that this text tells us what John the
Baptist's work was; that John the Baptist came to turn the hearts of
the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to the
fathers; lest the Lord should come and smite the land with a curse.

Some may be ready to answer to this, 'Of course John the Baptist
came to warn parents of behaving wrongly to their children, if they
were careless or cruel; and children to their parents, if they were
disobedient or ungrateful. Of course he would tell bad parents and
children to repent, just as he came to tell all other kinds of
sinners to repent. But that was only a part of John the Baptist's
work. He came to be the forerunner of the Messiah, the Saviour, the
Redeemer.'

Be it so, my friends. I only hope that you really do believe that
John the Baptist did come to proclaim that a Saviour was born into
the world--provided only that you remember all the while who that
Saviour was. John the Baptist tells you who He was. If you will
only remember that, and get the thought of it into your hearts, you
will not be inclined to put any words of your own in place of the
prophet Malachi's, or to fancy that you can describe better than
Malachi what John the Baptist's work was to be; and that turning the
hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the
children to the fathers, was only a small part of John the Baptist's
work, instead of being, as Malachi says it was, his principal work,
his very work, the work which must be done, lest the Lord, instead
of saving the land, should come and smite it with a curse.

Yes--you must remember who it was that John the Baptist came to bear
record of, and to manifest or show to the Jews. The Angels on the
first Christmas Eve told us--they said it was _The Lord_, 'Unto
you,' they said, 'is born a Saviour, who is Christ, _The Lord_.'

John the Baptist told you and all mankind who it was--that it was
The Lord. 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye
the way of _the Lord_!'

_The Lord_. What Lord--Which Lord? John the Baptist knew. Simeon,
Anna, Nathaniel, all righteous and faithful hearts who waited for
the salvation of the Lord, knew. The Pharisees and Sadducees did
not know. The men who wrote our Creeds, our Prayer Book, our Church
Catechism, knew. The Pharisees and the Sadducees in our day, who
fancy themselves wiser than the Creeds, and the Prayer Book, and the
Church Catechism, do not know. May God grant