."
 
 CONSIDERATIONS 
 
 ON THE 
 
 LIFE AND DEATH 
 
 O F 
 
 ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST.
 
 . 
 
 V
 
 ON THE 
 
 LIFE AND DEATH 
 
 O F 
 
 ST. JOHN the BAPTIST. 
 
 BY GEORGE HORNE, D.D. 
 
 PRESIDENT OF MAGDALEN COLLEGE 
 IN OXFORD. 
 
 OXFORD, 
 
 PRINTED AT THE CLARENDON-PRESS, 
 
 For S. PARKER, in Oxford; Sold by J. and F. RIVINCTOK 
 in St. Paul's Church -Yard, and T. CADELL (Succcflbr to 
 Mr Millar) in the Strand, London. M DCC LXIX.
 
 Imprimatur, 
 
 N. WETHERELL, 
 
 Vice-Can. OXON. 
 
 Jan. 5. 1769.
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 IT is a fine remark of Lord Bacon, 
 . 
 that, " As wines, which, at firft 
 
 " preffing, run gently, yield a more 
 " pleafant tafte than thofe, where the 
 " wine-prefs is hard wrought, becaufe 
 cc thofe fomewhat relifh of the ftone 
 and skin of the grape ; fo thofe ob- 
 " fervations are moft wholefome and 
 " fweet, which flow from Scriptures 
 " gently exprefled, and naturally ex- 
 u pounded, and are not wrefted or 
 " drawn afide to common places, or 
 " controverfies." 
 
 b OBSSR- 
 
 2000834
 
 11 
 
 PR E FACE. 
 
 OBSERVATIONS of this kind may 
 certainly be made, to great advantage, 
 on hiftorical portions of Scripture more 
 efpecially ; fince, as the fame incom- 
 parable author tells us elfe where, 
 " Knowlege drawn frefhly, and as it 
 " were in our view, out of particulars, 
 " knows the way beft to particulars 
 " again : and it hath much greater life 
 <c for practice, when the difcourfe at- 
 " tends upon the example, than- when 
 " the example attends upon the dif- 
 " courfe ; as Machiavel handled mat- 
 ters of policy and government, by 
 " difcourfes of hiftory and example 
 u taken frpm Livy" The doftrines 
 and duties of Chriftianity are, in like 
 manner, beft deduced from the fadl& 
 on which it is founded. The narration 
 furniflieth both matter and method for 
 the difcourfe, which is heard with 
 pleafure, and remembered with eafe. 
 
 HISTORY
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 in 
 
 HISTORY and biography are fre- 
 quently employed in the fervice of er- 
 ror and vice. They may operate as ef- 
 fedtually in the recommendation of 
 truth and virtue. Example fhews truth 
 as it were embodied ; and while it 
 difplays the excellency of virtue, de 
 monftrates its practicability. The con- 
 templation of faith, as it difcovereth 
 itfelf in the lives of patriarchs and 
 prophets, apoftles and faints, inclineth 
 us to believe as they did ; and the fight 
 of frail mortals, like ourfelves, who, 
 by the divine affiftance, furmounted 
 all obftructions, and continued to walk 
 in the paths of righteoufnefs, naturally 
 fuggefteth, to every beholder, the 
 queftion What fhould hinder me 
 from doing the fame ? 
 
 OPPORTUNITIES for fuch exercifes 
 are continually afforded by the return 
 
 f thofe days, whereon we commemo- 
 * jrn^rci 
 
 b 2 rate
 
 iv PR E FA C E. 
 
 rate the heroic piety of ancient wor- 
 thies, diftinguiftied in the annals of 
 religion ; whofe ftory prefenteth us 
 with occurrences, not, like thofe re- 
 lated in fecular hi (lories, of ufe only 
 to politicians and generals, but uni- 
 verfally interesting ; inftructing us in 
 the art of governing the little king- 
 dom within ; of atchieving the great- 
 eft conquefts, and gaining the moft 
 glorious victories ; fince c< Better is he 
 " that ruleth his fpirit, than he that 
 " taketh a city ;" teaching us how to 
 live the life, and die the death of the 
 righteous ; a twofold task, which every 
 man hath upon his hands, and in the 
 performance of which he cannot fail, 
 but at the hazard of fomething more 
 valuable than crowns and fceptres. 
 
 TH E author of the following Con- 
 ^derations was directed, in the choice, 
 
 of
 
 of his fubjecl:, by the circumftances of 
 his (ituation, fome parts of them having 
 been delivered from the pulpit, as oc- 
 cafion called for them, in the chapel 
 of St. Mary Magdalen College, upon 
 the anniverfary of the nativity of St. 
 yohn the Baptift, before a learned and 
 mod refpe&able audience. The fa- 
 vourable manner, in which they were 
 then heard, hath encouraged him to 
 revife, enlarge, and digeft them into 
 their prefent form. The reader hath 
 now before him a compleat hiftory of 
 the Baptift, extracted from the Evan- 
 
 JL * 
 
 gelifts, and methodized according to 
 the order of time, in which the events 
 appear to have happened, with fuch 
 obfervations and reflections as the feve- 
 ral parts of it feemed to fuggeft, for the 
 confirmation of faith, and the advance- 
 ment of holinefs. 
 
 AN
 
 vi PREFACE. 
 
 AN attentive perufal of the fubfe- 
 quent pages may, it is hoped, be of 
 fervice to the younger ftudents in 
 theology, with a view to whdm> and 
 to thofe more particularly of the So- 
 ciety, whofe welfare and prbfperity 
 the author is bound by every tie to 
 confult and promote, as they were at 
 firft compofed, fo they are now ptib- 
 lifhed ; that, beholding the glories 
 which difplay themfelves in the exalted 
 charader here offered to their ififpec- 
 tion, they may be fired with a noble 
 ambition to bear their teftimony to the 
 beft of matters, and, from a well fpent 
 retirement, come forth bright examples 
 of temperance and purity, zeal and 
 knowlege, integrity and conftancy, to 
 preach Repentance, and proclaim Sal- 
 vation. 
 
 CON-
 
 B vrA 
 rnsup 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 . 
 
 SECTION I. 
 
 INSIDERdflONS on the nativity 
 of Sf. John, and the circumftances that 
 attended' it* Page I. 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 ' 
 
 Conjiderations on the hymn of Zacharia's. 18.. 
 SECTION 
 
 V 1 
 
 f 
 
 G&nfiderations on Sf. John'j education in 
 the defarts. * 
 
 SECTION IV. 
 
 Conjiderations on the prophecies relative to 
 St. John in the Old 'fejiamnt. 57. 
 
 n ni 
 
 SEC-
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 SECTION V. 
 
 Conjideratlons on the appearance, doftrine, 
 and baptifm of St. John. Page 74 
 
 SECTION VI. 
 
 i 
 
 Confederations on the tejlimony born by St. 
 John, at different times, to the MeJJiah- 
 Jlrip of Jefus. 101. 
 
 SECTION VII. 
 
 Confederations on the imprifonment of St. 
 John, the meffage fent by him to Chrife, 
 and the anfiver returned to it. 1 18. 
 
 SECTION VIII. 
 
 Confederations on the circumftances of St. 
 John's Death. 134.
 
 CONSIDERATIONS 
 
 ON THE 
 LIFE AND DEATH 
 
 O F 
 
 ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST. 
 
 
 
 SECTION I. 
 
 Conjiderations on the nativity of St. John, 
 and the circumjlances that attended it. 
 
 THE lights of the intellectual, SECT. I. 
 like thofe of the natural fyftem, 
 are not all of equal magnitude 
 and luftre. In the church, as in the 
 firmament, " one ftar differeth from 
 A ano-
 
 2 Confiderations on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT. i. (t another flar in glory." Each contri- 
 buteth it's mare towards difiipating the 
 darknefs with which we are furrounded ; 
 but fome, by their fuperior fplendor, 
 immediately attract and dazzle the eye 
 of the beholder. Confpicuous, above 
 others, is the character of St. John the 
 Baptift, that bright precurfor of the 
 fun, and harbinger of the morning, who 
 arofe to give notice of Mefliah's approach, 
 and to prepare the world for his recep- 
 tion : burning, and mining, he ran his 
 courfe, proclaiming to the inhabitants 
 of the earth, " Repent, for the kingdom 
 " of heaven is at hand;" in other words, 
 " The night is far fpent, the day is at 
 " hand ; caft off therefore the works 
 " of darknefs, and put on the armour 
 of light a . Awake, thou that fleep- 
 " eft, and arife from the dead, and 
 " Chrift mall give thee light b ." 
 
 PRAISE is ever valuable in propor- 
 tion to the judgment and integrity of 
 him who beftoweth it ; and the pane- 
 gyric is truly honourable, when the pa- 
 negyrift is one who will not flatter, and 
 
 * Xtm. xiii. 12^ 
 , b Epncf. v. 14. 
 
 who
 
 of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 3 
 
 y*s 
 who cannot be deceived. How then mall SECT. i. 
 
 we raife our thoughts to conceive ade- ^ 
 quately of a perfon, whofe encomium 
 was fpoken by the Son of God, and 
 concerning whom that Son of God de- 
 clared, " Among them that are born of 
 " women there hath not arifen a greater 
 " than John the Baptift V After this 
 declaration made by the matter, the 
 difciples cannot well be hyperbolical in 
 their praifes of St. yohn, as the great 
 pattern of repentance ; the relation of 
 Chrifl j the friend of the bridegroom ; 
 the herald of the king immortal -, the 
 glory of faints, and the joy of the world. 
 IT is obfervable, that the Baptift's 
 nativity is the only one (that of Chrift 
 excepted) which the church has thought 
 proper to celebrate. The days appointed 
 for the commemoration of other faints 
 are generally thofe on which they re- 
 fpectively ceafed from their labours, and 
 entered into their everlafting reft ; the 
 day of a good man's death being indeed 
 the day of his birth, and this world no 
 more than the womb in which he is 
 formed and matured for his admifiion 
 
 a Matt. xi. ii. 
 
 A 2 into
 
 4 Confederations on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT. T. into a better, where there is neither 
 crying nor pain. But the nativity of St. 
 John being defigned, by the remarkable 
 incidents that accompanied it, to turn 
 the eyes of men towards one who was far 
 greater j one, the latchet of whofe (hoes 
 he confeffed himfelf not worthy to un- 
 loofe ; the church keeps a day facred to 
 it, and directs us to begin our medita- 
 tions by confidering, as all Judea did 
 when it happened, " what manner of 
 child a " that mould be, which was fo 
 wonderfully born. 
 
 H E whofe works are all wrought in 
 number, weight, and meafure, bring- 
 eth every event to pafs in it's proper 
 feafon. The time approached which had 
 been decreed in the counfels of the 
 Moft High, foretold by the Prophets, 
 and ardently defired by holy men of 
 old, when the Son of God mould be 
 manifelled, to redeem his people from 
 death, and to lead them in the path of 
 life. As this redemption was not to be 
 effected by flefhly might and power, the 
 fpiritual king of Ifrael chofe to make 
 his appearance, when the houfe of Da- 
 
 * Luke i. 66. 
 
 vid
 
 of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 5 
 
 vid was like a root buried in the earth j SECT, r, 
 and therefore his forerunner was born 
 " in the days of Herod the king * 5" 
 days, when his countrymen were under 
 a foreign jurifdi&ion, and the profpeft 
 on all fides was gloomy. True indeed 
 it is, that the facred lamp went not out 
 in the temple, where the good old Si- 
 meon and the devout Anna ferved God 
 inftantly with fallings and prayers, and 
 waited, as many others did, with ear- 
 neft expectation, for the confolation of 
 IfraeL They were not difcouraged by 
 the grofs darknefs which then covered 
 the earth, but rather concluded from 
 thence, that the dawn of day could not 
 be far off; as the mercies of heaven 
 generally come when man moil wants, 
 and, humanly fpeaking, has leaft ground 
 to hope for them ; to the end that he 
 may with thankfulnefs receive the be- 
 nefit, and with humility give God the 
 glory. And this may be an ufeful leflbn 
 to thofe who mall live in the latter days 
 of the Gentile church, which are to 
 precede the fecond advent of Chrift, 
 when they will behold the religion of 
 
 8 Luke i. 5. 
 
 Chriflians
 
 6 Confederations on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT. I. Chriftians degenerated into an empty 
 form, and their zeal and love frozen at 
 the fountain ; when daily multiplying 
 herefies, like the frogs in Egypt, mall 
 infeft and contaminate all things ; when 
 infidelity mail rage and fwell, and ini- 
 quity of every kind mall abound. Sights 
 like thefe may confound and ftagger 
 thofe who (hall then be ignorant of the 
 fcriptures, and weak in faith. But an 
 acquaintance with the divine difpenfa- 
 tions will turn them into fo many argu- 
 ments for the truth of revelation, and 
 the approach of the day of God. 
 " When thefe things begin to come to 
 " pafs j then look up, and lift up your 
 " heads, for your redemption draweth 
 " nigh a :" then be found, with Simeon 
 and Anna, in the temple, waiting for 
 the confolation of Ifrael. 
 
 WH E N we read of men who have 
 done good in their generations, and 
 fhone as lights in the world, curiofity 
 naturally leads us to enquire after their 
 connections and relations, and efpecially 
 after the happy perfons chofen to be the 
 inftruments of conveying fuch blefiings 
 
 a Luke xxi. 28. 
 
 to
 
 of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 
 to the church. The fcripture account SECT 
 
 m 
 
 of Zacharias and Elizabeth is concife, 
 but comprehenfive. He was " a prieft 
 of the courfe of Abia y " me was " of 
 " the daughters of Aaron" and " they 
 " were both righteous before God, 
 " walking in all the commandments 
 " and ordinances of the Lord, blame- 
 " lefs a . The courfe of Abia was the 
 eighth in order of the twenty four cour- 
 fes of priefts appointed to relieve each 
 other in the fervice of the temple, 
 where, during their miniftration, they 
 reiided in the chambers allotted them 
 for that purpofe ; that fo, being fequef- 
 tered from the cares and pollutions of 
 the world, they might " wait on the 
 " Lord without diffraction," perform- 
 ing the outward ceremonies of the law, 
 and exercifing their faith in the con- 
 templation of thofe heavenly things 
 fhadowed out by them. This holy office 
 Zacharias , in the worft of times, adorn- 
 ed and beautified with a correfpondent 
 holinefs of life. The fpirit of the fanc- 
 tuary refted upon him, and manifefted 
 itfelf in the fruit of righteoufnefs ; a 
 
 a Luke i. 5, 6. 
 
 righteouf-
 
 8 Cpitfiderattons on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT. I. righteoufnefs, which exceeded that of 
 ^ the Scribes and Pbarifees, approving it- 
 felf in the fight of God, to whom are 
 known the fecrets of the heart, as well 
 as in that of men, who are witneffes 
 only of the external deportment. Thro* 
 the flrength of this fpirit, he walked 
 in the path of an uniform obedience, 
 an invariable obferver of thofe ordinan- 
 ces which were at that time the facra- 
 mental means and pledges of pardon and 
 acceptance, through faith in him, of 
 whofe advent he was a devout expectant. 
 From fuch a father, and a mother wor- 
 thy of him, who graced the line of 
 Aaron by a like inviolable fandlity of 
 manners, was the Baptifl to defcend ; 
 that the Jews might have no pofiible 
 objection againft him j that he might 
 be a proper forerunner of one who was 
 to make all the world in love with the 
 beauty of holinefs -, that it might ap- 
 pear wherein true nobility of birth con- 
 fifleth, 'viz. in a defcent from perfons 
 confecrated to the fervice of God, and 
 of an exemplary piety ; and laflly, to 
 allure us, that on the heads of thofe, 
 who to a holy profeflion add a holy life, 
 
 will,
 
 of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 9 
 
 will, fooner or later, defcend the choi- SECT. I. 
 ceft blefllngs which heaven hath to be- 
 flow on the fens of men. 
 
 BUT let not fuch be impatient, be- 
 caufe thofe bleffings are for a while de- 
 ferred. He, who fends them, beft 
 knows the proper time of fending them, 
 and often fees it neceflary, for many 
 reafons, to exercife the faith and patience 
 of his fervants, who may always reft 
 fatisfied, that in due feafon he will bring 
 every thing to pafs, which will con- 
 duce to their true welfare. The fcrip- 
 ture, having witnefled of Zacharias and 
 Elizabeth, that " they were both right- 
 " eous before God, walking in all the 
 " commandments and ordinances of the 
 " Lord blamelefs," proceedeth, in the 
 very next words, to inform us, that 
 " they had no child, becaufe that Eli- 
 " zabeth was barren, and they were both 
 ' will flricken in years V They who 
 ftand higheft in the favour of God, may, 
 therefore, during the greateft part of 
 their lives, want the external and vifible 
 marks of it, and lie under the burden 
 
 a Luke i. 7, 
 
 B of
 
 i o Confederations on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT. I. of " reproach among men %" as was 
 the cafe of childlefs women in Judea. 
 But thefe two pious perfons, when their 
 condition, in this refpecT:, feemed def- 
 perate, were upon the eve of felicity. 
 For of parents at their time of life John 
 was to be born ; that fo the miraculous 
 manner of his birth might excite the 
 attention of mankind, and difpofe them 
 to liften to his voice, when it mould be 
 heard in the wildernefs ; and alfo, that 
 it might prepare them for that great 
 event which was taking place, as the 
 prophet IJalah had foretold ; " A vir- 
 " gin mail conceive, and bear a fon." 
 In circumftances parallel with thofe of 
 St. Jobn> were born, of old, Ifaac, and 
 Jofeph, and Samfon, and Samuel, all of 
 them illuftrious forerunners of Meffiah, 
 in one or other of his three characters, 
 prophetical, facerdotal, or regal. And 
 did not God intend, by fo often caufing 
 " the barren woman to keep houfe, and 
 " and to become a joyful mother of 
 " children," to make that power known, 
 by which the incarnation of the Re- 
 deemer and the fruitfulnefs of his church 
 
 * Luke i. 25. 
 
 were
 
 of St. JOHN f/je BAPTIST, n 
 
 were to be effected in the latter days, SECT. r. 
 
 when, according to St. Paul, the pro- ^ x ^^ 
 
 phetical injunction of Ifaiab was obeyed, 
 
 " Sing, O barren, thou that didft not 
 
 " bear ; break forth into linging, and 
 
 " cry aloud, thou that didft not travel 
 
 " with child 8 !" 
 
 HE who is employed in difcharging 
 with fidelity the duties of his calling, 
 takes the fureft way to obtain the con- 
 tinuation and increafe of his heavenly 
 Mafter's favours. A fon was promifed 
 to Zacbarias, " While he executed the 
 " prieft's office before God," as the ri- 
 tual of the church enjoined, " In the 
 " order of his courfe, and according to 
 " the cuftom b ." The reflection of a 
 pious writer upon this circumftance is 
 no lefs juft than beautiful. ' One prieli: 
 " alone," fays he, ' intent on his duty, 
 " who diffufes the fvveet favour of 
 " Chrift, and is conftant in prayer, 
 ' draws down on the people more bleff- 
 " ings than a great number of negligent 
 " priefts. A man ought," continues he, 
 " to difcharge all the eccleiiaftical func- 
 . 
 
 a Ifai. liv. I. Gal. iv. 27. 
 b Luke i. 8, 9. 
 
 B 2 " tions
 
 1 2 Confederations on the Life and Dvatb 
 
 SECT. I. " tions with the fpirit of the fecred mi- 
 niftry, as before God, and under his.- 
 " immediate infpedtion ; to perform 
 " them in order, in his proper ftation, 
 " without ambitioufly feeking an high- 
 " er ; to do nothing merely of his own 
 " will, but to obferve the well efta- 
 " blifhed cujloms, as being the neceffary 
 " fecurities of peace. This is the truth 
 " which thefe fhadows prefigured, and 
 " thefe the difpofitions worthy a mini- 
 " fter of the true temple, which is the 
 " church." 
 
 THE annuntiation of the Baptift's 
 conception happened at the time of in- 
 cenfe, when his father, having put on 
 the robe of honour, and being clothed, 
 like the great Mediator whom he per- 
 fonated, with the garments of glory and 
 beauty, entered into the temple, while 
 the whole congregation of the people, 
 aflembled without, fent up their united 
 prayers to be accepted at the throne of 
 grace, through the interceflion which 
 was then making for them by the levi- 
 tical prieft, acting in the name of him 
 who was to ' arife after the order of 
 f< Melchifedek, and not to be called 
 
 " after
 
 of St. JOHN /&? BAPTIST. 13 
 
 <* after the order of Aaron*." While SECT. r. 
 the joint prayers of prieft and people 
 were thus offered up with the blood of 
 fprinkling, and the fweet-fmelling fa- 
 vour of the holy incenfe, an angel fud- 
 denly appeared to Zacharias y as he was 
 executing his office in the temple ; that 
 being the place to which thofe bleffed 
 fpirits, when they vint thefe lower re- 
 gions, ever delight to refort, as bearing 
 the neareft refemblance to the happy 
 manfions from which they defcend. 
 
