spair; that an Angel's voice was heard asking her, 'What aileth thee, Hagar ?'

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It was not until the altar had been built, and the wood laid in order, and Isaac bound, and laid on the altar upon the wood; not until Abraham had stretched forth his hand, and taken the knife to slay his son; that the Angel of the LORD called unto him out of Heaven, and said, 'Lay not thine hand upon the lad.' And, 'By Myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the Heaven".'

So again, at Cana's feast, it was not until the want of wine had made itself felt, that the mighty supply was produced which banished the very memory of the threatened need.-The history of the Storm on the Lake supplies another example of the same method of GOD's Providence: and our LORD's walking on the Water, again, with another. These are all examples of one and the same law, as it seems: a law written very clearly in the history of what befalls our own bodies; in the case of which, decay and sickness, d Gen. xxii. 16, 17.

• Gen. xxi. 17.

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Death itself, and the utter dissolution of all that was comely, is the indispensable prelude to future glory. It doth not indeed yet appear what we shall be; but that we shall be like to the angels, we know ; yea, and like unto Him: for we shall see Him as He is.' Moreover, from the degradation of complete decay, we are expressly informed that the change to this exceeding weight of glory' will be effected 'in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.' So that, here again, a transition is made from the lowest pitch of what it is shocking to contemplate, to the very loftiest point of our future destiny.-Shall we fail to discern, in all this, a precious earnest that blessings are ever nearest at hand when they seem to be furthest withdrawn? that we are never so close to what we long for, as when the last ray of hope has faded quite away?... CHRIST waited till Lazarus had lain four days in the grave, ere He would proceed in the direction of him whose sickness had been duly announced to Him many days before. And yet, He knew how ardently the sisters were longing for His presence; knew the extremity to which His friend was reduced. At the end of those four days, however, He went indeed, and wrought wondrously.

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Shall not these examples be our lessons, and make us wise to eternal Life? Shall they not remind us that the moment of greatest humiliation commonly precedes the moment of greatest glory? Let us only have faith in GOD; and we shall ever find His Love, manifesting itself in power, the nearest to us then, when it seems to heed us least. Let us only have faith in GOD. And even if it should be 'expedient' for us that the thing we love best should be taken away; and though He seem therein to slay us; shall we not, like righteous Job, trust in Him,' even then?

Yes, we will seek to walk by Faith, not by sight, in this matter; and to cherish the lesson of Easter Even, long after the season of Easter

has passed away. Obedience shall be our rule,

and Christian Hope our portion: and we will be content to sow now in tears, sure that thus we shall in the end reap in joy. Heaviness,' it is written, ‘ may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.' Do not those words seem as if they had been written to describe the first Easter Even, and the first Easter Day? It is, however, the privilege of Christian men to know that the words of the SPIRIT belong to every

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age, and every Season. And doubtless, the promise is an abiding one, that he that now goeth on his way weeping, and beareth forth good seed,― shall come again with joy, and bring his sheaves with him!

Easter-Bay.

THE EASTER ANTHEM.

1 CORINTHIANS V. 7.

CHRIST our Passover.

THESE words will be at once recognised as the beginning of the New Song which we sing on this day, (like the redeemed in Heavena,) in praise of the Victory of THE LAMB. Very divine is that song, which all the Churches have been this day using instead of the Psalm, 'O come, let us sing unto the LORD!' It reminds us of this day's great mystery in a very lovely manner: for, by simply bringing together the language of either Covenant, it explains, without explanation, the hidden meaning of the last Jewish Passover, by the open meaning of the first Christian Easter.

Our business shall be on this occasion, without attempting to set forth in detail the glorious doctrines which Easter-Day brings to light, rather to avail ourselves of the hint which the Church supplies in her Easter services; and first, to

• Revelation.