admiffion of any one, who laid claim to a prophetical character; it prevented all queftion, respecting the truth of his pretenfions, and death was to be inflicted upon him, as a convicted impoftor.-Yet, neither the popular construction of Scripture, nor even the judicial interdiction, had any influence with the Baptift. From whence it appears, that he proceeded by "neceffity laid upon him," that is, by divine command, to recall and authorize that genuine sense of promise and prophecy, which was not received in Ifrael. For the effential principles of the human mind, by which it refolves and operates in all conjunctures, render it incredible, that he would have thus exposed himself to rejection and death, if he knew that he was a false prophet; and it must have been impoffible for him to execute his baptifmal ministry, in such a strain of prediction, if he had not been a true one.

SER

SERMON III.

MARK i. 7.

There cometh One, Mightier than I, after me.

T

HAT part of the baptifmal doctrine, already confidered, confifted of admonition and prophecy. The first, was applied to correct the fpiritual mistakes and haughtiness of the Jews; and the last, tended to fhew that the kingdom of Meffias, was of fuch a nature and character, that it required in those, who defired to enter therein, a state of mind and principles, entirely contrary to the prevalent disposition of Ifrael. Upon the whole, the Baptist gave full affurance to his hearers, that, unless they would return to God, by the baptifm of water, entirely discarding their prejudices and pre

fumption,

fumption, and impressed with a just and repentant sense of their finful and unforgiven state, the bleffings, which God had promised to the children of Abraham, would be inherited by others, but rejection and ruin impended upon them. He disclosed the divine counsel to fave them, if they would embrace it; and, at the fame time, predicted the wrath, which God had determined against them, if they refused it. And, as the difcharge of his baptifmal office, fo far, immediately tended to prepare the way of the “to Lord," and, "to make ready a people" to receive him, "what fhall we do then," was a very interesting queftion; and fuch as the tenor of his doctrine might have been expected to fuggeft, not only to fome, but to all, that heard it.

He" verily

But there was another, and that a more confiderable part of his office. baptized with the baptifm of repentance;" but not without continually

faying unto the people, that they should believe on him, which should come after ;" and, as this was the principal drift of his preaching, it is reprefented by St. Mark, as the fubftance of

it; "John preached, faying, there cometh One, mightier than I, after me.”

That it may appear how he proceeded to excite and support that faith in the Meffias, which he reprefented, as an indifpenfable qualification for admiffion to his kingdom, it will be my prefent endeavour, to fhew in what terms, and to what effect, he fpake of the Meffias, during that time, wherein he continued unknown to him. For this purpose, I return to the baptismal doctrine, as it ftands in the text of St. Matthew, and go on with it from that claufe, where I left it at the close of the laft difcourfe.

What the Baptift had already preached, whether it refpected the religious corruptions of the Jews, and their rejection from the Meffiah's kingdom, and the adoption of the Gentiles, in their place, or the spiritual character of the approaching difpenfation, and the terms of admiffion to it; was delivered with fuch prophetical difcernment and fervency, as evidently to imply, that he acted under the informing and animating influence of the Holy Ghost.

He next proceeds to speak directly of the Meffias, and to characterize his office, and to disclose fome of his attributes.