vity of St. John the Baptist, before a learned the younger students in theology with a and most respectable audience. The favor- view to whom, and to those more particu. able manner in which they were then heard, larly of the Society whose welfare and hath encouraged him to revise, enlarge, prosperity the author is bound by every and digest them into their present form. tie to consult and promote, as they were The reader hath now before him a com- at first composed, so they are now pubplete history of the Baptist, extracted from lished; that, beholding the glories which the Evangelists, and methodized according display themselves in the exalted character to the order of time, in which the events here offered to their inspection, they may appear to have happened; with such ob- be fired with a noble ambition to bear their servations and reflections as the several testimony to the best of masters, and, parts of it seemed to suggest, for the con- from a well spent retirement, come forth firmation of faith, and the advancement of bright examples of temperance and purity, holiness. zeal and knowledge, integrity and constancy, to preach repentance, and proclaim salvation. An attentive perusal of the subsequent pages, may, it is hoped, be of service to CONSIDERATIONS, &c. SECTION I. It is observable that the Baptist's nativity is the only one (that of Christ excepted) which the church has thought proper to celebrate. The days appointed for the Considerations on the Nativity of St. John, and the circumstances that attended it. THE lights of the intellectual, like those | John, as the great pattern of repentance; of the natural system, are not all of equal the relation of Christ; the friend of the magnitude and lustre. In the church, as bridegroom; the herald of the king immorin the firmament, one star differeth from tal; the glory of saints, and the joy of the another star in glory." Each contributeth world. its share towards dissipating the darkness with which we are surrounded; but some, by their superior splendor, immediately attract and dazzle the eye of the beholder. Conspicuous, above others, is the character commemoration of others are generally of St. John the Baptist, that bright percur- those on which they respectively ceased sor of the sun and harbinger of the morn- from their labors, and entered into their ing, who arose to give notice of Messiah's everlasting rest; the day of a good man's approach, and to prepare the world for his death being indeed the day of his birth, and reception. Burning and shining, he ran this world no more than the womb in which his course, proclaiming to the inhabitants he is formed and matured for his admission of the earth," Repent, for the kingdom of into a better, where there is neither crying heaven is at hand;" in other words, "The nor pain. But the nativity of St. John benight is far spent, the day is at hand; casting designed, by the remarkable incidents off therefore the works of darkness, and put that accompanied it, to turn the eyes of on the armor of light." 66 Awake, thou men towards one who was far greater; one, that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and the latchet of whose shoes he confessed Christ shall give thee light." himself not worthy to unloose; the church keeps a day sacred to it, and directs us to begin our meditations by considering, as all Judea did when it happened, "what manner of child "* that should be, which was so wonderfully born. Praise is ever valuable in proportion to the judgment and integrity of him who bestoweth it; and the panegyric is truly honorable, when the panegyrist is one who will not flatter, and who cannot be deceived. How then shall we raise our thoughts to conceive adequately of a person, whose encomium was spoken by the Son of God, and concerning whom the Son of God declared, "Among them that are born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist." After this declaration made by the Master, the disciples cannot well be hyperbolical in their praises of St. The He whose works are all wrought in number, weight, and measure, bringeth every event to pass in its proper season. time approached which had been decreed in the counsels of the Most High, foretold by the prophets, and ardently desired by holy men of old, when the Son of God should be manifested, to redeem his people from death, and to lead them in the path of * Luke, i. 66. life. As this redemption was not to be effected by fleshly might and power, the spiritual king of Israel chose to make his appearance when the house of David was like a root buried in the earth; and therefore his forerunner was born "in the days of Herod the king;"* days when his countrymen were under a foreign jurisdiction, and the prospect on all sides was gloomy. True, indeed, it is, that the sacred lamp went not out in the temple, where the good old Simeon and the devout Anna served God instantly with fastings and prayers, and waited, as many others did, with earnest expectation, for the consolation of Israel. They were not discouraged by the gross darkness which then covered the earth, but rather concluded from thence, that the dawn of day could not be far off; as the mercies of heaven generally come when man most wants, and, humanly speaking, has least ground to hope for them; to the end that he may with thankfulness receive the benefit, and with humility give God the glory. And this may be a useful lesson to those who shall live in the latter days of the Gentile church, which are to precede the second advent of Christ; when they will behold the religion of Christians degenerated into an empty form, and their zeal and love frozen at the fountain; when daily multiplying heresies, like the frogs in Egypt, shall infest and contaminate all things; when infidelity shall rage and swell, and iniquity of every kind shall abound. Sights like these may confound and stagger those who shall then be ignorant of the Scriptures, and weak in faith. But an acquaintance with the divine dispensations will turn them into so many arguments for the truth of revelation, and the approach of the day of God. "When these things begin to come to pass; then look up, and lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh" then be found with Simeon and Anna, in the temple, waiting for the consolation of Israel. ments and ordinances of the Lord blameless."