When the two faithful servants had accomplished this task with tender, reverent care, Jan set off at once, with all the haste possible to his old limbs, to fetch the doctor from St. Elvyn. He had suggested going to look for Annie first, but this Mally had checked most decidedly. 'No, I weddent call she for the world. peace, dear love; she'll know it a' too soon.' (To be continued.) Let Miss Annie bide in R ROCK OF AGES. OCK of Ages, cleft for me,' Thoughtlessly the maiden sung; Fell the words unconsciously From her girlish gleeful tongue; Sang as little children sing, Sang as sing the birds in June; 'Rock of Ages, cleft for me, 'Let me hide myself in Thee.' Felt her soul no need to hide ? Sweet the song as song could be, And she had no thought beside; All the words unheedingly Fell from lips untouched by care, 'Rock of Ages, cleft for me, 'Rock of Ages, cleft for me.' 'Twas a woman sang them now, Pleadingly and prayerfully; Every word her heart did know. 'Rock of Ages, cleft for me, 'Rock of Ages, cleft for me.' Voice grown weak and eyes grown 'Let me hide myself in Thee.' Trembling though the voice and low, Rose the sweet strain peacefully Like a river in its flow: Sung above a coffin lid; All life's joys and sorrows hid. Nevermore from wind or tide, 'Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee.' Could the sightless, sunken eyes, Closed beneath the soft grey hair, Could the mute and stiffened lips Move again in pleading prayer? Still, aye still, the words would be, 'Let me hide myself in Thee.' 'Rock of Ages, cleft for me, IN a waste piece of ground that rises as a bank from one of the roads near us there had gradually grown up some magnificent gorse-bushes, or, as they are called in Scotland and Ireland, whins.' One Easter-time the blossom on these bushes was more abundant than usual. The whole air for some distance round the spot was redolent with the sweetness of their fragrant, golden bloom. We seldom passed the place without remarking how beautiful the gorse was that year, and picking, in spite of its sharp thorns, a piece of the bright blossom. But one day there was no sweet perfume wafted to us before we came in sight of the gorse-bank, and when we reached it we found in the place, which before looked as if gilded, nothing but a few charred branches and black ashes! Some one had set fire to the beautiful gorse and burnt it to the ground! We turned sadly away-there were now no bright flowers or refreshing fragrance. Two months after this I passed the same spot, and saw that through the ashes and blackened sticks were springing up a number of bright, green shoots, which gave every promise of welcoming next Easter-tide with a brighter and more abundant mass of golden blossoms than before! Then I thought how, from the gorse-b.sh springing greener and more beautiful from the ashes of its parent, we can draw a picture of Christ's holy Church, which, when her enernies strive to burn down and destroy, ever rises stronger and purer from the stake and prison where her members have suffered and died for her sake! While as the gorse-bush blooms brightest at Easter it brings to the Christian's mind the thought of that first Easter-day when the angels pointed to the empty tomb and spoke to the weeping women those glad words which ring in our heart each returning Easter, He is not here; He is risen." So even the despised gorse-bush calls to us in the language of the Christian poet :— Rise, heart, thy Lord is risen; sing His praise Without delayes, Who takes thee by the hand, that thou likewise That as His death calcinèd thee to dust His life may make thee gold, and much more just.' Short Sermon. BY THE LATE REV. CANON KINGSLEY. PALM SUNDAY. Isa. L. 5, 6.- The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.' HIS portion of Scripture sets before us Isaiah as a type, that is, a picture or pattern, of our Lord Jesus Christ, and Isaiah's sufferings as types and pictures of the Passion of our Blessed Lord, which He endured for us. We can all see at first sight something of the likeness between Isaiah and the Lord Jesus. The sad and painful words in the text surely must remind us of that Spotless Lamb of God, who for our sakes endured insults, shame, and misery, such as we should not dare to think or speak of openly, if the Church had not commanded us-this once, at least, in the year--to meditate upon the Death and Passion of our Lord, and look upon that Bleeding Lamb-God sacrificing Himself for us-He whom our sins have pierced, on whom was laid the chastisement which bought our peace, and by whose stripes we are healed. He, too, though He was very God of very God begotten-He, too, who, though He was Lord of Earth and Heaven stooped to take upon Him the form of a slave. But do not fancy that this passage of Scripture is chosen for to-day, only on account of this single verse in it; or that Isaiah's sufferings were a type of our Lord's sufferings, only because he, too, was scourged and spit upon. Those are only the outward accidents, and not the inward and spiritual essence of the likeness between Isaiah and his Lord. The Lord fulfilled Isaiah's stripes and mockings when He endured more than ever man endured before or since. But He fulfilled also Isaiah's spiritual passion-the fears, the struggle, the victory of faith, which went on in Isaiah's soul! Ay, more! Christ, the Prince of Sufferers, the King of Martyrs, fulfilled in His own person.every affliction which was ever endured, or ever will be endured, for God's sake, by God's martyrs and