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Les diagrammes suivants iilustrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 ./^^^ kr :Z/^^^ ent, AM) now ro KEEP IT. A 2£4.03/ 1% *^. ♦.»' LK.NT, AM) now TO Ki^^W IT. TIIK WOKK OF i!Kl'K.\r.\N('lv ,^,'. TnH Cliiirch tcadics us imidi with respect to tliis woi'k l)y setting- ap.ii-t (lie forty (lays of f.eiit, in wliicli we may follow it u|) with praver and fastiiiu'. and ^elf-d.-'iiial. Sh.- leach-'s us lliat. in //*"/■ Jildi^tiieiit. that •' ',\ ni't h_\ lament iiii:' of our sins ' uliicli is the nirans ot' ■" ohtainini:' perfeet remission and foi-_^-i\ cacss." r('(|nii-('s that we slionld withdraw froni tlie |»lea>iires ami works, of this woi-ld, and (h'tacli onrschcs tVom its eii- tanulements. Ami in t]ie(M>s|»el fort/fhe da\T/tnd the portion (»f 8eri|)tnre ajipointed for the Fipistle, we ha\<' oui' Lord's a]>|U'o\ al of fastinu'. and the command of it hy one of jlis inspired jtropliets. which hoth l(\ad us t(» the same kind of thoui^dits and shew us that withdi'a winu' from thinu's that j)le,'ise the Hesh is one of the needful ste))s in • li'awinii- neai' to ( io(l. And sm-li ha^ iu'eii the pract ice ((f t he saints, not oidy in prayini;- ft»i- tlicmseh cs. ami tli<»se who nnuht sulVer foi" their own sins, like Daxid, hut als(» interceding' foi* the pei>ph' of (lod ;\i larii'e. like Daniel. \ot as tlunmh man couhl make a bai'^ain with (Jod. ami hy ui\inu- up so much of what would please tin' fiesh make /-, ^('ivnt Lcl >^^c,^io ^< i^t^<- i*-^^' i\_^ c/\//L fle-^i, c^ i/e^ Ay' I'^'bi^. utonoinciit for so iinich siti of liis own or an- other's, hut lu'caiiso s('lf-(U'nial and separation from tl»o world is an appointed way of .h-awinff near to (Un\. and ivnoanciu.L,^ ovory thing tliat is against Him. All remission of sin must he thnuigh tlu' sacritice of our Lord J<'sus Christ ; n(» other ean put it away. Yet is this forgivem^ss hrought home to us hy sundry means, and we cannot have it if we will not do what he has ])ut in tin- way toward ohtaining it. Sin is not forgiven while we ahide in it, and even when we do repent of a sin or of a sinful course, we do not always rei)ent of it so wludly hut that something of it still hangs ahout us, for which we have still to answer hefore God. and which hinders the fulness of His grace from being shed abroad in our hearts, and sometimes calls for sharp correc- tion at His hands. Now the business of this season is not only to examine whether there '\w any such thing with- in us, but also to put out of the way such things as are hindrances to our finding it out, and "to make actual trial of ourselves, for the sake of exercise, in some points in which sin is not unlikely to have a ludd of us, besides hum- bling ourselves before (iod for all our ])ast short- comings and misdoings. It is well to keep in view the search after our own faults, because a fault is not cured in a +* thorc ai-e anv great faults .1, 'J' in /I Kr»<»Q11«(> 1 lyiii'i ^»y us iK'ulcctiNl, tln^y will he ,1 liin-l t,(» nil niif Work. (•;iiic(' Let us tliiiik tlitMi of si mic ol' tl IC WMVS 111 W we liicli sill liarius nitout us when we think we have toi-sakcn it. One of tlu'sc wavs is hv its still krcjunir a Imld of our tlioui::lits. so tliat wc romt'iuhor with iilcasurc or in some wav take pleasure ill thiukiui;- of wroui:- thiuirs that liave done, or such as are like them. This is ?iut hard to tiiid out if we have the will, and must he wholly ren(Uineed if we would ha\'e (Uir repentance eomplete and our pardon entire. Watch fill ne.ss over our th(Ui«rhts at this season will hel}) much towarr the tem])tation. but rather by the helj) fsome change of circumstances that [)iits us o un< ler control or makes the temptation le ss. When that is the case. we are ai)t to remain just as weak and self-indulgent in somethins- else, as m the sin we think we have forsaken: it iiiav Ik- in some lesser ni.-ittcr. (li.it we li.inlly think of a< aiiKaintinir te a sin. l>ut still it is an evil that NV(> eiiuht to tiiid <'iit and <'in-<'. if we wish to have our sin wln.llv eh-ared away. K.