,,the ,,discipline ,,of ,,war ,nine ,addresses on the ,lessons of the ,war in ,connection with ,lent ,,from ,,ash ,,wednesday to ,,easter ,,sunday ,,with ,,an ,,appendix ,,containing ,,suggested ,,subject ,,for ,,meditation1 ,,and ,,suitable ,,passage ,,of ,,scripture1 ,,for ,,each ,,day ,,in ,,lent ,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,j4 ,,hasloch ,,potter1 ,m4,a4 ,hon4 ,canon of ,southwark and ,vicar of ,st4 ,mark's1 ,surbiton1 ,surrey ,london ,,skeffington ,,son #cd1 ,southampton ,street1 ,strand1 ,w4,c4 ,publishers to ,his ,majesty the ,king #aiae ,,author',s ,,preface ,the war has introduced into countless lives new conditions1 and has strangely modified1 or emphasised1 those already existing4 ,these ,addresses1 prepared under much stress of other work1 are intended to supply1 in very simple fashion1 hints for conduct and points for thought along the lines of our fresh or deepened responsibilities4 ,an ,appendix gives a suggested subject and a passage of ,scripture for each day during ,lent4 ,may ,god the ,holy ,ghost1 without ,whom man's best labours are in vain1 bless this little book to its purpose4 ,please say a prayer for the writer1 who1 as much as any1 needs grace that he may try to practise what he preaches4 ,j4 ,,hasloch ,,potter4 ,surbiton4 ,the ,conversion of ,st4 ,paul4 #aiae4 ,,foreword ,kingston ,house1 ,clapham ,common4 ,january #aith1 #aiae4 ,my dear ,canon1-- ,you have invited me to say a few words introductory to the little book you are putting forth1 and of which you have sent me the advance proofs4 ,from the great excellence of that which ,i have read1 ,i am convinced that your ,lenten meditations on the ,discipline of ,war1 will be of pre-eminently spiritual value in a time when publications on the subject are multiplied4 ,that the war is to leave us on a higher plane of self-discipline1 and with higher ideals of citizen life and responsibility1 every ,christian must acknowledge4 ,your little ,lenten scheme is just that which is needed to give reality and action to what might otherwise be left in the realm of theory4 ,may the ,holy ,spirit make use of your work to the benefit of us all and for the ,glory of ,god4 ,your sincere friend1 ,,cecil ,,hook1 ,bishop4 ,,contents ,i ,,page ,the ,discipline of the ,will #a ,,ii ,the ,discipline of the ,body #i ,,iii ,the ,discipline of the ,soul #ah ,,iv ,the ,discipline of the ,spirit #bg ,v ,discipline through ,obedience #ce ,,vi ,the ,discipline of ,sorrow #dd ,,vii ,discipline through bereavement #eb ,,viii ,discipline through ,self-sacrifice #fb ,,ix ,discipline through ,victory #gj 99 99 99 99 99 ,appendix #ha ,,the ,,discipline ,,of ,,war ,i ,the ,discipline of the ,will ,,ash ,,wednesday ,isaiah lviii4 #f ,is not this the fast that ,i have chosen8 ,discipline is the central idea of the observance of ,lent4 ,an opportunity1 rich in its splendid possibilities1 comes before us this year4 ,much of the discipline of this ,lent is settled for us by those tragic circumstances in which we find ourselves placed4 ,god seems to be saying to us1 in no uncertain tones1 ,is not this the fast that ,i have chosen8 ,our amusements are already to a large extent curtailed1 maybe by our own individual sorrows or anxieties2 maybe by the feeling of the incongruity of enjoying ourselves while anguish and hardship reign supreme around us4 ,our self-denials are already in operation1 under the stress of straitened means1 or the vital necessity of helping others less favoured than ourselves4 ,our devotions have already been increased in frequency and in earnestness1 for the call upon our prayers has come with an insistence and an imperiousness that brook no denial4 ,to this extent1 and further in many directions1 our ,lent has been taken out of our own hands2 ordered and pre-arranged by that inscrutable1 yet loving1 ,providence which has permitted the ,war to come about4 ,thus1 at the very outset1 we are brought into harmony with the central idea of discipline--not my will1 but ,god's will4 ,broadly1 discipline is defined as ,mental and moral training1 under one's own guidance or under that of another3 the two necessarily overlap1 and therefore we shall speak of ,god's discipline1 acting upon us from outside1 and of our own co-operation with divine purposes1 which is our discipline of self from within4 ,in the forefront of the subject1 and including every aspect of it upon which we shall touch1 stands that tremendous word--will4 ,have you ever attempted to gauge the mystery1 to sound the depth of meaning implied in the simple sentence ,i will8 ,first of all what is the significance of ,i8 ,you are the only one who can say it of yourself4 ,any other must speak of you as he or she2 but ,i is your own inalienable possession4 ,this is the mystery of personality4 ,that accumulation of experience1 that consciousness of identity which you possess as absolutely1 uniquely your own2 which none other can share with you in the remotest degree4 ,a thing we consider to be unconscious1 an animal to be conscious1 a person to be self-conscious4 ,this leads on to a further mystery1 alike concerned with so apparently simple a matter that its real complexity escapes us4 ,i will3 ,i1 the self-conscious person1 have made up my mind what ,i am going to do1 and1 physical obstacles excepted1 ,i will do it4 ,the freedom of man's will has been the subject of endless dispute from every point of view1 theistic1 atheistic1 ,christian and non-,christian4 ,merely as a philosophic controversy it has but little bearing upon daily life4 ,the staunchest necessitarian1 who argues theoretically that even when he says ,i will he is under the compulsion of external force1 yet acts practically in exactly the same fashion as the rest of mankind4 ,when the freedom of the will is considered in relation to religion1 then it bears a totally different aspect4 ,if the will be not free1 religion1 as a personal matter1 falls to the ground1 for its very essence is man's voluntary choice of ,god4 ,here too those who deny the freedom of man's will doctrinally yet accept it as a working fact4 ,calvin1 whose theory of ,predestination and ,irresistible ,grace seems to exclude man from any co-operation in his own salvation1 yet preached a ,gospel not to be distinguished from that of ,john ,wesley6 ,for us ,christians the freedom of the will is absolutely settled by ,him ,who says1 ,whosoever will let him come4 ,if you are sometimes troubled by certain passages in ,scripture which seem to imply that ,god's predestination overrides man's will1 remember1 that whenever we are considering any question which concerns both ,god's nature and man's nature1 difficulty must arise1 from the very fact that our finite mind can only comprehend1 and that but imperfectly1 man's side of the transaction4 ,things which now seem incompatible1 such as prayer and law2 miracle and1 what we are pleased to call1 nature2 ,god's foreknowledge and man's free-will in the light of eternity will be seen as only complementary parts of one divine whole4 ,remember too that you must take the general bearing of ,scripture2 not isolated passages in which1 for the necessity of the argument1 one side is strongly emphasised4 ,the ,apostle who1 thinking of the boundless power of ,god's grace1 says1 ,so then it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth1 but of ,god that showeth mercy 7,rom4 ix4 #af7 is the one who says ,he willeth that all men should be saved 7#a ,tim4 ii4 #d74 ,the love by which the ,father gave up ,his ,son2 the life and death of that ,son2 the ministry of ,god the ,holy ,ghost2 the whole dispensation of the ,catholic ,church1 form one great tender appeal to the free-will of man4 ,your free-will1 my free-will1 before which is placed the tremendous responsibility of choosing or rejecting4 ,and now from the broad thought of will1 at its highest point1 occupied with eternal choices and spiritual decisions1 we turn to will as the governing power in our lives4 ,it is1 to a certain extent1 self in action1 for before even the slightest movement of any part of the body1 there must have gone1 automatically and unconsciously1 an act of will4 ,before every deliberate action there takes place a discussion1 which ultimately decides the attitude of the will1 that is your final purpose4 ,put quite simply1 the motives determine the will1 and are themselves decided by the principles at the back of them4 ,let us make this plain by an illustration4 ,it is pouring with rain1 you are sitting cosily over the fire with an interesting book4 ,the thought comes into your mind1 ,i ought to go and see my sick friend4 ,then follows the deliberation3 the flesh says1 ,to-morrow will do just as well4 ,the spirit says1 ,no1 it won't2 you may both be dead to-morrow4 ,the flesh says1 ,perhaps ,i shall catch a cold2 the spirit says1 ,that fear wouldn't keep you from going to a ,picture ,palace4 ,the flesh says1 ,perhaps he won't care to see me to-day2 the spirit replies1 ,it's a dull1 wet afternoon1 and he's very likely to be alone4 ,now notice that at the back of each set of motives is a vital principle4 ,in the one case the lower self1 in the other the higher self1 that is to say ,i and ,god4 ,the purely natural1 human side of even the greatest saint would prefer to sit over the fire2 but then our nature is not left unassisted1 and even in a simple thing like this ,god the ,holy ,ghost comes to our aid with ,his suggestions of the higher course1 and illuminates the path of duty4 ,that is one of the most blessed features of the ministry of the ,spirit2 ,he enlightens1 ,he persuades1 ,he never compels3 if ,he did1 your will would not be free4 ,this explains what the discipline of the will really means4 ,it is just the laying of ourselves open to the voice of the living ,god1 speaking within us4 ,as we do this1 day by day1 the will itself becomes braced and strengthened1 so that the struggle against the lower nature grow less and less fierce1 the power of choosing the higher course more and more easy4 ,here is our first practical thought for this ,lent4 ,watch yourself and your life1 especially in those particulars in which you know that you have been getting out of hand4 ,the prayers omitted1 curtailed1 said carelessly1 said or attempted in bed1 instead of on your knees3 what a grievous failure1 isn't it8 ,the carelessness about preparation before and thanksgiving after ,communion1 the irregularity of your attendances2 the habit of ,self-,examination1 or of ,confession1 dropped--why8 ,the ,bible neglected4 ,then the self-indulgences in the matter of sleep1 food1 drink1 and purely wasted hours4 ,all these things are sapping the manhood and dignity of the will4 ,sometimes even more dangerously and insidiously than open sins1 because with regard to these conscience does speak2 but when we are merely drifting down the stream of time1 the pleasant lapping of the ripples on the side of the bark lulls conscience into fatal sleep4 ,look at your life1 ask yourself the question1 boldly and honestly1 what is the principle upon which it is being lived1 ,god or self8 ,when the answer comes you will see clearly the first steps to take in the disciplining of the will4 ,glorious examples of what can be done abound around you4 ,think you there has been no struggle on the part of those tens of thousands who have given up comforts1 home1 prospects1 harmless pleasures1 in exchange for the ghastly miseries of the trenches1 the appalling risks by land1 on or beneath the sea1 in the air1 all at the call of a stern1 compelling duty1 which told them that the life really worth living was the one spent1 laid down if need be1 for ,king and country8 ,think too of the heroism of the wives1 the mothers1 the sweethearts1 on whose lips there must have trembled over and again1 ,i will not1 ,i cannot let you go4 ,yet the will was disciplined1 the words remained unspoken1 the tears were shed in secret1 and these brave hearts1 even in breaking1 shall find their reward4 ,it was at ,waterloo one afternoon1 a young officer was being seen off for the front by father1 brother1 and fiance4 ,the two former bravely and cheerily said their good-bye1 and withdrew a little to leave the young couple for their farewell2 a kiss1 a close embrace1 outward smiles1 but tears very near the eyes2 and then as the officer got into the carriage just this one remark3 ,it's precious hard upon the women4 ,what a world of meaning there was in that4 ,above all1 as your pattern and your power1 look to ,him ,who said1 ,i came down from ,heaven not to do mine own will but the will of ,him that sent ,me4 ,for suggested meditations during the week1 see ,appendix4 ,,ii ,the ,discipline of the ,body ,,first ,,sunday ,,in ,,lent #a ,cor4 ix4 #bg ,i buffet my body1 and bring it into bondage4 ,on ,ash ,wednesday we were considering some purely subjective realities1 such as principles1 motives1 will--things we could not see4 ,to-day we think about a very objective substance1 ever present to our senses--our body4 ,a man may deny point blank the existence of his soul--using the word in its ordinary acceptation--he cannot say1 ,i have not got a body4 ,even if he should conceive of that body as a mere bundle of ideas1 an accumulation of sensations1 yet there it is1 making itself felt in countless ways4 ,so intimately bound up is it with every part of our life1 apparently so infinitely the most real part of us1 that we often think of it as being our true self4 ,yet every cell and fibre of it changes in the course of seven years4 ,therefore in itself it cannot maintain our identity4 ,have you ever pinched your nail1 right down at its base1 and watched the dark mass of congealed blood making its way to the tip of the finger1 and then dispersing8 ,this gives you some idea of the pace at which the body is being burned up and renewed4 ,all the while the personal ,i remains1 deep-seated in the self-conscious intellect1 memory1 will4 ,of course the body plays an immensely important part in the complex story of our existence4 ,it is the machine by which the personal self acts1 speaks1 loves1 hates1 chooses1 refuses2 therefore we can neither ignore it nor despise it4 ,the popular notion concerning religion is that it is meant only for the salvation of the soul4 ,if this were so1 