m seeking and finding souls the labour of deciding their
own destiny?" But this is to suppose that the signs at the baptism of
Jesus were mainly for His encouragement, whereas John describes them as
being given for the certification of the Baptist. "I knew Him not"--that
is, I did not know He was the Messiah--"but He that sent me to baptize
with water, He said unto me, Upon whomsoever thou shalt see the Spirit
descending, and abiding upon Him, the same is He that baptizeth with the
Holy Spirit. And I have seen, and have borne witness that this is the
Son of God."

The baptism of Jesus was, in fact, His anointing as the Messiah; and
this anointing by which He became the Christ was an anointing, not with
a symbolic oil, but with the Divine Spirit (Acts x. 38). This Spirit
descended upon Him "in a _bodily_ shape" (Luke iii. 22), because it was
not one member or faculty or power which was communicated to Jesus, but
a whole _body_ or complete equipment of all needful Divine energies for
His work. "God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto Him;" there is no
gauge, no metre checking the supply. Now for the first time can the
whole Spirit be given, because now for the first time in Jesus is there
room to receive it. And that the Baptist may confidently proclaim Him as
King the sign is given,--not the outward sign alone, but the outward
sign accompanying and tallying with the inward sign; for it was not said
to the Baptist, "Upon whomsoever thou shalt see a dove descend," but,
"upon whomsoever thou shalt see the Spirit descend."

This anointing of Jesus to the Messiahship occurred at the moment of His
truest identification of Himself with the people. John shrank from
baptizing One whom he knew to be already pure, and to have no sins to
confess. But Jesus insisted, identifying Himself with a polluted people,
numbered with transgressors. It was thus He became true King and Head of
mankind, by identifying Himself with us, and taking upon Him, through
His universal sympathy, all our burdens, feeling more shame than the
sinner's self for his sin, pained with the suffering in all their pain.
It was the Divine Spirit of universal love, attracting Him to all sorrow
and suffering, which identified Him in the mind of His first confessor
as the Christ, the Son of God. This to the Baptist was the glory of the
Only-begotten, this sympathy which felt with all, and shrank from no
sorrow or burden.

Thus equipped, the Baptist gives his testim