328 CHAP. XXVI. The Nativity of St. John Baptist, ~W HAT Festival doth the Church celebrate this Day? A. The Nativity of St. John Baptift. Q. Why doth the Church celebrate his Nativity? A. Because his Birth was wonderful in itself, as being foretold by an Angel fent on purpose Luke 1.7, to deliver this joyful Meffage, when his Mother 11, 13. Elizabeth was barren, and both his Parents well Stricken in Years; and in that his Father Zachary had the Affurance of it confirmed to him by a Ver. 20: miraculous Dumbness till it was made good. Befides, it brought great Joy to all those that expected the Meffiah, it being predicted by the Ver. 14. Angel, that many fhould rejoice thereat. Q. What was foretold of him by the Angel? A. That he should be great in the Sight of the Lord, and fhould neither drink Wine nor Ver. 15. ftrong Drink; that be should be filled with the Holy Ghoft, even from his Mother's Womb; that he fhould convert many of the Jews, and prepare the Way of the Lord, and confequently be the Forerunner of our Saviour, and the greatest of all the Prophets. Q. What mean you by St. John's being the Forerunner of our Saviour? A. That A. That his whole Miniftry tended to prepare the Way for the Reception of our Saviour and his Doctrine: For which he was qualified, by adding to the Grace of his Birth an extraordinary Innocence of Life, which he preserved by withdrawing from all the Occafions and Temptations to Evil, and by a ftrict and fevere Mortification, whereby he kept his Body in Subjection to his Mind. Q. How did he prepare the Way for our Saviour's Reception? A. By proclaiming to the Jews the Approach Mat. 3. z. of the Mellias; that he whom they had fo long expected was nigh at Hand, and that his Kingdom was ready to appear; and that therefore they should do well to break off their Sins by Repentance, and by Reformation of Life fit themselves to receive the glad Tidings of the Gofpel. Q. Was this Forerunner of our Saviour foretold by the Prophets? A. Yes; Ifaiab calls him, The Voice of him Ifai. 40. 3. that crieth in the Wilderness, Prepare ye the Way of the Lord, and make ftrait in the Defert a Way for our God: And Malachi styles him, Mal. 3. 1. The Messenger that was to prepare the Way of the Lord: And farther defcribes him under the Character of Elijah the Prophet, that was Ch.4. 5,6. to turn the Hearts of the Fathers to the Chil dren, and the Hearts of the Children to their Mat. 11. Fathers. Q. But how is St. John the Baptift's being the John1.21. Elias, that was to come, reconcileable with his own Denial of it? A. It being the general Persuasion of that Age, as it had been all along the prevailing Notion among the Jews, that Elias should, in his own Perfon, come to prepare the Way for the Meffias; St. John the Baptift might very well, as he did, deny himself to be that very Elias who had lived in the Time of King Abab, of whose second coming into the World the Sanhedrim then enquired, according to their mifCh.4.5,6.taken Conftruction of the Prophecy of Malachi. Now this no ways contradicts our Saviour's affirming him to be the Perfon foretold under the Name and Character of Elias, in the true Signification of that Prophecy; which all Chriftian Interpreters think very applicable to St. John the Baptift, fo like Elias in Temper, Office, and other Circumftances, that the Refemblance might be a fufficient Ground for the calling him by that Name. The Business of both was to promote a general Reformation of Manners among those who fhould receive James 5. 17, 18. their Doctrine. They were both eminent ProKings phets, fuperior to thofe of the fame Character in their own Age. Both of fingular Abstinence Mat. 11. and Aufterity, retired from the World, and 1 Kings diftinguished from the Fashions of it by a 17. 4, 16. particular Habit. They are both couragious 19. 6,7,8 and zealous in oppofing the prevailing Corrup2 Kings 1.tions of their own Times, though the Great Luke 1. and the Powerful were the Supporters of them. 80. All this plainly proves that the Baptift came in Mat. 3. 4. the Spirit and Power of Elias. Which Senfe is abundantly confirmed by all those ApplicaLuke 1. tions that are made of Malacki's Prophecy in 15,16,17. the New Teftament to St. John the Baptift. Mat. 11. And by returning Answer to that Demand, Who he was? That he was the Voice crying in the Wil10, &c. derness prophefied of by Efaias, he did in Effect, John 1.23. 17. 1. 11. 8. 1 Kings 18 Mat. 3. 10, &c. Mat. 17. and and by neceffary Confequence, affirm himself to be Malachi's Elias, thought not that Elias they erroneously expected; because that Prophecy of Efaias was acknowledged to point at the fame Mark 1.1, Perfon with the other in Malachi. Q. What was St. John's Education and Manner of living till he entered upon his Office? 2, 3, 4. A. After he had providentially escaped the Executioners of Herod in his Childhood, he retired early into the Deferts, where he led a folitary and mortified Life; his Habit was a rough Garment made of Camels Hair, and a lea-Mat. 3. 4◄ thern Girdle; his Food was Locufts and wild Honey. By Locusts fome understand Grafs-hoppers, others the Tops of Plants and Herbs; though there may be no great Neceffity for the Change of the Word, if we confider that fome Locusts Lev. 11. are counted clean Meat in Scripture; and that 22. they were a common Meat not only in the Eastern and Southern Parts, but even in Palestine itself, is proved by Bochartus and Ludolphus in his Hieroz. Ethiopick Hiftory. The wild Honey is conceived par. 2.1.4 to be fuch as the Bees had stored up in hallow Trees or Caverns, and ordinary Provision to be found in Woods. Q. What Character doth our Saviour give of St. John Baptist ? c. 7. A. That among them that are born of Wo-Mat. 11. men there hath not rifen a greater than John 11. the Baptift, and that he came neither eating nor drinking, which implies a Way of living more than ordinarily rigorous and auftere. Q. Wherein did St. John the Baptift exceed thofe Prophets that went before him? A. In the Excellency of his Office, which was to fit and prepare the Minds of the People for the the immediate Reception of Christ and his John 1.7. Doctrine; both which were attefted by St. John 29,32,33. in a plainer Manner than by any of the old Pro 6. phets. In that he was honoured with more Mat. 3. 5, fignal Revelations, and his Doctrine attended with greater Succefs and Efficacy, almost the whole Nation flowing in to his Baptifm, and confeffing their Sins. Luke 3.2. 6. Q. How was St. John Baptift called to his Office? A. The Word of God came to him; which Phrafe, as used in the Scriptures, implies the Prophetick Spirit communicated to thofe that were to be extraordinary Preachers to the People; but whether imparted to him by Vision or Dream, or any other Way, is not fo material to enquire as difficult to refolve; only we may obferve, that whereas the Spirit of Prophecy feemed to be ceased among the Jews fince the Death of Malachi, it was now revived in John the Baptift, and was to be continued by the great Prophet and his Apostles. Q. What Succefs had St. John's Miniftry? A. His refolute Preaching, joined with the Severity of his Life, drew to him many Hearers Mat. 3 5, from Jerufalem and Judæa, and from the Region round about Jordan; and great was the Number of his Profelytes, who were baptifed of him, confeffing their Sins. For his firft Preaching was in the Wilderness of Judea, the Towns and Cities that were about the Place of his Education: And from thence he made Converts round about Jordan, the River whereof fupplied him with a Conveniency of baptifing the great Number of his Followers. Q. What was the Manner of his Preaching? |