then the coming of the ,holy ,ghost would have sufficed for all needs4 ,one manifest purpose of the ,incarnation was to give to the body the possibility of holiness here1 resurrection hereafter4 ,very marvellous is the dignity conferred upon the body by the fact the ,word was made flesh4 ,from that flows forth the high position of the ,christian1 whose body is a temple of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,it is through the body that we receive the ,sacraments1 which are means of grace to the soul4 ,did time permit1 it would be deeply interesting to trace out the use of the word body in this connection--the natural body of our ,lord1 ,his spiritual body after the ,resurrection1 ,his mystical body1 the ,church1 in which sense ,he ,himself is called the ,saviour of the body 7,eph4 v4 #bc71 ,his ,sacramental ,body1 of which ,he says1 ,this is my body4 ,the discipline of the body4 ,the thought is prominently before us at the present moment1 and first let us look at it from its purely material side4 ,thousands of youths who a few months ago were slouching1 narrow-chested1 feeble specimens of underbred humanity1 have now-expanded into well set up1 hardened men4 ,the body has been disciplined by drill1 exercises1 route-marching1 and the like4 ,those who return from the war uninjured will1 we may hope1 be in such improved condition as may somewhat compensate for the terrible loss of vigorous life which is taking place4 ,had there been universal military training of the youth of our land for the past few generations1 either the present war would never have taken place2 or the results of the first three weeks of it would have been vastly different from what they were4 ,now take another significant fact3 letter after letter from the front says1 ,we are all very fit4 ,the average fitness in the trenches is1 broadly speaking1 higher than that of training camps at home1 especially of those where little or no supervision is exercised as to strong drink4 ,how plainly this shows that hardness1 even of an extreme character1 braces up the body2 softness and self-indulgence enfeeble it4 ,s4 ,paul affords a wonderful illustration of this2 obviously a man of very delicate health1 frequently ill 7probably this was the thorn in the flesh71 yet accomplishing vast labours1 and1 in addition1 buffeting his own flesh lest it should get the upper hand4 ,here1 then1 we reach the first great principle in the discipline of the body4 ,it must not have its own way1 or it will infallibly assert its sway over the man's real self4 ,that is what happens in the case of the habitual drunkard or the slave of lust4 ,that which at first is a temptation1 perfectly capable of being resisted1 becomes at last what the doctors call a physical craving that1 humanly speaking1 cannot be overcome4 ,by constant yielding the will has been weakened to such an extent that the personal ,i no longer reigns2 the usurping body has taken its place and rules supreme4 ,let us take the main thought of self-control1 which is the true rendering of the word temperance1 the state in which1 as ,s4 ,james says1 the man is able to bridle the whole body 7,s4 ,james iii4 #b71 and test ourselves by it this ,lent4 ,am ,i retaining my dominion over my body1 or is it gradually pushing itself into my place8 ,self-examination1 honestly performed1 will reveal this at once1 for conscience1 unless blunted by neglect1 will speak infallibly4 ,for instance1 when you find some indulgence of the flesh concerning which you say ,i can't help it1 there your body has vanquished you4 ,it is absorbing your personality1 robbing you of your divine birthright1 in which you say1 ,i will1 ,i will not4 ,and now to go a step further--the disciplining of the body1 care in regard to eating1 drinking1 amusements1 and the like2 strictness as to luxuries and things which1 though lawful1 may not be expedient1 not only tend to bodily strength and mere physical well-being1 but brace up the will power1 because they entail the constant exercise of it4 ,here is where the practical wisdom of the ,church comes in as regards fasting4 ,one day in every week is set apart1 beside other days and seasons1 as a reminder of the fact that fasting is a duty of the ,christian life1 just as much as almsgiving and prayer--a duty sanctified by the example enjoined by the precept of our ,lord ,himself4 ,true1 no hard and fast rules are laid down1 but a little sanctified common sense will dictate to us how to make fast-days a reality1 by some simple acts of self-denial4 ,our last thought is one of intense practical importance--our attitude at the present moment towards strong drink4 ,lord ,kitchener and the ,archbishop of ,canterbury have both on several occasions called the attention of the nation to the terrible evils arising from the unhappy custom of treating soldiers to strong drink4 ,punch1 always on the side of morality and rightness1 has dealt with it in the following trenchant fashion3-- ,,to ,a ,,false ,,patriot ,he came obedient to the ,call2 ,he might have shirked1 like half his mates ,who1 while their comrades fight and fall1 ,still go to swell the football gates4 ,and you1 a patriot in your prime1 ,you waved a flag above his head1 ,and hoped he'd have a high old time1 ,and slapped him on the back1 and said3 ,you'll show 'em what we ,british are6 ,give us your hand1 old pal1 to shake2 ,and took him round from bar to bar ,and made him drunk--for ,england's sake4 ,that's how you helped him4 ,yesterday ,clear-eyed and earnest1 keen and hard1 ,he held himself the soldier's way-- ,and now they've got him under guard4 ,that doesn't hurt you2 you're all right2 ,your easy conscience takes no blame2 ,but he1 poor boy1 with morning's light1 ,he eats his heart out1 sick with shame4 ,what's that to you8 ,you understand ,nothing of all his bitter pain2 ,you have no regiment to brand2 ,you have no uniform to stain2 ,no vow of service to abuse2 ,no pledge to ,king and country due2 ,but he has something dear to lose1 ,and he has lost it--thanks to you4#a ,footnote #a3 ,o4,s4 in ,punch1 ,november #dth1 #aiad4 ,by kind permission of the ,proprietors4 ,a man who had so distinguished himself at the front as to be mentioned in a despatch came home slightly wounded4 ,in less than twenty-four hours he was in a cell at a police station1 and the next day fined forty shillings4 ,oh6 the pathetic pity of it4 ,that man got into trouble through the exhibition of one of the purest and best features of our human nature1 the desire to show kindness4 ,in their well-intentioned ignorance this man's friends--yes1 they were real friends--knew of only one way of displaying friendliness--they gave him liquor4 ,i am not going to blame them1 nor him entirely2 ,i am going to lay some of the fault upon ourselves4 ,since the beginning of the last century the habits of the upper classes1 to use a generic though unpleasant term1 have improved immeasurably4 ,then excess was more or less the rule among men of good position1 was to a certain extent expected and provided for2 witness ,the ,school for ,scandal1 or the leading novels of the period4 ,now1 the man who disgraces himself at a dinner-table is never invited again4 ,and even as we go down in the social scale much improvement is apparent4 ,those who remember ,bank ,holidays on their first introduction will recollect that the excess of the working classes was quite open and shameless2 but to-day some effort is generally made by the victims1 or their friends1 to hide the disgrace1 because ,public ,opinion is improving4 ,that is where we come in4 ,many causes of intemperance in strong drink are matters for legislative or municipal action2 for example1 overcrowding1 insanitary dwellings or surroundings1 sweating1 excessive hours of labour1 adulteration of liquors4 ,but there are two factors upon which we can exercise direct influence1 because they are connected with that great corporate entity called ,public ,opinion4 ,first let us take the one upon which we have already touched--the notion that friendliness and good fellowship are essentially connected with strong drink4 ,this is at the bottom of those terrible scenes when troops are leaving our great ,london railway stations4 ,scenes so inexpressibly sad to all thinking people4 ,everyone who abstains entirely1 or who takes the khaki button--a pledge not to treat nor be treated to strong drink during the continuance of the war--is helping to knock a nail into the coffin of one of the silliest and most fatal delusions that has ever wrought havoc to body1 soul1 and spirit4 ,and then there is that other weird notion that you cannot be really strong and healthy without stimulant4 ,for you the glass of beer or wine may be a mere harmless luxury1 in the way in which you take it4 ,i purposely exclude spirits1 which ,i am fanatic enough to think should only be used medicinally4 ,but every individual total abstainer helps to swell the testimony not only to the non-necessity of alcohol1 but to the fact that1 according to the view of a large part of the medical profession1 the human frame is better without it4 ,you may say1 ,what good will my abstinence do to people with whom ,i never come in contact8 ,tell me what influence really is2 how it spreads1 by what unseen modes it ramifies and extends4 ,tell me the real significance1 the true spiritual value1 of the fact that if one member suffer1 all the members suffer with it3 if one member rejoice1 all the members rejoice with it4 ,then perhaps you can explain in some way1 how your abstinence shall spread to desolated homes1 to stricken lives1 in crowded slums or quiet villages1 in fire-raked trenches or storm-tossed ships4 ,no act of self-sacrifice for ,his sake1 ,who though ,he was rich yet for our sakes became poor1 ever went without its rich reward4 ,no tiny wave of influence ever yet sped forth from a ,christian heart1 but what reached its mark and wrought its work of beneficent power4 ,for suggested meditations during the week1 see ,appendix4 ,,iii ,the ,discipline of the ,soul ,,second ,,sunday ,,in ,,lent ,st4 ,john vi4 #ch ,for ,i am come down from ,heaven1 not to do ,mine own will1 but the will of ,him that sent ,me4 ,to-day we are going to speak of the soul not in its popular sense1 as set over against the body1 but in the scriptural meaning of the word as the broad equivalent of life4 ,to enter upon a philosophical discussion might prove interesting from a merely academic point of view1 but would be eminently unpractical4 ,suffice it to say that when ,s4 ,paul speaks of the body1 soul and spirit 7#a ,thess4 v4 #bc71 he takes the two latter as different faculties of the invisible part of man4 ,soul 7,greek3 psych7 is the lower attribute which man has in common with the animals2 spirit 7,greek3 pneuma7 the higher one which they do not possess1 and which makes man capable of religion4 ,in this sense1 then1 the soul would mean the life the man or woman is leading1 in the home1 the business1 the pleasures1 the relaxations1 as distinct from the definite exercise of devotion or worship4 ,of course it is absolutely impossible to draw a hard and fast line between sacred and secular4 ,all secular affairs1 rightly conducted1 have their sacred side2 and conversely all sacred matters have their secular side1 for they form part of the life the man is living in the age4 ,it is the neglect of this truth which is responsible for much of the moral and religious failure of the day4 ,business is secular1 prayer is sacred1 and so they have no practical connection each with other4 ,amusement is secular 7often vastly too much so1 in the very lowest sense of the word72 ,holy ,communion is sacred2 therefore there is no link between them4 ,whereas the prayer and the ,communion should be the ennobling and sanctifying power alike of work and play4 ,bearing this caution in mind1 we shall to-day look at certain features of the so-called secular life of the day in which discipline needs to be strongly exercised4 ,no doubt about it1 the soul of the nation has been growing sick1 sick nigh unto death4 ,luxury has been increasing with giant strides2 the mad race for pleasure has helped to empty our ,churches1 to rob our ,charities1 to diminish the number of our ,candidates for ,holy ,orders1 to make countless ears deaf to the call which the country1 through that magnificent ,christian soldier1 ,lord ,roberts1 and many others1 has been making to manhood of the land4 ,week-ending1 meals in restaurants1 turning night into day1 have robbed home-life of its grace and power1 and produced a generation of young folk blas and discontented before they are out of girlhood and boyhood4 ,with this has come1 inevitably1 the loss of sense of responsibility4 ,so long as ,i can enjoy myself and get my own way1 why should ,i vex myself with the outworn question1 ,am ,i my brother's keeper8 ,no6 ,that has gone into the limbo of effete superstition4 ,and further1 loss of the sense of proportion4 ,there are some to whom it causes no moral shock to wear a dress costing a hundred guineas1 while a vast number of seamstresses1 shirtmakers1 artificial flower makers1 boot-closers1 and the like1 are working seventy hours for #es4 to #hs4 a week4 ,one mantle-presser1 in ,dalston1 receives #a_/b;d4 per mantle2 she is most respectable1 has four children1 and earns from #es4 #f;d4 to #gs4 a week6 ,we do not grumble at the hundred guineas being spent upon the dress1 or a thousand guineas even1 if the money went in due proportion all round to supply the full living wage to each one engaged in its production3 and if the wearer interested herself keenly in social problems1 and used her means wisely and well to afford relief where it was needed4 ,this1 alas6 does not happen when the sense of proportion is lacking4 ,take another case--alas6 a fearfully common one4 ,men and women will gamble recklessly at ,bridge1 lose heavily1 pay up1 at whatever cost1 because it is a debt of honour4 ,all the while a hard-pressed tailor1 a famished dressmaker and her children are kept out of their money1 because it is only a debt of commerce4 ,could there be a more ghastly parody on the word honour8 ,yet once more--the lack of seriousness4 ,by seriousness we do not mean gloominess1 nor withdrawal from society1 or anything of the kind4 ,we mean the flippant attitude towards life1 the lack of serious1 sustained interest in literature1 in music1 in art1 in the legitimate drama2 witness the theatres being turned into cinema shows1 and the terrible paucity of sound1 strong plays4 ,everything must be scrappy1 light1 and if a little 7or more than a little7 risky1 so much the better4 ,we do not for a moment say that these evils are universal1 ,god forbid1 but none can deny that they have eaten deep into a large part of society1 using the word in its broadest1 not in its technical sense4 ,the soul of the nation needed discipline1 and it has come suddenly1 sharply1 but1 who shall dare to say1 not mercifully8 ,and even in its very coming it brought a tremendous opportunity1 for we were not compelled to make war1 notice that6 ,we had an option4 ,the temptation was subtle4 ,you have no concern with ,servia1 throw over ,belgium1 let ,france take care of itself4 ,for a time1 probably a very short time1 we should have avoided war and its horrors4 ,the bait was held out by some peddling politicians that we should have stood in a magnificent position to obtain trade1 to control markets1 to dictate prices to the rest of the world4 ,magnificent prospect6 ,we went to war1 and1 by a strange paradox1 secured peace with honour3 peace of the national conscience4 ,had we forsaken ,belgium we could never again have held up our heads among civilised honourable nations4 ,thus the very circumstances under which the ,war came about formed an appeal to the soul of the nation as embodied in its legislature2 the ,government rang true1 and the nation1 as one man1 endorsed its decision4 ,and now the discipline has commenced4 ,who can be flippant and careless with our coast towns liable to bombardment1 and over a hundred lives already sacrificed in this little island1 which we have always deemed to be the one absolutely secure spot in the whole world8 ,five months ago an earthquake in ,london would have seemed a far more likely event than the bombardment of ,hartlepool1 ,scarborough1 ,whitby1 and the dropping of shells on ,yarmouth foreshore1 or of bombs at ,dover and ,southend4 ,who can be unconcerned when our ships are liable at any moment1 and apparently in almost any place1 to be sent headlong to the bottom of the sea by torpedoes or mines2 possibly sometimes by those very mines we have been compelled to lay1 and which happen to have broken loose8 ,this is one of the unavoidable hazards of war under modern conditions4 ,it does not make us ignore the magnificent work of our ,fleet1 nor tremble for the ultimate issue4 ,who can be giddy and careless with darkened streets1 trains1 trams1 all telling of the awful possibilities of the new development of aerial warfare8 ,who1 even among those not directly touched by anxiety or bereavement1 can go on just as usual in luxury1 self-indulgence1 and ease amid the crushing mass of suffering around them on all sides8 ,thank ,god that1 though we may have erred very grievously through softness of living1 we are not a callous people1 but we needed a strong1 stern discipline of the national soul2 some stirring and trumpet-tongued appeal to the national life1 and in the righteous mercy of ,god it has come4 ,some of the immediate effects are obvious2 but what are the lasting results to be8 ,the ,guardian1 of a few weeks back1 thus soundly comments upon the matter3-- ,it is true that the outbreak of war put a sudden end to much that was thoughtless1 stupid1 and even base in contemporary life4 ',tango teas' and afternoon ,bridge among women have receded almost as far into ancient history as dinners at ,ranelagh or suppers at ,cremorne4 ,but human nature is easily frightened into propriety by a crisis2 it is not so easy to maintain the new way of life when the fright is safely over4 ,the things that are amiss in our national life1 and above all that lack of seriousness which so many observers have lamented during the last few years1 can be amended only by a clear conviction of the inherent unsoundness of our outlook1 and a firm determination to rebuild it upon new and more stable foundations4 ,the soul of the nation needs discipline1 and that can only come through the effort of the individual to discipline his own life4 ,there is a ceaseless temptation to echo the cry of the disciples in regard to the few loaves and fishes3 ,what are they among so many8 ,of what value or power is my feeble little life among the teeming millions that go to make up the nation8 ,put away the thought1 for it is a direct temptation of the ,devil4 ,it was just when1 in the very depths of his human despair1 ,elijah cried out1 ,i1 ,i only am left1 that ,god revealed to him the seven thousand men who had not bowed the knee to ,baal4 ,it was because ,athanasius was content to stand contra mundum1 against the world1 that the ,catholic faith was preserved to the ,church4 ,let us very seriously examine ourselves as to the use we are making of our life with regard to other people4 ,we have considered that life1 in various details1 in respect to ourselves1 and only incidentally as it affects others1 but now let us put away all thought of self4 ,take the one absolute standard of life as set in the text1 ,i came down from ,heaven1 not to do mine own will1 but the will of ,him that sent me4 ,the result was a life entirely devoted1 from the first moment to the last1 to one stupendous cause3 the lifting up of humanity to the very throne of ,god4 ,you and ,i cannot reach even a fraction of the way towards that perfect standard2 but it is our pattern1 our plummet1 our measuring-line4 ,very practically1 then1 we must ask ourselves such questions as these3 ,what proportion of my time is spent for others8 ,have ,i any method of employing time or any stated hours that ,i give to philanthropic or religious work2 or do ,i just1 in a casual way1 let other people have odd moments1 when ,i happen to think of it8 ,similar questions should be asked as to money4 ,many people1 especially those who do not keep accounts 7which everyone ought to do71 would be shocked if at the end of a year they could see the enormous disproportion between the vast amount they have frittered away on self1 and the pitiful little doles they have handed out in the cause of charity4 ,one man1 who kept three cars for private use1 reduced an already paltry allowance made to a dependent because the price of petrol had gone up6 ,it is not that people cannot give2 it is often only that they do not think4 ,look at the vast sums being poured into the ,relief ,funds4 ,why has not some proportion of it gone long ago to ,hospitals obliged to close their wards1 ,waifs and ,strays ,societies compelled to refuse poor little outcasts8 ,the money was there2 it could have been spared then as well as now1 but it needed some great shock to wake its owners up to the sense of proportion1 the realisation of responsibilities4 ,and so in regard to such gifts as music1 painting1 acting1 mechanics1 stitchery2 even such simple things as reading and writing4 ,have you ever read a book to1 or written a letter for1 anyone else8 ,we might multiply these questions indefinitely1 but enough has been said to enable us seriously to take in hand the disciplining of the soul1 remembering that this life of ours is a precious loan entrusted to us by ,god the ,father1 redeemed for us by ,god the ,son1 sanctified in us by ,god the ,holy ,ghost1 to be used by us1 in due proportion1 for our neighbours and ourselves4 ,for suggested meditations during the week1 see ,appendix4 ,,iv ,the ,discipline of the ,spirit ,,third ,,sunday ,,in ,,lent ,st4 ,luke vi4 #ab4 ,he continued all night in ,prayer to ,god4 ,last week we looked at the soul as that faculty of life which1 to a certain extent1 we share with animals2 to-day we pass on to consider1 under the title of spirit1 the higher endowment by which man is enabled to look up and1 in the fullest exercise of his whole being1 to say my ,god4 ,a man without religion is undeveloped in regard to the highest part of his complex nature4 ,in attaining to self-consciousness1 and the special powers it brings1 he has gone one step further than the animal1 but has utterly failed of his true purpose4 ,the supreme object of the self-consciousness1 which reveals to him his personality1 is that it should disclose its own origin in the personality of ,god4 ,one very striking effect of the ,war has been to produce a vast amount of testimony to the fact that man is1 broadly speaking1 religious by nature4 ,the services in the places of worship all over the land have been multiplied1 intercession is becoming a felt reality1 congregations have grown4 ,it is asserted1 by those who have the best means of knowing1 that by far the majority of the letters from the front contain references to religion1 such as acknowledgments of ,god's providence1 prayer for ,his help1 or requests for the prayers of others4 ,sometimes1 in the strange double-sidedness of human nature1 accompanied by expletives obviously profane4 ,mention is often made of the bowed heads1 and the prayer1 in which both sides join1 at the time of a joint burial during a temporary truce4 ,all these things show that the deeps of the fountains of natural religion have been broken up in wondrous fashion4 ,our question to-day is3 ,how shall we discipline that spirit which enables us to realise religion as a fact8 ,let us try to get to the root of the matter4 ,there are two chief derivations of the word religion4 ,one comes from the verb which means to go through1 or over again1 in reading1 speech1 or thought4 ,hence religion is the regular or constant habit of revering the gods1 and would be represented by the word devotion--an aspect most important to bear in mind4 ,the other derivation1 and the more usual1 derives religion from the idea of binding together1 and tells of communion between man and ,god4 ,for us ,christians this thought finds its highest ideal and fulfilment in the ,incarnation of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,the great characteristic action of religion is prayer2 varying in its methods and degrees from merely mechanical performances1 like the praying wheels of the ,chinese up to the heart devotion of the ,christian1 poured out when commemorating1 in the ,holy ,communion1 the death and resurrection of ,his ,lord4 ,the first essential of any prayer which is to be of value in the discipline of the spirit is regularity4 ,no words can exaggerate the importance of morning prayer4 ,yet1 alas6 tens of thousands of professing ,christians are content with evening prayer alone4 ,the one who goes forth in the morning prayerless is just as ill-equipped to do his duty1 and meet his temptations1 as the foodless man is to perform physical work4 ,the whole story of the saintly life1 alike in the ,old ,testament1 the ,new ,testament1 and the ,church1 is that of diligence in prayer4 ,it was to promote that spirit that the ,church of ,christ1 following on the lines of the ,jewish ,church1 from very early days adopted special hours for stated devotions1 with the daily offering of the ,holy ,eucharist linking the whole system together4 ,the lowest standard to aim at is private prayer morning and evening1 midday too if possible1 and regular attendances at ,god's ,house on ,sundays and ,feast ,days4 ,the guiding principle1 to be kept ever in mind1 is not what my own inclinations suggest1 but what the glory of ,god demands4 ,were this always the case1 what magnificent congregations there would be4 ,prayer represents a real business of the spirit into which we put the whole endowment of our being1 intellect1 memory1 emotion1 will4 ,oh6 those wandering thoughts1 how they do distress us2 and just in proportion as we wish to pray and are learning to pray1 so we feel our deficiencies the more keenly4 ,a few moments before we commence our prayers spent in saying very quietly1 ,thou ,god seest me1 or ,in the name of the ,father and of the ,son and of the ,holy ,ghost1 coupled with a simple yet earnest act of the realisation of ,god's presence1 will be of infinite use4 ,the railway train coming into a station does not draw up with a jerk1 but gradually slows down4 ,so with us2 we cannot come out of our rushing lives all in a moment into the quiet of ,god's presence2 we need to slow down4 ,but much of the wandering in prayer is the direct result of the habit of wandering in life4 ,flitting from one subject1 one book1 one occupation to another2 scrappy reading1 talking1 thinking2 then1 as a natural consequence1 scrappy praying4 ,a great master of the spiritual life used to say1 ,you will get far more help in your prayers by leading a more useful life1 than by making tremendous efforts after concentration when you are actually at prayer4 ,the one who tries to keep alive the habitual sense of ,god's presence makes his whole life a prayer1 of which the stated devotions only form a natural part4 ,it is comparatively easy for such a one to concentrate his thought and to keep his attention fixed when engaged in his prayers4 ,just a word or two about books of devotion4 ,they serve a most useful purpose1 especially in preparation and thanksgiving for ,confession or ,communion1 but should never be allowed to take the entire place of the ,christian's glorious privilege of pleading the ,abba ,father1 and speaking to ,god in his own words1 day by day4 ,be careful not to use prayers which are manifestly beyond your own standpoint or out of harmony with your own feeling4 ,the mere repetition of phrases that do not represent your inner attitude towards truth only tends to formality2 the effort to force a kind of artificial conformity1 because you think you ought to feel this or that1 invariably ends in unreality4 ,given these cautions1 devotional books may be of great use1 even for regular daily prayer1 and often help to call back the thoughts which are flying off at a tangent4 ,to speak of discipline without touching upon ,confession would be to omit one of its most essential features4 ,nightly self-examination must be performed1 and that not perfunctorily1 but with real intention of repentance and strictness of living4 ,self-examination is nothing more nor less than spiritual account-keeping2 without it the man has no real idea of how the