floor; the office of an husbandman is to thresh, fan, and winnow, his corn, separating it from the chaff, preserving the one, and consuming the other. Observe, 1. That the church is Christ's floor. 2. That this floor Christ will purge, and that thoroughly. 3. That the word of Christ is the fan in his hand, by and with which he will thoroughly purge his floor. The church is compared to a floor, upon the account of that mixture which is in the church. In a floor there is straw as well as grain, chaff as well as corn, tares as well as wheat, cockle and darnel as well as good seed. Thus in the church there has been, there is, and ever will be, a mixture of good and bad, saints and sinners, hypocrites and sincere christians: but this floor Christ will purge; purge it, but not break it up; purge out its corruptions, but not destroy its essence and existence: and the fan in Christ's hand, with which he will purge his floor, is his holy word, accompanied with the wing of discipline. The fan detects and discovers the chaff, and the wing dissipates and scatters it; and by the help of both the floor is purged: His fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge, &c.

18 And many other things, in his exhortation, preached he unto the people. 19 But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, 20 Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison.

Observe here, 1. In John the Baptist the character of a zealous and faithful minister of the gospel: he is one that deals plainly, and durst tell the greatest persons of their faults. Herod, though a king, is reproved by him for his adultery and incest. The crown and sceptre of Herod could not daunt the faithful messenger of God. There ought to meet in the ministers of Christ both courage and impartiality; courage in fearing no faces, and impartiality in sparing no sins. Observe, 2. Who it was that imprisoned and beheaded the holy Baptist : Herod a king. How sad is it when kings, who should be nursing-fathers to the church, do prove the bloody butchers of the phets of God. Many of the severest persecutions which the ministers of God have fallen under, have been occasioned by their telling great men of their crimes. Men in power are impatient of reproof, and imagine

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that their authority gives them a license to transgress. Observe, 3. The heinous aggravations of this sin in Herod: He added this to all his other sins, that he shut up John in prison. This evidenced him incorrigible and irreclaimable. John had preached before Herod, and Herod had heard John with some delight; but he had a darling lust, which occasioned his destruction, Learn hence, That hypocrites may hear the word with some pleasure, and do many things with some delight, but they have always some beloved lust that must be spared; they will neither part with it, nor bear reproof for it. Herod sticks not to cut off that head, whose tongue was so bold as to reprove him for his lusts.

21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened.

1.

Christ in seeking and submitting to the bapObserve, 1. The great condescension of and Master, yet yields to be baptized of his tism of John. Christ, though John's Lord servant and messenger. Observe, 2. The reasons why Christ would be baptized. That by this rite he might enter himself into the society of christians, as he had before by circumcision entered into the society of the Jews. 2. That he might by his own baptism sanctify the ordinance of baptism unto us. 3. That thereby he might fulfil the righteousness of the ceremonial law, which required the washing of the priests in water, before they entered upon their office, as appears, Exod. xxix. 4. Observe, 3. How the duty of prayer accompanieth the ordinance of baptism : Jesus being baptized, and praying. Teaching us by his example to sanctify every ordinance and every action, with prayer. Christ, when he was baptized, he prayed; when he was tempted, he prayed; when he brake bread, he prayed; when he wrought miracles, he prayed; in his agony in the garden, he prayed; when he suffered on the cross, he prayed. What was the subject-matter of our Lord's prayer at this time is not expressed; but by what followed, namely, the heavens opening and the Holy Ghost descending, it is probably conjectured, that he prayed for some tes timony to be given from heaven concerning himself, for it immediately follows;

22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove

kim, 31 Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David, 32 Which was the son of Jesse, which was the son of Obed, which was the son of Booz, which was the son of Salmon, which was the son of Naasson, 33 Which was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of Aram, which was the son of Esrom, which was the son of Pharez, which was the son of Juda, 34 Which was the son of Jacob, which was the son of Isaac, which was the son of Abraham, which was the son of Thara, which was the son of Nachor, 35 Which was the son of Saruch, which was the son of Ragau, which was the son of Phalec, which was the son of Heber, which was the son of Sala, 36 Which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad, which was the son of Sem, which was the son of Noe, which was the son of Lamech, 37 Which was the son of Mathusala, which was the son of Enoch, which was the son of Jared, which was the son

of Maleleel, which was the son of Cainan, 38 Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.

