24 June. 1662 Book of Common Prayer. St. John the Baptist

24 June.  1662 Book of Common Prayer. St. John the Baptist.

Saint John Baptist's Day.

The Collect.

 

ALMIGHTY God, by whose providence thy servant John Baptist was wonderfully born, and sent to prepare the way of they Son our Saviour, by preaching of repentance; Make us so to follow his doctrine and holy life, that we may truly repent according to his preaching; and after his example constantly speak the truth, boldly rebuke vice, and patiently suffer for the truth's sake; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

http://www.eskimo.com/~lhowell/bcp1662/notes/saints.html#JohnBaptist

St. John Baptist's Day. The Festival is not of the martyrdom, but of the nativity of St. John Baptist, determined, of course (see Luke i. 26, 36) by Christmas. The character of St. John, like that of his prototype Elijah (Luke i. 17; Matt. xi. 14; xvii. 10-13), stands out as the model of austere and ascetic self-sacrifice, especially fit for one who, simply preaching repentance and proclaiming God's wrath upon sin, had a comparatively narrow mission, confined to moral teaching and warning (Luke i. 17; iii. 7-14), with no miracle to work (John x. 41), and no new Gospel to declare. In the willing acceptance of this simple mission--less than that of the least in the Kingdom of Heaven (Matt. xi. 11)--as also in the renunciation of all independent authority (John i. 19-27), lies one great lesson of his life to us. (See Gospels for Third and Fourth Sundays in Advent. -- June 24th.