Reflections on the Temptation of CHRIST. 125 clude, that he did not expect it; but mad with Rage and Defpair, SECT. 19. he was determined, at least to worry that Lamb of GOD, which he knew he could not devour; and to vex, with his hellish Suggestions, that innocent and holy Soul, which he knew he could never feduce. Wretched Degeneracy! How art thou fallen, O Lucifer, Son of the Morning! to be thus eagerly driving on thine own Repulse and Difgrace! But, on the other Hand, how highly are we obliged to our great Deliverer, who hath brought forth Meat out of the Eater, and Sweetness out of the Strong? Who can fufficiently adore thy Condefcenfion, O blessed Jefus, who wouldft permit thyself to be thus affaulted, and led from Place to Place, by an Infernal Spirit, whom thou couldst in a Moment have remanded back to Hell, to be bound in Chains of Darkness, and overwhelmed with flaming Ruin! The Apoftle tells us, why he permitted this: It was, that having himself fuffered, being tempted, he might, by this Experience that he had, of Satan's Subtilty, and of the Strength of his Temptations, contract an additional Tenderness, and be the more inclined, as well as better able, to fuccour us, when we are tempted. (Heb. ii. 18.) Let this imbolden us to come unto the Throne of Grace, to obtain Mercy,, and find Grace to help in Time of Need. (Heb. iv. 16.) Ver. 5,8% Ver. 3. Let us remember, and imitate the Conduct of the great Captain of our Salvation; and like him, let us learn to refift Satan, that he may flee from us. Like Chrift, let us maintain fuch an humble. Dependance on the Divine Bleffing, as never to venture out of the Way of it, be the Neceffity ever fo urgent: Nor let us ever expofe Ver. 6. ourselves to unneceffary Danger, in Expectation of extraordinary Deliverance. Like him, let us learn to overcome the World, and to Ver. 8, 9.despise all its Pomps and Vanities, when offered at the Price of our Innocence. To furnish us for fuch a Combat, let us take the Sword of the Spi-Ver. 4, 7,10.. rit, which is the Word of GOD. Let us not only make ourselves familiarly acquainted with the Words of Scripture, but let us ftudy to enter into the true Design and Meaning of it; that fo, if Satan fhould attempt to draw his Artillery from thence, we may be able to guard Ver. 6.. against that most dangerous Stratagem, and to answer perverted Paffages of Holy Writ, by others more juftly applied. Once more; When the Suggestions of Satan grow moft horrible, let us not conclude, that we are utterly abandoned by GoD, because Ver. 9,. we are proved by fuch a Trial; fince Chrift himself was tempted, even to worship the Infernal Tyrant. But in fuch Cafes, let us refo lutely. 126 The Jews enquire into the Character of John, SECT. 19.lutely repel the Solicitation, rather than parley with it, and fay in Imitation of our Lord's Example, and with a Dependance on his Ver. 10. Grace, Get thee behind me, Satan. Ver.II. If our Conflict be thus maintained, the Struggle will e'er long be over; and Angels, who are now the Spectators of the Combat, will at length congratulate our Victory. SECT. XX. John the Baptist being examined by the great Men among the Jews, acknowledges that he was not the Chrift, and refers them to one among them, whom he confeffes to be vaftly his Superiour. John I. 19,--28. JOHN I. 19. SECT. 20. WE have already taken Notice of the honourable Teftimonies, that were John I. 19. given by John in a more general Way to the Meffiah, in his Difcourfes to the People, before Jefus was baptized. We fhall proceed to others that were more particular, which followed after that Event; and this that we fhall now produce, is the Teftimony of John, when the Sanhedrim, or grand Council of the Jews at Jerufalem, fent fome, who were reckoned among the most venerable and holy Men of their Nation, even fome of the Priests and Levites, to enquire of him, faying, Tell us plainly, who art thou, that drawest such a Croud of People after thee, and pretendest to fomething fo uncommon? 20 And John, according to the natural Plainness of his Temper, presently replied to their Enquiry; and with the utmost Freedom, be moft readily acknowledged, and did not at all affect, who expressly tells them, he was not the Meffiah. denied not; but confeffed, I am not the Christ. 