confessors, from the time of righteous Abel unto this day. And why? Because Isaiah, like all other suffering saints, endured by faith in God. By faith' (says St. Paul, in the Epistle to the Hebrews), by faith David, and Samuel, and all the prophets, subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, out of weakness were made strong; they waxed valiant in fight and others had trials of cruel mockings and scourgings; yea, moreover, of bonds and imprisonments; they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword; they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy These all died in faith.' But Christ alone lived the life of perfect faith, of perfect obedience, and finished the perfect life by a perfect martyrdom. See how Christ fulfilled in Himself each verse in the text! In the fifth verse Isaiah said, that though he listened to God's teaching, he was but a weak man like ourselves, and obeyed God imperfectly, even as the best of saints do here. But Christ obeyed God perfectly, as He said of Himself (John, vi. 38), 'I do not mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me.' To speak His Father's words, to do His Father's will, to show forth His Father's glory, which is love and righteousness, Christ was born, and lived, and died! Christ alone perfectly fulfilled that prophecy of David's, as St. Paul tells us in his Epistle to the Hebrews. Then said I, Lo I come; in the volume of the book it is written of me, that I should fulfil Thy will, O my God. I am content to do it; yea, Thy law is within my heart.' Again, what was Isaiah's reward? What did men do to him for preaching righteousness to them, and witnessing to them that God was their King? He says, 'I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. I hid not my face from shame and spitting.' Nay, there is an old story, which is most probably true, that Isaiah died a martyr-that he was miserably and horribly put to death by King Manasseh, by being sawn asunder while he was alive. Martyrdom was Isaiah's reward among men. And what was the reward of Isaiah's Master, Isaiah's Teacher, Isaiah's Lord and God, of whom He bore witness, when Christ went about doing good, healing the sick, cleansing the leper, preaching on earth peace, goodwill towards men? What return did they give unto Him for all the benefits He had bestowed on them? The Gospel for this day tells us. (Mark, xv. 15.) And so Pilate, willing to content the people, delivered Jesus, when he had scourged Him, to be crucified. And the soldiers led Him away; and they clothed Him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and began to salute Him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they smote Him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon Him; and, bowing their knees, worshipped Him. And when they had mocked Him, they took off the purple from Him and put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him. And they bring Him unto the place called Golgotha, and they gave Him to drink wine mingled with myrrh. When they had crucified Him they parted His garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. And it was the third hour, and they crucified Him... And with Him they crucify two thieves, the one on His right hand and the other on His left. And the Scripture was fulfilled which said, And He was numbered with the transgressors. And they that passed by railed on Him, saying, Ah! Thou that destroyest the temple and buildest it in three days, save Thyself, and come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests, mocking, said among themselves with the people, He saved others, Himself He cannot save. Let Christ, the King of Israel, descend from the Cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with Him reviled Him.' Then did the Lord fulfil all suffering, agony, and sorrow that ever was, or ever shall be upon earth. Then did Christ taste death for every man, that (as the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews says) He might be the Captain of our salvation, perfected through suffering! For, as the same writer says, 'He who sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will declare Thy Name among my brethren.' And thus it appears that the Lord Jesus fulfilled the rest of this prophecy of Isaiah's. Christ came, as Isaiah did, to declare the name of God to His brethren, the sinful children of men, and to declare it perfectly. He came to suffer for the name of God, as Isaiah did, and He was perfected by sufferings. And, lastly, Christ came as Isaiah did, to show the conquering power of faith. For what gave Isaiah courage to endure stripes, and shame, and spitting? Let him speak for himself: 'I hid not my face from shame and spitting, for the Lord God will help me: therefore shall I not be confounded; therefore have I set my face as a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. He is near that justifieth me. Who will contend with me? Let us stand together: who is mine adversary? Let him come near me. Behold, the Lord God will help me! Who is he that shall condemn me? Who is among you that walketh in darkness and hath no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon God.' his This is the spirit of faith in God, and the spirit by which all good, and holy, and noble, and self-denying deeds, have ever been done. This is the Spirit whose glorious work we praise when we speak of— The glorious company of the apostles; The holy Church throughout all the world. For this is the Spirit who has given them courage in the face of |