up thither; the firstfruit of the Harvest of all the Earth?

With one remark more, I shall conclude. To no subject sooner than to Holy Scripture itself should our thoughts be turned throughout this holy season; for there at least we behold a work instinct with God's Holy Spirit: there at least GOD'S Holy Spirit dwells in a bodily shape. Let me invite you to notice concerning much that it contains, (and this verse of the 68th Psalm, as quoted and explained by S. Paul, is a good example of what I am about to say,)-pray note, that it is often truer to speak of the fulness of Scripture than to speak of its difficulty. Difficult texts there are in Holy Scripture, indeed; but there are yet more full texts and I invite you, beyond all things, to meditate on the fulness of the words of God.

I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you.

GREAT and manifold are the treasures of Heavenly wisdom in the discourse of our LORD to His Apostles on the night before He suffered, contained in the xivth. xyth, and xvith. chapters of the Gospel according to S. John. It is like "an Eucharistic Sermon; more than Human in sympathy -more than Angelic in sweetness - most Divine in doctrine." All His sayings on that occasion relate, more or less, to the Mission of the COMFORTER; for which reason these three chapters supply no less than eight of the Gospels for Sundays and Saints' Days at this season of the year. Let me in the briefest way remind you of what seem to be the chief results from that memorable farewell discourse of the SAVIOUR with the men whom He had "chosen out of the World."

His approaching departure from them is the first thing which attracts notice; coupled as it is with a mysterious intimation that His depar

ture was only with a view to His future return. But when? Of this, He says nothing as yet: but He explains that the gracious purpose of His departure is in order to prepare a place for those who love Him: and this, with a view to His coming again, and receiving them unto Himself; that where He is, there they may be also. But here, He gives them to understand that some great present benefit is to result to them from His departure; and He explains that this is the gift of the COMFORTER, which is the HOLY GHOST. "I will pray the FATHER, and He shall give you another COMFORTER, that He may abide with you for ever." And in connexion with this promise, comes the intimation that the indispensable preliminary to the Coming of the HOLY GHOST,-the one condition of His bestowal, is the departure of the SON; His return to the bosom of the Eternal FATHER.

And here it is that the full mysteriousness of the subject begins to break upon us for whereas our LORD had before spoken of "the ComFORTER which is the HOLY GHOST, whom the FATHER will send in My Name," He now, in explaining that the expediency of His going away arises from the fact that if He goes not away the COMFORTER will not come unto them,

adds, "but if I depart, I will send Him unto you. And so, just before, He had said, "the COMFORTER whom I will send unto you from the FATHER." All His sayings in this place evidently depend upon the great fundamental truth that the FATHER is in the Sox, and the SON in the FATHER. Hence that mysterious declaration to Philip,-"Have I been so long time with you, and yet, hast thou not known Me, Philip? He that hath seen Me, hath seen the FATHER." Hence also, it follows that whatsoever the FATHER doeth, that the SoN doeth likewise.

But the wonder does not end here. Not only is the FATHER in the SON, and the SoN in the FATHER, but they both are in the SPIRIT, and the SPIRIT in them both. Hence, our LORD, follows up His declaration, ("the Holy GHOST dwelleth with you and shall be in you,") by the promise, "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come unto you." And to complete the wonder, He presently adds," If a man love Me, he will keep My words and My FATHER will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him." The meaning clearly is, that the indwelling of the SPIRIT, by virtue of the mystery of the Divine Nature, procures,

the presence of the FATHER also, and of the SON inasmuch as the Persons of the Trinity are inseparable.

"Wonderful is it," (remarks a pious writer who is now with the Saints in bliss,)" how the highest points of doctrine respecting the FATHER, the Sox, and the HOLY GHOST are interwoven throughout so as to render them, humanly speaking, replete with difficulties and contradictions, for which no key is furnished but by the Catholic Faith discords moulded into a Divine harmony, which nothing less than Eternity can unravel. Our LORD will ask the FATHER, and He will give the COMFORTER:

LORD Himself will send Him.

but not so, our

And He is an

not another, but

other Comforter; and yet He is it is He Himself that is to come! And again, He will not send Him, but He Himself will come. All these things, to us, are not contradictions but Christian verities. Humanly speaking, they are such things as cannot be but Divinely speaking, such as cannot be otherwise."

Here then is the complement of our most Holy Faith. Here is the great event which gives symmetry to the Christian scheme. Without Whitsuntide, the Christian year would altogether lack perfection. If the foundation-stone of our