lastly, St. John, in his Gospel, begins in the same way to speak of the Baptist. “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 1."

Such is the account which the Evangelists give us of the first coming of him, who, in obedience to prophecy, and in compliance with the prejudices of the people, was sent to announce the advent of the King Messiah.

In a series of discourses on the history of our blessed Saviour, some mention of the office and character of him who was his forerunner, will not, it is hoped, be thought irrelevant, but that we shall be enabled to derive from it improvement and instruction.

The first thing to which we will call your attention is, that the expectation of the Jewish nation was, that the prophet

1 John i. 6, 7.

Elias was to be the forerunner of the Messiah; and, indeed, Malachi expressly says so. How, then, could John the Baptist be his messenger? But not only the Scriptures, but other writings, have frequently spoken of a person by the name of him whom he resembles. "I will set up one shepherd over them, even my servant David'," says the prophet Ezekiel. Now, when this sentence was uttered, David had been dead for many years; and this was spoken of Christ, who is frequently called the Shepherd of his people. So also, St. Paul, in arguing respecting the doctrine of the fall of man, and of the resurrection from the dead, makes use of a similar figure of speech. "As in Adam," he says, " all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive 2." And, afterwards he proceeds, "the first man Adam was made a living soul, the last Adam was made a quickening spirit." Similar modes of expression might be quoted, without number, from Heathen

1 Ezek. xxxiv. 23.

2 1 Cor. xv. 22. 45.

writers. Here, then, when the Prophet tells us that Elias shall come, he means a person resembling Elias, in his spirit, and his power.

But, lest there should be any unnecessary mistake on this subject, the gospel itself declares that John the Baptist was the Elias foretold. The angel who proclaimed his birth to his father, expressly says, "He shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord 1."

Again, after John's message to our Lord, when the minds of the people were excited to know who he was, this was Christ's own account of him: "This is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Verily, I say unto you, among them that are born of women, there hath not risen a

1 Luke i. 17.

greater than John the Baptist." "And if ye will receive it, this is Elias which was for to come 1."

Lastly, to his own disciples, after his transfiguration, when they had thereby received so great a proof of his divinity as to make them begin to think more spiritually of his mission, and yet could not help enquiring, "Why, then, say the Scribes, that Elias must first come2?" This was our Saviour's answer: "Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things; but I say unto you that Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed: likewise shall also the Son of Man suffer of them. Then," continues the Evangelist," the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist."

It is true, that when John himself received the direct message, "art thou Elias?" he said, "I am not." But, in

1 Matt. xi. 10. 14.

3 John i. 21.

2 Matt. xvii. 10.

that case, both the message and the answer were meant literally. The Jews expected that Elias, who had been taken up into heaven, would from thence, personally, descend, to declare the coming of Christ; in this sense it was that they asked John if "he was Elias;" and in this sense John rightly and truly answered that he was not."

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We will, lastly, draw your attention to the great similarity and resemblance, in habits, and manner of life, which there was between Elijah and John the Baptist. They both exercised their ministry in places removed from the usual habitation of men; the one in mount Carmel, the other in the wilderness of Judæa. They both were distinguished for the boldness and integrity of their mode of preaching. "How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him1;" was the exclamation of Elijah. "Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand"," was the

1

1

1 Kings xviii. 21.

2 Matt. iii. 2.