and like fullers' soap: and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years. And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts. For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return? Long as the moon her course shall run,

Or man behold the circling sun,

Oh, still may God amid us reign!
Crown our just counsels with success,
With peace and joy our borders bless,
And all our sacred rights maintain.
have robbed me.

But ye say,

Will a man rob God? Yet ye Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.

But who shall see the glorious day

When, throned on Zion's brow,
The Lord shall rend that vail away
Which hides the nations now?

When earth no more beneath the fear
Of His rebuke shall lie;

When pain shall cease, and every tear
Be wiped from every eye.

Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

Call them into Thy wondrous light,
Worthy to walk with Thee in white:
Make up Thy jewels Lord, and show
Thy glorious, spotless church below,
From every sinful wrinkle free,
Redeemed from all iniquity;

The fellowship of saints make known,
And O, my God, may I be one!

For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the souls of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: 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.

We wait in faith, and turn our face to where the daylight springs;
Till He shall come earth's gloom to chase, with healing in His wings.
And even now, amid the gray, the East is brightening fast,

And kindling to that perfect day which never shall be past.

PERIOD VII.

THE GOSPEL; OR, THE LIFE AND WORKS OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

B.C. 5-A.D. 30.

CHAPTER CXCVIII.

THE HARBINGER HERALDED.

THE ADVENT OF JESUS

THERE

ANNOUNCED.

THE Baptist, of whose birth I oft had heard,
Not knew by sight, now come, who was to come
Before Messiah, and His way prepare.

HERE was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth, And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren; and they both were now well stricken in years. And it came to pass, that, while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, according to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias : for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee. a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither

wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And 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. And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. 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. And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried 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. And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.

In the set noon of time, shall one from Heaven,
An angel fresh from looking upon God,
Descend before a woman, blessing her
With perfect benediction of pure love,
For all the world in all its elements,
For all the creatures of earth, air, and sea,
For all men in the body and in the soul,
Unto all ends of glory and sanctity.

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 name was Mary. 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. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father

David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

Wake! the welcome day approacheth,
How with joy our hearts it cheereth !
Wake! the Lord's great year behold!
That which holy men of old,
Those who throng the sacred pages,
Waited for through countless ages;

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

CHAPTER CXCIX.

THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST.

HIS CIRCUMCISION.

THE PROPHECY OF ZACHARIAS.

BECAUSE the world might not pretend
It knew not of Thy coming day,
Thou didst, O Christ, before Thee send
A Crier, to prepare Thy way:
Thy Kingdom was the bliss he brought,
Repentance was the way he taught.

[OW Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered;

NOW

and she brought forth a son. And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her. And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. And