ONCE more has the ſwift current of time produced the day, upon which our church calls on her children to look up with a mixture of joy and melancholy to the croſs, whereon was accompliſhed the ſtupendous work of the ſalvation of the world—A day never to be forgotten, always to be reſpected by every one who is not aſhamed of the croſs of Chriſt, by every one who glories in the name of a chriſtian.

THE holy prophet, being, by the ſpirit of God, brought forward thro' many ages of futurity, beholds our Saviour returning from his ſevere conteſt with his ſpiritual foes—his head crowned with never-fading laurels—his garments deeply ſtained with the crimſon ſpots, which were the price of his victory. Who art thou, cries the Prophet with awful ſurprize, coming from the land of blood, from the fields of tribulation, with bloody raiment; who nevertheleſs art cloathed in glory, and putteſt on majeſty itſelf as a garment, and walkeſt in the height of ſuperlative power? The bleſſed Conqueror anſwers, I, whoſe word is the eſſence of truth, and who am able to ſave to the uttermoſt. Iſaiah further enquires, Wherefore is thine apparel ſo bloody and your garments red, like the garments of him that treadeth in the wine-fat? "The wine-preſs," replies the Meſſiah, indeed have I trodden; and have trodden it alone; of all my friends and followers, there was none continued with me in that trying hour; But as for mine enemies, they ſhall be made my foot-ſtool; my impenitent, incorrigible adverſaries will I trample under foot in my juſt indignation; my garments ſhall be ſtained with their blood; I will break them with a rod of iron; I will daſh them in pieces like a potter's veſſel. For the day of vengeance is come, the time, when I am to bruiſe the ſerpent's head—to open the priſon doors and liberate the redeemed captives. In that tremendous criſis, I looked round for aſſiſtance, but no man appeared to help me▪ Of my own choſen diſciples, one had betrayed me▪ another had denied me, and all had forſaken me.—Then, in my vaſt aſtoniſhment, and bitterneſs of grief, I cried out MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME!—But my God had not entirely forſaken me, becauſe he had promiſed, that when I ſhould deſcend into hell (as I aſſuredly muſt to complete my work of redemption) he would not leave my ſoul there. Then had I recourſe to the omnipotence of mine own arm; my fortitude and reſolution upheld me. Woe to all who oppoſe me, or obſtruct the great buſineſs, that I am performing. Woe to them that ſlander, deſpiſe or neglect the ſalvation which I have purchaſed by this conflict; for I will trend them down in mine anger, I will aſtoniſh them with my fury; their moſt aſpiring pride, power and hopes I will bring down to the earth: I will laugh at their calamity, I will mock when their fear cometh.

THIS is the wonderful atchievement of that divine Hero, who hath aboliſhed death, and hath brought life and immortality to light▪ This is the narrative thereof, as given by himſelf. This atchievement, it is our buſineſs, our duty, our honour to celebrate with admiration and gratitude: To this purpoſe the preſent day of the year is eſpecially dedicated; for this laudable purpoſe we are now convened.

WHETHER we conſider the greatneſs of the work of redemption, the dignity of the Redeemer, the meanneſs and wretchedneſs of the perſons to be redeemed, the depth of miſery from which they were to be raiſed, the bliſs and glory to which they were to be exalted, the condeſcenſion of our Saviour, or the privileges purchaſed for mankind by his blood—Whichever of theſe points we conſider, we ſhall become loſt in a labyrinth of wonder and amazement: We ſhall find a myſterious complication of wiſdom, grace and benevolence on the part of heaven; but of folly and wickedneſs on the part of man. The moſt ſuperficial contemplation of theſe matters will convince us, that in the redemption of the world, there are myſteries, to which the utmoſt perception of Arch-Angels is far from being adequate—Myſteries, which Cherubim and Seraphim in vain deſire to comprehend; at which all the heavenly hoſt ſtand aſtoniſhed. What operation then, ſhould a ſurvey of theſe things have on the children of men, for whoſe benefit theſe myſteries originated, and who are principally intereſted therein? The bare recollection of what our Saviour has done and ſuffered for us, ought (at leaſt during the preſent anniverſary) to baniſh every other care from our minds. When we meditate on the bitterneſs of his ſufferings; when we view the nails piercing his hands and his feet, the ſpear thruſt into his ſide; the reproaches, the ſtripes and the agonies he endured, our minds ought to be poſſeſſed by the deepeſt melancholy the ſincereſt grief; but when we muſe upon the heavenly treaſures, the unſpeakable felicity, purchaſed for us, by the price of his croſs and paſſion, then ſhould our hearts be enraptured with extatic joy, with the height of gratitude.