* The course of Abia was the eighth in order of the twenty-four courses of priests appointed to relieve each other in the service of the temple, where, during their ministration, they resided in the chambers allotted them for that purpose; that so, being sequestered from the cares and pollutions of the world, they might "wait on the Lord without distraction," performing the outward ceremonies of the law, and exercising their faith in the contemplation of those heavenly things shadowed out by them. This holy office Zacharias, in the worst of times, adorned and beautified with a correspondent holiness of life. The spirit of the sanctuary rested upon him, and manifested itself in the fruit of righteousness; a righteousness, which exceeded that of the Scribes and Pharisees, approving itself in the sight of God, to whom are known the secrets of the hearts, as well as in that of men, who are witnesses only of the external deportment. Through the strength of this spirit, he walked in the path of an uniform obedience, an invariable observer of those ordinances which were at that time the sacramental means and pledges of pardon and acceptance, through faith in Him of whose advent he was a devout expectant. From such a father, and a mother worthy of him, who graced the line of Aaron by a like inviolable sanctity of manners, was the Baptist to descend; that the Jews might have no possible objection against him; that he might be a proper forerunner of one who was to make all the world in love with the beauty of holiness; that it might appear wherein true nobility of birth consisteth, namely, in a descent from persons consecrated to the service of God, and of an exemplary piety; and lastly, to assure us, that on the heads of those who, to a holy profession add a holy life, will, sooner or later, descend the choicest blessings which heaven hath to bestow on the sons of men. But let not such be impatient because those blessings are for a while deferred. He who sends them, best knows the proper time of When we read of men who have done sending them; and often sees it necessary, good in their generations, and shone as lights for many reasons, to exercise the faith and in the world, curiosity naturally leads us to patience of his servants; who may always inquire after their connections and relations, rest satisfied, that in due season he will bring and especially after the happy persons chosen every thing to pass which will conduce to to be the instruments of conveying such bless- their true welfare. The Scripture, having ings to the church. The Scripture account witnessed of Zacharias and Elizabeth, that of Zacharias and Elizabeth is concise, but "they were both righteous before God, walkcomprehensive. "He was a priest of the ing in all the commandments and ordinances course of Abia," she was "of the daughters of the Lord blameless," proceedeth in the of Aaron," and "they were both righteous very next words, to inform us, "that they before God, walking in all the command- had no child, because that Elizabeth was bar Luke, i. 5. Luke, xxi. 28. * Luke, i. 5, 6. ren, and they were both well stricken in years." They who stand highest in the favor of God, may therefore, during the greatest part of their lives, want the external and visible marks of it, and lie under the burden of "reproach among men," + as was the case of childless women in Judea. But these two pious persons, when their condition, in this respect, seemed desperate, were upon the eve of felicity. For of parents at their time of life John was to be born; that so the miraculous manner of his birth might excite the attention of mankind, and dispose them to listen to his voice when it should be heard in the wilderness; and also, that it might prepare them for that great event which was taking place, as the prophet Isaiah had foretold: "A virgin shall conceive, and bear a In circumstances parallel with those of St. John, were born, of old, Isaac, and Joseph, and Samson, and Samuel, all of them illustrious forerunners of Messiah, in one or other of his three characters, prophetical, sacerdotal, or regal. And did not God intend, by so often causing "the barren woman to keep house, and to become a joyful mother of children," to make that power known by which the incarnation of the Redeemer and the fruitfulness of his church were to be effected in the latter days, when, according to St. Paul, the prophetical injunction of Isaiah was obeyed, "Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child?" + son." which these shadows prefigured, and these the dispositions worthy a minister of the true temple, which is the church."