 BUT whether it be, that the glory 
 of eeleftial fpirits overpowers the facul- 
 ties of human nature, or that man, con- 
 fcious of having finned againft heaven, 
 naturally trembles at the fight of a mef- 
 fenger from thence, we find, the ap- 
 pearance of an angel had the fame ef- 
 fect upon Zacbariasy the bleffed virgin, 
 and the fhepherds : they were all " fore 
 " afraid." Their minds mufl be firfl 
 compofed, and put into a capacity of 
 receiving the heavenly tidings brought 
 them by the good angels, who, like 
 good men, manifeft themfelves by the 
 gracious and encouraging manner of 
 
 a Heb. vii. u. 
 
 their
 
 14 Confederations on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT. I. their -addrefs, and having removed all 
 mifconceived apprehenfions, proceed to 
 inftrud: and comfort thofe to whom they 
 are fent. "Fear not, Zacharias, for 
 " thy prayer is heard, and thy wife 
 " Elizabeth mail bear thee a fon V 
 Zacharias had prayed for the redemp- 
 tion of Ifrael by Meffiah, and therefore 
 was honoured by being made, in a won- 
 derful manner, the father of his illuf- 
 trious forerunner. The prieft was anxi- 
 ous for the welfare of the church, and 
 the man was blefTed in his own private 
 concerns. He fought " firil the king- 
 " dom of God, and his righteoufnefs," 
 and the bleffing of a fon was " added 
 " unto him." " Thy wife Elizabeth 
 " mall bear thee a fon, and thou malt 
 " call his name Jo H N," that is, being 
 interpreted, the grace, or gift -, " and 
 " many mall rejoice at his birth :" not 
 only thou malt rejoice, and Elizabeth 
 with thee, at the birth of a fon fo long 
 defpaired of, and fuch a fon too, but it 
 mall be matter of joy, at the time, to 
 all who look for redemption ; and after- 
 wards, thoufands and millions mall re- 
 
 3 Luke i. 13. 
 
 joice
 
 *.--of"St. JOHN the- BAPTIST. 15 
 
 joice at the remembrance of it ; the day SECT. I. 
 {hall be kept as a feftival throughout all ^"^ 
 generations; with joy and gladnefs fhall 
 it be kept, thankfgiving and the voice 
 of melody*. Encouraged by the ex- 
 ample of Zacharias, let the priefts, the 
 minifters of the Lord, be never weary 
 of waiting for his loving kindnefs in the 
 midfl of his temple. Let it be the de- 
 light of their lives to execute their office, 
 every one in that order, and fration in 
 which he is placed. So will God make 
 them to hear of joy and gladnefs, and 
 grant them to behold the fuccefs of their 
 labours for the converfion of finners, 
 and the edification of his people. The 
 church, like Elizabeth, fhall bring forth 
 fruit in her old age, and her friends (hall 
 rejoice greatly, when they hear that the 
 Lord hath fhevved mercy on her 8 . 
 
 DISTRUST of Providence, and the 
 accomplifliment of it's defigns, when 
 appearances are on the other fide, will 
 fometimes invade the hearts of the beft 
 of men ; and Zacharias himfelf fo far 
 partook of the incredulous fpirit which 
 at that period had pofTefTed the fyna- 
 
 a Luke i. 58. 
 
 gogue,
 
 16 Conjideratwm on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT. r. gogue, that he " fought after a fign." 
 r " Whereby fhall I know this ? For 
 " I am an old man, and my wife well 
 " flricken in years." How different, in 
 a parallel cafe, was the behaviour of his 
 father Abraham, of which St. Paul has 
 left us the following exalted defcription. 
 Who againft hope believed in hope, 
 " that he might become the father of 
 " many nations, according to that which 
 " was fpoken, So mall thy feed be 
 " And being not weak in faith, he con- 
 " fidered not his own body now dead, 
 " neither yet the deadnefs of Sarah's 
 " womb. He ftaggered not at the pro- 
 " mife of God through unbelief, but 
 " was ftrong in faith, giving glory to 
 '* God, and being fully perfuaded, that 
 " what he had promifed he was able alfo 
 <f to perform 3 ." The demand of Zacba- 
 rias, however, was complied with, and 
 a fign was granted him in the punifh- 
 rnent of his unbelief. The ufe of that 
 tongue, which, inflead of giving glory 
 to God, had been employed in railing 
 objections, was taken from him, and a 
 
 * Rom. iv. 1 8. 
 
 filence
 
 ' f St. JOHN the BAPTIST. \j 
 
 filence of fome months was impofed as SECT. i. 
 a penance for the abufe of fpeech. 
 
 BUT when the wonderful child was 
 born, who, even before his birth, en- 
 tered upon his prophetical office, and 
 gave teftimony to his Saviour in the 
 womb, then declaring, by his exulta- 
 tion, what he afterward did by words, 
 " Behold the Lamb of God ;" and Za- 
 cbdrias had acknowledged the GIFT of 
 God, by directing that his name mould 
 be JOHN j then the mouth of the father 
 was opened -, and, to mew us the pro- 
 per employment of the tongue, when 
 heaven grants the ufe of it, he " praifed 
 " God." Faith reftored what incredu- 
 lity had taken away; " he believed, and 
 " therefore he fpake." And his heart 
 having been prepared, by filence and re- 
 tirement, for the reception of celeftial 
 influences, he was now " filled with the 
 " Holy GhorV' and brake forth into 
 that divine hymn, which mail be the 
 fubjecl: of the next fedtion. 
 
 SEC-
 
 T " A cl *-. 
 
 1 8 Confidcrations on the Life and Death 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 Confiderations on the hymn of Zacharias. 
 
 i/ if *S 
 
 TO 
 
 SECT. n. \ MONO the alterations in na- 
 ture, which notify the return of 
 fpring, no one is more pleating, than 
 the exchange of a long and melancholy 
 filence, for that melody which then re- 
 foundeth on every fide of us, in the 
 woods and fields. Solomon hath not for- 
 gotten this circumftance, in his fhort 
 but lovely defcription of that delightful 
 feafon. " Lo, the winter is paft, the 
 f* rain is over and gone, the flowers ap- 
 " pear on the earth, the time of th 
 " finging of birds is come, and the 
 ^ voice of the turtle is heard in our 
 " land V The advent of Meffiah was 
 announced, in a fimilar manner, to the 
 church ; and we may fay of it, in. the 
 words of the Roman poet, which, like 
 thofe of Caiaphas, contained much more 
 
 * Cant. ii. n. 
 
 than
 
 of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 19 
 
 than he was aware of who utteredSEcr.il. 
 them, ^ 
 
 Afpice> venturo latentur ut omnia faelo ! 
 
 For now, the bleied virgin " magni- 
 w fieth the Lord, and her fpirit rejoiceth 
 " in God her Saviour :" the father of 
 the Baptift " blefleth the Lord God of 
 " Ifrael, for having vifited and redeemed 
 " his people :" the angels themfelves 
 defcend in full choir, to perform an an*- 
 theni in honour of their Lord and ours : 
 and old Simeon clofeth all with his affedt- 
 ing farewell to the world ; " Lord, now 
 <* letteft thou thy fervant depart in peace, 
 " according to thy word -, for mine eyes 
 " have feen thy falvation." Thus did 
 all " break forth into joy, and fing to- 
 " gether, becaufe the Lord had com- 
 " forted his people, and redeemed Jeru- 
 " falem ;" becaufe the fun of righteouf- 
 nefs, by his vifitation of the earth, was 
 putting a period to a dreary winter, and 
 introducing, in it's {lead, a new and 
 more glorious fpring. And as fpring is 
 ' the morning of the year, Cowleys ad- 
 drefs to the material light, which is 
 
 C 2 but
 
 20 Confederations on the. Life and Death 
 
 SECT.U. but a faint copy, may be applied to the 
 ^v-v; great original himfelf ; 
 
 When thou lift'Jl up thy radiant head 
 Out of the mornings purple bed, 
 'Thy choir of birds about thee play, 
 And all the joyful 'world falutes the 
 rijing day. 
 
 TH E hymn which we are at prefent 
 to confider, is that of Zacharias. The 
 occalion on which it was indited, was 
 the birth of St. John : the fubjecl: is 
 the covenant of grace in Chrift Jefus : 
 the language is that of the Old Tefta- 
 ment, old terms being transferred to 
 new things : the fpeaker is a prieft and 
 a prophet, " Full of the Holy Ghoft." 
 
 DURING a tedious interval of filence, 
 gachariqs had beheld the accomplifli- 
 ment of the divine promife to hirnfelf ; 
 and he knew likewife, that the Saviour 
 of mankind would foon be born of his 
 relation, the virgin Mary. We may 
 judge, therefore, what pain and grief 
 he felt, while retrained from uttering 
 that " good matter," of which his heart 
 was fo full, that when at length God 
 jfaw fit to remove the mound, it burft 
 
 forth
 
 JOHN 'the BAPTIST. 21 
 
 forth at once in an impetuous and irre- SECT.II. 
 fiftible torrent of thankfgiving ; 
 
 i. " BLESSED be the Lord God of 
 " Ifrael, for he hath vifited and 
 
 " redeemed his people V 
 
 i 
 
 IT was no new thing for " the God 
 " of Ifrael" to " vifit and redeem his 
 " people." He had often done it, when 
 they were in affliction and captivity. 
 But fo to vifit and redeem, was not all 
 that he intended to do for his chofen. 
 Through things temporal he was defirous 
 that they mould look at things eternal, 
 and carry on their views from a bodily to 
 a fpiritual redemption, in which all his 
 counfels terminated ; a redemption to be 
 effected by his sifting mankind, dwell- 
 ing among them in a tabernacle of flefh, 
 and in that tabernacle offering up the 
 true propitiatory facrifice -, a redemption, 
 that mould extend to Gentiles as well 
 as Jews, and of both make one people, 
 a new Ifrael, of which he mould be the 
 Lord God, for evermore. How gracious 
 this vifitation! How aftonimin thisn?- 
 
 J 
 
 * Luke i. 68, & f . 
 
 demption !
 
 2 Confidtrations on the Life agft Death 
 
 cr.iL-Jemption ! " BlefTed be the Lord God 
 ft o f ifrael, for ha- hath vifited and rc- 
 " deemed his people, 
 
 2. " And hath raifed up an horn of 
 " falvation for us, in the houfe 
 " of his fervant David." 
 
 I N the Old Teflament, we read con- 
 tinually of Saviours and Deliverers 
 " raifed up" by God, to refcue his peo- 
 ple, from time to time, out of the hands 
 of their oppreflbrs. But of them we 
 may fay, as the Apoftle does of the 
 Levitical priefts, " They were not fuf- 
 " fered to continue, by reafon of death 3 ." 
 And therefore, we may argue in one 
 cafe, as he doth in the other, that none 
 of them could be the true Saviour of 
 Ifrae/y the fubjecl: of the promifes. 
 Neither Mofes, who brought them out 
 of Egypt, nor Joflma who fettled them 
 in Canaan, was " He that fhould come," 
 but they were ftill to " look for ano- 
 " then." And fo on, through the whole 
 calendar of temporal faviours, who, 
 like the legal minifters, " ferved only," 
 
 Heb. vii. 23. 
 
 by
 
 23 
 
 by their wars and victories, " to the SECT. If. 
 " example and fhadow of heavenly 
 " things." The body, or fubftance, ia 
 either inftance, " was of Chrift." For 
 he who arofe " a Prieft for ever," arofe 
 alfo " a King immortal $" a mighty 
 born, or power of falvation ; a Mofes, to 
 deliver us from this prefent evil world ; 
 a jfo/hua, to put us in pofleflion of the 
 heavenly Canaan ; in fhort, every thing, 
 to fill up every prefigurative character. 
 This mighty Saviour, this omnipotent 
 king of Ifrael God raifed up " in the 
 " houfe of his fervant David," as he 
 had promifed, " that of the fruit of his 
 " body according to the flefh, he would 
 " raife up Chrift to fit on his throne V* 
 And to this agree the words of the an- 
 gel, at the annuntiation, " The Lord 
 < God mall give unto him the throne 
 " of his father David, and he fhali 
 " reign for ever and ever over the houfe 
 " of Jacob, and of his kingdom there 
 " fhall be no end 11 ," 
 
 a Pfalm cxxxii. 1 1, Aits ii. 30. 
 Luke i. a. 
 
 "As
 
 24 Confiderations on the Life Mi Death 
 
 SECT. II. 
 
 3. "As he promifed by the mouth 
 . " of his holy prophets, which 
 " have been fmce the world 
 ' began " 
 
 I N a matter of fo great confequence 
 as man's redemption, God left not the 
 world without information, from the 
 beginning : fo that wherever we find 
 ignorance, it muft be charged to the 
 account of man, as having rejected, and 
 not to that of his Maker, as having 
 denied the neceffary means of inftruc- 
 tion. We fee the chriftian church now 
 fupported, in her belief of Meffiah's 
 fecond advent, on which all her hopes 
 are fixed, by the -difcourfes of the 
 Apoftles, as the antient church was 
 fupported in her belief of his firft ad- 
 vent, by the difcourfes of the prophets. 
 There is no more difficulty in one cafe 
 than in the other. The ancients lived in 
 faith, and fo do we. They died in faith, 
 " not having received the promifes," 
 and fo muft we : for though fome pro- 
 mifes are fulfilled, yet others are not, 
 nor can .be, in this world. Our know- 
 
 lege
 
 the BAPTIST. 25 
 
 lege is not the lefs certain, nor our faith, SECT. ir. 
 built upon it, the lefs firm, becaufe we u 
 have not exaft and adequate notions of 
 the manner of (Thrift's coming, the cir- 
 cumftances of the laft judgment, and 
 the glory that is to follow. The fatts 
 are fufficiently predicted ; for an idea of 
 the mode we muft be contented to wait, 
 till faith (hall give place to fight. And 
 let the fame obfervation be applied to 
 the patriarchs and Ifraefites. 
 
 4. " That we mould be faved 
 " from our enemies, and from 
 " the hand of all that hate us." 
 
 THE enemies and the fafoation, here 
 intended by Zachariaf, are, without 
 doubt, fpiritual. Such a falvation 
 therefore, from fuch enemies, God 
 " promifed by the mouth of his holy 
 " prophets which have been fince the 
 " world began." When he faved his 
 people of old from their enemies, and 
 from the hand of all that hated them* 
 his mercy fo difplayed was a figure for 
 the time then prefent, a pledge and 
 earneft of eternal redemption ; as if he 
 D had
 
 26 Conjiderations on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT. II. had faid, " Ye (hall fee greater things 
 J " than thefe." And the pfalms, formerly 
 compofed to celebrate the deliverance of 
 Ifrael from Egyptian and Babylonian cap- 
 tivities, are now ufed by the church 
 Chriftian to praife God for falvation 
 from fin, death, and Satan : they are 
 fung new in the kingdom of Mef- 
 fiah. " Old things are pafled away, be- 
 " hold all things are become new :" 
 legal figures are vanifhed, and the terms 
 employed to defcribe them are transfer- 
 red to Evangelical truths. When the 
 'prophets compofed pfalms on occafion of 
 temporal deliverances, they looked for- 
 / -ward to a future fpiritual falvation ; as 
 Zacharids, in his hymn, the fubject of 
 which is a fpiritual falvation, looks 
 back, and has a reference to paft tem- 
 poral deliverances. 
 
 5. " To perform the mercy promi- 
 " fed to our fathers, and to re- 
 
 " member his holy covenant " 
 o: 
 
 TH E " mercy promifed to our fa- 
 " thers" was, therefore, a fpiritual mer- 
 cy ; and the " covenant" made with 
 
 them
 
 > of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 
 
 them was a gofpel covenant ; for other- SECT. u. 
 wife, Gqd could not be faid, by raifmg 
 up Chrift, to have " performed that 
 " mercy," and " remembered that co- 
 " venant." Accordingly, we are elfe- 
 where told, " the Gofpel was preached 
 " to Abraham a ;" and the covenant 
 made with him is ftyled " the covenant 
 " of God in Chrift b ." The Gofpel, 
 then, was prior to the law, and was the 
 patrimony of all the children of Abra- 
 ham. " The law, which was four hun- 
 " dred and thirty years after," whatever 
 might be it's intention, could not dif- 
 poffefs them of this their inheritance ; 
 it could not " difannul the covenant, 
 " and make the promife of none effect." 
 But if, on the contrary, it was defigned 
 to keep up, and further the knowlege 
 of them , if it was a ftanding prophecy ; 
 if it was " a fchoolmafter," by it's ele- 
 ments training up and conducting it's 
 fcholars " to Chrift;" then certainly no- 
 thing was wanting on the part of God. 
 The Jews minded earthly things -, but to 
 infer from thence, that they were never 
 
 a Gal. iii. 8. 
 k Ibid. 17. 
 
 D 2 taught
 
 28 Confederations en the Lij'e and 
 
 SECT. II. taught the knowlege of things heavenly, 
 would be a method of arguing too hazar- 
 dous to be ventured upon ; fmce, from 
 the behaviour of many, who profefs the 
 Chriftian religion, it might as fairly be 
 concluded, that their Matter promifed 
 nothing but " loaves and fifties." yrael*- 
 ites might fet their hearts too much on 
 '* fields and vineyards," forgetting or 
 neglecting better things, as men are apt 
 to do, who are blefled with profperity 
 in this prefent world. But when they 
 did fo, they did wrong : prophets were 
 fent to reprove the error, and judgments 
 to convince them, that Canaan was not 
 the end of the "covenant," nor a plen- 
 tiful harveft " the mercy promifed." 
 
 6. "TnE oath which he fware to 
 ft our forefather Abraham " 
 
 TH E amazing condefcenfion of God 
 in vouchfafing, for man's fatisfadtion 
 and affurance, to confirm his promife 
 by an oath, is finely touched upon in 
 the epiftle to the Hebrews. " When 
 ^ God made promife to Abraham, be- 
 ' caufe he could fwear by no greater, he 
 
 fware
 
 of St. JOHN tbe BAPTIST. 
 
 " fware by himfelf, faying, furely blefT- 
 '* ing I will blefs thee, and multiplying 
 *< I will multiply thee For men 
 " verily fwear by a greater, and an oath 
 " for confirmation is to them an end of 
 " all- ftrife. Wherein God, willing to 
 " (hew to the heirs of promife the.im- 
 " mutability of his counfel, confirmed 
 " it by &n oath ; that by two immuta- 
 " ble things, in which it was impof- 
 t( fible for God 'to lie, we might have 
 ff ft ftrong confolation, who have fled 
 " for refuge, to lay hold upon the hope 
 " fet before us a ." O the goodnefs of 
 God, who hath given his creatures the 
 afTu-rance of an oath ! O the infidelity 
 of his creatures, who diftruil that aflu- 
 ranee b ! 
 
 7. " That he would grant unto 
 " us, that we being delivered 
 " out of the hands of our ene- 
 " mies, might ferve him with- 
 ** out fear, 
 
 a Heb. vi. 13. 
 
 b O beqtos nos, quorum caufa Deus jurat ! O mlferri- 
 moj, J: r.ec jurar.ti D:m:n: crcdimiu ! Tertull. 
 
 8. In
 
 4 
 
 30 Confederations on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT. II. 
 
 8. " IN holinefs and righteoufnefs 
 " before him, all the days of 
 " our life." 
 
 TH E promife, made with an oath to 
 Abraham, was made, after the inten- 
 tional facrifice of Ifaac, in the follow- 
 ing terms ; " By myfelf have I fworn 
 " that in blefling I will blefs thee, 
 " and in multiplying I will multiply 
 " thy feed as the ftars of heaven, and 
 " as the fand which i$ upon the fea 
 " more j and thy feed {hall pofTefs the 
 " gate of his enemies j and in thy feed 
 " mall all the nations of the earth be 
 " blefled V The objects of the bleff- 
 ing here promifed are the faithful child- 
 ren of Abraham, whether Jews or Gen- 
 tiles ; the " feed," in whom they are 
 bleffed, is Chrift ; the manner in which 
 he obtains the blefling, is by " poflefT- 
 *' ing the gate of his enemies," that is, 
 by fubduing them, and feizing their 
 ftrong holds; the blefiing itfelf confift- 
 eth in a redemption from bondage un- 
 der thofe enemies, and an admiflion into 
 
 a Gen. xxii. 16. 
 
 the
 
 . cf St. JOHN *& BAPTIST. 31 
 
 the fervice of God. Such is the fub- SECT.IJ. 
 ftance and intention of the promife 
 made with an oath to Abraham, as ex- 
 plained by Zacharias, and fulfilled un- 
 der the gofpel. In the mean time, be- 
 tween the promife and it's accomplish- 
 ment it pleafed God to interpofe a dif- 
 penfation, which exhibited a vifible 
 reprefentation of this great and impor- 
 tant tranfaction , in the cafe of the 
 children of Ifrael, or the pofterity of 
 Abraham according to the flefh, who, 
 after having been long detained in cruel 
 bondage by Pharaoh and the Egyptians, 
 were " delivered out of the hands of 
 " their enemies ;" and delivered for this 
 purpofe, that they might ferve God 
 with a prefigurative fervice, calculated 
 to laft " till the feed mould come, to 
 " whom the promife was made." For 
 thus Jehovah faith to Mofes, " When 
 " thou haft brought forth the people 
 " out of Egypt, they mall Jerve God 
 " upon this mountain'." So that when, 
 at the transfiguration of our Lord upon 
 mount Tabor, Mofes difcourfed with 
 him on the fubject of "his deceafe," 
 
 8 Exod. iii, 12. 
 
 or,
 
 32 Confiderations on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT. ii. or, as it is in the original, his EXODUS, 
 " which he mould accomplish at Jeru- 
 " falem," may we not imagine to our- 
 felves the deliverer of Ifrael addreffing the 
 world's Redeemer in fome fuch words as 
 thefe By my hand the Lord God of 
 Ifrael did once vouchfafe to bring forth 
 his people from the afflicting bondage 
 of Egypt -, but thou malt turn the mul- 
 titude of the Gentiles from the power 
 of Satan to God. I faw the Lord make 
 a path through the waters, for his re- 
 deemed to pafs over ; but thou (halt 
 find a more wonderful way through the 
 waves of death > and though the floods 
 mail compafs thee about, yet mail thy 
 life be brought up from corruption. I 
 beheld the chariots of Pharaoh and the 
 mighty hoft of Egypt plunging in the 
 deep, when the morning appeared ; but 
 thou malt triumph over principalities 
 and powers, and fee them overwhelmed 
 in the lake of fire. I led my people 
 through the wildernefs, and gave them 
 a law which had " the madow of good 
 " things to come ;" but thou malt con- 
 duct thine through the world, and 
 teach them to " worfhip in fpirit and 
 
 " in
 
 of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 33 
 
 " in truth." I went before Ifrael to SECT. II. 
 the borders of the promifed land ; but ^^"^ 
 thou art the true fhepherd of fouls, and 
 they who follow thee {hall ' pafs from 
 death unto life." 
 
