,,conscience ,,and ,,sin4 ,conscience and ,sin4 ,,daily ,,meditations ,,for ,,lent1 ,,including ,,week-,,days ,,and ,,sundays4 ,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,s4 ,,baring-,,gould1 ,m4,a41 ,,author ,,of ,,the ,,mystery ,,of ,,suffering1 ,,the ,,village ,,pulpit1 ,,etc4 ,london3 ,,skeffington ,,son1 #afc1 ,,piccadilly1 ,w4 #ahij4 ,preface4 ,it is advisable that all should have a clear understanding as to the nature of ,conscience1 the dangers to which ,conscience is liable1 the ,nature of ,sin1 and the ,effects of ,sin4 ,too many people go on easily from day to day making no spiritual advance1 because they do not know what ails their ,consciences1 do not even suspect that their ,consciences are ailing1 and so make no effort to escape from their unsatisfactory condition4 ,it is hoped that this little book of meditations may be of use to such4 ,contents4 ,,page ,ash ,wednesday-- ,,on ,,conscience #a ,first ,thursday in ,lent-- ,,the ,,nature ,,of ,,conscience #d ,first ,friday in ,lent-- ,,the ,,nature ,,of ,,conscience--continued #f ,first ,saturday in ,lent-- ,,the ,,obligations ,,of ,,conscience #i ,first ,sunday in ,lent-- ,,causes ,,of ,,different ,,kinds ,,of ,,conscience #ab ,first ,monday in ,lent-- ,,causes ,,of ,,different ,,kinds ,,of ,,conscience--continued #ae ,first ,tuesday in ,lent-- ,,on ,,the ,,different ,,kinds ,,of ,,conscience--,the ,direct ,conscience #ah ,second ,wednesday in ,lent-- ,,the ,,false ,,conscience #ba ,second ,thursday in ,lent-- ,,the ,,scrupulous ,,conscience #bd ,second ,friday in ,lent-- ,,the ,,relaxed ,,conscience #bg ,second ,saturday in ,lent-- ,,the ,,doubtful ,,conscience #cj ,second ,sunday in ,lent-- ,,on ,,prudence #cc ,second ,monday in ,lent-- ,,on ,,fortitude #cf ,second ,tuesday in ,lent-- ,,on ,,sin--,the ,nature of ,sin #ci ,third ,wednesday in ,lent-- ,,the ,,nature ,,of ,,sin--continued #db ,third ,thursday in ,lent-- ,,the ,,nature ,,of ,,sin--continued #de ,third ,friday in ,lent-- ,,sources ,,of ,,sin #dh ,third ,saturday in ,lent-- ,,temptations ,,to ,,sin #ea ,third ,sunday in ,lent-- ,,the ,,genesis ,,of ,,sin #ed ,third ,monday in ,lent-- ,,on ,,original ,,sin #eg ,third ,tuesday in ,lent-- ,,the ,,evidence ,,for ,,original ,,sin #fj ,fourth ,wednesday in ,lent-- ,,actual ,,sin #fc ,fourth ,thursday in ,lent-- ,,the ,,conditions ,,of ,,sin #ff ,fourth ,friday in ,lent-- ,,conditions ,,that ,,diminish ,,guilt #fi ,fourth ,saturday in ,lent-- ,,conditions ,,that ,,aggravate ,,guilt #gb ,fourth ,sunday in ,lent-- ,,on ,,free ,,will #ge ,fourth ,monday in ,lent-- ,,the ,,determination ,,of ,,the ,,will #gh ,fourth ,tuesday in ,lent-- ,,practical ,,conclusions #ha ,fifth ,wednesday in ,lent-- ,,the ,,gravity ,,of ,,sin #hc ,fifth ,thursday in ,lent-- ,,the ,,gravity ,,of ,,sin--continued #hf ,fifth ,friday in ,lent-- ,,the ,,effects ,,of ,,sin #hi ,fifth ,saturday in ,lent-- ,,the ,,effects ,,of ,,sin--continued #ib ,fifth ,sunday in ,lent-- ,,the ,,deadly ,,vices #ie ,fifth ,monday in ,lent-- ,,in ,,what ,,the ,,vices ,,are ,,rooted #ih ,fifth ,tuesday in ,lent-- ,,pride #aja ,sixth ,wednesday in ,lent-- ,,avarice #ajd ,sixth ,thursday in ,lent-- ,,luxury #ajg ,sixth ,friday in ,lent-- ,,envy #aaj ,sixth ,saturday in ,lent-- ,,gluttony #aac ,palm ,sunday-- ,,anger #aae ,monday in ,holy ,week-- ,,sloth #aag ,tuesday in ,holy ,week-- ,,the ,,sacrifice ,,for ,,sin #abj ,wednesday in ,holy ,week-- ,,the ,,sacrifice ,,of ,,christ #abc ,thursday in ,holy ,week-- ,,the ,,effects ,,of ,,christ',s ,,sacrifice #abe ,good ,friday-- ,,the ,,effects ,,of ,,the ,,passion--continued #abh ,easter ,eve-- ,,the ,,application ,,of ,,the ,,sacrifice ,,of ,,christ #aca ,conscience and ,sin4 ,ash ,wednesday4 ,,on ,,conscience4 ,god has created man for a purpose1 and that purpose is1 that he should attain to everlasting blessedness4 ,god is good and loving unto all ,his works4 ,he made the plants and the beasts1 and set them ends to accomplish here on earth1 but the ends for which man was made are not to be attained in this life4 ,through the ,fall man's mind is darkened1 his connexion with ,god is broken1 his sight of the aim to which he should tend is obscured4 ,god has given to him ,his law as the rule of his actions1 that man1 hearkening to the revealed ,will of ,god1 may be guided aright1 and so accomplish that end for which he was made1 and attain finally to everlasting blessedness4 ,every act of man that is in conformity with the revealed law of ,god is good4 ,every act of man that is contrary to this revealed law of ,god is bad4 ,every act that is in conformity with the law of ,god is not only actually good1 but it is relatively good--that is to say1 it tends to our individual advantage4 ,it is not only good in the sight of ,god1 but it is profitable to our own selves4 ,so also is the converse true1 that every act done against the law of ,god is actually and relatively bad2 it is bad in the sight of ,god1 and it does injury to our own selves4 ,now1 in order that we may be able to judge whether our acts are in conformity with the law of ,god1 ,he has set in us a faculty which has the office of applying the law of ,god to our own circumstances2 and this faculty tells us whether our acts are in conformity with or contrary to the external law of ,god4 ,thus we have the exterior law1 and the interior faculty1 which we may almost term a law1 and this inner law is called ,conscience4 ,,ii4 ,the revealed law of ,god1 considered in itself and in relation to ,god1 its ,author1 is holy1 inviolable1 and inalterable4 ,the law of the ,lord is perfect1 converting 7or restoring7 the soul2 the testimony of the ,lord is sure1 making wise the simple4 ,the statutes of the ,lord are right1 rejoicing the heart2 the commandment of the ,lord is pure1 enlightening the eyes4 ,the fear of the ,lord is clean1 enduring for ever2 the judgments of the ,lord are true1 and righteous altogether4444 ,in them is ,thy servant warned3 and in keeping them there is great reward4 7,ps4 xix4 #g-aa47 ,but though the revealed law of ,god is fixed and immutable1 yet when applied to the human ,conscience it takes different forms1 according to the state of the ,conscience4 ,hence it follows that the divine law ill-applied1 so far from being a sure rule1 may become perverted into a sanction whereby we evade the obligations laid on us1 and authorize ourselves to commit that which is wrong4 ,we shall therefore have to consider3-- #a4 ,the nature of ,conscience4 #b4 ,the obligation of obeying ,conscience4 #c4 ,the different kinds of ,conscience4 #d4 ,the rules of conduct relative to each sort of ,conscience4 ,illustration ,first ,thursday in ,lent4 ,,the ,,nature ,,of ,,conscience4 #a4 ,conscience1 which is the gift of ,god bestowed on all men1 ,christian and heathen1 is that practical judgment which points out to us what to avoid or what to do in any particular emergency that may arise4 ,just as we may know that there are certain laws of nature1 and our ready commonsense tells us1 when varying circumstances arise1 how we are to act so that the laws of nature may be to our advantage instead of to our overthrow1 so is ,conscience the commonsense application of the indwelling consciousness of the distinction between right and wrong to emergencies1 as they rise up and demand of us a choice between one course or another4 #b4 ,conscience has a threefold exercise of its judgment4 7a7 ,before an action takes place1 ,conscience throws light on the action contemplated or proposed1 tells us its moral value1 and if the ,conscience judges that it is good1 then it counsels and permits the act4 ,if1 however1 the ,conscience judges that it is bad1 then it dissuades from1 and forbids the act4 7b7 ,during an action ,conscience is active1 and in spite of all the clouds of prejudice and of passion that may have risen up1 it bears testimony to the true nature of our conduct1 it either encourages us to carry it through1 not to be supine about it1 not to abandon it before it is completed1 and so leave it imperfectly accomplished1 but to carry it through to the end1 thoroughly and completely4 ,or else1 ,conscience does not cease from turning us aside from the prosecution of the act which it disapproves2 it acts as a drag1 a check1 and unless resisted will completely arrest us in the prosecution of that which it esteems to be bad4 7c7 ,after an action1 ,conscience recompenses us by the satisfaction we feel1 the approval it accords to us for having either accomplished what it advised1 or for having abandoned that conduct which it disapproved4 ,so ,s4 ,paul speaks of people being a law unto themselves1 shewing the work of the law written in their hearts1 their ,conscience bearing witness1 and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing1 or else excusing1 one another4 7,rom4 ii4 #ad1 #ae47 ,this is the testimony of the ,conscience1 the answer of the good ,conscience to which both ,s4 ,paul and ,s4 ,peter appeal4 #c4 ,we have seen that ,conscience instructs1 judges1 and rewards or punishes2 but we must consider further1 that ,conscience does not control the will of man1 it merely dictates to the will what is right1 and warns it as to what is wrong4 ,it uses no constraint4 ,man's will is free2 ,conscience clears the eyes of the mind1 and shews it what conduces to welfare1 and what to destruction1 but it neither impels man irresistibly into the former course1 nor holds him back forcibly from taking the other4 ,it shows man what is medicine and what is poison1 but it does not compel him to take one and reject the other1 for the will of man is absolutely free4 ,first ,friday in ,lent4 ,,the ,,nature ,,of ,,conscience4 7,,continued47 #a4 ,conscience1 in the order of religious life1 is that which the ,court of ,justice is in the order of public life1 a court that has been instituted by the legislature to keep discipline and well-being in the ,state1 to protect the individual in his person1 his property1 and his repute4 ,thus ,conscience takes the general laws of ,god and explains them in their bearings on our own conduct1 and applies them to our several cases4 ,also1 ,conscience sees to the execution of the law--that it shall be obeyed as well as acknowledged4 ,also1 ,conscience punishes every infraction of the law4 ,in other words1 ,conscience is the interpreter of the law of ,god1 it is the judge sitting in judgment on us for our observance or non-observance of the law1 and it is the executioner carrying out the sentence against us4 ,as interpreter1 ,conscience enlightens us as to the requirements of ,god1 explains to us what is obscure1 and smooths the way so that our wills1 enlightened and ready to act without impediment1 may take a direction one way or other4 ,an act does not become just or sinful till the will has consented to the advice of the ,conscience as interpreter1 or has turned against it and deliberately gone contrary to what it has laid down4 ,every wilful sin is therefore a determinate revolt against ,god4 #b4 ,but ,conscience is more than interpreter1 judge and executioner2 it is also our accuser and the witness against us4 ,as accuser1 it pursues the guilty everywhere1 into the innermost recesses of the thoughts4 ,it sees clearly1 it knows all the circumstances1 it declares with unhesitating voice both what is the nature of the sin1 and what is the condition of the sinner4 ,thus to the office of accuser it unites that of witness1 presenting itself ever before the accused1 with unshaken testimony4 ,it has seen all2 it has seen all as it is2 and it has forgotten none of the circumstances4 ,as judge1 it is enlightened with ,divine illumination that pierces through all the mists of prejudice and clouds of passion1 and nothing escapes from its vigilance4 ,as judge it is also severe1 not easy and indifferent1 for it has not its own law or humour to obey1 but the divine law1 which it interprets and administers4 ,it is just1 for it stands in that position that it is between ,god1 the ,lawgiver1 on one side1 and man1 who breaks that law1 on the other4 ,if it be inclined to over-leniency1 if it be unjust1 then ,conscience is itself corrupted4 ,but we are not now speaking of ,conscience degraded1 cajoled1 bribed1 and dishonest1 but of the true ,conscience as divinely illumined and divinely directed to judge aright4 ,and as just and enlightened ,conscience passes its judgment1 and then takes up the office of executioner4 ,if1 says ,s4 ,paul1 we would judge ourselves we should not be judged4 ,that is to say1 if we suffer our ,consciences to perform their proper function here in the time of life1 to pass sentence upon us justly1 and execute the sentences passed1 then there would be no second judgment for us at the last4 ,that judgment is needed only because so many people refuse to permit ,conscience to perform its divinely-ordained work here in this life4 ,then consider ,conscience as the executioner4 ,it punishes man here1 to work out his amendment4 ,but if ,conscience be not suffered to perform its divinely allotted task here1 then it will do it in eternity when the time for amendment is over4 ,that is the worm that dies not1 that the fire that is never extinguished4 ,conscience is given to us as our executioner here in order to improve us1 not to torture us unprofitably4 ,it punishes us to work in us repentance4 ,these are the two operations of ,conscience as executioner4 ,illustration ,first ,saturday in ,lent4 ,,the ,,obligations ,,of ,,conscience4 #a4 ,as ,conscience is a gift of ,god we are responsible to ,him for the use we make of it4 ,conscience is the moral faculty2 as the eyes are organs of the faculty of sight1 the ears of the faculty of hearing1 so has ,conscience the faculty of seeing and knowing and distinguishing right from wrong4 ,as ,god has given us sight and hearing we exercise these faculties1 and1 what is more1 cultivate them4 ,so1 as ,god has given us the moral faculty1 we exercise it1 and cultivate it1 if we desire to fulfil the ends for which ,god has created us4 ,god gives us eyes to see our way1 and not strike against walls1 and fall into pits4 ,so ,god has given us ,conscience to see our moral way1 and not run into temptations1 and to avoid moral dangers4 #b4 ,as ,conscience is that interior judgment which ,god has planted in us to dictate to us what to do1 and what to avoid1 on special occasions1 then1 to disobey the voice of ,conscience is to disobey the ,voice of ,god4 ,not only so1 but1 as ,conscience points out to us that a certain course is one to which duty calls us1 and we refuse to follow the indication of ,conscience1 this is a revolt of the will against ,god1 and when the will1 knowing what is right1 deliberately chooses what is wrong1 it commits mortal sin4 ,it was so with ,adam and ,eve4 ,they knew the ,commandment of ,god1 and wilfully went against ,his ,commandment1 consequently they had turned away from their proper end1 and turned themselves into the camp of rebels against ,god4 #c4 ,when ,s4 ,paul says1 ,whatsoever is not of faith is sin1 he is speaking of the eating of meats offered to idols2 and he shows how that ,conscience is the rule as to whether a thing is sinful or not4 ,idols are naught1 so that the things offered to idols are not actually polluted by the oblation2 nevertheless1 if the ,conscience refuses to admit this1 and argues that1 as a meat has been offered to an idol1 the partaking of it is participation in idolatry1 then to eat of the meat that has been offered brings guilt on the soul4 ,he that doubteth is damned if he eat4 7,rom4 xiv4 #bc47 #d4 ,from this we may draw a practical conclusion that it is always well to follow ,conscience1 even when ,conscience1 ill-instructed1 may be in error2 that if ,conscience disapprove of a course of conduct1 and yet may not understand clearly on what grounds it utters its disapprobation1 it is safest1 indeed it is right1 to obey ,conscience1 and not take advantage of its hesitation4 ,that a ,conscience may be ill-taught1 and therefore in error1 that a ,conscience may be perverted1 we shall see presently2 but what appears to be abundantly clear is that it is advisable always to obey ,conscience in all things2 but then we must be careful to have the ,conscience well-instructed1 clearly illuminated1 so that it may not be hesitating1 confused1 and liable to direct us wrongly4 #e4 ,when ,conscience hesitates1 and is doubtful between two courses1 it is right to seek advice from such as are experienced in the direction of ,conscience4 ,moreover1 the ,holy ,spirit must be invoked to open the eyes of the understanding1 and guide into truth4 ,when hesitation and doubt still remain1 then the safest course to adopt is that line of conduct which is likely to entail most trouble1 likely to cost us most1 least likely to attract notice from others2 also1 generally1 if not always1 the simplest and most natural line is the right one2 but self-interest1 or a disturbed moral sense1 may incline one to take another line that is not absolutely wrong in itself1 but is less right because less natural1 and simple1 and direct1 and common-place than the other4 ,illustration ,first ,sunday in ,lent4 ,,causes ,,of ,,different ,,kinds ,,of ,,conscience4 #a4 ,conscience as given by ,god to man is sound1 vigorous1 and direct4 ,it sees clearly what the truth is1 and distinguishes at once good from evil4 ,whatever ,god gives is good1 and ,god gives this faculty of distinguishing between good and evil to man for a purpose1 essential to man1 that he may follow his course1 and attain to that end for which ,god made him4 ,therefore1 ,god certainly gave to man1 originally1 a sound1 sturdy1 and clear-seeing ,conscience1 to be the pilot of his vessel1 the driver of his chariot1 the legislator of his state4 ,that we may1--indeed1 that we must acknowledge4 ,god ,himself set man in the world to accomplish a certain work1 and ,he furnished him adequately for the fulfilment of the task allotted to him4 #b4 ,but1 man's ,conscience is not what it was when ,god first made man2 it has been debilitated1 it has been vitiated by original sin4 ,the first sin of ,adam1 and the sin that has issued from that original fault1 has formed a habit of sin in the human race1 that infects1 weakens1 in some cases paralyzes1 the ,conscience4 ,so that it no longer sees as clearly what is right and what is wrong1 as at first2 it has no longer the same unhesitating voice2 nor has it the same power of influencing the will as at first1 for the will itself has become distorted4 ,the unsettlement of ,conscience has allowed the will to become impatient of restraint1 and to incline to follow other impulses than that of the moral faculty4 ,the will is also inclined to evil through the poison of sin which has passed into the nature of all men since the fall1 and though1 by ,baptism1 the antecedent guilt of original sin is put away1 yet its deteriorating effects are not all removed4 ,god receives us by ,baptism into a state of grace1 in which state that which has been marred by the fall can be restored2 but the fact of ,baptism does not at once restore1 it only sets us in a condition in which restoration is possible4 #c4 ,there are several causes operating on our ,conscience which tend to vitiate it3-- 7a7 ,ignorance of the ,divine ,will1 and of the law of ,god for us4 ,adam had a fully-enlightened ,conscience1 he knew uninstructed what was ,god's purpose and what was ,god's ,will1 but it is not so with us1 or is so only in a very rudimentary and inadequate manner4 ,we have to be taught the ,will of ,god1 and to learn ,his ,commandments4 ,consequently1 it is incumbent on us to strive in every way to remove this ignorance1 by reading ,scripture1 by receiving instruction1 and by seeking after light by prayer4 7b7 ,prejudice1 the result of ignorance and pride1 or simply of ignorance and a warped judgment1 owing