the confession of the true faith, made" the people of God ;" and St. Paul affirms, that as wild olive trees we were grafted into the true olive tree, and partake of its fatness? The Christian church, therefore, is a reformation or spiritualizing of the Jewish church, and into which as much of Judaism was introduced as it could bear. The typical priesthood of Aaron merged into the eternal priesthood of Christ, who was called to it in the same divine manner as his type, and the three orders of the Jewish church gave place to the three orders of the Christian priesthood.

"It

St. Luke alone records that Jesus prayed before the heavens were opened, and Bishop Taylor has given his prayer, which has been traditionally transmitted on the credit and authority of St. Philoxenus. is very likely that our blessed Lord would consecrate the waters of baptism to those mysterious ends whither he designed them, as well as the bread and chalice of the holy supper. And it is most likely that the Easterlings did preserve a record of many words and actions of the holy Jesus, which are not transmitted to us. It is certain that our blessed Lord did do and say many more things than are in the Holy Scriptures, and that this was one of them, we have the credit of this ancient author, and the authority of St. Philoxenus." The following is the prayer which has been traditionally preserved in the Greek church:

"CHRIST'S PRAYER AT HIS BAPTISM.

"O Father, according to the good pleasure of thy will I am made a man, and from the time in which I was born of a virgin unto this day, I have finished those things which are agreeing to the nature of man, and with due observance have performed all thy commandments, the mysteries and types of the law; and now truly I am baptized, and so have I ordained baptism, that from thence, as from the place of spiritual birth, the regeneration of men may be accomplished; and, as John was the last of the legal priests, so am I the first of the evangelical. Thou, therefore, O Father, by the mediation of my prayer, open the heavens, and from thence send thine Holy Spirit upon this womb of baptism: that as he did untie the womb of the Virgin, and thence form me, so also he would loose this baptismal womb, and so sanctify it unto men, that from thence new men may be begotten, who may become thy sons, and my brethren, and heirs of thy kingdom. And what the priests under the law until John could not do, grant unto the priests of the New Testament (whose chief I am in the oblation of this prayer) that whensoever they shall celebrate baptism or pour forth prayers unto thee, as the Holy Spirit is seen with me in open vision, so also it may be made manifest that the same Spirit will adjoin himself in their society a more secret way, and will by them perform the ministeries of the New Testament, for which I am made a man; and as the high priest I do offer these prayers in thy sight."

The canonical age at which the Jewish priesthood commenced the work of the tabernacle was thirty. "From thirty years old and upwards, even until fifty years old, all that enter into the host to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation." In strict obedience, therefore, to the law of Moses, Christ did not begin his ministry till, as St. Luke says, he "began to be about thirty years of age:" and, after his fasting and temptation in the wilderness, "he began to preach, and to say," as John had said, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at

11 Rom. xi. 17.

2 Numb. iv. 3. 35, 47.

.

1

hand." It was at hand; but it did not actually come till the apostles were baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire, on that day of Pentecost which immediately followed our Lord's ascension. His fasting and temptation were necessary parts of his ministry, for the subversion of the kingdom of Satan, whom he conquered, and showed his followers that if they resist the devil he will flee from them. Accordingly, St. Matthew and St. Luke say Jesus was led of the Spirit; and St. Mark, that he was driven of the Spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted of the devil. Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit when he went into the wilderness, which was only a few miles eastward, on the left bank of the Jordan, where he abode forty days and nights among the wild. beasts, and where he was continually disturbed and assaulted with evil spirits. Moses fasted forty days before the delivery of the law at Mount Sinai; Elijah fasted forty days when he thought that he alone remained faithful in Israel, and wished to restore the church; and now our Lord fasted forty days at the dedication of the new covenant, as Moses did at that of the old. With most fallacious arguments Satan tempted his hunger with plenty, his danger with protection, and his poverty with universal empire, on the last day of his fast.

