preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; and saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Isa. xl. 3. Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God. And as it is written also by another prophet, Behold I send my messenger Mal. iii. 1. before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. And there went out unto him all the land of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and all the region round about Jordan, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees* come to be baptized of him he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance; And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our Father; for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees; every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

of the Roman Procurators who, after the deposition of Archelaus, had been sent from Rome to rule the land. It was while Herod Antipas reigned in Galilee, while Philip reigned over the two most northern divisions of Palestine beyond Jordan, and Lysanias reigned over the district of Syria immediately north of Palestine. It was at a time when the honour of the High Priesthood was shared between Caiaphas and his father-in-law Annas. It was at a time, therefore, when the national independence was gone, and when the office of High Priestthe highest of all dignities, and which ought to have descended by regular succession in the family of Aaron-was at the entire disposal of the Roman Governor, who used his authority for political and unworthy ends.

*The Pharisees, "Separatists," were the most numerous and wealthy sect among the Jews, and were so called because they separated themselves from the rest of their countrymen by a peculiar strictness in religion. Their religion, however, was a system of consummate hypocrisy; and they held the traditions of the elders to be almost as sacred as the Word of God itself. The sect originated about 150 years B.C.

The Sadducees were the most wicked and profligate of the Jews, whose religion consisted in denying the existence of angels and spirits, in rejecting all traditions, and in trusting to the Pentateuch alone as the only inspired portion of Holy Writ. They took their name and origin from Sadoc, who flourished about 260 years B.C.

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 saith 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. 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. And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people.

SECT. II. THE BAPTISM OF JESUS. (MATT. iii. MARK I. LUKE iii.)

THE JORDAN, 6th Jan., 27 A.D.

And it came to pass in those days (when all the people were baptized) that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee to Jordan unto John to be baptized of him.† But John

* The publicans were collectors of the taxes imposed on the Jews by the Roman government. As a class, they were covetous, rapacious, and cruel; and often oppressed the people by their unjust exactions. As being reckoned traders in the slavery of their country, they were peculiarly odious to all true patriotic Jews; and thus only those who did not regard their position and character would accept of such an office under a foreign government.

When great multitudes of all ranks had been baptized by John, then Jesus also came. He was baptized that he might render full obedience to the Father, by the observance of his holy law, and that he might consecrate baptism in his own body, and assure believers that they are one with him, "buried with him in baptism," that they may rise to "newness of life." Tradition has selected the date given as the time of the baptism. The climatic peculiarities of the country offer no valid objections to it. As to the place of the baptism, no definite decision has been arrived at. John baptized at Bethany, or Bethabara, near to Jericho, at one of the fords of the river; and probably Jesus was baptized at what is now the ordinary ford to the east of Jericho. A recent traveller (Dean Stanley) thus graphically pictures the baptismal scene :-"On the banks of the

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 behoveth us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus being baptized, and praying, went up straightway out of the water; and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending in a bodily shape like a dove, and lighting upon him, and there came a voice from heaven which said, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

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

SECT. III. THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS.*

(MATT. iv. MARK I. LUKE IV.)

DESERT OF JUDEA.

And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted of the devil. And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan, and was with the wild beasts. And in those days he did eat nothing. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterwards an

rushing stream the multitudes gathered; the priests and scribes rom Jerusalem, down the pass of Adummin; the publicans from Jericho on the south and the lake of Gennesaret on the north; the soldiers on their way from Damascus to Petra, through the Ghor, in the war with the Arab chief, Hareth; the peasants from Galilee, with One from Nazareth, through the opening of the plain of Esdraelon. The tall reeds or canes in the jungle waved, shaken by the wind: the pebbles of the bare clay hills lay around, to which the Baptist pointed as capable of being transformed into the children of Abraham; while at their feet rushed the refreshing stream of the never-failing river."

The temptation of Jesus must have immediately followed the baptism. (Mark i. 12, and John i. 29, 35, 44.) Jesus withdrew into the wilderness to be tempted before beginning the arduous and elevated duties to which by baptism he had been consecrated. He fasted that he might come forth as a new and heavenly man to the discharge of his sacred office. He was tempted as the public representative of all believers, that by his victory and example they too may obtain a triumph over every foe. The peaceful occupations of Nazareth have now terminated, and the trials and toils of the Messiah begun. The place fixed on as the site of the temptation is the mountain Quarantana, an almost The whole perpendicular wall of rock, about 1,500 feet above the plain. scene around is desolate, horrid, and miserable, though far beyond is a vast expanse of rare and varied beauty. The locality, however, can only be conjectured. There is considerable difference in the various accounts of the temptation as given by the evangelists, but the order of Matthew seems to be the more natural.

tton.

st Temp- hungered. And when the tempter came to him he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, Deut. viii. 3. That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

econd Temptation.

. X. II.

Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, 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. Dut. vi. 16. And Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Tl Temp

t..on.

Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them in 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 Deut. vi. 13. him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season; and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

SECT. IV. THE TESTIMONY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
TO JESUS.*
(JOHN i.)

BETHABARA BEYOND JORDAN.

And 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. And of his fulness have

*Harmonists are not agreed as to the order of the testimonies of the Baptist to Jesus, but it is not a point of much importance. During Christ's absence John was visited by the priests and Levites sent by the Sanhedrim, or great council of the Jews, to inquire into his claims to be considered a divinely commissioned messenger. The day after this deputation had waited upon him Jesus himself appeared. A very minute chronology is now given us by John, every successive day until the marriage at Cana being indicated.

all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

What

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 Deut. xvii. answered, No. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one Isa. xl. 3 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 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.