The zealous Christian taking heavenThe zealovs Christian taking heaven

Answ. 1 I answer; Two reasons may be given of it.

1 To beat off the Pharisees from resting in their own righteousness, that they might see that salvation was of grace, and not of works. Had this effect appeared in multitudes of the Scribes and Pharisees, some would have attributed it to their learning, others to their strict and holy walking, and austere conversation, people would have thought they had merited this at Gods hands; And therefore God passed by them, and made choice of others far more unholy and profane, to knock them off from their own righteousness, and from dependence upon it.

1 To beat off the Pharisees from resting in their own righteousnesse, that they might see that salvation was of grace, and not of works. Had this effect appeared in multitudes of the Scribes and Pharisees, some would have attributed it to their learning, others to their strict and holy walking, and austere conversation, people would have thought they had merited this at Gods hands; And therefore God passed by them, and made choice of others far more unholy and profane, to knock them off from their own righteousnesse, and from dependance upon it.

2 It was to magnify the riches, freeness and greatness of Gods grace, that was brought in and manifested by the Gospel. God would hereby give to understand that the doctrine of the Gospel was a doctrine of grace (not that men might live as they list, for these vile people were not encouraged in, but redeemed from a vain conversation, but) Johns work • as a tough and hard work to pull down those that were as high as mountains in pride, as hard as the rocks of those mountains, to make rough and crooked things smooth and straight. And yet all this John was to do, all this John did in the preparation of the people for Christ,