ing streams, occupied upwards of four hours. At each place where the cross was marked the Suffrage in the Litany before mentioned, and a portion of one of the collects for fair weather were chanted, and the verse from the Bible, 'Cursed be he that removeth his neighbour's landmark,' read. The whole terminated with the Doxology. Excellent order and good feeling, we understand, were displayed throughout; except that a sturdy miller and his sons, rashly attempting to arrest the progress of the party in a meadow near Botley were rather roughly handled by some of the lads of the parish. It is eleven years, we are informed, since the bounds of this parish were last perambulated."

EASTER TIDE.

A Hymn apparently of the fourteenth or fifteenth century.

Alleluia! Alleluia!

He hath closed hell's brazen door,

And Heaven is open evermore!

Hence with sadness ;-sing with gladness
Alleluia !

THE NEW BIRTH.

A Homily, translated from Venerable Bede.

As ye have heard from the Holy Gospel, my dearest brethren, a chief of the Jews came to JESUS by night, desiring to learn somewhat more fully the secret mysteries of the faith by conversation with Him, by Whose manifest miracles he had already received in some degree the first rudiments.

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Rabbi," says he,

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we know that Thou hast come from GOD, for no man can do those things which Thou doest, except GoD be with Him." He therefore confessed that JESUS came from GOD to declare heavenly teaching to the world; he understood from the miracles that GOD was with Him; he did not yet recognise that He Himself was GOD. But because he went, desiring to be taught, to Him Whom he had known as a teacher of truth, when thoroughly instructed he deservedly attained to a knowledge of His Divinity; deservedly also he received the secrets of both Nativities, i. e., His human and Divine, and also His Passion and Ascension. He learnt also, under the instruction of our LORD, the method of our second generation, and entrance into the heavenly kingdom, and many other sacraments of evangelical doctrine.

"JESUS answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of GOD." The more clearly the full meaning of this passage shines upon all the faithful, the more it is evident that without His light they cannot be faithful. For who without the laver of regeneration can obtain remission of sins, and enter into the kingdom of heaven? But Nicodemus, who came to our LORD by night, had not yet learnt to understand the mysteries of light. For the night also, in which he came, was a sign of the ignorance by which he was oppressed. For he was not yet united to those of whom the Apostle says, (Eph. v.) Ye were sometime darkness, but now are ye light in the LORD; but rather did he remain among those of whom Esaias says, (60,) Rise, shine Jerusalem, for Thy light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon thee.

"Nicodemus answered, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb, and be born?" For because he was as yet ignorant of the second birth, but was now anxious concerning salvation, he necessarily inquired concerning the one birth which he had known, whether it could be repeated, or in what manner regeneration can be effected; lest remaining without this he should be unable to be

a partaker of heavenly life. But you must observe that what he here says of earthly, must be interpreted of the spiritual birth, i. e., that after it has been once completed, it cannot again be repeated. For if a heretic, or schismatic, or a wicked person baptizes any one in the name of the TRINITY, he who has been so baptized cannot be re-baptized by good Catholics, lest the confession or invocation of so great a name should seem to be annulled. And because Nicodemus, awakened by the first answer of our LORD, inquires diligently how it is to be understood, he now deserves to learn more, and to hear that the second birth is not carnal, but spiritual.

"For JESUS answered him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, that except a man be born of water, and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of GOD." Afterwards explaining the method of this birth, and distinguishing it entirely from the heavenly, He says:

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'That which is born of the flesh, is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit, is spirit." The nature of the Spirit is invisible, of the flesh visible; he who is born in the flesh groweth with years, but spiritual regeneration is altogether invisible. For the one about to be baptized is seen indeed to go down into the font to be washed with water, and to come up again; but that which the laver of regeneration hath effected in him can by no means be seen. The piety of the faithful alone knows, that he descended into the font a sinner, and came up purified; he went down a son of death, but came up a son of the resurrection; he went down a son of wickedness, and came up a son of reconciliation he went down a child of wrath, and came up a child of mercy; he went down a son of the devil, he came up a son of GOD. The Church, the mother who regenerates, knoweth this; but to the eyes of the spectator he seems to come out from the font the same as he entered, and all that is done seems a mere ceremony. Whence at length, seeing the glory of the saints, they say, These are they whom we held in derision, and as a proverb; how then were they reckoned among the children of GOD? The Apostle John says, Beloved, now are we the sons of GOD, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be. That therefore which is born of the Spirit is spirit; because he that is regenerated by water and the Spirit is invisibly changed into a new man, and of earthly is made spiritual. He is therefore rightly called not only spiritual but spirit, because as the substance of the Spirit is invisible, so he who is invisibly renewed by the grace of GoD is made spiritual, and a son of GOD, whilst to the eyes of all he appears flesh and a son of man.

