SECTION II.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name; which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

There are few passages of Scripture of more importance than the one I have now read to you, inasmuch as it contains an express declaration of the Divinity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The other Evangelists lead us to infer the Divinity of Christ. St. John begins his gospel with an express avowal of this fundamental truth. In a few weighty words he condemns the heresies of his own and future times. "In the beginning was the Word." This name was given to the Son of God, because as a word, that is, language, is the means by which we

communicate our thoughts, make known our will, and convey our commands, so Christ is the medium by which the Almighty promulgates His will, and issues His commandments. The term "word" was used to denote the Son of God ages before the time of St. John. David tells us Psalm xxxiii., 6, "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made." You will observe that St. John does not say like the author of Genesis, "In the beginning God made the word," but "In the beginning was the Word," implying that the Word had an existence before the world was created; again he says "the Word was with God"-not in God-marking thereby the difference of persons. And further that the Word was God; thereby establishing the equality of the Son with the Father. He then describes the Word, as the Creator of all things, and as the author of life, and light or reason. But this light he tells us shone in darkness, and not only the heathen did not open their eyes to its beams, but when he came to his own peculiar people, the Jews, they rejected Him. But to as many as received Him he gave the privilege of becoming Sons of God, and consequently heirs of God, and joint heirs with him; and he shows the value of this adoption by observing that it could not be claimed as a right springing from his descent from Abraham, but was derived from the will of God alone! Here, then, we have the all important truth, that if men are saved they must be born again; that their salvation is not the result of their natural birth, or any honourable, or pious parentage; that the children of the rich, and noble, no less than the children of the poor, must be born of God if they will be saved; that this is the work of God, and no man can do it for us; that we must therefore

forsake all human dependence, and go at once to the throne of grace, and beseech God to adopt us into His family, and save our souls from death. Lastly he reminds us of the inferiority of Moses by whom the Law was made known, to the incarnate Word, who not merely discovered, but was the author of the truth, and the substance of the types and rites of the Ceremonial Law, and of grace and favour put in opposition to the demands of the moral Law; and we all, he adds, that is all Christians, have received out of His overflowing goodness, whatever gifts, or graces we possess, and grace upon grace; that is, grace in greatest abundance, or the greater grace of the Gospel, instead of the lesser one of the Law; "for the Law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ;" and that He alone was competent to teach us the will of God, as being the only begotten Son of God, who is ever in His bosom, and intimately acquainted with all His secrets.

SECTION III

And after those days his wife Elisabeth 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.

In fulfilment of prophecy, which had plainly foretold that when Messiah came, one would go before Him to prepare His way, a man was sent by God to bear witness to this enlightener of the world, and the Gospel history commenced with the announcement of his birth, in the passage which I have now read to you. It

would be difficult at this period of the world to realize the immense importance of the angel's announcement. To the mind of Zacharias it must have been glad tidings of great joy; it was the first communication from God to Israel since the days of Malachi; it broke the silence of 400 years; it told the believing Israelites that the prophetic weeks of Daniel were at length accomplished, that God's great promise was about to be fulfilled, and the seed was about to appear in whom all the families of the earth were to be blessed. His parents, Zacharias and Elisabeth, are described as righteous before God. What a testimony to their character! Let us contemplate their example, and strive to serve God faithfully, and live fully up to our light, even as they did. Happy indeed are those Christian families of whom it can be truly said that both husband and wife are righteous, and exercise themselves to have a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward

men.

There is one most important, practical, and comforting lesson to be learnt from this passage of Scripture, namely, that prayers are not necessarily rejected because the answer is long delayed. Zacharias no doubt had often prayed for the blessing of children, and to all appearance had prayed in vain; at his advanced time of life he had probably long ceased to mention the subject before God, and had given up all hope of being a father. words of the angel show that the Zacharias had not been forgotten. thy wife Elisabeth shall bear a son. consider this fact whenever we kneel must beware of hastily concluding that our prayers are useless. It is not for us to prescribe either the time or

Yet the very first bygone prayers of Thy prayer is heard, We shall do well to down to pray; we

the way in which our supplications are to be answered. He to whom we pray knows best what is good for us. Let us then continue in prayer, "watch unto prayer," "pray always, and not faint." Delay of effect must not discourage our faith. It may be God hath long granted, ere we shall know of His grant. We must not leave this

unbelief of Zacharias;

passage without a word upon the he was staggered by the improbability of the fact revealed, and desired evidence that it would take place. The testimony of the angel should have been proof enough; moreover he ought to have remembered the equally wonderful births of Isaac, and Samson, and Samuel in old times, and to have considered that what God has once done He can do again, and that with Him nothing is impossible. Proof was given him, "Thou shalt be dumb,' which was both a sign, and a judgment, a sign that the angel had come from God, and that the promise would be fulfilled, and a judgment for not believing what he had been told. There is no sin in the sight of God more aggravated than unbelief. When God speaks man should believe without doubt or question; nor can he that will not believe escape punishment. God speaks only truth, and we should believe Him. God speaks only what is for our good, and woe will it be for us if we believe not what He says!

SECTION IV.

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's