-itin.i^^ and driidviuL^ tor mere pleasure, not takinix trouhleto do things well, or in e of men. if we ha\e heen m aiiv respect ^•i\(•n to lakinir our own way. and not minding to lv<>e|> the path of duty, such iii- clinati.»ns are apt to have a veiw sti-im-- hold on us. so that we lind it veiw haiwl to withstand them when duty calls for it. Self-will (h.es n..t shew itself oi.eidy, hut it has plenty of roiuii t«» hide itself in these thing's, and li(\s there for a leiiLith of time i)i (piiet i)oss(>ssion. and in streuLith enou,iih to master our own hotter miml when any t]"ial eonies. A'^ain there are ways of speaking- and actini: which do not ci>in" at oii,-c undei- any aeknow- Icdo-ed rule, hut whicli are yet veiw mUi-h like such as are forhidden. and so noai- to them that we take up with theui instead of the othei's. and put the same mind into them, while wc think we are safe fnun blame. One comnnui case is tiuit of words n(\ar akin toeursinii,- and .-weai'iiiL:-, ,..i.;..l^ ....ni\- iw^i.Tilo tldnU thev mav use treelv. .-. ill-, i: :: ■---■J i " i wliilc tlit'V :u'o r<\)lly iiil<'-minde(lness which St. .lames mentions as a ureat fault, when we have heoii trvini; to serve two masters, and so have not held fast to Ilim whose will ou^ht always to he our rule of life. If re|)entnnce is not very thoroui^di, the.se unstal)le ways an^ likely to remain with us in many thinu's ; and whenever they are found they ■Avc at hsast a siii:n that something is not right, and leaving them otf" will he a step toward re- gaining what we have lost by sin. Sometimes it will stav hv us in the shape of hard tlnuights of others, or readiness to think e\ il of them, orauain in <'nvious, urud^nng wavs. which keep us tVom showing true Christian lo\(> to them, tnen when they do not amount to wilful and deadly sin. A xery d(vp and thor- ough rejXMitance searches these i>ut. but the com- mon repentance of half-worldly Christians leaves them verv nearlv where it found them, and needs manyshar[)trialsat(Jo(rshaiid to })urgetheniout. 6 ^[aiiv otlu'i' sli.ijx'- tliiT-' Mrr ill wliicli sin st.-ivs l»v us it" we ;ir»' ii"! iiiiiitiriil t(t rnot it <>ut tii«M-(»iiu-lily. siicli ;i> want <»r trtitlifuliH'ss. tliniiL:-]itl"s>nt'ss a Ixiiit I ill Id's, dislike ol" (IfVotioii. &c. ; and in this li.tlv -casoii we must strive to set all means at work t<>r tindini,^ wliere it is and clearini;- away all that remains of it. Sueli is t'astiiiu' itself, if ri.ulitly used, and not mana,u-e(l with as little scdf-denial as we can. just to keep a rule, hut r(die\('d only l>y what is nccossarv for business or health. It is not siM'vinu- (lod without an espeeial call, to do harm to out l)odi(>s, which are Ilis own work; I'ut the hody will l)est serve its hiuhest l)ur})oses, waiting' on the soul in worshi}) or me- ditation, when it is somewhat 'suhdued ; and even for works of mercy tliat recjuire strenirth it is not so fit when |)r(uid and over-full. And what stavs hv us from sins of the bodv will be best found out by ])uttiii,i;' the body to some trial. So much ou<>ht to be done as to be a really painful exerciser to the natural man, that a real trial may be mad(^ and a real chanire w"ou,u"ht. Self-denial, then, will serve in th(> lirst place for chastisement, laid l>y our own will upon our known past sins, tliat, judirin^' ourselves, we may not be iud'»-ed of the Lord. This is to be not as though we could make up for them, but because we hate them, and wqsh to take from ourselves the unvodlv rdeasure we thouii'ht to train by them. I ^ Sccdiidlv. it will s('i'\f In iinl>iii(l lis from tlir lliitius tliat 1i.i\<' Ix'i'ii iiKot ;i|>t to (li'MW lis iiilo i'\il. .111(1 in so (loiiiLC NtTv oft"!! to jnak"' known to us where our temptations lie. and when* sin still l.irks. Vnv we must be too joiid of that. whi(di we cannot '.■eadilv '/w c u\) t'or a while for the service (»f (J(«l. 'riiii-dly, it will serve to put us in tli(> way of doiiiLi" (tur duty, especially if we try to make it ii discipline of orderly living'. Many have learned to practise in seasons of devotion wh;it was ot use to them afterward through their lives. E.irly hours, leas inu' otV plea>ant emjdoyiiients in due time, takinu' uj) hard ones juinctually, saving- time for de\ otioii. self-deny in,Li alms, self-exami- nation. lia\<' heen learned or iiiijU'oNctl in such seasons. ,\nd every <•• ■' of these is not only of use in itself to the Christian lif(\ hut isals(»con- trarv to an e\ il hahit in which tliei'e is sin. and in which there may 1h> great sin for us to re- pent of. Fourthly, room is made for s]>iritu;il work, and that not only because tinn^ is kejit clear for it. l»v piittini;- otliei- enpi,Li;ements out of tlu» way. hut also lu'cause the mind is kept i!n»re free to a})})lv to it. hy removing that which might take hold of tii(> ilnuights. and throw doiihts into the will. It is true that the Lord's day is devoted to the Work of religion, which becomes on that dav the business of those wh(» are obliged to uive the labour of other davs to worldlv works. 