GOOD FRIDAY. "Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour" MATT. XXVII. 45. Entered into Heaven Christ our great High Priest, All the ceremonial Of Mount Sinai ceased; And beside His Father, Cross exchanged for crown, In the place Most Holy He for aye sat down. For His cry ""Tis finished" And man's grand redemption And its types and shadows Past the smoking altar! Past the slaughtered beast! Past the lambs and turtle-doves! Past the ritual priest! Past the swinging censer And the golden ark, And the oil and candlesticks Past the gorgeous vestments, Of Mosaic law, Now the Antitype has come, Now no longer needed For the Lamb on Calvary And God is a Spirit, And who worship Him Must in spirit and in truth, GOOD FRIDAY. O then, AGNUS DEI, These our hearts of clay : Cleanse each sin-stained soul, EASTER SUNDAY. "In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay." MATT. xxviii, 1-6. REAK from Thy tomb, O Jesus! on this exultant day The world looks on in wonder still at that first Easter morn, For still the world is looking on with eager, anxious gaze To that, the earliest Easter morn, best day of all the days; The Romans and the ruffian mob, the Sadducees and Jews, And all who in these later days, maintain and share their views "He saved others," they had cried, "Himself he cannot save And 'tis our happiness to know with what far-seeing care, And stole His body from its place while all around them slept. And on their unbelief and hate, and on their cautious zeal We build our faith and make our boast with unabashed appeal; To sleep on guard 'neath Roman law could never be excused : Not so: those four times four kept guard through all the darkened hours, But whilst their eyes were holden they could not see their Lord, Then hail! thou glorious Easter morn in each succeeding year, And with the Easter morn we hail the beauties of the spring: Black clouds that darkened all the sky just two short days ago, But as ye go, just give a call to every truant bird, And tell it all the joyous news that ye this day have heard; And bid it haste o'er land and sea upon its homeward way To welcome back the Easter-tide with its most rapt'rous lay. Sweet-scented violets, breathe ye forth your delicate perfume, And lift your tender faces up to greet the glowing skies. EASTER SUNDAY. Ye are more lovely paintings than ever artist traced: * Or how could sculptor copy you with all his vaunted art, Or to dead stone with all his skill your God-made form impart ? Or where has Coventry a loom, or far-famed Spitalfields, That fabric to compare with your's, with all its cunning yields? Ye are a fitting flower to greet the Resurrection Morn Springing from out the wintry soil, the landscape to adorn, While all around you lie the leaves, decayed and brown and sear Which fell before the scathing blast in the old byegone year. But midst those old and faded leaves whose verdure long has fled, From all the fetters of the grave-from His sepulchral prison. If Christ indeed had risen not, then were our hopes in vain, And useless were all faith in Him, for we had nought to gain; And those who followed Him on earth and all who since believed Were by His words and deeds misled, imposed on, and deceived. But if He truly rose again in spite of watch and seal, And four quaternions vainly tried His body to conceal, And we can forward look to when our Master shall return And shall fulfil the great events for which our spirits yearn: Then welcome! welcome! Easter day, while time itself shall last- • See note E, page 83. |