youth we begin, as it were, to die; here death is, and sickness, and many griefs; but there in the promised land, the heavenly Jerusalem, all is bright as with an eternal sun, for "the Lamb is the light thereof;" there is the light of the perfect day; there our vile bodies are changed into glorious bodies; there earthly love, purified of its dross, is perfected in the presence of God; there the redeemed put on their crowns, and everlasting joy will be upon their heads; there, with all holy angels, will they offer all praise unto the Lamb, and delight themselves in Him who is the quickening Spirit, worshipping Him in joyful hymns, sweeter than any earthly ear can understand, and giving honour and glory to Him, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God blessed for evermore.

Bow then your whole soul before your risen Lord with deepest and most fervent thankfulness. Who should separate you from Christ? What should dwell in your heart and your heart of hearts but God? Talk not now of earthly pleasure or pomps or riches, while we are contemplating the resurrection. There is nothing worthy of our care but God only; nothing worthy of pursuit but that promised home, where of the faithful followers of Christ it is written, that God "shall wipe all

tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain.

Yet of the unfaithful, of the unholy, what must we say? Surely to them this Easter news is but darker tidings than those of death, except they instantly repent. Of the resurrection to damnation, who dare think without horror and great fear? O thou who hast followed me through these lines, serve this risen and most gracious Lord! serve Him with all your heart, who has done such great things for the sons of men! serve Him with all your soul and strength, that thou mayest be numbered amongst the saints in glory everlasting, through Him, your Saviour. Amen, Amen.

DEVOTION.

BLESSED Jesus, who didst once bow Thyself to death and overcome death, we draw near unto Thee this day to worship Thee and to bless Thee, to give Thee all thanks and praise for Thy great victory over hell. To Thee, the Conqueror of death, the Captain of our salvation, who didst lay down Thy life and take it again out of the enemy's hand, we draw near, that we may be conquerors through Thee who hast loved us. We confess Thee, O Lord, to be the Giver of victory, the Author of salvation to all them that believe, the Author and Finisher of our faith, our great High-Priest, our Passover sacrificed for us, the Resurrection and the Life.

O Thou, who didst once pass through the pains of death, be with us, good Lord, with Thy Spirit in our hour of death; for Thou knowest our human fears and our dread of death, and wilt have compassion upon us in our need. O Thou, who didst once lay Thy most holy body in the grave, and didst there rest from the work of redemption finished upon the cross, cause our bodies to rest in peace, and suffer us not to die till we have served Thee acceptably, and have finished to the uttermost of our power our appointed work.

O Thou, whose soul did pass into paradise from the cross, and did there tarry among the spirits of Thy

saints, send Thy holy angels to carry our souls when we die into Abraham's bosom, that we may tarry in that joyful place with the faithful who have gone hence, till Thou dost reveal Thy more perfect joy.

O Thou, who didst raise Thy body from the grave by the power of Thy Godhead, raise up our mortal bodies at the last day, and glorify them. When Thou dost raise us up, change our vile bodies, that they may be like unto Thy glorious body. Grant that that which is sown in corruption may be raised in incorruption, that which is sown in dishonour may be raised in glory, that which is sown in weakness may be raised in power, that which is sown a natural body may be raised a spiritual body, the earthy being transformed into the heavenly, the corruptible putting on incorruption, and the mortal immortality. O grant us, dear Lord, this change! O grant us to be partakers of Thy resurrection! O quicken our affections towards Thee, our faith in Thee, our love of Thee and of our brethren, that we may have a good hope of attaining Thy mercy, of being forgiven our trespasses, of being raised up to Thy kingdom of heaven.

JOHN HENRY PARKER, OXFORD AND LONDON.

Tracts for the Christian Seasons.

EASTER MONDAY.

Death.

ONE Easter Monday I was sitting in my room, gazing at the pictures which adorned the walls; and as my eye glanced along from one to the other, it rested at last upon one painted with some cleverness, and designed to represent "Time," after the style of the allegorical pictures of the last age. The figure was that of an old man, with a scythe in his hand, and an hourglass by his side; and the painter had contrived to give the expression of haste to his countenance with much success. I sat for some time half idly, half thoughtfully admiring the artist's skill. As I continued gazing, it seemed to me that the figure began to move; at first I thought that some draught stirred the canvass, but the door was shut, and it was, moreover, a calm spring day. The motion of the figure soon became more decided