Since we are people whom God redeemed from the devil, from sin and death, and from everlasting damnation, by Christ, it would not be right to let this day pass without any meditation or remembrance of that excellent work of our redemption. A redemption, which we remember at this time, that came about through the great mercy and love of our Saviour Jesus Christ, for us wretched sinners, and his mortal enemies. For if an ordinary person's deed, done to the advantage of the common good, is remembered by us. If we give thanks for the benefit and profit which we receive from it: how much more readily should we remember this excellent act and benefit of Christ's death? By it he has purchased for us the certain pardon and forgiveness of our sins. By his death he made the Father of heaven at one with us, so that he takes us now for his loved children, and as the true inheritors, with Christ his natural son, of the kingdom of heaven.
And truly Christ's kindness appears so much more wonderful to us, in that it pleased him to give up all his great honour, which he had equally with his Father in heaven, and to come down into this vale of misery, to be made mortal man, and to be in the state of the lowest servant, serving us for our wealth and profit. Us, I say, who were his sworn enemies, who had renounced his holy law and commandments, and followed the desires and sinful pleasures of our corrupt nature. And yet, I say, Christ put himself between God's deserved wrath, and our sin, he met that obligation which we owed to God, and paid our debt (Colossians 2.14). Our debt was a great deal too great for us to have paid. And without payment God the Father could never be at one with us. Neither was it possible to be freed from this debt by our own ability. It pleased him therefore to be the one who paid it, and to discharge us completely.
Who can now consider the terrible debt of sin, which could not be paid except by the death of an innocent, and not hate sin in his heart? If God hates sin so much that he would allow neither human nor angel to provide for its redemption, but only the death of his only and well loved Son, who will not stand in fear of it? If we (my friends) consider this, that for our sins this most innocent Lamb was driven to death we shall have much more cause to mourn about ourselves, that we were the cause of his death, than to complain about the malice and cruelty of the Jews, who pursued him to his death. We did the deeds for which he was struck and wounded, they were the servants of our wickedness. It is right then that we should step low down into our hearts, and mourn our own badness and sinful living. Let us know for a certainty, that if the most dearly beloved Son of God was punished like that for the sin which he had not done himself, how much more severely ought we to be punished for our daily and many sins which we commit against God, if we do not earnestly repent, and are sorry for them? No one can love sin, which God hates so much, and be in his favour. No one can say that he loves Christ truly, and have his great enemy (sin I mean, the author of his death) familiar and in friendship with him. As much as we love God and Christ, so much we hate sin.
We ought therefore to take great heed, that we do not favour it, lest we are found to be enemies of God, and traitors to Christ. For not only those who nailed Christ to the cross are his tormentors and crucifiers, but all those who crucify again the Son of God (Hebrews 6.6) by committing vice and sin which brought him to his death. If the wages of sin are death, and death everlasting (Romans 6.23): surely it is no small danger to be in its service. If we live according to the flesh and its sinful desires, Saint Paul threatens, indeed Almighty God in Saint Paul threatens, that we shall surely die (Romans 8.13). We can live to God in no other way than by dying to sin. If Christ is in us, then sin is dead in us, and if the Spirit of God is in us, who raised Christ from death to life, so the same Spirit will raise us to the resurrection of everlasting life (Romans 8.10-11). But if sin rules and reigns in us, then God, who is the fountain of all grace and goodness, has departed from us. Then the devil, and his unkind spirit, rules and has dominion in us (Romans 1). And surely if in such a miserable state we die, we shall not rise to life, but fall down to death and damnation, and that without end.
For Christ has not redeemed us from sin so that we may safely return to it again, but he has redeemed us, so that we should forsake its motivations, and live to righteousness. Indeed we were washed in our baptism from the filthiness of sin so that we should live afterwards in pureness of life. In baptism we promised to renounce the devil and his suggestions, we promised to be (as obedient children) always following God's will and pleasure. Then, if he is really our Father, let us give him his due honour. If we are his children, let us show him our obedience, just as Christ openly declared his obedience to his Father, who (as Saint Paul writes) was obedient even to death itself, the death of the cross (Philippians 2.8). And this he did for all of us who believe in him. For himself he was not punished, for he was pure, and undefiled by any kind of sin. He was wounded (says Isaiah) for our wickedness, and stripped for our sins (Isaiah 53.4). He suffered the penalty of them himself to deliver us from danger. He bore (says Isaiah) all our sorrows and infirmities upon his own back. There was no pain he refused to suffer in his own body, in order that he might deliver us from pain everlasting. It was his pleasure to do this for us, we did not deserve it. So the more we see ourselves indebted to him, the more he ought to be thanked by us. Yes, and the more hope we may have that we shall receive all other good things from his hand, because we have received the gift of his only Son through his generosity.