 Zacharlas concludes his divine fong 
 with an apoftrophe to the infant Bap- 
 tift, as one who was defigned by provi- 
 dence to be the precurfor of fuch a 
 Saviour, and the publifher of fuch fal- 
 vation. 
 
 9. " And thou child fhalt be called 
 " the prophet of the Higheft, 
 " for thou fhalt go before the 
 " face of the Lord, to prepare 
 " his ways ; 
 
 10. " To give knowlege of falvation 
 " unto his people for the remif- 
 *' iion of their fins " 
 
 "THE law prophefied until John," 
 who fucceeded it in it's office of point- 
 ing out the MefTiah, and fpake the lan- 
 guage of it's inftitutions, when he faid, 
 " Behold the Lamb of God, which 
 " taketh away' the fin of the world/' 
 E Re-
 
 34 Conjiderations on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT. II." Remimon of fins" is the doctrine in 
 "V^ which the Chriftian religion juftly glo- 
 rieth, as that moft neceffary and funda- 
 mental point, in which every other re- 
 ligion fails. The heathen confefTeth 
 himfelf to be in the dark j he guefTeth 
 only what is the will of God, whom 
 he knoweth not. He hath not ftrength 
 to perform what he imagineth to be 
 fuch ; and he underftandeth not the 
 meaning of the facrifices and luftrations 
 derived to him by tradition. The blood 
 of bulls and goats cannot wa(h away 
 the fins of the Jew -, and his oblations, 
 lince the truth is come, which they 
 were intended to prefigure, are pre- 
 pofterous, and impious. The Maho- 
 metan hath no evidence for the miffion 
 of his prophet, no argument for his re- 
 ligion but the fword, and no heaven 
 but fenfe. The doctrine of " falvation 
 " by the remiffion of fins," through 
 faith in a Redeemer, was, from the be- 
 ginning, the fum and fubftance of true 
 religion, which fubfifted in promife, 
 prophecy, and figure, till John preached 
 their accomplifhment in the perfon of 
 Jejiis. Paganifm was a corruption of it 
 
 before
 
 of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 35 
 
 before that time, as Mahometifm hath SECT.H. 
 been fince ; and modern Judaifm is an 
 apoftafy from it. And will Chriftians 
 go away, and forfake their Redeemer ? 
 To whom can they go ? He hath the 
 words of eternal life : he only can give 
 " falvation by the remiffion of fins." It 
 is this religion which enlightens the un- 
 derftanding with true knowlege, and 
 warms the heart with true charity : it 
 is this which alone brings confidence, 
 and. comfort, and joy, and bids fear and 
 defpondency fly away : it is this which 
 raifes the foiil, as it were, from the 
 dead, puts new vigour into all her 
 powers and faculties, and animates her 
 to duty, by the powerful motives it 
 fuggefteth : it is this which is a coun- 
 terbalance to the temptations of fenfe, 
 by the promifes made to our faith ; 
 which fupports the infirmity of nature 
 by the glorious objects propofed to our 
 hope ; and which triumphs over the 
 oppofition of the world, by the love of 
 God med abroad in our hearts : it pro- 
 cures us the only folid happinefs there 
 is in this world, and opens a way to the 
 felicities of the next : it holds him out 
 E 2 to
 
 3 6 Confiderations on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT. II. to us, who is our " fhield" on earth, and 
 will be our " exceeding great reward" in 
 heaven ; who " guides us with his 
 <c counfel, and will, after that, receive 
 " us to glory Whom have we in 
 " heaven, O Lord, but thee ; and there 
 " is none upon earth we can defire in 
 " companion of thee a ! " 
 
 11. " Through the tender mercy 
 " of our God; whereby the day- 
 " fpring from on high hath vi- 
 " fited us, 
 
 12. " To give light to them that fit 
 " in darknefs, and in the fhadow 
 " of death, to guide our feet 
 " into the way of peace." 
 
 St. yobn was the morning-ftar, that 
 preceded the fun of righteoufnefs at his 
 rifing - y an event, the glory of which is 
 due to " the tender mercy of our God," 
 fince towards the production of it man 
 could do no more than he can do towards 
 caufing the natural fun to rife upon the 
 earth. The blefled effects of the day- 
 
 * Pfalin Ixxiii. 24. 
 
 fpring
 
 of St. JOHN Afc BAPTIST. 37 
 
 fpring which then dawned from on SECT. II. 
 high, and gradually increafed more and 
 more unto the perfect day, were the 
 difperfion of ignorance, which is the 
 darknefs of the intellectual world ; the 
 awakening of men from fin, which is 
 the lleep of the foul ; and the conver- 
 fion and direction of their hearts and 
 inclinations into " the way of peace," 
 that is, of reconciliation to God by the 
 blood of Chrift, to themfelves by the 
 anfwer of a confcience cleanfed from 
 lin, and to one another by mutual love. 
 " Happy is the people that is in fuch a 
 " cafe j yea, happy is the people, whofe 
 " God is the Lord. They are the 
 " children of the light and of the 
 " day. Their fun mall no more go 
 " down, neither (hall their moon \vith- 
 " draw itielf ; for the Lord {hall be un- 
 " to them an everlafting light, and the 
 " days of their mourning fliall be 
 " ended." 
 
 SEC-
 
 38 Confederations on the Life and Death 
 
 
 SECTION III. 
 
 Confederations on St. John'j education in 
 the defarts. 
 
 we have con- 
 
 cerning St. John, from the time 
 of his birth to that of his public ap- 
 pearance, is contained in the few fol- 
 lowing words " And the child grew, 
 " and waxed ftrong in fpirit, and was 
 " in the defarts till the day of his (hew- 
 " ing unto Ifrael a ." There, apart from 
 the world, and under the tuition of 
 heaven, he was catechized in the prin- 
 ciples of divine wifdom, initiated into 
 the myftery of a holy life, and perfected 
 in the difcipline of felf-denial -, 
 
 'The mofs his bed, the cave his humble cell, 
 His food the fruits, his drink the chryftalwell : 
 Remote from man, with God he pafs'd the days, 
 
 Prafr all his bus'nefs, all his pleafure praife. 
 
 
 
 PA R N E L L. 
 
 Lujce i. 80. 
 
 THIS
 
 cf St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 39 
 
 TH i s difpenfation in the cafe of theSecrJlL 
 Baptift, like many others relative to the - / ~v~* J 
 prophets, was extraordinary and mira- 
 culous ; confequently, not to be literally 
 copied by any one, but in fimilar cir- 
 cumftances, and under a fupernatural 
 direction. Nor has the monadic fcheme 
 the fanction of fo great an example ; as 
 St. "John was under the obligation of no 
 vow, but having linimed his preparation 
 in folitude, came forth to a<5l his part 
 upon the theatre of the world. And it 
 is well known, that, even in thofe ages 
 when mankind flood aftonimed at the 
 auiterities pradtifed by reclufes and ere- 
 mites , the epifcopal or facerdotal 
 character was reckoned as much fupe- 
 rjor to the other, as charity is better 
 than contemplation. " In folitude," 
 faith a great mafter of this fubjecl:, " a 
 " man may go to heaven by the way of 
 " prayer and devotion ; but in fociety 
 " he carries others with him by the 
 " way of mercy and charity. In foli- 
 " tude there are fewer temptations, but 
 " then there is likewife the exercife of 
 " fewer virtues. Solitude is a good 
 " fchool, and the world the befl theatre. 
 
 " The
 
 4.0 Confederations on the Life and T)eath 
 
 SECT.III. " The inflitution is beft there, the 
 practice here. The wildernefs hath 
 " the advantage of difcipline, but fo- 
 " ciety furnimeth the opportunities of 
 " perfection." To confirm this judi- 
 cious Hate of the cafe, it may be ob- 
 ferved, that the only perfect life which 
 hath ever been led on earth, was a 
 mixture of the folitary and focial. Our 
 Lord himfelf pafTed thirty years in the 
 privacy of Nazaretb t and then appeared 
 in public to exercife his miniftry ,- but 
 ftill not without frequent intervals of 
 retirement. *' It was in folitude that 
 " he kept his vigils ~, the defart places 
 " heard him pray 5 in the wildernefs he 
 " vanquimed Satan ; upon a mountain 
 *' apart he was transfigured." But in 
 public he preached the Gofpel, ami 
 converted fouls; in public he healed 
 the fick, and caft out devils ; in public 
 he fuffered, and, while he redeemed the 
 world, fet it a pattern of humility, pa- 
 tience, and charity. 
 
 FROM the circumftance of St. yobns 
 education in the defarts we may, there- 
 fore, venture to draw a conclofion which 
 will be of general ufe, with regard to 
 
 all
 
 6/ St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 41 
 
 all minifters of the Gofpel, viz. thatSEc-r.iir. 
 the folitary way of life is neceffary 
 ^qualify them for the offices of the fo- 
 cial y or, that he who would ferve God 
 acceptably in public, muft firft prepare 
 himfelf for that purpofe in private. 
 The reafon is, becaufe no man is pro- 
 perly qualified to teach ivifdom and holi- 
 ncfs y who doth not himfelf poflefs them. 
 And a little reflection will convince us, 
 how needful retirement is for the ac- 
 quifition of both. 
 
 THE toils undergone by all who 
 have ever made any great proficiency in 
 wijdom, plainly prove clofe application 
 and deep attention to be requifite for 
 it's attainment. And they who imagine 
 themfelves to have difcovered a morter 
 way, conducting them to it without 
 ftudy, will find, fooner or later, that 
 they have miilaken their road. " Hardly 
 " do we guefs aright at things that are 
 " upon earth, and with labour do we 
 " find the things that are before us a :" 
 mall we then expect a knowlege of 
 thofe which are of a high and fpiritual 
 nature, without any labour at all ? The 
 
 Wifdom. ix. 16. 
 
 F pro-
 
 A 2 Confederations on the Life and Dtath 
 
 SECT.III. prophets themfelves " enquired and 
 " fearched diligently what things the 
 " fpirit of Chrift, which was in them,, 
 " did fignifyV The royal Preacher, 
 endued from above with " largenefs of 
 " heart as the fand upon the fea more," 
 yet took pains, and thofe no flight ones, 
 in the invention and difpofition of his 
 difcourfes. For, " in order to teach the 
 " people knowlege, he gave good heed, 
 " and fought out and fet in order many 
 " proverbs ; yea, the preacher fought 
 " to find out acceptable words, words 
 " of uprightnefs and truth b ." And if 
 Solomon were not exempted from ftudy 
 and meditation, no other man can have 
 any title to hope for fuch a privilege. 
 
 BUT who mall be able to fix his at- 
 tention, amidft the hurry and diflipa- 
 tion of life ? Who can meditate on 
 wifdom, with the noife of folly found- 
 ing inceflantly in his ears ? That bleffed 
 perfon, who could fuffer no diffraction 
 of thought from the objects around 
 him, withdrew from the multitude, that 
 he might teach us to do the fame, who, 
 
 a i Pet. i. 10. 
 k Ecclef. xii. 9. 
 
 alas,
 
 of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 43 
 
 alas, are often unable, when alone, to SECT.III, 
 confine our thoughts, for a few minutes 
 together, to one fubjecl. The world, 
 like Martha, is " troubled about many 
 " things," and moft about thofe which 
 are of leaft concern ; fo that, befides 
 the profane, the unfeemly, and un- 
 charitable difcourfes, which they muft 
 hear who are much converfant with it, 
 the mind of a man fufTers not a little 
 from the variety of light and unprofit- 
 able converfation in which he is fre- 
 quently engaged. This fcatters the 
 thoughts, and fo indifpofes them for any 
 fpeculations that are great and noble, 
 fublime and facred, that fome time is 
 required to reduce the wanderers, to 
 compofe the fpirits, and to reitore that 
 tranquillity of foul which is indifpen- 
 fably neceffary for the profecution of 
 religious enquiries. And although the 
 general afTertion of a famous reclufe, 
 " that he always came out of company 
 " a worfe man than he went into it," 
 favoureth too much of the cloifter, yet 
 whoever, as the world goes, mould di- 
 ligently note the times when he came 
 out of company a better man than he 
 F 2 went
 
 44 Confederations on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT. ill. went into -it, might, perhaps, find his 
 diary contained in a lefs compafs, than, 
 at prefent he is apt to imagine. 
 
 CERTAIN, however, it is, that for 
 the productions of wifdom we are in- 
 debted to folitude, as the parent of at- 
 tention. And therefore many, in all 
 ages, have followed St. John into the 
 wildernefs, and chofen retirement, not 
 out of any morofenefs of temper, or 
 mifanthropy, but that they might give 
 themfelves, without let or moleftation, 
 to the purfuit of divine knowlege. In 
 this Situation, they found themfelves al- 
 ways at liberty to chufe their compa- 
 nions. They could converfe at pleafure 
 with patriarchs and prophets, apoftles, 
 martyrs, and confefTors, with devout 
 and learned bimops, and others, who 
 once adorned the church by their lives, 
 and have continued, fince their deaths, 
 through many generations, to edify her 
 by their writings. Here they could 
 rally their fcattered thoughts, and fix 
 them upon fubjecfts, whence they might 
 extract real profit, and durable pleafure. 
 For meditations, while employed, in a 
 general and curfory way, upon a variety 
 
 of
 
 r. vf St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 45 
 
 of objects* like the rays of light diffu- SECT. ill. 
 fed in the air, difcover not the force and 
 activity which they pofTefs ; it is clofe 
 attention which collects and unites, and 
 renders them operative. And an ability 
 to beflow that clofe attention in a crowd, 
 is granted to very few among the fons 
 of men. 
 
 A DISPASSIONATE and unprejudiced 
 ftate of mind is another requifite for the 
 attainment of true wifdom. And as our 
 fentiments take the tincture of our com- 
 pany, perfons continually engaged in 
 the world are very liable to be corrupt- 
 ed, as well as diffipated. He who paff- 
 eth his time with men of bafe and an- 
 tifcriptural tenets, will infenfibly be- 
 come one of them, and will find, when 
 it is too late, that " evil communications 
 " corrupt" good principles, as well as 
 ' good manners." The understanding 
 will be blinded, and the heart hardened : 
 wifdom will be fhut out at every avenue; 
 and the man will fit down in darknefs 
 and depravity, for the remainder of his 
 days, determining with himfelf that 
 there is no fuch thing as truth, without 
 ever being at the trouble of making the 
 
 enquiry.
 
 46 Conjideratlons on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT.III. enquiry. Happy, therefore, is he who, 
 St. John, fpendeth his early days 
 in privacy, and there acquainteth him- 
 felf betimes with the excellencies and 
 perfections of divine wifdom. For 
 " Wifdom is glorious, and never fadeth 
 " away ; yea, me is eafily feen of them 
 " that love her, and found of fuch as 
 " feek her. She preventeth them that 
 " defire her, in making herfelf firft 
 " known unto them. Whofo feeketh 
 " her early mail have no great travel, 
 " for he mall find her fitting at his 
 " doors 3 ." 
 
 UPON the fame principle, we may 
 account it one of the no fmall advan- 
 tages which St. Jofai enjoyed by his re- 
 treat into the wildernefs, that he was 
 thereby delivered from the vain jang- 
 lings of the many religious fefts and 
 factions, at that time in Judea. For 
 the authors and abettors of fuch are na- 
 tflrally confined in their views, and ob- 
 ftrufted in their fearch after truth, by 
 having afTumed it for a firft principle, 
 that " they are the men, and that wif- 
 " dom inuft needs live and die with 
 
 a Wifdom. vi. 12. 
 
 " them."
 
 .of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 47 
 
 " them." Hence they become moreSECT.m. 
 felicitous about the defence of their own 
 particularities againft thofe of other fec- 
 taries, than careful to advance and pro- 
 pagate the general principles of true re- 
 ligion. This hath been but too much 
 the cafe for fome time paft in Chriften- 
 dom, which, like Jerufalem before it's 
 deftruction, is crumbled into innumer- 
 able parties, biting and devouring one 
 another -, infomuch that it is now diffi- 
 cult for one writer to lay down a poli- 
 tion in theology, which another mall 
 not immediately fet himfelf to contro- 
 vert with all his might, as heretical and 
 antichriftian. The difpute foon becomes 
 a trial of (kill, and the paffions and pre- 
 judices of the combatants fpread a cloud 
 over the queftion, in which truth and 
 charity often vanifh together. Thus 
 dark and tempeftuous are thefe lower 
 regions. But, by ftudy and meditation 
 in folitude, the Chriftian, in heart and 
 mind, afcendeth to a purer element, 
 from whence he beholdeth the florins 
 produced by contending factions far be- 
 neath him, and expatiateth at pleafure 
 in thofe fields of light and ferenity, 
 
 which
 
 48 Confederations on the Life 
 
 SECT.III. which open themfelves on all fides to 
 view. He confoleth himfelf by 
 contemplating the church, as {he for- 
 merly fubfifted in original purity and 
 unity, and as me will hereafter exift in 
 her triumphant ftate above, when her 
 members of every age and nation mail 
 all lift up their voices together, and 
 make their found to be heard as one, in 
 giving Glory to God, and to the Lamb. 
 Difencumbered of paffions and preju- 
 dices, he followeth after the truth which 
 leadeth to godlinefs, and the wifdom 
 whofe end is falvation. 
 
 Fo R the attainment of that wifdom 
 a third thing requifite is divine illumi- 
 nation. Wifdom is one of thofe " good 
 " and perfect gifts," which " come 
 " down from the Father of lights," and 
 muft be fued for, with humility and 
 fervour, in petitions like thefe-* "Give 
 " me wifdom that fitteth by thy throne, 
 "and reject me not from among thy 
 " children For though a man be 
 " never fo perfect among the children 
 " of men, yet if thy wifdom be not 
 " with him, he mall be nothing re- 
 " garded O fend her out of thy holy 
 
 " heavens,
 
 of St. Jo'HN.t&e BAPTIST. 49 
 
 c heavens, and from the throne of thySEcr.ni. 
 glory, that being prefent fhe may la- 
 " hour with me, that I may know what 
 " is pleafmg unto thee. For me know- 
 " eth and underftandeth all things, and 
 " me mall lead me foberly in my do- 
 " ings, and preferve me by her power 
 " For what man is he that can 
 " know the counfel of God ; or who 
 " can think what the will of the Lord 
 " is, except thou give wifdom, and fend 
 " thy Holy Spirit from above a ? " Such 
 gracious promifes are made, and are 
 ready to be fulfilled to the retired Chrif- 
 tian. Let but the pollutions and dif- 
 tradtions of the world be removed, and 
 the wifdom which " is firft pure, and 
 " then peaceable," will enter in. To 
 receive the law, Mofes was called away 
 from the congregation to the top of the 
 mount. Ezekiel beheld the vifions of 
 God, while a folitary captive upon the 
 banks of Cbebar. Daniel was informed 
 concerning the reftoration of Jerufalem, 
 and the advent of Meffiah, on the even- 
 ing of a day dedicated to retirement, 
 for the purpofes of fafting and prayer. 
 a WifH. ix. 4. 
 
 G St. John
 
 50 Confederations on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT.UI. St. 'John was an exile in the defolate 
 *v^ ' Patmos, when the glorious fcenes de- 
 fcribed in the book of Revelation were 
 made to pafs before him, and he was 
 enabled to extend his view, through all 
 the different revolutions of empires, and 
 periods of the church, to the end of 
 time. And although we no more look 
 for vilions and revelations from heaven, 
 yet from thence we expect, according 
 to the mod fure promife of our Mafter, 
 the gift of the Spirit, to blefs and pro- 
 fper us in our ftudies, to open to us the 
 fcriptures, and our underftandings, that 
 we may underftand them. The fame 
 Spirit that gave the word, giveth like- 
 wife the interpretation thereof. And the 
 latter, as well as the former, is beft re- 
 ceived in folitude, which appears to be 
 thus admirably calculated for the attain- 
 ment of wifdom, as it requireth ftudy 
 and attention, a difpaffionate and un- 
 prejudiced mind, and that illumination 
 which is from on high. 
 
 SIN, in the language of fcripture, is 
 ftyled folly, to intimate to us, that true 
 ivifdom and holinefs are infeparable 
 companions. That, therefore, which 
 
 con*
 
 of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. r x 
 
 conduceth to the acquifition of one, SECT. III. 
 can never bear an unfavourable afpect 
 towards the other ; and folitude will be 
 found the beft nurfe of fanftity, more 
 particularly as it confifteth in the exer- 
 cife of mortification. 
 
