“And God, my Father, is in the heavenly city,” said Miss D., “and he has sent me a letter, telling me about the glory of heaven, and about the way to get there.  The Bible is God’s letter.”

“Yes, I see,” said Charlie, after thinking awhile, “there must be a heaven, if you have got such a nice long letter from there.”

The lesson of hope is the first lesson taught us by the Transfiguration.

The next lesson taught us here is—­THE LESSON

OF INSTRUCTION.

The great event of the Transfiguration took place in our Saviour’s life for this reason, among others, that we might learn from it how we are to think of Christ.  While the disciples were gazing on the glory of that scene, and on the distinguished visitors who were there, there came a cloud and overshadowed them.  This cloud, we may suppose, was like a curtain round Moses and Elias, hiding them from the view of the disciples.  And, as Jesus in his glory was left alone for them to gaze upon, there came a voice from the overshadowing cloud, saying—­“This is my beloved Son; in whom I am well pleased.”  This was the voice of God, the Father.  It spoke out on this occasion to teach the disciples then, and you and me now, and all God’s people in every age, what to think about Christ.  God, the Father, tells us here what he thinks about him; and we must learn to think of him in the same way.  His will, his command is that “all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father,” St. John v:  3.  Moses and Elias were great men in their day.  They appeared on this occasion to add to the honor of Christ.  And then they disappeared, as if to show that they were nothing in comparison with him.  He is the greatest and the best of all beings.  He must be first.  Prophets and priests, and kings, and angels even, are as nothing to him.  We must love him—­and honor him above all others.  The words of the hymn we so often sing, show us how God would have us think and feel towards him: 

  “All hail the power of Jesus’ name
    Let angels prostrate fall;
  Bring forth the royal diadem,
    And crown him Lord of all.

  “Let every kindred, every tribe,
    On this terrestrial ball,
  To him all majesty ascribe,
    And crown him Lord of all.”

“How Christ Should be Honored.”  There is a story told of the Emperor Theodosius the Great which illustrates very well how we should honor Christ.  There were at that time two great parties in the church.  One of these believed and taught the divinity of Christ—­or that he is equal to God the Father.  The other party, called Arians, believed and taught that Christ was not divine; and that he was not to be honored and worshiped as God.  The Emperor Theodosius favored this latter party.  When his son, Arcadius, was about sixteen years old, his father determined to make him a sharer of his throne, and passed a law that his son should receive the same respect and honor