into the fire. good fruit, is hewn down, and cast | cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that a Jno.15.6. b Lu.3.16. Ac.19.4. The wooden sandal is much worn in Arabia, Judea, and Egypt. It has a raised heel and toe, as represented in the following cuts; and, though often expensive and neat, it was usually a cheap, coarse, and very clumsy article. The people put off these when they entered a house, and put them on when they left it. To loose and bind on sandals, on such occasions, was the business of the lowest servants; and their office was, to loose and carry about their masters' sandals. The expression here, then, was an expression of great humility; and John says that he was not worthy to be the servant of him who should come after him. Shall baptize you. Shall send upon you the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God is frequently represented as being poured out upon his people. Prov. i. 23; Isa. xliv. 3; Joel ii. 28, 29; Acts ii. 17, 18. The baptism of c Ac.1.5. the Holy Spirit is the same, therefore as the sending of his influences to convert, purify, and guide the soul. ¶ The Holy Ghost. The third person of the adorable Trinity, whose office it is to enlighten, renew, sanctify, and comfort the soul. He was promised by the Saviour to convince of sin. John xvi. 8. To enlighten or teach the disciples. John xiv. 26; xvi. 13. To comfort them in the absence of the Saviour. John xiv. 18; xvi. 7. To change the heart. Titus iii. 5. To be baptized with the Holy Ghost means that the Messiah would send upon the world a far more powerful and mighty influence than had attended the preaching of John. Many more would be converted. A mighty change would take place. His ministry would not affect the external life only, but the heart, the motives, the soul; and produce rapid and permanent changes in the lives of men. See Acts ii. 17, 18. With fire. This expres sion has been very variously understood. Some have supposed that he refers to the afflictions and persecutions with which men would be tried under the gospel; others, that the word fire means judgment or wrath. A part of his hearers he would baptize with the Holy Ghost, but the wicked with fire and vengeance. Fire is a symbol of vengeance. See Isa. v. 24, lxi. 2, lxvi. 24. If this be the meaning, as seems to be probable, then John says that the ministry of the Messiah would be far more powerful than his was. It would be more searching and trying; and they who were not fitted to abide the test, would be cast into eternal fire. Some have supposed, however, that by fire, here, he intends to denote that his ministry would be refining, powerful, purifying, as fire is sometimes an em. blem of purity. Mal. iii. 2. It is dif ficult to ascertain the precise meaning further than that his ministry would be very trying, purifying, searching. Multitudes would be converted; and those who were not true penitents should not be able to abide the trial, and should be driven away. made light, so that it might be easily carried about. The fan is a well-known agricultural instrument which was used by the Jews, as it is at the present day, to separate grain from the chaff. The usual custom was to throw the grain in the air by means of a large shovel, and suffer the wind to drive the chaff away, but it is probable that the fan was often employed. See my Note on Isa. Xxx. 24. His floor. The threshing floor was an open space, or area, in the field, usually on an elevated part of the land. Gen. 1. 10. It had no covering or walls. It was a space of ground thirty or forty paces in diameter, and made smooth by rolling it, or treading it hard. A high place was selected for the purpose of keeping it dry, and for the convenience of winnowing the grain by the wind. The grain was usually trodden out by oxen. Sometimes it was beaten with flails, as with us; and sometimes with a sharp threshing instrument, made to roll over the grain, and to cut the straw at the same time. Isa. xli. 15. After being threshed it was winnowed. The grain was then separated from the dirt and coarse chaff by a sieve, and then still further cleansed by a fan, an instrument to produce an artificial wind. This method is still practised in eastern nations. Shall purge. Shall cleanse, or purify. Shall remove the chaff, &c. The garner. The granary, or place to deposit the wheat. Unquenchable fire. Fire that shall not be extinguished, that will utterly consume it. By the floor, here, is represented the Jewish people. By the wheat, the righteous, or the people of God. By the chaff, the wicked. They are often represented as being driven away like chaff before the wind. Job xxi. 18; Ps. i. 4; Isa. xvii. 13; unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. 