to false instruction4 ,there can be little chance through ignorance of going wrong in the main1 broad principles of duty to our neighbours1 but imperfect teaching or erroneous teaching relative to our duties to ,god1 may well be the cause of our failing to perform1 or performing inadequately1 or performing wrongly our duties due to ,him4 ,hence we require a sure moral guide to expound to us the law of ,god1 and this ,god has given us in ,his ,church4 7c7 ,passion1 or concupiscence1 which induces the ,conscience to permit whatever flatters or gratifies the body or the mind4 ,s4 ,paul says that in his natural state1 ,that which ,i do ,i allow not2 for what ,i would that do ,i not2 but what ,i hate1 that do ,i 444 to will is present with me2 but how to perform that which is good ,i find not4 ,for the good that ,i would ,i do not1 but the evil that ,i would not1 that ,i do4 ,he is here picturing himself in his old1 carnal1 unregenerate state1 but under grace1 it is other1 there ,divine help is given to enable the will to submit to the law of ,god and cast out the domination of the carnal appetites4 7d7 ,lax public opinion1 which sets up a low moral standard1 and brings ,consciences to sleep1 so long as they conform to public opinion1 and make that the rule instead of the law of ,god4 ,this is a great means of blunting and deadening ,conscience1 for it sets up man as a supreme authority in morals in the place of ,god1 it makes the judgments of the world override the revealed ,will of ,god4 ,illustration ,first ,monday in ,lent4 ,,causes ,,of ,,different ,,kinds ,,of ,,conscience4 7,,continued47 ,conscience may command1 forbid1 advise1 permit4 7a7 ,conscience1 when certain as to the moral right of a course of action1 utters its peremptory command that it shall be done4 ,we often are satisfied with a negative obedience1 and consider ourselves discharged from all obligation to render positive obedience4 ,for the commandments are negative4 ,thou shalt not do this or that4 ,so1 if we abstain from murder1 theft1 adultery1 c41 we are satisfied that we are fulfilling the law4 ,but in the ,gospel the negative law1 or law of prohibition1 is not only greatly expanded1 but it is turned into a positive law4 ,thou shalt love ,god with all thy heart1 c41 and ,thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself4 ,it is a bit of self-delusion for anyone to suppose that he is fulfilling the law of his being if he merely abstains from those things prohibited4 ,we have positive obligations laid on us1 and these positive obligations the enlightened and healthy ,conscience points out to us4 ,not only must we abstain from anger1 but we must cultivate love4 ,not only must we avoid revenge1 but we must do good to them that despitefully use us and persecute us4 ,not only must we avoid gluttony and drunkenness1 but we must cultivate self-denial4 7b7 ,conscience forbids the commission of those things which are condemned by ,god's law4 ,as already said1 ,god's law has been expanded since the first imposition of it4 ,ye have heard that it was said by them of old time1 ,thou shalt not kill2 but ,i say unto you1 ,that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment4 ,ye have heard that it was said by them of old time1 ,thou shalt not commit adultery1 but ,i say unto you1 ,that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart4444 ,again1 ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time1 ,thou shalt not forswear thyself1 but shalt perform unto the ,lord thine oaths2 but ,i say unto you1 ,swear not at all4444 ,ye have heard that it hath been said1 ,an eye for an eye1 and a tooth for a tooth1 but ,i say unto you1 ,that ye resist not evil4444 ,ye have heard that it hath been said1 ,thou shalt love thy neighbour1 and hate thine enemy2 but ,i say unto you1 ,love your enemies4444 ,be ye perfect even as your ,father1 which is in ,heaven1 is perfect4 7c7 ,conscience advises when there is a choice between two ways1 each good1 but one more good than the other4 ,in that case it points to the higher and nobler course of action1 that which1 perhaps1 costs more to us1 is more arduous1 and most painful4 ,it does not require us1 under pain of condemnation1 to take the higher course1 it merely recommends it as the superior1 and shows that there is no sin incurred by choosing that which is inferior4 ,thus our ,lord gave certain counsels of ,perfection1 but every man was to do as he thought best1 in following them or not4 ,so also ,s4 ,paul concerning marriage1 he says that the condition is holy and unblameable1 nevertheless he would advise to remain even as himself4 7d7 ,conscience permits the choice of an inferior course when it has advised a higher1 when it has weighed all the circumstances2 when it judges that the will is not strong enough to carry out the performance of the higher course1 or that the taking of the higher course would subject man to temptations1 or involve him in difficulties beyond his capacity of resistance or escape4 ,illustration ,first ,tuesday in ,lent4 ,,on ,,the ,,different ,,kinds ,,of ,,conscience4 ,i4--,,the ,,direct ,,conscience4 #a4 ,the various causes enumerated have been the occasion of ,consciences becoming very various in quality4 ,of these varieties there are the following3 7a7 ,the ,direct1 or ,sound ,conscience4 7b7 ,the ,false ,conscience4 7c7 ,the ,scrupulous ,conscience4 7d7 ,the ,relaxed ,conscience4 7e7 ,the ,doubtful ,conscience4 #b4 ,in the first place let us consider that vigorous and healthy ,conscience which we call a ,direct ,conscience4 ,now ,god intended all ,consciences to be direct1 and the object of all moral instruction is to bring crooked ,consciences right1 and to bring ignorant ,consciences to a knowledge of what is right4 ,the direct1 sound ,conscience is that which we should aim all our lives to obtain4 ,and as it is the interior manifestation of the ,will of ,god1 and an obligation is laid on us to obey it1 we must observe what it commands1 abstain from what it forbids1 and respect what it counsels4 ,we must 7a7 use our utmost endeavour to learn our duties aright1 both towards ,god1 our neighbours1 and ourselves4 ,we owe to ,god the obligations of love1 reverence1 worship1 and obedience4 ,our duties to our neighbours are tolerably plain--the ,state enforces most of them4 ,we must respect the persons1 the property1 and the good name of our neighbours4 ,our duties to ourselves are to educate and develop all those faculties1 physical1 mental1 and spiritual1 ,god has put in us1 to keep our bodies in temperance1 soberness1 and chastity2 to cultivate our reason and our intelligence--the reason so as to be able to form just judgments1 and the intelligence so as to be able and eager to acquire knowledge2 to nourish and discipline our souls so that our spiritual faculties may be alive to divine things1 able to pray1 to meditate on ,god1 and be conscious of ,his ,everpresence4 7b7 ,we must endeavour to bring under our self-love1 which is disposed to confuse and lead astray the ,conscience by advising such things as are convenient and flattering to self1 and making them appear right1 or1 at all events1 admissible4 7c7 ,we must seek to be serious in determining our conduct1 to avoid all waywardness and caprice1 remembering that for whatever we do we shall have to give account4 #c4 ,we must now consider what are the means whereby we may obtain a ,direct or sound ,conscience4 ,these are many1 but a few of those that are principal and fundamental must suffice4 7a7 ,the study of ,god's ,word1 especially of the words of our ,saviour ,jesus ,christ1 and of ,his ,apostles4 ,nothing is more calculated to give a healthy and straightforward ,conscience than this4 7b7 ,experience4 ,we must bring our intelligence to bear on our acts2 ,conscience was never meant to be blind instinct1 but a bright1 fresh1 enlightened faculty1 assisted at every step by the intelligence1 and the intelligence will work on the facts of experience1 and shew us where we have been doing what is right1 and where we have been going wrong4 7c7 ,hold to first principles4 ,self-love is very much disposed to lead us into a maze of lines of conduct1 and to encourage us to adopt that most easy1 most flattering1 most profitable to take4 ,it brings up side duties1 and exaggerates them to obscure broad principles4 ,as a man when travelling1 on coming to cross lanes1 ascends a height to get a clear idea as to the main line1 the direction in which he is going1 so must we ever go up to the broad first principles to obtain a general survey1 and follow the direction thus indicated4 ,illustration ,second ,wednesday in ,lent4 ,,the ,,false ,,conscience4 #a4 ,that ,conscience may be perverted so that it allows those things that are wrong1 and forbids those things that are right1 is1 alas1 very true4 ,s4 ,paul speaks of this4 ,unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure2 but even their mind and ,conscience is defiled4 ,they profess that they know ,god1 but in works they deny ,him1 being abominable1 and disobedient1 and unto every good work reprobate4 7,titus i4 #ae1 #af47 ,and again1 he speaks of those whose ,consciences are seared with a hot iron 7#a ,tim4 iv4 #b72 and again1 in the ,epistle to the ,hebrews1 he speaks of evil ,consciences4 ,now an evil ,conscience can only be such an one as--originally good and sound--has been turned about so as to be bad and diseased1 allowing such things as it should condemn1 and condemning such things as it should allow4 #b4 ,now a ,false ,conscience may be either invincibly wrong1 or vincibly wrong1 that is to say1 incurably bad1 or curable4 ,it does not by any means follow that he who follows his ,conscience1 invincibly false1 commits sin4 ,not only does he not commit sin1 but he is probably doing what is the best for his spiritual condition under the circumstances4 ,for instance1 take a man who has been born and brought up in ,dissent1 into whose mind has been inground the maxim that he must fight against the ,church4 ,so long as he does resist the ,church by fair means he is not sinning1 the ,devil cannot count on him as fighting in his army against the ,kingdom of ,god1 as an enrolled soldier of evil4 ,that he is not4 ,he is doing right1 according to his lights4 ,but1 supposing he has recourse to illegitimate means of defaming and undermining the ,church1 such as spreading scandalous stories against its members or ministers1 knowing them to be false1 then his resistance to ,christ's kingdom becomes sinful4 ,prejudice1 the result of a false education1 has become so enrooted that his error is invincible1 except by some supernatural illumination4 ,it was so with ,saul4 ,he fought against the ,church1 but he did it from a right motive4 ,as soon as ,god miraculously converted him to a knowledge of the truth1 then he became an ,apostle under that ,gospel which he had formerly resisted4 #c4 ,now let us consider the case of a ,conscience in a condition of vincible error4 ,as a vincible condition of error is one from which nearly any man may free himself if he takes the pains1 he sins if he follows a false ,conscience1 without making any effort to set it right4 ,the error being voluntary does not excuse the act4 ,through indolence1 or indifference1 or prejudice1 he does not attempt to give himself a direct and sound ,conscience1 and he sins in following his ,conscience when he commits something wrong1 or omits something right1 not because he is following his ,conscience1 but because he has made no endeavour to educate his ,conscience to discriminate rightly4 ,as this is the case1 we see how important it is for us to avoid narrowness1 and to cultivate broad and liberal views4 ,narrowness is ignorance1 and it petrifies the ,conscience into a perverted direction4 ,everyone is morally bound to endeavour to the utmost of his power and opportunities to lay aside error1 and to rectify his ,conscience4 ,this he can do by examining every question presented to him in all its aspects1 for till he has so done1 he cannot be sure that his view is the right one4 ,again1 he must pray for guidance4 ,the ,holy ,spirit is given to the ,church to guide all the members of ,christ into truth4 ,lastly1 he must submit his opinion to that of the holy1 undivided ,church1 which is the pillar and ground of the truth4 #d4 ,it sometimes happens that in spite of efforts made to attain to a right ,conscience1 it remains in the same distorted and false condition as before4 ,either the mental faculties are insufficient to rectify it1 the judgment is cramped1 and habit or prejudice has obtained too strong a hold to be overcome4 ,in such a case the ,conscience is invincibly wrong1 but nevertheless1 its promptings must be obeyed4 ,god1 ,who sees all things1 and is full of mercy1 will make allowances1 only not for disobeying the mandate of ,conscience4 ,illustration ,second ,thursday in ,lent4 ,,the ,,scrupulous ,,conscience4 #a4 ,the ,scrupulous ,conscience is a niggling ,conscience that vexes itself about inconsiderable matters1 and magnifies trifles into things of importance4 ,the ,scrupulous ,conscience is that which has no sense of proportion4 ,in a large number of cases it is vastly particular over matters of indifference1 and supremely indifferent about matters of importance4 ,it is a ,conscience that never goes back to first principles4 ,this was the sort of ,conscience possessed by the ,scribes and ,pharisees1 who tithed mint1 and anise1 and cummin1 and passed over the weightier matters of the law4 7,matt4 xxiii4 #bc47 ,by ,scrupulous ,conscience is not meant a tender ,conscience1 but an itchy one4 ,it is one that is ever suffering from vain apprehension1 and regards things harmless and licit as though they were forbidden4 ,a sound and direct ,conscience is necessarily a tender one4 ,it sees what is right and what is wrong1 all in due proportion2 and shrinks from what is evil as from a serpent1 and also is never at rest if it does not fulfil those obligations which it sees are enjoined4 ,a ,scrupulous ,conscience is one that sees everything topsy-turvy1 it magnifies trifles1 and passes by without seeing them the more plain and obvious duties4 ,it is influenced1 not by its knowledge1 but by its fears1 and this allows it to strain at gnats and swallow camels4 ,the ,scrupulous ,conscience often causes quite as much scandal as the erroneous ,conscience1 for people see it making much of small matters1 and are led to despise or disregard ,conscience as an unreliable guide4 #b4 ,that a ,scrupulous ,conscience may be brought to a right perception of the relative proportions of duties1 it must1 or at all events1 it is most advisable that it should be put under directions by a wise ,confessor1 who will labour to give it robustness1 will strive to drag it out of its confusion1 and set it well aloft1 where it may be able to survey the whole map of the county of duty1 and orientate itself accordingly4 ,a right ,conscience is also a tender one1 but the converse is by no means true1 that a tender ,conscience is always a right one4 #c4 ,a ,scrupulous ,conscience is often a companion to extraordinary self-conceit4 ,to bring it into healthy condition1 and remove its distortion of view1 humility must be very resolutely practised4 ,even where there is not self-conceit1 there is generally self-centredness1 the mind is for ever turned in on self1 and occupies itself with probing all its tender places1 and fretting it into sores4 ,the best1 if not the only remedy for this is the forcible disengagement of the mind from the consideration of self1 and rough1 resolute1 and protracted labour for others4 ,consciences are sometimes scrupulous about the misdeeds1 real or imaginary1 of others1 and inert in judging of their own condition4 ,cruel acts of injustice are done under the plea of obedience to ,conscience--this is due to the undue scrupulosity of the ,conscience which considers only itself2 on the other hand1 great lack of charity1 courtesy1 and consideration for the feelings of others is shewn by a ,scrupulous ,conscience1 which concerning itself with others only1 disregards the broad principles of right action as relates to itself4 #d4 ,in directing a ,scrupulous ,conscience aright1 care must be taken1 not only to give that ,conscience a clear and healthy view of the comparative proportions of duties1 and the comparative sinfulness of things forbidden1 and to bid it distinguish between those things that are duties1 and those which are optional2 those things that are sins1 and those which are harmless2 but also1 it must be bidden to take into consideration its responsibilities to other persons as well as to itself1 so that under the plea of following ,conscience some gross piece of injustice or rudeness may not be committed4 ,illustration ,second ,friday in ,lent4 ,,the ,,relaxed ,,conscience4 #a4 ,the ,relaxed ,conscience is that sluggish and careless ,conscience which allows itself to be ruled or influenced in its determinations by the voice of public opinion1 or by the supposed interests of the person present or future4 ,in the matter of religion idolatry is mortally sinful1 for it is the making by man of a religion for himself instead of accepting one from ,god4 ,a man is as truly an idolater when he fashions for himself a sect1 as when he makes a graven image4 ,no man has any right to invent doctrines1 and establish a ministry of himself4 ,such religion is from below1 whereas the divine religion is a revelation from above4 ,precisely so is it with regard to morality4 ,no man must seek for the moral sanction in the voice of public opinion1 or in anything below4 ,he must seek it above1 in the revealed ,will of ,god4 ,thus a ,relaxed ,conscience1 that is governed by the public voice1 by the press1 by private personal interest1 dethrones ,god from ,his place as ,lawgiver1 and sets up public opinion or personal interest in ,his room4 ,it does not seek its sanction in ,heaven1 but on earth4 ,as men make to themselves gods to worship1 and sects and doctrines1 so do men make to themselves laws of ethics4 ,he who worships and believes in such gods and such doctrines as suit him is an idolater1 or a heretic1 and he who obeys only such moral laws as suit him is every whit as much in sin4 #b4 ,now very few persons making any profession of religion deliberately relax their ,consciences1 and submit them to the earth-born law of right and wrong4 ,they far more commonly allow it unconsciously to modify their views of right and wrong to suit their own convenience4 ,they take ,god's ,commandments1 and pare and shape till they have fitted them to their low ideas1 and accommodated them to their practice4 ,this is not done all at once1 and openly1 but is a gradual process which1 unless guarded against1 will deaden the ,conscience till its voice is no longer heard proclaiming any other law than the commonplace maxims of mundane morality4 ,this relaxed ,conscience1 being in error1 more or less voluntarily permitted1 can no longer serve as a guide to conduct4 ,on the slightest motives it is ready to permit what is not really allowed by ,god's law1 and to regard mortal sins as venial offences4 #c4 ,the ,scrupulous ,conscience exaggerated trifles2 made mountains out of molehills4 ,the ,relaxed ,conscience minimises great things1 and reduces mountains to molehills4 #d4 ,there is but a sole remedy for a ,relaxed ,conscience1 and that is to replace ,god on ,his throne as ,supreme ,lawgiver1 and to bow down to and worship ,him alone4 ,instead of our taking ,his law1 and trimming it to fit public opinion and self-interest1 we must make ,his ,will paramount1 and test everything by that4 ,every act must be brought to1 and tried by the measure of the ,sanctuary1 and what falls short must be rejected4 ,in such a matter there can be no compromise between ,god and mammon2 ,god must reign1 