Chap. V. SECT. XV. Of Good-Friday. Why fo THIS day received its name from the bleffed effects of called. Why ob faft. our Saviour's fufferings, which are the ground of all our joy, and from thofe unfpeakable good things he hath purchased for us by his death, whereby the bleffed Jefus made expiation for the fins of the whole world, and, by the fhedding his own blood, obtained eternal redemption for us. Among the Saxons it was called Long-Friday 9; but for what reasons (excepting for the long faftings and offices they then used) does not appear. 69 §. 2. The Commemoration of our Saviour's fufferings ferved as a hath been kept from the very firft age of Chriftianity 70, and was always obferved as a day of the stricteft fafting and humiliation; not that the grief and affliction they then expreffed did arife from the lofs they fuftained, but from a fenfe of the guilt of the fins of the whole world, which drew upon our bleffed Redeemer that painful and fhameful death of the Crofs. The Gospel, §. 3. The Gospel for this day (befides its coming in why taken courfe) is properly taken out of St. John rather than any John. other Evangelift, because he was the only one that was out of St. prefent at the paffion, and ftood by the crofs while others fled: and therefore, the paflion being as it were reprefented before our eyes, his teftimony is read who faw it himself, and from whofe example we may learn not to be afhamed or afraid of the crofs of Chrift". The Epiftle. The Epiftle proves from the infufficiency of the Jewish facrifices, that they only typified a more fufficient one, which the Son of God did as on this day offer up, and by one oblation of himfelf then made upon the cross, completed all the other facrifices, (which were only fhadows of this,) and made full fatisfaction for the fins of the whole world. world. In imitation of which divine and infinite love, the church endeavours to fhew her charity to be boundless and unlimited, by praying in one of the proper Collects, that the effects of Chrift's death may be as univerfal as the defign of it, viz. that it may tend to the falvation of all, Jews, Turks, Infidels, and Heretics*. The Collect. * In the first Common Prayer-Book of King Edward, the first 69 See the thirty-feventh Canon of Elfric in Mr. Johnfon's Ecclefiaftical Laws, A. D. 957. 70 Eufeb. Hift. Eccl. lib. 2. cap. 17. p. 57. B. Apoft. Conft. 1. 5. c. 13. §. 4. How fuitable the proper Pfalms are to the day, is Sect. XV. obvious to any one that reads them with a due attention: they were all compofed by David in times of the greatest ThePfalms. calamity and diftrefs, and do most of them belong myftically to the crucifixion of our Saviour; efpecially the twenty-fecond, which is the firft for the morning, which was in feveral paffages literally fulfilled by his fufferings, and, either part of it, or all, recited by him upon the crofs. And for that reafon (as St Auftin tells 73 us) was always used upon that day by the African church. fons. §. 5. The firft Leffon for the morning is Genefis xxii. The Lefcontaining an account of Abraham's readinefs to offer up his fon; thereby typifying that perfect oblation which was this day made by the Son of God: which was thought fo proper a Leffon for this occafion, that the church used it upon this day in St. Auftin's time 74. The fecond Leffon is St. John xviii. which needs no explanation. The first Leffon for the evening 75 contains a clear prophecy of the paffion of Chrift, and of the benefits which the church thereby receives. The fecond Leffon" exhorts us to patience under afflictions, from the example of Chrift, who fuffered fo much for us. SECT. XVI. Of Eafter-Eve. the pri THIS Eve was in the ancient church celebrated with How obmore than ordinary devotions, with folemn watch-ferved in ings, with multitudes of lighted torches both in their mitive churches and their own private houses, and with a general church. refort and confluence of all ranks of people". At Conftantinople it was obferved with moft magnificent illuminations, not only within the church, but without. All over the city lighted torches were fet up, or rather pillars of wax, which gloriously turned the night into day. All which was defigned as a forerunner of that great light, even the Sun of Righteoufnefs, which the next day arose upon the world. of the Collects for this day is appointed to be used at Mattins only; the other two at the Communion. 72 See St. Matt. xxvii. 35, 43, 46. 73 Aug. in Pfalm. xxi. in Præfat. Serm. 2. 74 Auguft. Serm. de Temp. 71. 75 Ifaiah liii, 76 1 Peter ii. 77 Greg. Naz. Orat. 42. tom. i. p. 676. D. 78 Eufeb. Vit. Conft. lib. 4. cap. 22. p. 536. A. B. Chap. V. How ob ferved by the church As the day was kept as a strict fast, so the vigil continued at least till midnight, the congregation not being difmiffed till that time; it being a tradition of the church, that our Saviour rofe a little after midnight: but in the Eaft the vigil lafted till cock-crowing; the time being spent in reading the Law and the Prophets, in expounding the holy Scriptures, and in baptizing the catechumens. §. 2. Such decent folemnities would in these days be looked upon as Popish and Antichriftian: for which reaof England. fon, fince they are only indifferent (though innocent) ceremonies, the church of England hath laid them afide: but, for the exercise of the devotions of her true fons, fhe retains as much of the primitive difcipline as fhe can; advifing us to faft in private, and calling us together in public, to meditate upon our Saviour's death, burial, and defcent into hell: which article of our faith the public The Epiftle fervice of the church this day confirms, the Gospel treatand Gospel. ing of Chrift's body lying in the grave, the Epiftle of his foul's descent into hell. It is true, the Epiftle is by fome people otherwise interpreted; but the other parts of it are notwithstanding very proper for Easter-Eve; the former part of it exciting us to fuffer cheerfully, even though for well doing, after the example of Chrift, who, as at this time, had once fuffered for fins, the juft for the unjust; the latter part fhewing us the end and efficacy of Baptifm, which was always, in the primitive church, administered to the catechumens on this day. The Col. lect. §. 