Identifier: livesoffathersma456butl (find matches)
Title: The lives of the fathers, martyrs, and other principal saints;
Year: 1846 (1840s)
Authors: Butler, Alban, 1711-1773
Subjects:
Publisher: New York, D. & J. Sadlier
Contributing Library: University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Digitizing Sponsor: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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ree of grace and sanctity to which he was raised, surpassed,according to the oracle of truth itself, all the ancient patriarchs and prophets.His father Zachary was a holy priest of the family of Abia, one of thetwenty-four sacerdotal families into which the children of Aaron were di-vided, in order that they might all serve in the temple by turns. Elizabeth,the wife of this virtuous priest, was also descended of the house of Aaron,though probably her mother was of the tribe of Juda, she being cousin tothe Blessed Virgin. The Holy Ghost assures us that Zachary and Eliza-beth were both just, by true virtue, not by an imperfect or false piety, whichis scrupulous in some points only the better to cover certain favorite pas-sions ; which hypocrisy may often obtain the deceitful suffrage of men, butcan never be pleasing in the divine eyes. The Adrtue of these saints wassincere and perfect, And they walked in all the commandments and justi- J Serm. 290. s Luke i. 15, 41. s gt. Bern. Ep. 174.
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ST JKDMT^ June 24.) s. john the baptist. 639 fications of .the Lord without blame. So impenetrable are the foldings ofthe human heart, that we have reason to fear the disguise of some secretpassions even in our best actions. But blessed are they whom Godcommends. Zachary lived probably at Hebron, a sacerdotal town in the western partof the tribe of Juda, in the hilly country, about twenty miles from Jerusa-lem. David, when he appointed the service of the temple that was to bebuilt, divided the priests into twenty-four courses, who were to officiate inthe temple by turns, each a week at a time. Among these that of Abiawas reckoned the eighth in the time of David. It was usual for the priestsof each family or course, when it came to their turn, to choose by lot amongthemselves the men who were to perform the several parts of the service ofthat week. It fell to the lot of Zachary, in the turn of his ministration, tooffer the daily morning and evening sacrifice of incense on the golden al

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