The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-12-08


or even the sign of IL, who IS the HOY one Of
GodP Not Tor these elements OF that ordinance
eN.ioen.D ~. come. II g. NO! not even thu 10 signify
TO honor and giory. For as such, His every work
and way must show His native exemption from the
SIN ana corruption from which He came 10 deliver
men, That he comes to John to be baptized seems
10 indicate another and extraordinary element IN
thai baptism, adapted to HIM and His present cir
cumstances. And so IL is. Johns baptism does not
exhaust itself as The sign OF purlfcaIon, and the
Its leading funOamenta idea is that of prepa alton
and conservation. Ii marks in its subjects tue COM
Increment Oh q new course of LIFE. Jesus is about
10 enter upon His peculiar course of life as the
Amounted of God. He comes to be publicly set
apar to HIS special work. But why choose Johns
and use the water and the oil there consecrated to
I his purposeY We see, my friends, in the unusual
specially ralsed up (lor snch was Johns baptismI
the teRnning of series OF unusual events. Events
wdich prophecy declared would evlnce to the
lsraelites the Messiah indeed, come John, VINO
was sent 10 bear witness of that light" which
"hghteth every man that cometh into the world"
has Tor SIX months proclaimed HIS coming, SAVING,
"Repent ye, for the kin gdom of Heaven is at hand"
AND now on him, the appointed ForeIunner, il de-
wolves, to point ou to Israel the person of Messiah
and publicly to induct him by special process into
His office And this leads us 10 notice peculiar
clement and province OF Johns baptism. which hs
himself sp cialy procIaims. The day after His bap
tlsm, John, pointing to Jesus, says, "Behod the
Lamb q Sod which take.h away the SIN Of the
cometh man wblcn is preferred before me, for He
was before me- and 1 knew dim not, but that He
come, taptIzing with water" This is the point IN
tha baptism, that esLecally made 1T fitting that
Lord should use it. 1t was appointed that while
many were baptized unto repentance, confessing
their SINS, John might in his ordinary work by the
same process officially s2ow Jesus, the Christ, unto
Israel
1t is true, cur Lord would honor the ordinance in
its application to other uses; but it IS clear John
this specific duty in this specific way.
Our Lords reply to Johns modest question fur
ther leads INTO His oesgn in coming to be baptized
oil him, Suer 1t TO be so now, for thus 1T becOmeth
to fulfil al righteousness" Be IoId here the
striking contrast between Him and other subjects o
Johns baptism. The 9 latter make confession Of sin
answers Johns question but lie gives implied testi
mony to the principle OF BIS whole course of self
remuneration and selt.substtution. AS in later times
he speaks OF His suferngs as baptism, so does He
now aIready ''con emplate in baptism His suffer.
lngs." And in what a striking form Is ali this
brought before us as He says 1T becometh us thus
to "tufl all riehteOusnessW What a powerful
perfect obedience to a the Divine specifications, in
order TO work out eflectually the sublime plan OF
redemp ion But He says not it bec0meih "me"
nor 'you, but "aS" 1t is not difficult to see that
this extends His sublime thought even beyond HIM
and John. He evidently designs to shadow here
conformable to His death" which they enjoy who
win Christ and are found in Him." "haYlng the
riPhteousn IS which is of God by faith"
He utters this 'as the Son OF Man, in the name of
humanity" "He, indeed, is pre'eminently the Fu,-
filler; but all who become parlcipators OF HIS right
righteousness and in the way" 1t is therefore
evident that Johns baptism is, in His case put to
exclusive and even extraordinary use, even to His
Amounting to that sacrifice OF Himself for sinners
which Dowl first properly begins" The offices on
which our own Lord was now entering were those
of Prophet and High Priest, in botn of which
amounting was required But while he executed both
these offices, His work here consisted specially and
chiefly OF The functions of High Priest HIS life was
obedlent unto death" The fulfilling all righteous.
ness" on our Lords part is on this WISE. The first
requirement in consecratrng the High Priest was:
aaron and his sons thou shalt bring, and
shalt wash them with water" In His baptism our
Lord "uIlled this ally in the use of water but
eXtrao dnarily in the manner and form of its use.
Next, on Aaron were to be placed his full official
anointed with oil, These latter, indeed, were not
fuif filed in the ordinary way. But behold how, as
beftted His exalted cha, acter, as made High
Priest not without an oath, and not after the oder
of Aaron, but Melchsedek He does carry out, IN an
extraordinary manner, the underlying prlnciple,
Aaron only, symbolzed. AS he comes from the
water 'the heavens open unto Him and the Spirit
Here is that which He Himself dec ared His an
nonting, when He applied to Himself the prophetic
God is upon me, because He hath annolnted me"'
And now look UP and hear and behold the livery OF
office put on Oh Him by the EatheT & aadlRGly speak
"lhis is my beloved Son, in whom l am well
pleased" The strength, OF the terms here used is
worthy of note: beloved" means not merely best be-
loved only one beloved but only beloved, in
that high sense that admits not of imitation or com
parisOn; and "wel pleased is given IN tha'
peculiar torm of the Greek verb which denotes the
eternal act of loving contemplation with which the
Father regards the Son.
MY friends, the scene has passed before you. How
does it strike you? Is this ceremony ordinary Can
its object be ordinary? Is He who observes 1t ordi-
nary? o! men! be reminded that here begins tine
of sin and the curse of the law; Here is the first
step In that "belng made perfect through suffering
which "Dehooved him" who would "bring many
souls to gloryv Hence steps He forth upon
His strange who "bare our grlefs and carried
our sorrows" Ay, be reminded that He, humble
in sOlemnlV and StrIkIQplV
inducted into office, is hat Great One, who sis able
to save them to the utiermost that come to God by
Him." To give you confidence to seek this redemp.
ton by the faith of this sacrifice you have Him,
HIS own part, fulfilling all righteousness" and the
ordination to His work The Spirit amounting by
descending upon Him; the Father, in audible
word. declaring Him his Only beloved always tn and
here begins the motion of that fam the purging of
that floor, the separation OF that wheat ana chaf
the filling OF that garner, and the knding OF that
unquenchable fre @, friends it lays before you
the life eternal and the death everlasting And be
reminded further that if you suffer the latter it is
because you choose it-choose in the face of most
! winning Influences, designed TO commend and press
you TO the former Oh! resist not its pressure, but
| yield; and by the way of the cross go TO seat
beside the risen Jesus on His thronei One evan
geist tells us that this Heaven:sealing ct Him
close of His work, is a singular coincidence Just
before ae came to the cross He prayed, Father,
SH HeSen HEhy saying @ hsrs soTsd
| and viii glorily it again" Brethren In
Christ behold in this the et1caey OF prayer
And more than this, behold how, at the
outset as at the end the great Intercessor /
assured, and we are assured, "rne Father heareth
him always" And, therefore. behold how safe and
sure your case entrusted to Him! Ay, how ehec
| tive your prayers in His name and sent thIouql
| Him to our Hatherl And, friends, out OF Christ,
what loss 10 you that you have Him not your Advo
cate, nor pray in His name! TO be without Him
your daysman Is to thrust yourselves into the grasI
| of the law to abide by Its decisions! To have no
Him, Tor Mediator is TO have no way OF peace
with an offended GOD! To pray not in His name i
to reach not the ear OF Mercy! There is no promiS
! TO any out of or without Christi Only His imaP'