not supreme only1 but alone1 as the ,lawgiver1 to ,whom ,conscience looks up1 and ,conscience must answer ,his voice1 and not the voice of the world1 and turn to that for direction4 ,no man can serve two masters2 either he will hate the one and love the other1 or else he will hold to the one1 and despise the other4 ,observe this injunction of ,christ4 ,he speaks of masters giving orders to their servants1 and of obedience to command in the servants4 ,the ,conscience is servant2 it must obey ,god or the world2 it cannot serve both4 ,in the effort to serve both it becomes relaxed and useless4 ,illustration ,second ,saturday in ,lent4 ,,the ,,doubtful ,,conscience4 #a4 ,the ,doubtful or perplexed ,conscience is that ,conscience which cannot form a resolve4 ,it suspends judgment on the right or wrong of an action1 either because it thinks that as much is to be said on one side as on the other1 or else it suspends judgment through lack of illumination1 it does not see what it ought to do4 ,or again1 it suspends judgment because it is not sure of the existence1 or the obligation of a law commanding or forbidding some action4 ,this is the condition spoken of by ,s4 ,james4 ,he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea1 driven with the wind and tossed4 ,let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the ,lord4 ,a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways4 ,the right ,conscience is certain4 ,it sees clearly and judges decidedly4 ,so does the false ,conscience see and judge1 though falsely4 ,but this ,conscience is paralyzed in judgment1 it sees so many reasons on one side and so many on the other1 that it falls into despair1 and does nothing because of timorousness1 lest it should judge awrong4 #b4 ,the ,conscience can hardly be doubtful about the main laws of ,god4 ,it is in their application to man's action that uncertainty lies4 ,and it is inevitable that some uncertainty should exist1 for man is put in several relations1 and has duties in each that sometimes conflict4 ,he is a member of the ,state1 the ,church1 the family1 and the social body to which he belongs4 ,he has duties to those above him and to those below him1 and it cannot be that these duties should always lie in parallel lines4 ,he must sometimes exercise his judgment1 and decide which among several duties he will observe and which pretermit4 #c4 ,conscience should never be suffered to remain in suspense1 and in suspense be left unacted upon1 for ,conscience is given us to spur us to action1 not to excuse us from acting1 and so sanction inertness4 ,unless ,conscience be acted upon1 it becomes debilitated4 ,we must act4 ,we will now see how in doubtful cases one ought to act4 #d4 ,an opinion presents itself before our minds to be adjudged on4 ,the intelligence1 in face of two contradictory courses of conduct1 has to determine which is right and is to be followed1 and which is wrong and has to be avoided4 7a7 ,an opinion may be slightly probable1 when it is founded on motives that are insufficient to determine the assent of a prudent man4 7b7 ,an opinion may be probable1 when the motives impelling towards it are strong1 but there is a slight probability in favour of the contrary opinion4 7c7 ,an opinion may be certain1 when all reasonable doubt is excluded1 through the contrary opinion being altogether improbable4 ,when the opinion is certain1 then it must be accepted and followed4 ,when1 however1 it is only probable1 or slightly probable1 then the judgment must be called in to pronounce on the probable consequences4 ,hitherto we have considered the eye as turned to ,god as the sole author of law2 but in such cases as there is no certainty1 only probability1 the ,conscience is assisted by prudence1 which is the action of the reason judging of the probable consequences of an act4 ,when the moral sanction is certain1 prudence is not called in to alter the conduct essentially1 only that it may order it so as to be carried out advisably2 but when an opinion is probable1 and not certain1 then the eye of the reason may be1 and ought to be1 directed to the future consequences1 and the judgment formed1 not only on the antecedent probabilities1 but also on the probable consequences1 good or evil4 ,as prudence can only judge future probabilities1 it may not countermand what has certain sanction4 ,very often the consideration of probable consequences assist us in determining the right or wrong of an act1 which antecedently is not certain4 ,illustration ,second ,sunday in ,lent4 ,,on ,,prudence4 #a4 ,god wills not only that we should consider ,his law as the rule of our conduct1 but also that we should exercise ,prudence in the obedience we render to ,his law4 ,prudence is a faculty given to man by ,god1 a scintillation of ,his foreknowledge whereby man is able1 in a measure1 to look into the future1 and it is a useful handmaid to judgment4 ,prudence is called in 7a7 for the determining of a line of conduct1 and 7b7 for determining the manner in which a determined line of conduct shall be carried out4 ,when our ,lord exhorts1 ,be ye wise as serpents1 and harmless as doves1 ,he exhorts to ,prudence4 ,whatsoever thou takest in hand1 remember the end4 7,eccles4 vii4 #cf47 ,in the first place1 ,prudence is called in for determining a line of conduct4 ,when the moral sanction is indubitable then it can alter nothing2 all it can do is to advise and direct as to the carrying out of what is determined on so as not to jar against the rights of others4 ,but when there is only probability on our side1 then ,prudence is invoked to say what the consequences that will result from such an action are likely to be1 good or bad2 and so may exercise a very valuable function in advising or dissuading4 ,prudence looks to the near future1 and to the remote future4 ,it considers what are likely to be the consequences in this world1 and whether the course of conduct will receive the sanction of the all-seeing1 all-just ,judge at the ,last ,day4 ,the wisdom of the prudent1 said ,solomon1 is to understand his way4 ,that is1 as ,conscience looks back to ,god for its justification1 so does ,prudence look forward to the course taken in obedience to the dictates of ,conscience1 and smoothes it4 ,prudence is generally a moderator in the execution of duty4 ,that execution might be harsh1 and hurtful1 but ,prudence wisely softens and simplifies1 abates prejudice1 and commends the course of ,conscience to the approval of others4 #b4 ,we will now consider some practical rules for conduct in such cases as the ,conscience does not give a certain decision1 but sees that different opinions may be probable1 more or less1 and is in hesitation which to follow4 7a7 ,one good rule is to follow that course which is most natural2 what is strained and has the semblance of being excentric is probably one flattering to self-esteem1 and had better be avoided4 7b7 ,another good rule is to follow that course which is safest1 in which there is least likelihood of disturbing others1 injuring or annoying them4 ,also1 which is least riskful to ourselves1 in health1 substance1 or reputation4 #c4 ,it must not be forgotten that it is quite possible so to carry out a right purpose as to do wrong in the execution4 ,having decided on what is right1 foresight and judgment are required to determine in what manner and at what time it is to be carried out4 ,prudence often shews us that the same result may be attained by the exercise of patience as by an impulsive and precipitous execution1 and that the act performed cautiously and judiciously will do good1 whereas if done at once in a headlong manner it may effect mischief4 ,also it shews that there are more ways in which the same thing may be done1 and that there is a right way and a wrong way1 a way that is advisable1 and a way that is mischievous and to be dissuaded from4 ,we are warned not to do evil that good may come1 but people forget that a considerable amount of evil is done by those who do good in a wrong manner4 #d4 ,prudence is but another name for wisdom1 and wisdom is one of the gifts of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,by understanding we see ,god's law1 by wisdom we know how to carry it out4 ,illustration ,second ,monday in ,lent4 ,,on ,,fortitude4 #a4 ,we have seen that ,conscience1 enlightened by ,divine ,revelation and assisted by ,understanding1 obtains a clear knowledge of ,god's ,will1 and its application to the several conditions in which man is placed in his course through life4 ,we have seen how that it is not sufficient for man to know what is to be done1 he must also know how it is to be done1 and this is where ,prudence is needed4 ,but ,prudence is not enough4 ,prudence may be so timorous as to dissuade from action altogether1 and may neutralise the effect of the promptings of ,conscience4 ,prudence sees dangers1 and it may magnify dangers4 ,the slothful man1 says ,solomon1 saith1 ,there is a lion in the way1 a lion is in the streets1 and so does not go abroad4 ,now ,prudence counsels a man not to go out of doors when there actually is a lion there1 but ,timidity keeps him at home on the chance of a lion being there4 ,it is the function of ,prudence to foresee dangers1 take account of obstructions and difficulties1 and if ,prudence stood alone it might induce to inertness1 and spiritual sluggishness4 #b4 ,therefore ,god gives us a supplementary counter-balancing grace1 which is that ,fortitude1 or courage1 to carry us with resolute1 bold hearts through the fulfilment of duty4 ,when we know well our duty1 then we prudently consider which is the best way of executing it1 and then fortitude steps in to nerve us to the full and exact completion of our duty4 ,many an one1 having seen the right way1 invokes all his fortitude to assist him in the carrying out of what is right1 regardless of the advice of ,prudence1 and many an one1 when ,prudence indicates difficulties1 and advises delay1 falls into neglect4 ,each is necessary1 and each is equally necessary4 #c4 ,fortitude is a gift of ,god2 it is an attribute of the ,holy ,ghost1 the ,spirit1 not only of ,counsel1 but also of ,strength4 ,we need ,divine strength to undertake1 strength to carry through1 strength to bear the consequences of doing what is right4 7a7 ,in the first place1 having obtained a clear sight of what is ,god's ,will1 and also having prudently considered what is the best way of fulfilling it1 we require strength to brace our resolution to undertake the task set us1 that is to say1 to make up our minds strenuously to do that which ,god commands1 and to do it in the way most advisable4 7b7 ,in the second place1 we require strength to persevere and not to become discouraged1 and leave off imperfectly done that which we see it is our duty to do4 ,it is often better not to begin1 than to leave off what has been undertaken unaccomplished4 7c7 ,in the third place1 we require strength to endure the consequences of our act4 ,if we have done that which is right1 we cannot be sure that it will not entail on us loss1 ridicule1 disappointment4 ,but we must then invoke the aid of the ,divine gift of ,fortitude to strengthen us to endure cheerfully such consequences as come of what we have done1 putting all our trust in ,god1 and leaving all further care to ,god4 #d4 ,it must not be supposed that the ,divine gift of ,fortitude is one and the same thing as human obstinacy4 ,many men are obstinate in carrying out their resolutions1 and in carrying them out in their own way4 ,they have strong wills4 ,but the ,divine grace is different2 it is allied to humility1 and human obstinacy is tied up with self-conceit4 ,it is therefore not difficult to distinguish the one from the other4 ,a lowly spirit may be strong in the ,lord to fulfil resolutely the ,will of ,god1 but an obstinate spirit is a self-opinionated one that follows not ,god's ,will1 but its own4 ,we must be careful in examining our own selves1 and seeing if there is strong resolution in us1 if it is strong in the right way1 and with the right sort of strength4 ,illustration ,second ,tuesday in ,lent4 ,,on ,,sin4 ,,the ,,nature ,,of ,,sin4 #a4 ,we come now to the consideration of ,sin4 ,sin is either3-- 7a7 ,the revolt of the created will against the ,divine ,will2 or 7b7 ,a voluntary violation of a commandment of ,god4 #b4 ,god is the ,supreme ,lord of all creation1 and ,author of our being4 ,his ,will should be the absolute law of all created beings4 ,but as ,he made men and angels in the plenitude of freedom1 ,he gave them wills1 wills wholly free1 and ,he set before them ,his law as the way of happiness1 revealing to angels and men that so long as they conformed their wills to ,his ,will they would be happy4 ,men and angels1 though created free1 were for all that dependent on ,god2 but certain angels1 with ,satan at their head1 revolted--they set their wills in opposition to the ,will of ,god1 from dependence they aimed at independence4 ,the fall of ,adam and ,eve was different2 instead of a complete revolt of the will against the ,will of ,god1 it was an inclination away from ,god's ,will in one particular1 a transgression of a commandment1 not an act of rebellion4 ,the revolt of the will against ,god is a deliberate resistance to the just and holy laws which ,he has laid down1 and it attacks the immutable order ,he has appointed as the relation between ,himself and ,his creatures4 ,it is also a wilful attempt to change the destiny of the creature4 ,thus ,satan rebelled through pride1 dissatisfied with what ,god had ordained as to his place in the hierarchy of created intelligences4 ,he desired to be higher or different from what he was4 ,his rebellion was against the supremacy of ,god4 #c4 ,now it is but exceptional to find man wilfully1 knowing what he is about1 rise up in open and deliberate rebellion against ,god2 nevertheless1 such revolt is found to be among men1 though it may be hoped not always1 or not often conscious revolt4 ,those rebel against ,god who-- 7a7 ,profess ,atheism4 ,they deny ,his existence1 ,his law1 ,his providence4 ,god has put in every conscience a witness to ,his being1 to ,his law1 to ,his providence1 and to profess ,atheism is not only to reject revelation1 but to resist the inner testimony of the ,conscience4 ,it is incipient1 encouraged1 and becomes habitual1 till the whole attitude of the inner nature is one of antagonism to ,god4 7b7 ,who resist ,god's moral law4 ,men may be ready to admit that there is a ,god in ,heaven1 but as ,his law limits and controls their liberty1 they strive against the restraints ,he imposes on them1 and submit only to such laws as they are forced by the law of the land1 or by social society to observe4 ,they cast ,god out of their consciences4 7c7 ,who resist ,god's truth4 ,men may accept the fact that ,god exists in ,heaven1 and that ,he has imposed on men a moral law1 but they reject ,his revelation regarding the facts of the ,faith1 the articles of the ,creed1 the ,incarnation1 the ,atonement1 the ,resurrection1 the ,commission to the ,church1 the ,sacraments4 ,all wilful resistance to the faith as taught by the ,church1 the depository of ,revelation1 is thus a rebellion against ,god4 7d7 ,who resist ,god's ,church4 ,the ,church is the kingdom of ,god on earth1 and all schism is a revolt against ,his authority as committed to ,his ,church1 and in as far as it is conscious and deliberate1 is rebellion against ,god1 different only in degree to that of ,satan and his apostate angels in ,heaven4 ,where this is in ignorance1 it is of course otherwise4 ,god will always consider the imperfection of man's knowledge1 and if a man resists ,his truth1 ,his moral law1 ,his ,church1 through invincible ignorance1 ,he will excuse such rebellion4 ,illustration ,third ,wednesday in ,lent4 ,,the ,,nature ,,of ,,sin4 7,,continued47 #a4 ,we have considered the first and most terrible ,sin1 that of the ,revolt of the creature against the ,creator4 ,we might indeed consider all transgression as a rebellion of the will against the ,divine ,will1 but it is not always so4 ,it is not a rebellion of the will altogether1 and consciously against ,god as ,ruler1 but it is a transgression of a single command1 either through stress of temptation or through carelessness4 ,it may1 however1 be deliberate and wilful1 a transgression of one law1 but without the intention of stepping into absolute and acknowledged hostility to ,god4 #b4 ,we sin against ,god's commandment1 either-- 7a7 ,by thought1 when we voluntarily and with deliberation consider1 and take pleasure in considering1 those things which we know to be forbidden by ,god4 ,the thought of evil is not necessarily sinful1 nor is the emotion of pleasure that follows on the thought1 unless harboured4 ,we cannot avoid the knowledge of evil1 nor can we help the sense of pleasure which is due to the corruption of our nature through original sin1 but when the will consents to the thought of evil1 takes it up and gives it a lodgment in the heart1 then it becomes ,sin4 7b7 ,by desire1 when1 knowing that a certain course of conduct1 or a certain act is contrary to the ,will of ,god1 we feel a desire1 and encourage that desire to take the course1 to do the act which we know is wrong4 ,we sin by wilfully harbouring an evil thought1 and by wilfully harbouring an evil wish4 ,for instance1 we may desire that someone who has injured us may meet with some accident1 or not recover from some sickness4 ,the thought of such a thing must at once be put aside1 lest it should breed the wish that so it might be4 7c7 ,by speech1 when knowingly words are uttered either 7#a7 contrary to truth2 7#b7 contrary to charity2 7#c7 contrary to religion4 #a4 ,god is truth1 and loveth truth1 and all falsehood is abominable in ,his sight4 ,as children of ,god we must seek ever to be open and truthful1 avoiding evasions of the truth1 and perversions of the truth1 and denials of the truth4 ,that is to say1 avoiding the obligation of speaking the truth exactly when it is required2 twisting the truth about so as to alter its appearance and give it a look other than it should have--a dressing up of the truth1 denial of the truth1 knowing what we are doing4 ,satan is a liar1 and the father of lies4 #b4 ,contrary to charity4 ,we sin when we speak words that are unkind1 even if they be true4 ,we have no right to reveal what we know1 and to publish abroad the infirmities1 the errors1 the faults of our neighbours1 unless we are called upon to do so for some justifiable cause4 ,all backbiting1 slandering1 evil-speaking1 is inspired by the ,evil ,one1 who stirs up strife1 whereas ,god is the ,god of unity4 #c4 ,contrary to religion4 ,we sin when we speak against ,god's revealed truth and ,his ,church4 ,but we can also sin by holding our tongues when we ought to speak4 ,when we hear error proclaimed we are bound to stand up for the truth2 not to do so is to neglect a plain duty1 for ,god has made us all missionaries of ,his ,gospel1 soldiers in ,his army1 to advance ,his kingdom by example and by precept1 and we are bound by our allegiance to ,him to use our best endeavours to dissipate error and remove prejudice4 ,illustration ,third ,thursday in ,lent4 ,,the ,,nature ,,of ,,sin4 7,,continued47 #a4 ,we have seen how that we can sin against ,god's ,commandments1 by thought1 and by word4 ,we can also sin against ,him by act1 and by omission4 ,we daily say1 ,we have offended against ,thy holy laws4 ,we have left undone those things which we ought to have done2 and we have done those things which we ought not to have done4 ,we will therefore now consider sins of commission and sins of omission4 #b4 ,we commit sins of the first sort1 that is1 we are guilty of sins of commission1 when we do anything1 when we adopt any course of conduct1 knowing it to be forbidden by ,god4 ,it