Democratic banner., 1846-07-04

with his cannon, and the same beautIiuI
plain where rolled the smoke of battle, and
struggled thirty thousand meA in morta.
combat. But how different is the scene
that's passing there. The Son of GOO
stands Oh that height and casts his eye over
the quiet valley through which Jordan winds
Its silver current. Three friends arc beside
Him. They have walked together up the
toilsome way, and now the four stand, mere
Ispecks on the distant summit. But the
glorious landscape at their feetis forgotten
in a sublimer scene that is passing before
them. The son of Mary-the carpenter Of
Nazareth-the wanderer with whom they
have ate and drank and travelled on foot
many a weary league, in all the intimacy Of
companions and friends, began to change
before their eyes. Over his soiled and
coarse garments is spread a strange light
steadily Frightening into intenser beauty,
till that form CLOVIS with such splendor that
it seems to waver to and fro and dissolve in
the still radiance. The three astonished
gaze in breatlless admiration, and
then turn to that familiar face. But 10! a
change has passed over it. The
man has put on the God, and that sad and
face that has been so often STOPPING
over the couch of the dying, and entering
the door ofthe hut of poverty, in the streets
Of Jerusalem, and by the weary wayside-
believed with the tears of pity, now
burns like the sun in midday splendor.-
Meekness has given wayto Majesty-sad-
ness to dazzling glory-the look of pity to
The grandeur of a God. The still radiance
Of heaven sits on that serene brow, and all
around that divine form flows an atmos-
phere of strange and wondrous beauty
Heaven has poured its brightness owe that
,onsecrated spot, and on the beams Of
light that glitter there, Moses and Elias
nave descended, and wrapped in the same
vestments stand beside him. Won
der follows wonder, for these three glitter
ing forms are talking with each other, and
amid the thrilling accents are heard the
words "Mount Olivet," Calvary" the
agony and the death of the crucifxion, Pc
ter awestruCk and overcome, feeling also.
influence Of that heavenly atmosphere,
and carried away by a sudden impulse, says
to Jesus, in low and tremulous accents: oIt
is good TO be mere; let us build three taber-
~nacles; one for thee, one for Moses, and
on- for Elias" Confused by the scene
and dazzled by the ~splendor, he was ignor-
ant of what he was saying. He knew not
the meaning Of this sudden appearance,
but he knew that heaven was near and God
revealing himself, andh he felt that some sa-
cred ceremony would be appropriate to
the scene, and while his bewildered gaze
was fixed o n the three forms before him,
his unconscious lips murmured forth the
ofhis heart. No wonder a sudden
feeling came over him that paralyzed his
tongue and crushed him to earth, when in
the midst of his speech he saw a cloud fall
like a falling star from heaven, and bright
and dazzling, balance itself over those
forms of light. Perhaps his indiscreet in
terruption had brought this messenger
down, and from its bosom the thunder and
flames of Sinai were to burst; and he fell
his face in silent terror. But that cloud
was only a canopy for its God, and from its
bright foldings came a voice saying, "this
is my beloved Son, in whom I am well plea
sed, hear ye Him."
How long the vision lasted we cannot tell
but all that night did Jesus with his friends
stay on that lonely mountain. Of the con-
versation that passed between them there.
we know nothing; but little sleep, we ina
CINE, visited their eyes that night and as
sat on the high summit and watched
the stars as they rose one after another "a
bove the horison, and gazed on the moon
as she poured her light Owe the dark
ened landscapes, words were spoken that
seemed born ofheaven; and truths never to
forpotten were uttered in Tho o,.s oetLo