business of his soul stands4 ,when it reveals the fact that sin is making headway and the spirit losing ground1 then the wise teaching of the ,prayer ,book should be followed2 the grief--for such it ought to be--opened in ,confession to ,god1 before one of ,god's ministers1 and the benefit of absolution secured4 ,much of the terrible prejudice felt against this practice arises from the mistaken idea that the priest professes to forgive us our sins4 ,the words of the ,absolution in the ,visitation of the ,sick1 in our own ,prayer ,book1 put the matter on its true footing3--,our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 ,who hath left power to ,his ,church to absolve1 444 forgive thee 444 and by ,his authority 444 ,i absolve thee4 ,the source of all pardon and the right to exercise it rest in ,god alone1 but the message declaring the fact is part of the ministry of reconciliation1 committed1 in the infinite condescension of ,god1 to the earthen vessels4 ,an illustration may be taken from the pardon of a criminal condemned to death2 the ,home ,secretary recommends it1 but the ,king1 on his sole authority1 grants it1 and then the message1 the absolvo te1 which lets the man go free1 is delivered by the governor of the gaol4 ,penitents1 especially after a first confession at some crisis in mature life1 often bear witness to the fact that it seemed to bring them straight into the presence of ,jesus ,christ2 to make them feel the reality of ,his pardoning blood in a way they never could have believed possible4 ,how strange that the very thing which by so many pious and thoroughly honest souls is dreaded because it is supposed to bring a man in between ,god and the soul1 should yet so often be used by the ,holy ,spirit to give a wondrous and precious vision of ,christ the ,saviour4 ,thus far we have spoken only of that kind of occasional ,confession which is obviously contemplated by the ,prayer ,book2 we have no time to dwell on its habitual use4 ,suffice it to quote some words from the first ,english ,prayer ,book3-- ,requiring such as shall be satisfied with a general confession1 not to be offended with them that do use1 to their further satisfying1 the auricular and secret confession to the priest2 nor those which think needful or convenient to open their sins to the priest to be offended with them that are satisfied with their humble confession to ,god1 and the general confession to the ,church4 ,that staunch ,evangelical ,churchman1 ,bishop ,thorold1 who was strongly opposed to habitual ,confession in our ,communion1 once said1 ,we cannot ignore the fact that the giants of old owed much of that saintliness1 which we of the present day can only wonder at but cannot reproduce1 to the practice of ,confession4 ,if you should be in doubt about it for yourself1 consult some spiritually-minded person who possesses experience in the matter4 ,not1 on the one hand1 the man who will tell you that it is the greatest curse the ,church has ever known2 nor1 on the other1 the one who would have it practised by everybody4 ,surely for us sober ,church folk there must be a loyal middle course1 which leaves absolute freedom1 so long as the individual follows and keeps the rule of charity1 and is satisfied with his own conscience4 ,last1 but most important of all1 in the discipline of the spirit comes the ,holy ,communion1 about which we shall speak next week4 ,as our closing thought1 let us go back to what we said just now4 ,the object of religion is ,god's glory1 not man's enjoyment4 ,see how this puts feelings down into their right1 and subordinate1 place4 ,they are sometimes very delightful1 sometimes very depressing1 but always liable to be misleading4 ,a great saint of old used to say3--,if ,god never gave me another moment of sensible devotion in prayer1 ,i would go on praying1 because ,his glory demands it4 ,religion has to do with facts3 the facts of what ,god the ,father1 ,god the ,son1 and ,god the ,holy ,ghost have done1 and are doing1 for us2 the facts of what we have to do1 to make the finished work of ,christ our own4 ,here1 as always1 our ,lord ,himself gives us the highest illustration4 ,neither as ,god1 nor yet as perfect ,man1 was there an actual need for ,him to pray2 yet ,his whole life was punctuated with prayer3 first because the glory of the ,father required it1 and next because ,his chosen ,apostles must be taught by example as well as precept4 ,let the same mind dwell in us4 ,it is for the glory of ,god that ,i should have salvation2 therefore by the help of ,god ,i will discipline my spirit4 ,for suggested ,meditations during the week see ,appendix4 ,v ,discipline through ,obedience ,,fourth ,,sunday ,,in ,,lent ,st4 ,luke xxii4 #ai ,this do in remembrance of ,me4 ,our subject of to-day flows quite naturally out of what we said last week4 ,religion rests on facts1 and its object is ,god's glory1 not merely our profit4 ,our duty1 therefore1 is an absolute submission to those facts--in other words1 implicit obedience4 ,this is being illustrated on all sides in regard to the ,war4 ,the facts are indisputable4 ,lord ,selborne put the matter in a nutshell when he said3 ,the task in front of us is colossal4 ,we are fighting for nothing less than our lives1 in circumstances which make it the duty of every ,englishman to put everything in the world he possesses1 everything that he values1 into the scale to ensure success1 and ,i am sure there is not one of us1 whatever his position1 who would flinch in the slightest from the duty he owes to his country and to his deepest self4 ,the response to the facts has been obedience1 immediate and unquestioning1 on the part of a vast number4 ,true1 not all have yet been reached who ought to come forward1 and some are even now crying out for that compulsory service which may yet prove inevitable4 ,they forget that the obedience of one free man is worth more than the forced submission of many4 ,let us wait hopefully1 energetically2 losing no opportunity of pressing the stern logic of facts wherever we may4 ,and those who have joined the services have come at once under a discipline totally different from that of the sternest school or the strictest house of business4 ,the surrender has been made voluntarily1 and it has placed the whole life in each detail under the claim of an absolute obedience4 ,the disposal of every moment of time belongs to the authorities4 ,the private in high social position must obey the orders of a young lance-corporal just as exactly as he expected his own commands to be carried out in his business or his household4 ,who can estimate the immense development of moral fibre that surely must take place in succeeding generations from the fact that so vast a number1 in all ranks of society1 are now under obedience8 ,not because they were driven to it1 but because they embraced it by an initial act of obedience4 --,thus they answered1--hoping1 fearing1 ,some in faith1 and doubting some1 ,till a trumpet-voice proclaiming1 ,said1 ,my chosen people1 come6 ,then the drum1 ,lo6 was dumb1 ,for the great heart of the nation throbbing1 ,answered1 ,lord we come4#b ,footnote #b3 ,the ,reveille1 ,bret ,harte4 ,let us apply this thought to the command in our text1 ,do this in remembrance of ,me4 ,the facts are undisputed4 ,our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 in the tenderness of ,his compassion1 instituted an ordinance by which we might remember ,him and feed upon ,him4 ,further than this we cannot go on the ground of universal consent4 ,strangely enough1 that rite which is the same in its central act1 whether celebrated by the nonconformist in his ordinary dress1 or the priest clad in costly vestments1 whether in the humble room or the stately cathedral1 which is1 on the one hand1 the well-nigh universal mark of all who profess and call themselves ,christians1 is yet the battle-ground of fierce dispute and bitter disagreement4 ,the present crisis is undoubtedly deepening in our minds the exceeding value of this blessed gift of ,christ to ,his ,church4 ,it is deeply suggestive of the spirit of our young officers that a group of old public-school boys1 just about to leave for the front1 should have begged their late schoolmaster--now a ,bishop--to give them a ,celebration of ,holy ,communion in his own private ,chapel on their last ,sunday in ,england4 ,what a beautiful send-off6 ,then1 turning to the scene of operations itself1 we find a touching witness in the simple record sent by ,admiral ,sir ,john ,jellicoe to his brother at ,southampton4 ,we spent our ,christmas ,day waiting for the ,germans1 who did not appear4 ,but we managed to find time for church and for three celebrations of ,holy ,communion1 although the whole time we were cleared for action and the men were at their guns4 ,who can contemplate unmoved that spectacle of the men1 not gathered in the peaceful security of the ,house of ,god1 but out upon the ocean1 expecting attack1 realising the possible nearness of the end1 leaving their guns but for the moment1 then back again1 strengthened for life or death by the sacred ,body and ,blood4 ,or take the witness of ,rev4 ,e4,r4 ,day1 one of our ,senior ,army ,chaplains serving with the ,expeditionary ,force4 ,while home on a few days' leave he preached at ,lichfield ,cathedral1 and1 touching upon the efficacy of prayer1 testified how enormously it was valued by our soldiers now serving at the front4 ,the ,holy ,communion was especially appreciated4 ,on ,christmas ,day there were no fewer than seven hundred communicants from one regiment and four hundred from another1 and the service was held in a ploughed field with a packing-case for an altar4 ,he had conducted these services sometimes in the back-parlour of a public-house1 in a stable1 in a loft1 in a lean-to shed1 and in the open2 anywhere1 in fact1 where room could be found4 ,out on the battlefield there was hardly any need for a compulsory parade service2 the men had only to hear that a service was to be held and they would crowd to it4 ,most of the reasons given by those who stop away from ,communion centre in self4 ,i am not worthy4 ,of course not1 nor is the priest who celebrates1 nor is any member of the congregation4 ,we sadly misread that caution of ,s4 ,paul about receiving unworthily4 ,let us take a homely illustration4 ,our good ,queen ,victoria was very fond of visiting cottagers in the ,highlands and reading the ,scriptures to them4 ,you can imagine how one of them might say1 ,i am not worthy of such an honour2 this little place is so poor and mean4 ,quite true1 yet she could tidy up the home1 mend her frock1 make everything neat and clean1 so as to receive the ,queen worthily4 ,until you realise the fact-- ,i am not worthy1 gracious ,lord1 you will never receive ,him worthily4 ,no one who examines himself1 confesses his sins1 and firmly purposes to amend1 ever yet came to ,communion unworthily4 ,i don't feel inclined to come4 ,because you have not realised in its full meaning two facts3 yourself as a great sinner1 ,christ as a great ,saviour4 ,feelings have nothing to do with duty4 ,if they had1 our army would be about half the size it is4 ,do you suppose that all those who are joining the ,services like leaving home1 wife1 friends1 comforts8 ,feelings have been sacrificed to facts4 ,i'm too great a sinner4 ,then you are not fit to die4 ,repent1 turn to the ,saviour1 and then in ,his holy ordinance you will find the very strength you need to keep you from falling back4 ,i have such terrible temptations4 ,so we all have1 priest and people alike4 ,temptations are not sins2 they are the enemies on the battlefield1 and if you never meet them1 you--the ,christian soldier enlisted at your ,baptism--will never have the chance of winning a victory4 ,the one who stays away from ,communion because of temptations or sins1 which he is really trying to resist1 is like the sick man who looks at the bottle of medicine and says1 ,i will take it when ,i get well4 ,so many communicants are hypocrites4 ,that shows that you know enough about the ,christian life to be able to judge your fellow creatures4 ,are you making things any better by neglecting your duty8 ,i have got an enemy4 ,have you honestly tried to be reconciled2 are you willing to forgive and bury the past8 ,yes1 but he is not4 ,all the more need then for you to come to the ,communion and pray for his heart to be changed4 ,it was said of one great saint that some people might never have had the blessing of his prayers for them but that they were his enemies4 ,all these excuses centre in self4 ,they could not do otherwise1 for no one has ever yet found in ,christ any reason why they should stay away from ,him4 ,obedience forms so large a part of discipline--nay1 is almost identical with discipline--because it takes us out of self4 ,our ,lord ,who has bidden us do this knows exactly what is best for us4 ,in putting aside feelings1 fancies1 unworthy scruples1 and casting ourselves unreservedly upon ,his boundless mercy1 we shall taste of the treasures of ,his grace and be satisfied4 ,one important part of the discipline of this obedience is making a special and very careful preparation before1 and thanksgiving after1 each ,communion4 ,preparation which consists first of all of real self-examination and repentance1 using fearlessly the ministry of reconciliation when necessary1 and then of special prayers which help to put us into the attitude of hopeful1 grateful anticipation4 ,thanksgiving2 definite prayers and praises1 continued for a day or two1 unless we are very frequent communicants1 so that we may lose none of the preciousness of the blessing by our own forgetfulness or ingratitude4 ,in this1 as we said last week1 books can help1 but that is all2 they cannot make the preparation or the thanksgiving for us4 ,early ,communion1 quite apart from the doctrinal question of fasting reception1 is a useful feature of the discipline of obedience4 ,it is a custom which comes from primitive times1 and is universal in the greater part of the ,catholic ,church4 ,to give the early hours of the day to our ,blessed ,lord is surely more in accordance with what ,his great love requires than to choose our own time and come when it suits us best3 that is when it requires less