 TH i s is a work which no man can 
 fet about, until he knoweth what thofe 
 failings are, to which he is fubjedt. And 
 fuch is the power of felf-love, that the 
 perfon concerned is generally the laft 
 who comes to a knowlege of this moft 
 important point. If neither the fidelity 
 of his friends nor the malice of his ene- 
 mies let him into the fecret, there is 
 only a third way in which it is poflible 
 for him to become matter of it, which 
 is felf-examination, conftantly, fincerely, 
 and thoroughly practifed. And this re- 
 quireth ftated feafons of retirement ; 
 for want of which, we fee thofe, who 
 are engaged in a circle of bufinefs, or 
 pleafures, living entire ftrangers to them- 
 felves and their own infirmities, though 
 intimately acquainted with the follies 
 and foibles of all around them. " In 
 " the night," the pfalmift tells us, he 
 t " communed with his own heart, and 
 G 2 " his
 
 52 Conjiderations on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT.III. " his fpirit made diligent fearch V 
 Then filence and folitude afforded him 
 an opportunity of fcrutinizing the tem- 
 pers of his foul, of difcovering the ma- 
 ladies to which he was inclined, and of 
 applying the proper remedies to each. 
 
 THAT medicines may be admini- 
 ftered with fuccefs, it is necefTary to cut 
 off the provifions, which nourim and 
 increafe the diforder. The world, in 
 the cafe before us, is full of fuch pro- 
 vifions ; and therefore the patient muft 
 withdraw, for a while, from the in- 
 fluence of it's temptations. " Where 
 "no wood is, the fire goeth out b ." 
 Remove the object, and the paflion will 
 by degrees die away. In folitude, the 
 pleafures and glories of the world no 
 longer ilrike upon the fenfes, and foli- 
 cit the affections. The foul, therefore, 
 In this fituation, like one efcaped out of 
 a battle to a place of fecurity, hath 
 leifure to reflect upon her condition, and 
 to provide for her future fafety. By 
 looking into herfelf, me perceiveth how 
 much me flandeth in need of mercy 
 
 Pf. lxxvii.6. 
 b Prov. xxvi, 20. 
 
 and
 
 of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 53 
 
 and grace; and then me is naturally SECT.IU. 
 led to look up to heaven, as the onl" 
 place from whence they are to be ob- 
 tained. The former of thefe profpects 
 filleth her with compunction, and caufeth 
 her to mourn for her fins with that 
 godly forrow which worketh a repent- 
 ance never to be repented of j the latter 
 encourageth her to pour forth herfelf in 
 continual prayer to the God of her fal- 
 vation, until he have mercy upon her. 
 St. Peter, when reminded of his offence 
 by the crowing of the cock, and the 
 affectionate look of an abjured Matter, 
 went out from the high prieft's hall 
 where he was, and in folitude, with 
 ftrong crying and tears, made fupplica- 
 tion for pardon and peace. In retire- 
 ment it is, that we find ourfelves beft 
 able to practife all the holy arts of ab- 
 ftinence and felf-denial, fo needful for 
 the perfecting repentance by mortifying 
 the whole body of lin. 
 
 WH E N men cannot be induced vo- 
 luntarily to take this courfe, they are 
 often forced into it by Providence vifit- 
 ing them with fome heavy calamity, 
 which by a ilroke, like the amputation 
 
 of
 
 54 Confederations on the Life and Death 
 
 .of a limb, fevere but falutary, fepara- 
 J ting them at once from the world, mall 
 oblige them to converfe firft with them- 
 felves, and then with God. Thus was 
 Babylon 's haughty monarch driven, in an 
 extraordinary manner, from fociety, to 
 learn humility in the fields and woods, 
 until he acknowledged the power and 
 the righteoufnefs f the King of heaven. 
 And thus the idolatrous and fuperla- 
 tively wicked Manajfeh became a fincere 
 and hearty penitent in the folitude of a 
 Chaldean -prifon. Nor can we but ad- 
 mire, upon this occafion, the wifdom 
 and goodnefs of God in fending fick- 
 nefs, as a preparative for death. Sick- 
 nefs takes a man, as it were, out of 
 this fcene of things, to fit him for an- 
 other. It draws the curtain between 
 him and the world, {hutting out all it's 
 cares, and all it's pleafures. It puts 
 away his idle and noify acquaintance 
 far from him ; and having thus fecured 
 his attention to the one thing needful, 
 gives him ideas of the nature of fin, and 
 the importance of death, the vanities 
 of time, and the glories of eternity, to 
 which he was before an utter ftranger. 
 
 Now
 
 
 of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 55 
 
 Now appear to him, in their proper SECT. nr. 
 colours and natural deformity, the dia- 
 bolical nature of pride and envy, the 
 brutality of intemperance, the folly and 
 torment of lafcivioufnefs, the wretched- 
 nefs of avarice, and the ftupidity of 
 iloth. Now he hath no longer any un- 
 lawful defires, and grieves that he ever 
 had fuch. Now he is what he always 
 ought to have been, and what retire- 
 ment, at proper feafons, mould and 
 would have made him. 
 
 IN morality, as in hufbandry, the 
 preparation of the foil is a great ftep 
 towards the production of a plentiful 
 harveft. If carnal defires are dead in 
 us, all things belonging to the Spirit 
 will live and grow in us. If the affec- 
 tions are difengaged from things on 
 earth, the difficulty of the work is over ; 
 they will readily and eagerly lay hold on 
 things above, when propofed to them. 
 If the fnare of concupifcence be broken, 
 and the foul be delivered out of it, me 
 will prefently fly away, on the wings 
 of faith and charity, towards heaven. 
 They who have duly praftifed mortifi- 
 cation in the fchool of retirement, will, 
 
 at '
 
 56 Confederations on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT.III. at their appearance in the world, afford 
 it the brighter! examples of every thing 
 that is " honeft, juft, pure, lovely, and 
 " of good report." 
 
 WE may, therefore, conclude, that 
 he who defires to undertake the office 
 of guiding others in the ways of ivif- 
 dom and bolinefs, will beft qualify him- 
 felf for that purpofe by firft pafling fome 
 time in a flate of fequeftration from the 
 world -, where anxious cares and delu- 
 five pleafures may not break in upon 
 him, to diflipate his attention \ where 
 no fceptical or feftarian fpirit may blind 
 his understanding, and nothing may 
 obftrucl: the illumination from above ; 
 where every vicious inclination may be 
 mortified through grace, by a prudent 
 application of the proper means ; and 
 every frem bud of virtue, fheltered from 
 noxious blafts, may be gradually reared 
 up into ftrength, beauty, and fragrance; 
 where, in a word, " he may grow and 
 " wax ftrong in fpirit, until the day of 
 " his fhewing unto Ifrael." 
 
 SEC-
 
 cf St. JOHN /^BAPTIST. 
 
 SECTION IV. 
 
 Conjiderations on the Prophecies relcftive 
 to St. John in the Old Teftament. 
 
 E FORE we proceed to view theSEcr.iv. 
 Baptift in the exercife of his mi- 
 ni ftry, it will be proper to look back 
 to the predictions in the Scriptures of 
 the Old Teftament, concerning his of- 
 fice and character. We mall begin 
 with that remarkable one, " Behold, I 
 ft will fend you Elijah the prophet, be- 
 " fore the coming of the great and 
 " dreadful- day of the Lord. And he 
 " ill all turn the heart of the fathers to 
 *' the children, and the heart of the 
 " children to their fathers, left I come, 
 " and fmite the earth with a curfe V 
 
 A s there was amongft the Jews a 
 general expectation of Memah's appear- 
 ance, at the time when he did appear, 
 fo an opinion likewife prevailed, that 
 the world mould be firft prepared for 
 his reception, in ibmc extraordinary 
 8 Mai. iv. 5, 6. 
 
 H manner.
 
 r8 Confederations on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT.IV. manner. But wrong ideas of his ap- 
 earance and kingdom introduced mif- 
 takes with regard to the perfon who 
 mould precede and proclaim him. Ac- 
 cording to the notions then current, oc- 
 cafioned by applying to his firft advent 
 the prophecies which belonged to his 
 fecond, Meffiah was to come in power 
 and majefty, to confer on the fons of 
 'Jacob dominion over the Gentiles, and 
 make Jerufalem the metropolis of the 
 world. And by mifunderftanding this 
 prediction of Malacbi y they had ima- 
 gined, that Elijah the T^ijhbite mould 
 return from heaven, as his precurfor. 
 For this reafon it was, that when the 
 fanhedrim fent a mefTage to St. John, 
 deliring to know, whether he were 
 Elias ? he anfwered, " I am not :" not 
 the Elias by them intended and expect- 
 ed. But that St. John was the perfon 
 foretold by Malachi under the name of 
 Elias, we have the declarations of our 
 Lord himfelf to his own difciples, 
 " Elias is indeed come 3 /' and to the 
 Jews, " If ye will receive it, this is 
 '* Elias which was for to come. He 
 
 * Mark ix. 
 
 " that
 
 of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 59 
 
 " that hath ears to hear, let him hear*." SECT.IY. 
 By thefe expreffions it was evidently 
 (Thrift's intention to put his hearers up- 
 on the fearch after fomething more than 
 the words, in the bare letter of them, 
 might feem to contain. He directed 
 them to go deeper into things, to ftudy 
 with attention the mimon of the Bap- 
 tift, his office and character; to com- 
 pare together perfons, times, and events; 
 and fo to difcover, in what fenfe John 
 was Ellas, and why Malachi had given 
 him that appellation. But if they did 
 this, and were once brought, in the 
 perfon of John, to acknowledge Ellas _ 
 who was to precede the Median, they 
 muft necefTarily, in the perfon of Jefus, 
 acknowledge the Mem ah whom Ellas 
 was to precede. And therefore, as they 
 were obftinately refolved not to own the 
 Matter, Chriil knew they would not 
 recognize the fervant, or receive this 
 faying concerning him. Thus when 
 the chief priefts and elders interrogated 
 our Lord in the temple, " By what au-. 
 " thority doft thou thefe things , or 
 ' who gave thee this authority ? I will 
 
 a Matt. xi. 14. 
 
 H 2 " alfo,"
 
 60 Conf derations on the Life and Death 
 
 SFCT.IV. alfo," faid he, " afk you one queftion, 
 The bapti-in of John, tarts it from 
 " heaven, or of men ?" They perceived 
 the dilemma, and having considered 
 confequences, made the only Jlife an- 
 fwer, " We cannot tell a $" an anfwer 
 which did honour to their prudence and 
 their caution, but certainly at the ex- 
 pence either of their wifdom, or their 
 honefly. As fitting in the chair of 
 Mofes, they ought to have known whence 
 the baptifm of John was ; and if they 
 did know, they ought not to have been 
 my of declaring it. 
 
 THAT St. John was the EKas pre- 
 dicted by Malachiy we have alfo the tef- 
 timony of the angel b , at the annuntia- 
 tion of his birth, who cites the very 
 words of the prophet ; " He mall go 
 " before him in the fpirit and power of 
 " Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers 
 " to the children" &c. And if this be 
 the cafe, it follows by necerTary infe- 
 rence, that by " the great and dreadful 
 " day of the Lord," before the coming 
 of which Elijah is promiicd, Malachi 
 
 a Matt. xxi. 23. 
 " Luke i. -. 
 
 intends,
 
 of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 61 
 
 intends, primarily and immediately, theSEcr.lV. 
 day, not of the world's, but of Jem- 
 fa/em's deftruclion. For want of advert- 
 ing to this, an opinion hath prevailed 
 among Chriftian interpreters, that the 
 whole prophecy relateth principally to 
 the day of judgment, and to the appear- 
 ance of an Elias, who (hall then pre- 
 cede Chrift. Whether there will be 
 fuch an Elias at that time, and fo the 
 fecond advent will fymbolize with the 
 firft in the circumftance of being pre- 
 vioufly proclaimed by a harbinger, like 
 St. John, fent for that purpofe, is a fpe- 
 culation with which we fhail not at pre- 
 fent concern ourfelves, reding fatisfied 
 with the application of the prophecy, 
 upon infallible grounds, to the perfon 
 of the Baptift, the undoubted forerun- 
 ner of our Lord, when he came to vilit 
 us in great humility. 
 
 GOD punifheth not finners, till he 
 hath nrft invited them to repentance. 
 He giveth fair warning before he ftrik- 
 eth ; and a day of grace, in which mercy 
 may be fought, and pardon found, al- 
 ways goeth before a day of vengeance 
 and extermination. Elias was fent " be- 
 
 " fore
 
 6 2 Conjiderations on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT.IV. fore the coming of the great and 
 d read f u ] day of the Lord;" John call- 
 ed his countrymen to turn from their 
 fins, and believe in their Meffiah, e'er 
 yet the defolations of Jertifalem exhibit- 
 ed to the wondering nations a fpecimen 
 of that almighty power and inflexible 
 juftice, which mall one day lay the 
 world itfelf in ruins. 
 
 TH E third chapter of Malachi con- 
 taineth a moft evident and clear pre- 
 diction of Meffiah's advent, with that 
 of his precurfor St. ''John. " Behold, I 
 ff will lend my meflenger, and he (hall 
 " prepare the way before me ; and the 
 " Lord whom ye feek ihall fuddenly 
 " come to his temple, even the meffen- 
 " ger of the covenant whom ye delight 
 " in : behold he mall come, faith the 
 " Lord of hofts." The prophet goes 
 on to foretell the effects of (Thrift's ad- 
 vent in the feleclion of a peculiar peo- 
 ple, and the purification of a new prieft- 
 hood, to offer new and acceptable of- 
 ferings. " But who may abide the day 
 " of his coming, and who (hall ftand, 
 " when he appeareth ? For he is like a 
 " refiner's fire, and like fuller's foap. 
 
 And
 
 cf St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 63 
 
 " And he fhall fit as a refiner and puri- SBCT.IV* 
 " fier of filver ; and he fhall purify the 
 " fons of Levi, and purge them as gold 
 " and filver, that they may offer unto 
 " 'the Lord an offering in righteoufnefs. 
 " Then mall the offering of Judah and 
 *' Jerufalem be pleafant unto the Lord, 
 " as in the days of old, and as in for- 
 " mer years;" pleafant as in the days 
 when their fathers offered in faith, and 
 the defire of Meffiah's appearance was 
 the ruling paffion of their fouls. The 
 reft of the chapter is employed in re- 
 proving the rebellion, facrilege, and in- 
 fidelity of the Jews ; and the fourth 
 chapter opens with a defcription of the 
 day fatal to Jerufalem " Behold the 
 " day cometh that fhall burn as an oven, 
 " and all the proud, yea and all that do 
 " wickedly mall be ftubble, and the day 
 " that cometh fhall burn them up, faith 
 " the Lord of hofts, that it fhall leave 
 " them neither root nor branch." For 
 the confolation of the faithful, God by 
 his prophet again foretelleth Mefiiah's 
 advent, with the increafe, victory, and 
 triumph of the church "But unto 
 " you that fear my name, fhall the SUN 
 
 OF
 
 64 Cotifiderations on the Life 
 
 SBCT.IV. "OF RIGHTEOUSNESS arife, with 
 
 f ^^ " healing in his wings ; and ye fhall go 
 " forth, and grow up as the firftlings 
 *' of bullocks : and ye fhall tread down 
 " the wicked, for they fhall be aflies 
 " under the foles of your feet, in the 
 " day that I fhall do this, faith the Lord 
 " of hofts." In the mean time, " Re- 
 " member ye the law of Mofes my fer- 
 " vant, which I commanded unto him 
 *' in Horeb for all Ifrael, with the fta- 
 " tutes and judgments." And then , 
 when the law hath done it's office, and 
 prophefied for the appointed time, 
 " Behold I will fend you Elijah the 
 " prophet ;" not the perfonal Elijah, 
 but, as the angel expounded! it, one 
 to preach and live after the model of 
 his example, in his ' fpirit and power." 
 Thus, in the prophecy of Ezekiel, where 
 God foretelleth the union of Ifrael and 
 yudah in the days of Meffiah, he faith, 
 They mall be my people, and I will 
 ' be their God, and David my fervant 
 < fhall be their prince for ever V Not 
 that Chrift was to be David rifen |rom 
 the dead, or, when he came, Was to 
 
 a E/ek. xxxyii. 23. 
 
 bear
 
 (f St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 65 
 
 bear his name, but was to be, in cer-SEcr.IV. 
 tain relpects, like David, conquering V ^*V > ^' 
 the enemies, and fitting upon the throne 
 of IfraeL So the forerunner of Meffiah 
 was not to be Elijah defcended from 
 heaven, nor was he, at his manifefta- 
 tion, to be called by that name, but was 
 to be like him in his office and charac- 
 ter. Such a meffenger, faith God, " I 
 " will fend, before the coming of the 
 " great and dreadful day of the Lord,'* 
 that is, the day that mould " burn like 
 " an oven," the day of Jerufalems de- 
 ftruftion, mentioned in the firft verfe. 
 ' And he mall turn the heart of the 
 " fathers to the children, and the heart 
 " of the children to the fathers, left I 
 *' come and fmite the earth," or " the 
 " land, with a curfe." In the citation 
 of this pafTage by the angel, one part 
 of it is paraphrafed " To turn the 
 " hearts of the fathers to the children, 
 " and the dif obedient to the ivifdom of the 
 " j u ft a *" The meaning of the whole 
 feems to be, either, that men of every 
 age and every difpofition mould be uni- 
 ted in truth and charity ; or, as fome 
 
 * Luke i. 17. 
 
 I learned
 
 66 Confederations on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT.IV. learned expofitors understand the paf- 
 ige, that St. John fhould bring many 
 of the Jews to have the fame heart and 
 mind which their fathers and progeni- 
 tors had, who feared God, and believed 
 his promifes; that fo their fathers might, 
 as it were, rejoice in them, and own 
 them again for their children ; in other 
 words, that he fhould convert them to the 
 faith of that Chriit whom their fathers 
 hoped in, and looked for ; as it was faid 
 by the angel, " Many of the children 
 " of Ifrael fhall he turn to the Lord 
 " their God a j" left, all continuing ob- 
 ftinate in their unbelief, till the day 
 when a rejected Saviour ihould vifit an 
 apoftate people, the curfe mould be 
 univerfal. 
 
 BESIDES thefe notices afforded us 
 by Malachij there is a prophecy oil the 
 fame fubjecl in the XL* chapter of 
 Ifaiab, to which St. John referred the 
 priefts and levites, when they preffed 
 him, faying, " Who art thou, that we 
 " may give an anfwer to them that fent 
 " us ? What fayeft thou of thyfelf ? 
 " He faid, I am the voice of one crying 
 
 a Luke L 1 6. 
 
 "in
 
 of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 67 
 
 *' in the wildernefs, make ftraight the SECT IV. 
 " way of the Lord, as faid the prophet 
 " Efaias V But let us take a view of 
 the whole context, as far as it concerns 
 our prefent purpofe. 
 
 Is A I. XL. i. " Comfort ye, comfort 
 " ye my people, faith your God." 
 
 TH E future manifeftation of Chrift's 
 kingdom is represented to the prophet 
 in fpirit, with the concomitant figns and 
 circumftances of it. He hears the voice 
 of God directing his fervants to comfort 
 his people, by proclaiming certain glad 
 ti.dings which had been communicated 
 to them. Thefe glad tidings were the 
 tidings of the Gofpel. The perfons to 
 whom they firft came were Zacharias> 
 the bleiTed Virgin, Simeon > and Anna, 
 who compofed facred fongs upon the 
 occafion, and fpake of Mefiiah's advent 
 " to all fuch as looked for redemption 
 " in Jerufalem b ." The fame tidings 
 were afterwards publifhed by the Bap- 
 tift, then by Chrift himfelf and his 
 
 a John i. 23. 
 k Luke ii. 38. 
 
 I 2 apoftles,
 
 68 Confideratlons on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT.IV. apoftles, and have been ever fincc 
 preached hy their fucceflbrs, whofe 
 commiffion ftill runs " Comfort ye, 
 " comfort ye my people." 
 
 2. " SPEAK ye comfortably to Jeru- 
 " falem, and cry unto her, that 
 " her warfare is accomplished, 
 " that her iniquity is pardoned : 
 " for fhe hath received of the 
 " Lord's hand double for all her 
 
 '"fins." 
 t 
 
 GOOD news mould be related with 
 a fuitable afpeft and accent. The man- 
 ner mould correfpond with the matter. 
 " Speak ye comfortably," or, as it is in 
 the Hebrew phrafeology, *' to the heart 
 f< of Jerufalem ;" let your words be as 
 cordials, to revive and chear her in the 
 midft of her forrows and fufferings. 
 The topics of confolation, to be inlifled 
 on, are three. Firil, " Her warfare," 
 or "appointed fervice, is accompli med;" 
 the days of her continuance under the 
 yoke of bondage are expired ; the ful- 
 nefs of time is come, for her paffing 
 from that flate into the glorious liberty 
 
 of
 
 of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 69 
 
 of the fons of God ; (he will now be SECT.IV. 
 relieved from duty, and difmifTed from 
 the ftation on which fhe hath fo long 
 watched, in expectation of the promifed 
 redemption -, me will be " delivered out 
 '< of the hands of her enemies, to ferve 
 " God without fear." Secondly, " Her 
 " iniquity is pardoned ;" the expiation 
 is about to be made, which all her fa- 
 crifices and luftrations prefigured, which 
 all her prophets foretold -, the blefTed 
 perfon is born, in whom God is well 
 pleafed, both granting and accepting 
 repentance unto " falvation by the re- 
 " million of fins," that men may be 
 " juftified from all things from which 
 " they could not be juftified B Y the 
 " law of Mofes," although men were 
 juftified UNDER that difpenfation , 
 through faith in him that was then to 
 come, according to the Gofpel preached 
 before unto Abraham. Thirdly, " She 
 " hath received of the Lord's hand 
 " double for all her fins ;" me hath re- 
 ceived greater benefits than me had de- 
 ferved punimments ; mercy hath rejoi- 
 ced againft judgment; where fin aboun- 
 ded, grace hath fuperabounded. 
 
