Transcriber's note: Unusual and inconsistent spelling is as printed.

A LENT IN EARNEST

OR,

SOBER THOUGHTS FOR SOLEMN DAYS.

BY

LUCY ELLEN GUERNSEY.

New York:

THOMAS WHITTAKER

2 & 3 BIBLE HOUSE.

1889.

Copyright, 1889,

By THOMAS WHITTAKER.

PRESS OF
Jenkins & McCowan.
224-228 Centre St.

   I dedicate these pages specially to those who, by reason of infirmity or other reasons, are shut out from the services of the Church at this season. I hope, however, that they may be found useful and acceptable to others as well. They are the outcome of many days of seclusion. May they be blessed by Him whose dews and rain cause the herbs to spring.
 
L. E. G.

CONTENTS.

—————

Ash Wednesday—Repentance

First Thursday in Lent—Confession

First Friday in Lent—Forgiveness

First Saturday in Lent—Consecration

First Sunday in Lent—Fasting

First Monday in Lent—Fasting

First Tuesday in Lent—How Shall We Keep Lent?

Second Wednesday in Lent—Abstinence

Second Thursday in Lent—In the Sick-Room

Second Friday in Lent—The Use of Fasting

Second Saturday in Lent—Dangers and Mistakes

Second Sunday in Lent—Helplessness and Help

Second Monday in Lent—Evil Thoughts and Their Remedy

Second Tuesday in Lent—Meditation

Third Wednesday in Lent—Meditation (Con.)

Third Thursday in Lent—Prayer

Third Friday in Lent—Prayer

Third Saturday in Lent—Intercession

Third Sunday in Lent—Our Enemies

Third Monday in Lent—Our Enemies

Third Tuesday in Lent—The World

Fourth Wednesday in Lent—The Flesh

Fourth Thursday in Lent—Our Ghostly Enemy

Fourth Friday in Lent—The Great Tempter

Fourth Saturday in Lent—Heartiness

Fourth Sunday in Lent—Refreshment

Fourth Monday in Lent—Refreshment Sunday (Con.)

Fourth Tuesday in Lent—Refreshment Sunday (Con.)

Fifth Wednesday in Lent—Comfort

Fifth Thursday in Lent—The Sources of Comfort

Fifth Friday in Lent—The Great Consoler

Fifth Saturday in Lent—The Use of Comfort

Fifth Sunday in Lent—The Government of God

Fifth Monday in Lent—Cæsar's Household

Fifth Tuesday in Lent—The Household of God

Sixth Wednesday in Lent—The Household of God (Con.)

Sixth Thursday in Lent—The Household of God (Con.)

Sixth Friday in Lent—The Household of God (Con.)

Saturday Before Palm Sunday—The Alabaster Box

Palm Sunday—Children in the Temple

Monday Before Easter—The Fig-Tree Having Leaves

Tuesday Before Easter—The House Left Desolate

Wednesday Before Easter—The Lost Opportunities

Thursday Before Easter—The Traitor

Good Friday—The Cross

Easter Even—The Last Sabbath

Easter—The Day of the Lord

Conclusion—Looking Back

A LENT IN EARNEST

ASH WEDNESDAY.

REPENTANCE.

THE keynotes of the services for Ash Wednesday are repentance and confession. Theirs is the spirit of the first collect, of the prayers which, in the American service for the day, follow the Litany, of the portion appointed for the Epistle, and of the Lessons, "That we, worthily lamenting our sins, and acknowledging our wretchedness;" "Turn Thine anger from us who meekly acknowledge our vileness." "Be favorable to thy people who turn to Thee in weeping, fasting, and praying."

We often use words, even very common words, without any clear or exact idea of their meaning. "I know, but I cannot tell," is an expression familiar to every teacher. Now the truth is, we cannot be quite sure whether we know or not, unless we try to put our knowledge into words. Let us, then, examine a little our ideas on this very important matter.

We find these two duties of repentance and confession constantly conjoined in both the Old and New Testaments. The Psalms are full of them. "I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me." (Ps. li. 3:) "Heal my soul; for I have sinned against Thee." (Ps. xli. 4.) "Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin." (Ezek. xviii. 30.)

Our Lord's own preaching began with repentance, as did that of His forerunner, John the Baptist. (S. Matt. iii. 2; S. Mark i. 15.) It was the first commission of the Apostles (S. Mark vi. 12), as it was the burden of their preaching after the day of Pentecost. (Acts ii. 38.)

So with confession. We read in Lev. xxvi. 40, after the most terrible denunciations of woe against the chosen people in case of unfaithfulness, these reassuring words: "If they will confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, ... if, then, their uncircumcised heart be humbled, and they ... accept of the punishment of their iniquity: then will I remember my covenant with Jacob!" So in Psalm xxxii. 5, Joel ii. 12, 1 John i. 9, and many other places.

Our Church, too, in all her services, constantly presses these things on our attention. Since, then, they are so important, is it not very needful that our ideas about them should be clear and definite, free from mistake or haziness? What, then, are repentance and confession?

Repentance, as the word is used in the service for Ash Wednesday, and generally in the Bible and the Prayer-book, means turning "from" sin, and "to" God. It has another meaning in some places—that of sorrow or regret, as in Gen. vi. 6. "And it repented the Lord that He had made man." But in general, it means such sorrow for sin as leads to the forsaking of it. A man may be sorry for some transgression because it has led him into trouble; as when a drunkard has destroyed his health, or a thief has brought himself into the grasp of the law; but such sorrow cannot properly be called repentance. The sinner does not hate the sin. On the contrary, he loves it, and is only sorry that he has put it out of his power to commit it again.

But true repentance means sorrow for sin, because that sin has broken God's law, and grieved and offended Him. It means a steadfast determination to give up everything which our own conscience or the law of God shows us to be wrong. "Repent, and turn yourselves from 'all' your transgressions." (Ezek. xviii. 30.) Observe the word ALL. It will not do to keep anything back, to have any little secret shrine, in which is hidden an idol. God is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Rom. vi. 12.) The darkness of its most secret inner chamber is no darkness to Him, and He will endure no willful deceit in this matter.

