brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is My body.

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And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;

For this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."1"

"Bread of our life, in mercy broken,
Wine of the soul, in mercy shed!"

When JESUS rose from Supper, He removed His loose upper garment, took a basin and towel, and prepared to wash the feet of His disciples. But Simon Peter was shocked, and said," LORD, Thou shalt never wash my feet."

To which the LORD replied, "If I wash thee not, thou hast no part in Me.”

On this Simon Peter was most eager to be washed: for this outward washing was an emblem of purity of heart, without which S. Peter could not have been a worthy Apostle of CHRIST. Moreover our SAVIOUR gave to us a lesson of humility; a lesson that we should be ready to discharge this, or any other humble office for our fellow-creatures, in kindness to them.

This office in those hot pecially one of kindness.

1 S. Matt. xxvi.

countries is esYou read fre

quently, in the history of the Patriarchs how, always, water was brought for the feet of visitors. We in our cool climate, with our shoes and stockings, don't understand it. But then people did not wear shoes, only a piece of leather under the feet, and strapped over it; so that all the dust in those sandy, dry, hot climates, gathered between the toes in walking, and caused the feet to feel very hot, and fevered, and uncomfortable.

But, though washing the feet was a usual courtesy and refreshment offered to a guest, still this office was of course performed by servants. Our LORD "took upon Him the form of a servant," in order to teach us this lesson of kindness and humility.

So for a long time, on this day, and in memory of this occasion, poor people and beggars were accustomed to have their feet washed, and alms given to them, by rich and great people, by Bishops and kings.

You read the account of this action of our LORD in the second lesson for this morning.1

After they had sung a hymn' they went into the Mount of Olives, and JESUS having retired to a part alone, knelt and prayed:

1 At this time our LORD foretels S. Peter's denial of Him, discourses of the True Vine, the Promise of the Comforter, and bids them not wonder if the world hates them.

2 Supposed to be Psalms cxiii. to cxviii.

that agony of prayer so fearful, when He prayed that if it were possible, this cup (that is, the dreadful suffering He was about to undergo,) should pass from Him; but adding, Nevertheless, not as I will, but as THOU wilt," when His sweat was as great drops of blood falling to the ground.

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His suffering we cannot in the least imagine, for "GOD had laid on Him the iniquities of us all." Those in heaven knew more of it, for an Angel came at dawn of the morning to strengthen Him and to comfort Him: but the cup" was not removed.

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On leaving the mountain about midnight with His disciples, whom He had found 'sleeping for sorrow," JESUS was met by a multitude of people with swords and staves, led by the traitor Judas. And His disciples "all forsook Him and fled." As king David had prophesied: "I looked for some to take pity, but there was no man, neither found any to comfort me."

It was during this terrible night, too, or rather after midnight, that S. Peter denied his LORD.

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GOOD FRIDAY.

"Bound upon the accursed tree,
Faint and bleeding, Who is He?
By the eyes so pale and dim,
Streaming blood and writhing limb;
By the flesh with scourges torn;
By the crown of twisted thorn;
By the side so deeply pierced;
By the baffled, burning thirst;
By the drooping, death-dewed brow:
SON OF MAN! 'tis Thou! 'tis THOU!

"Bound upon the accursed tree,
Dread and awful-Who is He?
By the Sun at noonday pale,
Shivering rocks, and rending vail ;
By earth that trembles at His doom;
By yonder saints, who burst their tomb
By Eden promised ere He died
To the felon at His side;

LORD! Our suppliant knees we bow ;
SON OF GOD! 'tis Thou! 'tis THOU!"

CHRIST died this day for ALL people whomsoever, and in humble imitation of this infinite

and everlasting mercy, our Church has given us one Collect in which to pray for the salvation of all those who have not learnt as yet to know and obey HIM: Jews, Turks, infidels, and heretics.

CHRIST's death being the ground, the only ground, of our hope of everlasting life and happiness, the day on which that death took place, may indeed be considered GOOD by us. From the blessed effect of our SAVIOUR'S sufferings which are the ground of our joy, this day has always been called Good Friday.

From the very first age of Christianity it has been observed with humility, and prayer, and fasting; for people, if they thought at all, could not but think and feel that it was their sins, our sins, the sins of the whole world, which made this awful expiation necessary.

The Lamb, without spot and without blemish, slain yearly at the Passover, was a type of this Divine Sacrifice: the brazen serpent, which Moses erected on a pole in the wilderness, so that the people mortally stung by flying serpents might look up to it and be cured, was a type of this our Redeemer, lifted up on the Cross, to draw all men unto Him.

For as we read in the Book of the Wisdom of Solomon, written so long before CHRIST lived, and speaking of this plague of fiery serpents, "He that turned himself toward