But what if I have not those strong and earnest desires ? I answer, Yet keep not off from prayer : for,
[1.] Good desires must be asked of God, for it is said, he prepareth the heart.
[2.] Such desires as we have must be expressed, and that is the way
Mat. XVII. 2.] Christ's transfiguration. 3.53
to increase them, and to quicken us more. A sincere heart, tliat would serve God with his best, findeth more in a duty than he could expect, and by praying gets more of the fervency and ardours of praying : as a bell may be long a-raising, but wheu it is up, it jangleth not as it did at first.
[3.] Those cold affections which we have are killed by disuse and turning away from God ; therefore go to him to get thy heart warmed.
2. Of the second consideration. If he prayed for this transfigura- tion, observe: —
That God often answereth his people in the very time while they are praying: Isa. Iviii. 9, 'When they call I will answer, and wlien they cry he shall say. Here I am.' This hath been the course of God's dealing with the prayer-makers all along : Abel, Gen. iv. 4, ' God had respect to ; ' it is eveTrvpiaev, set his offering on fire. Daniel prayeth, and saitli he, Dan. ix. 21, 'While I was speaking in prayer, the angel Gabriel was sent unto me ; ' and he said, ' At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth.' While many of the disciples were gathered together praying, God sent Peter to them, Acts xii. 12, 13. While Cornelius was in the act of prayer, ' At the ninth hour of the day,' which was the hour of prayer, ' he saw in a vision the angel of God,' Acts x. 3-9. While Peter went up to the house-top to pray, then he had the heavenly vision. So when Paul was in prayer, Ananias was sent to liim : Acts ix. 11, ' Behold he prayeth;' and then God taketh care of him. So Acts iv. 31, ' When they had prayed, the house was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost' Thus God delighteth to honour his own ordinance, and to reward the waiting soul, that is frequent and con- stant in this way of waiting upon God, which should encourage us to be more frequent and serious in this work. You shall see how, in the very act of prayer, God hath — (1.) averted judgments ; (2.) bestowed mercies and favours.
[1.] He hath put a stop to judgments : Ps. xcix. 6-8, ' Moses and Aaron among the priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name : they called upon the Lord, and he answered them ; he spake unto them in the cloudy pillar ; they kept his testimonies and the ordinance that he gave them. Thou answeredst them, 0 Lord our God ; thou wast a God that forgavest them, though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions.' The drift of the Psalmist in this place is to show, by eminent instances of holy men that were most notable for prayer, how they have stopped judgments when they began to be executed. Moses, at his prayer God was propitiated, after the provocation of the golden calf; for it is said, Exod. xxxii. 11, 'Moses besought the Lord his God ; ' ver. 14, ' The Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do.' The second, Aaron's making an atonement for the people, whereby the plague was staid : Num. xvi. 46, ' Take a censer quickly, for wrath is begun ;' and ver. 48, presently the plague was stayed. Upon Samuel's prayer the Philistines were discomfited when they were overrunning Israel, 1 Sam. vii. 5, with ver. 9, 10. With every one of these God was pleased to talk and com- mune as a friend. Such honour was God pleased to put on these his faithful servants ; and when the people had provoked God, and God's
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wrath was already gone out against them for their crying sins, their prayers were so effectual as to divert the plagues and obtain re- mission.
[2.] So powerful, also, are they for obtaining blessings : Elijah (James V. 17, 18), though ' a man of like passions with us,' yet he could lock heaven and open it at his pleasure ; 1 Kings xviii. 42, 45, the rain came as soon as Elijah put himself into a zealous posture to ob- tain it. Often success hath overtaken the prayer, and the blessing has been gotten before the supplication hath been ended. Isaac went out to meet with God, to meditate or pray, and he espied Kebecca afar off. Isa. Ixv. 24, ' Before they call I will answer, and whilst they are yet speaking I will hear.' Oh, therefore, let us not entertain hard thoughts of God, as if he did not regard our suits and requests, and prayer were a lost labour.
II. I come now to the transfiguration itself, as it is here propounded and explained.
Doct. That one necessary and solemn act of Christ's mediation and manifestation to the world was his transfiguration before com- petent witnesses.
This was one solemn act, and part of Christ's manifestation to the world, for we have the record of it here ; and it was necessary, for Christ doth nothing in vain. And here are competent witnesses, — three persons of eminent holiness, before whom all this was done, and they were eye-witnesses of his majesty, and ear- witnesses of the oracle which they heard from heaven, or the voice from the excellent glory.