I.

selves with caution, and sent priests and Levites to CHAP. examine, and if possible to detect him.

John i. 19

10. The deputies found John in Bethabara, beyond Jordan, where he was baptizing. And they asked him, Who art thou? He acknowledged, I am not the -27. Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he said, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.

11. Then said they, "Who art thou? 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."

12. This was enough, had they been honest. But, added they," Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?" This was equal to saying, If thou art not an extraordinary person, immediately commissioned by God, why dost thou introduce a new rite, which is not instituted in the law, and for which thou hast received no authority from us?

13. John answered them, "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."

33.

14. And John bare record that he saw the Spirit Johni.32, descending from heaven like a dove, and abiding upon him; and also freely acknowledged of himself, saying, 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.

15. The next day after John's answers to the Pharisces, he saw Jesus coming, and introduced him as the Saviour of mankind, saying, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world!

Matt.

16. This was the testimony of John from the begin ning, "I indeed baptize you with water unto repen- 11, 12. tance but he that 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: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his ficor,

M

CHAP and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

Ι.

John i. 7,

8.

17. John was a burning and shining light; yet he was not that true light, but was sent to bear witness of him: So the baptism with water, was not the true baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire; but the former was a striking figure of the latter. As baptizing, dipping, or washing in water, cleanses the body from outward pollution, so the baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire cleanses the soul from sin.

18. The baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire, had been prefigured under the law, and spoken of by the prophets, but by nothing in a more striking manner than by John's baptism; particularly the prophet Malachi, who said of Christ, He is like a refiner's fireMal..2, and he shall sit as a refiner. And mankind had been encouraged to long and thirst for that day of God that chap.iv.1 should burn as an oven.

3.

Matt. iii.

19. Of course, when that day commenced, the sign could be of no further use, nor could it be continued, except it were with those who ignorantly wished to continue under a comfortable deception.

20. Here lay the mystery: the baptism of John was no more like that of Christ, than water is like fire; and the only comparison that could be drawn between them was, that as water is refreshing to a thirsty man, so is the fire of truth to a soul thirsting for salvation. And as water is of a cooling, cleansing nature, so it is the nature of fire to burn and consume; and therefore, what was ceremonially cleansed under the law, must needs be consumed under the gospel. Such then is the difference between the shadow and substance.

21. Jesus himself came to be baptized of John ; but 13, 14, 15. John said, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? Jesus said, Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.

22. And when Jesus was baptized, and came up out of the water, and the Spirit of God descended on him like a dove; (which appearance served as a visible sign to John, that this was the son of God, who should baptize with the Holy Ghost and fire ;) then

1

L

was John's mission fulfilled; consequently he must CHAP. thenceforth decrease.

30.

23. John was a faithful witness, and plainly testifi- John ed of Christ. He must increase, but I must decrease: and therefore, as soon as the Holy Ghost was given, and the baptism of fire commenced, there was no further need of the baptism of water. Nor could it be used as a binding institution, unless it were through ignorance, or cunning deceit, to ease the pain and prolong the life of that sinful nature, which the fire of naked truth had begun to consume. For this was 49. the fire which Christ came to kindle on earth.

24. It was the testimony and baptism of John that first attracted the multitude. And some of John's disciples left him, and followed Jesus. From this it may easily be inferred why the disciples of Jesus baptized.

25. Jesus himself baptized not, and whether he commanded his disciples to baptize with water, or not, the sacred text doth not say, but prudence itself would have dictated it, while the faith of the multitude was so strenuously fixed on the economy of John, and the disciples themselves were as yet ignorant of the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

26. And even after the Holy Ghost was given, it is evident enough, that the apostles, in some instances, used water baptism; and it is as evident that they used circumcision, and other Jewish ceremonies; but never once as a binding institution.

Luke

27. It is evident, from the gospel of the circum- Gal. fi. 7, cision being committed to Peter; and Paul's circum- 8. cising Timothy, and baptizing when he had no command, that outward ceremonies were frequently used, in order to make the truth accessible to the blind and bigoted, who were yet unable to see beyond the shadow, to the end of that which was to be abolished.

xxviii, 19.

28. Jesus commanded his disciples, saying, "Go Matt. ye and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." But here was a mystery. They had first to tarry at Jerusalem, and know for themselves what it was to be in the Father, and in the Son, and in the Holy Ghost, before they could in truth baptize in that name.

Acts i. 4

5.

CHAP.

1.

1 Cor. i.

14, 16.

29. And that this command to baptize had no reference to water, is plain from the words of Paul: I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius And I baptized also the household of Stephanus; besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.

30. Would Paul have thanked God for not doing what Christ commanded him? In no wise. But he immediately tells what was commanded him, when he says, Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel. The truth is, that in every age, and in every nation under heaven, mankind were justified and accepted of God according to the degree of their obedience to the light they were under.

31. Those who were commissioned to preach the gospel, never bound mankind to any thing beyond the conviction of their own consciences. Jesus himself Mark iv. spake the word as they were able to hear it. Hence it was, that circumcision was made use of in the days of the apostles, and such as gladly received the word, were baptized; but neither of them was the substance of the thing signified.

33.

32. Outward circumcision could never destroy the root of sin; nor could the external baptism or washing with water, ever take away the internal pollution of the soul.

33. The mission of John the Baptist, was to prepare the way for the Messiah, and was not to increase, but to decrease, whenever the ministry of the Messiah commenced. Hence, from John's mission as a witness of that light, that all men through him might believe, it is evident that Christ could not have been revealed to the world without a witness.

34. John bore testimony to a kingdom of heaven at hand. From which it is clear that he himself was not in that kingdom. And from the testimony of Jesus, it is easy to infer that those who were before John, were still more remote from the kingdom than he. Matt. xi. Verily I say unto you, among them that are born of women, there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist; notwithstanding, he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

11.

B

CHAPTER II

The Ministry of Jesus the Christ.

EFORE the first appearing of CHRIST, long ex- CHAP. perience had proved, that no redemption from the nature and effects of the fall, had yet been wrought among the human race. No law, however severe against sin, had ever yet saved the soul from > its reigning power.

2. From Adam to Moses, and from Moses to Christ, the true cause of virtue and freedom was unknown. Sin through the instrumentality of Man, had continued to corrupt the world. Oppression, civil and religious, had still continued to pervade the earth, and destroy the peace and happiness of mankind.

3. As the whole posterity of fallen man, had thus continued to bring forth the fruits of unrighteousness, the produce of an evil nature, and instead of being reclaimed from the depravity of the fall, the world had waxed old in wickedness, it was necessary that the axe should be laid to the root of that corrupt tree, before the cause of sin could possibly be removed, or the effect cease.

4. As sin entered into the world by the first man's disobedience, and all his posterity, in the same nature of rebellion, continued to follow his example, by which the whole became separated and fallen from God, it required a life and example directly contrary to theirs, in order to their recovery.

5. And as the very nature of man was corrupt, and stood in direct enmity against God, it was impossible for him to find redemption, but through that mediator, the LORD JESUS, who took upon him the same nature and enmity, and thereby became united to the fallen race, that he might crucify that nature, and slay the enmity, in order to become the captain of their salvation.

6. Hence it is written, "Forasmuch as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself Hikewise took part of the same; that through death 14,15.

Heb. i