fiah, and to gain him an authority capable ofCHAP. convincing all understandings, and removing V. all doubts.

In examining these circumstances, I do not presume to offer any thing new; yet I defire that they be looked upon for a while as new, and by transferring ourselves to the times in which the things happened, the fame reflections be made, as would arife to a serious man, who was determined to investigate the truth.

We know that when the temple fubfifted, the priests and Levites being divided into fundry families, officiated by turn, and that the different functions were diftributed to them by lot, to avoid jealousy and preference. One of these functions, and even the most important, was that of offering up incenfe upon the golden altar in the interior temple, where the priests alone entered, and where the priest charged with this auguft function had no one elfe to accompany him. Zacharias, who was of the lineage of Aaron by Abia, chief of one of the twenty-four facerdotal families, executed the priest's office in the order of his course, and as he was officiating an angel appeared to him, who seeing him full of fear, faid unto him, "Fear not, Zacharias; for thy prayer "is heard, and thy wife Elizabeth fhall bear "thee a fon, and thou shalt call his name

John. For he fhall be great in the fight of "the Lord; and he fhall be filled with the Holy Ghoft, even from his mother's womb. "And many of the children of Ifrael fhall he

PART "

IV. 66

turn to the Lord their God. And he fhall go before him in the fpirit and power of "Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the "children, and the difobedient to the wifdom "of the juft, to make ready a people prepared "for the Lord." Thefe words of the angel are the fame with those of the prophet Malachy * excepting that the prophet feemed to underftand them of the very perfon of Elias, whereas the angel applied them to the fore-runner, who was endued with his efficacy and fpirit.

Zacharias answered the angel," Whereby " fhall I know this? for I am an old man, "and my wife well ftricken in years +. And "the angel faid unto him, I am Gabriel, that "stand in the prefence of God; and am fent to fpeak unto thee, and to fhew thee thefe

glad tidings. And behold thou shalt be dumb, and not able to fpeak, until the day "that these things fhall be performed, be"caufe thou believeft not my words which "fhall be fulfilled in their feafon. And the "people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled "that he tarried fo long in the temple. And "when he came out, he could not fpeak un"to them: and they perceived that he had "feen a vision in the temple: for he beckned "unto them, and remained fpeechless."

* Malach. iv. to the end.

+ Befide this, fhe was naturally barten. Ver. 7.

ARTICLE

ARTICLE III.

Fecundity of Elizabeth, who was old and barren. Speech restored to Zacharias. Evident prediction of the future miniftry of his fon.

I

Am willing we fhould fufpend our judgment in refpect to what paffed in the temple. But behold, Zacharias is dumb, and he became fo at the time he was offering a facrifice to God. The figns which he made to fhew that he had feen an heavenly vifion, will be explained by the event. At prefent I am content with a fingle fact, attefted by the whole people.

CHAP.

Elizabeth growing pregnant in her old age, conceals her condition about five months, whilft fhe admired the grace of God bestowed on her, in taking away the reproach of her fterility; and when the brought forth a fon, her neighbours came to rejoice with her, because the Lord had fhewn great compaffion on her. On the eighth day, which was that of circumcifion, † they called him Zacharias, "after the name of his father. And his mo"ther answered and faid, Not fo, but he fhall "be called John. And they faid unto her, "There is none of thy kindred that is called

t

by this name. And they made figns to his "father, how he would have him called. "And he asked for a writing-table, and wrote, H 4 fay

+ Ver. 24, 25, 57.

V.

PART" saying, His name is John. And they marIV. "velled all. And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loofed, and he

fpake and praised God. And he was filled "with the Holy Ghoft, and prophefied, fay

ing, Bleffed be the Lord God of Ifrael, for " he hath vifited and redeemed his people. "The fame of these wonders were noised. "throughout all the hill-country of Judea. "And all they that heard them, laid them "up in their hearts, faying, What manner of "child fhall this be? for the hand of the Lord "is visible in the prodigies which accompanied " his birth.

Was not the admiration of these people well grounded? and were not the prodigies which aftonished them, manifeft? does not Zacharias, who was dumb for the fpace of nine months, and on a fudden received the faculty of his fpeech, merit to be believed upon what happened to him in the temple? does not the birth of a fon in his old age, when Elizabeth, as well as Sarah, on account of fterility and age, was no longer capable to conceive, justify the angel's promife? could Zacharias have any view in publishing his own incredulity? and was it not in his power to attribute his filence to fome other caufe? what could be more extraordinary and miraculous to render men attentive to the birth of the forerunner of the Meffiah? and if prodigies of fo ftriking and public a nature are not fufficient

to

"All they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, fay"ing, What manner of child fhall this be? for the hand of the Lord was with him. Ver. 66.

to render him refpectable to all Ifrael, I know CHAP. not what incredulity can require more. But V. let us hearken to Zacharias; and in his fong" which is certainly very myfterious and profound, let us only confider what he says of his fon, when he addresses himself thus: * And "thou child fhalt be called the prophet of the

Higheft: for thou fhalt go before the face of "the Lord to prepare his ways; To give

knowledge of falvation unto his people, by "the remiffion of their fins, Through the "tender mercies of our God; whereby the

Day-fpring from on high hath + vifited us, "to give light to them that fit in darkness, " and in the fhadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace."

Upon what grounds could Zacharias attribute to his fon the quality of fore-runner of the Meffiah, and very plainly proclaim his approaching nativity? what knowledge could he have of things fo fecret and unknown, if they had not been revealed to him in the temple? they who deny this revelation, cannot fay, that he had learnt from Mary the incarnation of the Word, or that he had been apprized by Elizabeth of the fupernatural leaping of John in her womb. Those I am now difputing with, are not fo happy as to believe thefe myfteries in a firm and refolute manner: for if they were convinced of them, they would likewise be perfuaded of the truth of Zacha

Luke i. 76.

† Ἐν οἷς ἐπεσκέψατο ἡμᾶς ἀνατολὴ ἐξ ὕψος. Luke i. 78.

'Tis Chrift, and not Saint John, that is called the Day"pring: the prophets thus ftile the Meffiah." Luke i. 79.