seems hardly necessary to say much about such sins1 as they are obvious to all4 ,it is perhaps only necessary to say that we are guilty of sins of commission1 when we transgress any of the ,commandments of ,god in the spirit1 as well as in the letter4 ,our ,lord shews us that the ,commandments are expanded under the ,gospel to include much more than appears on the surface4 ,consequently any little act of unkindness1 any trifling with sensuality1 any over-indulgence in eating or drinking1 any disrespectful treatment of those who are in authority1 are sins of commission1 though they are not against the written words of the law4 ,it is therefore right for us to consider what is implied by the written law1 and to measure our conduct and weigh our acts by the spirit of charity1 by first principles of justice1 and then it will be found that we have allowed ourselves many things which are contrary to the spirit of the ,gospel4 ,happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth4 7,rom4 xiv4 #bb47 #c4 ,we use much less circumspection about sins of omission4 ,it is therefore advisable to consider them more carefully4 ,we sin by omission when we omit to do those things which 7a7 ,we are commanded by the ,law of ,god4 7b7 ,our ,consciences advise4 7c7 ,we are commanded to do by those set in authority over us4 7d7 ,we are required to do by the ,state1 or social law4 7a7 ,now it must never be forgotten that our duties as ,christians are not merely negative1 to abstain from this and not to do that1 but are positive1 to advance the ,kingdom of ,god1 and work out our own salvation4 ,our ,lord1 in the parable of the unprofitable servant who hid his treasure1 shews us this4 ,we must try to discover what active work in ,his ,kingdom ,he has ordained for us to accomplish1 and then do it with all our might4 ,no man has any right to live in idleness4 ,he must do something either for ,god1 or for his fellow men4 7b7 ,we must obey the promptings of our ,conscience4 ,if ,conscience urges1 and we neglect to obey it1 we are neglecting the voice of ,god4 7c7 ,we are bound to obey and execute the commands of those set over us1 parents1 guardians1 masters4 ,if in authority1 and they require us to do something1 then we cannot omit doing what is ordered without incurring sin2 for all authority devolves from ,god1 and we are responsible to ,god for the way in which we fulfil our duties under those set over us4 ,we must obey readily1 cheerfully1 and exactly4 7d7 ,we are members of the ,state1 and to the laws of the ,state we are morally bound to give obedience2 all organizations1 the family1 society1 the ,state1 are divine in origin1 and we cannot revolt against any one of these without lesion of the ,spirit of ,unity which makes all society possible1 and that is the ,divine ,spirit4 ,it is only when a social or a ,state law is clearly contrary to revealed ,divine law1 that disobedience is permissible4 ,illustration ,third ,friday in ,lent4 ,,sources ,,of ,,sin4 #a4 ,we have now considered the ,nature of ,sin1 and shewn that it is essentially a revolt against ,god1 either complete and conscious against ,god ,himself1 or particular1 against some commandment of ,god4 ,we will now see whence ,sin arises4 ,there are interior and exterior sources of ,sin4 #b4 ,we will take1 first1 the interior sources of ,sin4 ,these are three--7a7 ,culpable ignorance2 7b7 ,human fragility2 7c7 ,malice4 #c4 ,culpable ignorance4 ,a man is guilty when he commits an act which is sinful1 or omits to fulfil a duty1 not knowing that the act is sinful1 or that the duty is obligatory1 through ignorance1 but through ignorance which is voluntary1 because he has neglected to learn what is his duty and what are the commandments of ,god1 or else1 because having learnt1 he has allowed his knowledge to lapse1 and he no longer keeps in mind what he once learnt2 or else1 because by trifling with his conscience he has so confused it that it no longer speaks distinctly and emphatically1 telling him what to do and what to avoid4 ,consequently1 we are bound to use our best endeavours to learn exactly what is the ,will of ,god1 and having learnt to keep in mind what has been acquired1 and so promptly1 and without prevarication1 to obey our consciences that they may not become to us uncertain in their utterances4 ,we may be1 and we shall be1 excused if we have sinned through involuntary ignorance1 but not if we have neglected the opportunities placed in our way of learning our duty4 #d4 ,human frailty4 ,the weakness of our mortal nature is prone to let us be drawn away into evil1 either through-- 7a7 ,the violence of temptation2 or 7b7 ,the weakness of our resolution2 or 7c7 ,the force of bad habit2 or 7d7 ,the warmth and concupiscence of imagination4 #e4 ,temptation is strong4 ,temptations are from without and from within4 ,it is necessary to recognize the fact that we are being tempted in order that we may be prepared to resist4 ,half the sins fallen into are committed before we have realized that we are in temptation4 ,therefore we pray that we may not be led into temptation4 ,our resolutions are weak4 ,some wills are much weaker than others4 ,nothing can be a greater blessing than to have a strong will rightly directed4 ,a strong will perverted to evil is a great evil2 but so also1 and only a little less so1 is to have a feeble will devoid of resolution4 ,this is what most have1 poor1 crippled1 infirm wills1 and we must strive after ,god's strengthening grace to brace and nerve these limp wills1 so that we may have the will to do after ,god's good pleasure4 ,half the sins1 indeed1 more than half the sins1 committed are committed1 not from deliberate wickedness of the will1 but from infirmity of the will1 which has not the strength to stand against temptation4 ,the force of bad habits is very great4 ,we say that habit becomes a second nature4 ,if we have allowed a bad habit to grow1 it requires great resolution and ,divine grace to enable us to cast it off4 ,the warmth of imagination which unfolds pictures before the mind encouraging to evil4 ,imagination is a faculty that may be of great service to us1 but it is also one that may lead us into danger4 ,many a sin is committed out of curiosity4 ,it was curiosity that led to the first transgression4 #f4 ,malice4 ,the sin committed out of malice is the most condemnable of all1 for it issues from a will that is corrupted and resolved on disobedience4 ,in temptation1 through our frailty that leads to fall1 the will is overcome2 it may wish the good1 but be powerless to take the right course2 but where the will is set determinately on evil1 there the sin is of the worst kind conceivable4 ,this is the condition of ,satan1 one of continuous and complete revolt against ,god out of hatred of what is good4 ,illustration ,third ,saturday in ,lent4 ,,temptations ,,to ,,sin4 #a4 ,there are three exterior sources whence temptation arises4 ,as we have seen1 there are springs of temptation in our own selves1 but we are also subjected to temptation from without4 ,there are1 7a7 ,the ,devil who seeks our destruction2 7b7 ,created beings that seek to draw us from ,god to make of them our ends2 7c7 ,the world that endeavours to bring us down to obedience to its low tone of morality instead of following the high course as indicated by revelation4 7a7 ,the devil walketh about as a roaring lion1 says ,s4 ,peter1 seeking whom he may devour4 ,we do not know for certain the reasons why ,satan so diligently seeks man's destruction1 but they are probably jealousy1 because man is created and called to occupy those places in ,heaven which he and his apostate host have lost through their rebellion4 ,they are filled with envy and spite against us1 that we should attain to eternal blessedness1 whereas they have lost it1 and are doomed to eternal misery4 ,another cause is certainly malice1 hatred against ,god2 ,satan and his host know what ,god has designed for man1 and know what ,god has done for man1 and because they have set their wills in antagonism against ,god1 they ever seek out of malignant hatred to mar ,god's work and undo ,his ends4 ,a thoroughly bad man takes a malicious delight in making others as bad as himself1 and the devils feel this same inclination in a heightened degree4 ,another cause is the pride of the evil spirits4 ,they are in warfare against ,god1 and they feel a sense of triumph when they are able through man's free will to obtain the fall and degradation of one of ,god's noblest creatures4 ,it flatters their pride to be able to gain something like a victory over ,god4 7b7 ,created beings endeavour to draw us from ,god1 to fix our ambitions1 our affections1 on them4 ,or rather it may be said that we are tempted to forget our true end and aim1 allured by the beauty and attractiveness of the creatures of ,god1 to set our hearts and minds on them instead of on the ,creator4 ,we are surrounded by ,god's good things of creation1 but we must look up through nature to ,god ,himself1 not let nature arrest our attention4 ,so with human beings1 we should love them indeed1 but not let love of them take off our hearts from the supreme love of all1 that should be given to ,god4 ,we are guilty of loving the creature above the ,creator whenever we allow our love for men1 or for things of this world1 to make us give up religious duties1 cease to care for things spiritual1 and to engross our thoughts4 7c7 ,the world endeavours to draw away our allegiance from ,god to it4 ,the world has formed its own moral code1 an easy one1 indulgent to our corrupt nature1 it glosses over faults1 and permits laxity4 ,it does not enforce self-denial1 but1 on the other hand1 encourages indulgence and extravagance4 ,a very great number of people take public opinion as their rule of life1 and so long as they conform their lives to what society expects and demands1 regard themselves as in the way of salvation4 ,now the social code is well enough as far as it goes1 but it is not intended to be the supreme code4 ,the law of ,god is that which we must obey first1 and that always points out to us a higher life1 a purer life1 and an unselfish one1 whereas the world insists on a life which is selfish1 and without any noble aims4 ,illustration ,third ,sunday in ,lent4 ,,the ,,genesis ,,of ,,sin4 #a4 ,we will now consider the way in which ,sin is engendered1 and takes upon it form and guilt4 ,as already said1 the knowledge of ,sin is not in itself sinful4 ,nor is the sensation of pleasure that arises on the occurrence of a sinful suggestion necessarily so4 ,sin does not spring into deadly reality till the will has given its consent4 #b4 ,the intelligence proposes the evil thought to the will2 it counsels the will to agree to some sensible good1 which it sees1 to the disobedience of a divine law1 the existence of which it recognizes4 ,that is to say1 we see that a course of action lies open to us1 which1 as we admit is forbidden by ,god's law1 yet this course of action will1 we feel assured1 bring to us some great advantage4 ,for instance1 a manufacturer sees how that1 by the adulteration of his goods in a certain manner1 not liable to detection1 he may be able to save himself several thousand pounds1 which sum he will net as a profit4 ,having seen his opportunity1 he either accepts it or he rejects it2 he turns the suggestion of his mind into a sin1 or an occasion of victory over temptation4 #c4 ,the imagination represents in lively colours to the will the charms1 the delights of some action which the ,conscience recognizes as forbidden4 ,not only so1 but the imagination exaggerates these charms1 these delights1 so as to form a most alluring picture which the will has a difficulty in rejecting4 #d4 ,ignorance conceals from the will the inherent evil of a course of action proposed4 ,a ,conscience that is not keenly alert to duty1 and has not been disciplined in right1 sees a course of conduct before it1 and sees that it will conduce to great advantage1 but is too blunt or gross to be able to distinguish any right or wrong in it4 ,it acts in obedience to the impulse to gain a promising temporal end1 without perception of the true nature of the act4 ,this often happens4 ,we do not have our eyes opened to what we have done till after the thing is done1 and then1 and then only1 discover how wrongly we have acted4 #e4 ,bad habit encourages the will to consent to evil by recalling the pleasure or advantages obtained by past yielding to temptation1 and invites it to a continuance4 ,moreover bad habit blunts ,conscience1 and removes all sharpness of perception as to the right or wrong of an act4 ,bad habits are easily acquired1 and when once they get hold of a man are eradicated with difficulty4 ,everyone therefore should be watchful against the beginnings of a habit that may be bad1 that is not assuredly good1 for what may be bad will in the long-run become actually bad4 ,bad habit grows through carelessness1 and a constant watch against its rooting itself and ramifying must be maintained4 #f4 ,we have seen now how that the will is urged to consent to evil1 either through the intelligence advising it1 or the imagination alluring to it1 or through ignorance1 blinding to its nature1 or through bad habit1 which has weakened the power of resistance in the will4 ,now ,sin only begins when the will has given consent4 ,s4 ,james says1 ,every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust1 and enticed4 ,then1 when lust hath conceived1 it bringeth forth sin3 and sin1 when it is finished1 bringeth forth death4 7,s4 ,james i4 #ad1 #ae47 ,first the suggestion of ,sin comes from the ,intelligence1 or from the imagination4 ,then the will consents to the suggestion4 ,sin is then in conception4 ,then it is carried forth into execution4 ,sin is accomplished4 ,it has become a fatal fact4 ,lastly comes the judgment on sin1 the result that follows sin as a shadow follows a body--,death4 ,the wages of sin are death4 ,by sin came death4 ,we must therefore keep a watchful guard over the thoughts and imaginations1 and let the will be under the absolute control of the ,conscience1 so that it may not give consent to the evil suggestion4 ,if it has given consent1 sin has begun to live2 it may1 however1 again be checked before it proceeds to act4 ,illustration ,third ,monday in ,lent4 ,,on ,,original ,,sin4 #a4 ,the subject for meditation to-day shall be the nature and effects of ,original ,sin1 which is that ,sin committed by our first parents1 and of which we inherit1 not the guilt of the act of ,sin1 but the consequences of the act4 ,god is just1 and ,god would not condemn to everlasting death men because their first parents had broken ,his commandment4 ,but the consequences of ,adam's sin passed on all his descendants4 ,by his disobedience he had disturbed the ,divine ,order1 lost his original innocence1 introduced a dislocation into his nature4 ,we will now consider what the results of that transgression were4 7a7 ,it disturbed the direct relation of the soul to ,god4 ,it obscured its vision of ,god1 and all certainty as to ,god's ,nature and ,will4 ,this we see from the history of mankind4 ,we find that the vision of ,god by the soul was so clouded that men fell into ignorance of ,god1 and into false conceptions relative to the ,nature of ,god and the ,will of ,god4 ,all the wanderings of the human mind in idolatries and mythologies are the result of the loss of clear perception of ,god's ,nature4 ,not only so1 but the mistakes men made relative to the law of ,god1 so that they did many things that were evil1 believing them to be good1 was the result of the obscuration of the spiritual vision so that it could not see what was the ,will of ,god4 ,again1 all the errors and uncertainties into which men fell relative to the future state was due to the clouding of the spiritual eye1 so that it could no longer see what was the ,purpose of ,god relative to man4 7b7 ,the intelligence was darkened4 ,adam and ,eve saw what was before them1 ,death the consequence of ,transgression1 but allowed themselves to be confused by the pleadings of the serpent1 disputing the consequences4 ,ever since1 a confusion of the intelligence as to consequences resulting from acts has existed in men2 a lack of sharp and decisive vision as to the relation of effect to cause1 as to the relation of result to act4 ,the confusion and obfuscation of the intelligence is removed to a large extent by education1 but only by such education as broadens the mind4 ,a narrow1 illiberal education may do much harm by throwing partial lights which tend the rather to confuse4 7c7 ,the weakening of the human will4 ,the will is not only inherently weakened by having given way to evil1 but it is continuously weakened by the uncertainty it is in how to decide1 by the darkening of the understanding1 so that duties are not always clear1 nor consequences certain4 ,the will to do what is right is by no means strong1 since ,adam and ,eve turned their will away from ,god2 the human will has acquired a bent that inclines it not always to follow the right4 7d7 ,and the undue elevation of sensuality tends to deceive the will and induce it to follow the appetites of the body instead of the promptings of the understanding4 ,adam and ,eve went against ,reason when they partook of the fruit of the tree to satisfy a carnal curiosity and gratify an animal appetite4 ,ever since then carnal curiosity and animal appetite have obtained a dominating power in man1 composed of body1 soul1 and mind1 quite out of proportion to what was purposed4 ,this undue elevation of ,sensuality leads man to seek the gratification of those appetites he shares with the beasts1 at the expense of his intellectual and spiritual powers4 7e7 ,one other result of the ,fall affects man's body4 ,god made man to be healthy1 strong and happy4 ,by his turning away from ,god1 the source of life1 strength and blessedness1 he became liable to decay1 sickness1 pain1 sorrow1 and death4 #b4 ,we see1 then1 that the fall of man has led to the disturbance of man's nature1 and it has left man in such a condition that of himself he is unable to attain to the knowledge of ,god and ,his ,will1 and unable to fulfil ,god's ,will even when ,he knows it4 ,consequently he fell more or less completely under the dominion of the ,evil ,one1 who prompted to error1 and to that of ,sensuality1 which promised happiness to man in the pursuit of his inferior appetites4 ,illustration ,third ,tuesday in ,lent4 ,,the ,,evidence ,,for ,,original ,,sin4 #a4 ,the existence of ,original ,sin in man is proved to us in the first place by our very constitution4 ,we have only to look into our own selves to discern its presence4 ,s4 ,paul1 speaking of himself in his condition under the law1 says1 ,when we were in the flesh1 the motions of sin 444 did work in our members4 7,rom4 vii4 #e47 ,that which ,i do1 ,i allow not2 for what ,i would1 that do ,i not2 but what ,i hate1 that do ,i4444 ,to will is present with me2 but how to perform that which is good1 ,i find not4 ,for the good that ,i would1 ,i do not2 but the evil which ,i would not1 that ,i do4444 ,i delight in the law of ,god after the inward man2 but ,i see another law in my members1 warring against the law of my mind1 and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin that is in my members4 ,who does not know this truth by experience8 ,who has not felt the conflict2 realized that there are different and opposing elements in his nature8 ,there is a mixture of dignity and meanness1 of nobility and baseness1 of the knowledge of what is right and a love of what is evil1 in all men4 ,they have but to look steadily into themselves to see that it is so4 #b4 ,scripture affirms the existence of ,original ,sin4 ,man born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble 444 