effort and self-denial1 and when our minds have been distracted by the cares of the advancing day4 ,the coming on of old age or sickness may necessarily debar us from the privilege and joy of early ,communion1 but1 while we can1 let us make the most of the blessed morning hours1 when in all the freshness of our newly awakened life we draw near to ,him ,who ceaselessly watches over us4 ,the question is often asked3 ,how often ought ,i to receive the ,holy ,communion8 ,the answer depends upon so large a number of considerations that no general rules can possibly be given4 ,spiritual capacities vary infinitely4 ,one broad principle we can lay down3 ,do not receive so often that you begin to neglect preparation and thanksgiving4 ,better by far six ,communions a year1 which have meant real1 living intercourse between yourself and your ,saviour1 than a weekly one which has degenerated into a perfunctory form4 ,it is to be remembered that there is nothing to prevent your attending the service whenever you wish1 joining in the praises and prayers1 even though for some good reason you are not going to receive4 ,but1 whatever your custom may be1 have a rule about your times of receiving1 and keep to it strictly4 ,aim at regularity for your own sake4 ,one of the greatest causes of many of the obscure modern complaints is the irregularity of meals1 consequent upon the exacting conditions of life4 ,precisely so1 much sickness of spirit springs from the careless way in which the chief spiritual food is treated4 ,people go to the ,holy ,communion when they feel inclined1 instead of according to a fixed rule1 modifying the rule1 just as they would in the case of their meals1 by circumstances which may arise2 spiritual sickness might dictate abstention from ,communion for a while1 just as bodily disease might require a period of fasting4 ,be regular for others' sake4 ,the consistent example of the communicant who lets neither weather nor inclination interfere with duty exercises an influence far wider than he could imagine possible4 ,be regular for ,christ's sake1 in grateful recognition of that tender love which has given us the highest privilege of the ,christian life4 ,surely never is our ,lord more satisfied in seeing of the travail of ,his soul than when ,his faithful ones are gathered before ,his ,holy ,table1 worshipping ,him in the tremendous reality of ,his spiritual presence1 feeding upon ,him in the mystery of ,his ,body and ,his ,blood4 ,thus out of our obedience to the great ,do this comes discipline of the highest kind4 ,that discipline which is ever putting self in the background1 ever exalting the person and the work of ,christ4 ,then follows the reward1 never attained by those who in self-interest seek it1 only poured forth upon such as are content to lose their life in finding it1 ,he that eateth ,me1 even he shall live by ,me4 ,for suggested ,meditations during the week see ,appendix4 ,,vi ,the ,discipline of ,sorrow ,,fifth ,,sunday ,,in ,,lent ,revelations vii4 #ad ,these are they who came out of great tribulation1 and have washed their robes1 and made them white in the blood of the ,lamb4 ,two considerations only can throw any light on the dark mystery of suffering1 the problem which has baffled the intellect1 the perplexity which has torn the heart of mankind from the dawn of conscious life--,i believe that ,jesus ,christ was incarnate by the ,holy ,ghost of the ,virgin ,mary1 and was made man2 ,i believe in the life of the world to come4 ,the two thoughts blend in our text with a harmony of illumination which1 though it does not solve the problem1 renders it less dark4 ,only in the light of another world1 where the seed sown here shall bear wondrous fruit1 can we even begin to reconcile the existence of suffering with the goodness of ,almighty ,god4 ,if there be no hereafter1 then indeed suffering must be the work of a vengeful tyrant rejoicing in cruelty1 or of a fatalistic machine grinding out its foreordained consequences4 ,what we require is some comprehensive plan which will knit together past1 present1 future in one great purpose of progress towards ultimate perfection1 which will guarantee not only an existence hereafter1 but will render that existence personal1 conscious1 capable of the highest development4 ,we find this in the ,incarnation1 the eternal purpose of ,god the ,father1 formed in the eternity of the past1 that ,his ,son should take our human flesh4 ,this plan is working itself out in the present by the power of ,god the ,holy ,ghost1 through the life of the great ,church of ,christ1 militant and expectant4 ,it stretches forth into the future1 with regard to which we have parables1 promises1 visions1 warnings1 all pointing to a continuously progressive growth till the perfect manifestation of the ,kingdom of ,christ be reached4 ,thus the ,incarnation supplies the unifying principle1 and in its light we catch some ray of hope on the dark problem of suffering4 ,in consequence of sin our ,lord was a sufferer1 even in some mysterious sense was made perfect through suffering 7,heb4 ii4 #aj74 ,the climax came in the full1 perfect1 and complete sacrifice1 oblation1 and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world made upon the ,cross4 ,it is suggestive that these words should occur in the ,consecration ,prayer of the ,holy ,communion ,service1 as if to remind us that our true spiritual and commemorative sacrifice draws all its validity1 power1 and preciousness from the one offering of ,christ made by ,himself in ,his death4 ,thus we see that most essential act for our salvation was not one of victory1 triumph1 or glory1 as the world reckons these things4 ,oh1 no6 ,it was one of absolute self-surrender1 involving untold anguish of soul and body4 ,the results of the sufferings of our ,lord have justified their tremendous cost4 ,its efficacy consisted not in the physical pains1 but in the entire yielding up of the will4 ,thus it represents for us that victory over self which is the only path to eternal life4 ,but this victory1 even now in these emphatically feather-bed days1 is always more or less painful4 ,in the early times it meant persecution1 poverty1 isolation1 death1 for the sake of ,jesus ,christ4 ,it is always so2 the greatest deeds the world has ever known1 nationally1 or individually1 have been wrought out by suffering2 because suffering1 more than any other agent1 deepens character4 ,look around among your friends and acquaintances4 ,who are the morally strongest8 ,to whom do you turn in your times of difficulty1 doubt1 trouble8 ,not to those whose lives have been easy1 to whom the lines have fallen in pleasant places1 to whom success has come without effort6 ,no6 ,you turn to the one who has fought his way through the doubt1 the difficulty1 the trouble1 and you find a tower of strength4 ,there is the secret of ,charles ,kingsley's power as a counsellor2 once he did not believe that there was a ,god2 he went through the agonies of doubt4 ,there is the secret of the wondrous force of ,archbishop ,temple4 ,rough1 rugged1 almost discourteous at times2 hating shams and penetrating them with an unerring instinct1 but tenderness itself to the really distressed4 ,he knew what it was as a lad to do field labour in poor clothes and with insufficient food4 ,in later years1 when up at ,college1 he was wont to study by the light in the passage1 because he could not afford oil for his own lamp4 ,yet another illustration1 showing the directly spiritual influence of suffering--those countless cases of bed-ridden invalids1 often in intense pain1 who develop an intense1 fervent1 yet restful piety1 seldom attained even by the most devout in active life4 ,those who have had experience in missions or dealing with individual souls know how constantly suffering--especially in middle life--lays the foundations of conversion4 ,ay1 and lays them strong and deep4 ,the soul in trouble feels its need of ,god1 turns to ,him1 and then gets to know the fulness of ,his mercy1 even in and through the affliction4 ,and now1 how stands it in regard to the ,war8 ,we need not repeat in detail those various points on which we have already dwelt4 ,spite of all the ghastly sufferings the ,war is bringing in its train1 nay1 in a sense1 because of them1 it has linked together the ,empire in the closest bonds1 allayed political and polemical strife1 evoked a wealth of heroism1 self-sacrifice1 prayer1 and benevolence1 and braced up the moral fibre of countless lives4 ,yet all this does not explain the existence of suffering1 the why and the wherefore still lie hidden in that region of the infinite which we1 finite beings1 cannot penetrate4 ,we can see1 from its results1 that suffering is no more incompatible with the eternal love of ,god1 than the surgeon's knife is inconsistent with the tenderness of his heart4 ,whom the ,lord loveth ,he chasteneth1 ,god dealeth with you as with sons 7,heb4 xii41 #f1 etc474 ,our great mistake is to look upon trouble as punishment1 inflicted by an angry ,god1 and to rebel under the chastening hand4 ,when ,god sees that ,his child1 whether the nation or the individual1 needs discipline ,he sends it1 and there is no more lack of love than there is on the part of the wise earthly parent1 when he corrects his child and makes him suffer pain4 ,nay1 it is the very love that prompts the discipline4 ,once more1 let us look at suffering in its power of producing sympathy4 ,the ,incarnation was the greatest act of sympathy the world has ever known4 ,the ,word made flesh1 our ,saviour born as a babe1 that ,he might enter into all the experiences of our human nature2 that ,he might not simply feel for us1 but feel with us4 ,here is the essence of the word2 take it in ,latin1 compassion2 take it in ,greek1 sympathy--alike it means feeling with4 ,and in the wondrous mystery of the ,church1 the spiritual body of ,christ1 the same great principle is still working itself out4 ,very strange1 very mysterious1 yet real with the essence of reality1 is the connection between the suffering ,christ and the suffering ,church1 inasmuch as ye have ministered to one of the least of these ,my brethren1 ye have done it unto ,me4 ,and yet it is the ,christ ,who helps and sustains us from on high4 ,the same ,christ ,who was here upon earth1 suffering in ,his martyr ,stephen was yet standing at the ,father's right hand to succour him4 ,the same ,christ ,who flashed the wondrous vision of ,himself on the eyes of ,s4 ,paul1 was yet so intimately present in and with ,his infant ,church that he thundered forth the question1 ,saul1 ,saul1 why persecutest thou ,me8 ,it is just this thought of ,christ still present in the person of ,his suffering children1 that gives the glow of enthusiasm to philanthropic work of a definitely ,christian character4 ,but may we not go a step further and try to see ,christ1 in a measure1 in all suffering1 even that of the animals8 ,he came to redeem the world1 and we in our little view are apt to narrow down the purposes1 and limit the possibilities within very contracted lines4 ,the ,war is opening up to us opportunities boundless in their character and scope4 ,probably to-day tens of thousands who have hitherto spent aimless lives2 whose time1 means1 gifts have gone in the shallow channel of self1 now know something at least of the joy of launching out on to the broad stream of living1 loving sympathy4 ,this has been because1 though in some instances unconsciously to themselves1 ,christ1 in the power of ,his ,holy ,spirit1 has touched their lives4 ,if anguish has come to our hearts let it work its discipline upon us in and through ,christ1 by the opening out of ourselves to ,him1 that we may take in the full measure of ,his priceless sympathy4 ,let us try to lose ourselves in ministering to others1 one of the surest anodynes for grief and pain4 ,but if we have1 as yet1 passed unscathed1 let us be all the more diligent1 tender1 and loving in our care for others4 ,there is no need to go into details4 ,wherever your lot be cast you have only just to look around and you will find there are individuals1 wives at home1 soldiers at the front1 whose lot you can brighten in very simple yet very real ways2 perhaps institutions1 such as ,red ,cross ,homes1 ,hospitals1 ,belgian ,hostels1 to which you can render practical service2 ,funds to which you can send your money2 all these are means through which you may enter into the glorious discipline of opportunity that comes through suffering4 ,have you ever thought how infinitely poorer the world would be in all that is highest and purest in its life1 were there no suffering to call forth the tender ministry of sympathy8 ,and now let us summarise what we have been saying4 ,suffering is a great mystery1 but two facts throw light upon it--the hereafter1 the ,incarnation2 suffering does discipline character1 therefore1 judging by results1 it is not incompatible with the love of ,god1 even though its existence be still a problem2 suffering presents us with the splendid possibility of sympathy1 to be exercised in the power of the loving ,christ4 ,can we close better than with the thought of the saints in ,paradise8 ,on earth they lived in the always realised consciousness of a personal ,christ4 ,when the ,apostles were persecuted and beaten1 they departed from the ,council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for ,his name4 ,so it has been all down the long story of the ages4 ,and the saints are those who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the ,lamb2 their sufferings sanctified by1 and borne in1 the power of ,him ,who was made perfect by the things which ,he endured4 ,their light affliction1 which was but for a moment1 has worked out for them the exceeding abundant and eternal weight of glory4 ,thus the ,incarnation1 the eternal counsel of the past1 that embraced them while they were on earth1 is still enfolding them1 while they1 with us1 wait and pray for its final consummation1 in the coming of the ,kingdom4 ,let us so use our opportunities for discipline now1 that the uplifting of character shall be permanent2 not a mere spasm of passing enthusiasm1 but a real growth into the character and likeness of ,him ,who suffered death upon the ,cross1 that all might live