t 68 Book IV. · lG.colimg unto 'jcfn%. Chap.1. srcL2. -- publijh-;d tbrOiegbo~;-:./i);;dea? a~d began from Gaiite~--:dftcr ,i,-; Baptifn wl1i;hlofm pr;ach-: ~!,rk r. r, 2. cd: and fee but how rmmedrately thefe words follow, The beginning of the Gojpel ofJcJt:r Chrifl the Son of God :. M tt u t>nttcffi17 the Prophets, behold I fend my AfeUia,1tr be– fore thy f ace, whrch ]halltcp.1rc the way before thee: I know t.hat Joln/s~Minilhy was fix moneths before Clmlls; and yet that now was the begrnmng ot the Gofpel, it ap .. I , pears, 1. In that B~ptrfm (whiCh was only. ufed amongll the Jews for the admiflion of Profelites or ~eathens to therr Church) rs now publillred and propofed to the J ews themfelves; llrewrng, r. That now they were to be entred and tranfplanred imoa new Profellion; and, 2. That the Gentiles and they were now to be knit into one Church and Body. Ar.d, z, Jt .appears in that the Dodrirye and Preaching of /ohnwasofa · differing llrarn, from the lrteral Doctrine of the law; as it is taken in the fenfe of the Jews ; for that called all for wor~s; and for exaCt performance, do thr5 and live; but Job,, called for repentance, and for·n•newing of the mind, and for belief in him that wos coming after, difclaiming all righteoufnefs by the works 'of the Law ; fo that here was new.heavens and a new earth begun to be created, a new Commandment given,. a new Church founded, J u!lification by works cried down, and the Doctrine of Fairh and Re· pemance advaoced and fet up. L'gbtf H"rm. Hence one obferves, that the Evangelill Luk§ points out this year in a fpecial mJnner . of the !'cur it was theJifmmh year of Tiberius Cefar ; at which time (fayes l1e) Pi/ate IV.U Gove;·: Fv.,ug nour of Jndca, Hcrodw.u Tctrarchof Galilee, Philip w.u Terrarch of lture'J, L)fani.1i Lu!<" ;. 1 , 2 • WM Tetr~rch ofAbi!enc, -.nd A nna< and CaiaphM were High l'riefts. ·And then, even then, the Word of God ca7Jc llnto John, theSon of ZachariM, in the Wi!derncfs . See l10w ex– let the Evangelilt feems, that fo remarkable a year of the beginning of the Gofpei might be fixed and made known to all the world. In this refpect 1 llrall begin the firH year of Chrifts life with the beginning of John's Preaching, which was !ix rnoneths currenr be– fore the Minill:ry of Chrift; and in the compafs uf this lirlt year, I llJall handle the[e Particulars.-- '. The Preaching of 7ohn Baptill:. 2. The Baptifm of Chrill Jefus. 3. The Fl– iling and Temptation of Chrift in the Wildernefs. 4. The lirft manifellation of Jefu; by his feveral Witne!fes. 5· Chritts whipping the buyers and fellers out of the Tempk. Obferve that every of thefe four years, l 11Jall end at one of the Pa!feovers, of which we read cr.ring Cl.ri!ls, Mir,iliry ; as of the firll Pafsover in 7chn 2. I3 . of the fecond Pafs. over in John 5. I. of the third Pafsover, ,hh; 6. 4. of the fourth l"afsovcr, John . I 3. I, And firHof the firll year ro end at the firtl: Pafsover. SEC T.II. Of the Preaching •f John Baptifl. 2.FOr the Preaching of /ohn the BaptHl; now was it that the Gofpel began to dawn, and John like the Morning-S tal", or tl1e blulhing day, fpringing from tbe windows of the Eall, forete!s the approachmg of the Sun of Righteoufnefs; now _:vas it that he laid the firft rough, hard, and unhewen !lone of the building in Mortificat}on, Self-denial, and doing violence to our natural atfed ions. I read not that ever ~oh.• wrought aMiracle; but he was a man of an aullere Life: and good works convrnce more than Miracles themfelves. It isllor'ied of one Pachomius, a Souldrer under CM– flanrine the Emperour, that his Army being well-near llarve~ for want of necelf,ry Provifion, he came to a City of Chrillians, and they of thcrr own Chamy relieved them fpeedily and freely; he wondering at their fo free and ~hcarful difpenfation , enquired what kind of people thole were whom he £1w fo bountrful ? It was anfwer– ed, they were Cbrillians, whofe Profellion is to hurt no man and to d? _good to every man; hereupon the Souldier con~in_ced of the ~xcellency of thrs Rellg10n , l1c threw away hig Arms, and became a Chrrllranand a Sarnt. Tothrs purpofe, 1 fupp?fe John the Baptill fpem his time in P~ayer, M:drtauon, Affectro~s, and Col!ogurc? v~rth God, eating Hies and wild honey rn the Wrldernefs, that he. m1ght be made a fit rnlrr u– mcnt of preparation, and dilfemination of the Gofpel of Chrrll. . In hisSermons he feme times gave parucular Sch_edules of. pmy .to feveralllates of perfons; he fharply reproved the Pharrfees for therr hypocnfte and rmprety; he gen_tly guided others into the wayes of Righteoufnefs, calling them the flraight !V~Jes of the Lord; and by f1)eh difcourfes and a Baptifm he difpofed the fpirits of men for the emenarnrng of ' ' the
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