3. Till the Scotch Liturgy was compiled, there was no particular Collect for this day: those for Good-Friday, I fuppofe, were repeated: and that which was appointed in the Scotch Liturgy was different from our present one, which I fhall therefore give the reader below *. * O most gracious God, look upon us in mercy, and grant that as we are baptized into the death of thy Son our Saviour Jefus Chrift; fo by our true and bearty repentance all our fins may be buried with bim, and we not fear the grave: that as Chrift was raised up from the dead by the glory of thee, O Father, fo we alfo may walk in newnefs of life, but our fins never be able to rife in judgment against us, and that for the merit of Jefus Chrift, that died, was buried, and rofe again for us. Amen. 79 Conft. Apoft. lib. 5. cap. 18. 80 Conft. Apoft. lib. 5. cap. 14, 17, 18. SECT. Sect. XVII. SECT. XVII. Of Eafter-Day. HAVING now, as it were, with the Apostles and firft Eafter-day. believers, flood mournfully by the Crofs on Good-Friday, and on the day following been again overwhelmed with grief, for the lofs of the Bridegroom; the church this day, upon the firft notice of his refurrection from the grave, calls upon us, with a becoming and holy tranfport, to turn our heaviness into joy, to put off our fackcloth, and gird ourfelves with gladness. obferved, §. 2. That in and from the times of the Apostles, there when firft has been always obferved an anniversary festival in me- and why fo mory of Chrift's Refurrection, (which from the old Saxon called. word Ofter, fignifying to rife, we call Eafter-day, or the Day of the Refurrection; or, as others think, from one of the Saxon goddeffes called Eafter, which they always worshipped at this time of the year,) no man can doubt, that hath any infight into the affairs of the ancient church: in those purer times, the only difpute being not about the thing, but the particular time when the festival was to be kept. But of this I have faid enough before31. thems in §. 3. As for the manner of observing it, we find that it The Anwas always accounted the Queen, or Higheft of Festivals, ftead of the and celebrated with the greateft folemnity 2. In the pri- Venite Exmitive times the Chriftians of all churches on this day ultemus, ufed this morning-falutation, Chrift is rifen; to which why appointed. those who were faluted, anfwered, Chrift is rifen indeed: or elfe thus, and hath appeared unto Simon83; a custom still retained in the Greek church 4. And our church, fuppofing us as eager of the joyful news as they were, is loth to withhold from us long the pleasure of expreffing it; and therefore, as foon as the Abfolution is pronounced, and we are thereby rendered fit for rejoicing, fhe begins her office of praife with Anthems proper to the day, encouraging her members to call upon one another to keep the feaft; for that Chrift our Paffover is facrificed for us, and is alfo rifen from the dead, and become the firft fruits of them that flept, &c.* §. 4. * The first of these fentences was added at the laft review: the fecond (which was the firft in King Edward's firft Common 81 See page 36, &c. 82 Greg. Naz. Orat. 42. tom. i. P. 676. C. 83 Luke xxiv. 34. Prayer) 84 Dr. Smith's Account of the Greek Church, page 3 2. Q3 Chap. V. The §. 4. The Pfalms for the morning are Pfalm ii. lvii. cxi. The first of which was compofed by David, upon his being triumphantly settled in his kingdom, after some fhort oppofition made by his enemies: but it is alfo (as the Jews themselves confefs) a prophetical representation of Chrift's inauguration to his regal and facerdotal offices; who after he had been violently oppofed, and even crucified by his adverfaries, was raised from the dead, by the power of his Father, and exalted to thofe great offices in the fuccessful exercife whereof our falvation confifts. The lviith Pfalm was occafioned by David's being delivered from Saul, by whom he was purfued after he had been fo merciful to him in the cave, when he had it in his power to destroy him; and in a myftical fenfe contains Chrift's triumph over death and hell. The laft Pfalm for the morning is a thanksgiving to God for all the marvellous works of our Redemption, of which the Refurrection of Christ is the chief; and therefore though the Pfalm does not peculiarly belong to the day, yet it is very suitable to the bufinefs of it. The Pfalms for evening prayer are cxiii. cxiv. cxviii. The cxiiith was defigned to fet forth, in feveral particulars, the admirable providence of God, which being never more difcernible than in the great work of our Redemption, this Pfalm can never be more feasonably recited. The cxivth Pfalm is a thanksgiving for the deliverance of Ifrael out of Egypt; which being a type of our deliverance from death and hell, makes this Pfalm very proper for this day. The last Pfalm for the day is the cxviiith, which is fuppofed to have been compofed at first upon account of the undisturbed peace of David's kingdom, after the Ark was brought into Jerufalem: but it was feconda Prayer) was concluded with two Allelujahs, and the next with one. Let us pray. O God, who for our Redemption didft give thine only begotten Son to the death of the Crofs; and, by his glorious Refurrection, baft delivered us from the power of our enemy; grant us fo to die daily from fin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of bis Refurrection, through the fame Cbrift our Lord. Amen. rily |