8 [)Lit tliat (lay may be well (akcn uj». after tin' <-<»iiini()ii acts of worship, and {\w relief needful to our wearied jtowers. with sonn* easier spiritual exercise. We neeil a lonu'er time, ami one 'in wliieh tlie h/hot'i()iis Work of i"elii;-ion may have a suitaltle jdaee, and may stand for a while instead of the Work of this W(>rhl. Some things that are labours at tirst may come t(> ho I'ven ease and ]\ 'lief to us after a while; but there is work to be done with the soul, tliat is too hnrd. at least in tlr^ IteLiMniiiiii:- of it. for the ordinary coiii'se of the Lord's Day. and calls tor a season set apart for it. and (deared.as tar as may l)e,from all hindrances. Om: ureat j>ai't (»f this work is srlf-rAdiiilnd- tion. whicdi evei'v one who has not yet done it tlior(»ULihly, ouu'lit to carry back to the earliest recollections of his life, and throui;h the inmost recesses of his thouuhts. This will take time, ami will rere i)1i(Mi to tlie various duties of life , as most of us bave learned from tbe Sermon on tbe Mount, and from tbe Cburcb Catecbism, and tbe e.\[)lanations of tbese, and tbiidv wbetber we ke|)t eacb ')f tbose laws faitbfullv during one period of our lives, before we go on to anotlier period. And if we know ourselves to bave anv particular besetting sin, tbat is now or lias lately been niore powerful over us tban otbers, let us be <*areful to searcb out tbe very earliest jbeginnings of it, and tind out, if possil)le, wben and bow it stole in upon us. .-iiid in wbat matter we first i:ric\()usly deji.-irtcd from (Jod, Of course tbis way of proceeding will be a w some time to survev, but if we set well about it tb(^ work may be done once for all, so as to be a r(\-d stej> in our lives, tbe ground- work of a tborougb ct)nv(j-sion to (iod, in one 10 \vli(» has hitlun-to lived to himself, ur of a solid Iniildiiig n\) of tho spiritual man. in one who i^ already restiiiu-oii Christ the Rock, with ;i hearty wi 11 :o do the thiniis he has heard. tl It is needful to prepare the uill to renounce ■easions of sin, and the thing's that horder le o( on it and naturally h'ad to it. Xot that we can ayoid all temptations, sinee so me of them lie m the very path of our duty. lUit we ean avoid very many indulii-enei's that horder u])on excess, needless communications that are likely to cor- rupt us, excessive and careless talkinu' that is likely to lead to sijiful words, readin.i,^ what is likely to distract the m ind. looking at what v. likely to s(>t the thoughts wrong, aiming at set- ting up ourselv(>s, which is likely to hreed strife, nieddlin-:' with wha^ we ari^ tempted to covet. lettinic the mind dwell on that which hreed? Pi (»u(l or angry or any o ther kind of evil thought? And iiTeat care must he taken to do justice to 1 resolutions we may he led to make in d not wilfully to hreak them. any goe( these matters, an w hatev 1' md ren(Uin(H> the recollection of our past life, and t(» confess all the evil of it. and set ourselves upon a course of ohedicMice te (xod's will, there will not he exactly the same work to do o\er a<'-ain, hut we must still exi)ect to iind very mu( h wanting t(.W'ar(Ls the perfect renewal of tlu 11 iniau'c <»t' Clu'isl in us. Somotimos it m.-iy i»(' oil til I'c'VV'w ;> year, i»r some loiiiiXM' portion of w o iir lifo. fully, in tlio way Ix^orc nu'iitioried, l»ut tlic inaiuior of doiui;- it will be nearly the .^anie. With respect to tlie (•oiitiiiuere.--ent life, it is host foi- most [)eo})le to set thcmselxcs chiefly to work in rooting out what tiiev find to l»e their ix'settinii- sins, and to ask themselves daily whether they have in any respect fallen into those, and then deal with themseh es strictly, and chastise and guard them- stdves wdieri' the fault is fouml. Hy thus follow- ing u[) tlic cn<'nii('s of the Lord till weha\edes- ti'oved them, tlie \ ictoi'v is mad(> sui"e ami lastinu'. for e cari'ied on against lighter «'vils when the gi'eatei' ai'e sul)dued, and may he made the means of jdgh advancement in the \ crv virtues in which we are naturallv most wanting. Manv a good man has curbed a talka- ti\i' tongue so .