14. Jesus Christ was the Son of God, yet He
preached not the Gospel before His Baptism. If the Master Himself
followed the right time in due order, ought we, His servants, to
venture out of order? From that time Jesus began to
preach Matt. iv. 17., when the Holy
Spirit had descended upon Him in a bodily shape, like a
dove Luke iii. 22.; not that Jesus might
see Him first, for He knew Him even before He came in a bodily shape,
but that John, who was baptizing Him, might behold Him. For
I, saith he, knew Him not: but He that sent me to
baptize with water, He said unto me, Upon whomsoever thou shalt see the
Spirit descending and abiding on Him, that is He John i. 33.. If thou too hast unfeigned piety, the
Holy Ghost cometh down on thee also, and a Father’s voice sounds
over thee from on high—not, “This is My Son,”
but, “This has now been made My son;” for the
“is” belongs to Him alone, because In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God Ib. i.
1.. To Him belongs the
“is,” since He is always the Son of God: but
to thee “has now been made:” since thou hast not the
sonship by nature, but receivest it by adoption. He eternally
“is;” but thou receivest the grace by
advancement.