*

which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire." The people asked him, "What shall we do then?" He answered, "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 Publicans to be baptized, and they said, “ Master, what shall we do?" He replied, "Exact no more than that which is appointed you." And the soldiers likewise asked him, "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." 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 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 unquenchable fire." And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people. Matt. iii. 5-12; Mark i. 5-8; Luke iii. 7-18.

* Publicans.-These were of two kinds: viz. 1. The Publicani, sometimes Roman knights, who were the general receivers, and considered men of some consequence, as they farmed the taxes of a whole province. Zaccheus, who is called the chief of the publicans, (sect. 295,) was probably of this class. 2. The Portitores, or Exactores, who are here alluded to as Publicans, and to whom Matthew belonged. They were men of an inferior sort, who did the lower work of the collection, and probably greatly abused their power. They were usually stationed at frontiers, at gates of cities or rivers, and at havens, in order to collect customs on all imports. They were sufficiently hateful to the Greeks on account of their rudeness, their frauds, their vexations, and their oppressions; but the Jewish Publicans were peculiarly obnoxious to their countrymen, being accounted traitors to the cause of the nation and of God, who for the sake of lucre had sided with the Romans, the enemies and oppressors of the theocracy, and now collected for a heathen treasury that tribute, the payment of which was the evident sign of the subjection of the people of God to a foreign yoke. They were accordingly held in the utmost abhorrence; no alms might be received from their money chest; their evidence was not admitted in the Jewish tribunals; and they were put on the same level with the heathen, and probably, as renegades and traitors, were far more abhorred than the heathen themselves.

January,

A. D. 27.

Baptism of our Saviour: John's 1st Testimony to Jesus.—In those days, Jesus, who was now also about 30 years of age, went from Nazareth in Galilee to the river Jordan to be baptized by John. But John forbad him, saying, "I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?" Jesus answered, "Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness." Jesus was then baptized, when lo! the heavens were opened, and the Baptist saw the Holy Ghost' descend upon him like a dove, and a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." And Jesus himself began to be about 30 years of age. See sect. 28, note. Matt. iii. 13–17; Mark i. 9—11; Luke iii. 21, 22, 23.

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Tempted by the devil.-Immediately after the bap- 31 tism of our Lord, he was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil; and here he remained, and fasted 40 days and 40 nights, and was with wild beasts, and afterwards was an hungered. Matt. iv. 1, 2; Mark i. 12, 13; Luke iv. 1, 2.

1st Temptation-lust of the flesh.-Whilst Jesus was 32 thus hungry, the devil appeared, and said to him, "If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread." But Jesus replied, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." [Thus contrasting the earthly bread with the heavenly nourishment created by God's word, just as the manna with which the Israelites were fed in the wilderness is contrasted with earthly aliments, Deut. viii. 3.]

2nd Temptation-pride of life.-The devil then took 33 our Saviour to Jerusalem, and seating him on a pinnacle of the Temple, said, "If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down, for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee, and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone." (Psal. xci. 11, 12.) Jesus replied, "It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." (Deut. vi. 16.)

3rd Temptation-lust of the eyes.-The devil then 34

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took our Lord to an exceeding high mountain, and showing him all the kingdoms of the world with their glory, said, "All these things will I give thee, and the glory of them, for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine." But Jesus replied, "Get thee behind me, Satan! for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." (Deut. vi. 13; x. 20.)

Then the devil left our Lord, and angels visited Jesus and ministered unto him. Matt. iv. 1-11; Mark i. 12, 13; Luke iv. 1—13.

John's 2nd Testimony to Jesus. — The Jews now sent from Jerusalem a deputation of Priests and Levites, who were Pharisees, to inquire of John who he was. The Baptist at once confessed that he was not the Messiah, nor Elias, (Mal. iv. 5,) nor that prophet whose coming had been promised by Moses; but said, "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord." (Isa. xl. 3.) The deputation then said, "Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, nor that prophet? (Sect. 29, note.) John answered, “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. John i. 19-28.

John's double testimony to Jesus: two of his disciples follow Christ.-The next day John saw Jesus approaching him and said,† "Behold the Lamb of God, which

* Deut. xviii. 15.-"The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me.

+ The Lamb of God.-John here calls Christ the Lamb, because he was innocent and to be sacrificed, and yielded an entire obedience to the Father, "a lamb without blemish and without spot," 1 Pet. i. 19. He is called the Lamb in reference to the prophecy of Isaiah, (liii. 7,) "He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter," and also to the paschal lamb, which was typical of him; perhaps moreover John more particularly referred to Christ under this figure, as the Passover was near at hand (sect. 30). John, being divinely instructed, calls him the Lamb of God, although at that time the ex

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 Son of God." The next day John stood with two of his disciples, and seeing Jesus, he again said, "Behold the Lamb of God!" The two disciples heard the speech, and followed Jesus, who seeing them coming, said, "What seek ye ?" They replied, "Rabbi, where dwellest thou?" He said, "Come and see!" And they did so, and abode with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour [which, according to the Roman reckoning, would be 10 o'clock A. M.]. One of them, however, named Andrew, [the other was probably John himself,] first sought his brother Simon Peter, and saying to him, "We have found the Messias," brought him to Jesus; and when Jesus beheld him he said, "Thou art Simon the son of Jonas: thou shalt be called CEPHAS," i. e. a stone. John i. 29-42.

Jesus returns to Galilee: calls Philip, who brings 37 Nathanael to him. The next day Jesus designed to go to Galilee, and finding Philip, who, as well as Andrew and Peter, was a native of Bethsaida, [a fishing town in Galilee,] he said to him, "Follow me!" Philip then sought Nathanael, and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the law (Deut. xviii. 18) and the prophets (Isa. ix. 6, 7, etc., etc.) did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." Nathanael exclaimed, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" (Sect. 24, note.) Philip replied, "Come and see!" and when Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said, "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile." Nathanael act purport of this appellation was unknown, if not to John the Baptist, yet certainly to his hearers.

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asked, "Whence knowest thou me?” Jesus replied, “Before Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee." Then Nathanael said, "Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel." Jesus answered, "Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man." John i. 43–51. 1st Miracle of Christ: he turns water to Galilee-Cana wine at Cana.-Our Lord now went to Galiand Capernaum. lee, and the third day there was a marriage feast in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there, and both he and his disciples were invited. Here there was a deficiency of wine, but when the mother of Jesus mentioned this to her Son, our Lord replied, "Woman! what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come." She, however, said to the servants, "Whatsoever he saith to you, do it." And there were set there six stone water-pots, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, each containing 2 or 3 firkins. Jesus ordered the servants to fill the pots with water, and when they filled them up to the brim, he said, "Draw out now and bear unto the governor of the feast!" When the governor tasted the water that was made wine, and not knowing whence it was, though the servants who drew it knew, he said to the bridegroom,

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Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse; but thou hast kept the good wine until now." This beginning of miracles Jesus did in Cana, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him. After this he went to Capernaum [about 20 miles from Cana] with his mother, his brethren, (sect. 141,) and his disciples, but did not continue there many days.* John ii. 1-12.

*Note on the miracle of the water turned to wine.-We need not wonder to find our Lord at this festival, for he came to sanctify times of joy as well as times of sorrow, and to mingle with and purify the common life of men. This miracle has also an inner inystical meaning. Moses, in his first miracle, turned water into