manifesting a total want of that Faith, which worketh by obedience, and which was so truly exemplified in Abraham himself: their boasting, therefore, of such a Connection, was properly exposed by the honest remonstrance of the Baptist. Our SAVIOUR Himself Said to the Jews, who boasted to Him, that they had Abraham to their Father, If ye were Abraham's Children, ye would do the works of Abraham."-John viii. 38, 39.

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St. Paul describes Abraham as "the Father of all them that believe."Romans iv. 11, "adding that the Promise, that he should be the Heir of the World, was not to Abraham, or to his Seed, through the Law, but through the Righteousness of Faith: for if they, which are of the Law, be Heirs, Faith is made void, and the Promise made of none effect; because the Law worketh Wrath."-13 to 15.

The Mighty Power of GOD both in Nature and Grace, whether outwardly or inwardly Manifested, and the Ordinary Course of That Power by fixed or general Rules, is in Itself a Miracle, though heedlessly and ungratefully disre garded by Mankind: to doubt that GOD could, to any extent, Depart from These Rules would be the act of an Atheist. Man, in his animal nature, is but of the Earth, and to dust he returns, when this Life has passed away. Of stones, therefore, The ALMIGHTY, Who Created him, and Breathed into him the Breath of Life, might assuredly, had He Chosen, have Raised Children unto Abraham, and Blessed them with his Promised Blessing.

And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees; therefore every tree, which bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down and cast into fire.-10.

Truth is probed to the bottom-the heart is laid open-the unprofitable, as well as the rebellious Soul shall be cut off-the neck of sin must be broke; a partial lopping of its extremities will not suffice. We must be found fruitful in faith and purity and good works; or must cease to exist in Spiritual Blessedness or Hope; and exist only in the apprehension or influence of the Wrath to Come, in neverending flames of Self-accusation.

·

St. Luke uses the exact words, Chap. iii. 9, adding: “And the People asked him (John), saying, What shall we do then?' He answereth and saith unto them, He, that hath two coats, let him impart to him, that hath none; and he, that hath meat, let him do likewise!' Then came also the Publicans to be baptized, and said unto Him, Master! What shall we do?' And He said unto them, Exact

no

more than that, which is appointed you!' And the Soldiers likewise demanded of Him, saying, 'And what shall we do?' And He said unto them, 'Do violence to no Man, neither accuse Any falsely; and be content with your wages !'"-10 to 14. Thus Men, in the different stations and occupations of Society, were called to an attention and disposedness to liberality, justice, contentedness, moderation, and charity, as Graces of the Coming Gospel, the fruits of true repentance and amendment.

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but He, That Cometh after me, Mightier than I, Whose Shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall Baptize you with The HOLY GHOST, and with Fire; Whose Fan is in His Hand; and He wil throughly Purge His Floor; and Gather His Wheat into the Garner: But He will Burn up the Chaff with unquenchable Fire.-11, 12.

How just, yet how praiseworthy and exemplary was this trait of John's humility; who, though the Appointed Messenger, and willing Servant of CHRIST, yet declared himself unworthy even to do Him the most menial Personal service! The Baptism of the heart should be by the supplicated Ablutions of The HOLY

SPIRIT, and by the Penetrating and Refining Influence of Its Hallowed Flame of Grace.

As The JUDGE of all the Earth, The GOD-Man, CHRIST JESUS, hath both the Means and the Will to Discriminate between the Evil and the Good, and to Deal with them accordingly; the Latter, having faith to be Saved, will Graciously experience His Promised and never-Failing Care and Favour; whilst the Former may as assuredly expect His Abandonment of them to neverending Woe, in the fire of condemning conscience unquenchable.

St. Mark's Narrative is thus: "And John preached, saying, 'There Cometh ONE, Mightier than I, after me; the latchet of Whose Shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose: I indeed have baptized you with water; but He shall Baptize you with The HOLY GHOST."-Chap. i. 6 to 8.

St. Luke's is almost in the same words as St. Matthew's: "And as the People were in expectation, and all Men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were The CHRIST, or not; John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but ONE, Mightier than I, Cometh, the latchet of Whose Shoes I am not worthy to unloose: He shall Baptize you with The HOLY GHOST and with Fire; Whose Fan is in His Hand; and He will throughly Purge His Floor; and will Gather the Wheat into His Garner; but the Chaff He will Burn with Fire unquenchable."-Chap. iii. 15 to 17; adding, " And many other things, in his exhortation, preached he unto the People."-18.

