I. I will produce the teftimony which John bare of Jesus Christ.

When John baptized the people, he exhorted them at the fame time to believe in one who should come after him, whose fervant or disciple he was not worthy to be: he told them that this person should baptize them with the holy Ghost and with fire; which prediction was firft accomplished at Pentecoft, when Chrift fent the holy Ghost on his disciples.

When Jefus came to be baptized, John knew him, and declined to perform that office, alledging that it became not fo confiderable a person to receive baptism from him. After Chrift was baptized, the holy Ghost descended upon him, and God by a voice from heaven declared him to be his beloved Son. This John faw and teftified, and added that God had revealed to him that this was he who fhould baptize with the holy Ghost.

When the priests and Levites came to afk John who he was, he declared that he was not the Meffias, but his forerunner, and the person foretold by Ifaias; and he

told them that the Meffias was at hand, and would foon manifeft himself.

After this John took all opportunities of making Jefus known to his own difciples and to the Jews. He calls him the Lamb of God who taketh away the fins of the world: He says of him; This is he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me, for he was before me; that is, though he was born after me, and enters into his office after me, yet he is before me both in dignity and time.

Afterwards, when Jefus was baptizing the Jews by his disciples, and many reforted to him, the difciples of John, jealous of the honour of their master, complained to him that Jefus drew away the people to himself, and took upon him the office of baptizing them. Upon this John with great fincerity and modesty declared how much he was inferior to Chrift: he reminded them how often he had faid that he was not the Meffias, but his forerunner, he told them that his office would foon expire, and that Chrift, who then began to appear, fhould obfcure his glory, which was to him a caufe of joy, not of envy; he told them

that

that Chrift was the beloved Son of God, fent by him, and receiving from him the holy Spirit without measure, to refide upon him at all times, and to direct him in all things, that therefore whofoever believed on him should have everlasting life, and whosoever rejected him should not see life, but the wrath of God would abide upon him.

Thus is John the Baptist a witness of Christ, of his office and dignity; he calls Chrift the Son of God, and the redeemer of the world, he affirms that he had a being before he appeared on the earth, that he came from God to teach men the way to obtain eternal life; he afferts that he faw the Spirit descend upon him, and heard the voice from heaven which declared him the Son of God. He fays that God, who had sent him to baptize, had revealed to him that Jefus was the Meffias, having told him by what figns he might diftinguish and know him.

II. To shew what opinion we ought to entertain of John, I proceed to give some account of his life and character.

The circumstances attending his birth are related at large by St. Luke. I fhall not recite them at present, but only observe that from them it manifeftly appears that he was defigned by Providence for great purposes. All men, as we are told, were astonished at those things, and great expectations were raised concerning a child fo favoured of heaven.

One reason why his birth was accompanied with many extraordinary events, feems to have been this.

Our Lord hath given an illustrious teftimony to his merit. He fays that he was a burning and a shining light, that he was a prophet, and more than a prophet, that amongst those who were born of women there had not arifen a greater than he. Yet, great as he was, in this he was inferior to many of the prophets, and to the difciples of Chrift, that he wrought no miracles. This power was withholden from him, that the difference between the Meffias and his forerunner might manifeftly appear, and Chrift alone might poffefs that honour.

But

But that the Jews might not be tempted to entertain any prejudice against him, and to think him an inconfiderable person, because he wrought no miracles, other fingular marks of divine favour were beftowed him his coming was foretold by the ancient prophets, and his birth was promised by an Angel, at a time when his parents were ftricken in years; and other miraculous circumstances concurred to recommend him to the esteem of the people.

upon

He dwelt in the hill-country of Judæa, in a place remote from the refort and the corruption of the world, till he appeared in his ministry, and came near Jordan and Jerufalem, preaching the approach of the Meffias. His life was auftere and mortified, as his food and dress fhewed; he came neither eating nor drinking, as Jefus faid of him, upon which account some of the Pharifees, whom no behaviour could please, faid that he had a devil. He flattered not the Jews, he spake to them as one having authority, he rebuked them for their faults; he exhorted them to the exercise of piety towards God, of juftice and mercy in their

dealings