unto ,him4 ,for suggested ,meditations during the week see ,appendix4 ,,vii ,discipline through ,bereavement ,,sixth ,,sunday ,,in ,,lent #a ,thess4 iv4 #ac ,we would not have you ignorant1 brethren1 concerning them that fall asleep2 that ye sorrow not1 even as the rest1 which have no hope4 ,of all kinds of sorrow1 bereavement is in some senses the sternest1 the most irrevocable1 and the one in which human compassion is of least avail4 ,all that we said last week on the discipline of suffering applies here1 but with enhanced force4 ,if suffering generally cannot be rationally contemplated outside of the doctrine of a future existence1 still less can death be tolerated unless it lead to further life4 ,if sorrow in the bulk needs the ,incarnation to throw upon it the light of ,god's love1 still more does this particular grief require the assurance that the finished work of ,christ operates within1 as well as without1 the vail4 ,broadly speaking1 all over the world there are torn and bleeding hearts mourning the nearest1 the dearest2 in the vast majority of instances1 from the circumstances of the case1 men in the beginning or the very prime of life4 ,the heroism of the women has been as magnificent as that of the men--nay1 in a sense1 more so4 ,for those who go forth there is the novelty1 the excitement1 the nerving sense of duty4 ,their time is so ceaselessly occupied that but little space remains for brooding or for anxious thought1 on behalf of themselves or those at home4 ,the men who remain behind1 the fathers1 brothers1 friends1 have the priceless boon of daily occupation1 often vastly increased in amount4 ,there is no such infallible anodyne of care as plenty of honest work4 ,but the women--theirs is the harder task1 the fiercer trial1 of keeping up the brave appearance1 the show of cheerfulness1 whilst all the time the load of apprehension and fear lies heavy on their hearts4 ,none will ever know the crushing reality of the offering the women are making to their country1 in one great stream of self-sacrifice4 ,nor can we forecast the end1 nor estimate the claims that are yet to be made in the cause of patriotism4 ,the nations engaged1 at least the chief of them1 are fixed irrevocably in their determination that peace1 when it comes1 shall be no temporary patching up of hostilities and arranging of indemnities1 but a solid1 lasting settlement1 which shall1 as far as possible1 place another vast ,european war out of the range of practical politics4 ,to tens of thousands there has come the ceaseless yearning for ,the touch of a vanished hand1 ,the sound of a voice that is still4 ,now notice how ,s4 ,paul deals with the matter4 ,that ye sorrow not as others which have no hope4 ,there is no injunction here not to sorrow at all2 that would be contrary to human nature1 and would bespeak callousness rather than resignation4 ,our ,blessed ,lord wept at the grave of ,lazarus1 and in so doing sanctified human grief4 ,the keenest faith1 to which the other world is an absolute reality2 the fullest hope of the sure and certain resurrection for the dear one2 the most disciplined and submissive will which accepts unquestioningly the dispensations of the ,father2 all these are not proof against the natural grief at the removal of a loved one from this sphere of tender intimacies1 into another1 where we can only commune with him in thought and prayer4 ,how often this is illustrated at the death of a chronic invalid who has suffered much4 ,with tears streaming down the cheeks1 the mourner will say1 ,i am so thankful he is at rest4 ,no selfish1 rebellious side of grief is exhibited by those tears2 only human sorrow1 blending in loving harmony with perfect resignation4 ,now notice carefully the ground on which ,s4 ,paul bases the ,christian's hope for the departed2 first1 faith in the death and resurrection of ,christ2 if we believe that ,jesus died and rose again4 ,it is a mere platitude to say that the whole of ,s4 ,paul's teaching is founded on the actuality of the resurrection4 ,if ,christ hath not been raised1 your faith is vain2 ye are yet in your sins4 ,then they also which are fallen asleep in ,christ have perished4 ,if in this life only we have hoped in ,christ1 we are of all men most miserable 7#a ,cor4 xv4 #ag74 ,then out of this fact of the resurrection flows a consequence3 the dead1 as we call them1 sleep in ,jesus1 and will be ,his immediate companions at the last day4 ,we cannot enter into a discussion as to the exact conditions of what is called ,hades or the intermediate state2 suffice it to say that one great feature of it is nearness to ,jesus1 having a desire to depart and be with ,christ 7,phil4 i4 #bc72 absent from the body1 present with the ,lord 7#b ,cor4 v4 #h74 ,herein consists the blessed hope set before us in regard to the faithful departed2 the crucified1 risen1 ascended ,jesus has them in ,his keeping2 we and they alike are parts of the one great ,church1 knit into the ,communion of ,saints by the mystic bond of the sacred bread1 linked each to the other by mutual prayer2 they for us and we for them4 ,very beautifully and tenderly does the ,archbishop of ,canterbury deal with this thought in one of his late sermons3-- ,as with bowed head and quivering lip we commend their souls into the hands of a faithful ,creator and most merciful ,saviour we feel how the very passing of those brave and buoyant lives into the world beyond pierces the flimsy barrier between the things which are seen and temporal and the things which are unseen and eternal1 and again we can and do give thanks4 ,god is not the ,god of the dead1 but of the living3-- ,nor dare to sorrow with increase of grief ,when they who go before ,go furnished1 or because their span was brief4 ,for doubt not but that in the worlds above ,there must be other offices of love1 ,that other tasks and ministries there are1 ,since it is promised that ,his servants there ,shall serve him still4 ,therefore be strong1 be strong1 ,ye that remain1 nor fruitlessly revolve1 ,darkling1 the riddles which ye cannot solve1 ,but do the works that unto you belong4 ,here is the magnificent prospect of hope for those who mourn3 that the ,incarnation of our ,lord is still working itself out in all its beneficent purposes4 ,by the power of the ,holy ,ghost1 in the ,church expectant as in the ,church militant1 the answer to the constant prayer1 ,thy ,kingdom come1 is being ceaselessly given2 and the fulness thereof will be realised in the ,church triumphant4 ,the saints on earth and those in ,paradise are equally in the hands of the ,lord1 though the latter have clearer vision and nearer sense of the fact than the former4 ,by some this is used as an argument against the practice of prayer for the departed1 but surely this thought of the unity of the whole body leads in exactly the opposite direction4 ,no argument can be adduced against this most ancient and primitive custom1 observed by the ,jews long before the coming of ,christ1 but what equally applies to any petition for an absent friend still on earth4 ,in each case they are in the keeping of ,him ,who knows best and will do right1 yet for those still here we pray1 believing that in ,his own way ,god will take account of our prayers and knit them up into ,his own dealings1 so that they become part of ,his eternal purposes4 ,when commending the departed to ,him1 naturally our words will be chastened and restrained because we know somewhat less of the conditions of the intermediate state than we do of those of our own dispensation4 ,somewhat less2 for how little do we really understand of the circumstances around us now in all their bearings as they lie open beneath the eye of ,god4 ,therefore it is that whenever we pray we must ask in full submission to our own limitations and in the spirit of the ,master1 ,nevertheless not my will1 but ,thine be done4 ,thank ,god this matter is not one of argument2 no1 it lies in another plane3 the innate feeling of one who really knows what prayer means and who has grasped in some degree the doctrine of the ,communion of ,saints4 ,a pious evangelical1 well fortified with arguments against prayer for the departed1 had been nursing her sick sister and taking care of the little daughter of the house4 ,the sister died1 and the same evening the motherless girl knelt down at her aunt's side to say her prayers4 ,auntie1 may ,i say ,god bless dear mother8 ,the whole drift of the aunt's training and theology would have led her to say ,no point blank4 ,there was no time for argument or explanation1 for facing the inevitable ,if not1 why not8 ,the instincts of natural religion prevailed2 the aunt replied1 ,yes1 dear2 and from that day onward never failed herself to say1 when remembering her dear ones1 ,god bless my sister4 ,whatever the effect of such prayers in the other world1 there is no shade of doubt that to the bereaved they bring an infinite sense of nearness to their beloved1 and of the reality of the life of the world to come4 ,thus far we have been speaking of those who may fairly be called the faithful departed1 the cases in which hope may be reasonable and assured almost to certainty4 ,now let us go a step further4 ,the mind staggers as it contemplates the tens of thousands being hurried into eternity who1 either according to the teaching of the ,catholic ,church or the notions of popular theology1 would be deemed unprepared4 ,we trust1 in a dim sort of way1 that the all-embracing mercy of ,god will accept their sacrifice of themselves for their country1 and in some fashion place it to the credit side of their account4 ,no doubt ,he will4 ,but can we not get a more evangelical1 and at the same time more catholic1 view of the matter8 ,we find it in an extension of our conception of the possibilities of the intermediate state1 the condition of souls between death and judgment4 ,evangelical to the backbone1 because it is the work of ,christ which we conceive of as being there carried on4 ,catholic1 because the ,church from very early times has recognised the idea of the discipline of souls as being a process continued after death4 ,the authority of ,s4 ,paul has been appealed to on account of his words to the ,philippians 7i4 #f71 being confident of this very thing1 that ,he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of ,jesus ,christ2 and to the ,corinthians in that mysterious passage concerning the fire which shall try every man's work 7#a ,cor4 iii4 #ac74 ,the doctrine was developed and materialised till it resulted in those corruptions which were so largely responsible for the ,reformation4 ,in their zeal to root out error1 the ,reformers fell into the opposite extreme and abolished the idea of the intermediate state altogether4 ,hence arose the popular notion1 unknown to the ,catholic ,church till then1 of ,heaven or ,hell as the immediate issue of death4 ,of course1 the ,church's teaching had regard to the condition of its own members after death1 and we cannot press it into an argument as to those not dying1 technically1 in a state of grace2 but at least this much we may say3 ,surely no intelligent person can contemplate the thought of these vast hosts being hurried off into eternal perdition1 and at the same time retain his reason or his faith in a ,god of love4 ,whatever the possibilities of the world to come1 they are but the extension of the boundless love of ,god in ,christ1 and hold out no promise for us if we wilfully neglect our day of grace4 ,but now to pass on to one further source of consolation which comes in its measure to all the bereaved alike2 the chastened joy from the thought of the splendid sacrifice the dear one has been privileged to make4 ,take an illustration--a letter from ,major-,general ,allenby to ,lady de ,crespigny on the death of her son3-- ,dear ,lady de ,crespigny1--,i and the whole of the ,cavalry ,division sympathise with you1 and we feel deeply for ,norman's loss4 ,but ,i must tell you that he died a hero's death4 ,the brigade was hotly engaged1 and on the ,bays fell the brunt of the fighting on ,september #ast4 ,norman1 with a few men1 was holding an important tactical point1 and he held it till every man was killed or wounded4 ,no man could have done more1 few would have done so much4 ,with deepest sympathy1 yours sincerely1 ,e4,h4,h4 ,allenby4 ,how the bereaved hearts in the midst of crushing grief must have lit up with gladness at such a record as that6 ,but to close4 ,the discipline of bereavement consists essentially in the trial of faith1 yet at the same time brings with it the power of faith4 ,in bereavement1 above all other forms of sorrow1 comes the felt need of ,god2 it has been so with countless souls4 ,the answer to the need is the revelation that ,god makes of ,himself in ,christ2 then comes the peace of ,god1 which passeth all understanding1 which dries the tears and heals the broken heart4 ,note4--,the question of prayer in connection with ,god's foreknowledge is so admirably treated in ,some ,elements of ,religion 7,liddon7 that we append an extract3-- ,what if prayers and actions1 to us at the moment perfectly spontaneous1 are eternally foreseen and included within the all-embracing ,predestination of ,god1 as factors and causes1 working out that final result which1 beyond all dispute1 is the product of ,his ,good ,pleasure8 ,whether ,i open my mouth or lift my hand is1 before my doing it1 strictly within the jurisdiction and power of my personal will3 but however ,i may decide1 my decision1 so absolutely free to me1 will have been already incorporated by the ,all-seeing1 ,all-controlling ,being as an integral part1 however insignificant1 of ,his one all-embracing purpose1 leading on to effects and causes beyond itself4 ,prayer1 too1 is only a foreseen action of man which1 together with its results1 is embraced in the eternal ,predestination of ,god4 ,to us this or that blessing may be strictly contingent on our praying for it2 but our prayer is nevertheless so far from necessarily introducing change into the purpose of the ,unchangeable1 that it has been all along taken1 so to speak1 into account by ,him4 ,if1 then1 with 'the ,father of ,lights' there is in this sense 'no variableness1 neither shadow of turning1' it is not therefore irrational to pray for