I say "willful" deceit, because we may unconsciously deceive ourselves, especially in the beginning of our religious lives. As we advance in holiness, we shall no doubt see many things to be wrong which did not seem so at first. But true repentance does require that we give up everything that we know, or even suspect, to be wrong.

Nor can this work of repentance be finished up in one day, or one Lenten season. It will have to be renewed again and again, so long as we inhabit these mortal bodies; as often as we are made conscious that we have offended by thought, word, or deed against the Divine Majesty. We must remember that our Heavenly Father's precious promises of remission and forgiveness are made only to penitent sinners. "Repent, and be baptized," said St. Peter to the inquirers on the day of Pentecost, and again, in his second sermon, "Repent ye, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." (Acts ii. 38, and iii. 19.)

The prodigal son, in the midst of his wandering and wickedness, was no doubt an object of love and care to his father, but it was not till he returned to his father's house, and submitted to his authority, that he was restored to favor. Not that there is any merit in repentance, as if we thereby earned a title to forgiveness: we must not entertain for a moment any such idea as that. Salvation is, in its very nature, a deliverance from sin. That is what it means. But unless we see the evil of sin we shall not wish to be delivered from it. Therefore, in every case, the first direction to the inquirer is "Repent."

But of what are we to repent?

Of all our wrong doing and thinking and feeling—of our neglect of God and His service—of our carelessness in this most important concern of life—of all our evil deeds and thoughts and tempers. The more closely we examine ourselves by the light of God's Word, the more we shall see to deplore, till we come at last to know practically what we have perhaps always believed as a doctrine—that in us, that is, in our flesh, dwelleth no good thing, and that not only man in general, but we ourselves, are prone to evil as the sparks fly upward.

Let us not, therefore, be discouraged, or faint in our minds! For all this evil the remedy is provided. Hear what comfortable words the Scripture hath for our encouragement. "Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners." (1 Tim. i. 15.) "I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (S. Matt. ix. 13.) Take your reference Bible and look up the passages relating to this subject, and you will see that there is no room for discouragement, much less for despair.

      Ps. li.                        S. Luke xv. 1—10.

FIRST THURSDAY IN LENT.

CONFESSION.

IN many places of Scripture, we find coupled with repentance another condition of repentance—that is, confession. "I acknowledged my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my sins unto the Lord; and so Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin." (Ps. xxxii. 5.) "Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord." (Jer. iii. 13.) "If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John i. 9.)

To whom are we to confess?

First of all, to ourselves. We are frankly to acknowledge our iniquity, and that not in general terms alone, but we are to come down to particulars. It is easy to own ourselves sinners in a general way, while all the time we are cherishing a very good opinion of ourselves. "Oh, yes, we are all miserable sinners!" said a shrewd old lady. "But we are just as good as the rest of the miserable sinners, and a good deal better than some of them." I fancy we all have this feeling at times, though we may not put it to ourselves quite so plainly.

In order to make our confession to ourselves of any use, it must be frank and open. It will not do to accompany every confession with an excuse. "I spoke hastily and unkindly, but then I had great provocation." "I ought not to have repeated that scandalous story, but then I had it on good authority." "I ought perhaps to have abstained from that amusement, but A and B went, and I do not pretend to be better than they." Have we not all excused ourselves in this style again and again? But what is this but saying that we should never do wrong if we were never tempted? Let us consider whether we dare offer these excuses to God before we venture to comfort and quiet our own consciences with them!

Secondly, we must confess our sins unto the LORD. "I said, I will confess my sin unto the Lord." (Ps. xxxii. 5.) "Take with you words, and turn to the Lord." (Hos. xiv. 2.)

"But," you say, "does He not already know my sins? Why, then, should I confess them?" In the first place, because He has seen fit to command it. He also knows all our wants and wishes far better than we ourselves; yet He has commanded us in everything to make known our requests to Him. "Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." (Phil. iv. 6.) Surely His will should be enough for us, since He commands nothing without good cause.

But, secondly, we should confess our sins to God, because in that way alone can we be made thoroughly aware of their sinfulness. A fit of causeless anger, or a bit of malicious gossip, looks very different to us when we lay it bare before God in our closets. The excuse which seemed very plausible when the act was committed, will not appear so in the light of His presence before whom we stand, and who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity. If we are honest in our confession, the Spirit, which searcheth all things, will show us aggravations of our fault which we never suspected.

Finally, we should confess our sin unto the Lord for the sake of the peace which the action brings to our own hearts and minds. There is no time when our conscience torments us so sorely as when we are trying to persuade ourselves that it is not hurting us at all; when we are making all sorts of excuses to ourselves for our faults.

A wise and witty man once said that all the riches and pleasures which life has to offer would be embittered and made useless to a man who was compelled always to wear a sharp nail in his shoe. No doubt, he was right. Now, an unconfessed, and, therefore, unforgiven, sin is just such a nail. It is true that by a long course of neglect the conscience may be silenced for a time. But it is only for a time, and how awful will be the awaking!

Let us, then, come boldly but humbly to the Throne of Grace—to the Mercy seat, where our God is always to be found by those who honestly seek Him! Let us confess all those sins which, by our frailty, we have committed, and ask for forgiveness and cleansing for His sake by whose stripes we are healed, who bore our sins in His own body on the tree, and who now sits at the right hand of the Father to make intercession for us. Let us do so, not trusting in ourselves as if there were any merit in the act, but trusting alone in His gracious promises, and we shall find peace to our souls.

      Psalm xxxii.                        1 John i.

FIRST FRIDAY IN LENT.

FORGIVENESS.