-is to Liloi'ifv (iod bv becomiui:: eminent for uuarded s])eech. and controlled a hasty t(>nip('-. so as (»• become an example of meekness : and tlie same may be done with other things. Thus it is well at the beginning of liCid to have some one '»r two j)articular jtoints marked out. in whi(di we know tliat we givatly need im- provement, and to keep them in \'iew the whole lime, htsing ndita- tion, and the thoughtful reading of Holy Serip turc. Not to speak of thc^^e now at length, it may still be w(dl to mention that in caeh of them we are likely to gain much ground by giving some time to them in such a season as this. Not only bv giving on the whole rather more time than usual to such occupations, but by setting ai)art a space of time such as will alh>w the mind to o-ather \i\) its wh(dc s,r*Migth into the work, and do it in a way that we have not thought of before. Thus we may remain in prayer wot only till we have said our usual devotions, but till our souls have poured themselves out in fervent longing for increased holiness. We may wait tbr the power to exert (Uirselves thus in prayer, and pray that we may pray, anassion of our Lord, or some of Uis Dis- 13 (•ourses, or some of tlio A[iost(»li('nl Epistles, or of the prophecies — nil arc fuller of Christ than anv of us iniae wi'ong. Forty days of deliberate, settled self-denial. 14 W 1 11 ■iOl-MU hard to flosli mikI l.lood, butns ^vohavo to eat brt'.i il ill tlio sweat of our brow, soliavc we iir spiritual lite. David. to labour and strive in our spi after bis boly eliildbood and youtli, was still a itent. (iod led liini tbroiigb a life of severe trial, and let bini know wliat tbere was in bis beart. and even by bi.- sins purged and bumbled itb tlie labour of true })enitence. pen bi 111. And so. w may even our past faults be turned into mean; ,,f Derfeetion, tbougb if neglected tbey are eer tainly our loss, and may be our ruin. Let us not be afraidto eondemn sin in ourselves but bate it witb a perfect batred. for it is God' cnemv am 1 tbe enemv of our ow ,n life. It is a: mucb' worse tban any outward enemy as Juda.- tban tbe soldiers of tbe band, and h was worse like liim for wliom it bad been better tbat be Ijad tbe time for searcbing neve r been born. Now i^ and trving an d casting it out, and tilling itr place vvit.i ways a nd tbougbts of boliness. If we w alk after tbe Si>irit, tbe Law is not meant to •ondemn us ; vet it is goo( 1 if we use it la ^^ ful iv, an d we mav w ,ell use it in tinding out rliat is evil in ourselves. pr(»vided we always remember tbat wc :\vc not under tbe I.aw. but \s under li'rac If even tbe .1 (nv. wbo CO tuld n o nbev, could deliubt in tbe law of (iod after tbe inward man, mucb more may w e. wbo bave tbe uraceof tbe Spirit, make it our deligbt to medi- cate tberein, and to see tbe wonderful tilings wbicb Clod tbere sbews to Ilis own. If we can- 16 not do tills witliniit pain to ourselves, it is only i\ sii;n that we have much to amend, and that the labour is well worth our while. If the thin;^' is strange and new to us, and we I'lrdly see how to set al)ou' it. the more reason is there for doing what we '-an. Xo oiu' exi)ects to be able to do an\ thini*- useful and effective in the works of this world till after several trials. If we can do but little, the more reason for not losing that little; for he who can do little in Lent, can most likely do but little at any time, and so very little will lie done while he lives, if the best time is lost. VN'hatevcr it is that hinders you from attempt- iiiethinu- real and solid is <'ertainlva vain in !>■ SO excuse. If (whether from choice or poverty) the diet is alreadv through the vear as low as health allows, and all unnecessary amusements and pleasures put away, then let care be taken that the spiritual work of the season is done in its due time, and kept to its due character, for there is a time for all thing; Easter will be for the joy of the Resurrection, the time just before it for the sorrows and consolations of the Passion of our blessed Lord, and surely the time before that should s(n-ve for some sort of judgment, I'X.imination, .-md discij^line of our own selves. r»K-l'\l(fT THTXTINi; AND IT I! l.lsii I N( ; ny] \r --ALM Juil.N..\,Ii.