taste of death till they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."* It can hardly be doubted that the coming of the Son of Man mentioned here meant the destruction of Jerusalem, which the Apostle John is said to have survived; and probably there were many others who saw Christ on earth, who also lived to witness this dreadful retribution upon those who had killed the prophets, and stoned them that were sent unto them, and who filled up the measure of their iniquity by crucifying the Lord of glory.

In the beginning of the 17th chapter is the relation of the transfiguration of Christ, when "he taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them." Here also the Evangelist represents that " a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."+ "And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of Man be risen again from

* Acts xvi. 26-28. + Matt. xvii. 5.

the dead."* In this vision the disciples saw Moses and Elias; and having seen the latter, they very naturally ask their Lord, “Why, then, say the Scribes that Elias must first come? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come and restore all things; but I say unto you that Elias is come already, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of Man suffer of them."+

At the 22d verse of the 17th chapter, the Evangelist says, "And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them (his disciples) The Son of Man shall be betrayed into the hands of men. And they shall kill him and the third day he shall be raised again. they were exceeding sorry."

And

St. Matthew

states this communication of our Lord to his disciples to have taken place in Galilee, immediately after the miracle performed on the young man, who had been possessed by an unclean spirit, which his disciples were unable And so also do St. Mark and St.

to cast out.

Matt. xvii. 9. + Matt. xvii. 12, 13.

Matt. xvii. 22, 23.

H

"Jesus rebuked the

child, and deli

And they were

of God. But

at the things

Luke. St. Luke says, unclean spirit, and healed the vered him again to his father. all amazed at the mighty power while they wondered every one which Jesus did, he said unto his disciples, Let these sayings sink down into your hearts, for the Son of Man shall be delivered into the hands of men."* The two last mentioned Evangelists observe that "they understood not this saying, and were afraid to ask him."+ Probably this fear might have been excited or increased by their Lord's reproof to St. Peter, when he rebuked him on a former occasion, saying, "Be it far from thee, Lord, this shall not be unto thee."

Whoever reads the gospels with attention, will clearly perceive the surprising dulness of even Christ's chosen Apostles, in understanding the nature of his spiritual kingdom, and the manner in which it was to be established, by his crucifixion, and consequent resurrection. St. Peter first rebukes him when he announces the unwelcome truth. In the instance now

Luke ix. 43.45. + Mark ix. 32.

before us, they could not understand him, and feared to ask for an explanation. Even after his death and burial, although his disciples, both men and women, went to the sepulchre, there seems to have been no confident expectation of his rising to life again in his human body. Moreover, the apostle John, who was doubtless one of the two that went to the sepulchre, says expressly, "Then went in also that other disciple," meaning himself, "who came first to the sepulchre, and he saw and believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead."*

The disciples also, on the way to Emmaus, after Jesus had joined them, say, "We trusted that it had been He which should have redeemed Israel; and, beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done. Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre; and when they found not his body they came saying that they had seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. And certain of them that were with us went to the

* John xx. 8, 9.

sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said; but him they saw not. Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the Prophets have spoken! ought not Christ (the Messiah, according to the Prophets,) to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses, and all the Prophets, he expounded to them, in all the scriptures, the things concerning himself,"*

It appears certain, therefore, that even at the time of his resurrection the disciples "knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead:" however extraordinary it may seem, after their Lord had so frequently, and in such plain language, told them that he was to suffer death, and that on the third day he would rise again.

In the 20th chapter of his gospel, St. Matthew relates that Jesus, on his way to Jerusalem for the last time, took his disciples apart, and informed them distinctly of the things that would happen to him there. "And Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples apart in

* Luke xxiv. 21-27.