who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean8 ,not one4 7,job xiv4 #a1 #d47 ,behold1 ,i was shapen in wickedness1 and in sin did my mother conceive me4 7,ps4 li4 #e47 ,by one man sin entered into the world1 and death by sin2 and so death passed upon all men1 for that all have sinned4 7,rom4 v4 #ab47 #c4 ,the ,church has always taught the existence of ,original ,sin1 and the ,sacrament of ,baptism1 ever ministered1 is a witness to this1 for ,baptism is the means whereby men pass out of a condition of natural incapacity to fulfil ,god's law into a state of grace in which they are able to do those things ,god has commanded4 ,the ,sacrament of ,baptism was instituted as a corrective to ,original ,sin1 to remedy the defects produced in man by his filiation from ,adam4 ,by nature--that nature degraded and corrupted through the fall--we can do no good thing2 but by ,baptism we pass into the ,kingdom of ,grace1 and therein are enabled to stand1 are strengthened1 enlightened1 and cleansed4 #d4 ,reason1 moreover1 assures us of the existence of ,original ,sin4 ,in the first place1 we know that ,god is good1 and we cannot understand that a good ,god should have created man1 the noblest of the works of creation1 to suffering and misery4 ,we feel assured1 if we recognize ,god as good and loving to all ,his works1 that ,he did not make man to be what he is1 full of infirmities1 ignorances1 narrownesses1 liable to suffering intensely acute1 to continuous trouble1 to decay1 to diseases most painful1 distressful in every way1 loathsome1 and finally to complete dissolution4 ,again1 we have but to look at history1 to read the daily records of crime in the papers1 to see that there is a frightful amount of evil among men1 and always has existed1 and this cannot proceed from a good ,god4 ,we must either deny the goodness of ,god1 and say that man has been created by a capricious ,deity--a mixture of benevolence and malevolence1 of goodness and of evil--or else1 we must allow that ,god created men good1 but that ,his purpose has been hindered1 and partially made ineffectual through the introduction into man's nature of something that was alien to it at first4 ,the introduction of this alien element can only be attributable to man himself1 who1 having a free-will1 could turn away from the course ordained for ,him by ,his ,creator1 could deflect from the direct line1 could bend from the way of happiness to that of misery4 #e4 ,a state of ,original ,sin is not a condition of guilt for act done1 but a condition of impotency or partial impotency towards good2 and ,baptism affords supernatural assistance towards the undoing of those bad effects produced by the ,fall1 and transmitted through all generations4 ,it places man in such a condition that little by little he can recover himself1 and be restored to the original condition of innocence1 vigour1 and vitality of the first man as he left the hands of ,god4 ,illustration ,fourth ,wednesday in ,lent4 ,,actual ,,sin4 #a4 ,having seen what ,original ,sin is1 we come now to ,actual ,sin4 ,original ,sin1 we have seen1 was a partial paralysis of man's better nature1 a confusion of his faculties1 and a rendering him incapable of1 by himself1 attaining a recovery4 ,it is a passive state of inability towards good1 and of subjection to evil4 ,actual ,sin is quite other--it consists in sinning voluntarily4 ,original ,sin is a hereditary condition2 ,actual ,sin is personal4 ,original ,sin is involuntary2 ,actual ,sin is voluntary4 ,original ,sin is a state2 ,actual ,sin is an act which throws us into a state of sin4 ,a guilty act carries with it guilt to the soul of him who commits the act1 but it may also entail a consequent state on others4 ,for instance1 a father by his vices may so corrupt his blood that his children have sickly constitutions4 ,they inherit the consequences1 but not the guilt4 ,this is analogous to ,original ,sin1 the state we are in through the fault of ,adam4 ,or1 again1 a father may squander an ancestral estate4 ,his children are born in penury1 and are incapable of ever recovering what their father has lost4 ,his is the guilt1 theirs the condition into which his act has thrown them4 #b4 ,actual ,sin is of various degrees of guilt2 according to the state of knowledge of him who commits it1 or according to the heinousness of the sin committed1 or according to the amount of deliberation and wilfulness with which it is committed4 ,where there is complete ignorance of the nature of the act1 so long as that ignorance is not voluntary1 there the guilt of the act is not mortal1 though the act itself may be a grave offence4 ,so also the manner in which the will gives its consent materially aggravates or lessens the guilt of a sin4 ,if the act be known beforehand to be forbidden1 and yet the will consents to it1 it violates ,conscience1 and the guilt is grave2 but when a transgression is the result of unpremeditation1 a surprise1 and the will has not had time given it to act1 there the guilt is slight4 ,and once more1 there is a difference in heinousness in sins4 ,it is wrong to strike another violently2 it is worse to strike with purpose so as to permanently injure4 #c4 ,sin is a violation of the ,commandments of ,god1 and as such is incited to either by the ,devil1 who is the enemy of ,god1 or by the carnal nature which desires its own ends regardless of what conduces to the exaltation of the superior nature1 or by the world1 which desires to lower the general moral tone of men to a vulgar and easy level4 ,it is therefore a dereliction from ,god's ,law1 a turning away from ,god's ,order1 a choosing of what is either against ,his ,will1 or not wholly in accordance with ,his ,will4 ,it is therefore always evil1 and always deserves punishment1 and always leads to suffering4 ,god has set before man1 as the end of his existence1 the attainment of perfect happiness1 by complete though gradual recovery from the effects of the ,fall4 ,every sin is a slipping back into the condition from which we ought to strive ever to escape1 if it be not1 what it is in some cases1 a going down into an even worse condition1 by making our original sinful condition an excuse for becoming actually sinful4 #d4 ,for the avoidance of sin we need supernatural aid1 and this is ,divine ,grace4 ,by ,baptism we are placed in the ,spiritual ,realm1 in which we are furnished with sufficient help to enable us to resist all temptations1 overcome all bad habits1 discipline all inclinations till they take the direction of good in place of evil1 and obtain a clear illumination of our intellect1 so that we can see1 and see distinctly1 what is ,god's ,will for us4 ,moreover1 we obtain the faculty of judging proportions1 and of estimating what is near and transitory at its proper value1 as also what is far off and enduring4 ,naturally we over-estimate what is close before us and is temporal1 and hardly see at all and value what is far off and eternal1 but by the gift of ,divine ,grace our spiritual vision is enabled to judge distances and judge values correctly4 ,illustration ,fourth ,thursday in ,lent4 ,,the ,,conditions ,,of ,,sin4 #a4 ,every sin is an act done by man endowed with free will1 in the exercise of his freedom1 and with consciousness what he is about4 ,that is to say1 certain conditions are requisite in order that an act may be really sinful1 and these conditions are1 a knowledge of what is proposed to be done1 liberty to do it or to forbear1 and the will engaged to accomplish what is proposed4 #b4 ,knowledge4 ,an act is only culpable when he who commits it knows what he is about1 knows the character of his act1 or has at all events a strong suspicion that the act is contrary to the law of ,god4 ,this is what ,s4 ,paul repeatedly urges4 ,the law entered1 that the offence might abound4 ,the motions of sin1 which were by the law1 did work in our members1 to bring forth fruit unto death4 ,i had not known sin1 but by the law2 for ,i had not known lust1 except the law had said1 ,thou shalt not covet4 ,without the law sin was dead4 ,the measure of sinfulness is largely the knowledge possessed by the doer of the deed4 ,to such an extent is this the case1 that ,s4 ,paul supposes the case of one who commits an act that is in itself harmless1 but it becomes sin to him because he thinks it is forbidden4 ,a corollary to this is that the degree to which an act is sinful depends largely on the degree of our knowledge4 ,for instance1 to one who knows that it is his duty to ,god to attend public worship every ,sunday it is sinful if he1 without excuse1 stays away2 but the sin is by no means as great to him who has never been taught his duty to ,god1 and thinks that going to ,divine worship is optional1 and is merely for the sake of hearing a sermon1 which very probably1 and perhaps reasonably1 he thinks he can do without4 #c4 ,liberty4 ,an act is only culpable when the person who does the act is free to do it1 or to refrain from doing it4 ,it is only when the will is free that it can act so as to make what is done guilty or innocent4 ,take the converse4 ,a man may speak the truth1 or give a large sum in charity1 because he is forced to do this1 not because he wishes to do it4 ,he acts against his intention and desire4 ,the act is good1 but there is no merit in what he has done1 for it is done under constraint4 ,so it is possible that an act in itself wrong may be done under such overwhelming compulsion that all exercise of freedom and determination is impossible4 ,if any freedom remains1 if there be any chance of escape from doing what we know to be wrong1 then it is1 to us1 more or less sinful1 if we yield to force4 #d4 ,will4 ,this is the main faculty that determines the sinfulness of an act4 ,if we will to do an act which is a violation of a commandment of ,god1 or which may give occasion to the violation1 then the consequence is mortal sin4 ,an act done by a child before it has attained the use of its reason is not sinful1 nor is an act done by anyone without the exercise of the power of determination sinful4 ,thus homicide is not murder4 ,we may take what belongs to another person in ignorance that it belongs to another1 or also1 without the wish of defrauding another1 and in either case the act is not sin4 ,the reason why eternal darkness and separation from ,god is possible to devils and man is that the will may become so turned away from ,god1 and so diametrically opposed to ,him1 that the faintest stirring of a wish to return to obedience is absent4 ,if any lost spirit could at any time repent1 its salvation would be possible4 ,eternal death is due to the fact that men may become so alienated from the life that is in them1 so full of hatred of good1 that they cannot turn to ,god1 and hereafter1 when they view the consequences1 may still never will the return1 but persevere in their rebellion and hatred of what is good4 ,it is consequently of the utmost importance that we should watch over our wills1 and strive to bring them to perfect conformity with the ,will of ,god1 for in that alone lies our security1 in that alone true blessedness4 ,illustration ,fourth ,friday in ,lent4 ,,conditions ,,that ,,diminish ,,guilt4 #a4 ,we have seen that in order that sin may be deadly1 it must have been committed with knowledge of what was proposed1 in the exercise of liberty to act or not to act1 and with deliberate determination of the will4 ,now it is obvious that the same act may be very much less guilty in one man than in another according as these faculties exist in more or less activity4 ,we will now consider some of the more simple extenuating causes that may make a sin really to be--to the soul of him who has committed it--a fault only4 7a7 ,excusable ignorance4 ,as has been pointed out1 a man is only guilty of mortal sin1 when he is ignorant that the act is forbidden4 ,s4 ,paul says1 ,as many as have sinned without law1 shall also perish without law2 and as many as have sinned in the law1 shall be judged by the law4 ,and our ,lord ,himself1 ,that servant which knew his ,lord's will1 and prepared not himself1 neither did according to his will1 shall be beaten with many stripes2 but he that knew not1 and did commit things worthy of stripes1 shall be beaten with few stripes4 ,for unto whomsoever much is given1 of him shall be much required2 and to whom men have committed much1 of him they will ask the more4 7,luke xiii4 #dg1 #dh47 ,but the ignorance must be excusable1 that is to say1 he who is in ignorance must not be in wilful ignorance4 7b7 ,fear4 ,in certain circumstances the mind may be in such a state of alarm and disturbance that its power of judgment is paralyzed1 and the will is overborne by the fear which has become dominant4 ,it is said of those who are out of their minds that they are not accountable for their actions1 and there are cases in which terror is so acute1 and so overmastering1 that a man or woman ceases to be morally responsible for what he or she does4 7c7 ,compulsion4 ,as already shewn1 liberty is essential to qualify an act as either culpable or not culpable to the person who is the agent4 ,an act may be in itself wrong1 but the guilt entailed on the soul of him who does it depends on whether he be a free agent or not4 ,for instance1 it often happened that a martyr was forced to offer incense to idols4 ,the grains were thrust into his hand1 and the hand was extended by violence over the fire of the altar4 ,but as the soul of the martyr never yielded consent1 no guilt of apostasy attached to it4 7d7 ,inadvertence1 or excusable want of attention4 ,it does often happen that a wrong act is done before we really know what we are about4 ,it is done without premeditation4 ,we are of course bound to be ever on our guard against temptation2 but that sin into which we have fallen unintentionally does not carry with it the same guilt to the soul as if it had been done with deliberation4 ,be not high-minded1 but fear1 says the ,apostle4 ,the ,evil ,one is ever on the watch to entrap us when unprepared into sin4 ,and though a sin committed inadvertently may not be mortally sinful1 yet it may1 and probably will1 carry with it the temporal consequences just the same as if it had been committed deliberately4 ,watch and pray lest ye enter into temptation4 ,s4 ,peter denied his ,master partly through fear1 partly through inadvertence1 he was caught off his guard4 ,we stand often without any sight of or suspicion of the temptation on the brink of which we are1 and with a touch we are over4 ,as we are repeatedly warned to caution and watchfulness1 such inadvertence does not wholly excuse us4 ,we are bound to be ever prepared1 nevertheless the nature of man is weak and frail4 #b4 ,let no man seek to excuse himself for his sins4 ,the remarks made are calculated to comfort the distressed and agonized soul that finds itself fallen into sin1 which it hates1 and is not intended to encourage a comfortable assurance of peace when there is no peace1 and to engage to lack of watchfulness1 and want of contrition4 ,illustration ,fourth ,saturday in ,lent4 ,,conditions ,,that ,,aggravate ,,guilt4 ,as there are certain conditions that remove the gravity of guilt attaching to mortal sin1 so1 on the other hand1 are there certain conditions that aggravate the culpability of an act against ,god's will1 conditions that may cause a sin1 not in itself heinous1 to become deadly in its consequences to the soul4 ,these conditions shall now be taken into consideration4 ,they are four1 just as there were four conditions that lessened guilt4 ,the conditions are these3-- 7a7 ,an error of ,conscience1 which leads the person committing an act1 to believe that an act is forbidden by ,god1 which really is harmless or allowable1 and he nevertheless commits the act wilfully4 ,believing a course to be sinful1 he takes it deliberately4 ,the course may not be in itself wrong1 but in that he thinks it wrong1 and wilfully elects to take it1 believing that he is going against the ,will of ,god1 he sins mortally4 ,this we can see at once1 for it is a deliberate revolt of the will against what is believed to be ,god's ,will1 and it is the setting of the will in opposition to ,god which is the condition that makes sin to be mortal4 7b7 ,the evil of the end proposed4 ,that is to say1 if anyone allows himself to do an act in itself harmless1 or permissible1 in order to attain to an evil end1 then the act1 though in itself harmless and permissible1 becomes exceeding sinful4 ,the end proposed poisons the whole course of conduct pursued4 ,in the former case a harmless act is made deadly in its consequences through antecedent ignorance1 in this case through subsequent evil4 ,in both cases there is revolt of the will against ,god4 ,he who desires an evil of any kind1 knowing that it is evil1 i4e41 that it is against the law of ,god1 and deliberately compasses that end1 makes every step he takes in the course whereby he reaches that end1 however indifferent they may be in themselves1 taken by themselves1 to be mortally sinful to him4 ,this is clear1 because throughout he is acting with a will in opposition1 and in known opposition1 to the ,will of ,god4 7c7 ,contempt of the law or ,lawgiver4 ,an act done by man in disregard of ,god's law1 with indifference to what ,god wills1 is in itself mortally sinful4 ,no man has any right to disregard ,god's law1 which is the rule the ,creator has impressed on ,his intelligent creatures1 and no man may be indifferent to ,god1 ,who has given ,his law as the rule of well-being for the creatures ,he has made4 ,to put ,god out of the thoughts1 and to act as if there were no ,god ,who has expressed ,his ,will is practical ,atheism4 ,with the lips he who so acts may indeed confess ,him but in acts deny ,him4 ,neglect and disregard of ,god may1 indeed1 be due to circumstances over which man has no control--defective teaching in childhood1 for instance--but of this we are not speaking1 but of such cases where a man has been taught about ,god and ,his ,will1 and deliberately puts such considerations aside1 and does not allow them to influence his conduct4 7d7 ,the circumstances of the case4 ,an act1 harmless or permissible in itself1 may yet be sinful1 and gravely sinful1 if the circumstances be such as to make it the occasion of evil2 for instance1 if it lead on to the formation of a bad habit2 or if it be the occasion of grave scandal4 ,such was the case of eating meat offered to idols4 ,in itself it was innocent1 but he who ate meat so offered before weak brethren1 knowing that he was causing injury to their consciences1 thereby defiled his own conscience4 ,in the former case we have an act made sinful through disregard of the ,lawgiver1 in this through disregard of the consequences to ourselves or to others4 ,illustration ,fourth ,sunday in ,lent4 ,,on ,,free ,,will4 #a4 ,we have seen throughout how that the exercise of the ,will is that which gives character to an act1 stamping on it its mark of sin or righteousness1 in as far as it affects the individual ,conscience4 ,we will now look at the ,human ,will1 and consider how it operates4 ,an object is presented to it1 and it can determine with relation to it in three different ways4 7a7 ,it can consent to it4 ,if the object be evil1 and it consent to it1 then it becomes guilty1 it sins4 ,this is what has been insisted on throughout1 that the ,will of man is the determining quality making a thing to be sinful or not to the individual ,conscience4 ,the imagination or the intelligence presents to the ,will a certain picture1 proposes a certain act1 and the ,conscience then pronounces on the right or wrong of what is presented and proposed4 ,then the ,will forms its decision4 ,if it consents to what is suggested1 and the ,conscience has informed it that this is wrong1 then it makes a deliberate act of separation