We find the genealogy of our blessed Saviour recorded by two evangelists, St. Matthew and St. Luke. His pedigree is set forth by St. Matthew from his father Joseph, by St. Luke from his mother Mary; the design of both is to prove him lineally descended from Abraham and David, and consequently the true and promised Messias. St. Matthew, intending his history primarily for the Jews, proves him to be the son of Abraham and David, for their comfort. St. Luke, designing the information and comfort of the Gentiles, derives our Lord's pedigree from Adam, the common parent of mankind; to assure the Gentiles of their possibility of an interest in Christ, they being sons of Adam. Neither of these evangelists are strict and

accurate in enumerating every individual person; which should teach us not to be over-curious in scanning the parts of this genealogy, much less captiously to object against it, because of some seeming contradictions to it. For if the evangelists were not nice and critical in composing this genealogy, why should we be so in examining of it? Let us rather attend to the design of the Holy Ghost in writing 1. For the of it, which was twofold. honour of our Saviour as man, showing who were his noble and royal progenitors according to the flesh. 2. For the confirmation of our faith, touching the reality of our Saviour's incarnation. The scripture making mention of all his progenitors from the first man Adam, to his reputed father Joseph, we cannot reasonably doubt either of the truth of his human nature, or of the certainty of his being the promised Messias. Hence we may learn, That the wisdom of God has taken all necessary care, and used all needful means, for satisfying the minds of all unprejudiced persons, touching the reality of Christ's human nature, and the certainty both these ends is our Saviour's genealogy, of his being the promised Messias; for descent, and pedigree, recorded in holy scripture.

CHAP. IV.

AND Jesus being full of the
Holy Ghost, returned from
into the wilderness.
Jordan, and was led by the Spirit

At the twenty-second verse of the foregoing chapter, we find the Holy Ghost descending in a bodily shape like a dove upon our Saviour; in this verse we find the extraordinary effects and fruits of the Holy Ghost's descent upon our Saviour: he was filled with all the 'gifts and graces of the blessed Spirit, to fit and furnish him for that ministerial service which he was now entering upon. But observable it is, that before our Saviour undertook the ministerial office, he is led by the Spirit inta the wilderness, and there furiously assaulted with Satan's temptations. Temptation, meditation, and prayer, says Luther, make a minister: great temptations from Satan do fit us for greater services for God. And whereas it is said, that Christ was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil: by the Spirit, we must

understand the Holy Spirit of God; for the devil, I think, is never called the spirit, but has always a brand of reproach annexed, as the evil spirit, the unclean spirit, and the like. By his being led by the Spirit, (St Mark says, he was drove by the Spirit,) we may either understand a potent and efficacious persuasion, without any violent motion or else, as the learned Dr. Lightfoot thinks, Christ was bodily caught up by the Holy Spirit into the air, and carried from Jordan, where he was baptized, into the wilderness, where he was tempted. God had put great honour upon Christ at his baptism, declaring him to be his wellbeloved Son, in whom he was well pleased; and the next news we hear, is the devil assaulting him with his temptations. Learn thence, That the more any are beloved of God, and dignified with more eminent testimonies of his favour, so much the more is the devil enraged, and maliciously bent

against them.

2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.

Observe here, How the divine power upheld Christ's human nature without food. What Moses did at the giving of the law, Christ doth at the beginning of the gospel, namely, fast forty days and forty nights. Christ hereby intended our admiration rather than our imitation; or if our imitation, of the action only, not of the time. From this example of Christ we learn, That it is our duty, by fasting and prayer, to prepare ourselves for a conflict with our spiritual enemies. As Christ prepared himself, by fasting, to grapple with the tempter, so should we.

3 And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.

Observe here, 1. The occasion of the temptation. And, 2. The temptation itself. The occasion of the temptation was our Saviour's hunger and want of bread. Learn thence, That when God suffers any of his children to fall into want, and to be straitened for outward things, Satan takes a mighty advantage thereupon to tempt and assault them. Observe, 3. What it is he tempts our Saviour to; it is the sin of distrust, to call in question his sonship; If thou be the Son of God.

and then to distrust God's providence and care; Command that these stones be made bread. It is the grand policy of Satan, first to tempt the children of God to doubt of their adoption; next to distrust God's fatherly care and provision, and last of all to use unwarrantable means to help themselves. Thus Satan dealt with Christ, and thus he deals with christians; for to work a miracle at Satan's direction, was not a lawful mean of providing food for himself.

4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

Note first, That though the devil abused scripture, yet Christ uses it. Good things are never the worse for being abused by Satan and his instruments. Note, 2dly, The weapon which our Saviour made use of to vanquish Satan; it was the word of God: It is written, says Christ. Learn thence, That the scripture, or the written word of God, is the only sure weapon wherewith to vanquish Satan, and beat back all his fiery temptations. The scripture is God's armoury, out of which all our weapons of war must be taken, for managing our conflict with sin and Satan.

5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto mè; and to whomsoever I will I give it.. 7 If thou, therefore, wilt worship me, all shall be thine.

And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan : for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Observe, 1. The next sin which Satan tempts our Saviour to, is the sin of idolatry, even to worship the devil himself. Oh thou impudent and foul spirit, to desire thy Creator to worship thee, an apostate creature! Doubtless there is no sin so black and foul, so horrid and monstrous, but the christian may be tempted to it, when Christ himself was tempted to worship the tempter, even the devil himself. St. Matthew reads it, If thou wilt worship me; St. Luke, If

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