become sons of God, and we must hold to and claim our privilege. It was but the other day I heard an officer of the court discoursing on some unmannerly action which had been done in his · presence, As for me,' (he said,) 'my dignity puts me above such things.' And shall a servant of an earthly king thus be strong and established in uprightness on account of his present office, and we, who are the servants of an heavenly King-the servants, say I? nay, who are ourselves kings and priests, shall we be less so? God forbid! We too must estimate our position and dignity, and put forth our strength, and then there shall be no fear of the issue.... But we must part here." "Thou hast my best thanks, brother! a door of hope is open to me, and I will no longer be faint-hearted." "God be with thee then, my friend. Fare thee well." EASTER. THE tiny flowers that cowered beneath Called by young Spring's refreshing breath, The tender blades spring up again, All gentle things that move above As bursts the flower from wintry bands So the Redeemer of all lands Thus does all Nature speak a voice And bids the Christian's heart rejoice Beside his Saviour's bier. And thus the Church doth raise each year Whose notes her faithful sons may cheer The trees that spread abroad their leaves The red ripe corn that stands in sheaves The warblings of the feathered race, So grant us, Lord, Thy freshening dew, So may our Spring's fresh promise speak Until in Autumn's fall we seek An Easter-conquered tomb! LORD JOHN MANNERS. JOHN HENRY PARKER, OXFORD AND LONDON. Tracts for the Christian Seasons. SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. "The Good Shepherd." PROPER LESSONS: Morning, Numb. xxiii. xxiv.; Evening, Numb. xxv. GOSPEL, St. John x. 11. had We learn in Holy Scripture that from very early times the land of promise was well suited to the rearing of flocks and herds. You will doubtless remember that the riches of the old patriarchs, as Abraham, Lot, and Jacob, lay chiefly in them. All of them had their sheep, and their goats. Thus "Abram was very rich. in cattle." (Gen. xiii. 2.) "Lot also flocks, and herds and tents." (Gen. xiii. 5.) Thus too we are told that "the Lord blessed" Isaac; and the man waxed "great. .. for he had possession of flocks and possession of herds." (Gen. xxvi. 12-14.)—Thus Jacob, when blessed by God, "increased exceedingly and had much cattle." (Gen. xxx. 43.) And in like manner we read that Job's "substance was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she-asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the East." (Job i. 3.) And as this was the case, not only in Judæa, but throughout the East, it is no wonder to find that the writers of those countries often drew their ideas in parables and in poetry from shepherds and their sheep. In the writings of heathen poets, good kings at the head of their armies in the field of battle are often called "shepherds" of their people, and their armies their "flocks.' And so also in sacred poetry. In the Book of Psalms, and in the Prophets, the idea of a shepherd meets us again and again. Thus David sings, "The Lord is my shepherd: therefore shall I lack nothing. He shall feed me in a green pasture, and lead me forth beside the waters of comfort." (Ps. xxiii. 1, 2.) And again, addressing God, he says, "Thou leddest Thy people like sheep by the hand of Moses and Aaron." "Hear, O Thou Shepherd of Israel; Thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep." (Ps. lxxx. 1.) Thus too Isaiah speaks in the spirit of prophecy, "He shall feed His flock like a shepherd, He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young." (Isaiah xl. 11.) These instances will be enough to shew you |