The Epistle. Col. iii. 1.

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ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth: For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience. In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.

The Gospel. St. John xx. J.

HE first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. Then she runneth and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. Peter therefore went forth,

THE EPISTLE.-In ancient times, this Sabbath was called Dominica Gaudii, or, the Lord's Day of Joy; and slavery, poverty, and affliction of every kind, were brought from the retreats of misery, that the world might have a visible exemplification of the power of Christ and His Gospel to work our deliverance. The Epistle addresses us as having experienced in our souls the mighty working of that Spirit whereby He himself arose from the dead. On this our spiritual participation in His triumph over sin and death, it establishes an argument for holiness so direct and yet so profound, that we may ask with wonder, how is it that any one can hope for salvation through the sufferings of Christ, and yet remain contentedly subject to the influence of sin? The power of the resurrection is even now working in those who are finally to be delivered. Already Christ sees of the travail of His soul, and is assured by the conversion of sinners that He did not suffer in vain ; but were His people still left under bondage to sin, had they not escaped, through the applications of

and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. So they ran both together; and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre; and he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie; and the napkin that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in also that other disciple which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. For as yet they knew not the Scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.

faith and grace, the follies and corruptions of the world, where would be His joy, or how could it be said that His kingdom is come upon earth, or that the life of believers is "hid with Him in God?" The mortification of vicious desires is the being crucified with Christ; and he alone can truly and with reasonable confidence rejoice in the triumphs of this day who has so offered himself as a living sacrifice on the Cross of his Saviour. Blessed are they who have already prepared themselves in this manner for the keeping of Easter! and great is their happiness who, having learnt the goodness of God by the working of His preventing grace, are preparing themselves to make the sacrifice which, though too long deferred, is now ready for the Lord's acceptance.

THE GOSPEL. The veneration which Christ had inspired did not cease with His earthly career. Though in the grave, He still exercised, by the sublimity of His doctrines, and the memorials of charity and holiness which He had left behind, a deep and unchanging power over the affections of His followers. The presence of Mary Magdalene and others at His grave, preventing the dawn of day by their assiduity, affords an interesting proof of this permanency of their devotion, and of its independence in respect to other and grauder evidences of His divinity. But early as they were at the tomb,-early as love and veneration had broken their slumbers-Christ had left His bed in the tomb before them. The Sun of Righteousness rose to shed His benignant beams upon the world long before the natural day returned to diffuse its lustre on suffering mankind. And thus it was at the first,— God's love poured forth its streams of blessed light, preparing thereby both nourishment and a path for the light which was to supply the inferior necessities of our nature. But let us look at the little group which surrounds the tomb. Nearest to it, and with sorrow, penitence, and love depicted on her countenance, stands Mary Magdalene, the emancipated and the purified. There also is St. John, his thoughtful look almost illuminated with hope and anticipated triumph even at the grave of his Master; and there, too, stands St. Peter, his eyes scarce dry, his whole appearance that of one who still feels the anguish of some recollected instance of ingratitude perpetrated against a beloved and lamented friend. To some one or the other in that little group we may, perhaps, liken ourselves. Happy for us if we can do so; for to every one in that circle did “ the sun of righteousness arise with healing on his wings" Peter, not content with the general announcement made to him by Mary, enters the sepulchre. John follows him. The grave then, for the first time, lost its terrors. It had given up the dead, retaining only the memorials of its own defeat. Had the minds of the two Apostles been at that moment sufficiently free from wonder, they would have exclaimed, “ O death where is thy sting! O grave where is thy victory?" But the sublime truth filled them with unutterable awe and delight. They now saw that they had not believed in vain. Peter could repeat with new devotion, "Thou art indeed the Christ, the Son of the living God;" and John rejoice with a deeper joy than ever in the manifested truth and glory of his Master. For mankind at large it was the mightiest event that had ever occurred. It was equivalent to a new creation; for with Christ the whole world arose, as it were, from the grave of sin to life and gladness.

LMIGHTY God, who through thy only-begotten Son Jesus Christ hast overcome death, and opened unto us the gate of everlasting life; We humbly beseech thee, that, as by thy special grace preventing us thou dost put into our minds good desires, so by thy continual help we may bring the same to good effect; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.

Amen.

THE COLLECT.-Not only was the whole of Easter week anciently observed with religious festivity, but the period which intervened between that week and Whitsuntide, was almost entirely devoted to similar exercises of holy gratitude. The times are changed, and mankind have generally come to the conclusion that the business of the world could not go on were so much attention paid to the claims of religion and the church. It may be alleged, we fear, with better reason, that the long-continued festivities of the early Christians were in later times so much abused to purposes of superstition, on the one hand, and licentiousness on the other, that it was the part of wisdom to abridge their duration. Our reformers acted on the conviction that such was the case; and therefore limited the festival to the Monday and Tuesday. To the observance of these days it affectionately calls its faithful children; and surely they who feel what it is to have been redeemed from death will not think they make a too expensive sacrifice, though they should, for the third part of a week, give themselves up to the worship and praise of their Benefactor.

The Epistle. Acts x. 34.

ETER opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons; but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ; (he is Lord of all;) that word (I say) ye know, which was published throughout all Judæa, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost, and with power; who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil: for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all things which he did, both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew, and hanged on a tree: Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly; not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he who was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his Name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.

THE EPISTLE.-The great theme of the first preachers was the resurrection. On this they insisted with the deepest interest whether addressing Jews or Gentiles. The Pharisees and Sadducees of Jerusalem, and the proud philosophers of Athens, were to be argued with on this solemn truth, the crucified Jesus has risen from the dead. "Him God raised up the third day, and showed Him openly; not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God." The assertion of a fact is far more open to contradiction, unless supported by the firmest evidence, than any species of doctrine or theory. In coming forward, therefore, with a plain and direct statement of their Master's resurrection, the disciples of Christ pursued a course which they dare not have attempted to follow but with the knowledge that they were speaking truth. The miracle of the resurrection was not witnessed by the proud and disbelieving multitude who had despised all the preceding manifestations of the divine power in Christ. But to those who already gladly owned him as their Master, He proved His return from the grave by frequent personal communications; and not confining this simple and incontrovertible proof of His resurrection to His Apostles merely, He appeared to "five hundred brethren at once." These chosen witnesses evinced their conviction of the truth of what they asserted, by stating it fearlessly in the face of powerful enemies, and then gladly laying

The Gospel. St. Luke xxiv. 13.

EHOLD, two of his disciples went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass, that while they communed together, and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. But their eyes were holden, that they should not know him. And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad? And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering, said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word, before God and all the people: and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and besides all this, to-day is the third day since these things were done. Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre; and when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said; but him they saw not. Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: ought not

down their lives in proof both of their faithfulness and their innocency. The sufferings of their Master were not forgotten, and nothing could have taught either Peter, or any other follower of Christ, to continue the preaching of His doctrines, after they saw Him die, except the knowledge that He had triumphed over the power of the grave, and that they should triumph in Him.