ings, is an affront to God, by whofe Spirit they were dictated. When we read them we should always bear in mind that they are the works of God, and not of men, and confequently demand our utmost reverence, together with a pious defire to make ourselves acquainted with them.

Should we, therefore, prefume to treat the inspired writers with indifference or contempt, the infult is not to them, but to God himself. Allow me to explain this by a familiar instance: a compofer of any work may employ a copyift, but the merits or demerits of the work are not attributed to him, but to the author himself.

This confideration leads me naturally to the treatment we ought to observe to those who are appointed to watch over us as our spiritual paflors. Difrefpect to the clergy, which I am afraid is too frequent amongst us, can be confidered in no other light than as an affront to God, whofe fervants they are. We are all ready enough to pay attention to those who are ferviceable to us in our temporal

affairs;

affairs; and are not the pious endeavors of those who teach us the way to everlasting blifs, to be held in equal estimation?

If

any great man's fervant is ill treated, the mafter generally looks upon the affront as offered to himself, and resents it accordingly can we then fuppofe that the Almighty will permit those whofe lives are spent in his service to be infulted with impunity?

"6. There was a man fent from God, "whose name was John."

This is he who was foretold about seven hundred years before his birth, by the phet Isaiah, (chap. xl. ver. 3.)

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pro

"The

voice of him that crieth in the wilder

nefs, prepare ye the way of the Lord:

"make ftrait in the deferts a high way for our God."

Malachi, alfo, who was the laft of the prophets under the Jewish difpenfation, prophefied refpecting John the Baptist upwards of three hundred and ninety years

before

before his birth. He gives us to understand, that no more prophets were to be expected till this Elijah made his appearance, and that he fhould come and prepare the way for Christ the Messiah. Elijah and Elias evidently mean the fame perfon, as many texts of fcripture prove.

This John was hot Elijah returned from Heaven, but fo like him, both in appearance and manners, that he might truly be faid to be his reprefentative on earth: even their drefs appears to have been the fame. St. Mark, chap. i. ver. 6. "And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of fkin about his “loins.” II. Kings, chap. i. 8., "And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather "about his loins; and he faid it is Elijah

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the Tifhbite." Elijah's refolution, temperance, perfeverance and piety, were fully exemplified in John the Baptift.

As the introduction of John the Baptift was attended with many extraordinary circumstances, I truft my readers will par

don

don me, if I dwell fomewhat longer upon it than the chapter I am now commenting upon would lead to. Thefe events will be found fully recorded in the first chapter of St. Luke:

5. And there was, in the days of He"rod the king of Judea, a certain priest "named Zacharias, of the course of Abia ; "and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

"6. And they were both righteous be"fore God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blame"lefs.”

We are not to infer from this paffage that they were finless, but only in general that they were exact observers of the Jewish law. There is not a perfect man in the world: human nature, we all know, represents a picture which, even in the first characters, hath its dark fhades; how far fhort of this defired height do most of us attain?

Were proofs required of this, the facred volumes would amply furnish them. "If"

(in the words of St. John's epiftle, chap. i. ver. 8.) "we fay we have no fins, we de"ceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.' Indeed, fo numerous are the texts of a fimilar nature, that, if we read the scriptures with attention, we shall be continually reminded of our own imperfections, by tracing them in the failings of the characters there described.

"7. And they had no child, because "that Elizabeth was barren: and they "both were now well ftricken in years.

"8. And it came to pass, that while he "executed the priest's office before God, "in the order of his course,

"9. According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense "when he went into the temple of the "Lord.

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10. And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time " of incenfe.

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"11. And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord, standing on the right "fide of the altar of incense.

"12. And