dress; praying at the corners of the streets, and seeking publicity in the bestowment of alms. They sought principally external cleanness; and dealt much in ceremonial ablutions and washing. "In addition to the written law, they adhered to the traditions of the elders, which they vainly supposed to have been handed down from Moses. They were, in general, a corrupt, hypocritical, office-seeking, haughty class of men. There were, however, some among them of a better character. See Acts v. 14. "THE SADDUCEES are supposed to have taken their name from Sadoc, who flourished about 260 years before the Christian era. He was a pupil of Antigonus Sochæus, president of the Sanhedrim, or great council of the nation. He had taught the duty of serving God disinterestedly, without the hope of reward, or the fear of punishment. Hence Sadoc, incorrectly, drew the inference that there was no future state of rewards or punishments; and on this belief he founded the sect..... They held that there is no resurrection, neither angel nor spirit (Matt. xxii. 23; Acts xxiii. 8); and that the soul of man perishes with the body; ..... and they rejected all traditions." Reader. The Pharisees, as they appear before us in the New Testament, are to be regarded as representatives of superstition, hypocrisy, and self-righteous pride; the Sadducees, of worldliness, sensual indulgence, and unbelief." The Pharisees," says a judicious commentator, "were zealots for the ceremonies, for the power of the church, and the traditions of the elders; the Sadducees ran into the other extreme, and were little better than deists, denying the existence of spirits, and of a future state." When St. John saw these men come to his baptism-(the Æthiopic version adds, privately)—he addressed them in language strongly expressive of his abhorrence of their character as the very personification of inveterate and malicious wickedness. And he inquired, with astonishment, who had warned them to flee from the impending wrath. Hence, then, it appears that neither of these parties came in a right disposition of mind, or with proper views. The Pharisees were proud of their supposed superiority in piety and virtue, and of their relation to Abraham; the Sadducees were vain of their fancied wisdom and philosophical attainments; and all were alike unprepared to become disciples of the uncompromising Baptist, or of the meek and lowly Jesus. Theophilus. Did the Baptist allude to any particular stones or rocks, when he said what we read in the ninth verse? Reader. Perhaps he then pointed to the stones which lay scattered about in the rough and rocky desert. Or, as he was baptizing at the ford of Jordan, where Israel passed over, some have thought that he alluded to the twelve stones which were set up as a memorial of that event. Josh. iv. 20. But before we could adopt the latter opinion, we should require proof that the ancient monument had continued in its place until the Baptist's time. At all events, the meaning is clear and certain. St. John assured his hearers that, rather than that the promises of God should fail, and rather than that proud, impenitent, unbelieving sinners should partake of the blessings promised to the real, spiritual posterity of Abraham, God would raise up others who should tread in his footsteps, and thus become his children, even, if necessary, by the most unlikely means; that He would raise up children to Abraham even from among the Gentiles, whom the Jews may have thought as unlikely to receive that privilege as the senseless rocks which they saw around them, or the stones beneath their feet. --- The Jews falsely gloried in their descent from Abraham; regarding it as securing to them an immunity from punishment. That descent, however, rightly considered, ought not to have been regarded as a privilege, in and of itself; but rather as an obligation and excitement to a godly life and conversation. Theophilus. By "the axe laid unto the root of the trees" we are to understand, I suppose, the Romans, whose power was ready to crush the guilty city and nation of the Jews. Reader. Such seems to be the primary meaning of the expression; which may also be understood as referring to future and eternal judgments ready to fall upon the wicked. Mary. How long did St. John continue to preach? Reader. The period of his ministry, probably, did not exceed six months,-which was the distance of time between the commencement of his preaching, and of that of our blessed Lord.-Can you explain that phrase, in the eleventh verse," whose shoes I am not worthy to bear?” Mary. It is an allusion to the custom of slaves carrying their master's sandals. The sandal was a piece of wood or leather, fitted to the soles of the feet, and fastened by thongs of leather. And it was the business of certain slaves, of the lowest class, to remove these sandals from their masters' feet, and to take charge of them, while the wearers were reclining at table, or otherwise stationary in the house. Theophilus. I am not sure that I rightly understand the meaning of that saying, "He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire." Reader. Some suppose that this expression alludes to the gifts of the Holy Spirit which were poured out upon the Apostles on the day of Pentecost, and were afterwards imparted, through the instrumentality of the Apostles, to other believers. You remember the appearance of which soon became a fashionable subject of belief in the corrupt churches of antiquity. Theophilus. How thankful we ought to be that we have been taught to interpret Scripture by itself, and by the rules of sound criticism,—and reverently to avoid attempting to explain it by the reveries of fancy, or by the light of a false philosophy! READER. May we, by the divine blessing, learn much from this remarkable portion of sacred history! the soul, penetrate every part, and | cerning a fictitious purgatorial fire, assimilate the whole to the image of the God of glory." Perhaps this interpretation is the most satisfactory. -Others explain the "fire" as relating to the threatened visitation of divine judgment;--a view which is supported, in some degree, by the mention of "unquenchable fire" in this connection, in the next verse. "He shall baptize, not only with water, but with the pouring out of his Spirit on believers, and with that fiery trial, which shall refine the gold, the faithful, but separate the dross, and destroy the rebellious unbelievers."