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his dying Groans then shook the Earth, but now he hath promifed, faying, Tet once more I bake not the Earth, but alfo Heaven, and the Heart of Man: So the Cen turion was fhaken, and the People that came together to this Sight, when they beheld the Things that were done, they fmote upon their Breafts, and feared greatly, faying, Truly this was the Son of God.

Zech.

The Meditation of this Day is enough to melt a Heart of Stone, and to diffolve it in Tears and Devotion, to mourn for our own, and for the Sins of others, and to afflict our Souls with Fafting and Humiliation, as it is written, I will pour upon the House of David, and upon the Inhabitants of Jerufalem the Spirit of Grace and of Supplications, and they shall look upon him whom they have 12. 10. pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only Son, and fhall be in Bitterness for him, as one that is in Bitterness for his Firft-born. I determined (fays I Cor. the Apostle) not to know any thing among you, but Christ, and him crucified: All other Knowledge is vain and 2. 2. puffeth up, only this Knowledge is edifying and comfortable Therefore fays the fame Apoftle again, I count all things but Loss, for the Excellency of the Know- Phil. ledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have fuffered the Loss of all things, and do count them but Dung, that 3• I may win Chrift, and be found in him, not having mine omn Righteoufnefs, which is of the Law, but that which is through the Faith of Christ, the Righteoufnefs which is of God through Faith: That Imay know him Experimentally, and the Power of his Refurrection, and the Fellowship of his Sufferings, being made comformable unto his Death. And again, I am crucified with Chrift Nevertheless, I Gal. tive, yet not I, but Chrift liveth in me: And the Life 2. 20. which I now live in the Flesh, I live by the Faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for

me.

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There.

A

Therefore the Sacrifices under the Law, and the Sacraments under the Gospel were appointed to be Types and Memorials of this bloody Sacrifice upon the Crofs, to comfort us against the Fears of Death, to ftrengthen us against the Temptations of the Devil, and to take off our Affections from the Vanities of this Life, that we may Glory in nothing, fave in the Crofs of our Lord Jefus Chrift, whereby the World is crucified unto us, and we unto the World.

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Now unto him who loved us, and washed us in his own Blood, and hath made us Kings and Priefts unto God, and his Father, to him be Glory and Dominion for ever, Amen.

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Eternal God, and eternal Goodness, infinite Love, and infinite Justice, what shall we say, what shall we answer before. thy holy and dreadful Majefty. O how our Hearts burn within us, and even boil with contrary Paffions of Love and Fear, of Joy and "Grief, when we behold at once thy Goodness and thy Severity in that bloody Sacrifice upon the Cross, that to fave penitent Sinners, and with all, to conciliate Authority and Respect to thy Holy Laws, thou spared not thy dear Son, and thy only begotten Son Jesus Chrift, but delivered him up to the Death for us all. Scarcely for a righteous Man will one die, but, O Lord, thou hast commended thy Love unto us, that while we were yet Sinners, Chrift died for us; the Just for the Unjust, the Master for the Servant, and the Son of God for the Sons of Men. What greater Love than this,

for

for a Man to lay down his Life for his Friends, and thou looked upon us as fuch, even when we were thine Enemies. Thou fought unto us, before we fought unto thee; O how ardently should we love thee now, and be afraid to offend thy Majesty any more, when thou haft reconciled us unto thy felf, by the Death of thy dear Son.

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O Lord Jesus Christ, bleffed be thy Name for ever, albeit thou wert Lord of Heaven and Earth, and Heir of all Things, yet for our fakes, and for our Example was pleafed to make thy felf of no Reputation, and to live a Life of Poverty and Hardship upon Earth, thou hadst not where to lay the Head, and many Times not to fupply. the Neceffities of Life, but what thy Servants did minifter of their Subftance; thou waft born under another's Roof, and buried in but never of thy

another's Garden: We read often of thy acquainted with Grief,

laughing; Thou was a Man of

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from thy Nativity to thy Crucifixion; fo great Favour and Grace hadst thou for the Children of Men, that although thou waft Rich, yet for our fakes thou became Poor, that we through thy Poverty might become Rich. O fweer Saviour of the World, who by thy powerful Paffion didft rent the Rocks and bake the Earth, foften our Hearts with Compaffion for thy Sufferings, and melt them into godly Sorrow, that we may mourn Day and Night for our Sins, which crucified thee, the Lord of Glory. Surely thou was wounded for our Tranfgreffions, and bruifed for our Iniquities; all we like Sheep have gone aftray, we have turned every one to his own Way, and the Lord hath laid on thy bleffed Body the Iniquities of us all.