"Wonder not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again. The Spirit bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest

the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, nor whither it goeth, so is every one that is born of the Spirit." The Spirit bloweth where it listeth, for it hath in its power whose heart it will enlighten with the grace of its visitation. And thou hearest his voice, he, who has been filled with the HOLY SPIRIT, speaketh with thee, but thou knowest not whence It comes, nor whither It goeth; because, although the HOLY SPIRIT may have filled some one whilst thou art present, thou canst not see how It entered into him, or how left him, since He is invisible. So is every one that is born of the Spirit. For the Spirit acting invisibly, he begins to be something which he was not before, so that the unbelieving know not whence he cometh, and whither he goeth; i. e., that by the grace of Regeneration he cometh to the adoption of the children of GOD, and goeth on to the reception of the heavenly kingdom. But when Nicodemus further asked, How can these things be? our LORD answered in this wise :

"Art thou a master in Israel, and knowest not these things?" Not as if wishing to insult him because he was called a master, when ignorant of the heavenly Sacraments; but urging him to the path of humility, without which the heavenly gate cannot be found.

"If I have spoken unto you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I speak heavenly things unto you." He spake unto them earthly things when He said unto them, touching the Passion and Resurrection of His Body, which He had taken from the earth, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again. Yet they did not believe the word that He spake, nor could they understand that He spake not of any other than the temple of His Body. How then could they, who understood not when hearing of earthly things, receive the heavenly, i. e., the mysteries of Divine Regeneration. But our LORD proceeds to instruct still further both concerning heavenly and earthly things, him whom He saw paying such wise and diligent attention to them. For His heavenly Ascension was to eternal life: His earthly exaltation to temporal death. He says therefore concerning the heavenly:

"And no one man ascends into heaven but He Who came down from heaven, the Son of Man Who is in heaven." And He adds concerning the earthly, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up." But it is fairly asked, how the Son of Man can be said either to have come down from heaven, or at the time when He was speaking these things on earth, to have already been in heaven. For ye know the confession of the Catholic Faith, that the SON of GOD, descending from heaven, took the Son of Man in the

Virgin's womb, and, when the dispensation of His Passion was completed, He raised it from the dead, and took it into heaven. The flesh of CHRIST, therefore, did not descend from heaven, nor before the time of His Ascension was it in heaven. And how is it said, No one ascends into heaven but He Who came down from heaven, the Son of Man Who is in heaven, but that the one person of CHRIST exists in both natures? And therefore the Son of Man is rightly said to have both descended from heaven, and was in Heaven before His Passion; because what He had not in His own nature, this He had as SON of GOD; as on account of the same person of CHRIST, which was of two natures, the Apostle says: "The HOLY GHOST has made you overseers to rule the Church of GOD, Which He purchased by His Blood." For GOD had not in His own nature substance, but in man which He assumed, the blood which He shed for the Church. Hence also the Psalmist says: "GOD hath gone up on high with joy." For how could GOD go up but as man, since in the majesty of His own nature He is always present everywhere? Further, we must also examine how it is said, And no one ascended into heaven, but He Who came down from heaven" since all the elect truly believe that they shall go up into heaven, according to the promise of our LORD, "That where I am, there My servant shall be also." Most easily can we solve the knot of this difficulty, because as JESUS CHRIST, the Mediator between GOD and man, is the head of all the elect, so likewise all the elect are members of the same Head; as the Apostle says, "And gave Him Head over all the Church" and again, "For ye are the body of CHRIST, and members in particular." No one therefore ascends into heaven but He Who came down from heaven, the Son of Man Who is in heaven, which is as much as to say, No one went up into heaven, but CHRIST in His Body, which is the Church, Who went up at first in the Apostles, His more eminent members, and thenceforth daily ascends in His elect. .. Because then no one goes up to heaven but He Who came down from heaven, whosoever longeth to enter into heaven must be joined in unity of faith and love to Him Who came down from heaven: understanding clearly that no one can ascend into heaven but through Him Who came down from heaven: whence elsewhere He Himself says, "No one cometh to the FATHER but by Me." These things therefore are said to Nicodemus, and all catechumens, that they may learn that by New Birth they must be incorporated into the members of Him, through Him they can ascend into the kingdom of heaven. And because Ascension, or entrance into the kingdom of heaven cannot be won but by faith, and the Sacraments of the LORD's Passion, it is rightly added: