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8 & fire. Whose fanne is in his hand, and he shal cleane purge his ″ floore: and he wil gather his wheate into the barne, but the chaffe he wil burne with unquenchable fire.

Then cometh from Galilee to Jordan, unto John, to be baptized of him. But John stayed him, saying: I ought to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And answering, sayd to him: Suffer me for this time. For so it becommeth us to fulfil al justice. Then he suffered him. And being baptized, forthwith came out of the water: and loe the Heavens were ″ opened to him: & he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, & coming upon him. And behold a voyce from Heaven saying: This is my beloved Sonne, in whom I am wel pleased.

ANNOTATIONS . III.

1. Desert.) Of this word desert (in Greeke eremus) commeth the name Eremitages & Eremites, that live a religious and austere life in deserts and solitarie places, by the example of S. John Baptist; whom the holy Doctours therfore cal the Prince and as it were the authour of such profession. S. Chrys. ho. 1 in Marcum & ho. de Io. Baptista. Hiero. ad Eustoch. de custod. virg. Isid. li. 1. c. 15 de divi off. Bernardus de excel. Jo. Baptiste. Wherewith the Protestants are so offended that they say, S. Chrysostom spake rashly, and untruely. And no marvel, for whereas the Evangelist himself in this place maketh him a perfect paterne of pennance, and Eremitical life, for desert or wildernes, for his rough and rude apparel, for abstayning from al delicate meates (according to our Saviours testimonie also of him Mt. 11, 8. Luc. 7, 33) they are not ashamed to pervert al with this strange commentarie, that it was a desert * ful of townes and villages, his garment was * chamlet, his meate * such as the countrey gave, and the people there used: to make him thereby but a common man like to the rest, in his manner of life: cleane against Scriptures, Fathers, & reason.

2. Doe penance.) So is the Latin, word for word, so readeth al antiquitie, namely S. Cyprian ep. 52. often, and S. Augustin li. 13 Confes. c. 12. and it is a very usual speach in the New Testament, specially in the preaching of S. John Baptist, * Christ himself, and * the Apostles; to signifie perfect repentance, which hath not only confession and amendment, but contrition, or sorow for the offence, and paineful satisfaction: such as S. Cyprian speaketh of in al the foresaid epistle. But the Adversaries of purpose (as * namely Beza protesteth) mislike that interpretation, because it favoureth Satisfaction for sinne, which they cannot abide. Where if they pretend the ∷ Greeke word, we send them to these places Mat. 11, 21. Lu. 10, 13. 2. Cor. 7, 9. Where it must needes signifie, sorowful, payneful, and satisfactorie repentance. We tel them also that * S. Basil a Greeke Doctour calleth the Ninivites repentance with fasting, and hairecloth, and ashes, by the same Greeke word μετανοιαν. And more we wil tel them in other places.

8. Confessing their sinnes.) John did prepare the way to Christ and his Sacraments, not only by his Baptisme, but by inducing the people to Confession of their sinnes. Which is not to acknowledge themselves in general to be sinners, but also to utter every man his sinnes.

9. Fruit worthie.) He preacheth Satisfaction by doing worthy fruits or workes of penance, which are (as S. Hierom saith in 2. Joel) fasting, praying, almes, and the like. Rh