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Verily many Waters could not quench thy Love, nor all the Floods of Afflictions which thy cruel Enemies poured upon thee, quench it; neither the Tears of the bleffed Virgin thy Mother, nor the Grief of thy Difciples, nor the Greatness of thy own Sufferings, could move thee to come down from the Cross, until for our fakes thou hadft spent all thy Blood, and laid down thy Life and finished the Work of our Redemption.

H 2

III

I II.

O fweet Fejus, what shall we return to thy blessed Majefty for that unspeakable Love to us, which thou witnessed with so much Blood and Sufferings, whereby we have Remiffion of Sins, Redemption from Hell, and are admitted into thy heavenly Kingdom.

O fhade abroad thy Love into our Hearts, that at least we may love thee again who first loved us, and gave thy felf for us an Offering and a Sacrifice unto God for a sweet smelling Savour.

We adore thee, O fweet Jefus, and proftrate our felves before that glorious Head which was crowned with Thorns. We adore thee, O Sweet Jefus, and proftrate our felves before that meek and lovely Countenance which was spit upon by filthy Wretches. We adore thee, O Sweet Jefus, and proftrate our felves before thefe bloody Wounds which were made by thy cruel Enemies. We adore thee, O fweet Saviour, and proftrate our felves before that bleffed Body, which was fo cruelly Scourged all over, and torn with the Spear and Nails. O fweet Saviour of the World, who was fcourged for our fakes, have Mercy on us, miferable Wretches, wash us in thy precious Blood, heal us with thy Stripes, hide us in thy Wounds, and receive us into thy holy Arms, which were stretched out upon the Cross, to receive and embrace all penitent Sinners.

I V.

By that bloody Sweat and Agony thou fuffered in the Garden, when thou hadst none to comfort thee but an Angel from Heaven, have Mercy upon us, miferable Sinners; and comfort us in our last Paffage out of this World.

By that unjust Sentence of thy cruel Enemies which condemned thee to die when thou stood before them, like an innocent Lamb in the midst of ravenous Wolves, have Mercy upon us miferable Sinners, and abfolve us in our laft Minutes, and in the Day of Judgment, when we shall stand before thy righteous Tribunal.

By

By all thefe cruel Mockings and Scourgings which thou endured of the Soldiers, when they clothed thee with a Purple Rob, and put a Reed in thy Hand, bowing the Knee in Derifion, and faying, Hail King of the Jews, we beseech thee to have Mercy on us, miferable Sinners, and to fave us from everlasting Punishment and Contempt.

By that earnest Prayer which thou madeft upon the Cross for thy cruel Enemies, faying, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do, have Mercy upon us, miferable Sinners, and fill our Hearts with unfeigned and univerfal Charity to forgive all Our Enemies; to bless them that curfe us, to do good to them that hate us, and to pray for them that despitefully use us and perfecute us. By that gracious Answer thou gavest unto the penitent Thief, faying, This Day thou fhalt be with me in Paradife, have Mercy upon us, miferable Sinners, and grant us speedy Repentance, and a Place with thy felf in the Kingdom of Heaven.

By that tender Recommendation of thy bleffed Mother to the Care and Attendance of the beloved Difciple after thy Death, faying, Woman, behold thy Son, and then faying to thy Difciple, Behold thy Mother, have Mercy on us, miferable Sinners, and comfort us in all our Solitudes and Sufferings with thy most gracious Prefence, and the Protection of thy holy Angels.

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By that fad Complaint thou madeft unto thy heavenly Father, under thy grievous Sufferings, faying, My God, my God, why haft thou forfaken me, have Mercy upon us, miferable Sinners : Increase our Faith in Affliction, and lay no more on us than we are able to bear, but with the Temptation grant us a happy Deliver

ance.

By that unquenchable Thirst which thou fuffered upon the Cross, when all thy Veins were emptied, and thy Blood exhaufted, faying, I Thirft, have Mercy on us, miferable Singers, and fave us from thefe fcorching Flames in Hell, where the Worm never dies, nor the Fire quenched.

By that Perfect Sacrifice and Accomplishment of all Things, which thou madeft upon the Cross for our Redemption, when thou faidft, It is Finished, have Mercy on us, miferable Sinners, and

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