MINISTRY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST.

good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. And the people asked him, 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 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.

23

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, "and preached, "saying "Mark i. 7, 8. unto them all, I indeed have bap

tized you with water unto repentance: 25 Mat.iii.11,12 but he that cometh after me is mightier

than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear, and the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose he shall baptize you with the Lk.iii.16-18. 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

24

27 Mark i. 9.

BAPTISM OF JESUS.

will burn up with fire unquenchable. And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people.

27And it came to pass in those days, 28 Luke iii. 21. when all the people were baptized,

that Jesus came from Nazareth of 29 Mat.iii.13-16 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? Jesus answering said unto him, "Suffer "it to be so now: for thus it becometh

And

"us to fulfil all righteousness." Then 30 Luke iii. 21. he suffered him. And it came to pass 31 Mat.iii.16-17 that "Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water; and 32Luke iii. 21. praying, "lo, the heavens were opened unto him; and he saw the Spirit of God 33Luke iii. 22. descending in a bodily shape like a dove, and lighting upon him: and lo, there came a voice from heaven, which Lk. iii.22,23. said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

34 Mark i. 11.

And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age.

SECTION II.

From Satan's Temptation of Jesus in the Wilderness of Judæa,-to Matthew's Feast in Galilee.

'THEN 'immediately Jesus, being full 'Matt. iv. 1. of the Holy Ghost, returned from Jor- Mark i. 12. dan, and was led 'up by the Spirit into зLuke iv. 1. the wilderness, 'to be tempted of the

devil.

And he was there in the wilder- Mark i. 13. ness forty days, tempted of Satan; and

was with the wild beasts. "And in those 'Luke iv. 2. days he did eat nothing: and when he "Matt. iv. 2. had fasted forty days and forty nights,

"he afterward hungered. And when the 'Matt. iv. 3, 4. tempter came to him, he said, If thou

be the Son of God, command that these

stones be made bread. But Jesus Luke iv. 4.

'answered and said, "It is written, Man

"shall not live by bread alone, but by

'Again, the devil taketh him up into Matt. iv. 8.

E

26

JESUS TEMPTED BY SATAN.

an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world

10 Luke iv. 5-7. 10in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power 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 "fall down and "worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: "for it is written, Thou shalt worship "the Lord thy God, and him only shalt "thou serve."

"Matt. iv. 9. 12Lukeiv. 7, 8.

13 Matt. iv. 5.

14 Luke iv. 9. 15Lk. iv. 9-13.

13Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, 14Jerusalem, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, "and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. And Jesus answering said unto 16Matt. iv. 7. him, "It is 16written again, 15Thou shalt "not tempt the Lord thy God." And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a sea

17Matt. iv. 11. son; and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

18John i. 19

18 And this is the record of John, when iii. 36. the Jews sent priests and Levites from

JOHN'S TESTIMONY CONCERNING JESUS. 27

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. 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