-Chap-. t-. -Sc-a~3~.--~~~ro--h_tt_tg __ u_n_to~~~e~f~u~g-.--~B~o-o~k~I~V-.-.7-I-- condefcends robe madeafree.manof that City. · 2. iTh1t hemighrbear wirnefs torhe Preaching and Baptifm of '/ohn, a~dmighueciprocally recetve a.rcfttmo?y from Joh~. 3 • That by his own Bapu(m, he m•ght [ancbfie rhe W3ter of Bapufm to h1s ow~ChurcH; +· That he miaht give an example htmfelf of tJle performance of that, wh:ch he en– joyned others." 5. That he might receive teftimony from heaven, that he was ~he Son of God. 6. That he might f~<lfil aJI righteo•<fnefs: not only theMor~l,but the ~tguranve, 1 ceremonial and typical: Some thmk, that the Ceremony, to wluch our Savwur look– ed at in rhefe words, wa5 the wafl1ing of the Priells in warer, when they emred inro their Fund:ion: And Aaron and hu Son> thou jhalt bring t• the door of the Tabernacle of the Exod. , 9 'I• Cmgrcgatio~, and jhaltwafh them. with wam. And furely. this was rhem~in ~·~fon.of Lev. s. 6, Chril1:s being baptized, char by rhts Bapufm he mrghr be rnftalled mro htsMtmftenal Office. 2 . How did {•hnknow him ro be Chrifll It is very probable he had never feen his face b,for<. rhey had in their Infancy been driven to feveral places, and they were defigned rofe,:eralemploymenrs, and never met (as we may well conceive) rill now: be- . . Odes, the Bapti!l fpeaks expre!ly , I k_new him not, but he that fent me to bapti<.e with John r, 33· water, the fame [aid unto me, on whomfoever rh011 Jhalt fee the Spirit de(cmding, and abidinu on him, the fame u he that bapti<.eth with the holy Ghoft. Now rlus defcent of .rhe hofy Ghofi wa; nor till after Baptifm; how rhen did he know him to be Chrift ? · The Anfwer is given by fome rhus; chat John knew Chrift in fome meafore before his Baprifrri ; but he knew him not fo fully as after, when the holy Ghofl had defcended on !rim. Orhers rhus; that John knew Chrif\ before his Baptifm, by a prefent revela– tion, and after Baptifm by a prefent fign ; it is not unlikely bur John knew Chri~ at his tir!l arrival by revelation; for if whiles he was in his Mothers womb, he knew Chri!l: being yet unborn, how much more migh,t be know and acknowledge him now at his Baprifm? Thus s~muel knewSau/; and thus {ohn might know Chrift. But for that koowledge he had after Baptifm, it was a furrb<r confirmation of that fame knowledge that he bad before Baptifm, and that not fo much for his own fake, as for the peoples. I J 1 . ·' farv, and bear record 1horrhu u the Son of God. 0 '" 1 • 34· 3· Wherein was the glory or excellency of Chrifts Baptifm? The Ancients give many Encomiums to it, and in fomerefpects prefer it to the Birth of Chrift 1 thus Augu- dug.Sccm. 36; ftinc; Many great Mirac/e> were at Ch;·ijls Birth, but they were far g~eater at hu Baptifm; the holy Gho;1 overfl,.dowed him in thewomb, but he brightly jhone on him in the Ri- . ver; thenw.uthe Fath~r jilmt, notawortlfromhim, but now a loud voiCe U heard from heaven, thu i>my bei•ved Son in whom I am well p?eafed; then w.u the Mother underfu!fi– tion, becanfe jl~< w.u jo1md with Child without a Father; but n•w u the Mother greatly honoured, in thatthc h•!J Child u Fathered by f]od bimfelf: then was Chrifthid !Othe world; and this made fohn the Bapri!l: fay, there ftands one amo•gfl you whom ye knorv ?lot: He w~s before his Baprifm as rhe Sun in a Cloud, or a Pearl in a Shell, or a Gold– mine in a.field : bur now he appears in f'Ublick; and to manifell: his Glory, the heavens open, and from the heavens the holy Ghof\ defcends, and alights upon his facred head; and God the Father gives avoice from heaven, declaring his Divinity to the world. If the /ews reguireaiign, here is not one, bur many figns at once, which as Beams do d1fcover aSun; fo rhey difcover this Sun ofrighteoufnefs to be rifen amongfl them· and hereinwas the glory of Chrifls Baptifm. , ._ ' 4· Wh>r.was the Prayer of Chrif\, at, or after his Baptifro? ~he Evangelift Lukff Luke 3 , 11 ; fpeaks of hrs Prayer. It cameto pafs that Jefm bemg baptt<.ed, and praymg, the he.~vens wereopened. Tluswas the manner of thofe thatwerebaptized, ·a&lonai.fheywerebaprrzed, to come out of thewaterandpray; and fome chink that thefe~rds, they were Mat. 3.J6• baptt<.ed of htm in {ordan, confef!ing their fins, bath reference to this: if fo, then Chri!l: havmg no fins ro confefsof his own, the renour of his Prayer muft needs be to fome O• rher purpofe : Bur to what purpofe? fame fay , to the fame purpofe as his Prayers were ufl!ally; as rn /ohn 17. that hu F.fther would pre{erve his Ch~<rch in Vnity and Trmh; andthathewo~tldglorifiehuChurch, th.<tthey alfo might be one, even,t-t he anJ. hu Father are one ; and ejpecially that many might be converted by hi< M inijlry, which he w.u now begmmng. Orhers think that this Prayer at this time, was for that which follow~d upon Iusvery Prayer, (i.) thflt the h•ly Ghojl might defcrnd, and that the Fa· ther wo~tld glorifie rh~ Son by a 7ej/imony from heAven: Indee<:! the Text harh laid his Prayer, aod rhe opemng of .the heavens fo clofe together, as :tm it feems to point our what was rhe Tenour of hts Prayer, by the confequent of tt. B:fore rhe Heaven Z r - · was
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=