-Some expositors combine all these ideas; supposing fire to be in this place an emblem both of the operations of the Holy Spirit, and of judgment upon the impenitent and unbelieving. "St. John," say they, "declares that Christ should plentifully pour down of the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit upon his proselytes, which, like fire in their operation, should purify their hearts from sin, consuming their lusts and corruptions; but that, at the same time, he has a fiery indignation, and flaming judgments, to destroy and burn up impenitent sinners like combustible stubble." Theophilus. Do you remember what view of the matter is taken by early Christian writers? Reader. Some of them take one or other of the views already mentioned; but the speculations of "the Fathers" on this passage are, in many instances, deplorably childish and frivolous. Nay, more; they contain the foundation of a doctrine con Repent ye!-That was the substance of the Baptist's preaching. Turn from your evil thoughts, corrupt inclinations, and wicked ways, to the love and service of the holy and heart-searching God! Such is the nature of real repentance. “True penitents have other thoughts of God and Christ, of sin and holiness, of this world and the other, than they have had; and they stand otherwise affected towards them. The change of the mind produces a change of the way. This repentance is a necessary duty, in obedience to the command of God (Acts xvii. 30); and a necessary preparation and qualification for the comforts of the Gospel of Christ.” For the kingdom of heaven is at hand.-Time is short, the Judge is at the door,—and there is no room for delay. Besides this, encouraging motives to repentance are contained in the hopes of pardon and acceptance held out, through divine mercy and grace, under the gospel covenant. "The free and full tenders of grace in the gospel are most alluring argu ments to move a sinner to repent and repentance, i.e. suitable to it,—such to turn to God." Prepare ye the way of the Lord."There is a great deal to be done, to make way for the entrance of Christ into a soul, to bow the heart for the reception of the Son of David (2 Sam. xix. 14); and nothing is more needful, in order to this, than the discovery of sin, and a conviction of the insufficiency of our own righteousness. Prejudices must be removed, high thoughts brought down, and captivated to the obedience of Christ." Prepare ye the way.-This preparation must indeed be effected by the power of God;-but yet man, weak as he is, has his part to perform. 66 Though it be grace that prepareth for further grace, man's duty must be used thereunto; and the exalting work of grace presupposeth the humbling work of repentance, as a necessary preparation." as may manifest the conversion and Think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father.Then went out to him Jerusalem, God observes what passes within and all Judea, and all the regions men's hearts, their hidden principles, round about Jordan.-The rejection secret hopes, and matters of private of the Messiah by the great body of confidence. Here is a warning to the Jews makes it appear to how us all not to rest satisfied with the little purpose they had heard the mere possession of outward priviexhortations of his forerunner. So leges, with bearing a religious name, also, in the present day, "there may or with the credit and advantages of be a multitude of forward hearers, church-membership. Our duty and where there are but few true believ- happiness consist, not in the possesCuriosity, and affectation of sion, but in the due use and improvenovelty and variety, may bring many ment, of these blessings. Many, it is to attend upon good preaching, and to to be feared, who pride themselves be affected with it for awhile, who upon belonging to this or that church, are yet never subject to the power of and who rest in the supposed benefit it (Ezek. xxxiii. 31, 32)."-May we, of their connection with a body of by God's grace, be not only hearers, professing Christians, will come short but also doers, of the word! of heaven.-Nor will the mere cirBring forth therefore fruits meet for cumstance of our connection with pious relatives and friends be of any avail to us. "What though we be descended from pious ancestors; have been blessed with a religious education; have had our lot cast in families where the fear of God is uppermost, and have good friends to advise us, and pray for us; what will all this avail us, if we do not repent, and live a life of repentance;"--that is to say, -if we do not give our hearts to God, and live like the children of our heavenly Father? The axe is laid unto the root of the trees. They whose hearts are not pierced with the sword of God's word, shall certainly be cut down and destroyed by the axe of his judgments." And the threatening extends to every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit. The barren tree, as well as that which brings forth bad fruit, is in danger. Remember the parable of the barren fig-tree. Well may we pray to God to forgive us our sins! We should be on our guard against omission of duty as well as against the commission of ungodliness in act and deed. He that cometh after me is mightier than I.—This is a thought in which all ministers of Christ may thankfully rejoice; trusting that his strength will be made perfect in their weakness, not only in their individual experience, but with regard to the work and success of their ministry. Whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. --Let us take a lesson from John's humility. "Those whom God puts honour upon, are made very humble and low in their own eyes; willing to be abased, so that Christ may be | magnified; to be anything, to be nothing, so that Christ may be all." He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.-It is the prerogative of Christ to bestow the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit. It is the office of the Holy Spirit, in the work of sanctification, to convince of sin, to enlighten the understanding, to renew the soul, to strengthen and comfort the believer, to sustain his hope, and to inflame his love to God, and zeal in God's service. May this sacred fire ever more and more shine into our hearts, kindle our affections, and consume the dross of our corruptions! Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor. '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, on earth, there is, and will be, a mixture of good and bad, saints and sinners, hypocrites and sincere Christians." But Christ will fan this floor, and purge out all its corruptions. Something of this kind is often done in this world, when God calls his people out of Babylon; Rev. xvii. 4. But it is the day of the last judgment that will be the great winnowing, distinguishing day, which will infallibly determine concerning doctrines and works (1 Cor. iii. 13), and concerning persons (Matt. xxv. 32, 33), when saints and sinners shall be parted for ever." 66 He will gather his wheat into the garner, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Heaven is the garner into which Jesus Christ |