shewing unto Israel." He " was in the deserts," in silent lonely places, holding communion with God, and daily ripening, under the teaching of His Spirit, for that peculiar work of preparation for the Saviour's approach, for which he had been sent into the world.

To the actual performance of that work, he was called when he was about thirty years of age. We read in the third chapter of St. Luke, (and by comparing what is said there with the third chapter of St. Matthew, we gain all that we require for an understanding of the character and office of John the Baptist,) that" in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberias Cesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea, and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins." He came and announced himself to be the person in whom was fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough

ways shall be made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God."

Such was his cry, and it was borne out by his appearance. For the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins, and his meat was locusts and wild honey:" that is, he gave evident tokens by his austere and hardy mode of life, that he was no ordinary person, but one like the prophets of the Old Testament, sent to be witness for God in the midst of an unbelieving world; sent to warn men of the necessity of repenting and turning to God with humility and contrition of heart. Hc reproached the Jews with their wickedness; he called upon them to confess and forsake their sins, and to be baptized with water, as a mark that they truly desired to be cleansed from their pollution.

To enforce his teaching, he proclaimed the approach of a new era in the world. He testified of the immediate coming of the long expected Messias. He declared that the Lord God was about to establish in the earth, that holy and spiritual kingdom which had been so often foretold by the prophets a kingdom of righteousness, equity, and truth; a kingdom out of which were to be cast all that offend, and into which none could hope to be admitted who did not eschew evil, and seek after holiness. He bid them "repent, because the kingdom of heaven was at hand.”

Nor was his preaching in vain. Moved by fear, or touched by conscience, multitudes went out to him, from "Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan," and were "baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins." But when he saw among the crowds, " many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism;" men, who from their self-righteousness, and hardened worldlymindedness, were the last he could have looked for as converts to his doctrine; he addressed them in words of sharp rebuke, "O generation of vipers, (seed of the evil one who deceived Eve,) who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" At the same time he exhorted them to make good their profession of amendment: " bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: and think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham." Think not, (we may interpret it,) that the boast of being Abraham's children, and heirs to the promises made to him by God of old, will be of any service, unless it is made good by a life and conversation answerable to that of Abraham. Think not in the new reign of which I am the herald, that any specious show of piety will be allowed to cover the absence of real godliness; that words will be accepted instead of deeds. "For now also the axe is laid to the root

of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down, and cast into the fire."

That such awful language produced a great effect upon the multitudes, is plain by the question which they put to him, "What shall we do then?" that is, in order to be saved. To which the Baptist replied, speaking generally," He that hath two coats let him impart to him that hath none, and he that hath meat, let him do likewise." While to others he gave more particular directions, suitable to their peculiar circumstances, saying to the publicans or tax-gatherers, "Exact no more than that which is appointed you," and to the soldiers, "Do violence to no man, neither accuse any one falsely; and be content with your wages."

After this, when the wisdom of his words had created a feeling that he was himself the great Person of whom he had spoken, while many "mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ or not;" this holy but humble-minded man at once protested against the notion, and added to what had gone before, a farther mark by which they should know the true Messias: "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire; whose fan is in his hand, and

he will throughly purge his floor, and gather the wheat into the garner: but he will burn

with unquenchable fire."

up the chaff

Such, then, by his own showing, was the office of John the Baptist. Without carrying the inquiry. any farther into his life, we may learn thus much respecting him. He was a man sent from God, divinely commissioned to prepare the way for the reception of Jesus Christ; to make ready a people for the Lord. He came charged with a message to the Jews; a message which concerned their salvation; a message respecting what they must do, who looked for redemption in Israel. And that was this; repent and be baptized, and bring forth fruits meet for repentance. He came to assure them, that Christ was at hand; and to teach them the qualifications required of all those who would be His disciples humility, self-abasement, honesty, temperance, contentment, pureness of living and truth.

And now, my brethren, what is the application of the Baptist's history to ourselves? Surely it was this. John, the forerunner and messenger of Jesus Christ, represents in many points the office of all succeeding ministers of the Gospel. Like his, our part is to prepare the way of the Lord. We too, have a commission from God. That is to say, we do not of ourselves venture to assume so arduous an office. We are sent by authority to do the work