History of the Old Testament Volume 5, Part 16
Chriſts Baptiſme.
IOHN did eueryevery way fore-runne Chriſt, not ſo much in the time of his birth, as in his office; nether was there more vnlikeneſſe in their diſpoſition and carriage, then ſimilitude in their function; both did preach and baptiſe; only Iohn baptiſed by himſelfe, our Sauiour by his diſciples; our Sauiour wrought miracles by himſelfe, by his diſciples; Iohn wrought none by either; Wherein Chriſt meant to ſhew himſelfe a Lord, and Iohn a ſeruant; and Iohn meant to approue himſelfe a true ſeruant to him, whoſe harbinger he was; hee that leapt in the wombe of his mother, when his Sauiour (then newly conceiued) came in preſence, beſtirred himſelfe when hee was brought forth into the light of the Church, to the honor and ſeruice of his Sauiour: he did the ſame before Chriſt, which Chriſt charged his diſciples to doe after him, preach and baptiſe. The Goſpell ran alwayes in one tenor, and was neuer but like it ſelfe; So it became the word of him in whom there is no ſhadow by turning, and whoſe word it is, I am Iehoua, I change not.
It was fit, that hee which had the Prophets, the ſtarre, the Angels to foretell his comming into the world, ſhould hauehave his Vſher to goe before him, when he would notifie himſelfe to the world; Iohn was the voyce of a Cryer, Chriſt was the word of his Father; it was fit this voyce ſhould make a noyſe to the world, ere the word of the Father ſhould ſpeake to it; Iohns note was ſtill, repentance; the axe to the root, the fan to the flowre, the chaffe to the fire; as his rayment was rough, ſo was his tongue, and if his food were wilde hony, his ſpeech was ſtinging locuſts: Thus muſt the way be made for Chriſt in eueryevery hart: Plauſibility is no fit preface to regeneration: if the hart of man had continued vpright, God might hauehave beene intertained without contradiction; but now violence muſt be offered to our corruption, ere we can hauehave roome for grace; if the great way-maker doe not caſt downe hills, and rayſe vp vallyes in the boſomes of men, there is no paſſage for Chriſt; neuer will Chriſt come into that ſoule, where the herald of repentance hath not beene before him.
That Sauiour of ours, who from eternity lay hid in the counſell of God, who in the fulnes of time ſo came, that hee lay hid in the wombe of his mother, for the ſpace of forty weekes; after hee was come, thought fit to lye hid in Nazareth, for the ſpace of thirty yeares, now at laſt begins to ſhew himſelfe to the world, and comes from Galile to Iordan. He that was God alwayes, and might hauehave beene perfect man in an inſtant, would by degrees riſe to the perfection both of his manhood, and execution of his mediator-ſhip; to teach vsus, the neceſſity of leaſure in ſpirituall proceedings; that many ſuns, and ſucceſſions of ſeaſons, and meanes muſt be ſtayd for, ere we can attaine our maturity; and that when we are ripe for the imployments of God, wee ſhould no leſſe willingly leaue our obſcurity, then wee tooke the benefit of it for our preparation. He that was formerly circumciſed, would now bee baptiſed; what is baptiſme but an Euangelicall circumciſion? What was circumciſion but a legall baptiſme? One both ſupplyed and ſucceeded the other; yet the author of both will vndergoe both; He would be circumciſed to ſatisfie his Church that was, and baptiſed to ſanctifie his Church that ſhould bee; that ſo in both Teſtaments hee might open away into heauen. There was in him neither filthines, nor fore-skin of corruption, that ſhould need either knife, or water; He came not to be a Sauiour for himſelfe, but for vsus, we are all vncleaneneſſe, and vncircumciſion, he would therefore hauehave that done to his moſt pure body, which ſhould be of force to cleare our impure ſoules; thus making himſelfe ſinne for vsus, that we might be made the righteouſnes of God in him.
His baptiſme giues vertue to ours. His laſt action (or rather paſſion) was his baptiſing with blood, his firſt was his baptization with water, both of them waſh the world from their ſins. Yea, this latter did not only waſh the ſoules of men, but waſheth that very water, by which wee are waſhed; from hence is that made both cleane and holy, and can both cleanſe and hallow vsus; And if the very hadkerchiefe which touched his Apoſtles, had power of cure, how much more that Water, which the ſacred body of Chriſt touched? Chriſt comes far, to ſeeke his baptiſme: to teach vsus (for whoſe ſake he was baptiſed) to wait vponupon the ordinances of God; and to ſue for the fauour of ſpirituall bleſſings; They are worthleſſe commodities, that are not worth ſeeking for; it is rarely ſcene, that God is found of any man vnſought for: that deſire which only makes vsus capable of good things, cannot ſtand with neglect.