* The annunciation of the Baptist's conception happened at the time of incense, when his father, having put on the robe of honor, and being clothed, like the great Mediator whom he personated, with the garments of glory and beauty, entered into the temple, while the whole congregation of the people, assembled without, sent up their united prayers to be accepted at the throne of grace, through the intercession which was then making for them by the Levitical priest, acting in the name of him who was to "arise after the order of Melchisedek, and not to be called after the order of Aaron." While the joint prayers of priests and people were thus offered up with the blood of sprinkling and the sweet smelling savor of the holy incense, an angel suddenly appeared to Zacharias as he was executing his office in the temple; that being the place to which those blessed spirits, when they visit these lower regions, ever delight to resort, as bearing the nearest resemblance to the happy mansions from which they descend. But, whether it be that the glory of celestial spirits overpowers the faculties of human nature, or that man, conscious of having sinned against heaven, naturally trembles at the sight of a messenger from thence, we find the appearance of an angel had the same effect upon Zacharias, the blessed virgin, and the shepherds they were all "sore afraid." He who is employed in discharging with Their minds must be first composed, and put fidelity the duties of his calling, takes the into a capacity of receiving the heavenly surest way to obtain the continuation and in- tidings brought them by the good angels, who, crease of his heavenly Master's favors. A like good men, manifest themselves by the son was promised to Zacharias "while he gracious and encouraging manner of their executed the priest's office before God," as address, and having removed all misconceivthe ritual of the church enjoined, " in the ed apprehensions, proceed to instruct and order of his course, and according to the cus- comfort those to whom they are sent: "Fear tom." The reflection of a pious writer not, Zacharias; for thy prayer is heard, and upon this circumstance is no less just then thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son." beautiful. "One priest alone," says he, " in- Zacharias had prayed for the redemption of Istent on his duty, who diffuses the sweet savor rael by Messiah, and therefore was honored of Christ, and is constant in prayer, draws by being made, in a wonderful manner, the down on the people more blessings than a father of his illustrious forerunner. The great number of negligent priests. A man priest was anxious for the welfare of the ought," continues he, "to discharge all the church, and the man was blessed in his own ecclesiastical functions with the spirit of the private concerns. He sought "first the kingsacred ministry, as before God, and under his dom of God, and his righteousness," and the immediate inspection; to perform them in blessing of a son was "added unto him." order, in his proper station, without ambi-"Thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, tiously seeking a higher; to do nothing merely of his own will, but to observe the well-established customs, as being the necessary securities of peace. This is the truth † Luke, i. 25. and thou shalt call his name JOHN," that is, being interpreted, the grace or gift; "and many shall rejoice at his birth :" not only Father Quesnel's Moral Reflections on the New Testament. ↑ Heb. vii. 11. Luke, i. 13. thou shalt rejoice, and Elizabeth with thee, was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb. He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully persuaded, that what he had promised he was able also to perform.' The demand of Zacharias, however, was complied with, and a sign was granted him in the punishment of his unbelief. The use of that tongue, which, instead of giving glory to God, had been employed in raising objections, was taken from him, and a silence of some months was imposed as a penance for the abuse of speech.† But when the wonderful child was born, who, even before his birth, entered upon his prophetical office, and gave testimony to his Saviour in the womb, then declaring, by his exultation, what he afterward did by words, "Behold the Lamb of God ;" and Zacharias had acknowledged the GIFT of God, by directing that his name should be JOHN; then the mouth of the father was opened; and, to show us the proper employment of the tongue when heaven grants the use of it, he "praised God." Faith restored what incredulity had taken away; "he believed, and And his heart having Distrust of Providence and the accomplishment of its designs, when appearances are on the other side, will sometimes invade the hearts of the best of men; and Zacharias himself so far partook of the incredulous spirit therefore he spake." which at that period had possessed the syna- been prepared, by silence and retirement, for gogue, that he "sought after a sign."- the reception of celestial influences, he was "Whereby shall I know this? For I am now" filled with the Holy Ghost," and brake an old man, and my wife well stricken in forth into that divine hymn, which shall be years." How different, in a parallel case, the subject of the next section. was the behavior of his father Abraham, of which St. Paul has left us the following exalted description:-"Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which # Luke, i. 58. * Rom. iv. 18. † Conticescere paulatim oportuit omne Levitici apparatus Choragium, quod ominoso hoc Sacerdotis silentio prefiguratum est; ut sola Messia docentis et benedicentis vox in Ecclessia audiretur. Witsii Miscell. Sacr. ii. 494. SECTION II. Considerations on the Hymn of Zacharias. gone, AMONG the alterations in nature which the winter is past, the rain is over and notify the return of spring, no one is more pleasing, than the exchange of a long and melancholy silence, for that melody which then resoundeth on every side of us in the woods and fields. Solomon hath not forgotten this circumstance, in his short but lovely description of that delightful season: "Lo, the flowers appear on the earth, the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land."* The advent of Messiah was announced, in a similar manner, to the church; and we may say of * Cant. ii. 11. |