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lost souls. And that He might accomplish this end, it was necessary that He should assume our nature. For the penalty of sin, the curse of the Divine law, had been incurred by man; and man only could pay that penalty, and bear that curse. That "without shedding of blood there is no remission," is an unalterable decision of the statute-book of Heaven. If Christ therefore undertook to expiate human guilt, He must have human blood to shed; he must assume our nature. our nature. If He will "redeem those who were under the law," he must Himself be made under it. "Jesus" therefore"was made a little lower than the angels for "the suffering of death, that by the grace of "God He might taste death for every man.” For since those for whom he engaged were "partakers of flesh and blood," it was essential that He also should "partake of the same; that

through death He might destroy him that had "the power of death, that is, the Devil. It be"hoved Him to be, in all things, made like unto "His brethren; that He might be a merciful and "faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, "to make a reconciliation for the sins of the people;" which He could not have accomplished, if He had not "taken our nature upon "Him."

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The assumption of our nature by the only begotten Son of God implies His pre-existence; and, compared with the doxology which concludes the collect, asserts that He is "very "God and very man." But, it may be asked, Why did the Son of God assume our nature? Why did His bowels yearn over us? Were

there no other sinful and miserable creatures in the universe, to whom His pity might have been extended? Why did He leave the apos

tate angels" under chains of darkness to the judgment of the great day?" Why did he not "take on Him the nature of angels" for their redemption, rather than ours for the salvation of our souls? Are they not beings of a higher order, and more capable of shewing forth His praise? Would not more glory have redounded to His name from their rescue than from ours? To these questions, and others which might be proposed, we have but one answer to make: "Even so, Lord; for so it "seemed good in Thy sight." We have painful demonstration within our own bosoms, that the ground of His choice is not to be found ⚫ there.

Let us pause a moment, before we proceed, for the purpose of admiring and adoring this wonderful instance of Divine condescension and pity. To a description of it no language is adequate. To conceive fully its glory, the most towering imagination is incompetent. While we gaze, the eye is dazzled by the brightness of the object. O may the Lord the Spirit, the glorifier of Jesus, by whose overshadowing influence the body of Christ was conceived in the virgin's womb, so overshadow our souls, that we may be enabled to form proper conceptions of Him in our hearts, and to glorify Him in our lives!

The indefinite manner in which our collect speaks of the day on which we celebrate our Lord's nativity, is modest and proper, since some difference of opinion has arisen on the subject. The collect of King Edward's prayerbook was more precise and determinate, and was sanctioned by St. Chrysostom's declaration concerning it. But by the alteration which

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most important request for an act of similar mercy in relation to his "second coming to judge the world." Before the sun of righteousness arose to enlighten the darkened world with the beams of heavenly truth, a star of unusual brilliancy announced its approach. When the glorious King of Zion appeared, a harbinger led the way, proclaiming his arrival in his own dominions. John the Baptist was this morning-star, this harbinger of the King of kings; and is declared by the lips of his master to have been the chief of the prophets, the greatest and most important ambassador from heaven to earth that had ever appeared under the dispensation which preceded and made way for that of the Messiah.

The birth, character, and office of the Baptist were made frequent subjects of prophecy, for the purpose of exciting attention to his ministry when he should appear, and of confirming the Divine character of Jesus, whose precursor he was. With a prediction of this eminent person the canon of the Old Testament concludes; and thus is connected with the New, which commences with the fulfilment of that prediction." Behold, I will send you Elijah "the prophet," a person who, being endued with his character and spirit, shall be the counterpart of that great reformer, "before the "coming of the great and terrible day of the "LORD" Jesus. "And he shall turn the heart "of the fathers to the children, and the heart of "the children to their fathers, lest I come and "smite the earth with a curse." Mal. iv. 5, 6. "In the citation of this passage by the angel,' who announced the birth of the Baptist to his father Zacharias, Luke i. 17, one part of it is

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thus paraphrased: "To turn the hearts of the "fathers to the children, and the disobedient to "the wisdom of the just. The meaning of the "whole seems to be, either that men of every

age and every disposition should be united in "truth and charity; or, as some learned expo"sitors understand the passage, that St. John "should bring many of the Jews to have the "same heart and mind which their fathers and

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progenitors had, who feared God and believed "His promises; that so their fathers might, as "it were, rejoice in them, and own them again "for their children; in other words, that he "should convert them to the faith of that Christ "whom their fathers hoped in and looked for; "as it was said by the angel, Many of the "children of Israel shall He turn to the Lord "their God; lest, all continuing obstinate in "their unbelief, till the day when a rejected "Saviour should visit an apostate people, the "curse should be universal."* Other prophetic passages relate to the Baptist's ministry, which will be noticed on a future occasion.

In what manner, it may be asked, did John prepare the way of the Lord Jesus? The miraculous circumstances of His birth were conducive to this end. His parents were "both well

stricken in years" at the time when Elizabeth his mother became pregnant. Her unexpected

*Bishop Horne's Considerations on the Life and Death of St. John the Baptist. A truly pious and excellent work, of which Mr. Jones, in his prefatory epistle to the life of the Bishop, says, "When I read his book on John the "Baptist, I am persuaded there was no other man of his "time, whose fancy, as a writer, was bright enough; whose "skill, as an interpreter, was deep enough; whose heart, "as a moralist, was pure enough, to have made him the "author of that little work."

pregnancy, after a long period of barrenness, was announced to Zacharias in the temple, where he was officiating in his course as a priest, by an angelic messenger, who gave a name to the son about to be born, and described his character and office, referring to ancient prophecy as to be fulfilled therein. And though Zacharias was alone when this vision occurred, yet the truth of his testimony was confirmed by his miraculous loss of speech during the whole time that intervened before the birth of John, being Divinely inflicted on him for his unbelief. These extraordinary circumstances were calculated to produce an inquiry favourable to the object of his mission. And when the Baptist had arrived at manhood, his preparation for the ministry in the wilderness, the abstemiousness of his manner of life, the singularity and holiness of his character, the nature of his doctrine, and the unction which attended his preaching, all conspired to confirm the expectations which had been previously raised concerning him. For by these and other evidences of Divinity attached to his embassage, many of his countrymen were constrained to acknowledge it, and, in consequence, to receive his testimony concerning Jesus of Nazareth whom he exhibited as the prornised Messiah, while those who continued in their unbelief were left inexcusable.

As the consicleration of the collect for St. John Baptist's day, when it comes in order, will lead us further into his history and character, we shall now proceed to review the prayer which is founded on the introductory mention of his mission in the collect before us.

The account of the ministerial office, which our collect, in imitation of St. Paul in the

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