HAVING, then, come to the Throne of Grace with true repentance and humble confession, let us not fail to accept the promises of God in all their fullness. Too many do this, and even value themselves on what they term humility, but which is in reality faithlessness. "I should never dare to believe that my sins were really forgiven," said a certain person; "I should think it presumption." Now which is the greater presumption, to believe what God says, or to disbelieve it? See how full and explicit are His words of promise to all who turn to Him! "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John i. 9.) Observe the fullness and force of the promise: He is faithful and just. Faithful, because He has promised; just, because our Lord has borne our sins in His own body on the tree (1 Pet. ii. 24), and has suffered, the just for the unjust. (1 Pet. iii. 18.)

Nor is this all. He not only forgives our sin, but he washes it away, and makes it as if it had never been. "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Is. i. 18.) "The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin." (1 John i. 7.)

We must never suffer ourselves to doubt, much less to despair of God's mercy. Such doubts are amongst Satan's favorite weapons. "How many times have you asked forgiveness for this very sin already," he whispers. "How many times have you professed repentance, and promised never to commit it more? Is it not presumption, yea, mockery, to ask God to forgive you again?" Do not for a moment listen to him. What are you going to do if you do not ask? You will certainly never be rid of your sin in any other way than by God's help, and how are you to obtain that help but by coming to Him? He who bade us forgive an erring brother, not seven times, but seventy times seven, is not likely to be less merciful Himself.

"There is more grace in God than there is sin in all the sinners that ever lived," said an aged saint of God when this matter was under discussion; and he was right. But are we not in danger of presumption in thus believing that God is ready to forgive, however many times we sin against Him? Not if we are sincere and honest in our repentance, and in our hatred of sin. It would, indeed, be the greatest of presumption to go on willfully indulging in sin on such grounds. The person who did so would be a hypocrite. His repentance would be no more than a pretence, and his profession a mockery and a lie.

But to the honest penitent, I believe nothing can be more calculated to humble him in the very dust with a sense of his own unworthiness than the conviction that, after all his vileness and ingratitude, his Heavenly Father has pardoned him, and taken him again into favor. "And I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord," says God to the rebellious and polluted daughter of Jerusalem, after enumerating all her horrible offenses; and He adds these significant words: "That thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more ... when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord." (Ezek. xvi. 63.)

Shall we, in the face of such gracious and glorious promises as these, dare to doubt the goodness and mercy of our Father? Shall we bring the burden of our sins to Him who has covenanted by His justice, as well as by His mercy and love, to blot out our transgressions for His own sake, and not remember our sins, and then take up that burden and carry it away again? Shall our doubts make Him a liar? Surely, this is presumption, and not the humble faith which trusts in Him, and takes Him at His word.

Let us then rejoice in the belief that our Heavenly Father has pardoned and cleansed us according to His immutable word—that our unrighteousness is forgiven and our sin is covered, and that to us the Lord does not impute sin. (Ps. xxxii. 1, 2.) So shall we find that peace which the world knows not, and can never know, and that joy in which it has no part. So shall we have all our wounds healed, and find strength to fight the good fight of faith in the time to come. "For the joy of the Lord is your strength." (Neh. viii. 10.)

      Psalm xxxii.                        1 John.

FIRST SATURDAY IN LENT.

CONSECRATION.

WHAT is consecration?

It is setting apart. When a building, as a church, is consecrated to the worship of God, we understand that it is set apart for His worship, and is not to be put to any other use. When a bishop is consecrated, he is set apart from worldly business for his sacred office, and he is expected to give up all his time and talents to the duties of that office.

In the same way, a truly consecrated Christian is one who has given himself up wholly to the service of God, his Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier—who aims to please not himself, but God, in all he says, does, and thinks. His time, his talents, his worldly goods, his position and influence, his very amusements, are used for the service of God, and he is ready to give up his most cherished pursuit as soon as he is made aware that it is not pleasing to his Heavenly Master.

We find in Holy Scripture abundant warrant for such consecration. "What, know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God? And ye are not, your own, for ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your bodies, and in your spirits, which are God's." (1 Cor. vi. 19, 20.) "For no man liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord, and whether we die, we die unto the Lord. Whether we live, therefore, or die, we are the Lord's." (Rom. xiv. 7, 8.) In this chapter, be it observed, the Apostle is speaking of so common a matter as eating and drinking, and he says, again, "Whether ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." (1 Cor. x. 31.) Again, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." (Rom. xii. 1.)

The Church teaches us the same lesson in her most solemn act of worship. "And here we offer and present unto Thee, O Lord, ourselves, our souls and bodies," is the language of the prayer of consecration in the office of the Holy Communion. The same thought is found repeated again and again in the Prayer-book, notably in the collects for the fourth and fifth Sundays after Easter. Every Communion Sunday, if we are worthy communicants, we make, or rather renew, this consecration of ourselves to our Lord.

But in order to make this consecration acceptable to God, or useful to ourselves, it must be entire and perfect. We must not follow the example of Ananias and Sapphira, in professing to give all, and then keeping back a part. So long as we "keep back part of the price," so long as we hold fast to anything we know we ought to give up, or hold ourselves back from any duty we know we ought to perform, so long is our offering imperfect—unpleasing to God, and unprofitable to ourselves. "Cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth to the Lord a corrupt thing," said the prophet to the Jews after the captivity. (Mal. i. 14.) Their God had redeemed them from captivity worse than death, had brought them to their own land once more, and restored to them their old religious privileges, yet they reckoned His service weariness, and grudged to give of their best for His offering. Our Lord has redeemed us from a worse bondage than theirs, and has bought us with a great price, even with the suffering and death of His dear Son, and shall we grudge to give Him that which is His own?

The want of this perfect consecration is the reason why so many Christian people have no comfort in their devotion. Old-fashioned Methodist people used to employ a significant phrase in this connection. They would ask,—

"Do you enjoy religion?"

Too many, it is to be feared, do not enjoy it at all. They seem to have just enough to make them uncomfortable.

