BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST.

To aged Elizabeth is given

A child, so wills benignant Heaven;
The harbinger of Him above

Precedes the God of life and love.

THE Almighty had been pleased by the prophet Malachi, to foretell the ministry of John the Baptist, as the messenger who should go before the Saviour's face, to prepare the way for him (Malachi iii. 1); and in Luke chap. i. we have an account of the birth of this harbinger of Jesus Christ.

John the Baptist's father, Zacharias, was a priest, and served God in the temple; and his mother Elizabeth was a pious woman, and walked with her husband in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, blameless. Happy are they who through Divine grace are enabled to imitate such examples. But, like many of the Lord's people, they were denied that blessing which

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in those days was thought so highly of; they had no child, and were now advancing in years; yet, as was said to Abraham, " Is any thing too hard for the Lord?" (Genesis xviii. 14) so now a fresh proof was given, that "with God all things are possible," (Mark x. 27) for a son was promised them in their old age.

While Zacharias was burning incense in the temple, an angel of the Lord appeared unto him, the sight of whom greatly alarmed him; but he came with pleasing tidings, for he informed Zacharias that his wife should bear him a son, and that he should be called John; that he should be set apart to the Lord, be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his nativity; by which was meant, that he should be very early inspired to teach the doctrines and precepts of true religion; and that he should have the honour of going

before the face of Christ, as his messenger, “to turn the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord,” (Luke i. 17)

Zacharias, though so good a man, seems to have been hard of belief on this occasion for when the angel had delivered his message, instead of acknowledging with gratitude and wonder the gracious tidings, he questioned the word, by asking how he should know this, seeing both his wife and himself were aged; to which the angel replied, “I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God, and am sent to tell thee these things; and behold, thou shalt be dumb until these things be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season." (Luke i, 19, 20.) And so it was, for when the child was born, and the neighbours and friends would have called him Zacharias,

the father wrote that his name was to be John; after which his tongue was unloosed. John was devoted to God from his birth, and the Lord was with him.

Blessed indeed and happy are those dear children who are early devoted to the service of God. The Lord is well pleased when the young seek and obey him; and such may be assured, that he will be their Father and their Guide in this life, and admit them to eternal happiness in the world to come; therefore, dear children, "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth. Fear God, and keep his commandments." (Ecclesiastes xii. 1, 13.)