specific blessings1 as we do in the ,litany1 because ,god works out ,his plans not merely in us but by us2 and we may dare to say that that which is to us a free self-determination1 may be not other than a foreseen element of ,his work4 ,for suggested ,meditations during the week see ,appendix4 ,,viii ,discipline through ,self-sacrifice ,,good ,,friday #a ,tim4 ii4 #f ,christ ,jesus1 ,who gave ,himself a ransom for all4 ,to-day we reach the solemn climax which embraces in itself the whole idea of discipline under each of those aspects upon which we have touched4 ,will1 body1 soul1 spirit1 obedience1 suffering1 death1 all summed up in the tremendous self-sacrifice declared by the ,cross of ,christ4 ,the principle of sacrifice is one of those deep mysteries which seem1 as it were1 to be rooted in the very nature of our being4 ,it begins in the initial fact by which man's existence is maintained upon earth--motherhood1 a vast vicarious sacrifice4 ,yet borne with gratitude1 readiness1 ay1 even with joy because of the dignity1 the love1 the delights it brings with it4 ,one of the surest signs of the decadence of a nation is when its women1 through desire of merely living for themselves1 begin to rebel against the high privilege of motherhood1 or to neglect the duties it should entail4 ,this attitude of mind poisons life at its fountain-head4 ,time would fail us1 nor indeed would it be profitable1 to enter upon a discussion as to the exact theological bearing of the death of ,christ upon the forgiveness of sins4 ,this is a matter which may rightly occupy the attention of theologians and scholars who endeavour1 so far as infinite verities can be expressed in finite language1 to give a reason for the hope that is in them4 ,such books as ,liddon's ,bampton ,lectures1 ,dale on the ,atonement1 or ,illingworth on ,personality1 will be found most valuable by those who have the time and the capacity for studying them4 ,it is a good thing1 especially in these days1 that the intellect of the ,christian should be well-equipped1 so that he may silence the taunts of those who say ,christianity is purely a matter of emotion4 ,the personal acceptance of ,christ as a personal ,saviour rests1 not so much on arguments1 as on a sense of need2 when this is accompanied by strong intellectual grip of truth then the influence of the ,christian upon others becomes a great missionary factor4 ,the beauty of the ,gospel story lies in its wonderful adaptability4 ,it is the same in its power to a ,pascal1 a ,butler1 a ,liddon1 as it is to the unlettered peasant1 who can neither read nor write4 ,scripture declares quite plainly that the death of ,christ was for us2 how far this may be pressed to mean instead of us is a very grave question4 ,the words will bear that interpretation1 no doubt1 but we must remember that they do not necessarily involve any more than in our behalf1 that is1 for our benefit4 ,it has been the forcing of the words into an unnatural and immoral theory of substitution1 the notion of an angry ,god claiming a victim1 that has done such terrible harm to the cause of ,christianity1 and has led many thoughtful minds to give it up in disgust or despair4 ,probably in a wise commingling of the two lines of thought we shall arrive most nearly at the truth4 ,we all agree that our ,blessed ,lord's death was in behalf of us2 that is for our everlasting welfare2 in a very real sense this was instead of us1 since ,his sufferings were endured so that we might not lose the blessing of salvation4 ,very beautifully is the matter summed up by a modern writer3 ,in the death of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ as a ,sacrifice and ,propitiation for the sins of the world1 the moral perfections of ,god find their highest expression1 and the deepest necessities of man's moral and spiritual life their only complete satisfaction4#c ,footnote #c3 ,dale on the ,atonement4 ,the death of ,christ was not only typically but1 in a certain sense1 actually the offering up of our bodies on the ,cross4 ,notice very carefully the words of ,st4 ,paul1 ,i have been crucified with ,christ 7,gal4 ii41 #bj ,r4,v474 ,not simply1 as in the old ,authorised ,version1 ,i am crucified with ,christ1 but something much more definite and exact4 ,when ,christ ascended the ,cross ,he took up with ,him our human nature collectively1 as bound up in ,himself by virtue of ,his ,incarnation4 ,hence it follows that you1 the individual1 have been crucified with ,him2 just as you1 the individual1 have been buried with ,him1 and raised with ,him in your ,baptism 7,rom4 vi41 #d74 ,how completely this takes the sting out of the reproach brought against ,christianity1 on the ground of the immorality of the ,crucifixion6 ,it is no longer the ,innocent one suffering instead of the guilty1 but it is the sinless ,one taking upon ,himself human nature1 with all its guilt and consequent punishment1 and in ,his own body on the tree1 offering that human nature up to ,god4 ,he in us1 we in ,him1 that the redemption of human nature may be complete4 ,canon ,liddon thus puts it in one of his ,university sermons1 ,the substitution of the suffering ,christ arose directly out of the terms of the ,incarnation4 ,the human nature which our ,lord assumed was none other than the very nature of the sinner1 only without its sin4 ,therefore ,he becomes the ,redeemer of our several persons1 because ,he is already the ,redeemer of this our common nature1 which ,he has made for ever ,his own4 ,we have already noticed that it was not the sufferings of ,christ which were acceptable to ,god the ,father4 ,to think this would be to fall back into the very crudest and most repulsive idea of substitution4 ,no1 it was the offering up of the will of ,christ that formed the essence of the sacrifice4 ,if we may presume to attempt a mere earthly illustration of so tremendous a matter1 let us take the case of a ,general whose son meets with a terrible death while leading a forlorn hope4 ,the father's heart is torn with anguish both for the death and the circumstances of it2 but at the same time the father's heart swells with pride1 ay1 even with joy1 that his son should have been true to the highest thing in the world--duty4 ,he ,who said1 ,i come not to do mine own will but the will of ,him that sent ,me1 also said1 ,i lay ,my life down of ,myself1 no man taketh it from ,me4 ,herein is the discipline of sacrifice complete by the using of one's own will to surrender it absolutely to the will of another4 ,we have spoken so fully of the surrenders of will being made on all sides that we need say no more now on that point1 but for further illustration let us turn our thoughts in a somewhat fresh direction4 ,the example of ,belgium is a living witness of the power of self-sacrifice4 ,g4,k4 ,chesterton has put forth a striking pamphlet entitled ,the ,martyrdom of ,belgium2 in it he says3 ,there are certain quite unique and arresting features about the case of ,belgium4 ,to begin with1 it cannot be too much considered what a daring stroke of statesmanship--far-sighted1 perhaps1 but of frightful courage--the ,king of the ,belgians ventured in resisting at all4 ,of that statesmanship we had the whole advantage1 and ,belgium the whole disadvantage3 she saved ,france1 she saved ,england--herself she could not save4 ,had ,belgium yielded instead of standing out1 then1 humanly speaking1 nothing could have averted the immediate success of the ,german dash for ,paris4 ,now think for one moment of the solemn obligation this lays upon us in regard to that gallant1 struggling1 yet temporarily dismembered little nation4 ,we must look after the refugees4 ,there are those who say1 ,the ,government have brought the ,belgians over here1 let the ,government make their support a ,state matter4 ,one almost blushes to have to deal with such a sentiment4 ,could #as4 in the income-tax take the place1 morally1 spiritually1 or ethically1 of the rich profusion of voluntary aid now being poured forth8 ,the loss to the nation1 of that which is purest and noblest in its life1 would be simply unspeakable4 ,it is suffering that provides opportunity for the exercise of the highest duty known to man1 ,bear ye one another's burdens and so fulfil the law of ,christ4 ,try to picture to yourself1 quietly yet resolutely1 what it would mean to you to-morrow morning1 to find suddenly that you had to leave your house1 not in a motor-car for a railway train2 no6 but to turn out at once1 without time to put together any belongings2 to tramp1 perhaps in pouring rain1 along miles of road1 foodless1 cold1 exhausted2 seeing those around you dropping out to faint or die by the wayside2 not knowing where or how the journey should end4 ,this is what has happened to tens of thousands of ,belgians2 many1 cultured and refined1 coming forth penniless from homes of comfort and plenty6 ,in ministering to the needs of the ,belgians you find a glorious privilege1 a priceless opportunity4 ,again1 to quote ,g4,k4 ,chesterton3 ,in a sense ,belgium could still have saved her face2 but she preferred to save ,europe4 ,this1 it seems to me1 gives her a claim on something beyond pity or even gratitude--a claim on our intellectual honour beyond anything that even suffering could extort4 ,our ,lent is nearly over4 ,with all its opportunities1 its calls1 its privileges1 it is now behind us4 ,some perhaps began it with high resolves and brave hopes1 and are disappointed at the apparently small results4 ,none1 we trust1 are wholly satisfied with themselves1 for that would point to a condition far worse than despair4 ,there is such a thing as divine discontent1 and every true ,christian should know something of it4 ,for all the conscious failures ask pardon1 but do not give up striving4 ,standing under the ,cross of ,christ1 as we do to-day1 we have a standard for the measuring of ourselves which makes our little efforts at discipline look very poor indeed4 ,yet ,he remembers our frame1 ,he knows whereof we are made2 ,he can and will accept the feeblest struggles of our will towards ,his4 ,perhaps some progress in the life of grace may have been made1 then thank ,him and take courage4 ,let us just cast our minds back4 ,the discipline of the will means1 laying ourselves open to listen to the voice of the living ,god4 ,the discipline of the body means1 never letting it get the upper hand of the real self4 ,the discipline of the soul means the taking a very serious view of the responsibility of life4 ,the discipline of the spirit means1 a close approach to ,god by every channel of worship4 ,the discipline of obedience means1 that we put self in the background1 so that we may exalt the person of ,christ4 ,the discipline of sorrow means1 that ,christ is still present in ,his suffering ones1 and there is our opportunity4 ,the discipline of bereavement means1 the trial of our faith that it may enter into the realities of the spiritual kingdom4 ,then comes the crown and climax1 the discipline of self-sacrifice4 ,place steadily before you the thought of ,christ crucified1 see there the culmination of all possibility of the offering up of self for others4 ,no element of completeness was wanting4 ,the sacrifice was voluntary1 was made for enemies1 brought no return to self4 ,strong in ,his strength go forth ready to spend and be spent1 if only by the discipline of self-sacrifice you can lighten the load borne by any one of your fellow-creatures4 ,what hast ,thou done for me1 ,o ,mighty ,friend1 ,who lovest to the end8 ,reveal ,thyself that ,i may now behold ,thy love unknown1 untold1 ,bearing the curse and made a curse for me ,that blessed and made a blessing ,i might be4 ,wounded for my transgressions1 stricken sore1 ,that ,i might sin no more1 ,weak1 that ,i might be always strong in ,thee3 ,bound1 that ,i might be free2 ,acquaint with grief that ,i might only know ,fulness of joy1 in everlasting flow4 99 99 99 99 99 ,for suggested ,meditations during the week see ,appendix4 ,,ix ,discipline through ,victory ,,easter ,,day ,romans vi4 #i ,christ being raised from the dead dieth no more4 ,to couple the word discipline with victory may seem incongruous almost to the point of impossibility4 ,yet1 if we look below the surface1 we shall see that never is the connection more strong and the need for realising it more urgent4 ,lent is over1 its special discipline has passed1 and now the danger begins4 ,the danger is lest any progress made1 any victory won1 should lead to that self-confidence which can only end in disaster4 ,success is often a discipline far more fatal in its results than failure4 ,we celebrate to-day the grandest victory the world has ever known3 a victory which sprang out of the depths of an apparently complete defeat4 ,we trusted that it was ,he which should have redeemed ,israel4 ,vain confidence1 for how could ,one ,who had died as a malefactor1 ,who could not save ,himself1 rescue ,his nation from the tyranny of the ,roman power8 ,and then ,he1 this stranger ,whom they knew not1 opened to them the ,scriptures2 showed them the necessity of the sufferings1 and the great climax1 in the ,resurrection4 ,the ears were dull1 the hearts unconvinced1 as they generally are by mere argument1 till he revealed ,himself in the breaking of bread4 ,the eyes of love could not be deceived and sorrow gave place to joy4 ,some dispute has arisen as to whether we ought to pray for victory in this ,war4 ,the matter is well put by an anonymous writer3 ,if we are only to pray in matters wherein there is no difference of opinion our prayers will be few1 and if we cannot pray for the triumph of honour over falsehood1 of respect for treaties over unscrupulousness1 of order over cruelty and outrage1 for what are we ever to pray8 ,we must pray according to the light we have4 ,and if we end our prayers with the truly ,christian supplement ',nevertheless1 not as ,i will1 but as ,thou wilt1' we cannot be doing anything contrary to the principles of the highest religion4 ,surely prayer is1 or should be1 merely the expression of our best hopes and wishes submitted to a ,divine tribunal4 ,putting aside the question of prayer1 let us consider for a moment what should be our attitude as we look into the future4 ,first and foremost one of confidence and