from and revolt against ,god4 7b7 ,it can resist1 it can absolutely refuse to take the course indicated1 when the ,conscience has pointed out that the course is contrary to what ,god has ordered4 ,when the ,will thus deliberately resists the evil suggestion1 it not only does not sin1 but it performs a good and meritorious act4 ,it has taken the side of ,god1 and such an act of positive adhesion to ,god is rewarded by ,god1 and strengthens the ,will in a right course4 ,when we say that an act of adhesion to ,god is meritorious1 we do not mean that any act of man unassisted by grace can deserve a reward1 but that ,god will reward man if he1 by an exercise of free will1 ranges himself on ,his side1 just as surely as ,he will punish man if he1 by an exercise of his free will1 ranges himself against ,him4 ,the devils1 by an exercise of free will1 rebelled1 and lost happiness4 ,the good angels1 by an exercise of free will1 remained faithful1 and deserved and retained ,beatitude4 ,so man has to decide4 ,god's grace does not constrain1 it encourages and helps1 but it forces no man to take the course that leads to life4 ,the determination lies with man1 and that determination must be made by an exercise of the ,will4 7c7 ,it may remain passive1 neither consenting nor resisting4 ,now1 the ,will of man is given to him as a determining power1 and no man has any right to bury this talent4 ,free ,will is the best gift ,god gave to man1 and though it has been weakened by his fall1 yet it can be brought again to full vigour and energy by the exercise of it in one direction or the other4 ,the rudder is given to the ship that by means thereof it may be steered4 ,so the ,will is given to man that thereby he may be directed4 ,no good steersman will desert the wheel and let the vessel drive before the wind and become a prey to the waves1 and no man may leave the determination of his course to accident1 without moral deterioration4 ,we must strive to brace the ,will so as to decide according to judgment and ,conscience1 and every such decision gives tone and force to the ,will4 #b4 ,there are certain cases in which it is advisable to avoid instead of resisting temptation4 ,when we know that circumstances are strong against us1 and we know that our ,wills have not acquired that nerve and independence which will enable us manfully and persistently to resist1 then the judgment advises avoidance of the danger4 ,this is especially the case in all such temptations as affect modesty4 ,we must never run into temptation1 and where we are doubtful1 and the way of avoidance is possible1 there we do well to take it4 ,illustration ,fourth ,monday in ,lent4 ,,the ,,determination ,,of ,,the ,,will4 ,we have seen now what the ,free ,will in man can do4 ,it can choose1 or refuse1 or remain inert4 ,now we will go a little further1 and see how it decides4 ,it can aim directly or indirectly at a certain end4 7a7 ,the ,will can be direct when it decides for that which is evil1 because it is evil4 ,or when it decides for that which is evil1 because of the pleasure or profit accruing therefrom4 ,naturally1 the first of these decisions is the worst2 it implies a radical hostility of the will to ,god4 ,it is the condition into which the will of the devils has fallen through persevering opposition to ,god4 ,they love evil for its own sake4 ,the transgression of ,god's ,law affords them no gratification1 the prospect of transgression holds out to them nothing but a deepening of their woe2 nevertheless1 their wills have become so set in opposition that they hate what is good1 and love what is evil1 simply because good is good and evil is evil4 ,the more any man suffers his will to deflect from the ,will of ,god1 and he allows himself consciously to choose evil1 the nearer he approaches to this condition of rooted and hopeless antagonism to ,god1 and separation from the source of life1 light1 and happiness4 ,the second condition is the usual one1 in which man chooses evil because of the gratification to his senses1 or his pride1 that the commission of a forbidden act1 or the adoption of a forbidden course1 or the dereliction of a commanded duty1 will entail on him1 or that he fancies it will entail4 ,he does not love evil because it is evil1 but he loves pleasure or what flatters his pride1 and he accepts the evil because of what it promises4 7b7 ,the ,will can be indirect in its pursuit of evil when 7#a7 ,it does evil that good may come1 or 7#b7 ,when it does good that evil may come4 ,in the first case1 the ,will proposes to itself to attain to a good end1 but it allows a certain course which it admits to be against ,god's ,law1 in the hopes that the lesser evil will result in the greater good4 ,thus1 a lie is told to gain the conversion of a heretic4 ,it is good to draw a man from heresy into the way of true religion1 but to use a forbidden means to do this is to sin4 ,or an act of injustice may be done for the sake of doing some great and manifest good4 ,this is not permissible4 ,not only must the end aimed at be good1 but the means by which it is attained must be good also4 ,better leave the end unreached than use illegitimate methods for obtaining it4 ,in the second case1 the ,will proposes to itself to attain a bad end1 and to reach that uses good and legitimate means4 ,for instance1 the truth is spoken when we know that by speaking the truth we shall rouse violent passions and produce discord4 ,we do not mean that the truth should be perverted into untruth1 but that it may be withheld4 ,we are not bound always to say everything we know1 but to maintain a prudent reserve4 ,if ,a4 has said something harsh of ,b41 we are not bound to tell ,b4 what ,a4 has said of him4 ,it may be perfectly true what we retail1 but if we do retail it we know it will be productive of discord4 ,so it is quite possible for a person with an ill intention to use quite legitimate means--that is1 means in themselves unobjectionable--to attain an evil end4 ,self-deception may1 and does sometimes1 blind people to the badness of the object they seek1 by representing to them that they have done nothing wrong in the way by which they have worked to reach it4 ,illustration ,fourth ,tuesday in ,lent4 ,,practical ,,conclusions4 ,from what has been said about the ,will of man and the ,nature of ,sin1 some plain and ,practical ,conclusions may be drawn4 #a4 ,those evil thoughts that pass in us1 to which we give no consent direct or indirect1 are not sinful to us1 entail on us no guilt4 ,that is to say1 we are not responsible for evil thoughts1 images unseemly1 profane1 uncharitable1 for distractions in prayer1 dreams of the night1 unless we arrest them and give them our consent4 ,living in this evil world1 surrounded by evil1 we cannot avoid the knowledge of evil2 that knowledge may1 however1 pass over the mind darkening momentarily1 but not staining1 like the shadow of a cloud on a hill side4 ,so also with regard to wandering thoughts and unsuitable ideas presenting themselves to us in prayer1 we cannot help them1 but if we allow our thoughts to wander without effort to recollect them and harbour the unsuitable ideas1 then they become sinful4 #b4 ,sin consists in the assent given by the will to the suggestion of evil4 ,that has been sufficiently insisted upon1 and need not have anything further said thereon in this place4 #c4 ,if certain evil effects are foreseen1 more or less distinctly1 as likely to ensue1 if we follow a certain line of conduct1 and there be no reasonable motive to force us to adopt that line of conduct1 and those evil effects ensue1 then we are guilty of them4 ,it lay in the power of our will to avoid that line of conduct which brought us into peril of doing those things which are evil1 and1 foreseeing the risk1 we took the perilous course4 ,this is the case of rushing into temptation4 ,for instance1 we foresee that association with certain individuals will lead to a lowering of our religious fervour1 a laxity of view with regard to our moral obligations1 and1 nevertheless1 we cultivate their society1 then we are guilty of the coldness that ensues in our religion and the laxity that occurs in our moral look-out4 ,or1 again1 if we see that by going to a certain place we are running great risk of committing a certain sin1 and1 without any real necessity1 we go to that place1 and fall under temptation1 then we are guilty1 as if we had deliberately committed the sin4 ,or1 again1 if we see that by spending much time1 and thought1 and money on dress1 we are becoming liable to vanity1 and we go on lavishing attentions on our personal appearance1 so that we do become conceited and vain1 then we are guilty of the sin of vanity4 ,we have wilfully chosen that course which leads to vanity4 ,illustration ,fifth ,wednesday in ,lent4 ,,the ,,gravity ,,of ,,sin4 ,we come now to consider why ,sin is in itself so grave4 ,there are several reasons4 #a4 ,it is a revolt against ,god4 #b4 ,it is a setting at naught of the ,work of ,christ4 #c4 ,it neutralises the ,work of the ,holy ,ghost4 #d4 ,it is an attack on ,society4 #a4 ,it is a revolt against ,god4 ,in the first place because ,god is the supreme authority1 the ,lord over all ,creation1 and that creature which sets up its own will against ,his1 is thereby a rebel4 ,man regards1 may be1 the laws as unjust1 or as tyrannical1 that ,god has imposed on him2 unjust because they limit his freedom1 or are beyond his power to obey2 tyrannical because they oppose the desires of his heart and animal appetites4 ,in the next place it shows a disregard or disbelief in ,god's promises and warnings1 it is therefore grave because it shows indifference to ,god's goodness and to ,his severity4 ,in the first case it robs ,god of the obedience due to ,him1 in the second case it robs ,him of the respect due to ,him4 ,then1 again1 ,sin is a revolt against ,god1 as it makes man seek another end than that which ,god has ordained4 ,god would have man seek ,him1 make ,him the object of all ,his aspirations1 all ,his efforts4 ,by ,sin a creature is substituted in the place of ,god1 and man labours for1 thinks of1 cares for this created object1 a person1 or a thing1 and makes of it an idol4 ,it turns a man away from ,god as the object of life and its energies to a perishable and unworthy end4 ,once more1 ,sin is a revolt against ,god1 inasmuch as it robs ,god of the love1 fear1 reverence1 worship1 the thoughts of the mind1 and the affections of the heart1 that properly belong to ,him4 ,sin therefore is a state of rebellion against ,god1 in that it refuses to acknowledge ,him as king1 and in that it sets up another sovereign in ,his place4 ,it takes away that obedience1 homage1 love that should have been given to ,god1 and gives it to something or someone else4 #b4 ,it sets at naught the ,work of ,christ4 ,christ came down on earth1 taking human nature upon ,him to break the power of ,sin1 and enable man to overcome it4 ,therefore ,he made atonement for ,sin1 and provided means of grace whereby man might be enabled to conquer it4 ,but ,sin is the making in vain the ,atonement4 ,if they fall away 444 they crucify to themselves the ,son of ,god afresh1 and put ,him to an open shame4 7,heb4 vi4 #f47 ,it prevents the sacrifice of ,christ having any efficacy on the soul1 to cleanse it from the past and to strengthen it for the future4 #c4 ,it neutralises the ,work of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,our ,lord poured down the ,holy ,spirit on ,his ,church to be the sanctification of all the members thereof4 ,this ,divine ,spirit prompts to good1 and helps to perform what is good4 ,it prevents and follows us1 i4e41 it goes before1 stirring up the will to do1 and follows assisting in the performance4 ,the ,divine ,spirit endeavours to purify us1 illumine us1 and strengthen us4 ,but ,sin stains1 darkens1 weakens us1 consequently every sin wilfully indulged in1 undoes the work of ,sanctification which should be daily going on in us1 forming in us the likeness to the perfect pattern of ,jesus ,christ4 ,illustration ,fifth ,thursday in ,lent4 ,,the ,,gravity ,,of ,,sin4 7,,continued47 #a4 ,we have spoken of ,sin as a revolt against ,god1 as undoing the work of ,jesus ,christ1 and neutralising the ,holy ,ghost's work of ,sanctification4 ,we will now consider it as an attack on ,society4 ,god is the ,author of peace and concord1 ,he maketh men to be of one mind in an house4 ,it is due to ,him that ,society is possible4 ,he made man not only to be an individual with freedom1 but to be a member of a community4 ,the most elementary type of community is the ,family1 then comes the ,state1 and lastly1 the ,church4 ,such unions can only be formed and maintained by a certain amount of sacrifice of individual freedom1 and by mutual forbearance and compromise4 ,now as we see that barbarism1 pure and simple1 is the state of man who lives merely as an individual1 and as we may be quite sure that ,god never intended man to be a savage1 we may conclude1 from reason1 that ,god wills that man should unite with his fellow-men into societies1 and therefore that ,he sanctions and blesses the surrenders and compromises that make such unions possible4 ,it is so in a family2 no single member can do exactly what he likes1 he must give up something for the others1 and it is exactly the same in the ,state and in the ,church4 ,in human nature there is an union of different elements1 and in man as created all these were in complete accord2 since the ,fall disorder has entered into their relations1 so that there is divergence of object aimed at by mind1 body1 and soul4 ,god desires to see man's nature restored to perfect unity1 so that all conflicting tendencies may cease4 #b4 ,now ,sin attacks ,society--i4e41 the ,divinely-ordered unity--in several ways4 7a7 ,by ,pride it impels the individual to assume a place to which he has no right1 or to refuse to the rest those concessions which are necessary to make social harmony possible4 ,man rebels against being only one among many1 and endeavours to thrust himself into prominence by arrogating to himself what does not lawfully belong to him4 7b7 ,by ,jealousy men are excited the one against the other4 ,they envy each other the place1 the wealth1 the respect1 that they have obtained4 ,all men cannot have the same position1 the same wealth1 and the same respect2 there must be difference among the members of the community1 as there are differences among the members of the body4 ,sin is an attack on ,society when1 through envy1 it stirs up class jealousies1 and stimulates hostility between different members of the social body4 7c7 ,by ,cupidity4 ,men1 in their selfish greed to arrogate to themselves all things desirable1 use the strength1 opportunities1 position they have1 to draw to themselves the good things of this world1 to the despoiling of their fellows4 ,our ,lord warns against love of ,mammon4 ,no man1 ,he said1 could serve ,god and ,mammon1 that is1 riches2 and one reason is1 that this greed after wealth is not for the distributing of means of subsistence among the many1 and the relief of the necessitous1 but in order that it all may be retained for the glorification and indulgence of self4 #c4 ,these three motives for the breaking-up of ,society are all of ,diabolic inspiration4 ,as ,god is the author of unity1 so is ,satan the source of all schism4 ,god brings men together1 and inspires to the sacrifice of their individual caprices to the general good2 the ,evil ,one1 on the other hand1 urges to the undue exaltation of the individual self1 so as to procure separation4 ,he is the cause of discord in families1 of the sapping of the principles of unity in the ,state1 and to heresies and schisms that rend the ,church4 ,in a family1 in the ,state1 in the ,church1 all members1 all classes1 all orders1 are bound together for the common good1 and the ,divine ,spirit is in every social body as a good ferment--working out of it what is evil4 ,but the ,spirit of ,evil is the spirit of decomposition1 which breaks up all unity4 ,it is in the family1 in the ,state1 in the ,church1 what death is to that unity1 the living man--a break-up into warring units4 ,illustration ,fifth ,friday in ,lent4 ,,the ,,effects ,,of ,,sin4 ,we will now consider what are the effects produced by ,sin4 ,these effects are general and particular4 ,the general effects of ,sin are as follows3-- #a4 ,sin causes a stain or scar on the soul4 ,but this stain or scar is not to be regarded as having a positive existence1 but to be a privation4 ,a stain is a deficiency in whiteness1 as a scar is a defect in healthy smoothness4 ,we are restored as far as guilt goes1 by our ,baptism1 to a state of innocence before ,god1 the infirmity and liability to ,sin remains in us1 but no condemnation before ,god4 ,our souls are white and sound1 white as bleached linen1 sound as an untorn garment4 ,but every sin committed after ,baptism is a loss of purity and of soundness4 ,the soul that has sinned always after bears traces of the sin committed4 ,the blot may be covered1 the rent mended1 but the traces of its having been made are never removed1 though1 indeed1 the guilt may be put away by true repentance and absolution4 ,this is due to the fact that a sin is a something committed1 and an act can never be undone1 though its consequences may be rectified4 ,a word spoken can never be recalled1 nor can an act that has been done4 ,there is salvation for the sinner that repenteth1 but the salvation attained by the penitent is and must be different in kind from that achieved by the soul that has never fallen into wilful sin4 #b4 ,sin entails condemnation1 subjecting to punishment1 either temporal or eternal4 ,all sin is a violation of ,god's ,commandments1 and ,god is a righteous ,judge ,who will call every man to account for what he has done2 but not only will ,he do so1 ,he does so now2 and in this present life1 to some extent1 does punishment come on the man who sins4 ,we see this in actual life1 how that certain acts do bring with them their condemnation and their chastisement on the doer of them4 ,we see the same in nations that transgress ,god's laws4 ,god visits it upon these nations1 and brings them down1 till by suffering they have come to recognize their guilt4 #c4 ,sin alienates from ,god4 ,god hates sin1 and he who is in sin is at enmity with ,god1 is separated from ,god1 and ,god's favour is withdrawn in a large degree from him4 ,jesus ,christ1 by ,his merits1 brought us into reconciliation with the ,father1 blotting out the handwriting of offences that was against us4 ,the merits of ,christ's atonement were applied to us at our ,baptism4 ,then we who were aliens were made nigh by the blood of ,christ4 ,every sin after ,baptism separates us from ,god1 darkens the light that shines on us1 checks the flow of ,divine grace that nourishes our spiritual life4 #d4 ,we can1 indeed1 return to the favour of ,god1 through the merits of the death of ,christ2 but every return from mortal sin is a revival from the dead1 a special call back out of the state of transgression into which we have thrown ourselves1 into the way of salvation4 ,to obtain this we must realize that we have sinned1 repent1 be sincerely sorry for what we have done1 and resolve never to do the same again4 ,then1 and not till then1 does ,god for ,christ's sake forgive us4 ,no repentance is sufficient that has not the character of recognition of the gravity of the offence1 sorrow for having offended ,god1 and sincere desire for amendment4 ,when there is true repentance1 then ,god pardons the guilt1 but ,he does not remove the consequences of the act4 ,the punishment must still be undergone4 ,thus1 a man may have ruined his constitution by his excesses1 or squandered his patrimony4 ,he may bitterly deplore his sin1 and sincerely resolve to avoid all occasions of sin for the future1 but1 though ,god on his true repentance blots out his iniquity1 ,he does not restore robustness to his constitution1 nor does ,he return to him his wasted patrimony4 ,illustration ,fifth ,saturday in ,lent4 ,,the ,,effects ,,of ,,sin4 7,,continued47 ,we will now further consider the effects of ,sin1 and these the particular effects4 ,we live three lives2 as we are made up of ,body1 ,mind1 and ,soul1 each has its special life4 ,the ,body lives an animal life1 the ,mind an intelligent life1 and the ,soul a spiritual life4 ,sin produces a disturbing and poisoning effect on all these lives4 #a4 ,the life of the ,body4 ,god made man healthy1 vigorous1 and immortal4 ,the introduction of ,sin into the world has produced disease1 infirmity1 and death4 ,sin is the cause of hard and exhausting toil1 of the many hardships1 privations1 troubles to which we are exposed in this life1 and it is the cause of the separation of soul and body in death1 and of the corruption that ensues in the grave4 ,sin has a certain deteriorating effect on the body when indulged in1 at all events those sins which are sins of the flesh1 such as drunkenness1 gluttony1 sensuality4 ,they bring their condemnation with them on the body that sins4 #b4 ,the life of the ,mind4 ,the true illumination of the mind is ,god4 ,an intellectual life is willed by ,god4 ,no man may lawfully neglect to cultivate his understanding by neglecting to acquire knowledge1 or his reason1 by neglecting to use his rational power4 ,if man does1 he sins1 he is wasting a precious gift of ,god1 and the light that is in him is darkened1 he becomes a prey to superstition1 ignorance1 stupidity4 ,the life of his mind becomes stunted and extinguished4 ,sin acts on the mind as well as on the body1 it distorts its perception of the truth1 narrows its view1 and leads it to mistake falsehood for truth4 #c4 ,the life of the ,soul4 ,this is the most important life of all1 and it is the life usually least regarded4 ,this is the life that is divine in us1 the breath of ,god4 ,it has a double aspect 7a7 as to ,god1 and 7b7 as to man4 ,that is to say1 it lives in two relations1 one to ,god1 the other to man4 ,this spiritual life is the life of the spiritual faculty in man which enables him to see ,god1 to delight in ,his presence1 to love and to fear ,him1 to find pleasure in prayer and in meditation on the things that are invisible4 ,it enables him to look beyond time into eternity1 and to desire those things that ,god has promised4 ,sin1 when it has touched the soul1 weakens its faculties4 ,its power of vision is affected4 ,blessed are the pure in heart1 said our ,lord1 for they shall see ,god1 but impurity is like a film over the eye1 clouding its vision4 ,as the soul ceases to see ,god1 it ceases also to love ,him1 it takes less delight in prayer2 the body1 or the mind1 gains advantages over it1 the compound life is no longer maintained in due balance1 but one factor or other overlaps1 and chokes the spiritual life4 ,again1 the spiritual life is the life of the spiritual faculty in man which enables him to observe ,god's law1 and ,sin lames and weakens man's moral powers4 ,as long as the spiritual life is healthy1 man's moral life is also healthy1 for indeed the moral life is only another aspect of the same divine life in man4 ,but if man delivers himself up to ,sin1 then this moral power in him is weakened1 it ceases to speak distinctly1 it becomes confused1 and finally ceases to speak altogether4 ,it is possible by continuance in sin to extinguish the spiritual life altogether4 ,if the mind be not employed1 then it sinks into inertness and death of the rational and intellectual faculties1 and unless the soul be allowed to grow and expand1 it also will languish4 ,and if by continuance in ,sin the soul be subjected to wound after wound1 and its voice be never listened to1 then finally it will die4 ,illustration ,fifth ,sunday in ,lent4 ,,the ,,deadly ,,vices4 #a4 ,certain ,vices go by the name of ,capital or ,deadly ,vices1 because they lie at the head or source of all sin2 and because they mortally affect the soul4 ,but they are not in themselves acts1 but principles or springs out of which sins issue4 ,they are reckoned as seven in number1 but neither does ,scripture indicate this number1 nor has the ,church come to any decision on this point4 ,it is rather common sense1 and common observation1 that have led to this classification1 and it is a classification simple and intelligible1 and of practical use4 ,these seven ,capital ,vices are seven mothers who1 when taken into the heart1 settle there1 and produce large families of sins4 ,they are ,vices1 that is to say1 they are dispositions towards evil1 disordered inclinations left in us by original sin1 whence spring up in us1 by the consent of the will1 large crops of bad actions1 i4e41 of sins4 ,vice is a habitual disposition towards evil4 ,sin is the action produced by this disposition when it has seduced the heart into giving consent to it4 ,vice may exist without sin1 and sin can exist without vice4 ,that is to say1 there may be a vicious inclination which cannot manifest itself in act1 because the opportunity is wanting4 ,a sin may be committed without vicious inclination1 out of carelessness1 or against the inclination which is towards good1 through the weakness of the nature and debility of the will4 ,everyone has1 more or less1 the roots of vices in him1 though in some they are far stronger than in others1 and in some individuals certain vicious propensities are stronger than other vicious propensities4 ,one man may have a natural proclivity towards pride1 and this very inclination towards pride may neutralize in him the inclination towards indolence4 #b4 ,the seven ,capital ,vices are3-- #a4 ,pride4 #b4 ,avarice4 #c4 ,luxury4 #d4 ,envy4 #e4 ,gluttony4 #f4 ,anger4 #g4 ,indolence4 ,of these ,pride1 ,avarice1 and ,envy1 are vices of the soul2 ,luxury1 ,gluttony1 ,anger1 are vices of the body4 ,indolence is a vice of the soul and of the body4 ,of ,pride it is said1 ,everyone that is proud in heart is an abomination to the ,lord4 7,prov4 xvi4 #e47 ,god resisteth the proud4 7,james iv4 #f47 ,the fear of the ,lord is to hate evil2 pride1 and arrogancy1 and the evil way1 and the froward mouth do ,i hate4 7,prov4 viii4 #ac47 ,of ,avarice it is said1 ,know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the ,kingdom of ,god1 and ,s4 ,paul says that among these are the covetous who shall not inherit the ,kingdom of ,god4 7#a ,cor4 vi4 #aj47 ,no covetous man1 who is an idolater1 hath any inheritance in the ,kingdom of ,christ and of ,god4 7,eph4 v4 #e47 ,david speaks of the covetous1 whom ,god abhorreth4 7,ps4 x4 #c47 ,of ,luxury1 there are many and strong denunciations in ,scripture1 it is one of those conditions which1 like avarice1 shuts out from the ,kingdom of ,god4 7#a ,cor4 vi4 #aj47 ,s4 ,john saw the luxurious shut out from the gates of the ,new ,jerusalem4 ,see also ,gal4 v4 #ai4 ,of ,gluttony1 that is of indulgence to excess in eating and drinking1 the same is said4 ,the works of the flesh are manifest1 which are these--drunkenness1 revellings1 and such like1 of which ,i tell you before1 as ,i have also told you in time past1 that they which do such things shall not inherit the ,kingdom of ,god4 7,gal4 v4 #ba47 ,of ,envy it is the same1 ,envyings1 are included among the works of the flesh4 ,so also is ,anger4 ,indolence is the torpor of the soul and body1 which will not exert itself to do what is right1 or to resist what is wrong4 ,it is a state of indifference to the true ends for which man has been made1 and in ,scripture is called sleep--,awake thou that sleepest1 and arise from the dead4 ,illustration ,fifth ,monday in ,lent4 ,,in ,,what ,,the ,,vices ,,are ,,rooted4 ,the soil in which the ,seven ,vices find their root is ,self-love1 or rather in an undue and disordered love of ,self4 ,if we really loved ourselves we would seek to mortify and kill all the vices in us2 but it is through undue and irrational self-love that the vices find root and opportunity to grow and flourish4 #a4 ,self-love is not in itself sinful4 ,god has planted in every man a love for himself4 ,it is part of the nature of every man and of every intelligent creature to take care of self1 and seek those things which conduce to its welfare4 ,god has even set self-love as the measure to us of the love we should bear to our fellows4 7,matt4 xix4 #ai47 #b4 ,self-love becomes sinful when it is excessive and unreasonable4 ,when1 for instance1 the love of self makes a man disregard another's need or comfort4 ,when1 moreover1 it becomes a dominating passion in the soul1 obscuring and even extinguishing the love of ,god4 ,when it seeks wrong ends for self1 the indulgence of selfish pleasures1 selfish comforts1 passion1 glorification4 ,then self-love is sinful4 ,when a person takes no interest in any subject but what concerns self1 has no talk save of what touches self1 sees everything in the light in which it affects self1 then self-love is unduly great4 ,moreover1 self-love may be disordered when it seeks for its end apart from ,god1 in its pleasures1 in its self-glorification1 in its self-righteousness4 ,some people dethrone ,god and set up self in ,his place1 and make self-interest their only law1 and self their only law-giver4 ,again1 self-love becomes sinful when it sees good where good is not1 and takes the appearance for the reality4 ,self-love is disposed to self-delusion whenever it is allowed to consider itself too highly4 #c4 ,self-love once excessive and unreasonable1 draws on to pride1 avarice1 luxury1 gluttony1 anger1 indolence1 because it shows man his supreme good in honours that flatter1 riches and pleasures that puff up and indulge self-love1 revenge against such as offend self-love1 and that neglect of duty which comes so easy to those who give way to self-love4 ,all the ,seven ,vices minister to self-love1 pamper and feed it1 assist in its growth1 and tend to make it take the place of ,god in the heart4 ,self-love is harmless so long as it does not encourage the growth of these noxious vices4 ,we must therefore be very watchful of ourselves1 and hold our love of self under severe control1 never allowing it to become a soil in which vices may luxuriate1 but seeing that it be a garden plot in which ,christian graces spring up1 which it well may1 for the same soil that grows weeds will grow flowers4 #d4 ,self-control1 self-renunciation1 are required of us by ,christ4 ,if any man will come after ,me1 let him deny himself1 and take up his cross1 and follow ,me4 7,matt4 xvi4 #bd47 ,the true love of self has a far eye and looks to eternity1 and seeks those things that are above1 not the things that minister to self-love below2 seeks the salvation of the soul1 not the pampering of the flesh and the flattery of pride4 ,and the only way of obtaining the imperishable riches and unfading joys1 is by resisting the inclinations of the carnal nature towards such as are for a time1 and perish in the using4 ,there is a true love of self and a false love of self2 or rather love may be directed towards the elevation of the better self1 or to the degradation of the inferior self4 ,it is necessary to distinguish between the elements that make man1 ,body1 ,soul1 and ,mind1 and to seek those things which minister to the superior elements--,mind and ,soul1 not to the animal part of man--,body4 ,or again1 not to serve only the ,mind and neglect the ,soul1 but to seek the welfare of the ,soul first of all4 ,illustration ,fifth ,tuesday in ,lent4 ,,pride4 #a4 ,pride is the love and estimation man has for himself beyond measure4 ,every man should have a proper pride in himself as a creature of ,god1 an heir of everlasting life1 and so maintain his dignity and self-respect1 not degenerating into buffoonery1 and making himself a laughing-stock to men4 ,but ,pride must be within due limits4 ,let no man think more highly of himself than he ought to think4 #b4 ,there are five ways in which ,pride may become excessive and sinful4 7a7 ,when a man is puffed up with self-esteem because of the natural gifts he has received1 as though they came from himself1 and were not the unmerited gift of ,god4 ,thus a girl may become vain and conceited because she has good hair or eyes1 and is esteemed a beauty4 ,a man because he has wealth4 ,he becomes purse-proud4 ,or because he has great abilities4 ,or because he has great strength and health4 ,this leads to vain boasting1 to an insolent demeanour1 to great self-opinionativeness4 7b7 ,when a man regards what successes he has met with as due to his merits4 ,success may be1 and probably is1 due in most cases to frugality1 sound judgment1 caution at one time and daring at another2 but there is ever in it an element of the unforeseen1 due to ,god's ordering4 ,moreover1 the good qualities1 the prudence1 frugality1 and so on1 in the man are the growth of good elements implanted in him by ,god4 ,a man must always acknowledge ,god as the ,giver of all good things1 recognize ,his hand in the inception and the carrying out of whatever succeeds1 and must not attribute it solely to himself4 ,the thought of self drives the thought of ,god out of the mind4 7c7 ,when a man boasts himself of what he has not4 ,when1 that is1 in order to flatter his self-pride before others1 he pretends to be1 or to have what he is not1 or has not got4 ,thus living under false appearances1 living beyond one's income1 are due to ,pride4 7d7 ,when a man despises others4 ,every man who looks down on1 disparages1 and regards others as common and vile1 is guilty of ,pride4 ,the rich have no occasion to despise the poor1 those of one social class to talk contemptuously of those of another1 or as being common people1 as ,nobodies4 ,with ,god nothing is common1 and not one of ,his creatures is a ,nobody4 ,moreover1 it is possible to sin through pride if those who have committed no mortal sins despise such as have sinned4 ,spiritual ,pride is the worst kind of ,pride4 #c4 ,pride produces a good many children1 all bad when overgrown4 7a7 ,ambition4 ,the desire to distinguish oneself above others4 ,harmless when moderate1 evil when excessive4 7b7 ,vain-glory4 ,the desire to make parade of those qualities one has1 and to attribute to oneself qualities one has not4 ,always bad4 7c7 ,ostentation4 ,the affectation of making display of those advantages we possess--wealth1 cleverness1 knowledge1 c4 ,always not only bad1 but vulgar4 7d7 ,contempt for others1 leading to disparaging what is good in others1 and exaggerating their faults4 ,never other than bad4 7e7 ,presumption1 which impels to attempt what is beyond one's powers4 ,it is not wrong to have self-confidence in what one has4 ,it is wrong when one presumes on what one has not4 7f7 ,hypocrisy1 which seeks to show to the world a better face than what one really has1 to pretend to be what one is not4 ,ever bad4 7g7 ,obstinacy1 which follows self-determination as if that must be right2 and a stubbornness which does not suffer a man to give way when his reason has been convinced that he is wrong4 7h7 ,disobedience1 which follows on self-conceit1 making a man follow his own wishes and opinions1 and disobey just commands1 because he desires independence1 or because he despises his superiors and those in authority over him4 ,illustration ,sixth ,wednesday in ,lent4 ,,avarice4 #a4 ,avarice or ,covetousness is a disorderly and unreasonable and excessive attachment to the things of this world1 especially to money4 ,now the love of the good things of this world is by no means sinful in itself1 it is legitimate4 ,god gives them to us to enjoy4 ,god gives to us earthly things to be possessions1 to keep1 and to enlarge1 and multiply4 ,to throw away wantonly what has been given to us is sinful4 ,for instance1 it is sinful to squander money in extravagance1 in horse racing1 in gambling4 ,riches are a trust1 land and houses are a trust1 given us from ,god1 and we must not diminish what we have received1 in amount and value1 but endeavour to make them more4 ,it is a token of gratitude to ,god for this gift that we appreciate them1 and use them profitably4 #b4 ,worldly goods are given to us to satisfy the necessities of life1 not only in the matter of eating1 and drinking1 and clothing1 but of our mental and spiritual life also4 ,our worldly goods are given to us to enable us to cultivate art1 and science1 and literature1 all that goes towards the furtherance of the amenities of life3 music1 painting1 architecture1 sculpture1 horticulture1 c4 ,worldly goods are given to us that with them we may do what we can to mitigate the miseries of the poor and suffering1 and to advance ,god's ,kingdom1 and enrich and adorn ,his ,sanctuaries and ,his ,service4 ,consequently we are using our riches aright when we seek out means of relieving distress1 when we assist in the propagation of the ,gospel among the heathen1 and when we build and decorate ,churches1 and provide for the beautiful musical rendering of the worship of ,god4 #c4 ,avarice is a mortal vice when we3-- 7a7 ,desire the good things of this world for the sole gratification they yield to our senses1 when they minister to our luxury4 ,when we love them for a selfish reason1 and value them only as they minister to the comfort1 ease1 indulgence1 and pampering of self4 7b7 ,avarice is a sin when we desire the good things of this world inordinately4 ,love not the world1 neither the things that are in the world4 ,if any man love the world1 the love of the ,father is not in him4 ,for all that is in the world1 the lust of the flesh1 and the lust of the eyes1 and the pride of life1 is not of the ,father1 but is of the world4 7#a ,john ii4 #ae1 #af47 ,excessive love of the things of this world becomes idolatry4 7,eph4 v4 #f47 7c7 ,avarice is a sin when it agitates the mind1 and occupies it with excessive anxiety after the good things of this world4 ,take no thought for the morrow1 says our ,lord1 for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself4 ,seek ye first the ,kingdom of ,god1 and ,his righteousness2 and all these things shall be added unto you4 7,matt4 vi4 #cc1 #cd47 ,that is to say1 the mind is to be mainly occupied with the true end of life1 and strain for that1 and the striving after all material interests must be kept in subordination to that4 7d7 ,avarice1 or ,covetousness1 has several daughters4 ,it produces in man--#a4 ,callousness to distress4 ,he loses feeling for the distress of the poor and suffering4 ,he begrudges everything given to them as something taken from himself4 #b4 ,dishonesty4 ,in order to increase wealth1 the ,conscience is hushed to pass over certain fraudulent or dishonest acts whereby money may be gained unfairly1 by false representation1 by selling a thing at what is beyond its worth1 c4 #c4 ,unrest4 ,the mind is engrossed by the cares and anxieties of the pursuit of wealth1 so that no good seed can grow in it4 ,the calm and peace of a ,conscience at rest in ,god pursuing the true end is gone1 and is replaced by constant uneasiness as to how certain speculations will turn out1 what profit will come from a certain sale1 or how certain losses are to be made up4 ,illustration ,sixth ,thursday in ,lent4 ,,luxury4 #a4 ,luxury incites to the indulgence of the senses excessively1 beyond what ,god's law permits4 ,as a vice1 it consists in the love of what is sensuous1 and the inclination to yield to the pleasures of the sense4 ,it leads to forgetfulness of ,god and idolatry4 ,that is to say1 to the enthronement of self in the place of ,god4 ,everything is made to give way to the indulgence of the pleasures and caprices of self4 ,god exacts of us the homage of the entire man--body1 soul and spirit2 luxury corrupts the body so that it can no longer be presented