 3- THE
 
 Confederations on the Life and Death 
 
 3. " THE voice of him that crieth 
 *' in the wildernefs, prepare ye 
 " the way of the Lord, make 
 " ftraight in the defart a high 
 " way for our God." 
 
 ISAIAH, while reciting the divine 
 injunctions to thofe whofe office it mould 
 be to " comfort Jerufalem," feemeth to 
 break off" fuddenly, as one interrupted 
 in his difcourfe by the found of a voice. 
 And as if he had liftened, and perceived 
 it to be the found of that voice which 
 fo many prophets and kings h^4 deiired 
 to hear, and had not heard it, viz. the 
 voice proclaiming the actual incarnation 
 of Meffiah, he breaks forth in tranf- 
 port, " The voice of him that crieth 
 " in the wildernefs ! " 
 
 Hark I a glad voice the *onefy defart 
 chears ; 
 
 Prepare the way ! a God, a God ap- 
 pears. 
 
 The voice which thus founded in the 
 prophet's ears, fo long before it was 
 really heard upon the earth, was that 
 
 of
 
 of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 71 
 
 of the Baptift, who, at the proper fea- SECT. iv. 
 fon, was lent, to difpofe the hearts 
 affections of men for the reception of 
 their Saviour, when he mould make 
 his appearance. 
 
 4. " EVERY valley mail be exalted, 
 " and every mountain and hill 
 " made low : and the crooked 
 " mall be made ftraight, and 
 " the rough places plain." 
 
 THESE are the words of the prophet 
 himfelf, unfolding the counfels of God 
 concerning the manner in which Mef- 
 iiah's kingdom mould be eftablifhed in 
 the world, and the alterations which 
 muft necerTarily take place, in order to 
 that end. " Every valley iliall be ex- 
 " alted ;" to the poor in fpirit, the 
 lowly and contrite fouls, the Gofpel mall 
 be preached, and they mail be exalted 
 in faith and hope " and every rnoun- 
 " tain and hill made low ;" on the con- 
 trary, pride of every kind, and in every 
 fhape, whether exalting itfelf in judai- 
 cal pharifaifm, or in gentile philofbphy, 
 againft the knowlege of God, mall be 
 
 made
 
 72 Confederations on the Life and Death 
 
 ' 
 SECT.IV. made low, and fubdued to the obedience 
 
 of Chrift : " and the crooked mall be 
 " made ftraight -," truth and rectitude 
 mail fucceed to error and depravity 
 " and the rough places plain ;" every 
 thing that oiFendeth mail be removed, 
 and all difficulties and inequalities 
 fmoothed, till unanimity and uniformity 
 prevail. Thus mall the way be prepa- 
 red for the King of Righteoufnefs to 
 vifh his people, to dwell in them, and 
 to walk among them. 
 
 *. 
 
 5. " AND the glory of the Lord mall 
 " be revealed, and all flefh mall 
 " fee it together; for the mouth 
 " of the Lord hath fpoken it." 
 
 IMMEDIATELY after the proclama- 
 tion and preparation made by the Bap- 
 tift, the Divinity was revealed in human 
 nature, God was manifefted in the flefh, 
 feen and converfed with by all ranks 
 and degrees of men, high and low, 
 rich and poor, Jews and Gentiles, Pha- 
 rifees and Saducees, publicans and lin- 
 ners. The accomplimment of this part 
 of Ifaiah's prophecy is exactly related by 
 
 St.
 
 'of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 73 
 
 St. John the Evangelift, in the follow- SECT.IV. 
 
 ing terms j " The word was made flefh, 
 
 " and dwelt among us, and we beheld 
 
 <( bis GLORY, the glory as of the only 
 
 " begotten of the Father, full of grace 
 
 ' and truth V 
 
 THUS we have feen under what cha- 
 racter the Baptift is held forth to us in 
 the predictions of the prophets con- 
 cerning him, as one who fhould go be- 
 fore Meffiah in the fpirit and power of 
 Elias, to proclaim and prepare the way 
 for the advent of God incarnate. How 
 perfectly, during the courfe of his mi- 
 niftry, he filled up this character, will 
 appear in the fubfequent fedtions. 
 
 3 John i. 14. 
 
 K SEC-
 
 74 Confiderations on the Life and Death 
 
 SECTION V. 
 
 Conjiderations on the appearance, doctrine, 
 and baptifm of St. John. 
 
 SECT.V. r-j^HE days of St. Jo/ms retirement 
 
 , * 
 JL were now ended, and he was to 
 
 exchange the pleafures of contemplation 
 for the far different fcenes of an active 
 life -, to behold, with grief and indig- 
 nation, the fins and follies of mankind, 
 the light of which mufl needs be more 
 grating and afflicting to his righteous 
 foul, than a garment of camel's hair 
 could be to his body ; to encounter the 
 oppofition of a world that would be 
 fure to take arms againft him, from the 
 moment in which he flood forth a 
 preacher of repentance and reforma- 
 tion. But no good could be done to 
 others in folitude, no converts could be 
 made in the defarts ; and he mufl there- 
 fore quit even the mofl refined and ex- 
 alted of intellectual enjoyments, as every 
 minifler of Chrifl mould be ready to do, 
 
 when
 
 of Sf. JOHN ///* BAPTIST. 75 
 
 when charity di&ates an attendance on SECT.V. 
 the neceffities of his fellow creatures. 
 
 YET let it be obferved, that St. 'John 
 was thirty years of age, when " the 
 " word of God came to him in the wil- 
 " dernefs a ," and commiffioned him to 
 enter upon his miniftry ; and the holy 
 Jefus likewife was of the fame age, 
 when inaugurated to his office, by the 
 vifible defcent of the Spirit upon him 
 at his baptifm -, to intimate, perhaps, 
 that neither the exigences of mankind, 
 nor a confcioufnefs of abilities for the 
 work, can be pleaded as a fufficient 
 warrant for a man to run before he 
 is fent, and take the facred office up- 
 on himfelf, without a regular and law- 
 ful call. The inftitutions of God are 
 not without a reafon, and he will not 
 be ferved by the breach of his com- 
 mandments. 
 
 TH E place to which the Baptift firfr, 
 repaired is flyled " the wildernefs of 
 " Judea b ," a country not like the vail 
 and uninhabited defarts in which he was 
 educated, but one thinly peopled, a 
 
 a Luke iii. 2. 
 
 * Matt. iii. i. Luke iii. 3. 
 
 K 2 com-
 
 y6 Conjiderations on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT.V. comparative wildernefs, chofen by him 
 n account of it's bordering on the river. 
 
 o 
 
 Hither the inhabitants of the neigh- 
 bouring cities and villages prefently 
 flocked in great numbers, attracted by 
 the uncommon fanctity of the new 
 preacher, who thus came forth, on a 
 fudden, from the defarts, like one front 
 another world, without any connections 
 in this, that no attachment might take 
 him off from the duties of his high 
 calling, or any way impede him in the 
 exercife of it ; fince a man's worft foes 
 have often been thofe of his own houf- 
 hold, and the ties of flem and blood 
 have' been known to prevail, where ty- 
 rants have threatened and inflicted tor- 
 tures, without effect. And as there is 
 nothing fo directly oppoiite to the pro- 
 fefiion of a prophet, nothing which fa 
 foon or fo effectually fullies his reputa-* 
 tion, as a tendency to indulgence and 
 fenfuality ; in him, who was " more 
 " than a prophet a ," we mufl expect to 
 find a perfect crucifixion of the ne(h, 
 with it's affections and lults. " What 
 " went ye out into the wildernefs to 
 
 * Matt. xi. 9. 
 
 " fee ?
 
 of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 77 
 
 " fee ? A man clothed in foft raiment 3 ?" SECT.V. 
 No, the very reverfe ; a man, like h 
 predeceffor Elijah, coarfly attired ; " his 
 " raiment of camel's hair, with a lea- 
 " them girdle about his loins ;"- and 
 content with the plaineft food that na- 
 ture could provide for him; " his meat, 
 " locufts, and wild honey b ;" a man, 
 whofe perfon, habit, and manner of life, 
 were themfelves a fermon, and the beft 
 illuftration of the doctrine he was about 
 to teach; a proper perfon to prepare the 
 way for Chrift, and introduce the law 
 to the gofpel ; to mew men what effect 
 the one ought to have upon them, in 
 order to difpofe them for the bleflings 
 of the other -, that mercy might lave 
 from the wrath which juftice had de- 
 nounced, and Jefus comfort thofe whom 
 Mojes had caufed to mourn. 
 
 TH E actions of a prophet, who ap- 
 pears, like the Baptift, with an extra- 
 ordinary million, though they are not 
 to be imitated by us according to the 
 letter, may yet convey a moral of ge- 
 neral ufe. There is no obligation upon 
 
 a Matt. xi. 8. 
 * Ibid. iii. 4, 
 
 US
 
 78 Confederations on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT.V. us to be clothed with camel's hair, and 
 to eat locujls and wild honey t nor are we 
 commanded to abftain wholly from ivinCy 
 as St. 'John did, according to the pre- 
 diction of the angel concerning him, 
 delivered at the annuntiation of his 
 birth, " He mail drink neither wine nor 
 *' ftrong drink, and mall be rilled with 
 " the Holy Ghoft even from his rrio- 
 " ther's womb a ." But who doth not 
 here perceive, evidently marked out, 
 the oppofition between fenfuality and 
 the fpirit of holinefs, and the impoffi- 
 bility of their dwelling together under 
 the fame roof? " Into a malicious foul 
 " wifdom fliall not enter, nor dwell 
 *' in a body that is fubjedt to fin. For 
 " the holy fpirit of difcipline will flee 
 " deceit, and remove from thoughts 
 " that are without underflanding, and 
 " will not abide when unrighteoufnefs 
 " cometh in b ." As, therefore, " no 
 tf man can fay that Jefus is the Lord, 
 " but by the Holy Ghoft c ," who fpeaks 
 in the fcriptures, who enlightens our 
 
 a Luke i. 15. 
 b Wifd. i. 4. 
 c i Cor. xii. 3. 
 
 under-
 
 of St. JOHN the RAPTIST% 
 
 underflandings to interpret them, and SECT.V. 
 who gives authority as well as abilijty 
 to preach that great truth revealed in 
 them, every minifler of Chrift, who 
 fucceeds the Baptift in the hie/Ted work 
 of calling men to falvation, mould mor- 
 tify the lufts of the fleili, that the 
 graces of the Spirit may live and grow 
 in him. 
 
 B Y a thorough mortification of the 
 flefh, St. John had gained a compleat 
 victory over the world, which had no- 
 thing in it that he wanted. And herein 
 coniifted that greatnefs of his character 
 foretold by the angel -, " He mall be 
 "great in the fight of the LordV 
 Earthly pageantry engages not the at- 
 tention of the fpirits above, unlefs it 
 be to pity fuch as fet their hearts upon 
 it. They difcerned fomething more 
 truly great in the perfon of the Baptift, 
 when he came forth from the defarts, 
 than in that of a triumphant monarch, 
 at the head of his victorious army. 
 "Behold," faith our Lord, "they that 
 " wear foft clothing are in kings' 
 
 a Luke i. 15. 
 
 houfes a 5"
 
 8o Confederations on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT.V. " houfes a j" look for them among the 
 attendants upon the princes of this 
 world, and not among my fervants. 
 They who thirft after temporal honours 
 and advantages, muft go where fuch 
 things are to be had. And let them go 
 any where, rather than come into the 
 church, with thefe difpofitions. For 
 he who would perfuade others to defpife 
 the world, while the love of it appears 
 to dired: and govern all his own actions* 
 can expect no better fuccefs than it may 
 be fuppofed St. Peter would have met 
 with, had he invited thofe, who flood 
 with him round the fire in the high 
 prieft's hall, into the fervice of that 
 matter, whom they had juft before 
 heard him deny. " When thou art 
 " converted, ftrengthen thy brethren b :" 
 attempt not to do it till then, left thou 
 not only falleft into condemnation thy- 
 felf, but layeft a {tumbling block in the 
 way of the weak, and caufeft the name 
 of God and his gofpel to be thus blaf- 
 phemed through thy double-minded- 
 nefs, while thy life is at variance with 
 
 a Matt. xi. 8. 
 k Luke xxii. 32. 
 
 thy
 
 of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 81 
 
 thy doctrine. He who undertakes to SECT.V. 
 reprove the world, muft be one whom 
 the world cannot reprove. All eyes will 
 be upon him ; his actions, his words, 
 his very geftures and looks will be ob- 
 ferved and canvaffed by his fharp fighted 
 enemies. It will therefore behove one, 
 fo expofed on all fides, to abftain from 
 the leaft appearance of evil, to ftand at 
 the utmoft diftance from temptation, 
 and to prevent even the poffibility of a 
 fufpicion. The ax muft be laid to the 
 root, and the paffions mortified, till the 
 man become, in the emphatical lan- 
 guage of fcripture, " dead to fin a ," as 
 a corpfe is to the delights and concerns 
 of life. "The dead know not any thing, 
 " neither have they any more a portion 
 " in any thing that is done under the 
 fun b ." 
 
 STRANGE, therefore, as St. John's 
 appearance and manner of life might at 
 firft feem, they were prefently explain- 
 ed, when he began to preach a doctrine 
 harih and diftafteful to flefh and blood, 
 as the garment he wore, and the food 
 
 * Rom. vi. 2. 
 b Ecclef. ix. 5, 6. 
 
 L on
 
 Si Conjiderattons on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT.V. on which he fubfifted. " Repent ye ;" 
 lat is, Be converted, or changed, in 
 heart and mind, in principle and prac- 
 tice, from error to truth, from fin to 
 righteoufnefs, from the flefh to the Spi- 
 rit, from the world to God ; " for the 
 " kingdom of heaven is at handV a 
 new and heavenly kingdom is about to 
 be fet up amongft you, with new and 
 heayenly Jaws, under a new and heavenly 
 king, the promifed MerTiah, and none 
 but men of new and heavenly tempers 
 and difpofitions can pombly become the 
 fubjects of it. I am the perfon com- 
 miffioned to prepare you for your happy 
 change, by calling you to repentance, 
 and to my baptifm which is " the bap- 
 " tifm of repentance, for the remiffion 
 " of fms b ," through faith in him " who 
 " cometh after me," to confer pardon 
 and forgivenefs. I am the meffenger 
 foretold by Malachi and Ifaiab, fent in 
 this manner to prepare the way of him 
 who is your King, your Lord, and your 
 God, now ready to be revealed, as the 
 Saviour of men. " Repent ye, for the 
 
 * Matt, iii 2. 
 h Luke iii. 3. 
 
 " king-
 
 '* 
 
 of St. JorfN the BAPTIST. 83 
 
 kingdom of heaven is at hand." Thus SECT.V. 
 did St. John lay the foundations of the 
 evangelical edifice in mortification and 
 felf-denial ; nor did his bleffed Matter 
 afterward propofe the glories of a crown 
 to any but thofe who mould be ready 
 to take up their crofs in the way to 
 them. 
 
 TH E appearance of fanctity, put on 
 by every impoftor, is a proof of the in- 
 fluence, which it hath, when genuine 
 and unaffected, over the minds of men 1 . 
 The preacher will always be attended, 
 who conforms to his own doctrine, and 
 exemplifies it in his life, be that doc- 
 trine ever fo rigid. No fooner was it 
 known, that John y the fon of Zacba- 
 rias, Was come forth from the de farts, 
 and had begun to preach, but " there 
 " went out unto him Jerufalem, and all 
 " Judea, and all the region round about 
 " Jordan, and were baptized of him in 
 " Jordan, confeffing their fins V The 
 difcourfes of the Baptiil were marp and 
 piercing as lancets. He applied them 
 home to the human heart, fwollen with 
 pride, and full of iniquity. And indeed, 
 
 * Matt. Hi. 5,6. 
 
 L 2 much
 
 84 Confederations on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT.V. much anxiety and wretchednefs might 
 k e relieved, much defpair and filicide 
 might be prevented among us of this 
 land, if the members of our church 
 would but follow her direction, and as 
 often as their minds were oppreffed, and 
 they could not quiet their own con- 
 fciences, go " to fome difcreet and 
 " learned minifter of God's word, and 
 " open their grief, that they might re- 
 " ceive the benefit of abfolution, to- 
 " gether with ghoftly counfel and ad- 
 vice." 
 
 TH E wifdom and goodnefs of God 
 are feen in his manner of proportioning 
 his aids to the exigences of his people, 
 and railing up reformers, when religion 
 mofl needs their help, to revive the true 
 fpirit of it among men. If we view 
 the flate of things in Judca at two dif- 
 ferent periods, we mall fbon perceive 
 how feaibnably Elijah was fent at one 
 time, and John the Baptift, that fecond 
 Elijah, at another. Each was an aera 
 of diftinguifhed corruption, but corrup- 
 tion of a- different fpecies. During the 
 former, idolatry was the famionable er- 
 ror, which had found it's way into the 
 
 court,
 
 of Sf. JOHN the BAPTIST. 
 
 court, and overfpread the face of the SECT.V. 
 church. The characterises of the lat- 
 ter were, on the one hand, a pharifai- 
 cal hypocrify, a boaft of moral recti- 
 tude, which exifted only in theory, and 
 a vain confidence in a law which nobody 
 obferved ; on the other, a Sadducean 
 infidelity, oppofed to the national faith 
 and hope, denying a refurrection, and 
 future ftate of retribution. Elijah re- 
 claimed the people from the worfhlp of 
 Baal to that of the true God ; John 
 called his hearers from unbelief, hypo- 
 crify, and vice, to faith and holinefs. 
 
 A N ambaffador of heaven, fent to 
 preach truth to thofe who are captivated 
 by error, and righteoufnefs to thofe who 
 are enamoured of fin, will never pro- 
 ceed far in the difcharge of his truft, 
 unlefs he be endued with a fervent zeal 
 for the caufe and the honour of him 
 that fent him. Every holy perfon is not 
 blefled with a fpirit, any more than he 
 is inverted with a commiffion, to ap- 
 pear in a public capacity, to reprove 
 rulers and kings, to look an angry world 
 in the face, and overcome all the oppo- 
 fition it can raife againfl him. Zeal, 
 
 with-
 
 86 Conftder.ations on the Life and Dtath 
 
 SECT.V. without holinefs to fupport it, like a 
 meteor, will blaze and expire. Zeal, 
 without knowlege to limit and direct 
 it, will wafte and deftroy, like the ele- 
 fnent from the effect of which it takes 
 it's name, when that has burll it's 
 bounds, and rules where it ought to be 
 in fubje&ion. But when knowlege and 
 holinefs are firft obtained, it is zeal 
 which muft quicken and diffufe them, 
 as the fun doth light and heat, for the 
 benefit of the univerfe. " Then ftood 
 " up Elias the prophet as fire," faith 
 the fon of Sirach, " and his word burnt 
 " like a lamp V And our Lord, fpeak- 
 ing of the Baptift, gives this account 
 of him, " Be was a burning and a 
 " mining light b ." His zeal was tem- 
 pered wKh knowlege, for it gave light ; 
 and his knowlege was actuated by zeal, 
 for it was burning as well as jhining. 
 Ilii fermons came warm from the heart 
 of the fpeaker, and therefore found 
 their way to that of the hearer, which 
 was inflamed by them with' the love, as 
 
 a Ecclef. xlviii; I 4 
 k John v. 35. 
 
 his
 
 cf Sf. JOHN the BAPTIST- 67 
 
 his underftanding was enlightened with SECT.V. 
 the knowlege of heavenly things. 
 
 LET us view and compare together 
 the zeal of Elijah, exerted before idola- 
 trous Ifrael afiembled at mount Carmel, 
 and that difplayed by St. John, when 
 he faw the Pharifees and Sadducees 
 come to his baptifm. 
 
 FOR the fins of the people, and the 
 iniquities of the prince, in the days of 
 Elijah*, heaven was clofed over their 
 heads, the bleffings 1 of rain and dew 
 were withheld till the divine author of 
 them mould be again acknowleged, and 
 famine {talked through the land, preach- 
 ing repentance as {he went. Ifrael felt 
 the wound, but owned not the hand 
 that inflicted it. The Almighty had 
 conftituted the prophet his vicegerent, 
 and enjoined the elements to fecond him 
 in the work of reformation. Ahab and 
 his fubje&s, inftead of confulting //- 
 jah about the removal of their calami- 
 ties, regarded him as the occaiion of 
 them, and the fole " troubler of Ifrael.'* 
 At the command of God, he prefents 
 himfelf before the king, and tells him 
 
 * See \ Kings xvii, & xviii. 
 
 plainly
 
 88 Confederations on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT.V. plainly, " Thou art the man." Ifrael is 
 convened at mount Carmel, and reproved. 
 " Why halt ye between two opinions ? 
 " If Jehovah be God, follow him. But 
 " if Baal, then follow him." The falfe 
 prophets appear on the fide of Baal and 
 his kindred idols, to the number of nine 
 hundred and fifty : on the fide of the 
 true God, 'Elijah ftands fingle. The 
 trial is made, and the grand queftion 
 determined by a vifible token of the di- 
 vine prefence. The nation returns to 
 it's duty, idolatry is punilhed in it's vo- 
 taries, the heaven gives rain, and the 
 earth brings forth her increafe. 
 
