For while as yet the sacrifice had not been offered, nor remission of sin sent, nor the Spirit had descended on the water, how could sin be forgiven? But since the Jews never perceived their own sin, and this was the cause of all their evils, John came to bring them to a sense of them by calling them to repentance.
Reproduced in full. Translation: Oxford 1841 (Newman), public domain (Public domain).
Also cites: Hom. 10, 1