hopefulness4 ,without arrogance we can say that we believe firmly and strongly in the absolute righteousness of our cause4 ,in violating the neutrality of ,belgium1 ,germany itself confesses that a wrong was done4 ,a wrong which necessity compelled1 as they say4 ,what necessity8 ,that of getting to ,paris at the earliest possible moment4 ,and so when ,germany prays for victory1 as of course it does1 and ought1 at the same time it has to confess to an initial wrong1 which was certainly not made right by the fact that it was the quickest way of accomplishing an end4 ,we have purposely abstained in these ,addresses from fanning flames1 or appealing to passions4 ,but here is a broad ground upon which1 by the very confession of our enemies1 we stand on a higher platform4 ,we went to war because we would not break a treaty1 nor forsake a friend too weak for self-defence2 ,germany commenced the war by a treacherous act4 ,therefore1 strong in the belief that the ,god of righteousness will cause the right to triumph1 we can calmly look forward to ultimate victory1 ,to doubt would be disloyalty1 ,to falter would be sin4 ,much more might be said in the same direction1 but let the broad thought suffice4 ,the war has produced a type of pessimism which1 in some instances1 runs almost to disturbance of mental balance4 ,every reverse is exaggerated1 and accepted with a kind of confident despondency2 every success discounted and treated with half-hearted incredulity3 ,the ,germans have destroyed another ship2 what is our ,navy doing8 ,oh1 but that's only one little hill2 the ,germans will have it back soon enough4 ,surely this kind of pessimism1 except where the victim of it is not really responsible1 must be as offensive to ,god as it is exasperating to man4 ,but now to turn to our chief thought for the day1 that is1 the permanence of the victory of ,easter ,day1 ,christ dieth no more4 ,that is why ,he is called ,the first fruits of them that are asleep4 ,several resurrections are recorded both in the ,old and ,new ,testaments1 but these are cases of those who were raised by others1 and then died again4 ,christ raised ,himself and death hath no more dominion over ,him4 ,the resurrection is permanent and keeps on perpetuating and extending itself in the life of the whole universal ,church4 ,it was not an isolated act1 but part of a wondrous plan4 ,not only does it possess doctrinal significance in that plan1 but vital force for the carrying of it out4 ,he died for our sins1 but ,he was raised for our justification4 ,yes1 death's last hope1 his strongest fort and prison1 ,is shattered1 never to be built again2 ,and ,he1 the mighty ,captive1 ,he is risen1 ,leaving behind the gate1 the bar1 the chain4 ,we are praying constantly1 earnestly1 that we may be brought through strife to a lasting peace2 and that the nations of the world may be united in a firmer fellowship for the promotion of ,thy glory and the good of all mankind4 ,no conditions of peace are worth accepting unless they will1 humanly speaking1 secure this result4 ,germany on the one side1 and the ,allies on the other1 both realise that this is a fight to a finish4 ,singularly enough the object of both sides is similar--to render another great ,european war impossible3 but the ideals in respect to its attainment are by no means the same2 one looks to the setting up of a world dominion2 the other1 to the establishment of a state of balanced power and mutual interests among ,european nations4 ,we are fighting essentially for the principle of live and let live1 and therefore have to face unflinchingly all the sacrifice that still lies before us4 ,when peace is concluded it must be upon terms which will make results permanent6 ,should ,germany1 in the mysterious providence of ,god1 be allowed to become supreme1 there will be peace1 but1 alas6 only the peace of desolation and the numbness of despair4 ,but1 as we have already said1 it seems disloyal to all our deepest instincts1 all our truest feelings1 even to contemplate such a possibility4 ,but when the ,allies triumph1 what then8--the discipline of victory4 ,think for one moment of what the victory of ,christ meant1 as the ratification of the treaty signed upon the ,cross1 in the very hour of apparent defeat4 ,it meant for you and me all that is included in the words the redemption of the world by our ,lord ,jesus ,christ2 the means of grace and the hope of glory4 ,the resurrection puts the seal to the great charter1 commenced at ,bethlehem1 indited page by page through the wondrous life of three and thirty years1 closed1 as to its earthly side1 on ,calvary1 sealed1 signed and delivered on ,easter morning4 ,in the power of that treaty of peace you and ,i live1 day by day2 secure except for our own carelessness2 beyond all possibility of hurt from spiritual enemies1 unless by our own traitorous dealings with them4 ,the victory was complete6 ,he hath put all enemies under ,his feet2 the victory is permanent1 for1 death hath no more dominion over ,him4 ,in these ,addresses we have said much about those large results which ,god is allowing us already to see as obviously coming out of the war2 on our ,day of ,humble ,prayer to ,almighty ,god we solemnly thanked ,him3 ,for the laying aside of controversies at home1 and for the unity of the ,nation and ,empire2 ,for the loyal and loving response of our fellow-subjects beyond the seas2 ,for the full harmony between our ,allies and ourselves1 and for the success which has already been granted to our common efforts2 ,for the devotion of those who have laid down their lives for their country2 ,for the revelation in danger1 in suffering1 and in death1 of the power of the ,cross and the benefits of the ,lord's ,passion4 ,now remains the question1 ,are the results to be permanent8 ,that entirely depends upon our attitude towards the discipline of victory2 or how we are going to behave ourselves in the hour of success4 ,it is written concerning ,israel1 ,the ,lord saved them from the hand of them that hated them3 and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy4 ,then believed they ,his words1 they sang ,his praise4 ,they soon forgat ,his works3 they waited not for ,his counsel4 ,god willing we shall ere long be singing our ,te ,deum2 oh6 yes1 we shall do it with all our heart and soul2 but how are we to fix the emotions1 to render permanent that thankfulness which we shall really feel4 ,the ,israelites waited not for ,his counsel4 ,they failed1 that is1 under the discipline of success4 ,victory is given that it may be used for good1 just as much as failure is sent that we may rise on stepping-stones of our dead-selves to fresh endeavour4 ,as a nation we have been single-minded and honourable in our entry upon and our waging of the ,war2 when it is over we are to be just the same in our use of the fruits of the ,war4 ,victory will not come to us simply for our own sakes and that it may be selfishly exploited for our own needs4 ,no1 assuredly not3 it will come for the mutual benefit of all concerned1 and unless the very first fruits of it be dedicated to the cause of heroic ,belgium1 to her re-instatement in something of her former condition1 it will have come in vain4 ,the time of distress and disaster has knit together the ,empire in a wondrous unity of brotherhood4 ,there will be debts to be repaid to ,india and our ,colonies1 debts which can never be discharged in money1 but in those higher acts of fellowship1 justice1 endeavour1 which will knit yet closer the bonds that have been formed4 ,there will remain a large heritage of disablement and unemployment to cope with which will require wise counsel1 comprehensive measures1 real self-sacrifice4 ,it is computed that should the war last another eighteen months there will be nearly a quarter of a million men more or less unfitted to resume their ordinary callings4 ,all this1 you say1 is the concern of the ,state2 certainly1 but what is the ,state8 ,only another term for you and me4 ,therefore the seriousness of attitude1 the sense of proportion1 the realisation of brotherhood1 that by the mercy of ,god we have gained1 must be retained for the facing of the new problems that will lie before us4 ,turning to the more purely personal aspect of it1 there will be the temptation to grow slack and cold in intercessions and communions1 when the immediate occasion that prompted them has passed4 ,to be forewarned is to be forearmed1 let us look out for this1 expect it1 then we shall not be afraid to meet it4 ,christ being raised from the dead dieth no more2 think what the permanency of that victory has meant all down the ages of the past in the triumphs of the saints1 in the deaths of the martyrs1 in the splendid story of the ,church of ,christ4 ,think what it means to-day in the lives of millions of the faithful2 in all the deeds of charity which are brightening homes1 cheering hearts1 giving hope to the hopeless1 healing to the sick1 and soundness to the maimed3 think of all it means in rest and refreshment to the souls in ,paradise2 think of all it still will mean in the growth of the ,church of ,christ up to the fulness of its destined and glorious completion2 think of all it may mean for you in your individual life1 right up to the day when you shall be like ,him1 for you shall see ,him as ,he is4 ,in the permanence of the victory of ,christ1 may we each one of us so use the discipline of victory that it may redound to the glory of ,him1 in ,whom we live1 and move1 and have our being4 ,,appendix ,,giving ,a ,,special ,,thought ,,and ,,passage ,,for ,,meditation ,,for ,,each ,,day ,,in ,,lent ,,suggested ,,by ,,the ,,addresses4 ,,appendix ,a ,,suggested ,,thought ,,for ,,daily ,,meditation ,n4,b4--,you will find it useful to look up references in a reference ,bible4 ,ash ,wednesday3 ,god wishes that we should be saved4--#a ,tim4 ii4 #c1 #d2 #b ,pet4 iii4 #i4 ,thursday3 ,our natural will is in conflict with ,god's will4--,rom4 vii4 #ba-be4 ,friday3 ,god the ,holy ,ghost assists us by illuminating the will4--,s4 ,john xvi4 #ac-ae4 ,saturday3 ,what is the guiding principles of our lives8--,ps4 xxxix4 #g2 ,s4 ,matt4 vi4 #ai-bd4 #ast ,sunday in ,lent3 ,the ,incarnation the mission of ,christ to the body4--,s4 ,john i4 #a-ad2 ,eph4 v4 #bc4 ,monday3 ,the body in its physical aspect wonderfully suited to its purposes4--,gen4 i4 #bf-bh2 ii41 #g2 ,ps4 cxxxix4 #ad4 ,tuesday3 ,the body the external means by which we receive the ,sacraments4--,heb4 x4 #bb2 ,acts viii4 #ad-ag2 #a ,cor4 xi4 #bf4 ,wednesday3 ,the body in its ultimate destiny4--#a ,cor4 xv4 #db-di2 #a ,john iii4 #b1 #c4 ,thursday3 ,disciplining the body braces the will4--#b ,tim4 ii4 #c2 ,heb4 xi4 #cb-dj4 ,friday3 ,the corporate life of the ,church in its bearing on influence and conduct4--#a ,cor4 xii4 #ab-bg4 ,saturday3 ,the duty of example in respect of the temperance question4--#a ,cor4 viii4 #g-ac2 #b ,cor4 viii4 #i4 #bnd ,sunday in ,lent3 ,the inner value of our life4--,s4 ,mark viii4 #cd-ch4 ,monday3 ,the deadening effect of prosperity4--,s4 ,james v4 #a-f4 ,tuesday3 ,our ,lord's example of single-mindedness4--,s4 ,mark vii4 #cg2 ,s4 ,matt4 xxvi4 #ci-dd4 ,wednesday3 ,the need for seriousness in thought4--,s4 ,matt4 xv4 #aj-bj2 ,phil4 iv4 #h4 ,thursday3 ,the need for seriousness in word4--,s4 ,james iii4 #a-aa4 ,friday3 ,the need for seriousness in deed4--,s4 ,james iii4 #ac-ah2 #a ,pet4 v4 #h4 ,saturday3 ,the need for perseverance1 lest we forfeit our blessings4--,rom ii4 #d-g2 ,rev4 ii4 #ah-bi4 #crd ,sunday in ,lent3 ,man seeking after ,god4--,ps4 xlii4 ,monday3 ,the ,incarnation the means by which the union between ,god and man is brought about4--,s4 ,john xvii4 #ag-bf4 ,tuesday3 ,prayer the characteristic act of religion4--,s4 ,matt4 vii4 #g-ab2 ,eph4 vi4 #ah4 ,wednesday3 ,the importance of self-examination as leading to self-knowledge4--,gal4 vi4 #c-e4 ,thursday3 ,confession of sins to ,god the only condition of forgiveness4--#a ,john i4 #e-aj4 ,friday3 ,forgiveness of sins comes from ,god through the blood of ,christ4--,eph4 i4 #c-ab4 ,saturday3 ,the ministry of reconciliation committed to the ministers1 as ,christ's ambassadors4--#b ,cor4 v4 #ah2 ,s4 ,john xx4 #bb1 #bc4 #dth ,sunday in ,lent3 ,the natural body of ,christ the source of healings4--,s4 ,matt4 xiv4 #cd-cf4 ,monday3 ,the spiritual body of ,christ found in ,his ,church4--,eph4 i4 #ah-bc4 ,tuesday3 ,the sacramental body of ,christ1 given to us in the ,holy ,communion4--#a ,cor4 x41 #ad-ba4 ,wednesday3 ,obedience the test of religion4--,rom4 vi4 #af-bc4 ,thursday3 ,self-indulgence the great obstacle to obedience4--,s4 ,luke xvi4 #ai-ca4 ,friday3 ,self-renunciation the condition of service4--,acts xx4 #ag-bd4 ,saturday3 ,our ,lord's example of obedience4--,phil4 ii4 #a-aa2 ,heb4 xii4 #a-c4 #eth ,sunday in ,lent3 ,suffering in the light of eternity4--,rev4 vii4 #i-ag2 #b ,cor4 iv4 #ag1 #ah4 ,monday3 ,suffering in the light of the ,incarnation4--,s4 ,matt4 viii4 #af1 #ag2 ,heb4 iv4 #ad-af4 ,tuesday3 ,christ still suffering in ,his people4--,s4 ,matt4 xxv4 #cd-df2 ,acts ix4 #d4 ,wednesday3 ,devotion to ,christ the power of endurance4--,acts v4 #dj-db2 ,rom4 viii4 #ce-ci4 ,thursday3 ,christ succouring those who suffer for ,him4--,acts vii4 #ed-fj2 xxvii4 #ba-bf4 ,friday3 ,character disciplined by suffering4--,heb4 x4 #cb-cf2 xii4 #d-aa4 ,saturday3 ,suffering giving opportunity for sympathy4--,heb4 xii4 #ab1 #ac2 ,s4 ,james i4 #bg2 ii4 #ad-af4 #fth ,sunday in ,lent3 ,the resurrection of ,christ1 the basis of hope4--#a ,thess4 iv4 #ac-ah4 ,monday3 ,the ,holy ,spirit the power of the risen life1 here and hereafter4--,rom4 viii4 #e-aa4 ,tuesday3 ,the communion of ,saints in the one body of ,christ4--,heb4 xii4 #a1 #b1 and #bb-bd4 ,wednesday3 ,the departed remembering us4--,s4 ,luke xvi4 #ai-ca2 esp4 v4 #bd2 ,rev4 vi4 #i4 ,thursday3 ,the glorious reward of faithful service4--,s4 ,matt4 xxv4 #ad-bc4 ,good ,friday3 ,what does the death of ,christ mean to me8--,s4 ,john xix4 #bc-cj4 ,easter ,eve3 ,am ,i showing the fruits of my ,baptism by leading a risen life8--,rom4 vi4 #a-aa4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,printed ,,in ,,great ,,britain ,,by ,r4 ,,clay ,,and ,,sons1 ,,ltd41 ,,brunswick ,,street1 ,,stamford ,,street1 ,s4,e41 ,,and ,,bungay1 ,,suffolk4