John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
All Commentaries on Mark 1:4 Go To Mark 1
Tertullian of Carthage
AD 220
John called for the baptism of repentance to prepare the way for the Lord. He himself led in that way by means of the sign and seal of repentance for all whom God was calling through grace to inherit the promise surely made to Abraham…. He called us to purge our minds of whatever impurity error had imparted, whatever contamination ignorance had engendered, which repentance would sweep and scour away, and cast out. So prepare the home of your heart by making it clean for the Holy Spirit.
