governor of a certain portion of a kingdom. The land of Palestine being subject to the Romans, they had divided it into portions; and the governors of each portion we

for it: this holy man was not afraid to speak the truth, though doing so was sure to bring trouble upon himself

ntance and amendment of life: this John was determined to do, undismayed by any fear of what man might do to him; and therefore

, who hated him for reproving her, would gladly have had him put to deat

the people, in which case the Romans might accuse him of having misgoverned the country, and suffer him to be no longer governor. The other reason was, that although Herod was angry with John, he could not help seeing that he was a good and ho

erod, if he had done all thin

nter into the kingdom of God, from which the Fall of Adam had shut him out. "Repent ye and believe the Gospel," was the sum of his preaching: true repentance would make men

ues were buildings in which the Jews assembled to pray to God, and to hear the holy Scriptures read and explained. The use of synagogues began after the return of the Jews from their captivity in Babylon; and in our Saviour's time t

o that there are great numbers of men, women, and children in England, who could not go to Church if they wished to do so, because there is not room enou

ight in the Jews to observe these outward ceremonies, but it would have been better for them if they had remembered, that they were only ord

readers were usually some of the Scribes; but strangers were often allowed to read and expound the Scriptures in their place, and any one who was looked upon as a prophet, would be eagerly listened to. To show their reverence for the Scriptures, the Jewish doctors stood up whilst they read the daily portions, and then sat down, whilst they explained the meaning to their congregation. Whenever any person among the Jews set himself up as the founder o

which are the Word of God, these Rabbis instructed the Jewish youth in the traditions of man. "Traditions" were sayings and doctrines which had never been written down, but had merely been told by word of mouth from father to son, and had thus been handed dow

ing of any attention; but the Jews received them all, and looked upon them as

ached to the synagogues, sat in the midst

prophecy spoken by Esaias, that is Isaiah, "The land of Zabulon and the land of Nepthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; the people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up." In the holy Scriptures, the word "darkness" constantly means ignorance and sin; whils

ome, when His whole life was spent in moving about the country from one place to another, "teaching in their synagogues,

the miracles, parables, and conversations of our blessed

drink; and He took this occasion to tell her, that it signified little in what place men worshipped God, if they worshipped Him properly "in spirit and in truth," that is, truly and sincerely, in faith; and he ended by telli

d we may be quite sure that during that time He preached "

e, because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind; to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him," eagerly expecting the explanation of this passage of holy writ. Jesus told them, that this prophecy was now fulfilled in Him; and when they hesitated to believe in "Joseph's son," and seemed to wonder why He di