and the malice of earth; from henceforth he had to live only for the fulfilment of the divine law, for the instruction of men, for the exemplification of perfect holiness, and to suffer and to die for sinners. Baptism is the commencement of a life eminently devoted to God.

We must not retire from a spot where we have felt such hallowed emotions, and have cherished feelings of the highest admiration, without carrying with us some of the practical lessons which the whole transaction suggests. Be it remembered, then, that in this, as in many other parts of his conduct, Jesus was the example of those who profess to be his friends. He teaches the duties we have to perform, and the spirit and the manner in which we should discharge them. It is not for us to dictate our own path, but to walk in his. To use the language of Mr. Bradley, a living Episcopalian clergyman in London, in reference to this very subject, "It bids you obey the divine law, not scan it. It bids you do the will of God, not criticise it. It says, Let men talk as they will; let even the godly on the earth, ministers, and prophets, reason, and explain

away, and dissuade; let nature condemn, and feeling shrink; all these things are to be disregarded. Is the command plain? Then there must be no reasoning about the matter; no conferring with flesh and blood. The right hand must come off; the right eye must be plucked out. You must go down with Christ into Jordan. You must follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.' The will of God must be done, and every command of God obeyed.''

We learn, too, the spirit in which the holy ordinance should be regarded. It needs a solemn preparation, it must be performed in the temper of fervent prayer, it must be regarded as a preparative for temptation, labor and suffering; and must be reviewed in subsequent life, as the putting on of the harness of the Christian soldier.

And finally, let us not forget that while this duty is important, yet its discharge, unattended with the Divine approbation, and unaccompanied with the influence of the Holy Spirit, will be without advantage. Let us then diligently pray for the Spirit of God; let us covet this best of all gifts; and under his gracious guidance, let us

follow the Lord Jesus on earth until he calls us to his throne in heaven.

Fellowship with him possessing,

Let us die to earth and sin;

Let us rise to enjoy the blessing

Which the faithful soul shall win:

May we ever

Follow where our Lord has been.

THE FIRST BELIEVERS IN JESUS.

JOHN III. 22-36; IV. 1, 2.

"Twas good to see the mighty throng

Attentive to the holy seer;

'Twas blest to hear each broken sigh,

And look on every crystal tear :

They heard of Christ, they loved his name,
And were baptized, unmoved by shame.

No subject can be more interesting, or more profitable in its study, than the conduct of our Lord Jesus Christ. From the commencement to the close of his career, he furnished a perfect example of active piety. It is a great mistake to suppose that the religion required of man is mere quietism, or that duty can be discharged by simple contemplation. All in heaven is holy activity; "his servants serve him day and night continually;" and well has it been said by one of our own poets:—

"A God inactive were a God unblest."

No sooner had Jesus, by holy baptism,

entered on his life of public obedience to God, than he gave full evidence, that his meat and his drink was to do his will. A single short sentence contains his complete character and eulogy,-"He went about doing good." Collecting together his few friends, who had attached themselves to him, anxious to listen to his instructions and to carry out his requests; he undertook a journey of holy benevolence, not yet fully to declare his own character and office, but to proclaim the duty of repentance, because the reign of heaven was at hand, and the Messiah was about to appear. He baptizes those who receive his doctrines, by the agency of his disciples, probably because he would prevent any future indulgence of party spirit, or pride on account of some having been baptized by him, and others only by his servants.

While Jesus and his immediate attendants were thus laboring in one place, John was preaching and baptizing at another; thus extending the common cause to which all were devoted. The place of John's labors. was a small town in the district of the half tribe of Manasseh; it was adjoining Salim,