21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he faith, I am not. Art thou that Prophet? And he answered, No. 127 affect, either to deny, or to disguise his real SECT. 20. And upon this, they farther asked him, 21 Now (a) Solemnly protefted.] The Word wuononser is the fame, which is rendered acknowledged in the former Claufe; but being thus repeated, its Signification feems to be heightened, efpecially by its Oppofition to se npunoato, he denied not. (b) Art thou the celebrated Elijah ?] It is plain by this Queftion, that they were Strangers to the Parentage of John the Baptift. And with Regard to the Reply he makes to this Enquiry, there is no Scruple to be made, but that the Baptift might justly deny that he was Elijah, as he indeed was not that Prophet, though he came in his Spirit. See Luke i. 17. pag. 16. (c) Art thou a Prophet of the former Generation raised from the Dead?] It is neceffary that this Question fhould be understood with fuch a Limitation, because John the Baptift was really a very illuftrious Prophet, as we may plainly fee from what is faid by Christ himfelt, Matth. xi. 9. And this Interpretation (which is largely vindicated by Caftalio,) feems much preferable to that of Theophylact, and Erafmus, who becaufe of the Article, o pognrns, would render it as we do, that Prophet; concluding without any Proof, that the Jews understood Deut. xviii. 18. not of the Meffiah himself, but of fome Prophet of confiderable Note, who was to introduce him: And Grotius has fuppofed the Question that they offer, to refer to Jeremiah, of whofe Return to Life, there was a mighty Rumour, that prevailed among the Jews. (Compare Matth. xvi. 14.) But I can fee no Reason to reftrain it to a particular Prophet; and fince (as Limborch well obferves in his Difpute with Orobio the few,) that Text in Deuteronomy was the cleareft and strongest in all the Mofaic Writings, to inforce the Neceffity of fubmitting to the Meffiah, it is probable John would have corrected fo great a Miftake, if they had put the Question to him upon this Prefumption. The best French Verfions render it as I have done; and indeed it feems to me, that the Word Prophet in the Evangelifts, generally fignifies one of thofe holy Men, who were the Mef 128 SECT. 20. John J. 22. He is the Voice of one crying in the Wilderness, Now as it only was in Negatives that he 24 25 ay Now the Meffengers that came on this Errand, were of the Sect of the Pharifees; who, as on the one Hand they profeffed a great Regard for the Prophets, and believed their Existence in a future State, fo on the other Hand they ftrenuously opposed any Innovations in Religion, which were not warranted by the Tradition of the Elders. And therefore, upon hearing this Account that John the Baptift gave them of himself, they afked him again, and faid unto him with fome Warmth, 22 Then faid they unto him, Who art thou? that 23 He faid, I am the Voice of one crying in the Wilderness, Make straight faid the Prophet Efaias. the Way of the Lord; as 24 And they which were fent, were of the Pharifees: Meffengers of GOD to Ifrael of old; which especially appears from Mark vi. 15. where to be a Prophet, and to be as one of the Prophets, are fpoken of as diftinct, which they could not be, but on this Interpretation: And if the alternative n be left out, and it be read, as it is in fome Manufcripts, and printed Copies, He is a Prophet like one of the Prophets, there will be a Foundation for the fame Remark, and one of Prophets muft fignify, one of the antient Prophets. of the (d) I am the Voice of one crying in the Wilderness.] The late Archbishop of Cambray beautifully illuftrates the Humility of this Reply, as if this illuftrious Prophet had faid, "Far from being the Meffiah, or Elias, or one of the Old Prophets, I am no"thing but a Voice; a Sound, that as foon as it has expreffed the Thought of which "it is the Sign, dies into Air, and is known no more." See Fenel. Oeuvres Philof Vol. ii pag. 193. (e) Why and refers them to Jesus as vaftly his Superiour. 129 And John anfwered them, by repeating 26 (e) Why then doft thou take upon thee, thus to baptize?] It is not to be certainly determined from this Text, whether the Baptifm of Profelytes was then in Use among the Jews, or not. The Words indeed will make a very strong and well adapted Senfe, fhould they be understood, as if it had been faid, Why is it then that thou dost institute fuch a New Rite as this? But furely too they will be very proper in the other Senfe, if we should take them to imply, Why is it then that thou doft take upon thee, without any Commiffion from the Sanhedrim, to adminifter Baptifm? and that, not only (as is ufual,) unto those, who before this were Heathens, but even to the Jews? And this (for Reafons, which it would not be proper here to enter upon at large,) I take to be the more probable Sense, and fo fuppofe John's Ufe of this Ceremony in fuch a Manner, to be a strong Intimation, that Jews, as well as Gentiles, must become Profelytes to the New Difpenfation, that was then opening to the World; and howfoever holy they imagined themselves to be, yet they all food in abfolute Need of being washed from their Sins; as he before had moft emphatically declared, Mat. iii. 8,9. pag. 103. VOL. I. R |