really changes, and renews, and saves." Ah, this is the reason why he who is least in the kingdom of heaven-the Messianic reign-is greater than John the Baptist; he has received the baptism of the Spirit.

But the coming Messiah will not only baptize in the Spirit; he will also discriminate. His winnowing-fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing-floor, and gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. It was as though the hermitpreacher had said: "The time for unerring discrimination and reverseless judgment has come : the Divine Child, appointed for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, has been born; and now thoughts out of many hearts will be revealed. Ay, the Lord, even the angel of the covenant, has suddenly come to his temple. But who may abide the day of his coming, and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap, sitting as a refiner and purifier of silver. Now shall ye discern between the rightcous and the wicked-between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree that beareth not good fruit is to be cut down, and cast into the fire. Then shall the strong be as tow, and his work as a spark; and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them. But Jehovah knoweth those who are his, and in that day that he is preparing he shall spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the king

dom of their Father. He that hath ears, let him

hear."

With these and many other exhortations, Luke iii, 18. preached John unto the people.

Such is the proclamation of the forerunnerthe voice of one crying in the wilderness.

Has that voice died away? No; the Church of the living God is a second John the Baptist. Hers it is to lift up her voice in the world's great wilderness, and, making proclamation of the coming King, prepare the way before him, removing all obstructions, filling every valley of want, leveling every mountain of pride, straightening every crooked habit, smoothing every roughness of environment, and so ushering in the day when all flesh shall indeed see the salvation of God. Be it ours, then, to be as true to our mission as John was to his, reduplicating that ancient voice in the wilderness, and shouting to Pharisee and Sadducee, to profligate and reprobate, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!

The Church a

Second John the Baptizer.

O Lord Jesus Christ, who at thy first coming didst send Collect. thy messenger to prepare thy way before thee; Grant that the ministers and stewards of thy mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready thy way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that at thy second coming to judge the world we may be found an acceptable people in thy sight, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

THE BAPTISM OF JESUS CHRIST.

MATTHEW ii, 13-17; MARK i, 9-11; LUKE iii, 21, 22.

Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water.

Leviticus viii, 6.