between two thieves. O praise without ceasing be to thee who hast become a curse for us, that we might be redeemed from the curse of the law; who wast numbered with transgressors, that we might be numbered with saints, who didst shed thy precious blood and die, that all our guilt might be removed, and we might live for ever.

O Jesus, teach us all the wonderful lessons here to be learned of the dreadful evil of sin, of the sure, intense, and full love of God, of the unspeakable value of our souls, of the completeness of our salvation, and of the need of fleeing now to thee who hast thus delivered us from the wrath to come. All glory be to thee for ever.

CX.

GOOD FRIDAY EVENING.

THANKSGIVING FOR THE DEATH OF CHRIST.*

O thou, whose love has a height, and depth, and breadth, and length that pass our knowledge and are unsearchable, help us to look unto thee as the Author and Finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before thee in our salvation hast endured the cross, despising the shame.

O thou meek, kind, gracious Lord, we thank thee, who didst condescend to allow thyself to be presented to the compassion of the people by Pilate,

From Arndt.

saying, "Behold the man,"-undergoing this, in pity and love to us, that our miserable condition might be pitied, for thy sake, by thy heavenly Father. Thou, O tender and loving Saviour, wast rejected and denied by thy people, to be made the cornerstone of the church of true believers. Thou wast sentenced unto death for our sake, to deliver us from the sentence of eternal death and damnation.

O thou most humble and righteous servant of God, thou most obedient Son of thy heavenly Father, we thank thee that thou thyself didst cheerfully bear thy cross to Golgotha, to teach us thereby that we also should take our cross willingly, and follow thee whithersoever thou goest. We thank thee for thy being nailed to the cross, thereby to be made a sacrifice for our sins. We thank thee for thy being crucified between two thieves and numbered with the transgressors; for thou hadst done no evil, nor was any guile ever found in thy mouth, yet hast thou borne the iniquity of others, to be our propitiation by thine own innocence. We thank thee for the horrid revilings and blasphemies which thou hast endured for us on the cross, to free us thereby from everlasting shame and confusion.

O thou blessed of the Lord, we thank thee for thy being made a curse on the tree, that all nations of the earth might in thee be blessed. Thou art the fairest among the children of men, the only one without sin; and yet thou becamest a worm and wast

made sin for us, that we might be made fair and acceptable unto God, even the righteousness of God in thee. Thou hast condescended to become the most despicable among men, in order to render us great and glorious. Thou didst hang on the cross without the least help or comfort, in order to purchase us everlasting joy and comfort. Thou wast stripped of thy clothing and didst hang naked and bleeding, till thou didst expire on the tree; that we might be clothed with the garment of salvation and the robe of righteousness for ever on thy throne, in thy quickly coming kingdom and glory.

O thou eternal High Priest, our only Mediator, we thank thee for thy prayer offered up on the cross in our behalf, and for the strong cries and tears poured out before thy heavenly Father. We thank thee for thy comfortable word to the penitent thief"To-day thou shalt be with me in paradise," opening thereby the gate of paradise to us poor and penitent sinners. We thank thee for that great distress of soul which drew from thee these words"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me," that we might have a sure comfort in our trials, that we shall not finally be forsaken of God.

We thank thee for thy holy thirst on the cross, and for thy tasting gall and vinegar; for thou hast redeemed us from eternal thirst and from the bitterness of hell. We thank thee for that comfortable word "It is finished," that we might learn that sin

is now destroyed, God is now reconciled, the scripture fulfilled, and our eternal redemption wrought out and purchased. We thank thee for thy last words spoken on the cross, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit," and for thy holy death, whereby all our sins are atoned for, life is restored to us, and all believing souls are committed in Christ into the hands of the heavenly Father.

O blessed Jesus, all that thou didst upon earth thou didst for us; thy life is ours, thy death is ours; may we die to sin, crucify the flesh with its affections, be crucified to the world and the world to us, and rise with thee to a new, holy and heavenly life here, and live with thee for ever in the glory to

come.

CXI.

SATURDAY MORNING.

PRAISE FOR THE BURIAL OF CHRIST.

Almighty and everlasting God, who after thine only-begotten Son had, by his sufferings and death for us, wrought out our eternal redemption, didst please that he should enter the rest of the grave, and, like his brethren, be gathered unto his fathers after the flesh, we pray thee also grant that, by his death, our lusts may be crucified and our hearts quieted from guilt; that we too may now cease in this life from all sinful works, and, by holy quietness from

271

evil and confidence in thy love, be daily strengthened in thee. We beseech thee also so to assist us that when our hour of departure shall come, we may blissfully fall asleep in thee, and that our spirit may enter thy peace, while our body, in the rest of the grave, awaits the joyful resurrection unto everlasting life, through thy dear Son, our Lord and Redeemer Jesus Christ.*

O Lord Jesus Christ, who after blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, and taking it out of the way, and nailing it to thy cross, didst spoil principalities and powers, and make a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it, we thank thee for that wonderful deliverance of our souls from our worst enemies. We also bless thee that for our farther comfort, after giving up the ghost, thou didst descend into the grave, and abide for a season in the lower regions of the earth and the place of departed spirits, leading captivity captive. Thus thou didst sanctify the state of death to thy people, giving us full assurance that thou didst undergo all the condition of the dead. We bless thee also that thou dost reveal to us that thou hast the keys of death and hell, and art Lord of all, and that at thy name every knee must bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue shall confess that thou

* From Bunsen's Liturgy for the Passion Week, in German.