"I feel as if it were of no use for me to pray," said one; "my prayers never seem to get out of the room, and my heart is cold and heavy. I have no sense of the Lord's presence at all."

"Are you sure," asked her friend, "that you are indulging no sin, or neglecting no known duty?"

After a moment's pause came the question, "Do you think such a thing is wrong?"

"Whatever I think, I know what you think," was her friend's inward answer.

Our God is a jealous God! He will not share His temple with another. If we would have Him dwelling in our hearts, we must banish thence every idol, and every unclean and even doubtful thing. For we must remember that if we think any act wrong, or even doubtful, that act becomes a sin to us. This is true especially of amusements and pleasures of all sorts. He who risks God's anger for the sake of a personal gratification, is guilty of presumptuous sin.

If, then, you find your religious state unsatisfactory, your prayers lifeless, your sacramental seasons without comfort or enjoyment, your heart heavy under a secret sense of condemnation, let me beg you to examine yourself, and see if the trouble does not lie just here—that you are keeping back something that your Lord requires of you. And if, on an honest search, you find that He calls on you to give up some indulgence to which you are holding fast, or to take up some duty which you have hitherto neglected, let me beg of you to obey on the instant; whatever be the cost, break the idol, banish the intruder, take up the duty, and, so doing, find peace to your soul.

      Mal. i.                        Rom. xii.

FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT.

FASTING.

THE special service for this day sets before us, as the subject of our meditation, our Lord's fast in the wilderness. The collect is founded on it. "O Lord, who for our sakes didst fast forty days!" The Gospel for the day sets forth the story of the same fast, and of the temptation which followed.

It was for our sake that the Blessed Jesus fasted. His sinless nature had no need of such discipline. But He was "in all points tempted like as we are," that we might know that "we have not an High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities." (Heb. iv. 15.) "For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succor them that are tempted." (Heb. ii. 18.) Let us, with reverence and godly fear, consider a few of the circumstances of His fasting and temptation.

It was immediately after our Lord's baptism, and the wonderful manifestation of the Divine Glory in confirmation of His claims, that He was "led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the Devil." After the privilege came the temptation. If we consider our own experience, we shall often find this to be the case with ourselves. How often, after a season of more than usual earnestness and enjoyment in devotion, does the heart seem to go back with a rebound, as it were, to the vanities of the world! How often, after an act of honest renunciation, does the thing we have given up paint itself to our fancy in more attractive colors than ever, till we think ourselves little better than hypocrites, and are ready to give up in despair!

But we have no reason to despair. Nay, we may, if we use them aright, make our very temptations means of grace, drawing from them both encouragement and strength—encouragement, because Satan would not take so much pains to draw us aside if he did not see that we were escaping from his power; strength, if we let our trials make us more watchful against sin, and more earnest in our prayers for help.

Our Lord's first temptation came through the medium of His bodily wants. He was exhausted from fasting; and Satan, as is usual with him, attacked him on what he believed his weak point. "If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread." (S. Matt. iv. 3.) He often assaults us in the same way. "You are tired and hungry," he says; "you have a right to be irritable." "You are an invalid; you have the right to be exacting, and to make the comfort of others give way to yours." "You are sleepless, and in pain; you have a right to take the drug which will give you present ease and rest, whatever may be the consequence." Let us answer as did our Lord: "Man shall not live by bread alone." Let us remember that the body is to be the servant, not the master, and treat it accordingly. There are no persons who need to practice self-control more than invalids, and especially nervous invalids.

Again, our Lord did not make use of His divine power against the tempter. He used weapons which are within the reach of every one of us. He met Satan with the words of Holy Scripture. And in this very fact, by the way, may be found an answer to those who decry and undervalue the Old Testament. Every one of our Lord's quotations is taken from the book of Deuteronomy. And we may furnish ourselves, if we will, with weapons from the same celestial armory. Does Satan attack us through our bodily weakness? "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor. xii. 9.)

Does he beset us with doubts as to the forgiveness of our sins, or acceptance with God? Every disciple has, like Christian in the "Pilgrim's Progress," "a key in his bosom, which will open any lock in Doubting Castle." Hence the importance of making ourselves very familiar with the weapons which St. Paul calls "the sword of the Spirit," and of having it, as it were, always at our side. A man might have the best weapon in the world in his possession, but it would stand him in little stead when attacked, if he did not know how to use it, or if he had left it hanging up in his closet at home. But if we store our memories with the very words of the Bible, and meditate often thereon, we shall have sword and shield always at hand. I shall have more to say on this matter hereafter.

Once more, temptation, valorously withstood, is followed by peace. "Then the Devil leaveth Him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto Him." (S. Matt. iv. 11.) "Our Lord will not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able." (1 Cor. x. 13.) Satan may rage, but his rage is restrained by one stronger than he, and after the storm comes a calm. Then come to us, as to the pilgrim, some of the leaves of the tree of life, to heal our wounds, and if the white robe has contracted any stain in the strife, there is opened the fountain for sin and uncleanness, where we may wash and be clean. (Zech. xiii. 1.) We must still be on our guard, and have our weapons at hand, but our Captain allows us a breathing-time, and He will himself come and talk with us as we rest by the way.

      Ps. xlvi.                        S. Matt. iii.

FIRST MONDAY IN LENT.

FASTING.

WHAT is fasting?

IN its broadest sense it is self-denial. As generally used by our Church, it means abstinence in some shape—either from amusement, from food, or from personal luxuries. The Romish Church makes it to consist mostly in refraining from meat, especially during Lent; but that is a narrow view of the matter, and one which admits of a great deal of personal indulgence. The early Church made no distinction in quality of food, and the most scrupulous did not hesitate to eat meat when needful. Our own branch of the Church lays down no definite rules on the subject of fasting, either in Lent or at any other time, but, with her usual wisdom and liberality, leaves the matter to each person's conscience.