St. John, in his opening of The Gospel, proclaims that "The WORD, (meaning CHRIST) was Made Flesh, and Dwelt among us, and we beheld His Glory, the Glory as of The Only BEGOTTEN of The FATHER, Full of Grace and Truth" and then goes on to say, that "John bare witness of Him, and cried, saying, This was He of Whom I spake, HE, That Cometh after me, is Preferred before me; for He was before me."-Chap. i. 14, 15. And the Apostle then continues: "The Law was given by Moses, but Grace and Truth came by JESUS CHRIST. And this is the Record of John, when the Jews sent Priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?' And he confessed and denied not, but confessed, I am not The CHRIST!' And they asked him, 'What then? art thou Elias?' And he saith, I am not.' 'Art thou that Prophet? And he answered, 'No.' Then said they unto him, "Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them, that sent us? What sayest thou of thyself?' He said, 'I am the Voice of One crying in the Wilderness, Make straight, the Way of The LORD!' as said the Prophet Esaias, (Isa. xl. 3.) 'And they, which were sent, were of the Pharisees: and they asked him, and said unto him, 'Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not That CHRIST, nor Elias, neither that Prophet?' John answered them, saying, 'I baptize with water; but there Standeth ONE among you, Whom ye know not, HE it is, Who, Coming after me, is Preferred before me; Whose Shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose.' These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day John seeth JESUS Coming unto him, and saith, Behold The LAMB of GOD, Which Taketh away the sin of the World! This is He, of Whom I said, 'After me Cometh a MAN, Which is Preferred before me; for He was before me.' And I knew Him not; but that He should be Made Manifest to Israel; therefore am I come baptizing with water.' And John bare record, saying, I saw The SPIRIT Descending from Heaven, like a Dove, and It Abode upon Him: and I knew Him not: but He, That Sent me to baptize with water, The Same Said unto me, 'Upon Whom thou shalt see The SPIRIT Descending, and Remaining on Him, The Same is He, Which Baptizeth with The HOLY GHOST:' and I saw and bare record that This is The ŜON of GOD."—John i. 17, 19 to 34.

Isaiah, who looked deeply, under DIVINE Illumination, into the Future Times,

thus held out encouragement to Those, who in faith and patience possessed their Souls: "Thus Saith The LORD, That Made thee, and Formed thee from the womb, Which will Help thee, Fear not, O Jacob, My Servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have Chosen! for I will Pour Water upon him, that is thirsty, and Floods upon the Dry Ground: I will Pour My SPIRIT upon thy Seed; and My Blessing upon thine Offspring.""-Chap. xliv. 2, 3.

The Last of the Prophets too, foretelling the Same Gracious Advent, so Glorious in Holiness, thus expressly portrays The SAVIOUR and His Forerunner, “Behold, (Saith The LORD,) I will Send My Messenger; and he shall prepare the Way before Me; and The LORD, Whom ye seek, shall suddenly Come to His Temple, even The MESSENGER of the Covenant; Whom ye delight in: Behold, He shall Come! Saith The LORD of Hosts. But who may abide the Day of His Coming? and who shall stand when He Appeareth? For He is like a Refiner's fire, and like Fuller's soap and He shall Sit as a Refiner and Purifier of Silver and He shall Purify the Sons of Levi, and Purge them as gold and silver; that they may offer unto The LORD an offering in Righteousness.”— Malachi iii. 1 to 3.

St. Paul expressly points to this Spiritual Baptism, when in his 1st Epistle to the Corinthians, he writes, "For by One SPIRIT are we all Baptized into one Body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be Bond or Free; and have been all made to drink into One SPIRIT.”—Chap. xii. 13.

Then Cometh JESUS from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be Baptized of him. But John forbad Him, saying, 'I have need to be Baptized of Thee; and Comest Thou to me?' And JESUS, Answering, Said unto him, 'Suffer it to be so now: for Thus it Becometh Us to Fulfil all Righteousness!' Then he suffered Him. And JESUS, when He was Baptized, Went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the Heavens were Opened unto Him, and he Saw The SPIRIT of GOD Descending like a Dove, and Lighting upon Him and lo, A Voice from Heaven, Saying, "THIS is My Beloved SON; in Whom I am Well Pleased.'-13 to 17.

