Such was the conduct of the personage whose life we examine. Whether we suppose that he had been in Egypt, for the purpose of acquiring the talents necessary to his views, or that he had always resided at Nazareth, Jesus was not ignorant of the dispositions of his countrymen. As he knew how much predictions were indispensably requisite to work upon the minds of the Jews, he made choice of a prophet and a forerunner in the person of his cousin John Baptist. The latter, evidently in concert with Jesus, preached repentance, baptized on the banks of the Jordan, and announced the coming of a personage greater than himself. He said to those who gave ear to him, "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to loose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire."

Jesus accordingly repaired to John on purpose to arrange matters with him, and to receive baptism from his hands. According to the report of St. Matthew, John, at first, made some difficulty, affirming, that so far from being worthy to baptize Jesus, it was from him

incredible are here adduced in proof of incredible things. Almost all impostors who have fabricated religions, have announced incredibilities to mankind. They have afterwards fabricated miracles in proof of those incredibilities.

"You can

not (they said) comprehend what I tell you; but I will clearly prove that I tell the truth, by doing things that you cannot comprehend." Truth is simple and evident; the marvellous is ever to be suspected. Nature is always true to herself; she acts by invarying laws. To say that God performs miracles, is to say that he contradicts himself, and violates the laws which he has prescribed to nature; it is to say, that he renders useless human reason, of which he is the author.

that he himself ought to receive baptism. At last, however, he yielded to the orders of Christ, and administered to him the sacrament of which the innocent son of God could not stand in need.*

There is reason to believe, that in this interview the two kinsmen settled their plans, and took the necessary measures for making them succeed. They both had ambition, and shared the mission between them-St. John yielded the first character to Jesus, whom he judged better qualified to play it with success, and contented himself with being his precursor, preaching in the desert, beating up for followers, and preparing the ways for him-all in consequence of a prophecy of Isaiah, who had said," Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God"-an obscure and vague prediction, in which, however, Christians believe they see clearly designed the Messiah and his holy precursor.

The arrangemeuts being once settled by our two missionaries, John took care to tell those who came to

* St. Matthew, chap. iii. 14. The Jews were in the use of baptizing all the proselytes they made. Baptism was, according to them, a regeneration, calculated to render the baptized quite a new man, in so far as to be then entitled to marry his own mother. But John and Jesus wished to baptize, or regenerate, the Jews themselves, pretending that regeneration was as necessary for them as for the proselytes. See Bernard in Nouvelles de la Republ. des Lettres, tome. 31. page 566.

The ceremony of baptism was practised in the mysteries of Mythias, and those initiated were thereby regenerated. Mythias was also a mediator. Though Christian divines consider bap tism necessary to salvation, we find Paul would not suffer the Corinthians to be baptized. We also learn that he circumcised Timothy.-Christianity Unveiled, p. 114.

to hear him, that, to pacify Heaven, it was time to repent; *that the arrival of the Messiah was not far off; and that he had seen him. The sermons of John having made considerable noise, the priests of Jerusalem, vigilant as to what might interest religion, and wishing to be informed of his views, and acquainted with his person, they dispatched emissaries after him ; these men put some questions to him, and asked if he was the Christ, or Elias, or a prophet.+ John answered, that he was none of these. But when he was asked by what authority he baptized and preached, he declared, that he was the forerunner of the Messiah. This proceeding of the priests only tended to give

*The superstitious man, if he be wicked, gives himself up to crime with remorse; but his religion quickly furnishes him with the means of getting rid of it. His life is generally a long series of error and grief; of sin and expiation. Still he frequently commits crimes of greater magnitude in order to expiate the former. Destitute of any permanent ideas of morality, he accustoms himself to look on nothing as a crime, but that which the ministers and interpreters of heaven forbid him to commit. He thus considers actions of the blackest dye, which are held out to him as agreeable to God, as the means of effacing his transgressions. History affords numerous examples of fanatics expiating, by the most atrocious persecutions, their adulteries, infamy, unjust wars, and usurpations; and, to wash away their iniquities, bathe themselves in the blood of those superstitious beings, whose infatuation made them martyrs.

+ It was an opinion received by several Jews, that Elias must come before the Messiah. A great number of Christians believe also, in our days, that the coming of Elias ought to precede the advent of Jesus Christ, in order to judge the world. See the sentiments of the fathers on the return of Elias. It is also the opinion of the Jansenists at this day, who, like the first Christians, have their heads filled with fanatical and woeful ideas of the near end of the world.

greater weight to John's assertions, and naturally excited the curiosity of the people assembled to hear him. The next day they went in a crowd to the place where the preacher baptized, when, profiting skilfully by the circumstance, and perceiving Jesus approaching, he exclaimed," Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, after me cometh a man which is preferred before me.”

It is proper to observe, that the author of the gospel ascribed to John, perceiving that it was important to remove the suspicion of collusion between Jesus and his forerunner, makes the Baptist declare twice that he knew him not, before baptizing him; but that it had been revealed to him by the Deity, that the person, on whom he should see the Holy Ghost descending during his baptism, was the Son of God. From thence we see that according to this evangelist, John did not know Jesus, who was however his kinsman, according to St. Luke.

John was much esteemed by the people, whom a kind of austere and extraordinary life has always the power of seducing. They did not suspect that a missionary, so detached from the things of this world, could ever deceive them. They believed on his word, that the Holy Ghost, under the form of a dove,* had

The Holy Ghost was, according to the new manifestation of it, a bodily Being, which could appear in one or many distinct bodies, at one and the same time. At Pentecost it came like the rushing of a mighty wind, and appeared on the head of each speaker like a fiery cloven tongue. There is not a word of the Holy Ghost in all the Old Testament. There is mention made of the Holy Spirit as a nature, or quality; but not of the Holy Ghost as a bodily thing.--P. Anet.

descended on Jesus, and that he was the Christ or Messiah promised by the prophets.

On another occasion we will also find John Baptist affecting not to know his cousin Jesus Christ: he deputed to him some of his disciples to learn who he was? Jesus replied, that they had only to relate to John the miracles he had operated, and by that sign their master would recognise him. We shall have occasion afterwards to speak of this embassy.*

Jesus had associated with him a confident, then called Simon, and afterwards Cephas or Peter, who had been the disciple of John. Scarcely had Simon taken his arrangements with the Messiah, when he drew over his brother Andrew to the new sect. These two brothers were fishermen. We readily presume, that Christ would not choose his followers among the grandees of the country.

The progress of John Baptist, and the attachment of the people to him, alarmed the priests; they complained loudly, and John was arrested by order of the tetrarch Herod, who, according to St. Matthew, made him be beheaded through complaisance to Herodias his sister-in-law. Yet we do not find the historians of this prince reproaching him with the punishment of the forerunner. After John's death, his disciples attached themselves to Christ, whose coming John had announced, and who, in his turn, had rendered in behalf of John the most public testimonies in presence of the people for Jesus had openly declared, that John "greater than a prophet, and greater than an angel, and that he was not born of woman who was greater than him." Nevertheless, the Messiah, dread

was

* See Chap. XI. of this work.