

Their preconceived notion of the destinies of the Messiah rendered it difficult for them to realize to themselves his humiliation.

We may observe that this remarkable circumstance,

Prompted by the circumstances of the vision, which they are reported to have witnessed, the three disciples who had been present, propose a question to their Master with reference to the established belief that the prophet Elijah should be restored to life (not, as they are said to have beheld him, in a miraculous vision only); previous to those great events for which they all were looking: He replies, that John the Baptist had ful

b

their constant slowness to believe what their Master, whom they entirely trusted, so repeatedly taught them, is the most unlikely of all things to have been feigned; for it could answer no assignable end of fiction, and cannot even be perceived to be natural but after mature reflection, and allowance made for not very obvious prejudices, and circumstances; while it is extremely characteristic of the times and persons, and, (in the case of at least two of the Evangelists), enhances the value of their subsequent belief, and of the testimony of their writings.

b The manner in which our Lord leads them to this truth, that John the Baptist had made good the final prediction of their ancient Scriptures (Malachi iv, 5, 6,) is worth observing: it is by the force of inference, not by direct declaration: Matt. xvii, 12, 13; “But I say unto you that Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then his disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist."

This manner of speaking is quite consistent with our

filled that requirement, and that, as John had suffered, even so must he, being equally rejected by those to whom he was sent.

When he re-joined his disciples at large and the multitude about them, we find him driven to this complaint: "How long shall I be with you— How long shall I suffer you?" an exclamation very natural in the mouth of one who distinctly foresaw his own voluntary death. He then is

Lord's uniform practice, and intelligible on the same principles by which that is to be explained; but appears very unlikely to have been adopted by any false teacher; who would probably have put it on his own authority and not left it to be inferred by his disciples.

The complaint appears to have been occasioned by the want of faith, and tardiness of genuine belief on the part of those He had chosen and specially instructed.

This seems probable from Matt. xvii, 19, 20; "Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief." Our Lord finds his disciples engaged (as it would seem) in a dispute with the Scribes ; Mark ix, 14: and from verses 16, 17, 18, it appears that their dispute was connected with the cure of the diseased child; "And he asked the Scribes, what question ye with them? And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;-and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.”

stated to have performed the miracle, which his disciples (i. e. the Apostles) had been desired to perform; and in this instance he appears to have sought publicity in the cure of the malady, contrary to his usual practice in similar cases: Mark ix, 25; “When Jesus saw that the people came

Hereupon follows our Lord's complaint (ver. 19): "He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.'

By the disciples appear to be meant, in this instance, His immediate and chosen disciples; to whom He had expressly committed the power in question, that of casting out evil spirits. This seems to follow from Mark ix, 14; where they are spoken of as a small number: "And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the Scribes questioning with them" and from ver. 28; "And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately," etc. as was the practice of His more especial disciples, i. e. the Apostles.

From the strong and emphatic caution which He gives, immediately after the miracle, to His disciples in particular, it would almost appear that the cause of their failure, when they would have wrought the same cure, was the misconception they still indulged in, respecting His true destiny and character. "But while they wondered every one at all things which Jesus did, he said unto his disciples, Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the Son of man shall be

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