The diffidence of John was highly becoming, and consistent with his profession; and the Compliance of CHRIST with the established forms of His Country's Religion, by Submitting to the Baptism with water, though Needing no repentance, and though Foreknowing that He should be Baptized with The HOLY GHOST, Shows the propriety of a similar submission in us to the Ordinances of the Church, outwardly and inwardly.

Amidst all The DIVINE Assistances he had received, and notwithstanding the purity of his Life, and the zeal he had displayed in propagating true Religion, John felt and acknowledged himself to be poor and destitute of the perfection of Holiness, and therefore promptly said to JESUS, "I have need to be Baptized of

Thee!"

St. Mark observes, "And it came to pass in those days, that JESUS Came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was Baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway Coming up out of the water, He Saw the Heavens Opened, and The SPIRIT, like a Dove, Descending upon Him: and there Came A VOICE from Heaven, Saying, THOU art My Beloved SON, in Whom I am Well Pleased.'"-Chap. i. 9 to 11.

St. Luke's Narrative is thus: "Many other things (besides the Advent and Purifying Power of CHRIST), John the Baptist, in his exhortation, preached unto the People. But Herod, the Tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias, his Brother Philip's Wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison. Now when all the People were baptized, it came to pass, that JESUS also being Baptized, and Praying, the Heaven was Opened, and The HOLY GHOST Descended in a Bodily Shape like a Dove upon

Him, and A VOICE Came from Heaven, Which Said, 'THOU art My Beloved SON: in Thee I am Well Pleased!' "—Chap. iii. 18 to 22.

It is probable that the mind of this Evangelist, being full of the Higher Office of our SAVIOUR, and impressed with the infinitely more Important Baptism by The HOLY GHOST, on mentioning the Baptist John, drew quickly to the conclusion of his history, that he might go on uninterruptedly with That of JESUS and therefore, in this place, mentioned the Former's imprisonment only; though it is most probable that all the People, who came to be baptized in Jordan, or, at least, the majority of them, were baptized by John himself, because of the influence of his preaching on their hearts: and the expression, "when all the People were baptized," as they were by John, means, at the same time or period when the People attending on the Baptist were baptized by him, JESUS also being (in effect, was) Baptized.

The effect of Baptism, when inwardly and heartily received as the pledge of Penitence and of a lively Faith, is to receive the Communication of the Light and Guidance and the Love of The HOLY SPIRIT; though not visibly, nor with the Audible Voice of Approbation, as in The Case of The SON of GOD; but with a Still Small Voice, That Cherisheth the good, and Chideth the evil within us; and by Its Power and Encouragement, Influences to all that is righteous, holy, and becoming.

Thus was Fulfilled that Prophecy of Isaiah, "And there shall Come forth A ROD out of the Stem of Jesse, and A BRANCH shall Grow out of his Roots; and The SPIRIT of The LORD shall Rest upon Him; The SPIRIT of Wisdom and Understanding; The SPIRIT of Counsel and Might; The SPIRIT of Knowledge and of the Fear of The LORD."-Chap. xi. I, 2. And, again, “Behold, My SERVANT, Whom I Uphold: Mine ELECT, in Whom My SOUL Delighteth; I have Put My SPIRIT upon Him: He shall Bring forth Judgment to the Gentiles."-Chap. xliii. 1.

St. John, after describing the office of the Baptist, and his acknowledgment of The MESSIAH'S Infinite Supremacy, continued his evidence of CHRIST'S DIVINITY as before stated, adding, "Again, the next day after, John stood, and Two of his Disciples; and looking upon JESUS, as He Walked, he saith, Behold The LAMB of GOD, Which Taketh away the sin of the World!"-Chap. i. 35, 36, and 29.

St. Paul, in his affecting Epistle to the Colossians, admonishing the giving of thanks unto The FATHER, Which hath Made us meet to be Partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light; adds, Who hath Delivered us from the Power of Darkness, and hath Translated us into The Kingdom of His Dear SON.”– Chap. i. 12, 13. And St. Peter most expressly adverts to the Same Saving Truth in these important and impressive words: "For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the Power and Coming of our LORĎ JESUS CHRIST; but were Eye-Witnesses of His MAJESTY; for He Received from GOD, The FATHER, Honour and Glory, when there Came such A VOICE to Him from The Excellent GLORY, THIS is My Beloved SON, in Whom I am Well Pleased.'"-1 Peter i. 16, 17.

