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I. IN HIS SOLITUDE HE DID BREATHE MORE PURE INSPIRATION.

1. Heaven was more open.

2. God was more familiar and frequent in His visitations.

3. In the wilderness his company was angels.

4. His employment, meditation and prayer.

5. His temptations, simple and from within.

6. His occasions of sin as few as his examples.

7. His condition such, that if his soul were at all busy, his life could not easily be other than the life of angels.

II. IN SOLITUDE PIOUS PERSONS MAY GO TO HEAVEN BY THE WAY OF PRAYERS AND DEVOTION'.

1. In society, by the way of mercy, charity, and dispensations to others.

2. In solitude there are fewer occasions of vices.

3. But also the exercise of fewer virtues.

4. Temptations though they be not from many objects, yet are in some circumstances more dangerous.

5. Because the worst of evils, spiritual pride seldom misses to creep upon those goodly oaks, like ivy, and suck their heart out.

6. As they communicate less with the world, so they do less charity and fewer offices of mercy.

III. MANY HOLY PERSONS HAVE LEFT THEIR WILDERNESS AND SWEETNESSES OF DEVOTION IN RETIREMENT TO SERVE GOD IN PUBLIC, by the ways of charity and exterior offices.

IV. John the Baptist UNITED BOTH THESE LIVES; and our blessed Saviour... for He lived a life:

(1)  common;

(2)  sociable;

(3)  humane;

(4)  charitable;

(5)  and public.From both we are taught that —

I. Solitude is a good school.

II. The world is the best theatre.

III. The institution is best there, but the practice here.

IV. The wilderness hath one advantage of discipline.

V. Society hath opportunities of perfection.

VI. Privacy is best for devotion.

VII. Publicity for charity.

(Jeremy Taylor.)

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KJV: In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,

WEB: In those days, John the Baptizer came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying,