John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. (16) And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. (17) For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. (18) No man hath seen God at any time: the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. (19) And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? (20) And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed I am not the Christ. (21) And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? and he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? and he answered, No. (22) Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? (23) He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. (24) And they which were sent were of the Pharisees: (25) And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? (26) John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; (27) He it is, who coming after me, is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose. (28) These things were done in Bethabara, beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. (29) The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold, The Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world!
Here we have the introduction of John the Baptist, the herald and harbinger of Christ. In addition to what hath been offered on the Person and Office of this man, Matthew 3:1 and Matthew 11:1 to which I refer, I would just remark what a dignity and glory John ascribes unto the Lord Jesus Christ, in testimony of his own nothingness, and the infinite greatness of Jesus. I pray the Reader to observe these things. He speaks of his water baptism, when compared to Christ's spiritual baptism, as nothing. And do not overlook how fully John preached the Godhead of the Lord Jesus, when declaring that he should baptize with the Holy Ghost. Could any less than God baptize with the baptisms of the Holy Ghost? Could any less than God bless with the blessing of God? And I beg the Reader to observe yet further, with what equal strength John bare witness to the momentous doctrine of redemption by the blood of the Lamb, when he called upon the people to behold Christ, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world! Christ is called the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Revelation 13:8. Indeed the scripture is full of this subject, in allusion to Christ. Exodus 12:1, throughout Leviticus 9:3; Isaiah 53:7; Revelation 5:6. And what is never to be lost sight of, Christ is the Lamb of God, one of God's own providing. Romans 3:25. And I must beg yet further to observe, from the very great preciousness of this man's testimony to both those grand points; namely, the Godhead of Christ, and redemption by his blood, that John was specially and personally ordained for this express purpose. He was predicted by the Prophets Isaiah and Malachi, to come as a voice in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord. And he was to come in the spirit and power of Elias, and cry aloud as the witness of the Lord. And to set forth the greatness of this man's character and office yet more, when the time arrived for his appearing, an angel was sent to speak of his birth, who declared that he should be great in the sight of the Lord, and be filled with the Holy Ghost even from his mother's womb. Luke 1:11-15. Thus ordained, and thus consecrated, the whole purport of his ministry may be summed up in those two grand evidences which he bore to the person of Christ, and to the one great work of Christ. So that here is God the Holy Ghost raising up this man, this greatest of Prophets (as our Lord declared him), born among women, to bear testimony to Jesus, and to make a public outcry of it through the Church. Reader! what are your views of these things? Oh! how truly blessed to my soul! Oh! how gracious in God the Holy Ghost, to give such testimony in the present day of a Christ-despising generation!