and raises us with the story to a new life in a way which is inspiring. The original hymn had eleven stanzas. It appeared in 1739. The hymn, sung to an adaptation of Handel's "See the conquering Hero comes," is "a sermon in song." The effect of this hymn is illustrated by an incident. It afforded great comfort to Thomas Lacy, an earnest English Methodist. On Easter morning he repeated the first stanza to his sister. His voice in his physical weakness faltered. At its close he was told that death was near. "Then," he replied, "I have a pleasant prospect before me." WESLEY'S EASTER SERMON IN SONG Christ the Lord is risen today, Raise your joys and triumphs high; Love's redeeming work is done, Vain the stone, the watch, the seal; Lives again our glorious King; Where, O Death, is now thy sting? Dying once, He all doth save. Where thy victory, O Grave? Soar we now where Christ hath led, Made like Him, like Him we rise; Hail, the Lord of earth and heaven! es Wesity the author of this hymn, was the greatest writer of the Weley fary, and it was a large and a one, Charles big the eighteenth child of Samuel sna Wi test f. the author, it is said, of 6500 He was a Verbali i clergyman, and is known as of the "kend Modis." A good Methodist, he n not a low ! r, which the various churches nalunarımic are taken up and adopted into of good Evare al hymns. "Christ the Lord today," the Foot which usually end with the oh," is one of them. of that an wat hymn, "The day of Resurrecto de occasion of its singing are so interesting ve that w conclu le with the story of this 2013 to the completion of the songs ter time. Dr. John Mason Neale, stor, calls it a "dorious old hyna of victory." of the canon for Easter of John Damascus, who A. D. rcumstances of this old song are very interesting. e was at Athens. We are told that as midnight ed the archbishop and the priests, accompanied ing and the queen, left the church and stationed on the platform, which was raised considerably ground. This was in order that the concourse ght have a good view. A vast throng stood ss expectation. All held unlighted tapers, in for when the glad moment should arrive. Mean::riests murmured a melancholy chant. Suddenly |