12 former baptisms, because it pointed out Christ’s great and glorious baptism now at hand, as he saith, “ I bap. tize you with water, but he that comes after me, shall baptize you with the Spirit.” Secondly. John’s baptism was from heaven, and not from men; it had its institution from God, and was not an ordinance he took up of his own head. Luke iii. 2. It is said, that at the beginning of John’s setting forth to his baptism and ministry, “That the word of God came to him in the wilderness;” that is, he was inspired, instructed and taught by a word from God himself, touching his ministry baptism, and the discovery of Christ’s he was to make; and John 1. 6. “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John;” and verse 33. “ He that sent me to baptize with water, said unto me he went not of his own accord, but God sent him to baptize ; so that as God was the author of those inferiour baptisms of Moses, so of this more high and excellent baptism of John ; and hereupon the publicans, that received John’s baptism, are said to justify God ; and the Pharisees and lawyers that refused it, to reject against themselves, that is, to their own harm, the counsel of God, Luke vii. 29, 30. Thirdly. Christ himself, who was born under the law, and subject to the law, submitted himself also to the baptism of John, as the last and liveliest ceremony ; Mat. iii. 13. “ Then comcth Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him ; and so Christ, who had submitted himself to the circumcision of Moses, submitted himself also to the baptism of John, and as he submitted himself to all the ceremonies of Moses, not for his own sake but for ours; so also to the baptism of John. For seeing Christ was free from sin, he stood in no need of repentance, and so not of that baptism which was the baptism of repentance for the remission of sin ; but there the head, who was free from sin, was baptized for the body, which was full of sin, that he might “ fulfil all righteousness” in his own person, agreeably to Mat. iii. 15. And this was a great honour to the baptism of John, that Christ (though in reference to our £csh more than his own) submitted himself to it.
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