BEHOLD the wonders of redeeming love! Admire the ſtrength, the height, the depth, the extent of celeſtial grace! Stand aſtoniſhed at the compaſſion and affection of the Son of God towards mean worms of the duſt! That divine Perſon▪ who, in perfect equality with his Father, inhabiteth eternity, who in and of himſelf is poſſeſſed of infinite wiſdom, power and happineſs, he condeſcended to undertake a mean birth, a ſorrowful life, and (what is ſtill more aſtoniſhing) to ſuffer the grievous, ſhameful, accurſed death of the croſs.—And for whom was all this performed? For aliens and enemies; for us, who were wretched, and miſerable; and poor, and blind, and naked. Who can be found among mankind, that would lay down his life for his deareſt friend, his greateſt benefactor, or the beſt of the human race? much leſs for a ſtranger, or an enemy? Our bleſſed Redeemer's affection ſoars as much above that of man, as his thoughts are above our thoughts, and his ways above our ways. Well therefore might the Apoſtle cry out, Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us. Well therefore might our Saviour graciouſly declare to his diſciples, Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend.

As the ſufferings and death of our gracious Redeemer are of the utmoſt importance, and are, to the laſt degree, intereſting to the world of mankind—As none of Adam's poſterity could have been ſaved without them, and by them eternal ſalvation is purchaſed for, and offered to all men; ſo a great number of the moſt plain and material predictions of the antient, inſpired prophets of God point to theſe ſufferings and center therein. Thus was it foretold that the Meſſiah ſhould be a man of ſorrows and acquainted with grief: His afflictions and oppreſſions, his bruiſes and wounds were mentioned in the book of Iſaiah; alſo his being numbered with tranſgreſſors, brought to the ſlaughter and cut off from the land of the living. Another Prophet mentions the very price for which he was betrayed, and their looking on him, whom they had pierced; the piercing his hands and his feet; their parting his garments, and caſting lots upon his veſture; theſe and almoſt every other eſſential circumſtance of his cloſe of life were manifeſtly foretold, whole centuries before their accompliſhment; and foretold in ſuch a manner, that they cannot, with the leaſt colour of probability, be applied to any other tranſaction.

IT may furthermore, with great propriety be obſerved, on the preſent occaſion, that almoſt innumerable 〈…〉 ordinances of the Jewiſh Church, typified this great, precious ſacrifice for ſin; the ſacrifice which the Son of God made of his own body on the altar of the croſs. Thus the Paſchal Lamb, which under the law, was offered for the ſins of the people, was deſigned to repreſent the Lamb of God, who was to atone for the ſins of the world: Thus the lifting up of the brazen ſerpent in the wilderneſs, was a lively type of the Saviour on the croſs: Thus the ſolemn and memorable day of atonement prefigured the obſervable day, we are now celebrating. For a parallel between the great day of atonement or expiation under the law, and the valuable oblation performed on the preſent anniverſary by our great High-Prieſt, I would refer you to the epiſtle directed to the Hebrews. The author of that epiſtle has compared the buſineſs of theſe two days, and has, in a great variety of inſtances, demonſtrated how much ſuperior the ſacrifice and the ſacrificer of the goſpel are to thoſe of the law: He makes it moſt evidently appear, that our High-Prieſt hath obtained a more excellent miniſtry, by how much alſo he is the Mediator of the better covenant which was eſtabliſhed upon better promiſes. The ſame author, under the influence of the Holy Ghoſt has likewiſe proved beyond a poſſibility of contradiction that Chriſt, being come an High-Prieſt of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is to ſay not of this building; neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

IF we look into the intention, wherewith this great annual feaſt appointed, and the purpoſes wherewith it has, through a long ſeries of ages, been obſerved; we ſhall find that whilſt the devout and exemplary fathers of chriſtianity mourned for the agonies of their benevolent Redeemer expiring on the croſs; they at the ſame time lamented, with deep and ſerious penitence, thoſe deteſtable ſins, that brought the precious life of Jeſus Chriſt to ſuch a deplorable cataſtrophe. One eſſential branch of our buſineſs on this day is to offer to God the ſacrifice of broken hearts and contrite ſpirits—of hearts broken with grief for our wickedneſs, of ſpirits deeply contrite for our offences; this is an oblation more pleaſing to God than ten thouſand ſacrificed rams, and whole oceans of conſecrated oil.