16 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: c Is.11.2. 42.1. 61.1. Jno.3.34. Hos. xiii. 13. They are also represented as chaff which the fire consumes. Isa. v. 24. This image is often used to express judgments. Isa. xli. 15. Thou shalt thresh the mountains and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff." By the unquenchable fire is meant the eternal suffering of the wicked in hell. 2 Thess. i. 8, 9. Mark ix. 48. Matt. xxv. 41. 14. John forbad him. Refused him. I have need. It is more fit that 1 should be baptized with thy baptism, the Holy Ghost, than that thou shouldest be baptized in water by me. I am a sinner, and unworthy to administer this to the Messiah. 15. Thus it becometh us. It is fit and proper. And though you may feel yourself unworthy, yet it is proper it should be done. All righteousness. There was no particular precept in the Old Testament requiring this, but he chose to give the sanction of his example to the baptism of John, as to a divine ordinance. The phrase "all righteousness," here, is the same as a righteous institution or appointment. Jesus had no sin. But he was about to enter on his great work. It was proper that he should be set apart by his forerunner, and show his connexion with him, and give his approbation to what John had done. Also, he was baptized that occasion might be taken, at the commencement of his work, for God publicly to declare his approbation of him, and his solemn appointment to the office of the Messiah. 16. Out of the water. This shows that he had descended to the river. It literally means, he went up directly FROM the water.' The original does not imply that they had descended into the river. The heavens were opened 17 And, lo, a vcice from hea- | ed a Son, in whom I am well pleas ven, saying, This is my beloved. unto him. This was done while he was praying. Luke iii. 21. The saered ordinance of baptism he attended with prayer. The ordinances of religion will be commonly ineffectual without prayer. If in those ordinances we look to God, we may expect he will bless us; the heavens will be opened; light will shine upon our path; and we shall meet with the approbation of God. The expression, "the heavens were opened," is one that commonly denotes the appearance of the clouds when it lightens. The heavens appear to open, or give way. Something of this kind probably appeared to John at this time. The same appearance took place at Stephen's death. Acts vii. 56. The expression means, he was permitted to see far into the heavens beyond what the natural vision would allow. To him. Some have referred this to Jesus, others to John. It probably refers to John. See John i. 33. It was a testimony given to John that this was the Messiah. He saw. John saw. The spirit of God. See v. 11. This was the third person of the Trinity, descending upon him in the form of a dove. Luke iii. 22. The dove, among the Jews, was the symbol of purity or harmlessness (Matt. x. 16), and of softness (Ps. lv. 7). The form chosen here was doubtless an emblem of the innocence, meekness, and tenderness of the Saviour. The gift of the Holy Spirit, in this manner, was the public approbation of Jesus (John i. 33), and a sign of his being set åpart to the office of the Messiah. We are not to suppose that there was any change wrought in the moral character of Jesus, but only that he was publicly set apart to his work, and solemnly approved by God in the office to which he was appointed. a Ps.2.7. Lu.9.35. Ep.1.6. 2 Pe.1.17. claration that Jesus was the Messiah. My beloved Son. This is the title which God himself gave to Jesus. It denotes the nearness of his relation to God, and the love of God for him. Heb. i. 2. It implies that he was equal with God. Heb. i. 5, 6, 7, 8. .John x. 29, 30-33; xix. 7. The term Son is expressive of love; of the nearness of his relation to God, and of his dignity and equality with God. ¶ Am well pleased. Am ever delighted. It implies that he was constantly or uniform. ly well pleased with him; and in this solemn and public manner he expressed his approbation of him as the Redeemer of the world. The baptism of Jesus has usually been considered a striking manifestation of the doctrine of the Trinity, or the doctrine that there are three persons in the divine nature. (1). There is the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, baptized in the Jordan, elsewhere declared to be equal with God. John x. 30. (2). The Holy Spirit descending in a bodily form upon the Saviour. The Holy Spirit is also equal with the Father, or is also God. Acts v. 3, 4. (3). The Father, addressing the Son, and declaring that he was well please i with him. It is impossible to explai this transaction consistently in any other way than by supposing that there are three equal