 O N the banks of Jordan we behold, 
 in the perfon of St. John*, another 
 Elijah, reproving the people of Ifrael, 
 again departed from the Lord their 
 God, while fome, as the Pharifees, were 
 hypocrites, and others, as the Saddu- 
 cees, were unbelievers. Equally a 
 ftranger to fear and partiality, and en- 
 dued with a prophetical power of dif- 
 cerning that ferpentine fubtlety and ma- 
 lignity which lurked under a fpecious 
 outfide, he rebukes them fharply, if by 
 
 Sec Matt. iii. /, &c. 
 
 any
 
 Ji^B&%U^ ^/ T> > 
 
 of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 
 
 any means he might convince them of SECT. v. 
 fin, and lead them to true repentance. 
 " O generation of vipers, who hath 
 " warned you to flee from the wrath to 
 " come ? " You, who feem to have 
 taken porTdfion of the inheritance, as 
 if Meffiah would never appear to claim 
 it ; you, who truft in yourfelves that 
 you are righteous, and defpife others; 
 come you to me, to be baptized with 
 publicans and linners ? What can be 
 the reafon of all this ? What can be 
 your motive ? The buiinefs in hand is 
 not one to be trirled with. Hypocrify 
 has no place here ; nor will the exter- 
 nal (hew, without the internal work, 
 in this cafe, avail to any thing, but 
 condemnation. " Bring forth therefore 
 " fruits meet for repentance :" be not 
 barren, but " bring forth ," bring forth 
 not leaves only, or fair profeffions, pro- 
 mifes, and defigns, but " fruits," or 
 good deeds ; and fuch as may be " wor- 
 " thy" of the tree on which they grow; 
 fuch as may advance to maturity, and 
 ripen into holinefs. " And think not 
 * to fay within yourfelves, We have 
 " Abraham to our father :" many will 
 M here-
 
 oo Confiderations on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT.V. hereafter fay that, to little purpofe. A 
 defcent from the loins of Abraham will 
 profit none, but thofe who are like A- 
 braham. His true children are reckoned 
 by faith, not confanguinity. Imagine 
 not that the favour of heaven is heredi- 
 tary and indefeaiible in the line of Abra- 
 ham according to the flefh, or that the 
 divine promifes mutt fail, if not made 
 good to you ; " for I fay unto you, that 
 " God is able of thefe ftones to raife up 
 '<* children unto Abraham j" by the 
 power of his grace he can make con- 
 verts of nations at prefent utterly bar- 
 ren, unfruitful, obdurate, who mall in- 
 herit the bleffing which you reject. Nor 
 let the confideration, that Mefliah has 
 fo long delayed his coming, induce you 
 to be carelefs and negligent : " for now 
 
 CJ \J 
 
 " is the ax laid to the root of the tree:" 
 believe me, he is at hand j your trial 
 will foon be over, and your fate deter- 
 mined ; the decilive and irremediable 
 ftroke will be itruck, if not prevented 
 by a timely repentance, a fpeedy and 
 real change of heart and manners ; 
 " every tree which bringeth not forth 
 " good fruit (hall be cut down and caft 
 
 " into
 
 of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 01 
 
 x 
 
 " into the fire." Hitherto God hath SECT.V. 
 born with your errors and iniquities, 
 but he will do fo no longer. The law 
 hath been given, and the prophets have 
 been fent ; but they are not regarded ; 
 and therefore he is coming, after whom 
 no other meflenger is to be expected 
 from above. He will be the Saviour of 
 all, who, from a fenfe of their fins, 
 mall be ready to embrace him as fuch. 
 I am not that perfon, but the leaft and 
 lowefl of his fervants, fent before to 
 give notice of his approach, and pre- 
 pare you to receive him. "I indeed 
 " baptize you with water unto repent- 
 " ance ;" but it is he who muft grant 
 remimon of fins repented of; " he that 
 " cometh after me is mightier than I, 
 " whofe fhoes I am not worthy to bear;" 
 he brings with him almighty power 
 from on high, to pardon fins, and con- 
 . fer grace; " he mall baptize you with 
 " the Holy Ghofl and with fire," to 
 fanctify your natures, to purify, en- 
 lighten, and inflame your hearts with 
 the defire and love of celeftial objects. 
 At his appearance, he will try and make 
 manifeft the tempers and difpofitions of 
 M 2 men.
 
 Q2 Confidemtions on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT.V. men. Deceit and hypocrify mall not 
 and before him. " His fan is in his 
 " hand, and he will throughly purge 
 " his floor," fifting and winnowing that 
 which is good from that which feems 
 to be fo; " and he will gather his wheat 
 " into his garner," tranllate to heaven 
 all that is pure, fubftantial, and fruit- 
 ful ; " but he will burn up the chaff," 
 whatfoever is fallacious, light, empty, 
 and barren, " with unquenchable fire," 
 in hell. 
 
 SUCH a difcourfe from fuch a perfon 
 occafioned great fearchings in the hearts 
 of the people. They found all the vain 
 opinions and prefumptions, on which 
 they had been accuitomed to rely, fud- 
 denly taken from them, and nothing 
 left, but to put themfelves forthwith 
 under the direction of fo holy and hea- 
 venly a preacher. With fear and trem- 
 bling they applied to him, as the af- 
 frighted gaoler afterwards did to Paul 
 and Silas, faying, " What fhall we do 
 " then 3 ?" And when a penitent will 
 aik advice of his fpiritual guide, with 
 a determined refolution to follow it, he 
 
 * Luke ill. 10, &c. 
 
 is
 
 cf St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 93 
 
 is not far from the kingdom of God. SECT.V. 
 He is fenfible of his difeafe -, and that, 
 in the maladies of the mind, is half the 
 cure. St. John, in his anfwer, enjoins 
 not legal, but evangelical facrifices, ex- 
 horting his converts to mew the fince- 
 rity of their converfion by loving their 
 neighbours, and relieving their necem- 
 ties, as God had loved and relieved 
 them. " He that hath two coats, le* 
 " him impart to him that hath none ; 
 " and he that hath meat let him do 
 " likewife." Thefe works of feeding 
 and clothing the poor, including all 
 other ads of mercy under them, are 
 mentioned, as being the moft neceflary 
 and indifpenfable ; and he, fays a pious 
 writer upon this pafTage, who is not 
 moved with hisj brother's mifery, de- 
 ferves to find God unmoved with his 
 own. 
 
 AMONG others that came to be bap- 
 tized, were fome publicans, or tax-ga- 
 therers > a fet of men, whofe employ- 
 ment rendered them odious, as it often 
 tempted them to court the favour of 
 thofe who employed them, or to gra- 
 tify their own avarice, by fleecing the 
 
 people.
 
 94 Confederations on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT.V. people. Thefe alfo were importunate 
 with St. John, faying, And what (hall 
 " we do ? And he faid unto them, 
 *' Exact no more than that which is 
 " appointed you." The reflections of 
 the writer above-cited, upon this cafe 
 of the publicans, and the following one 
 of the foldiersy are fo extremely fen- 
 fible, judicious, and pertinent, that the 
 reader will have an obligation to me, 
 for prefenting him with them, nearly 
 as I find them. " A wife preacher, like 
 St. John, mould diftinguim the abufes 
 of any ftate or condition of life from 
 the condition itfelf -, he mould be fo far 
 from difturbing either the peace of pri- 
 vate confciences, or the public repofe, 
 by condemning neceflary employments, 
 that he ought carefully to promote both, 
 by contenting himfelf with only re- 
 trenching the diforders and injuftice 
 of thofe who exercife them. To be 
 exact in not permitting any abufes in 
 employments of this nature, is to ferve 
 the ftate : and thofe loofe cafuifts, who 
 allow and authorize them, are perni- 
 cious to governments, by rendering 
 thefe employments odious to the people, 
 
 by
 
 of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 95 
 
 by favouring their munnurings, by en- SECT.V. 
 couraging afts of injuftice, and thereby v ^ v ^ 
 giving occafion to rebellion and revolt. 
 " And the foldiers demanded of him, 
 " faying, And what mall we do ? And 
 " he faid unto them, Do violence to no 
 " man, neither accufe any falfely, and 
 " be content with your wages." St. 
 "John here, in the lail place, regulates 
 the duties of military perfons, and mews, 
 that no condition is excluded from fal- 
 vation. The bufinefs of war is not in 
 itfelf at all oppofite thereto j fince there 
 have been not only chriiHanyo/^Vr-r, but 
 even great faints and generous martyrs 
 of that profeffion. If all war was con- 
 trary to the gofpel, St. John would not 
 have allowed thofe who prefented them- 
 felves before him to continue in that 
 ftate. However it is certainly full of 
 obftacles to falvation, which very few 
 furmount. A ftate, which is generally 
 embraced either out of paffion, or li- 
 bertinifm, or through a blind deftina- 
 tion of birth, the exercifes whereof are 
 fo violent and tumultuous, agrees but 
 little with the exercifes of chriftianity, 
 or the fpirit of the gofpel, which is all 
 
 peace,
 
 96 Confederations on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT.V. peace, charity, and meeknefs. It is 
 notwithstanding juft and neceflary, that 
 there fhould be men to defend the ftate; 
 but it is ftill more juft and neceflary, 
 that this fhould not be done at the ex- 
 pence of falvation. The grace of God 
 can do every thing : this is what ought 
 to comfort thofe who intend to ferve 
 him in ferving their king and country." 
 ONE cannot but obferve the general 
 agreement and harmony which ieem to 
 have prevailed, at this time among men 
 otherwife of tempers and difpofitions 
 very different from, and oppofite to each 
 other. Jews and Gentiles, Pharifees 
 and Publicans, Sadducees and Soldiers, 
 all confefs their fins, and participate of 
 the fame baptifm, all ftruck with ap- 
 prehenfions of fome impending evil, all 
 flying from the wrath to come, forget- 
 ting their mutual hoflilities and anti- 
 pathies, and, like the creatures in the 
 days of Noah, taking refuge together 
 in the ark. As if the prophecy of Ifaiah 
 had now begun to receive it's accom- 
 pliihment, the publicans, who, before 
 the preaching of John, were ravenous 
 as evening " wolves," became as in- 
 nocent
 
 of Sit. JOHN the BAPTIST. 97 
 
 flocent as the '* lamb." Tfie foldiers, SECT.V. 
 who had been formerly fierce and cruel ^-^V^V 
 as the '.' lion," became tame and tract- 
 able as the " ox," and fubmitted their 
 necks to the yoke of the gofpel. Such 
 of the Pharilees likewife, who, before 
 fheir baptiim, had been venomous as the 
 " afp," or " cockatrice," did, by the 
 worthy receiving of this baptifm, and 
 the grace which God gave them, be- 
 come mild and gentle as the " fucking 
 "infant," or " weaned child*." 
 
 Tj} E concord thus produced in Ju- 
 dea by the fermons of St. yohn, and 
 the tranquillity which the whole earth 
 jhen enjoyed, fitting quiet as it were in 
 Expectation of her Lord, betokened the 
 rnanifeftation of the Prince of peace. 
 !' Then cometh Jefus from Galilee to 
 " Jordan to John, to be baptized of 
 " him V After thirty years part in re- 
 tirement at Nazareth, the bleiTed Jefus 
 was now to break forth, like the fun 
 from a cloud, or a ftream from the 
 bowels of the earth, to enlighten man- 
 
 a See the Works of Dr Thomas Jackfon, ii. 522. 
 * Matt. iii. 13, &c. 
 
 N kind
 
 98 Canfideratlons on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT.V. kind by his doctrine, and refrem them 
 with the influences of his grace. The 
 mighty concourfe of all ranks and de- 
 grees of people attending St. John at 
 the river Jordan, rendered that the fit- 
 teft place where he might firft mew 
 himfelf to the world. He who knew 
 no fin, but was to take away the fins of 
 all other men, prefented himfelf in the 
 crowd of iinners, as one of them, and 
 folicited " the baptifm of repentance," 
 not that water might fanftify him, but 
 that he might " fanctify water to the 
 " myftical warning away of fin." 
 
 CONFOUNDED at the thought of the 
 Mafter being baptized by the fervant, 
 St. John at firft " forbad him, faying, I 
 " have need to be baptized of thee, and 
 " comeft thou to me ? And Jefus an- 
 " fwering faid unto him, Suffer it to be 
 " fo now, for thus it becometh us to 
 " fulfil all righteoufnefs. Then he fuf- 
 " fered him." Jefus Chrift, as con- 
 defcending to ftand charged with our 
 fins, and, to that end, being " made 
 " under the law a ," was to fulfil the 
 " righteoufnefs" of the law, as it con- 
 
 j/flGal. iv. 4. 
 
 fifted
 
 of Sf. JOHN the BAPTIST. 99 
 
 lifted in an obedience to ceremonial SECT.V. 
 rites, as well as moral precepts. In the 
 character and capacity of our fubftitute, 
 he underwent circumcifion , although 
 he had no fm of his own to be cut off; 
 and received baptifm, although he had 
 no pollution of his own to be warned 
 away. What Chriftian can flight the or- 
 dinances of the church, when he fees 
 the Redeemer, for his fake, fubmitting 
 to obferve them all ? 
 
 N o fooner was Jefus baptized, but 
 he " came up ftraightway" out of the 
 river, like another Jofljua, leading his 
 people, through the waters of Jordan, 
 to the land of promife. And as he was 
 " praying," doubtlefs for fuccefs in the 
 great work he had undertaken, " Lo, 
 " the heavens were opened, and the 
 " Spirit of God," encompaffed, we may 
 prefume, with a blaze of glory, " def- 
 " cended in a bodily mape like a dove," 
 fpeaking better things than that of 
 Noah. In this form, emblematical of 
 innocence and purity, it " lighted," 
 fettled, and abode upon him, the Father 
 thus confecrating him to his office, by 
 " anointing him with the Holy Ghoft 
 N 2 " and
 
 ib'd ConfideYatiom on the Life and 
 
 SECT.V. " and with power a ," as the legal mini- 
 were anointed with oil. And that 
 no doubt might remain, the appearance 
 was farther explained by " a voice from 
 " heaven, faying, " This is my beloved 
 " Son, in whom I am well pleafed." 
 Such are the bleflings which, in effect, 
 do always attend the divine facraments, 
 when duly adminiftered, with prayer. 
 For then the heavens are opened, anct 
 the Spirit is given, to conform us to the 
 image of a meek and holy Saviour, and, 
 through him, to make us acceptable in 
 the fight of God. 
 
 * Adb x. 38. 
 
 SEC- 

 
 of /. JOHN the BAPTIST. 101 
 
 SECTION VI. 
 
 Confederations on the teftimony born by 
 Sf. John, at different times, to the 
 MeJ/iahfhip of Jefus. 
 
 WHEN a fervant of God, through SECT.VI. 
 the power of divine grace, hath 
 made fome proficiency in holihefs, and 
 feeth the world and the flefli under his 
 feet, it is not uncommon for his third 
 grand enemy, the devil, to fet upon 
 him, and prevail over him, by puffing 
 him up with a conceit of his own ex- 
 cellency, and fo rendering his very at- 
 tainments an occafion of his falling. 
 The hurt which a man receives, in fuch 
 a cafe, is proportionable to the height 
 from which he falls ; as hell was firft 
 prepared for the tempter himfelf, be- 
 caufe he fell from heaven. 
 
 I T is not, therefore, the leaft con- 
 fpicuous part of St. John's character, 
 that a fandtity fo extraordinary was not 
 in him accompanied with any degree of 
 
 pride,
 
 IO2 Confiderattons on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT. vi. pride, a worm which often cankers 
 e faireft fruits that grow in the gar- 
 den of God. He heard his own praife 
 echoed from every quarter, and " all 
 " men," ftruck with admiration at what 
 was about to happen, " mufed in their 
 " hearts concerning him, whether he 
 "was the ChriftV Nay, the Sanhe- 
 drim, that they might be refolved in fo 
 important a point, fent a formal depu- 
 tation of " priefts and Levites from Je- 
 " rufalem, to enquire of him, Who art 
 " thou b ." As the Baptift was, at that 
 time, in high repute among his coun- 
 trymen, and as fecular defigns are fome- 
 times covered with fpiritual pretences* 
 it is not impoffible, but that they might 
 hope to natter him into an acknowledg- 
 ment of his being " fome great one," 
 and to frame of him a Meffiah adapted 
 to their purpofes. But 'John was neither 
 ambitious of an honour which did not 
 belong to him, nor amamed of a Maf- 
 ter, who was about to appear in the 
 form of a fervant. He took no glory to 
 himfelf, but remitted it all where he 
 
 "* Luke iii. 15. 
 
 b John i. 19, &c. / 
 
 knew
 
 of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 103 
 
 knew it to be due. " He confeffed, and SECT.VI. 
 " denied not, but confefled, I am not 1 ^^^ 
 "the Chrift. And they afked him, 
 " What then ? Art thou Elias," that is, 
 Elijah the Tijhbite t whom they expected 
 to defcend from heaven ? " And he 
 " faith, I am not. Art thou o <ts&fy[rr,f 9 
 " the prophet," meaning probably " Je- 
 "remias, or one of the prophets," 
 whom, as it appears by Matt. xvi. 14. 
 the Jews looked for to arife from the 
 dead. " And he anfwered, No." 
 
 To all thefe enquiries, made by the 
 priefts and Levites deputed from the 
 Sanhedrim, St. John returned anfwers 
 which were true, but concife as pof- 
 fible, that they might take no advan- 
 tage of his words, being aware that 
 they grew envious of his fame, jealous 
 for their own authority, and fearful of 
 a Meffiah, who would not anfwer their 
 hopes, by gratifying their avarice and 
 ambition. " Then faid they to him, 
 " Who art thou, that we may give an 
 " anfwer to them that fent us ? What 
 ' fayeft thou of thyfelf ? He faid, I am 
 " the voice of one crying in the wilder- 
 " nefs, Make flraight the way of the 
 
 " Lord,
 
 I 04 Confederations on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT.VI. " Lord, as faid the prophet Efaias." 
 his was informing them plainly 
 enough, that the prophecies were foon 
 to be accomplimed by the manifestation 
 of Meffiah, and that repentance, ac- 
 cording to his doctrine and baptifm, was 
 the only preparation fit and neceflary to 
 be made, for t^e reception of their 
 
 " They wjio were fent were of the 
 '.? Pharifees," and confequently could 
 not relifh tidings which put an end to 
 all their fchemes of temporal dominion, 
 and earthly grandeur, inculcating, in- 
 (lead of them, the duties of mortifica- 
 tion and felf-denial. This was not their 
 fyftem ; and many, in every age fince, 
 have been of the fame opinion, not 
 caring to receive Chrift, unlefs he carne 
 to them with the world in his hand. 
 Finding, therefore, that John had no 
 vanity to be worked upon, they had re- 
 courfe to other meaiurcs, and began to 
 difpute his ccmmirilon to baptize ; 
 *' They alked him, and faid unto him, 
 " Why baptizell thou then, if thou be 
 " not that Chriit, nor Elias, neither 
 that prophet ? " 
 
 St.
 
 of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 105 
 
 St. John's reply mews his own HU-SECT.VI. 
 mility, and, at the fame time, bears tef- 
 timony to the dignity of Jefus. " I in- 
 " deed baptize you with water j" my 
 baptifm, like my preaching, is prepa- 
 ratory only, leading to another baptifm 
 of the Spirit, which mail cleanfe the 
 fouls of penitents from every thing that 
 defileth, through faith in Meffiah and his 
 heavenly doctrine. And this Meffiahis not 
 afar off, as you may imagine him to be; 
 " there ftandeth one among you, whom 
 " ye know not ;" he appears like other 
 men, lowly, unattended, undiftinguifh- 
 ed 3 he doth not, as yet, think proper 
 to manifeft his power and glory ; but 
 hereafter you will find him to be far 
 other than he feerns. As to myfelf, of 
 whom fome are pleafed to entertain an 
 high opinion, I am nothing : " This is 
 " he, who, coming after me, is pre- 
 " ferred before me," as much as the 
 greateil mafler is before the meaneft of 
 his fervants, deemed unworthy to per- 
 form the lead office about his perfon ; 
 " the latchet of whofe fhoes I am not 
 " worthy to unloofe." This teftimony 
 did St. John give to the Saviour of the 
 O world,
 
 1 06 Confiderations on the Lift and Death 
 
 SBCT.VL world, in the audience of the priefts, 
 and Levites, and the people, " at Betha- 
 " bara beyond Jordan, where he was 
 " baptizing." Intent upon humbling 
 himfelf, that his great Lord and Mafter 
 might be exalted, he declared himfelf a 
 meffenger only, fent to prepare his ways ; 
 and every thing in him, and about him, 
 fpoke the fame language. 
 
 " TH E next day," an opportunity 
 offered itfelf of pointing out the perfon 
 of Jefus to the people ; t( John feeth 
 " Jefus coming unto him," probably, to 
 acknowledge him as his friend, relation, 
 and precurfor -, " and faith, Behold the 
 " Lamb of God, which taketh away 
 " the fin of the world :" Behold that 
 blefled perfon prefigured in the law, and 
 foretold by the prophets ; one that is 
 all meeknefs and innocence, patience 
 and refignation, without offence in his 
 mouth, without guile or malice in his 
 heart, without fpot or blemifh in foul 
 or body ; the Lamb which Abraham 
 told his fon IJaac, that God would in 
 time provide ; the Lamb, by the fprink- 
 ling of whofe blood, true Ifraelites are 
 preferved from the deftroyer; the fa- 
 
 crifice
 
 of St. JOHN -the BAPTIST. 207 
 
 crifice on which are laid the iniquities SECT. vj. 
 of us all ; the Saviour who, by expia- 
 ting, taketh away the iin of the world, 
 and conferreth righteoufnefs on them 
 that will believe in him, and accept it 
 from him, being conformed to his ex- 
 ample of meeknefs and lowlinefs. This, 
 O all ye that behold him, " this is he 
 " of whom I faid, after me cometh 
 " a man which is preferred before me, 
 " for he was," he exifted, ages " before 
 " me," even from the beginning ; he is 
 fairer than the children of men, full of 
 grace and truth, of divine glory, and 
 celeftial beauty. 
 
