Chap.~ .S~cr. 3 373 As 1 • That by this fyrnbole he might enter himfelfe into the fociety of Ch~ifiia~s ; J ufi like a King, that to indeare himfelfe to any City ofhts fubj e<.'h, he_condefcends _to be made a free-rna~ of that City. 2. That he mtgl:t beare _wttndfe to the pre~chtng and baptifme of John, and mtght reetprocally rece1ve a tdbmony from 'fohn. 3. That by his own bapttfme, he might fanctifie the water of baptifme to his own Church. 4· That he might give an example htmfelfc of the yerform~nce o~ that, which he enjoyned others. 5. That he mtght recetve tdhm~ny from hea~ ven that he was the Sonne ofGod. 6. That he mtghtftd.fill all righteoP~fneffe: not u~ly the moral,but the figurat!ve, cercm~ni~l and typical: Some thmk that the ceremony,to whtch our Savwur looked ar in thefe words, was thewalhing of the Priefis in water, when they entred into their function, And Aaron, .and hisfomaes Exod. 29 . 4; thou jh,1ft bring to the doore of the Tabernacle of the congregation, Levit, 8, 6, and {hPI!t wajh them with w11tcr. And furely this was the maine reafon of Chriils being baptized, that by this baptifme he might be inflalled into his minifierial office. 2. How did 'fohn know him to be Chrifl? it is very probable he had never feen his face before; they had in their infancy been driven tofeveral places, and they were defigned to feveral employments, and never met (as we may well conceive) till now; , befides the Baptifl fpe,aks cxpreffely, I kzzew him not, b~tt he that John 1 : 33 • fent me to bapti:(.e with 'water' the fllme [aid unto me, on whom foever thou jh11lt fee the Spirit deftending, and abiding on him, the {t~me is hr thllt bapti:(.eth with the holy Ghofl; now this defcent of the holy Ghofl, was not till after baptifme; h~w then did he know'him to . beChriil? The anfwer is given by fomc, thus, that [ohn knew Chriffin fo1.11e meafure before his baptifme, but he knew him not fo fully · as after, when the holy Ghoil: had defcended on him. Others . thus; that John knew Chriil: before his baptifme, by a prefent revelation, and afccr bap ti fme by a prefent figne, it isnotunlikely but J9hn knew Cbnfr at hts firfr arrival by revelation, for ifwhiles , he was in his Moth~rs womb he knew (hrifi being yet unborne; how much more m1ght he know, and acknowledge him now at his baptifi?e? Thus Samuel knew Saul, and thus John might know Cl,l·L{t But for that'knowledge he had after baptifme, it was afurther confirmation of tha~ fame knowledge that be had . befos;e ·
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