It has been remarked that there is no absolute command to fast in the New Testament. Our Lord, however, implicitly sanctions and approves the practice by His example, and by giving directions as to how the duty is to be performed (S. Matt. vi. 16), and by His words to the Pharisees (S. Mark ii. 19); and it is commended by the practice of the Apostles (Acts iii. 2, 3, and xiv. 23.) Our Lord tells us that fasting, like prayer, should be performed without ostentation, and this is the only direction given on the subject.

The law of Moses appoints only one fast that of the great day of atonement (Lev. xxiii. 27), but we find in the Old Testament numerous examples of fasts, usually on occasion of some great danger or calamity (2 Chron. xx. 3; Joel ii), or of some dangerous enterprise. In the writings of the prophets, also, we find many allusions to fasting as a common practice, and also directions as to the spirit in which it should be performed.

Our Church observes all Fridays throughout the year as fast days, and also the forty days before Easter. This last season, called Lent (probably from the Saxon word for Spring), is that with which we are specially concerned at present. How, then, shall we keep Lent?

The Church answers this question, to some extent, by her multiplied services and frequent Communions—by the opportunities which she gives us of social worship. Let us avail ourselves of this privilege as far as possible, by being frequently in the sanctuary, and by joining heartily in the prayers and praises of God's people. Let us be early in our places, that our spirits may be quieted, and our hearts attuned by some minutes of prayer and meditation, before the service begins. The quiet and the association of the place are specially favorable to such exercises.

Many people find an advantage in reading some devotional book at this time, such as Thomas à Kempis, or the Sacra Privata, and this is a good plan, provided always that the book be used as a guide to meditation, and not as a substitute for it. As a rule, we read too much and think too little.

Our prayers should be not only for ourselves, but for our fellow-worshippers, and for all the interests of our own Church and the Church at large. Let us remember our families, the guild or society to which we belong, our god-children and pupils in Sunday-school, the missionary enterprises of our own parish and those of the Church. We shall find that a few minutes spent in this way, on entering church, will compose our minds, and add tenfold to the comfort and usefulness of the service which follows.

Many sincere Christians are troubled with wandering thoughts in time of prayer, and especially of public service. I have always found great assistance in keeping my eyes fixed on the book, following every word of the service. Such wandering thoughts are dogs which run out and bark at us in the street—the best way is to go straight on and take no notice of them. But as an old author has said, the best way to govern our thoughts in prayer is to be in the habit of governing them at all other times.

When service is over, let us not be in a hurry to rise from our knees, but let us again spend a few moments in secret devotion. I much like the custom of the congregation remaining in their seats or standing till the minister leaves the chancel. And let us strive, above all, to carry with us through the day the influence of the blessed services in which we have been engaged. The Psalms or the Lessons will have furnished us with some food for meditation, to which our minds may turn in the intervals of business, and from which we may draw counsel and comfort, and—

         "at evening we may say,
I have walked with God to-day."

      Is. lxiii.                        S. Mark vi.

FIRST TUESDAY IN LENT.

HOW SHALL WE KEEP LENT?

YOU say, perhaps, "I am shut up—confined to the room or the house," or, "I am away from the church and its worship. I cannot join in the services, however much I should like to do so."

This is a mistake, and a very unfortunate one, which is likely to deprive the person making it of much spiritual growth as well as comfort. No one needs the helps which the Church holds out to her children more than those who are shut away from the more public means of grace. We are too apt to think of the Church, not as the one Body of Christ, but as a mass of disconnected parishes and individuals. You are as much a member of the Church at large when you are a thousand miles away from her services, or when you are kept helpless on your bed, as though you were in the heart of a great cathedral city, with opportunities of attending a grand service every day.

It is one of the blessings of our inestimable book of Common Prayer that it enables us to join in the prayers and praises of those who are able to attend public worship. If from illness or any other cause you are kept from going to church, let me ask you to take the Prayer-book, and follow the service in your own room. Read the proper Psalms and Lessons, and, that you may do so, keep yourself in mind of all the Church days and seasons. This is easily done in these days of cheap almanacs and wall calendars. Do not, if you can help it, let one day pass without reading at least one of the proper Lessons for the day, and one of the Psalms, and using some part of the appointed prayers. You will never appreciate as you should the wonderful beauty of our service, and its suitableness to your spiritual needs, till you learn to use it in your private devotions.

But in order to this appreciation, we must guard against formality, and carelessness. Let us study the service, and commit it to memory; especially the collects, those wonderful jewels of devotion, which shine the more, the more they are looked at and used. I can testify, from my own experience, to the value of this practice to the sick and feeble. Many times, when oppressed by pain and weakness, or vexed and distracted by nervous irritation, unable to frame a sentence, or to put even into thought the desires and griefs of a burdened heart, have I found unspeakable comfort and help in the dear, familiar words which came almost without an effort, and expressed the longings of my soul better than any words of my own.

Let me beg of you, then, dear shut-in and shut-out brothers and sisters, to make bosom friends and companions of your prayer-books. Let them be always at hand, and never, if you can help it, omit using a part at least of the service for the day. This will require some effort and self-denial, but this very effort and self-denial will do you good, and are exercises most suitable to the season.

Believe me, if you will but follow the practice through one Lenten season, you will never again willingly omit it.

      Ps. lxxxiv.                        Eph. iv. 1-17.

SECOND WEDNESDAY IN LENT.

ABSTINENCE.

WE have already seen that fasting, in its broad sense, means self-denial, and in the ordinary sense, abstinence. In this latter sense it is used in the collect for the day. Now abstinence, we all know, means "going without something," and the question to be settled by each one of us is, "What shall we do without?"

The Church, always discreet and liberal in her requirements, lays down no rules in this matter, but leaves it to the judgment and conscience of each individual of her children. We are to be, not without law, but a law unto ourselves. One may abstain in matters of food, another of some favorite occupation or amusement, such, for instance, as light reading or fancy work, or a favorite game. Another will take time from his business or pleasure for devotional reading, or for some work of charity.