Iohn durſt not baptize vnbidden: his Maſter ſent him to doe this ſeruice, and behold the Maſter comes to his ſeruant, to call for the participation of that priuiledge, which he himſelfe had inſtituted, and enioyned; how willingly ſhould wee come to our ſpirituall Superiors, for our part in thoſe myſteries, which God hath left in their keeping; y…, how gladly ſhould wee come to that Chriſt, who giues vsus theſe bleſſings; who is giuen to vsus in them.
This ſeemed too great an honour for the modeſty of Iohn to receiue; If his mother could ſay, when her bleſſed cozen the Virgin Mary, came to viſit her (Whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord ſhould come to me?) how much more might hee ſay ſo, when the diuine Son of that mother, came to call for a fauor from him? I hauehave neede to bee baptized of thee, and commeſt thou to me? O holy Baptiſt, if there were not a greater borne of women then thou; yet thou couldeſt not be borne of a woman, and not neede to be baptized of thy Sauiour. Hee baptized with fire, thou with water; Little would thy water hauehave auailed thee without his fire, If he had not baptized thee, how wert thou ſanctified from the wombe? There can be no fleſh without filthineſſe; neither thy ſupernaturall conception, nor thy auſtere life could exempt thee from the need of baptiſme: Euen thoſe, that hauehave not liued to ſin after the ſimilitude of Adam, yet are they ſo tainted with Adam, that vnleſſe the ſecond Adam clenſe them by his baptiſme they are hopeleſſe; There is no leſſe vſe of baptiſme vntounto all, then there is certainty of the need of baptiſme; Iohn baptized without; Chriſt within. The more holy a man is, the more ſenſible he is of his vnholineſſe; No carnall man could hauehave ſaid (I hauehave need to be baptized of thee;) neither can he finde, what he is the better for a little Font-water. The ſence of our wretchednes, and the valuation of our ſpirituall helps, is the beſt tryall of our regeneration: Our Sauiour doth not deny, that either Iohn hath need to be baptized of him, or that it is ſtrange, that he ſhould come to be baptized of Iohn, but he will needs thus far, both honor Iohn, and diſparage himſelfe, to be baptized of his Meſſenger; he that would take fleſh of the Virgin, education from his Parents, ſuſtenance from his creatures, will take baptiſme from Iohn: It is the prayſe of his mer cy, that hee will ſtoope ſo low, as to bee beholden to his creatures, which from him receiue their being and power, both to take and giuegive. Yet not ſo much reſpect to Iohn, as obedience to his Father, drew him to this poynt of humiliation, (Thus it behooues vsus to fulfill all righteouſneſſe.) The counſels and appoyntments of God, are righteouſneſſe it ſelfe; There needs no other motiue, either to the ſeruant, or the Son, then the knowledge of thoſe righteous purpoſes. This was enough to lead a faithfull man thorow all difficulties and inconueniences; neither will it admit of any reply, or any demurre: Iohn yeeldeth to this honour, which his Sauiour puts vponupon him, in giuing baptiſme to the Authour of it: Hee baptized others to the remiſſion of their ſinnes: now hee baptizes him by them, they are remitted both to the Baptizer, and to others.
No ſooner is Chriſt baptized, then hee comes forth of the water: The element is of force, but during the vſe: It turnes common, when that is paſt, neither is the water ſooner powred on his head, then the Heauens are opened, and the Holy Ghoſt deſcendeth vponupon that head which was baptized: The Heauens are neuer ſhut, whiles either of the Sacraments is duely adminiſtred, and receiued: neither doe the Heauens euer thus open without the deſcent of the Holy Ghoſt: But now that the God of Heauen is baptized, they open vntounto him, which are opened to all the faithfull by him: and that Holy Ghoſt which proceeded from him, together with the Father; ioynes with the Father in a ſenſible teſtimony of him; that now the world might ſee what intereſt hee had in the Heauens, in the Father, in the Holy Spirit, and might expect nothing but diuine, from the enttance of ſuch a Mediator.