asked him, saying, What shall we do then? 11 He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do 12 likewise. Then came also publicans to be

baptized, and said unto him, Master, what 13 shall we do? And he said unto them, Exact

no more than that which is appointed you. 14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your 15 wages.* And as the people were in expectation, and all were reasoning in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; 16 John addressed them, saying, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than 1 cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose : he shall baptize you with the Holy 17 Spirit and with fire: Whose sieve is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. 18 And exhorting the people on many other subjects, he declared the gospel to them. 19 But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, 20 added yet this above all, that he shut up John 21 in prison. Now when all the people were

* John, it seems, enjoined repentance and reformation as a necessary preparation to receive the Savior; and the great object of the gospel evidently is to make us virtuous and holy.

baptized, Jesus also was baptized; and pray22 ing, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit* descended upon him in a bodily shape like a dove, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in 23 thee I am well pleased. And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, who 24 was the son of Heli, who was the son of Matthat, who was the son of Levi, who was the son of Melchi, who was the son of Janna, 25 who was the son of Joseph, who was the son of Mattathias, who was the son of Amos, who was the son of Naum, who was the son of Esli, 26 who was the son of Nagge, who was the son of Maath, who was the son of Mattathias, who was the son of Semei, who was the son of 27 Joseph, who was the son of Judah, who was the son of Joanna, who was the son of Rhesa, who was the son of Zorobabel, who was the son of Salathiel, who was the son of Neri, 28 who was the son of Melchi, who was the son of Addi, who was the son of Cosam, who was the son of Elmodam, who was the son of Er, 29 who was the son of Jose, who was the son of Eliezer, who was the son of Jorim, who was the son of Matthat, who was the son of Levi,

The Spirit of inspiration and of miraculous powers, in proof of his divine mission.

Or, in the view of the law-Christ, however, was supposed by the Jews to be the son of Joseph.

Joseph must have been the adopted son of Heli, (for Matthew says that Jacob was the father of Joseph :) or Heli was the father of Mary, of whom Jesus was born.

35 who was the son of Simeon, who was the son of Juda, who was the son of Joseph, who was the son of Jonan, who was the son of Eliakim, 31 who was the son of Melea, who was the son of

Menan, who was the son of Mattatha, who was the son of Nathan, who was the son of David, 32 who was the son of Jesse, who was the son of Obed, who was the son of Booz, who was the son of Salmon, who was the son of Naasson, 33 who was the son of Aminadab, who was the son of Aram, who was the son of Esrom, who was the son of Phares, who was the son of Juda, 34 who was the son of Jacob, who was the son of Isaac, who was the son of Abraham, who was the son of Thara, who was the son of Nachor, 35 who was the son of Saruch, who was the son of Ragau, who was the son of Phalec, who was the son of Heber, who was the son of Sala, 36 who was the son of Cainan, who was the son of Arphaxad, who was the son of Sem, who was the son of Noah, who was the son of Lamech, 37 who was the son of Mathusalah, who was the son of Enoch, who was the son of Jared, who was the son of Maleleel, who was the son of 38 Cainan, who was the son of Enos, who was the son of Seth, who was the son of Adam, who was the son of God.

CHAP. IV.

1 AND Jesus being full of the Holy Spirit,* returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spir2 it into the wilderness, being forty days tempted by the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing and when they were ended, he 3 was afterwards hungry. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, com4 mand this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every 5 word of God. And the devil taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of 6 time. And the devil said unto him, All this power I will give thee, and the glory of them : for that is delivered unto me, and to whomso7 ever I will, I give it. If thou therefore wilt 8 worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan; for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou 9 serve. And he brought him to Jerusalem,

God gave the Spirit to Christ with

See John iii. 34. out measure or restriction.

† Even our Savior was subjected to temptations: He was tempted to exert his miraculous powers for his own aggrandisement and glory; but he resisted all such alluring considerations, and devoted himself to the good of men, by fulfilling the gracious purposes of his Father. Christ's kingdom is not of this world. Here the ambitious, the violent and the wicked usually bear sway.

and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast 10 thyself down from hence. For it is written,

He shall give his angels charge over thee to 11 keep thee: And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot 12 against a stone. And Jesus answering, said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the 13 Lord thy God. And when the devil had ended all temptation, he departed from him for a

14

season.

And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee and there went out a fame of him through all the region round a15 bout. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.

16

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath-day, 17 and stood up to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he had opened the book, he found 18 the place where it was written, The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor :‡ he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to

* Possessed of a miraculous power.

† Some suppose he was of an order of the priesthood, as none but such were allowed to teach publicly in the synagogues.

Our Lord not only came to proclaim the divine mercy to all true penitents; but to instruct the poor and common class of people in the great doctrines of pardon and of a holy life. Other teachers had confined their instructions to a few of the better sort.