holy Church, that every member of the same, in his vocation and
ministry, may truly and godly serve thee; through our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.'

In the third we pray:-

'O merciful God, who hast made all men, and hatest nothing that thou
hast made, nor wouldest the death of a sinner, but rather that he
should be converted and live: Have mercy upon all Jews, Turks,
Infidels, and Hereticks, and take from them all ignorance, hardness
of heart, and contempt of thy Word; and so fetch them home, blessed
Lord, to thy flock, that they may be saved among the remnant of the
true Israelites, and be made one fold under one shepherd, Jesus
Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy
Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.'

Now these collects give us the keynote of Good Friday; they tell us
what the Church wishes us to think of on Good Friday.

We are to think of Christ's death and passion. Of that there is no
doubt.

But we need not on Good Friday, or perhaps at any other time, trouble
our minds with the unfathomable questions, How did Christ's sacrifice
take away our sins? How does Christ's blood purge our conscience?

Mere 'theories of the Atonement,' as they are called, have very
little teaching in them, and still less comfort. Wise and good men
have tried their minds upon them in all ages; they have done their
best to explain Christ's sacrifice, and the atonement which he worked