tood with others on the banks while John preached.

On this day John's words were different He had said that the Christ
was coming, but to-day he said,

"There standeth One among you whom ye know not, whose shoe's latchet I
am not worthy to unloose."

After this Jesus came down to the water's edge to be baptized, and
John, though he had not seen Jesus since he was a young boy, knew Him.
Ready to fall at His feet, John cried,

"I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest thou to me?"

Jesus replied in a low voice,

"Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfill all
righteousness," and so reverently John baptized his Master.

As Jesus stepped from the water's edge to the river bank a strange and
beautiful thing happened. Out of the warm, blue sky a white dove came
circling down around the head of Jesus, who stood silent in prayer.
With eyes lifted to heaven He saw the dove, which was the form in which
the Spirit of God descended upon Him, and John saw it also, and both
heard a voice from heaven saying,

"_Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased._"

This was the answer to Jesus' prayer. Only Jesus and John understood
the meaning of these words, for they heard with the spirit. To others
it seemed like thunder out of a clear sky, and they were full of wonder
about the strange young man who had been baptized with such a beautiful
and singular sign following. They also remembered what John had said,
that the Christ was now standing among them, and perhaps this was he!
And they wondered what John meant when he said that though he baptized
with water, the coming Christ would baptize them with the Holy Spirit
and with fire.

It was of little use to wonder about the Messiah, however, unless they
could remember and do all that John had said to them about being honest
and true in their hearts, for that was the only way to prepare for the
kingdom that was near at hand. He told the rich to share with the
poor; the people who handled money to be honest, and the soldiers to
harm no one with word or hand, and to be contented with their wages.

When they were willing to give up the sins that John showed them they
took the sign of baptism from John, which meant that they wished to be
washed from their sins, and begin life in a new way.

CHAPTER VII.

JESUS IN THE DESERT.

The people were looking for the promised Messiah, and would have
welcomed John as the Christ if John had not alway