V. Strauss.

15

With all who, sorely anguish'd 'Neath the burden of their sins, Long in woe have languished.

O Blessed Rock!

Soon grant Thy flock

To see Thy Sabbath morning,
Strife and pain will all be past

When that day is dawning. Amen.

Eastertide.

C. Winkworth (tr.)

"This is the Day which the LORD hath made."

'Tis the Day of Resurrection

Earth! tell it out abroad!

The Passover of Gladness

The Passover of GOD!

From Death to Life Eternal

From earth unto the sky,

Our CHRIST hath brought us over,

With hymns of victory.

Our hearts be pure from evil
That we may see aright
The LORD in rays eternal
Of Resurrection-Light:

And listening to His accents

May hear so calm and plain
His own-All Hail!-and hearing,
May raise the victor strain!

Now let the Heavens be joyful !
Let earth her song begin!
Let the round world keep triumph,
And all that is therein:
Invisible and visible

Their notes let all things blend-
For CHRIST the LORD hath risen,--
Our Joy that hath no end. Amen.

S. John Damascene.

Neale.

16

Ascensiontide.

"On His head were many crowns."

WHO is this that comes in glory, with the trump of jubilee ?

LORD of battles, GoD of armies, He has gained the victory! He Who on the cross has suffered, He Who from the

grave arose,

He has vanquished Sin and Satan, He by death has spoiled His foes.

Now our heavenly Aaron enters, with His Blood, within the veil ;

Joshua now is come to Canaan, and the Kings before Him quail:

Now He plants the tribe of Israel in their promised resting-place,

Now our great Elijah offers double portion of His grace,

Thou hast raised our human nature to Thy seat at God's right Hand,

There we sit in Heavenly Places, there with Thee in glory stand:

JESUS reigns, adored by Angels; Man with God is on the Throne;

Mighty LORD, in Thine Ascension, we by faith behold

our own.

Lift us up from Earth to Heaven, give us wings of faith and love,

Gales of holy aspiration, wafting us to Realms Above, That with hearts and minds uplifted, we with CHRIST our LORD may dwell,

Where He sits enthroned in glory, in His Heavenly Citadel !

Glory be to God the FATHER, glory be to God the Son, Dying, risen, ascending for us, Who the Heavenly Realm has won;

Glory to the HOLY SPIRIT; THREE in ONE and ONE in THREE;

Glory both in Earth and Heaven, glory, endless glory be. Amen.

Archd. Wordsworth.

17

HOLY GHOST, Illuminator, shed Thy beams upon our eyes,

Help us to look up with Stephen, and to see beyond the skies,

Where the Son of Man in glory standing is at God's right Hand,

Beckoning on His martyr army, succouring His faithful band.

See Him Who is gone before us, Heavenly Mansions to prepare;

See Him Who is ever pleading for us with prevailing

prayer;

See Him Who, with sound of trumpet and with His angelic train,

Summoning the world to judgment, on the clouds will come again.

So at last, when He appeareth, we from out our graves may spring,

With our youth renewed, like eagles', flocking round our Heavenly King:

And, caught up in clouds of Heaven, we may meet Him in the air,

Rise to Realms where He is reigning, and may reign for ever There.

Lift us up from Earth to Heaven, give us wings of faith and love,

Gales of holy aspiration, wafting us to Realms Above, That with hearts and minds uplifted, we with CHRIST our LORD may dwell,

Where He sits enthroned in glory, in His Heavenly Citadel!

Glory be to GOD the FATHER, glory be to God the Son, Dying, risen, ascending for us, Who the Heavenly Realm has won ;

Glory to the HOLY SPIRIT, THREE in ONE and ONE in THREE;

Glory both in Earth and Heaven, glory, endless glory be. Amen.

Archd. Wordsworth.

The Annunciation.

"Hail thou that art highly favoured."

18 AVE MARIA! blessed Maid!
Lily of Eden's fragrant shade,
Who can express the love

That nurtured thee so pure and sweet,
Making thy Heart a shelter meet
For JESUS' Holy Dove?

Ave Maria! Mother blest,
To whom caressing and caressed,
Clings the Eternal Child;
Favoured beyond Archangels' dream,
When first on thee with tenderest gleam
The new-born SAVIOUR smiled.

Thou wept'st meek Maiden, Mother mild,
Thou wept'st upon Thy sinless Child,
Thy very Heart was riven:

And yet, what mourning matron here
Would deem Thy sorrows bought too dear
By all on this side Heaven?

A SON that never did amiss,

That never shamed His Mother's kiss,
Nor crossed her fondest prayer:
Even from the Tree He deigned to bow
For her His agonized Brow,

Her, His sole earthly care.

Ave Maria! thou whose name
All but adoring love may claim,

Yet may we reach thy Shrine ;

For He, thy SON and SAVIOUR VOWS
To crown all lowly brows

With love and joy like thine. Amen.

Keble.

Nativity of S. John the Baptist.

"Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist."

19 On that, once more, to sinful men descending,
Thou from polluted lips their chains wert rending,
So, Holy John, might worthy hymns ascending,
Tell of thy wonders.

Lo! from the hill of Heaven's Eternal Glory,
Comes a bright herald to thy father hoary,
Gives thee thy name, thy birth and wondrous story,
Truly foretelling.

But, while the heavenly word he disbelieveth,
Lo! all his power of ready utt'rance leaveth,
Till by thy birth his tongue again receiveth
Power of speaking.

Thou, while thy mother's womb was thee containing,
Knewest thy King, in secret still remaining,
Thus was each parent through her child obtaining
Knowledge of myst'ries.

Thou, young in years, in desert caverns hidest
There, from the noisy town retreat providest,
There too, from strife of sinful tongues abidest
Pure and unspotted

Thou from the camel's skin a garment gainest,
And from the sheep a girdle rude obtainest,
Water thy drink, with scanty food and plainest,
Honey and locusts.