shew us how sinful we are, and how great is our need of a Saviour! Oh let the work of the Baptist still be fufilled within us! Do thou now turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, that peace and love may reign among us; and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that we may be in truth a people prepared for the coming of the Lord; for we believe that thou wilt indeed come again. Oh let our souls be prepared to meet thee! Amen.

III.

We are very apt to think that if an angel came to us with a message from God, it would be more easy for us to believe it and attend to it, than it is for us to believe and attend to the messages from God which are in the Bible; but you will see that this is a mistake when you read the answer of Zacharias to the angel. Though he was a good man, yet he did not at once quite believe what the angel told him. Perhaps he was so surprized that he scarcely knew whether or not he was dreaming. This was his answer :

Verse 18. "Whereby, (by what sign shall I know this to be true?) for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years."

It was an angel who spoke, yet so wonderful did the message he brought appear to Zacharias, that he thought more about its being very unlikely that he should have a son, than of God's power to give him one. But it is not wise to think any thing difficult when God has said it shall be-it is not safe to doubt his power even for a moment.

Verses 19, 20. "And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and

am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words which shall be fulfilled in their season."

Zacharias had asked, "Whereby shall I know this?" The angel gave him a sign he would rather have been without; he could not now doubt the truth of the message the angel had brought, for he was to be dumb as a punishment for not having at once believed it.

There is something very awful in the words of the angel— "I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God "—this is enough. Could he speak any thing but truth, he who stood continually in the presence of the God of truth? Zacharias was a priest, and must have read in the book of the Old Testament* of the angel Gabriel. Think then what a thrill of solemn feeling must have passed through him, when he found that Gabriel himself stood before him. He must have wondered at his own unbelief-he must have felt that his punishment was just.

Verses 21, 22. "And the people that were in the court outside the temple waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried (stayed) so long in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak unto them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple; for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless."

By signs he made the people understand some part of what had happened. Most likely he pointed to the heavens, and then to the temple, from which he had just come out, by which they understood that he had seen a vision-which word always means that some heavenly person or thing had been seen. They saw

Dan. viii. 16; ix. 21.

that he had suddenly become dumb, "for he remained speechless;" but he did not for this give up his duty in the temple, on the contrary it was not until

Verse 23. "The days of his ministration were accomplished, (quite ended, that) he departed to his own house.”

We should learn from his example to go on doing our duties, whatever happens to us, as long as we can.

His wife, Elisabeth, must have been much surprised when he returned to her dumb, not able to speak one single word-but it is most likely that he wrote down all that had happened, and shewed it to her, for we shall see by what she afterwards said, that she knew what the words of the angel had been. The time of silence Zacharias had now to pass through must have been a solemn time for them both, in which they must have had many thoughts of God's great power, and great goodness. Both the husband and the wife spent many months together alone, for it is written

Verses 24, 25. "And after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein He looked on me to take away my reproach among men.”

She hid herself; she would not have her glad but solemn thoughts disturbed by the visits of her friends and neighbours, and she had indeed much to think about. Most women who have no children look upon it as a sort of reproach. They ought not to do so, for it is God who gives and who withholds. All He does is well done-and He looks upon each one in kindness to take away their reproach-for the only real reproach is, if we do not so love him as to love his will, whatever that be. If a child will be a blessing, He will give it, if not, is it wise to wish for it? Oh, who can tell what the smiling infant may become? Let every woman rest in this blessed thought, that there is no day

of her life in which God is not looking at her, to take away her reproach whatever it be; that is, to take away whatever hinders her from throwing the burthen of sin from her. But if she knows that God means to give her a child, let her, like Elisabeth, take time to think of his dealings with her-let her think that her child will have from her a sinful, suffering nature, and be born into a world Satan has tried hard to ruin; that it must die because of sin; and let her love her God with a more entire love, because He has made a way by which her child may be saved-by which its death may be turned into life-life that will never end.

Elisabeth and her husband had more to think of than any parents ever had before. The time so long looked-for was at last come-the promise God had made to Adam and Eve, before Satan, while they were yet in Paradise, was just going to be fulfilled-the promised Saviour was at last coming, and their child was to be his forerunner,—was to prepare the way before him. They who had long given up hopes of having a child at all, were to have joy and gladness at the birth of one who should "be great" even "in the sight of the Lord."

IV.

The promises of God were fast coming true. Six months after these things had happened to Zacharias and Elizabeth,

Verses 26, 27. "The Angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin, (a young maiden) espoused, (that is, she had promised to marry) a man named Joseph, of the house (or family of king) David; and the virgin's name was Mary."

Nazareth lies in the lap of a mountain, on the western side, in the entrance of one of the beautiful valleys of Galilee.

There are many more houses in it now than there were in these old times when the blessed Virgin Mary dwelt there; but there is still close to it, among the olive trees, a fountain of clear water which is called the Virgin's Fountain. In this Nazareth lived Joseph; though belonging to a family which had once. been a family of kings, he was a poor man and worked for his daily bread. He was a carpenter, and Mary, the young maiden he was to marry, was his relation, for she too was of king David's line or family. To her was the angel Gabriel sent.

Verse 28. "And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women."

The angel's word "Hail" is one that was often in olden times used, when a person was glad at the sight of some one he loved and honoured. He in this manner saluted Mary as one whom God favoured and loved.

She was poor and little known by men, yet the Lord was with her, for his holy Spirit was in her heart, and had made her humble and meek. She was indeed among all women the one who was the most blessed and the happiest. But when Mary saw the angel she was frightened :

Verses 29-33. "She was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind (or wondered while she thought,) what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God, (God loves thee.) And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest (God will give you a child that shall be the Son of God; his name, Jesus, means Saviour.) And the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and

He