The Second Sunday In Lent The Gospel Matt.17.v.1. Monday Meditation: A Plaine Path-way To Heaven Thomas Hill 1634

BELLINI, Giovanni 
Transfiguration of Christ 
c. 1455
GOSPEL Matt. 17: 1-9 
At that time, Jesus taketh unto him Peter and James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart: And he was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun: and his garments became white as snow. And behold there appeared to them Moses and Elias talking with him. And Peter answering, said to Jesus: Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. And as he was yet speaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them. And lo a voice out of the cloud, saying: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear ye him." And the disciples hearing fell upon their face, and were very much afraid. And Jesus came and touched them: and said to them: "Arise, and fear not." And they lifting up their eyes, saw no one, but only Jesus. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying: "Tell the vision to no man, till the Son of man be risen from the dead."
Monday

Likewise Chris was pleased to be transfigured to teach us how he would have us to transfigure ourselves by grace in this life, that we might be worthy to be transfigured in glory in the next.

He sequestered himself from the people, and the rest of his disciples, taking only three of them; Peter John and James. He went to the high mountain of Thabor, and there was transfigured in the presence of these three disciples, and of Moses Elias on each side of him one.

He went unto a solitary high mountain, to teach us, that we being first created to his figure and likeness, in original justice and afterwards disfigured by sin original and actual, and thereby made to the figure of the devil, If we will transfigure ourselves again to the likeness of God by grace which expelleth sin; we must sequester ourselves from the world. or at least from all inordinate love, using the world as Saint Paul exhorteth us, as if we did not use it and ascend into the high mountain of contemplation of heaven and heavenly things.

If you say you are worldly and secular men, and cannot do as Religious men, that sequester themselves in deed, from the world, and live in solitary Monasteries, like live in solitary Monasteries, like the mount Thabor.

If you cannot do so, yet ascend as high towards it, as your state and condition will permit, and that no doubt is a great deal, higher then you do, you have not your hands fuller of worldly affairs then king David had (for who are so full of worldly employments as kings and great persons) and yet he could say to God: Seven times a day have I given thee praise. And again he, did rise at midnight to confess unto thee, to wit to sign thy praise and again my eyes did prevent thee in the morning.

The Prophet Esaie saith. My soul did desire thee in the night time, and with my spirit, in my very heart did I not hide unto thee: he longed for the night, that laying aside his worldly affairs, he might give himself to contemplation and prayer; that he might have his conversation (as Saint Paul termieth it) in heaven.

And having taken his natural and necessary rest, he was glad of the morning to do the like, before he was to be troubled with his worldly affairs again.

This good Prophet taught us how to carry ourselves in our affairs to the world, that we may not lose nor lessen our spirit of devotion to God.

This mount Thabor Saint Peter for reverence of this glorious transfiguration of Christ, calleth the holy mountain, to signify unto us that we ought to esteem, Church, Monasteries and other places of prayer and devotion, holy especially where the holy of holies, the Sacrifice and Sacrament of the Altar is celebrated and kept, and where people are transfigured in grace by the devote use thereof, and if godly reverence and adoration were done unto the Ark, and tabernacle of the old Testament the people calling it their Lord 2. Reg. 6. v.16. Parallep. 13. v. 10. and did worship it accordingly, with relative worship, as we do holy images and other holy things yea and unto the very earth where God appeared, God saying unto Moses out of the fiery bush, put off thy shoes before thou presume to come near, for the earth where thou standest is holy: to wit, by reason of the apparition of God in the bush; much more is devout reverence and adoration, due unto, Churches, relics of Saints bodies, Altars, holy Images, places of pilgrimages, and the like, to say no things of the holy sacrifice and Sacrament of the Altar, which is the holy of holies where by men are transfigured by grace here in earth, that they may be transfigured in to glory in heaven.


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