Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” Anciently it was the custom, when kings traveled in countries where the roads were rough, to send a company ahead of the royal chariot, to smooth the steep places, and to fill up the hollows. This was the work to be done by John; for he was to prepare the way of the Lord. He was to be as a voice crying in the wilderness: “Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every