Luke hi. 21, 22. Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened ; and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, ichich said, Thou art my beloved Son ; in thee I am well pleased.
IN every part of our Lord's history, from his first entrance into the world to his dissolution upon the cross, we observe an astonishing combination of the most opposite events : we see the majesty of heaven degraded to the lowest depths of humiliation ; and the meanest of mankind, who was "a worm, and no man, the very scorn of men, and the outcast of the people," exalted to the highest honours that Heaven
itself could confer upon him. Observe the circum- stance of his birth : what can we conceive more degrading than for the Saviour of the world to be born in a stable, and to be laid in a manger ? Yet, to counterbalance this, angels were sent to announce his advent, and a star to point out to the inquiring Magi the place of his nativity. Thus it was also at his baptism. The ordinance of baptism was intended to intimate the need which we have to be washed from our sins : Jesus, therefore, could not submit to baptism without acknowledging, in appearance, that he was a sinner, like unto us : nevertheless, for wise and gracious reasons, he insisted that that rite should be administered to him. But whatever ignominy might attach to him on this account, the offence was completely rolled away by the interposition of his God and Father, who on that occasion bore testimony to him by an audible voice from heaven, and by a visible descent of the Holy Ghost upon him. These are the two subjects for our present consideration. We notice,
I. The visible descent of the Holy Ghost upon him —
There are many things relative to the descent of the
Spirit upon Jesus, which are worthy of observation —
1. The time of it was remarkable — [Jesus had just conformed to God's ordinance of baptism. Though he had no need of baptism, (not having any sin to wash away,) yet, as it was a rite instituted by God for the introducing of men into the Messiah's kingdom, he judged it expedient to comply with it himself, that he might "fulfill all righteousness" in his own person, and he in all things a pattern to his followers. This was well pleasing to God, who cannot but be interested in the observance of his own ordinances. And the conferring of so distinguished an honour upon Jesus on that occasion clearly shews, that " God will honour those who honour him;" and that in a reverential attendance on the instituted means of grace, we may expect blessings which we shall in vain hope for in the neglect of thema.
He was, moreover, actually engaged in prayer. On three
a Those who absent themselves from the House of God under the idea that they can spend their time more profitably at home, and those who stay away from the Lord's table under an apprehension of their unworthiness to go to it, would do well to consider this.