We are to be a law unto ourselves, but let our rule "be" a law. Do not let the matter be left to chance, or the impulse of the moment. "Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind," said St. Paul, speaking of a somewhat similar matter (Rom. xiv. 5.). He is writing to the Christians of Rome, many of whom had been Jews, and still found their consciences burdened at times by the requirements of ceremonial law. "One," he says, "believeth that he may eat all things; another, who is weak, eateth only herbs...One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike." But however that might be, every one was enjoined to be "fully persuaded in his own mind," and not to act against that persuasion—that is, against the leading of his own conscience.

Having, then, laid down a rule—having decided on that measure of abstinence which we deem best for ourselves—let us adhere to that standard, however we may be tempted to depart from it. For instance, if you decide to give some particular part of the day to devotional reading or study—a very excellent practice—do not let every little matter, especially of your own convenience, divert you from your object. If you decide to abstain from light reading, hold fast to your resolution in the face of the most fascinating and bepraised novel. Unless you do thus adhere to them, your rules will be burdens and temptations instead of helps.

There is another and a very important point to be considered in this matter of amusements. In the very chapter that we have been quoting, St. Paul says: "If meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no meat while the world stands." The church man or woman who is seen at the opera or theatre during Lent must not be surprised if he hears his religious profession lightly spoken of by worldly associates. The Sunday-school teacher or Girls' Friendly Associate who so indulges must not complain of the pupil or member who follows her example.

A visitor in a certain house was amazed, on entering the parlor on Good Friday evening, to find two whist tables in operation, both occupied by church-members who had attended service in the morning. The visitor was not surprised at the remark of a Roman Catholic servant:

"Well, they don't think much of the day, whatever they may pretend."

And certainly the spectacle was not an edifying one to those who made no religious profession whatever.

"All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient," and it is hard to see how anyone who desires to use this holy season as the Church intended it to be used can spend time and money on expensive amusements. Believe me, it is a bad symptom in the spiritual life when a Christian is thinking, not how much he can give up for his Lord, but how much he dares keep for himself.

      Is. lviii.                        1 Cor. x.

SECOND THURSDAY IN LENT.

IN THE SICK-ROOM.

"I AM an invalid," says someone; "I never go either to the theatre or opera; I never attend a party, or partake of any public amusement; hardly indeed, of any amusement at all. How shall I keep Lent?"

In the first place, so far as possible, get out of your world into God's world. I have been an invalid for months and years at a time, and I have seen a great deal of illness, so I am not speaking at random. The great temptation of a chronic invalid is to make the world centre in himself. The great interests of mankind, and of the Church, charitable, and mission work, and Christian work of every kind, are of no importance compared to the position of a table or the serving of a meal. We almost forget that these things have any existence, or that we as individuals have anything to do with them.

I do not mean to say that all chronic invalids are irritable or selfish; I must say frankly that I have seen quite as much of these qualities in nurses as in patients. But it is perfectly natural—nay, it is unavoidable—when one is shut up in a small space, to make that space and its arrangements of great importance. They "are" very important, and a kind and faithful nurse will take care that no untidiness or carelessness shall offend the eye; that the book or work or glass of drink shall not be moved and set down just out of reach; that the door shall not be left ajar to slam, or the window to rattle. Such carelessness is often nothing less than cruelty.

But making all allowances, I still say to the invalid, get out of your little world into the great world as often as possible. Recollect that you are still a member of Christ's living body, and as such there must still be some work for you to do. Especially at this season, consider if there is not some way whereby you may help the Church in her great work of converting the world.

I would earnestly advise you to turn your attention to the subject of missions at home and abroad. If you are able to read, subscribe for the "Spirit of Missions" and read it all through. An excellent old Presbyterian lady once said that when she got her missionary paper she "just sat down and prayed right through it." Do you likewise, and at the same time consider how wonderful is this instrument of prayer, by which, in your chamber, you can reach the overworked man or woman toiling in China or Africa. You will soon find that your interest in the work grows as you learn more about it. You will find yourself looking out for news from particular stations and people, and thinking of Miss Wong and her orphans, and Miss Somebody Else and her Indians or Freedmen, as if they were personal friends.

Do not be content, however, with reading and praying. Try to do something. Many invalids are able to do more or less light work with their fingers, and find great comfort in it. Now at this time let your work be consecrated in a special manner. Lay aside the fancy work for something practical and useful. Let the drawn work give way to the hospital towel, and the knitted lace to the hospital sock. Even if you can do but little, let that little be done faithfully and as regularly as possible, and the Lord of the harvest will bless your gleanings as much as the full sheaves of the stalwart reaper in the field.

If you are earnest in watching for opportunities you may also practice self-denial in other ways. Are there no little luxuries that you can do without, and so add a few cents or dollars to your charity-purse? Cannot the orange, or bunch of grapes, or bottle of cologne be sent to some poor body who keeps Lent all the year round? Is there no service which you have been in the habit of requiring from an attendant, and which, by a little effort, you may perform for yourself? When a visitor comes in, can you not turn the conversation from your own aches and pains to something more pleasant and profitable? All these things are self-denials, and, if used in the right spirit, will bring their reward—a present reward in improved cheerfulness, and so, often, in improved bodily health; a lasting reward in growth in grace, and in that holiness which shall make you more fit for that world where there is no more any pain, because the former things are passed away.

      Psalm lxxvii.                        Rev. vii. 9-17.

SECOND FRIDAY IN LENT.

THE USE OF FASTING.

WHAT is the use of fasting?

The answer to this question is given in the collect which has formed the text of our meditations for the week. "That our flesh being subdued to the spirit, we may obey Thy godly motions in righteousness and true holiness."

The flesh, as the term is usually employed in Scripture, means the lower and earthly part of our nature. It is that part of us to which almost all the pleasures of sense address themselves. St. Paul tells us that they who are in the flesh—they who live for it alone—cannot please God (Rom. viii. 8); and he gives the reason, because they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh.

