The First Sunday after Easter.

LMIGHTY Father, who hast given thine only Son to die for our sins, and to rise again for our justification; Grant us so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness, that we may alway serve thee in pureness of living and truth; through the merits of the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE COLLECT. It is a wonderful proof of the Almighty's goodness that He should permit us to address Him by the title of Father. We require many arguments and proofs of benevolence to convince us, that we have authority to approach with such a title the infinite and eternal God. And we are not without these assurances that He willingly hears us when our lips pronounce Him, what our hearts ought to feel Him to be, our Father, as well as our Lord and Creator. The benignity displayed in nature, the merciful arrangements of Providence, and all the diversified means employed for the recovery of the human race from sin and misery, afford in their several classes a distinct manifestation of God's paternal goodness. But while all these united would be inferior to that proof of Fatherly regard alluded to in this Collect, so is each enlarged and confirmed thereby, for the blessings of redemption seal every inferior good with the siguet of eternal love. The First Sunday after Easter was formerly called Low-Sunday,—that is, inferior in dignity to Easter Day itself: and sometimes Dominica in Albis, in reference to the change of garments which took place,-the newly-baptized now laying aside their white robes. The present Collect is that originally inserted in the reformed Liturgy, and used at the Second Communion on Easter Day. It was afterwards omitted, and the first for Easter Day repeated.

The Epistle. 1 St. John v. 4.

HATSOEVER is born of God overcometh the world; and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood: and it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God, which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar, because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life; and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son hath not life.

one.

THE EPISTI.E.-St. John vindicates his right to the character of the " beloved disciple" by the close correspondence of all that he says to the doctrine of his adorable Master. The necessity of divine regeneration was insisted upon by Jesus, as occupying every portal to the kingdom of heaven; and St. John tells us that whoever is thus re-born," overcometh the world," the dark antagonist of righteousness. Christ came by water and blood: by water, when He consecrated baptism to the washing away of sin, and as the sign of His own new covenant; and by blood, when He poured it forth upon the Cross, cleansing thereby the defiled conscience, and satisfying the offended justice of Jehovah. The Father bore witness to His truth by the miracles which He wrought in Him; and to His innocence by raising Him from the dead: and the Holy Spirit gave like testimony to Jesus, confirming whatever He had taught,-establishing the hearts of His disciples in the pure doctrine of the Cross, and leading them forth by His own invincible energy to the conquest of the world. And while the Father and the Holy Ghost testify to the truth of Christ, so does He also bear witness to them. In Him are manifested the goodness and the justice of the former; the sublime attributes of the truth and wisdom which belong to the other. Uniting in the work of salvation, they bear witness both in heaven and on earth to the stedfastness of the decree whereby man is saved through the infinite love of God, and yet by methods which are as accordant with His justice, as they are illustrative of His mercy. But happy are we that it depends not upon our reasoning to find out the way of salvation. We have the plain and ineffaceable record, "that God hath given to us eternal life; and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son hath not life."

The Gospel. St. John xx. 19.

HE same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut, where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he shewed

unto them his hands and his side.

Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the holy Ghost. Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained.

THE GOSPEL.-Again we contemplate the wonderful appearance of Christ to His disciples on the day of the resurrection. The circumstance is in itself sufficiently interesting to command attention. All our natural doubts and fears are wrought upon by such an event. Death-so long, so instinctively regarded as unconquerable-had been made to confess itself vanquished. The grave-so terrible to the eye and the imagination-had admitted the fresh air and the broad daylight of heaven, for a Being who had experienced the power of both, was now seen among His accustomed companions in the full strength and glory of humanity. But the wonder was accompanied by a mystery:-Jesus appeared in the midst of His disciples with the suddenness of a spirit. Though bearing the substantial form of living man, He was known to have come from unseen worlds, the inhabitants of which had nothing in common with the nature or laws of material beings. Awe, approaching to terror, was the first sentiment which might be expected to occupy the minds of men on such an occasion. The human soul involuntarily shrinks from contact with that which seems to belong to the empire of death, to which, since the fall, all has ever been supposed to pertain that has passed through the grave. "They were terrified and affrighted," says St. Luke," and supposed that they had seen a spirit." But St. John passes over the recollection of the fear excited at the first appearance of Jesus, to fix for ever in men's minds the delightful memory of His benignant greeting. The wonder, we have said, was accompanied by a mystery: both were embraced in a blessing. "Peace be with you!" were the gracious words which fell from the lips of the risen Saviour, as "Peace I leave with you" were among the last which He spoke when He was about to enter upon His sufferings. Gladness filled the hearts of the disciples when thus addressed. Astonishment yielded to the sweeter emotions of love and gratitude. And yet was there another feeling to be awakened ;-another link to be added to the chain of new thoughts and sentiments which had its commencement with the manifestation of Christ as the resurrection and the life. Again He says to His now adoring disciples, "Peace be unto you!" and they find themselves endowed with an authority which elevates them at once above all who ever before conveyed the knowledge of God's will to mankind. It is of vast importance to the right understanding of Scripture that we attend to the sequence of occurrences. Christ gave His Apostles the right of proclaiming the pardon of sinners, or their continuance in condemnation. We ask, How can man forgive sins? Is it not reserved to God alone to pronounce the remission of the penalties of iniquity? But on looking attentively at the narrative, we find it especially recorded, that Christ had breathed on His Apostles, and said to them, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost!" before He endowed them with that otherwise unaccountable gift of authority to declare sins pardoned, or to declare them retained.