persons in the divine nature or essence, and that each of these sustains important parts in the work of re. deeming men. In the preaching of John the Baptist we are presented with an example of a faithful minister of God. Neither the wealth, dignity, nor power of his auditors, deterred him from fearlessly declaring the truth respecting their character. He called things by their right names. He did not apologise for their 17. A voice from heaven. A voice sin. He set it fairly before them, and fron God. Probably this was heard denounced the appropriate curse. · So by all who were present. This voice, should all ministers of the gospel. or sound, was repeated on the mount Rank, riches, and power, should have of transfiguration. Matt. xvii. 5. Luke nothing to do in shaping and gauging ix. 35, 36. 2 Peter i. 17. It was also their ministry. In respectful terms, but heard just before his death, and was without shrinking, all the truths of the then supposed by many to be thunder. gospel must be spoken, or wo will fol John xii. 28-30. It was a public de-low the ambassador of Chris In John we have also an example of humility. Blessed with great success; attended by the great and noble, and with nothing but principle to keep him from turning it to his advantage; he still kept himself out of view, and pointed to a far greater personage at hand. So should every minister of Jesus, however successful, keep the Lamb of God in his eye, and be willing-nay, rejoice -to lay all his success and honors at his feet. Every thing about the work of Jesus was wonderful. No person had before come into the world under such circumstances. God would not have attended the commencement of his life with such wonderful events if it had not been of the greatest moment to our race, and if he had not possessed a dignity above all prophets, kings, and priests. He was the Redeemer of men, the mighty God, the Father of eternity, the Prince of peace (Isa. ix. 8), and it was proper that a voice from heaven should declare it, that the angels should attend him, and the Holy Spirit signalize his baptism by his personal presence. And it is proper that we, for whom he came, should give to him our undivided affections, our time, our influence, our hearts and our lives. CHAPTER IV.. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that c De.8.3. ¶ The devil. This word originally means an adversary, or an accuser; thence any one opposed; thence an enemy of any kind. It is given in the scriptures, by way of eminence, to the leader of evil angels-a being characterized as full of subtlety, envy, art, and hatred of mankind. He is known, also, by the name Satan, Job i. 6-12. Matt. xii. 26; Beelzebub, Matt. xii. 24; The old Serpent, Rev. xii. 9; and the Prince of the power of the air, Eph. ii. 2. The name is sometimes given to men and women. Tim. iii. 3. Trucebreakers, slanderers-in the original, devils. 1 Tim. iii. 2. So must their wives be grave, not slanderers. In the original, devils. 2. Had fasted. Abstained from food. Forty days and nights. It has been questioned by some whether Christ abstained wholly from food, or only from bread and the food to which he was accustomed. Luke says (ch. iv. 2) that he ate nothing. This settles the question. Mark says (ch. i. 13) that angels came and ministered unto him. At first view this would seem to imply that he did eat during that time. But Mark does not mention the time when the angels performed the office of kindness, and we are at liberty to suppose that he meant to say that it was done at the close of the forty days; and the rather as Matthew, after giving an account of the temptation, says the same thing (ch. iv. 2). There are other instances of persons fasting forty days, recorded in the scriptures. Thus Moses fasted forty days. Ex. xxxiv. 28. Elijah, also, fasted the same length of time. 1 Kings xix. 8. In these cases they were no doubt miraculously supported. 1,2. The wilderness. See Note Matt. ii. 1. The Spirit. Luke says (ch. iv. 1) that Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit. It was by his influence, therefore, that Christ went into the desert. To be tempted. The word to tempt, in the original, means to try, to endeavor, to attempt to do a thing; then, to try the nature of a thing, as metals by fire; then, to test moral qualities by trying them, to see how they will endure; 3. The tempter. The devil, or Satan. then, to endeavor to draw men away See ver. 1. If thou be the Son of God. from virtue by suggesting motives to If thou art the Messiah-if God's own evil. This is the meaning here, and Son-then thou hast power to work a this is now the established meaning of miracle, and here is a fit opportunity to the word in the English language. I try thy power, and show that thou ar A |