At the conclusion of the Fast, and probably on the last day of it, Satan made his assault on our Lord; and it is evident, from his language, that he knew our Saviour's divine nature and office, and first addressed himself to man's natural and purely sensual appetite of hunger, and said tauntingly, " If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread." But Christ repelled him in the words of Moses, "that man doth not live by bread alone, but by every word which proceedeth out of the mouth of God." We are not only sustained by our corporeal food, our daily bread, but spiritually, and in a more emnient degree, by that "bread of God which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world." He then took Christ to the highest pinnacle of the temple, and tempted him to presumption and pride, by an ostentatious display of his favour with God; and, to prove his divinity, recommended Him to throw himself down, quoting Scripture to show that if he were really divine he would not be injured by the fall. Our Saviour again replied in the words of Moses, "Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God;"" thereby teaching us not to run into unnecessary danger, either spiritual or temporal, lest we be left to ourselves, and fall into sin as a punishment for our presumption; for God resisteth the proud and presumptuous sinner, but giveth grace to the humble. Having entirely failed in these attacks, he next assaulted him on the seductive passions of covetousness and ambition, which had been the cause of his own fall. He took him up into an exceeding high mountain, and by some supernatural means exhibited all the kingdoms of the world, and their sensual glories, in a moment of time; all which he promised to bestow on our Lord, on condition of his worshipping him. Although Christ's kingdom was not of this world, yet as God he was King of kings and Lord of lords, and already possessed all the kingdoms of the world. Bishop Taylor is of opinion that, in making this offer, the devil lied to Christ as he had done to Eve, and had not the power, because their disposal was the

VOL. II.

1 St. Matt. iv. 17.

2 Deut. vi. 16.

3 P

proper and inherent right of God alone. This is true, but it is also certain that the devil held, and still does hold, a very great delegated power; and St. John1 expressly says that the dragon, whom he elsewhere describes as "the old serpent, called the devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world," gave his power, and his seat, and great authority," to the beast with seven heads and ten horns, or the secular Roman empire, on whom the great scarlet whore rides triumphant. And, besides, he tells us that the ten-horned beast worshipped the dragon, which gave him his power, and which was the very thing which he required of our Saviour. If, therefore, Satan has at present so much power in the Christian Church, and that, too, after Christ had crushed his head, and saw him fall from a great portion of it, how great must it have been at, and previous to, our Lord's temptation.

"2

"3

Hitherto Christ had answered meekly, but Satan demanding of the Creator to fall down and worship the creature, roused his indignation, and he commanded him to get behind him, and to leave his presence immediately, adding again in the words of Moses, "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." "And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season;" which shows that the temptation was an appointed part of Christ's ministry, and that Satan was cognizant of his divine nature and mission. Our Saviour conquered the devil, and showed his followers that with his grace they may do the same-" Resist the devil, and he will flee from you; draw nigh to God, who resisteth the proud, but gives grace to the humble, and he will draw nigh unto you." Finding himself completely baffled by the Seed of the woman whom he had deceived in paradise, he departed from him for a season, to tempt himself no more; but to stand at the right hand of others, and tempt them to persecute the poor helpless man, that he might slay him that was vexed at the heart. Now was the prince of this world cast out: the god who had so long blinded the minds of men, and wrought in the children of disobedience,5 was conquered by the Prince of Peace. On the departure of the prince of darkness, angels came and, ministered unto Christ, for in those days he did eat nothing; and when the days of fasting were ended, he afterwards hungered. "The angels brought such things as his necessities required, after he had by a forty days' fast done penance for our sins, and consigned to his church the doctrine and discipline of fasting, in order to a contemplative life, and the resisting and overcoming all the temptations and allurements of the devil, and all our ghostly enemies."

"6

The temptation took place on the fortieth, or last, day of our Saviour's fast; and on the next day Jesus returned to Bethabara, which was only a very short distance; and John, seeing him coming unto him, said to his disciples, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world; " which words were prophetical of his passion, and were a proclamation of his office of the Redeemer of the world. "This is he

1 Rev. xii. 9; xiii. 2-4.

Ps. cix. 5, 15.

2 Deut. vi. 13; x. 20.

3 St. James, iv. 7; 1 Pet. v. 5.
5 St. John xii. 31: 2 Cor. iv. 4: Eph. ii. 2.

6 Great Exemplar, sect. viii., No. 8.

of whom I said, after me cometh a man which is preferred before me. And I knew him not, but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not, but He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw and bare record that this is the Son of God." Again, on the second day after Christ's return from the wilderness, John said to Andrew, and another of his own disciples, when he saw Jesus walking, "Behold the Lamb of God."