For if God (says Saint Paul) has not spared his own Son from pain and punishment, but delivered him to death for us all, how should he not give us all other things with him (Romans 8.32)? If we want anything, either for body or soul, we may lawfully and boldly approach God, as our merciful Father, to ask what we desire, and we shall obtain it. For such authority is given to us to be the children of God, to as many as believe in Christ's Name (John 1.12). In his Name whatever we ask we shall have it granted to us (Matthew 21.22). For so pleased is the Father almighty God with Christ his Son, that for his sake he favours us and will deny us nothing. So pleasing was this sacrifice and offering of his Son's death, which he so obediently and innocently suffered, that we should take it as the full and only payment for all the sins of the world. And by his death he gained such favour with his heavenly Father for us, that because of it (if we are indeed true Christians, and not just in word) we are now fully in God's grace again, and clearly discharged from our sin. No tongue surely is able to express the worthiness of so precious a death. For on this depends the continual pardon of our daily offences, in this rests our justification, in this is purchased the everlasting health of all our souls. Yes, there is no other thing that can be named under heaven to save our souls, but this one work of Christ's precious offering of his body upon the altar of the cross (Acts 4.12).
Certainly there can be no work of any mortal (however holy) that shall be compared in merit with Christ's most holy act. All our righteousness is far from perfect, if it is compared with Christ's righteousness. For in his acts and deeds there was no spot of sin or of any imperfection.
And for this reason Christ's acts and deeds were the more able to be the true improvement of our righteousness, because our acts and deeds are full of imperfection and infirmities and therefore not worthy of themselves to stir God to any favour, much less to challenge that glory that is due to Christ's act and merit. For not to us (says David) not to us, but to your Name give the glory, O Lord (Psalms 115.1). Let us therefore (good friends) with all reverence glorify his Name, let us magnify and praise him for ever. For he has dealt with us according to his great mercy, by himself has he purchased our redemption (Hebrews 1.3). He did not think it good enough to send his angel to do this deed instead of himself, but he decided to do it himself, that he might do it the better, and make it the more perfect redemption. He was not moved with the intolerable pains that he suffered in the whole course of his long passion to change his mind about doing good to his enemies: but he opened his heart for us, and gave himself completely for the ransoming of us.
Let us therefore now open our hearts again to him, and be careful in our lives to be thankful to such a Lord. Let us for ever keep in mind so great a benefit, indeed let us take up our cross with Christ, and follow him. His suffering is not only the ransom and whole payment for our sin, but it is also a most perfect example of all patience and submissiveness. For if it was necessary for Christ thus to suffer, and to enter into the glory of his Father (Acts 17.3), why should it not be right for us to bear patiently our small crosses of adversity, and the troubles of this world? For surely (as Peter says) Christ therefore suffered, to leave us an example to follow his steps (1 Peter 2.21). And if we suffer with him, we shall be sure also to reign with him in heaven (2 Timothy 2.12). Not that the suffering of this transitory life should be worthy of that glory to come (Romans 8.18), but we should be content to suffer gladly, to be like Christ in our life, that so by our works we may glorify our Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5.16). And as it is painful and distressing to bear the cross of Christ in the griefs and sadnesses of this life: it nevertheless brings forth the joyful fruit of hope in all those who bear it (Hebrews 12.11). Let us not so much consider the pain as the reward that will follow that labour (James 5.11). Or rather, let us endeavour ourselves in our suffering to endure innocently and guiltless, as our Saviour Christ did. For if we suffer for what we deserve, then patience does not perfect its work in us, but if we suffer loss of goods and life undeservedly, if we suffer to be spoken of badly for the love of Christ, this is worthy of thanks as far as God is concerned for that is how Christ suffered (1 Peter 2.20).
He never sinned, neither was any guile found in his mouth. Indeed when he was reviled with taunts, he did not revile back. When he was wrongfully dealt with, he did not threaten, neither did he revenge his quarrel, but delivered his cause to him who judges rightly.
Perfect patience cares not what or how much it suffers, nor by whom it suffers, whether by friend or foe: but works hard to suffer innocently, and without deserving.
