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SECT.III. at their appearance in the world, afford it the brightest examples of every thing that is "honeft, juft, pure, lovely, and "of good report."

WE may, therefore, conclude, that he who defires to undertake the office of guiding others in the ways of wifdom and holiness, will beft qualify himself for that purpose by first paffing some time in a state of fequeftration from the world; where anxious cares and delufive pleasures may not break in upon him, to diffipate his attention; where no sceptical or fectarian spirit may blind his understanding, and nothing may obftruct the illumination from above where every vicious inclination may be mortified through grace, by a prudent application of the proper means; and every fresh bud of virtue, fheltered from noxious blasts, may be gradually reared up into strength, beauty, and fragrance; where, in a word," he may grow and "wax ftrong in spirit, until the day of "his fhewing unto Ifrael."

SEC

SECTION IV.

Confiderations on the Prophecies relative to St. John in the Old Teftament.

BE

EFORE we proceed to view the SECT.IV. Baptift in the exercise of his miniftry, it will be proper to look back to the predictions in the Scriptures of the Old Testament, concerning his office and character. We shall begin with that remarkable one, "Behold, I "will fend you Elijah the prophet, be"fore the coming of the great and "dreadful day of the Lord. And he "fhall turn the heart of the fathers to "the children, and the heart of the "children to their fathers, left I come, " and fmite the earth with a curfe "."

appear

As there was amongst the Jews a general expectation of Meffiah's ance, at the time when he did appear, so an opinion likewise prevailed, that the world should be firft prepared for his reception, in fome extraordinary a Mal. iv. 5, 6.

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SECT.IV. manner. But wrong ideas of his

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pearance and kingdom introduced mif-
takes with regard to the perfon who
should precede and proclaim him. Ac-
cording to the notions then current, oc-
cafioned by applying to his firft advent
the prophecies which belonged to his
fecond, Meffiah was to come in power
and majesty, to confer on the fons of
Jacob dominion over the Gentiles, and
make Jerufalem the metropolis of the
world. And by misunderstanding this
prediction of Malachi, they had ima-
gined, that Elijah the Tifhbite should
return from heaven, as his precurfor.
For this reafon it was, that when the
fanhedrim fent a meffage to St. John,
defiring to know, whether he were
Elias? he anfwered, "I am not :" not
the Elias by them intended and expect-
ed. But that St. John was the person
foretold by Malachi under the name of
Elias, we have the declarations of our
Lord himself to his own disciples,
"Elias is indeed come ";" and to the
Jews, "If
ye will receive it, this is,
"Elias which was for to come. He

a Mark ix. 13.

" that

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"that hath ears to hear, let him hear." SECT.IV. By thefe expreffions it was evidently Christ's intention to put his hearers upon the search after fomething more than the words, in the bare letter of them, might seem to contain. He directed them to go deeper into things, to study with attention the miffion of the Baptift, his office and character; to compare together perfons, times, and events; and fo to discover, in what fenfe John was Elias, and why Malachi had given him that appellation. But if they did this, and were once brought, in the perfon of John, to acknowledge Elias who was to precede the Meffiah, they must neceffarily, in the person of Jefus, acknowledge the Meffiah whom Elias was to precede. And therefore, as they were obftinately refolved not to own the Master, Christ knew they would not recognize the fervant, or receive this faying concerning him. Thus when the chief priests and elders interrogated our Lord in the temple, " By what authority doft thou these things, or " who gave thee this authority? I will

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SECT.IV." alfo," said he, "afk you one question, The baptifm of John, was it from heaven, or of men ?" They perceived the dilemma, and having confidered confequences, made the only safe anfwer, "We cannot tell ;" an answer which did honour to their prudence and their caution, but certainly at the expence either of their wifdom, or their honesty. As fitting in the chair of Mofes, they ought to have known whence the baptifm of John was; and if they did know, they ought not to have been fhy of declaring it.

THAT St. John was the Elias predicted by Malachi, we have alfo the teftimony of the angel', at the annuntiation of his birth, who cites the very words of the prophet; "He shall go " before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers "to the children" &c. And if this be the cafe, it follows by neceffary inference, that by "the great and dreadful

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66

day of the Lord," before the coming

of which Elijah is promifed, Malachi

a Matt. xxi. 23.

b Luke i. 7.

intends,

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