 T o guard againfl any fufpicion of 
 collufion 3 between two perfons, who, 
 as relations, might be fuppofed to act in 
 concert, and favour each other's pre- 
 teniions, St. yobn adds, " And I knew 
 " him not, but he that fent me to bap- 
 " tize with water, the fame faid unto 
 " me, Upon whom thou malt fee the 
 " Spirit defcending and remaining on 
 
 a See the impoffibility of any fuch collufion fully 
 demonftrated by the Reverend Mr. Be//, in his txaft 
 and elaborate Enquiry into tbe Divine Mijfions ef "John 
 tbe Baptifi and Jefus Cbrift. 
 
 O 2 "him,
 
 io8 Confiderations on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT.VI. " him, the fame is he which baptizeth 
 .with the Holy Ghoft." 
 FROM this paflage we learn, that the 
 vifible defcent of the Spirit was the lign 
 given to St. "John, whereby he was to 
 know the JVleffiah. Jefus was brought 
 up at Nazareth -, and St.Jo/m was edu- 
 cated 'in the defarts ; and it feems to 
 have been fo ordered by Providence, 
 that no interview had pafled between 
 them, after they had arrived to years of 
 maturity. When Jefus, therefore, came 
 to be baptized, St. 'John had no know- 
 lege of his perfon. But, probably, on 
 making the enquiries, ufual at baptifm, 
 into his profeffion, name, and place of 
 abode, and finding likewife, that he 
 had no fins to confefs% as all others had, 
 he faw reafon fufficient to conclude, that 
 this was the Chrift ; which might oc- 
 caiion his apology, " I have need to be 
 "baptized of thee," &c. And then, 
 when Jefus came up out of the water, 
 the Spirit defcended, and put the mat- 
 ter beyond all doubt. I faw, and bare 
 
 a Sec Annotations on St. John's Go/pel, by the Rev. 
 Mr. Merrick, Part II. p. 50. and the Works of Dr. 
 Jackfon, by him referred to, Vol. II. p. 518. 
 
 " record,
 
 of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 109 
 
 record, that this is the Son of God." SECT.VI. 
 So little account did thefe two wonder- v-/ * > ' 
 ful perfonages make of their relation 
 according to the flem. From their in- 
 fancy they had not converfed together ; 
 and when they met, it was in public, 
 that "John might bear his testimony ; 
 foon after which, he was caft into pri- 
 fon, and faw Jefus no more. An higher, 
 more important, and durable connec- 
 tion, than any formed by confanguini- 
 ty, engaged his attention, as it mould 
 do that of all Chriil's difciples, accord- 
 ing to thofe deep and divine (trains of 
 St. Paul-, "The love of Chrift con- 
 " ftraineth us, becaufe we thus judge, 
 " that if one died for all, then were all 
 " dead ; and that he died for all, that 
 " they which live mould not henceforth 
 " live unto themfelves, but unto him 
 <' which died for them, and rofe again. 
 " Wherefore henceforth know we no 
 " man after the flem, yea, though we 
 " have known Chrift after the flem, yet 
 " now henceforth know we him no 
 " more. Therefore if any man be in 
 " Chrift, he is a new creature : old 
 
 " things
 
 Confederations on the Life and Death 
 
 SBCT.VI." things are paft away; behold, all 
 things are become new V 
 THE Baptift, having now lived to 
 fee the Lord's Chrift, and mew him to 
 the world, was ready, like old Simeon, 
 to depart in peace, and to make over 
 his difciples to a better Matter, who 
 would never leave them, nor forfake 
 them. Again, the next day after, 
 '* John flood, and two of his difciples ; 
 " and looking upon Jefus as he walked, 
 " he faith, Behold the Lamb of God." 
 Happy the Chriftian minifter, who, like 
 St. John, lives only to point out the 
 Saviour to his people. And happy the 
 people, who, like the two difciples,, 
 thereupon follow Jefus, enquire where 
 he dwelleth, enter in, and abide with 
 him. 
 
 To one of St. 'John's difpofition it 
 could not but be matter of concern to 
 find envy and jealoufy ftirring in the 
 breads of his difciples, on account of 
 the increafmg fame of Jefus, as being 
 likely to eclipfe that of their mafter. 
 For on occaiion of a difpute which had 
 happened about purification by baptifm 
 
 * z Cor. v. 14. 
 
 (difputes
 
 of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. m 
 
 (difputes being feldom managed fo 
 not to produce ill-will ) they came 
 " unto John, and faid unto him, Rabbi, 
 * he that was with thee beyond Jordan, 
 " to whom thou beareft witnefs, be- 
 " hold, the fame baptizeth, and all 
 * men come unto him a j" intimating, 
 that John was in danger of lofmg both 
 his credit and his difciples, by means 
 of one, whom they took for a diiciple, 
 like themfelves, as he had been bapti- 
 zed by the fame matter. So ready are 
 men, at every turn, to form parties in 
 religion, and to fet up their refpedlive 
 teachers in oppofition to each other ; 
 the confequences of which are, that 
 the hearers wafte that time in wrang- 
 ling about a duty, which mould be 
 fpent in praclifmg it ; and the teachers, 
 if they have not good hearts and fteady 
 heads, preach themfelves, inftead of 
 preaching Jefus Chrift. "All men come 
 * to him ! " Great hath been the power 
 of this argument to kindle the flames of 
 emulation and diffcntion in the church ; 
 and the difciples of John did not doubt 
 but that the confideration would excite 
 
 a John iii. 26, Sec, 
 
 in
 
 ii2 Confederations on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT.VI. in him thofc paffions, which they felt 
 working within themfelvcs. 
 
 BUT he was not framed of materials 
 liable to take fire from fuch a fparfc. 
 On the contrary, a perufal of the dif- 
 courfe which this addrefs procured from 
 him, is enough at any time to extin- 
 guifh it, where it may have fallen. He 
 made ufe of the incident, to bear his 
 laft and moft noble teftimony to the 
 power and majefty of his Lord. So far 
 was he from being offended, or chagri- 
 ned, becaufe all men reforted to Jefus, 
 that he triumphed in it, as his glory and 
 his joy, as the very end for which he 
 was fent into the world, to preach and 
 to baptize. As if he had faid 
 
 WHY are ye jealous, and why do 
 envious thoughts arife in your hearts ? 
 Look not to me, or to any thing that is 
 in me, but to God, who made me what 
 I am, placed me in the ftation, and 
 called me to the office defigned for me -, 
 " a man can receive," or take to him- 
 felf, " nothing, except it be given him 
 * from above." And ye know the cha- 
 racter in which I have ever acted ; " Ye 
 " yourfelves bear me witnefs, that I 
 
 " faid,
 
 of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 113 
 
 c< faid, I am not the Chrift, but that ISECT.VI. 
 " am fent before him," as his mefienger 
 and minifter, not to aflemble difciples 
 in mine own name, but to prepare men 
 for him, and direct men to him. If 
 therefore ye fet fo much by my autho- 
 rity, why do ye not credit my teftimo- 
 ny ? To Mefiiah, not to me, the church 
 is to be gathered and united -, and " he 
 * that hath the bride is the bridegroom : 
 "but the friend of the bridegroom,'* 
 who hath been honoured with a (hare 
 in bringing about fo happy an event, 
 and who, when it is brought about, 
 " itandeth and heareth him" converling 
 with his fpoufe, cannot therefore be 
 grieved and vexed ; he cannot envy the 
 felicity of the bridegroom, or deiire to 
 take the bride from him ; but moft-af- 
 furedly congratulates with him, and 
 " rejoiceth greatly becaufe of the bride- 
 " groom's voice," finding that he hath 
 fo well fucceeded in the work in which 
 he was employed. This is my very cafe, 
 when you come and tell me, that all 
 men refort to the perfon, of whom I 
 have fo often teftified, that he is the 
 Chrift ; " this my joy therefore is ful- 
 P "filled."
 
 H4 Confederations on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT.VI." filled." I have no greater pleafure 
 *-^s^> than to hear, that difciples go from me 
 to him. As the morning ftar, I only 
 fhone to proclaim the approach of the 
 fun. Now he is rifen, I go down $ 
 *' he muft increafe, but I muft decreafe;" 
 he will mine more and more unto the 
 perfect day, while I fhall fet, and dif- 
 appear. And reafon good why it fliould 
 be fo. That which is preparatory muft 
 give place to that which is perfective -, 
 a baptifm of water muft yield to a bap- 
 tifm of fire $ an human inftruftor muft 
 cede to one that is divine. " He that 
 " is of the earth is earthly, and fpeak> 
 " eth of the earth ;" in fpite of his beft 
 endeavours, he will favour of his origi- 
 nal, and there will be an alloy of duft 
 and afhes in all he faith j whereas " he 
 " that cometh from heaven," I mean 
 the blelTed perfon of whom ye are fo 
 jealous, " is above all" the children of 
 Adam. When this fun mineth in his 
 ftrength, every flar is obfcured, and the 
 world will perceive the difference be- 
 tween the difcourfes of the Mafter and 
 thofe of the fervant, as readily as it dif- 
 tinguiilaeth the glories of the day from 
 
 the
 
 cf St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 115 
 
 the pale luftre and faint glimmering of SECT.VI. 
 thofe orbs, which ferve in fome mea- 
 Cure to difpel the darknefs of the night, 
 According to the grace given unto me, 
 I have declared the kingdom of heaven 
 to be at hand; but when Meffiah fpeaks 
 of that kingdom, he fpeaks from his 
 own knowlege ; " what he hath feen 
 " and heard, that he teftifieth ;" and 
 yet, though I have faid fo much of him, 
 and fo many go to hear him, " no man 
 " receiveth his teftimony," as he ought 
 to do. Think not this a flight matter, 
 for no one can difbelieve him, without 
 giving God the lie ; he that hath re- 
 " ceived his teflimony, hath fet to his 
 " feal, that God is true," by allowing 
 the credentials of his Son, and acknow- 
 ledging in him the accomplifhment of 
 what was foretold by the law, by the 
 prophets, and by myfelf. " For he," 
 the MefTjah, " whom God hath fent, 
 " fpeaketh the words of God," and 
 that in a different fenfe from all others, 
 who, from time to time, have been 
 endued with fuch a portion of the di- 
 vine influence as was meet for them ; 
 but " God giveth not the Spirit by 
 P 2 ' mea-
 
 1 1 6 Confederations on the Life and Death 
 
 SECT.VJ. te m eafure unto him," having decreed, 
 that in him mould all fulnefs dwell. 
 " For the Father loveth the Son," not 
 as he loveth any of his faithful fervants, 
 but fo as that ' he hath put all things 
 " into his hand," difpenfing glory, ho- 
 nour, and immortality to mankind, 
 through him alone. Be no longer en- 
 vious and jealous, then, of his great- 
 nefs, which is your falvation. If you 
 would honour me, and at the fame time 
 ferve your own eternal intereft, receive, 
 in few words, the fum and fubftance 
 
 of this my laft teftimony " He 
 
 " that believeth on the Son, hath ever- 
 " lafting life : and he that believeth 
 " not the Son, mall not fee life -, but 
 " the wrath of God abideth on him.'* 
 B Y this part of St. Johns character 
 and conduct, in how pleating a manner 
 are the minifters of Chrift inftructed, 
 that they are to bear teftimony to him, 
 not to themfelves ; to feek his glory, 
 not their own ; that they mould take 
 pleafure in the fuccefs of their breth- 
 ren's labours, by which the caufe of 
 their common Mailer is promoted ; that 
 
 the
 
 of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 117 
 
 the rifing lights of the church mould SECT.VI. 
 do honour to thofe who have gone be- ^ 
 fore them, and the fetting ones rejoice 
 to be outfhone by thofe who are coming 
 after them ; that envy and jealoufy, in 
 fhort, ought to have no place among 
 the difciples of the Lamb of God, on 
 whom defcended and abode the deleftial 
 Pove. 
 
 SEC-
 
 1 1 8 ConfideratiQns on the Life and Death 
 
 SECTION VII. 
 
 Confederations on the imprifonment of Sf. 
 John, the mejfage fent by him to 
 Cbriji, and the anfwer returned to 
 
 Seft.vn. A DM I R ABLE is the advice of the 
 j[~\ fon of Sirach to every one who 
 is about to ftand forth in the caufe of 
 true religion. " My fon, if thou come 
 " to ferve the Lord, prepare thy foul 
 * for temptation. Set thy heart aright, 
 " and conftantly endure, and make not 
 " hafte in time of trouble. Whatfo-* 
 " ever is brought upon thee take cheer- 
 " fully, and be patient when thou art 
 " changed to a low eftate. For gold is 
 " tried in the fire, and acceptable men 
 " in the furnace of adveriity V The 
 reformer will proceed but a little way 
 in his work, whofe zeal is not backed 
 with fortitude. The apprehenfion of 
 danger, or even the frown of power, 
 
 * Ecclcf. ii. I. 
 
 will
 
 ef St. JOHN tht BAPTIST. 119 
 
 will alter his fentiments; he will fee Scft.vil. 
 things in a different point of view, and 
 turn with every blaft of famion or in- 
 tereft, till he himfelf believes every 
 thing, and his hearers, offended and 
 confounded, believe nothing. 
 
 NOT fo the Baptift. " What went ye 
 " out into the wildernefs to fee ? A reed 
 " fhaken with the wind V No: a co- 
 lumn firm and immoveable, againfl 
 which winds might blow, and waves 
 beat, in vain ; one who had fixed his 
 principles, and confidered well, before 
 he entered upon action ; one who be- 
 gan not to build, till he had firft count- 
 ed the cofts -, but who, when once he 
 did begin, would be fure to finim. 
 
 A PERSON unacquainted with the 
 world, and the tempers of it's child- 
 ren, might, perhaps, be furprized upon. 
 hearing, that a prophet, like St. ffi/w, 
 who fpent his time in calling his fellow 
 creatures to happinefs and falvation, and 
 who coveted no man's gold, or filver, 
 or -apparel, was caft into prilbn. But, 
 as the wife man obferveth, " The thing 
 " which hath been is that which {hall 
 
 * Matt. xi. 7. 
 
 "be,
 
 j 20 Confideratlons on the Life and Death 
 
 Seft.VH. t be, and there is nothing new under 
 " the fun V Ahab, at the infligation 
 of Jezebel, again thirfts after the blood 
 of Elijah. 
 
 HEROD, the tetrarch of Galilee, had 
 put away his own wife, the daughter 
 of Aretas, and had married Herodias, 
 the wife of his brother Philip, whom, 
 contrary to the laws of hofpitality as 
 well as religion, he had feduced, while 
 a gueft in her hufband's houfe b . The 
 fanctity and integrity of the Baptift had 
 begotten, even in Herod, a great vene- 
 ration and reverence for his character. 
 " Herod feared John, knowing that he 
 " was a juft man, and an holy, an4 ob- 
 " ferved him, and when he heard him, 
 " he did many things, and heard him 
 " gladly ." But the matter of Herodias 
 was a tender point, on which the te- 
 trarch was not difpofed to hear the law, 
 becaufe he was not difpofed to do it. 
 He was determined to perfevere in what 
 was wrong, and his monitor to perfift 
 in telling him of it, without referve. 
 
 a Ecclef. i. 9. 
 
 fc See Jofepbus Antiq. Lib. xviii. Cap. 6. 
 
 c Mark vi. 20. 
 
 John
 
 of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 121 
 
 " John faid unto him, It is not lawful Scct.vii. 
 " for thee to have thy brother's wife." ^~v~^ 
 John, who had overcome the world, 
 could not, either by pfomifes or threat- 
 nings, be induced to recede from his 
 duty, through hope of temporal good, 
 or fear of temporal evil. He was there- 
 fore foon convinced, by being carried 
 to prifon, that Herod had no farther 
 occafion for his fervice. And who doth 
 not rather wiih to have been imprifoned 
 with him, than to have glittered in all 
 the glories of the throne of Herod ? 
 Happy John, fequeftered once more 
 from a troublefome world, to COnVeffe 
 with God, and to meditate on that 
 bleffed place, and that blefled company, 
 to which he was now haftening ! 
 
 IN this fituation we find the thoughts 
 of the Baptift employed not upon^ his 
 own fufferings, but upon the interefts 
 of his great Matter, the fame of whofe 
 miracles had reached the prifon, and 
 founded in his ears. " When John had 
 " heard in prifon the works of Jefus, 
 ' he fent two of his difciples a " 
 Thus the afflictions and tribulations 
 
 * Matt. xi. 2, &c, 
 
 which
 
 122 Conjiderations on the Life and Death 
 
 Seft.vii. which a Chriilian muft endure for a 
 little feafon, in the world, fhould ferve 
 only to quicken his defires after his Re- 
 deemer, of whofe works, wrought in 
 mercy for the children of men, he will 
 often hear ; and the contemplation of 
 them mould afford him continual de- 
 light in the time of his captivity, until 
 the day of his enlargement mall come. 
 With Paul and Silas let him declare the 
 glad tidings of falvation, and iing the 
 praifes of God in the prifon-houfe. Let 
 him enquire diligently, and take every 
 opportunity of hearing more particulars 
 concerning his Saviour, as alfo of pla- 
 cing others in the way of information. 
 So will he copy the example of him, 
 who, " when he heard in prifon the 
 " works of Jefus, fent two of his dif- 
 " ciples," that they might be more 
 fully inftructed, as to his perfon and 
 miffion. 
 
 FOR that this muft have been St. 
 "John's intention in fending them, is 
 plain from the queftion which they were 
 enjoined to afk ; "Art thou he that 
 " mould come, or do we look for an- 
 " other ?" The Baptiil could not pro- 
 
 pofe
 
 of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 123 
 
 pofe this queftion for his own informa- Sea.vil. 
 tion, but evidently for that of his dif- 
 ciples, whofe prejudices in favour of 
 hirnfelf, their firft mafter, he found it 
 fo difficult to conquer. What he had 
 hitherto faid having proved infufficient 
 for that purpofe, he now, in companion 
 to their infirmity, condefcendeth to 
 have their fcruples propounded in his 
 own name ; affording us thereby a 
 very ufeful hint, that in order to in- 
 ftru6t others, we mould abafe ourfelves, 
 and know how to become weak with 
 thofe who are fo. For it often hap- 
 pens, that men need information upon 
 fome important point, who either thro' 
 pride or bafhfulnefs will not afk it, or 
 through paffion and prejudice will not 
 receive it at our hands. In this cafe, 
 the good, which we cannot do dife&ly, 
 we muft contrive, if we can, to do in- 
 directly, by propofing thofe queftions 
 ourfelves, which we know that others 
 in company want to hear anfwered, but 
 cannot bring themfelves to afk. This 
 method of edifying the weak, without 
 expofing their infirmities, will produce 
 in them that love and confidence to- 
 
 wards
 
 i 24 Confederations on the Life and Death 
 
 Sea.vu. wards us, which, for their own fakes, 
 W e wifh them to have. Whereas a con- 
 trary conduct, by provoking and alie- 
 nating their affections from us, may 
 put it out of our power ever to be of 
 iervice to them again. 
 
 THE fame charitable plan is carried 
 on by our Lord, who, in his anfwer, 
 inftructs the difciples, by feeming to 
 inftrucl: their mafter ; "Go (faith he) 
 " and tell 'John what ye have feen and 
 " heard." And this may fuggeft a rea- 
 fon, why Chriftians in general mould 
 converfe more upon religious fubje&s, 
 than they are wont to do, both afking 
 queftions, like St. John, and returning 
 anfwers, like Chrift, for the benefit and 
 improvement of the by-ftanders, who 
 may need information, through the per- 
 fon to whom one immediately addreifeth 
 onefelf, mould not. And many a man 
 hath been the better, all his life after, 
 for a feafonable word fpoken in com- 
 mon converfation, which is often more 
 regarded and attended to, than a formal 
 difcourfe from the pulpit. 
 
 THE
 
 of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 125 
 
 TH E beft proofs of a divine miffion, Sea.vn. 
 which man is capable of receiving, are 
 miracles, evidently and inconteflably 
 fuch -, miracles, of the reality of which 
 the outward fenfes, the eyes and the 
 ears, are competent judges ; miracles 
 wrought publickly in the face of the 
 world, in the prefence of enemies as 
 well as friends ; and that, not once, or 
 twice, but repeatedly \ and thefe mi- 
 racles expreflly predicted, hundreds of 
 years beforehand. Such were the proofs 
 offered by Chrift to the difciples of 
 John. For " in that fame hour," while 
 they were prefent, and before their eyes, 
 " he cured many of their infirmities and 
 t( plagues, and of evil fpirits, and unto 
 " many that were blind he gave fight. 
 " Then faid he unto them, Go your 
 " way, and tell John what things ye 
 " have feen and heard ; how that the 
 " blind fee, the lame walk, the lepers 
 " are cleanfed, the deaf hear, the dead 
 " are raifed, to the poor the gofpel is 
 ' preached. And bleffed is he whofo- 
 " ever mall not be offended in me." As 
 if he had faid ; I bear not witnefs of 
 rnyfelf ; my miracles bear witnefs of me. 
 
