g is brought low, and all kindreds of the earth can but wail and
lament, the sons of God lift up their heads, for their salvation
draweth nigh. Nature fails, the sun shines not, and the moon is dim,
the stars fall from heaven, and the foundations of the round world
shake; but the Altar's light burns ever brighter; there are sights
there which the many cannot see, and all above the tumults of earth the
command is heard to show forth the Lord's death, and the promise that
the Lord is coming.

"Happy are the people that are in such a case!" who, when wearied of
the things seen, can turn with good hope to the things unseen; yea,
"blessed are the people who have the Lord for their God!" "Come unto
Me," He says, "all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest." Rest is better than toil; peace satisfies, and quietness
disappoints not. These are sure goods. Such is the calm of the
heavenly Jerusalem, which is the mother of us all; and such is their
calm worship, the foretaste, of heaven, who for a season shut
themselves out from the world, and seek Him in invisible Presence, whom
they shall hereafter see face to face.

[1] First Sunday after Easter.

SERMON XII.

The Gospel Feast

"_When Jesus then lifted up His eyes, and saw a great company come unto
Him, He saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread that these may
eat?_"--John vi. 5.

After these words the Evangelist adds, "And this He said to prove him,
for He Himself knew what He would do." Thus, you see, our Lord had
secret meanings when He spoke, and did not bring forth openly all His
divine sense at once. He knew what He was about to do from the first,
but He wished to lead forward His disciples, and to arrest and open
their minds, before He instructed them: for all cannot receive His
words, and on the blind and deaf the most sacred truths fall without
profit.

And thus, throughout the course of His gracious dispensations from the
beginning, it may be said that the Author and Finisher of our faith has
hid things from us in mercy, and listened to our questionings, while He
Himself knew what He was about to do. He has hid, in order afterwards
to reveal, that then, on looking back on what He said and did before,
we may see in it what at the time we did not see, and thereby see it to
more profit. Thus He hid Himself from the disciples as He walked with
them to Emmaus; thus Joseph, too, under different and yet similar
circums