On hearing this attestation Andrew and another of John's disciples immediately followed Jesus, who, seeing them, said, what seek ye? They answered, where dwellest thou? And he invited them to come and see, when they abode with him all that day. Andrew went in search of his brother Simon, and communicated to him the joyful news that he and the other disciple had found the Messias, which, being interpreted, means the Christ or the anointed. He brought him to Jesus, who changed his name to Cephas, which signifies a stone or Peter. These brothers had

been disciples of the Baptist, but now left him to follow Christ, although they were not yet formally called to be his disciples. Andrew signifies strength or fortitude, and Simon, obedience, on which Bede justly remarks, “without obedience no disciple enters the school of Christ, and without fortitude none perseveres in it."

On the third day after our Lord's return from the wilderness, he took his departure for Galilee, in order to fulfil the prophecy of Isaiah : "The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: the people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. By the way he found Philip and bade him follow, who went in search of Nathaniel, who is also called Bartholomew, and brought to him the glad tidings that he had found the Messias; but Nathaniel yielded to the prejudices of his age and country, and asked, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" He took Philip's advice, however, and went to judge for himself; and received Christ's high approbation," Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!" The supernatural power and knowledge displayed by our Lord's demonstration to this guileless Israelite satisfied him regarding Christ's divinity, and which he immediately acknowledged: " Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel." Christ prophesied that many greater opportunities of exercising his faith should be vouchsafed to him, and, among others, Christ's own ascension, when he should see the heavens opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. St. John says, "and the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee;" which means the third day after his return to Nazareth. To this marriage, the blessed Virgin, with Jesus, and his five disciples, were invited. God himself instituted marriage and united the first pair in paradise, in the time of man's innocency; and, now, in the commencement of his ministry, Christ honoured a marriage with his presence

1 St. John i. 29-34.

2 St. Matt. iv. 14—16.

and first miracle, and made it a mystery. This is the third miraculous appearance of the glory of Christ when he manifested the mystical union of himself with his church, and is called Bethphany, or the manifestation in the house; and ought to excite our firm belief both in his divine and human nature. "Meantime," says Bishop Jolly, "the most lively emblem upon earth of heavenly peace and joy is the holy state of matrimony, as it was instituted by God in the time of man's innocency,' and still retains its dignity, pledging heavenly happiness, provided Christ be called to the marriage, and sanctify it by his gracious blessing. He will turn its water into wine, raising the weak and mixed delights of earth to be the anticipation of the unmingled and endless joys of heaven. It shall most certainly be so, if his blessed mother's admonition in the Gospel be observed, whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.' However unlike the mean which he prescribes may be in order to obtain the end, if we readily and faithfully comply, we shall find the blessing of his Almighty and never-failing word. By the strengthening and exhilarating infusion of his Spirit, He gives to the devout and faithful soul that mystic wine of the spiritual marriage feast, which truly makes glad the heart, rejoicing in the love of Christ, whose love is better than wine and more fragrant than all ointments.” 1

He

The happy pair, at whose marriage feast the Holy Jesus condescended to be a guest, were poor, and there was a lack of wine to supply the festivity. Mary, who had treasured up so many prophetical sayings in her heart, and remembering his supernatural conception, with perhaps some suspicions that he had now entered upon "his Father's business," named the perplexity of their host to Jesus in such a manner as showed her consciousness that he had the power of relieving the present want. But it appears that the time was not just yet come for him to display in public the miraculous powers of his ministry; he answered, “Woman, what have I to do with thee, mine hour is not yet come." was subject unto her in the previous part of his life, and attended to all her desires; but now that he had begun his Father's business, he would not permit her to interfere nor presume on her former maternal authority. His hour was not yet come till the period of his sufferings and the time of his departure from this world, when he should ascend to the Father. It is evident, however, that she did not understand this gentle rebuke of her officiousness as a denial; for she immediately directed the servants to do whatsoever he should say unto them; and happy would it be for us, were we always to follow the advice, in all things, which she gave the servants, "whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.

There were six stone water-pots which were necessary appendages to every house in Judea, for their manifold cleansings, lest they should contract any legal impurity," for the Pharisees and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders." 2 They were, in this instance, so large as to hold two or three firkins apiece; these were, at his command, filled up to the brim. When this had been done, he commanded the servants to draw out, and bear to the governor of the feast, who congratulated the astonished bridegroom upon the quality of the wine which he had reserved for the last.

1 Observations upon the several Sunday Services; Second Sunday after Epiphany; p. 81. 2 St. Mark vii. 3.