The flesh, that is, as we have said, the lower part of our nature, has neither belief nor interest in anything but what can be seen and heard, and handled with hands. It cares for nothing but the things which belong to time, and must therefore perish with time. The invisible things which are eternal, and therefore the only real things, are as nothing to the man of the flesh, or at best but the idle dreams of enthusiasts. This being the case, it is easy to see why they who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Now this earthly and carnal nature, which is here called the flesh, remains in every one of us. We are all more or less under its influence. We are all prone to let the seen and temporal hide from our thoughts the unseen and eternal. The wants of the body are imperative, and must be provided for, and with these needs are apt to come lusts. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life are all intimately connected with real needs, and take on their names and faces.

Our bodies are useful servants, but bad and hard masters, and they are always striving to get the upper hand, and govern where they ought to obey. Therefore it is needful to rule them with a strong hand. St. Paul says, "I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection"; that is, literally, "I buffet it with blows, and treat it as a slave," and he gives us the reason for this conduct, "lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." (1 Cor. ix. 27.) The Scriptures, especially the Epistles, are full of warnings on this subject. "If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live." (Rom. viii. 13.)

The flesh is to be subdued to the spirit; to our own immortal spirit, and to the Holy Spirit. To our own spirit, because that is the part of us which is nearly related to God, capable of communion with Him, and even of being partaker of the Divine Nature (2 Pet. i. 4); to the Holy Spirit, because He is our Divine Guide and Comforter. The flesh is to be made thus subject, that it may know its place and be silent and quiet before its betters, that its voice may not hinder the voice of God. It must be taught to obey, that it may be the servant and not the master. And as soldiers are drilled in time of peace, when no enemy is at hand, that they may be ready and skillful in time of war, so our bodies may well be trained and brought under discipline, that in the time of trial they may be helps and not hindrances in running the race which is set before us.

      Is. xxxii.                        1 Cor. ix.

SECOND SATURDAY IN LENT.

DANGERS AND MISTAKES.

THERE are two or three dangers and mistakes connected with this subject, which we shall do well to consider.

The first is the danger of spiritual pride—of considering our self-denials as good works, whereby we acquire merit, and, so to speak, bring God in debt to us. One would think, at first sight, that no well-instructed Christian was in any such peril, yet a very slight acquaintance with history will show the painful absurdities which have grown out of this idea, and the mischief and waste to which it has led.

It is very hard for a man to take in the idea that he cannot deserve anything of God by his good works; that all his righteousnesses are as filthy rags, and that after his very best is done, he is but an unprofitable servant, doing no more than his duty; that he must accept salvation, if at all, as an absolutely free gift. His pride revolts at the idea. He does not like to feel that he is only a beggar. Hence the tendency, of which every faithful and experienced Christian is more or less conscious, to magnify his own good works, if not in the eyes of others, yet in his own secret soul.

Pride is a subtle enemy, and never more to be dreaded than when it takes the form of that spiritual pride which apes humility. From this root have grown all sorts of noxious weeds; especially those exhibitions of self-torture which so revolt common sense in the lives of so-called saints—the pillar of Simon Stylites, the five orange seeds a day of Rose of Lima, and the like. Neither by precept nor example do the Scriptures countenance any such practices. On the contrary, our Lord's injunctions seem directed expressly against them. (S. Matt. vi. 16-18.)

Another danger to be guarded against is that of despising the body, as if it were of no account. The body is to be subject to the spirit, no doubt. It is a servant, and is to be kept to a servant's place, even by severe discipline if need be, but it is to be kept in health and strength, that it may serve well its master. It is the tool of the spirit, and must be kept in good working order. He would be a foolish master who should so treat his tools or his servants as to disable them from work.

Our bodies are to be treated with respect because they are God's temples, in which it pleases Him to dwell. "Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you?" says the Apostle (1 Cor. vi. 19); and again, "Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you?" and he adds, "If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy." (1 Cor. iii. 16.) From these considerations, it may be easily seen that those persons are guilty of sin who are willfully careless of the body; who for the sake of dress or amusement, or indulgence of any sort, injure their health and lessen their powers of usefulness.

Once more: The body is to be treated with respect because it has a share in our redemption. True, it is subject to decay and death. True, for a time it must molder in the dust, but it shall be raised again, and united to its kindred spirit, freed from all taint of sin and corruption. True, it is sown in dishonor and weakness, but it shall be raised in glory and power, to inherit immortality.

      Job xiv.                        1 Cor. iii.

SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT.

HELPLESSNESS AND HELP.

THE collect for this day is especially a prayer for help; help for body and soul. The suppliant's plea is his helplessness. We have no power of ourselves to help ourselves, and so we turn to Him who is both able and willing to help us.

It is to be wished that Christians in general realized more fully their dependence upon God. We all go to Him for help in great matters—in deep afflictions, in strong temptations; but in the little things of everyday life, we forget or neglect to call upon Him; and it is in these very little things that we are defeated and overthrown by our ever-watchful enemy. "He that despiseth little things shall fall by little and little," said a wise man; and no truer word was ever spoken. It is the small temptation which makes way for the great one. It is the misstep which prepares for the fall.

Take an example: Theodore wakes in the morning feeling rather unwell and out of sorts. He has perhaps overslept when he wished to wake early, and is hurried in consequence. Proceeding to dress, he finds a button off, or a stud misplaced; a real vexation, though a small one; but Theodore never thinks of asking for help in such a matter as that. He would perhaps regard such a prayer as almost a mockery. The bell rings before he is ready, and he has, or thinks he has, no time for morning devotions. By the time he reaches his office, he is in a thoroughly bad humor, and ready to vent his annoyance on the first person who comes across him.

When Theodore reviews the events of the day, he is obliged to confess that he has made a sad failure. He sees, with shame, that he has been unjust and unkind; that he has, perhaps, offended one of God's little ones, or put a stone of stumbling in the way of someone whom he is trying to influence for good. He confesses his sin with penitence and shame, but it does not occur to him to trace the trouble to its source—the failing to seek for help against the first temptation.

