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SECTION XVIII.

Commencement of the Ministry of John the Baptist. MATT. iii. 1-13. MARK i. 2-9. LUKE iii. 1–19. Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Cæsar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judæa, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituræa and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias, the tetrarch of Abilene, Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judæa. John did baptize in the wilderness. And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance and reform* for the remission of sins, and saying, Repent ye and reform: for the kingdom of heaven is approaching. As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee: for this is he who was spoken of by the prophet: as it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled up, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his food was locust berries and wild honey. And there went out unto him all the land of Judæa, and they of Jerusalem, and all the region round about Jordan, and were all baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Saducees come to his baptism, he said unto them and the multitude that came forth to be baptized by him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits answerable to repentance and

*The Greek word signifies change of mind, including repentance and reform.

reform: and be not so minded as to say within yourselves, We have Abraham for our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Ábraham. And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath food, let him do likewise. Then came also the taxers to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.

And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ or not; John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you-and have baptized you with water unto repentance, but there cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose: whose shoes I am not worthy to bear he shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit, and with fire whose winnow is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purify his granary, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people.

SECTION XIX.

The Baptism of Christ.

MATT. iii. 13 to the end. MARK i. 9, 10, 11. LUKE iii. 21, 22, and part of 23.

And it came to pass in those days, when all the people were baptized, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, to Jordan unto John, to be baptized by him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized by thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus an

swering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him: and [he] was baptized by John in Jordan. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and immediately coming up out of the water; and praying, lo! the heaven was opened, and he saw the heavens opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, in a bodily shape, like a dove, and lighting upon him: and lo! there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And Jesus himself was about thirty years of age when he thus commenced his ministry.

SECTION XX.

The Temptation of Christ.

MATT. iv. 1-11. MARK iv. 12, 13. LUKE. iv. 1-13.

And Jesus being full of the Holy Spirit returned from Jordan: and was led by the Spirit into the solitude. And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the solitude, being afterwards tempted by the devil; and he was there in the solitude forty days, tempted of Satan; being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, and they were ended, he afterwards hungered and when the tempter_came to him, the devil said to him, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made loaves. Command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every divine thing, that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, Jerusalem, and setteth him on a portico of the temple. And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence : for it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, concerning thee, to keep thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. And Jesus answering said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord

thy God [presumptuously]. Again the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the empire, and the glory of them; in a short space of time. And the devil said unto him, All these things will I give thee, and the glory of them-all this power will I give thee: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, if thou wilt fall down and worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee hence, get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him for a season. And [he] was with the wild animals; and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

PART II.

From the Temptation of Christ, to the commencement of his more Public Ministry after the Imprisonment of John.

SECTION XXI.

Further testimony of John the Baptist to the Priests.

JOHN i. 19-35.

And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent. priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? Thus he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet (Jeremiah)? And he answered, No. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? He said, Mine is the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. And they who were sent

were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ,, nor Elias, neither that prophet? John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; he it is, who coming after me is preferred above me, whose shoe's latchet am not worthy to unloose. These things were done at Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.

John's testimony concerning Jesus.

The next day John_seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sinfulness of the world! This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man who is above me: for he was before me. And not only I knew him: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. And John bore record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And not only I knew him: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he who baptizeth with the Holy Spirit. And I saw, and bore record that this is the Son of God.*

SECTION XXII.

Christ obtains his first Disciples, John, Andrew, Simon, Philip, and Nathaniel, or Bartholomew.

JOHN i. 35, to the end.

Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples [John and Andrew]; and looking upon Jesus as

*It is highly probable that John the Baptist knew Jesus, and was aware that he was the true Messiah many years previous to his baptism. Their relationship as cousins facilitated their intercourse, and their annual visits to Jerusalem at the Passover and other feasts brought them to the same places at the same times. As John was the greatest of the Prophets, the heaven-appointed Messenger of Christ, it is most unlikely that he lived in ignorance of Jesus till so late a period. Surely his

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