CHAP. iv.-Then was JESUS Led up of The SPIRIT into the Wilderness to be tempted of the Devil.-1.

The next step after repentance and Baptism, towards the true conversion of the heart to GOD, is abstinence and prayer; and for this, retirement should, as mach as possible, be sought; though neither is incompatible with public or active situations and duties: for fasting may be by lessening the usual quantity consumed

at meals; and by abstaining from those things, which are peculiarly indulging or grateful to the palate: this may be done with a cheerful countenance and without challenging notice from Others of our Self-denial: prayer may also be in secret, as it is more truly the action of the heart than of the lips springing from the inmost recesses of the Soul, when real and vital. It is not that The HOLY SPIRIT Leads into Temptation, (though the Spirit of Evil may and does,) but that for the proof of our faith, and for the trial of our devotedness to GOD, He sometimes Leaves us without His Guidance and Support. The Devil is, perhaps, the Inciter or Encourager of all our evil affections; and what greater Spiritual Enemy need we have?

St. Mark thus records the Event as occurring after the Baptism and DIVINE Acknowledgment of JESUS, "And immediately The SPIRIT Driveth Him into the Wilderness."-Chap. i. 12.

The Leading and Driving, differing as they do in point of meaning in our own language, may have in the Hebrew idiom and original Text, less seeming variance: perhaps Urged' might be nearer to the true sense. Be this as it may, the Office of The HOLY SPIRIT, Which, amidst the temptations that await or beset us, ever Giveth the Means of Resistance, in any Suggestion to engage with temptation, Imparts It only to render our Faith more Firm and triumphant. By this assurance we may support and comfort ourselves that with every temptation, into which The SPIRIT either Leadeth or Driveth, or Permitteth us to enter, a Way of escape is by Him Pointed out, if we will but avail ourselves of the Light and Guidance of His Grace to follow it. And even if for a season He Leave us in a state of Spiritual trial and conflict, He is yet ever Ready to Answer our prayers, if put forth to Him in fervency and in faith, through the acknowledged Merits of CHRIST, our MEDIATOR.* That CHRIST, Who was Himself of The SPIRIT and UNITY of THE GOD-HEAD, was Led of The SPIRIT into temptation and direct Encounter with Satan, must have reference to the Human Part of His Inscrutable Nature, and involves one of the Many Mysteries affecting His Entire Nature and Office, Which it becomes not us feeble-minded and narrow-sighted Mortals to presume to penetrate, but to acquiesce in with the meekness and humility and thankfulness of Saints, waiting with patience the full or partial Development of Those Great Schemes of DIVINE Mercy in that Change, when we ourselves shall become Spiritual and put on Immortality, and contemplate, through the endless ages of Eternity, the Wonders of Providence and Grace in Creation and Redemption.

St. Luke's Narrative is thus: "And JESUS being Full of The HOLY GHOST, Returned from Jordan; and was Led by The SPIRIT into the Wilderness."-Chap. iv. 1. It must have been from our SAVIOUR Himself, probably in after Conversations with His Disciples, that a Communication of this Incident in His Early Ministry, and apart as It Occurred from Human observation, must have Proceeded. And to Accommodate Himself to their habits of Interpreting the Mode of GOD'S Dealings with Mankind, He might have Used the Expression. "Led or Driven by The SPIRIT." When Obadiah remonstrated with Elijah, as recorded in the 1st Kings xviii. 12, he said, “As soon as I am gone from thee, then The SPIRIT of The LORD shall Carry thee whither I know not." So the Prophet Ezekiel frequently uses the term "The SPIRIT Took or Lifted me up.' Chap. iii. 14; viii. 3; xlii. 5; adding at xi. 24, "and Brought me in a Vision by The SPIRIT of GOD into Chaldea." In the narrative of St. Philip's deeply interesting intercourse with the pious Eunuch of Ethiopia, at its termination it is Recorded, that "The SPIRIT of The LORD Caught away Philip, that the Eunuch saw him no more."-Acts viii. 39. But Elijah, Ezekiel, and Philip were Men, and all these Interpositions of Supernatural Aid were not for trials of their faith,