Oh that all of us, who profess and call ourselves Christians, could come to realize in our inmost souls, that in us, that is, in our flesh, dwells no good thing; that in very deed we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves in great things or small! It is a thought humbling to human pride, no doubt, but it is true. Every good thing, every good gift, is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights (James i. 17), and thrives in the soil of this lower world only by careful cultivation. Spiritual strength, and the power to resist temptation, are no exception to this rule. They must come from above, in the first place, and they must be continually watered from above if they are to live. You might better set a willow-tree in the midst of the great American Desert, and expect it to grow there without irrigation, as to expect any Christian grace or virtue to live in your heart without constant watering from the Divine Fountain, which gave it life in the first place.

This fact of our utter helplessness to do the least good thing of ourselves would be very discouraging; would, indeed, lead us to utter despair if it stood alone. But God is all-knowing, and He sees that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves. He is almighty. Nothing is too hard for Him. All things are in His hand, from the whole visible universe to the least grain which helps to make it; from the highest archangel to the tiny baby which was christened yesterday, and whose christening robe was also its burial dress. Nothing is too great for His power, nothing too small for his care and love. He is our Father. He loves each one of His children as much as if that child were the only one, and He has laid up for each one such good things as pass man's understanding.

And this all-powerful, all-loving God knows all our needs and all our weakness. "He knoweth whereof we are made; He remembereth that we are but dust." (Ps. ciii. 14.) He sees that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves, and His help is always ready. Yea, the whole power of Almighty God is enlisted on the side of the weakest child who is trying to please Him. But He will not force His help on any one.

His hand is always held out, but we are free to lay hold on it or not, as we will. We may neglect or slight His offers if we choose, but we must take the consequences. We may, if we please, kindle a fire for ourselves, and try to walk in the light of it; but this shall we have of His hand: we shall lie down in sorrow. (Isa. l. 11.)

      Isa. li.                        S. John x. 19.

SECOND MONDAY IN LENT.

EVIL THOUGHTS AND THEIR REMEDY.

EVERY Christian knows what it is to be troubled with evil thoughts. Bunyan, than whom no uninspired man was ever better acquainted with the human heart, makes it one of his Pilgrim's trials that he bore away with him from the City of Destruction some of those things that he was conversant withal, especially his inward and carnal cogitations; and he adds, sorrowfully, "If I had my way, I would never think of those things more, but when I would do good, evil is present with me."

How often is his experience ours! How many times we find ourselves haunted with what we would fain forget! Some one offers us an affront. We have no desire to cherish a grudge, and perhaps we make an act of forgiveness on the spot; but all day long the scornful word or the unkind act haunts our memory, and Satan conspires with the traitor in our own hearts to magnify the offense, and to suggest thoughts of malice and revenge. We are denied some pleasure or indulgence that others enjoy, and to which we think, perhaps, that we have a better right than they, and we dwell upon the matter, magnifying the forbidden pleasure or advantage till it becomes a dark fog, blotting out every pleasant prospect and shutting us up in measureless discontent.

I believe that invalids are particularly subject to this kind of temptation. The horizon of the sick person is narrow at the best, and a small cloud suffices to obscure it. Moreover, there are certain disorders which seem of themselves particularly favorable to evil thoughts. The patient is, or fancies himself, neglected or forgotten. He is tempted to envy those better off than himself. He thinks of all the good work he has done, and of all he might do, and he is tempted to think hardly of the Master, who seems to have rejected his service. These and still darker thoughts beset the daily couch and nightly pillow of the invalid, till he feels as if Satan in bodily presence were standing at his bedside.

Now what is the remedy for this unhappy state of things? The first thing to be done is to recognize these thoughts as sins. We are too apt to excuse them to ourselves as mere infirmities, consequent on our state of health. They may be so to some extent. All our sins are the consequence of some temptation. So long as we constantly make excuses for our faults, so long they will stay by us, and consider themselves as welcome guests. Let us call them by their right names to begin with, and, like the malicious dwarf in the fairy tale, they are half conquered already.

The next thing to be done with our evil thoughts is to crowd them out. It has been said that Nature abhors a vacuum, but Satan loves one because it gives him a place wherein to bestow his wares. Let us try to so occupy our mind with good things that there shall be no room for the bad ones. Let us fill our memories with good and pleasant things, that we may from time to time take out our treasures, and refresh ourselves with the sight of them. Christian found his inward enemies were vanquished when he looked upon his broidered coat—that robe of Christ's righteousness given him instead of his own rags; when he read in his roll—that evidence of his salvation given to every humble believer in God's word; and above all, when his thoughts waxed warm about the place to which he was going. Try his method.

Then, too, we must use the weapon put into our hands for this very purpose—the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God; and to the end that we may have the full benefit thereof, we must accustom ourselves to its use. We must store our memory with its promises, its counsels and instructions.

I once asked a venerable minister what book I should read in Lent.

His answer was, "The Bible"; and he added, "I could wish that Christians would put aside all other books during Lent, and read the Bible alone."

Without going so far as this, I would earnestly warn every one not to let the Bible be crowded out by any book, however edifying. Do not be content with merely reading, but study it. Learn by heart such passages as are likely to be most useful, and so familiarize yourself with the book as to be able to turn at once to anything you want. A sick-bed or chamber is not the best place to begin this practice, but it is better begun there than never.

Above all, let us, like Christian in the shadow of death, betake ourselves to the weapon called "all prayer." Let us make haste to escape to Him who is our strong tower and house of defense. Let the language of our hearts be that of the Psalmist: "Into thine hands I commit my spirit, for Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth." (Ps. xxxi. 5.) So shall He defend us under His wings and we shall be safe under His feathers; His faithfulness and truth shall be our shield and buckler. (Ps. xci. 4.)

      Ps. xxxv.                        St. John xiv.