 Only
 
 126 Confederations on the Life and Death 
 
 Only tell John what you have heard and 
 feen, and he will teach you how to 
 " draw the proper inference. Ifaiah, as 
 he well knoweth, did foretell, that 
 when Meffiah came, he would perform 
 fuch and fuch mighty works. You 
 yourfelves are eye and ear witnefles of 
 the works done by me. Lay the pre- 
 mifes fairly together, and you cannot 
 be to feek for the conclufion. 
 
 JOHN had engaged his reputation as 
 a prophet, that Jefus of Nazareth, 
 whom he baptized in Jordan, would 
 anfwer the character of Meffiah, and 
 do the works predicted of him ; as ap- 
 pears from John x. 39. where we read, 
 that Jefus, having efcaped from the 
 Jews, " went again beyond Jordan, 
 " unto the place where John at firft 
 " baptized ; and there he abode. And 
 " many reforted unto him, and faid, 
 " John did no miracle : but all things 
 " that John fpake of this man were 
 " true. And many believed on him 
 " there." Malice itielf cannot find rea- 
 fon to fufpect a collufion, when pro- 
 phecies and -miracles thus unite their 
 
 tefti- 
 .
 
 of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 127 
 
 teftimony, and proclaim Jefus to be the Scft.Vir. 
 Meffiah. 
 
 AT his word, " the eyes of the blind 
 " were opened, and the ears of the deaf 
 " unftopped - y the lame man leaped as 
 " an hart, and the tongue of the dumb 
 "did fing V' the leprofy, that foul, 
 contagious, and obftinate difeafe, for 
 which fo many ceremonies of purifica- 
 tion were appointed by the law, was 
 healed at once ; and the dead in their 
 graves, hearing the voice of the fon of 
 man, came forth. Every malady and 
 infirmity, to which the children of 
 Adam were fubject, vanimed at his pre- 
 fence, and confefled the almighty deli- 
 verer of his people. This, therefore, 
 is " He that fhould come," nor let us 
 think of " looking for another," to 
 open the eyes of the understanding, and 
 let in the light of heavenly knowlege 
 upon ignorant and benighted minds ; 
 to remove all obftruclions, formed by 
 intereft, prejudice, or paffion, and give 
 us the hearing ear ; to reftore and invi- 
 gorate the will and affections, that we 
 may make large advances in the courfe 
 
 * Ifai. xxxv. j, 6. 
 
 Of
 
 128 Confederations, on the Life and "Death 
 
 . of duty, and run with delight the way 
 of God's commandments ; to loofe the 
 tongues which guilt hath tied, and 
 tune them to hymns of praife and thankf- 
 giving ; to cleanfe us, by his blood, 
 from all fin, that leprofy which exclu- 
 deth from the congregation of Ijrael, 
 the camp of the faints, and the beloved 
 city ; to raife our fouls from death to 
 life, and our bodies from duft to glory. 
 " We have found him of whom Mofes 
 < in the law, and the prophets did 
 write Rabbi, thou art the Son of 
 " God, thou art the King of Ifrael a !" 
 TH E R E is one particular in this an- 
 fwer of Chrifb, which remaineth yet 
 unnoticed , " The poor have the gofpcl 
 " preached unto them." Our Lord here 
 referreth to the celebrated paffage in 
 Ifaiah, which, in the fynagogue of 
 
 * Nazareth, he had expounded, and de- 
 clared to be fulfilled in himfelf. " The 
 " Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, 
 " becaufe he hath anointed me to preach 
 " good tidings," or the Gofpel, " to 
 " the meek," or poor -, " he hath fent 
 ' me to proclaim liberty to the captives, 
 
 b John i. 45, 49, 
 
 tO
 
 of S/. JOHN the BAPTIST. 129 
 
 " to comfort all that mourn, to give Sea VU. 
 " them beauty for afhes, the oil of joy' 
 ' for mourning a ," &c. The meaning 
 of all the figurative expreffions here 
 ufed by the prophet, is this ; that Mef- 
 fiah mould, at his appearance, confer 
 upon fuch as were difpofed to receive 
 them, the two great evangelical blef- 
 iings, viz. remiflion of fins, and a par- 
 ticipation of the Spirit of joy and glad- 
 nefs, with which God had " anointed 
 " him above his fellows." The inau- 
 guration of Jefus to all the offices of the 
 Meffiah, by this divine unction, John 
 had beheld, when, after his baptifm, 
 he faw the Holy Ghoft defcending upon 
 him, and thereby knew him to be that 
 " Rod," or "Branch of Jefle," on whom 
 Ifaiah had elfewhere foretold, that " the 
 " Spirit of the Lord mould reft b ." 
 Nothing therefore could be more appo- 
 fite, than this part of Chrift's anfwer, 
 ." The poor have the Gofpel preached 
 " unto them ;" the full import of which, 
 confidered as referring to the LXi ft chap- 
 ter of Ifaiah, and addreffed to St. John* 
 
 Ifai. Ixi. i. 
 b Ibid. xi. i, 2, 
 
 R is
 
 136 ConfiJerdtiohs on the Life and Dtatk 
 
 Scft.Vii. is as followeth Co fhew John again, 
 that the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit 
 of wifdom and underftanding, the Spirit 
 of might and counfel, which Ifaiah 
 foretold mould reft upon the Rod and 
 Branch of JefTe, and which John faw 
 defcending and abiding upon me, in the 
 likenefs of a dove, at my baptifm, is 
 not departed from me. The unction of 
 the Spirit was not given me for mine 
 own ufe ; nor is it fpent, or confumed, 
 although it hath powerfully diffufed it- 
 felf to all about me. By it the poor are 
 made rich, being inflated in the king- 
 dom of grace and of the gofpel, and 
 anointed heirs unto the kingdom of 
 glory. By it every contrite heart is 
 healed ; fuch as were mut up are fet at 
 liberty; fuch as were bound are loofed; 
 and by it the yoke of the opprefibr is 
 broken 1 . 
 
 WE muft not omit to mention the 
 end for which, according to the pro- 
 phet, all thefe changes were wrought 
 in the converts to the Gofpel ; " That 
 " they might be called Trees of Right- 
 " eoufnefs, the planting of the Lord, 
 
 See the Works of Dr Jackfon, Vol.ii. p. 542. 
 
 " that
 
 of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 131 
 
 < that he might be glorified." The Sea.vil. 
 < Rod," the Branch of Jeffe," 
 ff Righteous Branch of David," were 
 the known titles of the Meffiah, or Son 
 of David ; and it was his glory, while 
 he lived upon earth, to make others, 
 like himfelf, Trees," or " Plants of 
 *f Righteoufnefs." This expreffion, as 
 it flandeth here joined with others 
 plainly defcrjptive of evangelical bene*- 
 fits and comforts, upfoldeth to us J:he 
 true nature of thofe wonders which 
 Ifaiah foretold mould be wrought in the 
 wildernefs, and which he hath repre- 
 fented under fo rich a variety of poeti- 
 cal imagery ; fuch as, ftreams of water 
 breaking forth in the defarts, caufing 
 them to blofibm as the rofe ; myrtles 
 coming up, inftead of briars ; cedars, 
 firs, and olive trees, inftead of thorns, 
 &c. The purport of thefe figurative 
 predictions appears, by the paflage be- 
 fore us, to be this ; that the dry and 
 barren places of Judea 9 where John 
 baptized, and preached repentance, 
 ihould, in the days of the Mefiiah, be- 
 come a fruitful nurfery of a new kind 
 of plants, prepared for the celeftial pa- 
 R 2 radife.
 
 Confederations on tke Life and Death 
 
 Sea.vn.radife. Thefe were men of humble, 
 peaceable, contrite hearts ; fuch as po- 
 verty and difeafe had rendered thofe 
 who came to be healed by Chrift, and 
 the confideration of our fins and infir- 
 mities mould render us all. To fuch is 
 the gofpel of the kingdom preached, 
 and they with joy receive it. "Bleffed 
 " are the poor in fpirit ; for theirs is 
 " the kingdom of heaven. Blefled are 
 " the meek ; for they mall inherit the 
 " earth. Bleffed are they that mourn ; 
 " for they mail be comforted/' 
 
 To thefe beatitudes let us add one 
 more, with which our Lord concludeth 
 his anfwer to the queftion alked by 
 John's difciples. " Bleffed is he whofo- 
 " ever is not offended in me." In other 
 
 words And now, bleffed, thrice 
 
 bleffed are all they, who mall fo conli- 
 der the wonderful works done by me, 
 as not to be offended at my poor and 
 lowly appearance, during the time of 
 my humiliation and fuffering here on 
 earth j or at the feeming harlhnefs of 
 my falutary dodtrines to flem and blood. 
 For I well know, that many, though 
 they have beheld me giving fight to the 
 
 blind,
 
 of St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 133 
 
 blind, and vigour to the impotent > Sea. VJi. 
 cleanfing lepers, making the deaf t 
 hear, and raifmg the dead to life again ; 
 yet, becaufe the truths, which I deliver, 
 are contrary to their interefts, their 
 pleafures, their pride, their prejudices, 
 which they are determined not to quit, 
 even for the kingdom of heaven; many, 
 I fay, will reject what they cannot but 
 acknowledge to.be the counfel of God, 
 and put away the word of falvation from 
 them. Let a man only fupprefs his in- 
 ordinate deiires of things temporal, and 
 he will be difpofed to hear what I mall 
 tell him of things eternal. Let him 
 ceafe to love the world, and he will 
 ceafe to have any objection to the Gof- 
 pel. Let but his heart be open to con- 
 viclion, and when the evidence hath 
 been once fairly laid before him, he 
 will never again alk the queflion, " Art 
 " thou he that mould come, or do we 
 " look for another ?" 
 
 SEC-
 
 1 34 Confederations on fbe Life, and Tleatb 
 
 SECTION VIII. 
 
 Confiderations on the drcumftanccs of 
 St. JohnV Death. 
 
 Sett. VIII. .TT 7 E have now accompanied St. 
 V V John through the feveral flages 
 of his life. We have rejoiced with his 
 parents an4 kinsfolk at his birth, and 
 fpent fome time in contemplation with 
 him in the defarts ; we have flood by 
 him, as a preacher and a baptift, at the 
 river Jordan, and have been made ac- 
 quainted with the repeated teftimonies 
 born by him, at different times, to the 
 Meffiahfhip of Jefus ; we have heard 
 him, like another Elijah, reproving an- 
 other Ahab, and have vifited him in 
 prifon, where the glory of his great 
 Matter, and the falvation of thofe com- 
 mitted to his care, ftill continued to be 
 the objects of his attention. It remains 
 only, that we behold him paying that 
 debt to nature, from which the greater!: 
 
 of them that are born of women are 
 
 vST * , 
 
 not
 
 cf St. JOHN the BAPTIST. 135 
 
 not exempted. And here our acquaint- Sea.vilf. 
 ance with him muft end, till we meet 
 him in the kingdom of God. Thus do 
 fcenes of real life pafs fwiftly away, 
 and, when looked back upon, appear 
 like thole which are defcribed within 
 the compafs of a fmall volume like this. 
 In the courfe of a few years, the child, 
 at whofe birth we made merry, is be- 
 come a man ; he fickens, and dies, and 
 we mourn at his funeral. Some gleams 
 of fuccefs and profperity, perhaps, 
 brighten and adorn certain parts of his 
 life, as the fun gilds the edges of a dark 
 cloud, or imprints upon it the ftill more 
 beautiful colours of the rainbow. But 
 while we gaze, the fun fets, the colours 
 fade, the bow vanimes, and " the place 
 " thereof knoweth it no more." 
 
 OF prophets, as well as of kings, it 
 may be obferved, that there is generally 
 but a fhort interval between their im- 
 prifonment and their death ; the enmity 
 which occafioned one, feldom leaving 
 them, till it have accomplished the other. 
 
 And " more bitter even than death it- 
 
 i- 
 
 " felf is the woman whofe heart is 
 
 " fnares
 
 1^6 Confederations on the Life and Death 
 
 Seft.viir." fnares and nets, and her hands bands V* 
 Herod had thrown John into prifon ; 
 but this would not fatisfy Herodias. 
 Even there fhe heard him ftill preach- 
 ing upon the old text, and reproaching 
 her with her crimes* " She had a quar- 
 " rel againft him ; evecee" CUJT&, Jbe faf- 
 " tened upon him, and would have kill- 
 " ed him, but," for fome time, fhe 
 " could not b ." For though Herod had 
 not religion enough to produce in him 
 the fear of God, he had policy enough 
 to produce the fear of the Jews, among 
 whom Johns reputation, as a prophet, 
 ran very high. Herodias, however, in 
 her heart, had determined to effecl her 
 purpofe by procuring, fooner or later, 
 the execution of him whom fhe falfely 
 deemed her enemy. As if fin could not 
 be committed with impunity, while 
 John was living to hear of it ; as if his 
 blood would not cry louder than his 
 voice had done ; or the head of the 
 prophet could enter the palace, without 
 reproving the adultery of the tetrarch. 
 But an imperious luft, in the height of 
 
 * Ecclef. vii. 26. 
 k Mark vi. 19, &-c. 
 
 it's
 
 of St. JOHN /^BAPTIST. 137 
 
 it's, career, can brook no obftruction j Sca.vm. 
 and were it poffible, as well as necef- 
 fary, the world itfelf would be blown 
 up to make way for it. 
 
 SIN being once refolved on in the 
 heart, an opportunity of committing it is 
 feldom long wanting ; and the mind is 
 upon the watch, to embrace the very 
 firft that offers. " When a convenient 
 " day was come, that Herod's birth day 
 ' mould be kept, he made a great fup- 
 " per to his lords, high captains, and 
 " chief eftates of Galilee." It is cer- 
 tainly no lin in a prince to keep his 
 birth day, or to make a great fupper 
 upon it. But how much it behoveth a 
 man, at fuch times of rejoicing, to be 
 upon his guard, left unawares he be in- 
 duced to facrifice truth and confcience 
 to mirth and gaiety, the melancholy ca- 
 taflrophe of this banquet may ferve to 
 fhew us ; fince neither Herod, nor any 
 of his guefts imagined, when they fate 
 down to table on that fatal evening, 
 how horribly their great fupper would 
 conclude. But fo it happened, that, 
 before the night was out, a deed was 
 done, which difplayed to all fucceeding 
 
 S gene-
 
 Confideratwnt on the Life and Death 
 
 s e a. Viir. generations the malice and cruelty of 
 *^s^ Herodias, with the weaknefs and wicked- 
 flefs of Herod; teaching us, at the fame 
 time, that the greateft of prophets and 
 the beft of men are not more fecure 
 from violence, than from natural death, 
 but rather more expofed to it than the 
 reft of mankind, if with fidelity arid 
 fortitude they execute the truft com- 
 mitted to them. 
 
 HE ROD i AS, by her lawful huffeand 
 Philip, had a daughter named Salome, 
 who eondefcended to grace the feftivity 
 by dancing before the company, in a 
 manner which " pleafed Herod, and 
 " them that fat with him." A piotf3 
 prelate of our church, in his conteih- 
 plations on this occurrence, obferves, 
 that " dancing, in itfelf, as it is a fet, 
 " regular, harmonious, graceful motion 
 (t of the body, cannot be unlawful, any 
 " more than walking, or running." We 
 may add, that it hath in all aged and 
 nations been one way, and that a fc^ 
 tural one, of expreffing an uncomm&h 
 degree of joy and gladneis ; on whifeh 
 account it was adopted into the nuriibttr 
 of religious ceremonies formerly en- 
 joined
 
 qf S(. JOHN the BAPTIST. 139 
 
 jolted to be obferved by the people ofSea.vm. 
 God. But for a young lady to appear, ^"V^ 
 as a dancer, before JJerod and his " lords, 
 " high captains, and chief eftates of 
 & jQalilee," probably, when they were 
 well warmed with wine, became only 
 the daughter of an Herodias, educated 
 fry her own mother. 
 
 HEROP, quite overcome and thrown 
 off his guard by Salome 's performance, 
 : makes her a foolim promife - y and, as if 
 that was not enough, confirms it witfi 
 a rafh oath ; " Whatfoever thou malt 
 <f ailv of me, I will give it thee, to 
 /' the half of my kingdom." A very 
 handibme recompence, one would think, 
 for a dance ! But it will appear pre- 
 fently, that the king had not offered 
 enough. Half his kingdom would not 
 4o. Something was required more va- 
 luable than the whole of it, had it ex- 
 tended from Judea, quite round the 
 : globe. Nothing would fatisfy, but his 
 honour, his confcience, his foul - t the 
 price which fin never fails to aik ! The 
 glorious golden opportunity of revenge 
 was not to be loft. Herodias is confulted 
 82 by
 
 140 Confideratlons on the Life and Death 
 
 Sea. viii. by her daughter, and lo, the foft, ten- 
 der, delicate Salome reenters, all athirft 
 for blood " Give me in a charger 
 " the head of John the Baptiftj" of 
 a prophet -, of a perfon whom thou 
 knowefl to be innocent, holy, up- 
 right. Make me this facrifice, and I 
 am content. With fuch eagernefs and 
 fagacity does " the adulterefs hunt for 
 " the precious life ! " 
 
 BAD as Herod was, the petition of 
 Salome at firft mocked him. " The king 
 "was forry." He thought of John's 
 character, the atrocioufnefs of the mur- 
 der, and the opinion which the world 
 would entertain of the murderer. But 
 the tide, which had ebbed, .foon flowed 
 again, and obliterated, in a moment, 
 what had been written on the fand, 
 during it's receis. The love of Herodias, 
 the addreis of Salome, the feflivity of the 
 feafon, aod the prefence of the " lords 
 " and high captains," who had been 
 witnerTes of the promife, and might 
 poffibJy approve the propofal ; all thefe 
 circumflances on the fide of the temp- 
 tation prevailed. And perhaps, Herod, 
 aipon recoil edien, might think that the 
 
 fuppofed
 
 of St. JOHN the BAPTIST- 141 
 
 fuppofed obligation of his oath would Seft.vill. 
 afford him a better excufe than he fhould 
 ever be mailer of again, for complying 
 with the importunity of Herodias, and 
 taking off a monitor troublefome to them 
 both. " For his oath's fake, and for 
 their fakes which fat with him, he 
 ** would not reject her." Thus, if any- 
 extraordinary wickednefs is to be tranf- 
 acted, religion muft be made a cover 
 for it. As if wrong became right, when 
 acted in the name of God ; and it were 
 more acceptable in his fight, to maffacre 
 a prophet, than to repent of a rafh oath 
 made to a foolifh girl, at a drunken en- 
 tertainment. 
 
 TH E Baptift's fate being thus de- 
 termined, " immediately the king fent 
 " an executioner, and commanded his 
 " head to be brought : and he went 
 " and beheaded him in the prifon." 
 This deed of darknefs muft have been 
 done in the feafon proper for it, the 
 middle of the night, and St. John was 
 probably awakened, to receive his fen- 
 tence, out of that fleep, which truth 
 and innocence can fecure to their pof- 
 feffor, in any fituation. The generality 
 
 pf
 
 14? Coqfiderations on the Life a 
 
 of manjiind have reafon enough to de- 
 jPWfrte a fudden death, left it 
 furprize them in. one of their many 
 guarded hours. But to St.Jetin no hour 
 e fuch. He had finished the wprfe 
 k Go4 had given him to do. He 
 kept the faith, and preferved a >n- 
 fcien.ce ypj4 of offence. 
 hje duty, and waited daily and 
 
 ipa.y b^ fure, for his departure. Jie 
 now, therefore, .ca)led off from his 
 ftation with honour, to quit the well 
 fought field for the palace of the Great 
 King ; to refrefh himfelf, after the duft, 
 and toil, and heat of the day, by bath- 
 ing in the fountain of life and immor- 
 tajjty$ to exchange his blood-ftained 
 armour for a robe of glory, and to have 
 his temporary labours rewarded with 
 eter-naj reft - t to fo down with Abraham, 
 and jjaacj and Jacob, in the kingdom 
 of God ; and, as the Friend of the Bride- 
 groom, to enter into the joy of his 
 Lore}. From the 4arknefs and confine- 
 ment of a prifon he paifed to the liberty 
 and light of heaven ; an4 while malice 
 was gratified with a fight of his head, 
 and his body was carried by a few friends 
 
 in
 
 of Sf. JOHN the BAPTIST. 143 
 
 in filence to the grave, his immortal Sea.vm. 
 fpirit repaired to a court, where no 
 Herod defires to have his brother's wife; 
 where no Herodias thirfts after the blood 
 of a prophet ; where he who hath la- 
 boured, with fincerity and diligence, in 
 the work of reformation, is fure to be 
 well received - y where holinefs, zeal , 
 and conftancy " are crowned and re- 
 " ceive palms from the Son of God, 
 " whom they confefled in the world V 
 
 
 
 So finks the day-ftar in the ocean bed, 
 And, yet anon uprears bis drooping head. 
 And tricks bis beams ; and witb new fpangled or 6 
 Flames in tbe forehead of tbe morning Jky 
 He bears tbe unexpreffive nuptial fong 
 In tbe bleft kingdoms meek of joy and love. 
 There entertain bim all tbe faints above, 
 In folemn troops, and fweet focieties, 
 'J'bat Jtng, and Jinging in tbeir glory move, 
 And wipe tbe tears for ever from bis eyes. 
 
 MILTON. 
 
 * 2 Efdr. ii. 45 47. 
 
 II 3fiJ 
 
 . 
 
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