Use. It teacheth us what to do when we have serious thoughts of appearing before God. For the case in hand is about those that were affrighted and disquieted with divine visions, which was occasioned by natural frailty, and partly by a sense of sin. Now all of us must shortly come into God's presence, but who can dwell with devouring burnings ? If your thoughts be serious, you will find that it is no slight thing to appear before God, who -is our creator and our judge, and who is an holy and glorious God, to whom we have carried it very unthankfully and undutif ully. Now who can relieve you in these per- plexed thoughts but the Lord Jesus Christ ? Get a word from him that your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged, Isa. vi. 7 ; and wait on him till he settleth your souls in the peace and hope of the gospel, Isa. Ivii. 14 ; and then you are relieved in your agonies of con- science; stand up, be not afraid: the gospel is a sovereign plaster, but his hand must make it stick.
III. The event and issue of all, ver. 8, ' And when they had lift up their eyes, they saw no man save Jesus only.' This intimateth two things :—
1. That this testimony from heaven did only concern Jesus Christ, for Moses and Elias vanish out of sight, and Jesus is left alone, as the person in whom God is well pleased, and all the church must hear him. When they are withdrawn, Christ remaineth as Lord and head of the church, and so it showeth the ceasing of Moses's law, and the continuance and authority of the law of Christ. The apostle telleth us, ' When that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall
Mat. XVII. 6-8.] Christ's transfiguration. 411
be done away.' They only prophesied, prefigured Christ to come, but now, upon the exhibition, the legal ordinances vanished.
2. That God manifesteth himself, for time, measm-e, and degree, as he himself seeth fit for our good ; for the vision is removed when the intent of it is obtained. Here the spiritual banquet doth not always last ; heaven is a perpetual feast, but we must not look upon earth to be feasted always with spiritual suavities. There is no per- manency, but perpetual vicissitudes, in our enjoyments within time ; we have clear and cloudy days in the world, a feast, a desertion : Cant. v. 1, 2, ' I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse ; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice ; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey ; I have drunk my wine with my milk : eat, 0 friends ; drink, yea, drink abundantly, 0 beloved. I sleep, but my heart wak- eth ; it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying. Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled ; for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.' And ver. 6, ' I opened to my beloved ; but my beloved hath withdrawn himself and was gone.' After the greatest manifestations of Christ's love, there may be a withdrawing ; we cannot bear perpetual comforts, and God reserveth them for a better time, when we are more prepared for them. There must be day and night in this world, and winter and summer ; but in heaven it is all day, there is a perpetual sunshine, never clouded nor overcast
CHRIST'S ETERNAL EXISTENCE
AND
THE DIGNITY OF HIS PERSON
ASSERTED AND PROVED,
IN OPPOSITION TO THE DOCTRINE OF THE SOCINIANS.
TO THE CHEISTIAN READER.
Hebe are presented to thy view some of the further profitable and pious labours of that eminent divine, Dr Manton (now with God), who though, like a tree full of fruit, he has already yielded much fruit, yet still more and more falls from him. Since his much to be lamented death, two very large volumes (with some lesser) of his sermons have been published, which give a clear discovery to the world of his great abihties for, and great diligence in, the ofi&ce and work of the minis- try. Now this small piece succeeds, which, in comparison of the former, is but a poor stripling, — but as ' the shaking of an olive tree, as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is over.' Yet let it not be rejected or slighted upon that account ; for though it is not so bulky as they, yet, according to its proportion, it is of equal value, and shows the same head and heart which they do.
My pen (upon this opportunity) would fain be launching forth into the commendation of the worthy author, but I will not suffer it, con- sidering how little he needs that from any, and how much he is above it as from me. Neither will I suffer it to run out in the commending of these sermons ; for I hope, to impartial and judicious readers, they will commend themselves (the best way of commending). I only recommend them, as judging them worthy of the perusal of all who are desirous of a fuller knowledge of our Lord Jesus.
For he is the grand subject treated of in them. His person, offices, works, blessings, are here described, asserted, vindicated, and improved. Om^ redemption by his blood ; his being the image of the invisible God, the first-born of every creature ; his creating and sustaining all things ; his headship over the church, pre-existence before all created beings ; his being the first-born from the dead, the union of the two natures in his person ; his reconciling of sinners to God through the blood of his cross, — these are the heads insisted upon in these sermons (the author following the apostle, Col. i. 14-20).