CHAPTER XXII.. 1 Jesus Conceals His Miracles,

1 Jesus conceals his miracles, 2 studies the law, 3 and is baptized.

NOW from this time Jesus began to conceal his miracles and secret works,

2 And gave himself to the study of the law, till he arrived to the end of his thirtieth year;

3 At which time the Father publicly owned him at Jordan, sending down this voice from heaven, This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased;

4 The Holy Ghost being also present in the form of a dove.

5 This is he whom we worship with all reverence, because he gave us our life and being, and brought us from our mother's womb, Glory to God,

6 Who, for our sakes, took a human body, and hath redeemed us, that so he might embrace us with everlasting mercy, and shew his free, large, bountiful grace and goodness to us.

7 To him be glory and praise, and power, and dominion, from henceforth said for evermore. Amen.

(The end of the whole Gospel of the Infancy, by the assistance of the Supreme God, according to what we found in the original.)

REFERENCES TO THE FIRST GOSPEL OF THE INFANCY OF JESUS CHRIST

Note on the Miracles of Christ in the preceding Gospels.

A great void in the early life of the Saviour is filled up by these Gospels. In none of the Canonical Evangelists is any mention made of the childhood of Jesus. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, more rapidly than satisfactorily, pass over the period intervening between His birth and ministry. It is natural to suppose that the Infant Redeemer's earliest days were spent in the society of other young children, and it is quite consistent with every sincere Christians faith to believe that He had the power to perform the miracles here ascribed to him otherwise, a limit will be set to His divine attributes, doubts raised against His performance of the miracles related by the four Evangelists, in the authorised version of the Testament, and a denial given of the declaration therein, "With GOD nothing is impossible!"

THE SECOND, OR ST. THOMAS'S GOSPEL OF THE INFANCY OF JESUS CHRIST.

An Account of the ACTIONS and MIRACLES of our Lord and Saviour JESUS CHRIST in his INFANCY.