Zeſus faith unto him , Suffer it now to be ſv. The Queſtion is nor , Whether rhou cr 1 be more Excellent ? Ir is thy Dury to Baptize , for my Father hath ſent thee to Baptize: Ir is my Plea- {ure and Duty co be Obedicnt co my Father, whoſe Will 1 know, tho ir be hidden trom thee. Bupriſm is a new Law of the Golpel-Church ; of which, tho'I be the Head, yer I muſt be con- tormed to the Members of ir; concerning which , my Father's Will 1s, Thar they thould be Byptized with Water, as well as with the Holy Ghost : Beſides thar, I am co pur an end to the Jewith Typical Circumciſion, and to pur a new Face upon the Church, by Inſtiruting another Sacrament ot Initiation. Ic is rheretore borh ju$ and equal char T ſhould be Baptized, ( tho? nor for thoſe Ends tor which ochers, thac are my Members, are Eapcized ; nor for Remifſion of Sins, bur ) for the fulfuling of all Righteoujneſe, in obeying my Father's Will. { $9 he ſuffered him.] Ke that errech rhrough Ignorance,will corrett his Error upon becter Information. We may learn from this Example of Chriſt, That being B.prized with the Holy Gho# , will excuſe nene for cmten:pt or neelect of Baptiſm by Water, becauſe it is the revealed Will of God, that all the Members of his Church ſhould c:me under char Ordinance ; fo as there is -a fulfilling of Righteouſneſs in yur Cate » as well as in Chriſt's, tho* in a difterent meaſure. ;
16 And Jeſus, when he was baptized, went up ſtraight-way out of the water : and lothe heavens were opened unto him, and he ſaw * the Spirit of God de- , ſcending like a Dove, and lighting upon him.
17 Andlo, a voice from Heaven, ſaying, * This is 33- my beloved Son, in whom I am well plealcd.
This Story is alfo related by Mar. x. 10, 11. and by Luk, 3. 21. Luke faich, that Jeſus praying, the heavens were opened : Mark laith, &
great Lizhening, when che Air ſeemeth to divide , to make the fuller and clearer way for the Light, [unto him \ that is, unto Join, | And he ſaw the Spirit of God deſcending lhe a Dove, and lizhting upon him. | The Spiric of God is an invitible Subſtance, and cannor be ſeen by Humane Eyes; but the Shape aflumed by any Perſon of the Trinity may be ſeen , whether ic was 2 Dove, or only the appearance of a Dove, is lirtle material for us co know. Ir was certainly one or the other ; nor could any Repreſentation at this time be more fir, cicher to let the World know the Dove-like Nature of Chriſt , I/z. 42.2. or what ſhould be the Temper of all thoſe who receive the ſame Spiric, tho' by Meaſure, and are by it taught ro be innocent as Does ,, not thar Chriſt had nor received the Spiric before , bur that his receiving of it might be notified to others. This Dove, or ap- pearance ot a Dote, lighred upon Chriſt ; thereby ſhewins tor whoſe lake this Apparition was. Chriſt was nor confirmed only ro be the Son of God by this Appearance of che ly Spirit, in the form of a Dove, and lighting upon him; bur alto by a Voice trom the Excellent Glory, faich Peter, 2 Pet. 1.17, God forming a Voice 1n the Air, which tpake , ſaying, This 3s my beloved Son, in whom T am well pleaſed. The word fignifieth, a dearly beloved Son, The ſame Voice was repeated ar Chriſt's Transj12uration, Matth. 17. 5. Peter from ir concludes the Ccreainty of the Faith of the Goſpel, in the afore-mentioned Text, { In whom I am well pleaſed. ] The word ſignifierh a ſpecial and fingular Complacency and Sarisfattion : I am pleaſed in his Perfon, according to thar,
_ Prov. 8. 30. I am well pleaſed in his Undertaking, in all char he
ſhall do and ſuffer in the Accompliſhmenc of the Redemption of Man : We are made nccepted in the Beloved, Eph. 1. 6. This Text, (as is generally obferved ) is a clear Proof of the Trinity of Per- /ons, or Subſiſtences in the one Divine Being”: Kere was the K+ ther Speaking trom Heaven ; the $1 Baptized, and come out of the Water; the Aly Gh: Deſcending in the form or ſhape of a Dove,
CHAP
Chrit Faſting in the Wilderneſs Forty Days, is Tempted thrice by $a- tan, I—1o. The Devil leaveth him , and the 4ngels miniſter to him, x1. He dwelleth at Capernaum , and beginneth to Preaco, 12—17. Calleth Peter and Andrew , 18—20. James and John, 21,22. Preacheth the Goſpel, and Healeth all Diſeaſes in Gali- lee, 2325,
I Hen was Jeſus led up of the Spirit into the Wilderneſs, to he tempted of the Devil.
This is mentioned by two of che other Evangeliſts, 2ar. 1. 12. and Luk. 4. 1. Luke laith, that being full of the Holy Ghost , he returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit, &c. Mark faith, immediately the Spirit drove him : Great Maniteſtations of Divine Love, are commonly tollowed with great Temptations. Others obſerve, That Temptations uſually follow Baptiſm, the Be;innings of Spiricual Lite , and Covenants made with God. [ He was led up; ] ſome think he was raken up; Mark uſerh the word 2, /aa- ace , the Spirir thruif him out 5 we muſt not underitand an AR of Compulſiom ; doubtleſs he went voluntarily. [| Of the Spt- rit : ] The Mbly Spirit, tha lighted upon him, as a Dove into the Wilderneſs. Mark's ſaying , Mar. 1. 13. that he was there with wild Beaſts, lets us know thar it was not fuch a Wildernefs as Fohn began to Preach in, chap. 3. 1. but an howling Wildernejs, full of wild Beaſts, TheEnd is expreſſed in the laſt words, [ To be tempted of the Devil.) Thus his Temprarions are diſtin-
; Sr. 1 : 14 Y Os 4, 4,
-& . fir a time; knowing that Chriſt was already Baptized with |
Suiſhed from Divine Temptations, luch as Abraham had, Gen. 22. 1. &S 2 And
Chap. IV.
Ifa. 11.2, Joh. 1.32,
* Pal. 2.7, Iſa. 41. 2. Ch. 12.18,
cloven aſunder, Ir 1s moſt probable, that the opening of the Hea- -37-i vens mentioned (tho' poſſibly far more Glorious) bear a propor- Col. 1.13. tion to that opening of the Heavens, which we often ſee in a time of © ©
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