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weekly memorial of the death to sin, which all Christians had in their Saviour died, and which, if they would live with Him, they must continually die. Thus each revolving week was a sort of representation of that great week, in which man's redemption was completed; the Church never lost sight of her Saviour's sufferings; each week was hallowed by a return of the "good Friday."[1] One need scarcely insist upon the tendency of such a system deeply to impress on men's hearts the doctrine of the Atonement, by thus incorporating it into their ordinary lives, and making them by their actions confess this truth. In the early Church its efficacy was probably increased by the accession of the Fast of the Wednesday, or fourth day of the week; so that no portion of the week was without some memorial of the Saviour of the Church. There is however another object, which, although not originally contemplated, was in fact attained by this institution, the holier celebration, namely, of our most solemn day, that of our Saviour's death. Most Christians, probably, who have endeavoured to realize to themselves the events of that day, have been painfully disappointed in so doing; instead of
"Touching the heart with softer power
For comfort than an angel's mirth,"
it has been to them an oppressive day; its tremendous truths overwhelmed rather than consoled; it was so unlike all other days, that the mind was confounded by its very greatness; it seemed unnatural to do any thing, which one would do even on any other holy day, and the heart was equally unsatisfied with what it did or did not do. Something of this kind has taken place in very many minds; and the reason probably was, that the solemnity of that day was too insulated; that, (if one may use the expression,)
- ↑ "Forasmuch as Christ hath foresignified that when Himself should be taken from them, His absence would soon make them apt to fast, it seemed that even as the first Festival Day appointed to be kept of the Church was the day of our Lord's return from the dead, so the first sorrowful and mournful day was that which we now observe, in memory of His departure out of this world. It came afterwards to be an order, that even as the day of Christ's resurrection, so the other two, in memory of his death and burial, were weekly. The Churches which did not observe the Saturday's fast, had another instead thereof, for that when they judged it meet to have weekly a day of humiliation, besides that whereon our Saviour suffered death, it seemed best to make their choice of that day especially, whereon the Jews are thought to have first contrived their treason together with Judas against Christ." Hooker, l. c.