OUR ſins brought the Son of God into a world of troubles and temptations; our wickedneſs betrayed, mocked, buffeted and ſcourged him; our crimes inſulted him, crowned him with a crown of thorns, and finally crucified him. Shall we not, then, humble ourſelves to the very duſt for thoſe iniquities, which brought our ſupreme benefactor to the death of a criminal? Shall we not bewail, in tears of blood, thoſe abominations, that wrung large drops of blood from the face of the great captain of our ſalvation? Shall we not abhor, and utterly forſake thoſe execrable tranſgreſſions, that were the cauſe of our Saviour's agonies, and will, if perſiſted in, lead us into eternal miſery of ſoul and body?

IN the primitive ages of chriſtianity, with what holy zeal, with what warm devotion, was the annual humiliation of this day obſerved! How lengthy and ſevere were their faſtings! How deep and ſerious their repentance! How conformable to the occaſion and buſineſs of the day, were all their thoughts, words and actions!

LET us, in humble imitation of their bright example, improve this whole day in faſting, prayer and meditation, bewailing the agonies of our divine maſter, whoſe affection induced him to die for us, and humbling ourſelves for our ſins, as the cauſe of his crucifixion. For our aſſiſtance in this matter, the courſe of this day's ſervice is calculated as much as poſſible for the purpoſes of humility, penitence and edification. What ſacred melancholy, what ſedate and godly ſorrow for ſin, what ſalutary repentance, what purity of heart, what pious temper of ſoul are excited by an attentive and devout uſe of the forms provided for the worſhip of the preſent day! Is it a great matter, is it a mighty burden to devote one day in the year to contemplate, in a particular manner, the death of Chriſt, ſince he died for our ſake? It is our reaſonable ſervice, it is the leaſt return we can deſire to make him, it is an acknowledgement very inadequate to the benefit received.

WHILST we are ſolemnizing the day of the great, univerſal oblation for ſin, let us do it in ſuch a manner as to prepare us for the more chearful, but no leſs ſolemn offices of the third day from hence, called EASTER: That day will diſcloſe to our view ſcenes far different from thoſe now before us; then will be brought to our conſideration a Saviour conquering all the powers of ſin and ſatan, of death and darkneſs, burſting the adamantine chains of the tomb, totally defeating the king of terrors, trampling under foot the infernal potentates in their own territories, and leading captive captivity itſelf. Upon that bleſſed, happy day, we are invited to a ſpiritual feaſt of fat things, a feaſt of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. To this pleaſing, glorious feaſt, I aſk you in the name of God, as his Ambaſſador, I call you in Chriſt's behalf, who died equally for you and me, I exhort you, as ye love your own ſalvation. Our bleſſed Lord intreats and commands us ſpiritually to eat his fleſh and drink his blood, and to do this in remembrance of him; theſe precious words he repeats; how gracious, how valuable are theſe words, both in the holy ſcripture, and in our liturgy!—DO THIS IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME —in remembrance of my ſufferings, of my croſs and paſſion, of mine ineſtimable oblation and precious blood, of my deſcent into hell, my return from thence, and reſurrection from the dead, mine aſcenſion into heaven, and continual, potent interceſſion, and my coming ag ••• to the final judgment.

MAY God Almighty, who ſent his Son to die for the world—May Jeſus Chriſt, who expired on the croſs for us—May the Holy Spirit, who applies the benefits of Chriſt's death to us— may all theſe divine perſons aſſiſt us to improve the preſent and all other occaſions, times, places and offices of religion, in ſuch a manner as to gain knowledge, holineſs, edification, faith, repentance, charity and eternal felicity.