Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1873-02-10
a2 e!ieio,,s Department.
Rsv. J. w. MALCOLM, Filter.
THE GREAT CONFESSION.

a man clothed in a rough and simple
dress of camel's hair, confined at the
waist simply, with leathern girdle.
There was nothing in his exterior or
surroundings to attract the eye of man,
and yet the people focked to him from
all the land even the proud and haugh-
ty Pharisee and the stubborn Sadducee,
were seen among those who came. Bow
ing beneath the sense of guilt, they were
baptized of him in the river Jordan
But stranger sight than this, among these
confessing sinners came the Son of God
He who was to be known on earth as
Emmanuel. He who was the brightness
of Gods glory, and the express image Of
his person-he joins these sinners. pre-
sents himself before John, and asks for
baptism is pointed out as another man
who takes his rightful place in the sight
of God. What sin hath he? Why |
should this being, holy from his moth
er's womb. he who knew no sin, identify |
himself thus with sinners? No wonder
John shrank from baptizing him, and
asks, "Comest thou to me 2 Jesus CIR
tcrs upon no explanation but says, ''Suf
fer it to be so now, for thus it becometh
us to fulfill all righteousness )" and is
baptized with the baptism of repentance,
and led by the Spirit away into the will
derness.
Let US for moment 60 back to the
days when the temple service was gone
through carefully with all its imposing
and impressive ordinances. The multi
tude is assembled outside None may
enter the holy place this day, for the
high priest is making an atonement for
himself and for the iniquity Of the peo
pie. Out to this waiting crowd comes
the high priest-clothed in pure white
linen. upon his head mitre bearing up
on it in letters of gold, Holiness to the
Lord" leading stainless kid, and then.
in the presence of the people, he lays his
hands upon the goats head and lifting
his eyes to heaven, confesses to God the
sins and the iniquitles of all the people,
and in figure transfers them all to the
head of the unoffending creature. When
this is done the goat is committed to the
care of a fit man. one that can be trust
| ed to do the work committed to him, and
he leads the goat away into the wilder
ness. then lets him go. and the goat wan-
ders off bearing the sins Of Israel into a
land of forgetfulness from which they
can never return to appear against the
people.
Here we have the key to the conduct
of Jesus at the River Jordan. Here We
see why it was necessary for the fulfill
ment of all righteousness that he should
come amongst sinners, and receive the
baptism of repentance. We see him as
the substance Of the shadow which ap-
pcared at the temple door. He is here
as the goat who bore away the sins of
the people, None but the hands of the
high priest were fitted to lay the sins on
the animals head, and then only after
he had made attonement for himself, and
dressed in the robe of righteousness nj
which he could enter the presence of God ;
so no hands but Christ's. the true high
priest, could lay our sins on him. This
he does himself. When taking his place
amongst sinners he goes forward to the
baptism which expresses the confession
/, of sin. In receiving that baptism he
takes the place both of the high priest
and the offered kid. AS high priest
with the purity and holiness which were
his without the blood of bullock or Of
goat. he confesses the sins and the ini
guilty of the people, and he lays them moi
on the head of kid, however innocen
and sinless, but on his own. and bends
! willingly beneath load that will bring
him to shame and death-a load tina
: will make God hide his face from hin
and cover the earth with darkness:
load that will lay him in the grave. H
comes up from the water the bearer o
such load, and led by the Spirit h
3 carries it away into the wilderness int
a land of separation.
How fnll of meaning was the scene b,
u the bank of Jordan; how needful tina
} Jesus should thus. in public, come for
i ward and make confession of sin; an,
', how full of significance to us. We ar
- partakers of the result of that confession
" Our sins wero that day confessed befor
y the Lord, and carried away into the will
u derness, from whence they will neve
! rise against us. God has told us H
F" "will remember them no more - Tha
! the offering was accepted by God, tina
He received the confession we have sur
70 evidence in the voice which came fror
% the opening heavens: This is my be
. loved Son, in whom l am well pleased
,e EJACULAToRY PRAYER.-1he wore
st ejoculatory comes from a Latin word
J. which means arrows AS the arrov
d darts from the bow to the sky. so ejacu
le latory prayer which darts up from til
st heart to God 1t can be shot up fror
er the depths of the sgirit, at any time 0