He in whom is perfect love, cares so little to revenge, that he rather studies to do good for evil, to bless and speak well of those who curse him, to pray for those who pursue him (Matthew 5.44), according to the example of our Saviour Christ who is the most perfect example and pattern of all meekness and submissiveness. When hanging upon his cross, in the most terrible anguish, bleeding in every part of his blessed Body, being set in the midst of his enemies and crucifiers: and he, notwithstanding the intolerable pains which they saw him in, being mocked and scorned despitefully by them without any favour and compassion, still had such compassion in his heart towards them that he prayed to his Father in heaven for them, and said, O Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23.34). What patience also did he show when one of his own apostles and servants whom he trusted, came to betray him to his enemies to the death? He said nothing worse to him than, Friend, why have you come? (Matthew 26.50)
Thus (good people) should we call to mind the great examples of love which Christ showed in his passion if we will fruitfully remember his passion. We should show such kindness and love to one another if we want to be the true servants of Christ. For if we love only those who love and are on good terms with us, what great thing is it that we do, says Christ? Do not the pagans and open sinners do the same (Matthew 5.46-47)? We must be more perfect in our love than this, even as our Father in heaven is perfect, who makes the light of his sun rise on the good and the bad, and sends his rain upon the kind and unkind. In this way we should show our love impartially, to one the same as to another, to friend the same as foe, like obedient children, after the example of our Father in heaven. For if Christ was obedient to his Father even to the death, and that the most shameful death (as the Jews esteemed it) the death of the cross, why should we not be obedient to God in lower points of love and patience? Let us forgive then our neighbours their small faults, as God for Christ's sake has forgiven us our great ones.
It is not right that we should crave forgiveness of our great offences at God's hands, and yet not forgive the small sins of our neighbours against us. We call for mercy in vain, if we will not show mercy to our neighbours (Matthew 18.35). For if we will not put anger and displeasure out of our hearts towards our Christian brother or sister, no more will God forgive the displeasure and wrath that our sins have deserved before him. For on this condition does God forgive us, if we forgive others. It does not become Christian men to be hard to one another, and especially not to think that their neighbour is unworthy to be forgiven. For however unworthy he is, yet Christ is worthy to have you do this much for his sake, he has deserved it of you, that you should forgive your neighbour.
And God is also to be obeyed, who commands us to forgive if we want to have any part of the pardon which our Saviour Christ purchased once from God the Father by shedding his precious blood. Nothing becomes Christ's servants so much as mercy and compassion. Let us then be favourable to one another, and pray for one another, that we may be healed from all the frailties of our life (James 5.16) and offend each other the least; and that we may be of one mind and one spirit, agreeing together in brotherly love and concord like the dear children of God (Ephesians 5.1-2). By these means shall we move God to be merciful to our sins, yes, and we shall be the more ready to receive our Saviour and maker in his blessed Sacrament, to our everlasting comfort and health of soul. Christ delights to enter and dwell in that soul where love and kindness rules, and where peace and concord is seen. For John writes, God is love, he who abides in love, abides in God, and God in him (1 John 4.16). And by this (he says) we shall know that we are of God if we love our brothers. Yes, and by this we shall know that we are delivered from death to life, if we love one another. But he who hates his brother (says the same apostle) abides in death, even in danger of everlasting death, and is moreover the child of damnation and of the devil, cursed by God, and hated (so long as he remains so) by God and all his heavenly company (1 John 2.11). For as peace and love make us the blessed children of Almighty God: so does hatred and envy make us the cursed children of the devil.
God give us all grace to follow Christ's examples in peace and in love, in patience and submissiveness, that we may now have him as our guest to enter and dwell within us, so that we may have full assurance having such a pledge of our salvation. If we have him and his favour, we may be sure that we have the favour of God because of him. For he sits at the right hand of God his Father, as our barrister and attorney, pleading and suing for us in all our needs and necessities (Romans 8.34). On account of which, if we lack any gift of godly wisdom we may ask it of God for Christ's sake and we shall have it. Let us consider and examine ourselves, as to how much we lack this virtue of love and patience. If we see that our hearts are not inclined to it in forgiving those who have offended against us, then let us acknowledge our lack, and wish to God to have it. But if we lack it and see in ourselves no desire for it, truly we are in a dangerous case before God. We need to make much earnest prayer to God that we may have a heart like that changed, and a new one grafted in. For unless we forgive others, we shall never be forgiven by God. No, not all the prayers and good works of others can pacify God towards us, unless we are at peace and at one with our neighbour. Neither can all our deeds and good works move God to forgive us our debts to him, unless we forgive the other. He sets more by mercy, than by sacrifice. Mercy moved our Saviour Christ to suffer for his enemies: it becomes us then to follow his example.
For it will profit us little to meditate on the fruits and price of his passion, to magnify them, and to delight or trust in them, unless we have in mind to follow his examples in suffering. Therefore if we consider Christ's death in this way, and will stick to it with firm faith in what it merits and deserves, and will also shape ourselves so as to give ourselves and all that we have in love, to the advantage of our neighbour, as Christ spent himself wholly for our profit, then we truly remember Christ's death: and so being followers of Christ's steps, we shall be sure to follow him to where he sits now with the Father and the Holy Spirit, to whom be all honour and glory, Amen.
Click here for the second homily for Good Friday
These homilies are number 13 in the Second Book of Homilies first published in 1563. They are commended in Article 35 of the 39 Articles of Religion of the Church of England as containing a godly and wholesome doctrine. In this version the spelling has been modernised. The language and expression has been partly modernised.
The original homilies can be found at