holy and without blame to ,god2 stains and enervates the soul1 and dulls the mind1 filling it with lassitude and indifference4 ,it leads to sacrilege1 for sacrilege is the profanation of that which is dedicated to ,god4 ,now1 man's body is the temple of the ,holy ,ghost1 and ,s4 ,paul shews that sensuality is a defilement of this temple4 ,moreover1 ,christ took human nature upon ,him to restore human nature1 to purify it1 and if we by indulgence desecrate the body1 we are dishonouring that nature which ,christ stooped to assume4 #b4 ,luxury indulged in becomes a servitude4 ,he that doeth sin is the servant of sin4 7,john viii4 #ac47 ,the more that the carnal nature is yielded to1 the more exacting it becomes4 ,it is never satisfied1 it is ever crying out for fresh pleasures1 and even when the faculty of enjoyment is over1 the burning craving after new pleasures remains4 ,luxury indulged in gives the ,evil ,one power over us4 ,at first he advised1 suggested evil1 then he commands as a master1 and will be obeyed4 ,the sinner groans in his bondage and desires to escape1 but remains in chains1 his efforts to escape are powerless4 ,luxury indulged in weakens the power of resistance4 ,the sinner becomes with every sin yielded to more frail and more cowardly4 ,his will becomes more powerless every time he yields1 he makes the next fall more easy1 recovery more difficult4 #c4 ,luxury is not merely the yielding to gross sins of the flesh4 ,it is a root of inclination in man to yield to and pamper the body in many ways not in themselves sinful4 ,any excessive indulgence in pleasure1 in ease1 in dress1 in entertainments1 in distractions1 in stheticism1 may be1 and often is1 mortal vice4 ,to take a simple case1 the reading of novels4 ,a novel may be read as a distraction from laborious thought1 or painful thought4 ,but to make fiction the main nutriment of the mind and imagination is to indulge in the vice of luxury4 ,man is sent into this world to do some good to others1 to fill some social gap1 and to educate his mind1 discipline his body1 and cultivate his soul4 ,but luxury bids him distract his mind from serious pursuits1 and seek distraction as an end4 ,luxury1 instead of bracing1 enervates the body1 and it neglects the soul1 if it does not cover it with stains4 #d4 ,gross indulgence in luxury1 and long continuance in luxurious living degrades the heart4 ,the heart is rendered incapable of responding to noble thoughts4 ,it blinds the mind to ,divine things4 ,as the pure in heart see ,god1 the impure have their understanding darkened to ,divine things4 ,it chokes the spiritual life4 ,to the luxurious prayer gives disgust1 religious counsel irritates4 ,it hardens the heart1 it leads from sin to sin1 till sin becomes a habit1 and habit becomes impenitence4 ,then the grace of ,god leaves the soul entirely1 and spiritually the soul is dead4 ,illustration ,sixth ,friday in ,lent4 ,,envy4 #a4 ,envy is a sadness which affects the mind on the contemplation of advantage accruing to a fellow-being1 and which we resent as though what was his good was our ill4 ,or else it is a gladness which we feel when we see or hear of some disadvantage happening to a fellow-being4 ,or again1 it may be a dissatisfaction at his having some natural gifts or divine favours accorded to him which we are without1 or a satisfaction at his having certain natural defects1 faults1 or infirmities4 #b4 ,there is no sin in the feeling of the heart when we are sad at the success of another1 which has not fallen to us1 so long as it does not embitter us1 and so long as it serves to spur us to activity4 ,emulation is not sinful4 ,on the contrary1 ,god allows of inequalities1 in order to stimulate us to use our energies1 and exercise our faculties to the utmost4 ,emulation is only sinful when with it goes loss of charity4 ,there is no sin in the feeling of the heart when we are sad or wrath at persons obtaining advantages which they do not deserve4 ,this is ,indignation1 and springs out of a wounded sense of justice4 ,but such indignation must not prompt us to disparage1 backbite1 and injure those who have succeeded without just cause for success4 ,there is no sin in the feeling of the heart when we are disconcerted at certain persons obtaining positions of trust and authority which we believe they will misuse4 ,this is ,fear of ,evil1 and is legitimate4 ,at the same time1 as we cannot see the hearts and measure the understandings of others1 it is possible we may undervalue them1 and that they will do better than we have thought probable4 ,there is no sin in the feeling of the heart when we feel glad that a person whom we deem unworthy has failed to obtain1 or has lost an employment for which he was incapable4 ,nor is there anything wrong in the feeling of satisfaction at the punishment of an evil-doer4 #c4 ,envy is that gall of the heart which is the reverse of charity4 ,envy is bred of self-esteem1 and it hates to see others better1 happier1 more esteemed1 more prosperous than self4 ,it is selfish egoism1 desiring to possess all advantages itself4 ,it is a baseness of the soul1 which cannot endure to see anything superior to its own mean self4 ,it is a falsity of judgment1 for it interprets awrong everything done by the person it envies4 ,it is hypocritical1 for it knows the despicable quality of its emotions1 and veils them under all kinds of disguises4 #d4 ,it is the most distressing of spiritual maladies4 ,it is to the soul what rust is to iron1 canker to a tree1 corroding and destroying all happiness1 brightness1 amiability4 ,it poisons the entire life4 ,it is1 moreover1 the fruitful mother of many sins4 ,it produces 7a7 slander1 backbiting1 malicious words1 7b7 uncharitable and cruel acts of animosity and vengeance4 ,it is a vice most hateful to ,god4 ,envy1 says ,solomon1 is the rottenness of the bones4 7,prov4 xiv4 #cj47 ,though ,i bestow all my goods to feed the poor1 and though ,i give my body to be burned1 and have not charity1 it profiteth me nothing1 says ,s4 ,paul4 7#a ,cor4 xiii4 #c47 ,it is one of the works of the flesh that excludes from the kingdom of ,god4 7,gal4 v4 #ba47 ,if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts1 glory not 444 this 444 is earthly1 sensual1 devilish4 ,for where envying and strife is1 there is confusion and every evil work4 7,james iii4 #ae1 #af47 #e4 ,one belief among theologians is that the ,devil fell through ,envy2 when he knew for what ,god had created man1 he was filled with jealousy of man1 and therefore revolted4 ,as charity is the greatest of virtues1 and sweetens and glorifies the whole life1 and is that virtue most near to ,christ1 so is ,envy the greatest of vices1 souring and darkening the whole life1 and bringing most into likeness to the ,devil4 ,illustration ,sixth ,saturday in ,lent4 ,,gluttony4 #a4 ,gluttony is the vice of greedy love of eating and drinking beyond measure4 ,if it be a love of eating too much it is greediness2 if a love of eating and drinking only choice and palatable things1 then it is daintiness4 ,now ,god requires us to eat and drink what is necessary for our life and health1 and ,he gives to us a sensation of pleasure in eating and drinking in order to encourage us to eat and drink what is good and healthful4 ,gluttony is the opposite vice to the virtue of temperance4 ,some people are particular not to drink fermented liquors1 but gorge themselves with food4 ,they are quite as guilty of excess in one way as those who drink beyond measure4 ,the gifts of ,god are bestowed to be used1 and used in moderation4 ,to despise and reject any gift of ,god as in itself bad is to sin against ,god4 ,so ,s4 ,paul speaks of those who forbad meats1 and so nowadays some intemperate advocates of temperance forbid all fermented liquors as in themselves bad4 ,sin does not exist in eating and drinking1 but in eating and drinking immoderately4 #b4 ,there is sin when 7a7 one eats and drinks in excess of what nature requires1 merely for the sake of the pleasure of eating and drinking4 7b7 ,one eats or drinks with daintiness1 picking and choosing1 and disparaging food or drink if it be not quite what suits our pampered tastes4 7c7 ,one spends too much time1 or thought1 or money1 over food and drink4 7d7 ,one disorders the health1 and confuses the mind1 through overmuch eating and drinking4 #c4 ,there is a virtue in self-denial in eating and drinking4 ,our ,lord ,himself exhorts to fasting 7,matt4 vi4 #af71 and ,himself set us the example to fast4 ,it must1 however1 never be done to excess1 so as to injure the health4 ,and as it is well to abstain from food1 so is it well to abstain from intoxicating drinks1 if done merely as an act of self-denial1 and to avoid scandal4 #d4 ,gluttony or ,drunkenness is the fruitful mother of several evil children4 7a7 ,the degradation of the superior faculties1 which are weakened by surfeiting and drunkenness4 ,the mind is abased1 and the soul smothered by excessive eating and drinking4 7b7 ,forgetfulness of ,salvation4 ,the soul becomes so lost in the grossness of the life led by the glutton1 and the gourmand1 and the drunkard1 that it does not care for the things of the life to come4 7c7 ,laxity of ,morals4 ,when the thoughts are given up to pampering the animal man in one particular1 the power to resist temptation to indulge the animal appetites in other particulars is weakened1 if not lost4 7d7 ,passion4 ,the glutton and the drunkard are liable to give way to explosions of rage and anger1 to quarrels and discords4 ,self-restraint being sacrificed in one quarter is lost in another4 ,palm ,sunday4 ,,anger4 #a4 ,anger is an agitation of the heart against persons or things that displease us1 impelling us to reject them and injure them4 ,it urges us to avenge ourselves on them for the wrong they have done1 or that we imagine they have done to us4 ,anger is not necessarily in itself sinful4 ,it is legitimate when it is just1 when the feeling is moderate1 when the desire of punishment is proportioned to the offence1 and when it is soon passed4 ,it is sinful when it is unjust1 excessive1 vengeful1 and lasting4 ,we feel angry when we see a wrong done1 the weak oppressed1 the truth spoken against1 religion mocked4 ,such a feeling is right1 it is righteous zeal4 ,but ,anger must not be allowed to get the dominion over us4 ,that is what the ,apostle says when he bids us1 ,be ye angry1 and sin not4 #b4 ,anger is criminal in its object1 when it seeks vengeance on a person for a wrong he has not really done1 or in excess of his deserts4 ,anger is criminal in its means1 when it goes about to avenge a wrong by some illicit means1 as by slander1 by bringing hurt upon the person who has given the offence in a secret1 underhand way4 ,anger is criminal in its motive1 when it pursues the offender remorselessly1 even though he deserves punishment4 ,anger is criminal in its motions1 if they be allowed to pass the bounds of moderation1 and obscure the judgment1 that is to say1 if it become a blazing passion4 ,anger is criminal in its expression1 when it impels to extravagant1 insulting1 false words1 or violent acts4 #c4 ,let us now return to the consideration of the four qualities of ,anger that justify or condemn it4 7a7 ,it is sinful if it be unjust1 and lawful if just4 ,we must1 therefore1 be very careful not to allow our eyes to be blinded by passion so as to judge wrongfully4 ,we are very liable to mistake1 and may suppose a thing is done against us intentionally1 when it has been done accidentally4 ,we must1 therefore1 not be impulsive in our ,anger4 7b7 ,it is sinful when excessive4 ,we must not give way to the feeling of ,anger1 so as to allow it to grow out of indignation at the sense of wrong done into a hot personal passion that1 like a whirlwind1 will sweep us away with it4 7c7 ,it is sinful when vengeful4 ,god says1 ,vengeance is mine1 ,i will repay4 ,we must seek only the redress of the wrong1 not the injury of the wrong doer4 ,we must seek his good1 not his hurt1 in the exercise of punishment4 ,that makes all the difference between retribution and revenge4 7d7 ,it is sinful when lasting4 ,let not the sun go down on your wrath1 is ,s4 ,paul's rule4 ,if we bear anger and malice in the heart1 the longer we harbour it the more unreasonable it grows4 ,anger must be soon over1 ready to die out at once when the opportunity presents itself for forgiveness4 ,monday in ,holy ,week4 ,,sloth4 #a4 ,sloth is that love of indolence1 or dislike to exertion1 which induces man to neglect his duties4 ,the will is given to man as a determining faculty to impel him to action in the right course1 and to hold him back from activity in the wrong direction4 ,sloth is that inertness which holds back the will from forming a determination1 and therefore usually holds man back from fulfilling his duties4 ,it may hold him back from doing what is wrong1 and so may be of a negative advantage1 and yet it so saps the life of the will as to make it incapable of doing any good1 that it would in some cases be better in the end for a man to have chosen what is wrong1 and to have repented1 than to have remained inert in the presence of a question set before him to decide upon4 ,it cannot be sufficiently impressed on ,christians that they have positive duties1 that they are not called on to be a kind of moral jelly-fish1 but to a life of activity1 and of activity healthy and well-directed4 ,it is in order that they may live this life of healthy1 well-directed activity1 that ,conscience is given them4 ,nor can any man shirk his duties without mortal sin1 for he is going contrary to the ,will of ,god1 and frustrating the intention of ,god in sending him into the world4 ,there is a place for every man1 there is work for every man1 a line for every man to walk along1 and ,conscience to direct1 and will to determine1 are given to every man to enable him to take his place1 do his work1 follow his course4 ,he may take the wrong place1 do the wrong work1 and follow the wrong road1 and he sins when he so does4 ,but he also sins1 and sins quite as gravely1 when he refuses through indolence to take his proper place1 and fulfil his predestined duties4 #b4 ,every man has faculties of some sort1 and for some end4 ,he has intellectual powers1 manual dexterity1 a sensitive eye or ear1 and so on1 and it is the duty of every man to come early and clearly to a perception of what his special abilities are1 and then to cultivate them to his utmost4 ,so is he fulfilling ,god's will4 ,but if he says1 ,i am a man of private means1 there is no occasion for me to exert my intellect to acquire knowledge1 to work at painting1 study music1 follow mechanics1 and so he does not develop his natural gift1 he sins against ,god1 he is wasting his talent1 through sloth4 ,again1 no man is justified in half doing what he is set to do4 ,a good many men and women are content to obtain a smattering of knowledge1 and to dabble in the fine arts1 to trifle with science1 merely so as to be able to chatter in society about these things4 ,but if anyone has a faculty enabling him to do anything2 if anyone has a task set him to do1 he must do it thoroughly2 do it as unto the ,lord1 and not unto men4 ,the servant must not half do his work1 the tradesman leave the article he turns out unfinished off1 nor the man of culture be content with a smattering of knowledge4 ,all must alike make full exercise of their talents4 ,what their hands or minds find to do1 they must do well1 or they sin through the vice of sloth4 #c4 ,sloth is hateful to ,god4 ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven suffereth violence1 said ,christ4 ,the violent1 i4e41 the active1 take it by storm4 ,the unprofitable servant is condemned because he did not put his talent to usury4 ,the barren fig-tree was cursed because it produced no fruit4 #d4 ,sloth is the fruitful mother of vicious children4 7a7 ,indolence1 and loss of time1 and for the use of our time we must give account4 7b7 ,cowardice1 which makes us shrink from doing what is right because we fear it will give us trouble or inconvenience4 7c7 ,inconstancy1 which is the changing about from one course to another1 to avoid present discomfort1 instead of acting directly in accordance with the principle4 7d7 ,deadness of heart to ,god's calls4 ,illustration ,tuesday in ,holy ,week4 ,,the ,,sacrifice ,,for ,,sin4 #a4 ,we have considered ,conscience as the faculty by which we discern between ,good and ,evil1 and then have considered ,sin itself4 ,now we will briefly turn our attention to the ,sacrifice offered by ,christ in expiation for the ,sins of the ,world4 ,if ,christ had not come to release us of the guilt of sin1 and to strengthen us to overcome the weakness produced by sin1 we could have no hope of salvation4 #b4 ,it is not a matter on which we will tarry1 to ask1 ,why it is so1 but we will accept the fact that by ,god's ,will1 transgression of ,his ,commandment carries with it guilt1 and can only be expiated by suffering4 ,that it should carry with it guilt is indeed not a matter to perplex us1 for guilt is the sense of transgression and the privation or stain that attends it1 together with the sense of alienation from ,god4 ,but that sin can only be expiated by suffering1 is a law of ,god concerning which we will not now argue1 but accept it4 ,we see that a sense of sin has ever impressed on mankind consciousness of guilt before ,god1 and a conviction that only through suffering could that guilt be done away4 ,the ,,sacrifices inexplicable in themselves and even absurd1 find their signification in the consciousness of guilt3 men felt that they were alienated from ,god1 sinful before ,god1 and they sought by ,sacrifice1 i4e41 by suffering1 to atone for their guilt4 ,the idea of ,sacrifice contained in it these elements3 7a7 ,it must be one of blood4 ,suffering and the shedding of blood was considered expiatory4 ,without shedding of blood was no remission4 7,heb4 ix4 #bb47 7b7 ,it must be either a human sacrifice1 or it must be the sacrifice of that which was most useful1 essential to man3 not of a wild beast1 for instance1 but of a tame beast of domestic utility4 7c7 ,it must be innocent and pure1 without defect or spot4 ,it was sometimes the first-born lamb or calf4 7d7 ,it must be1 if possible1 voluntary4 ,a ,sacrifice was thought to lose half its efficacy unless it were a free-will offering4 ,among ,greeks and ,romans1 water was poured into the ears of oxen brought to sacrifice1 to make them nod their heads1 and so give an appearance of consent to their death4 7e7 ,it must be in part consumed by the fire1 in part by the offerer4 ,the fire was the symbol of ,god accepting2 the participation in the sacrifice showed the man who offered that he received the benefits of the ,sacrifice4 #c4 ,sacrifice was not only expiatory1 but it was also vicarious2 that is to say1 from the beginning man saw that the innocent might die for the guilty4 ,now this could only be so seen because indistinctly the human ,conscience looked to the ,one ,sinless ,victim ,who would by ,his ,sacrifice of ,himself1 put away the sins of the world4 ,but for this it would have been unreasonable4 ,it was1 however1 an universal belief that the just might suffer for the unjust1 the blameless for the guilty1 and that was why the sacrificer sought out the spotless victim as the victim4 ,this belief also was the occasion of numerous sublime heroic acts of self-devotion in the heathen world1 when one man offered himself for the fault of all the people3 as when ,codrus died for his people1 ,curtius plunged into the gulf in the ,forum1 ,decius offered his breast to the weapons of his enemies4 ,it was this belief which caused sacrifices to be multiplied1 and yet it was certain that these numerous sacrifices never really took away the sense of guilt that weighed on mankind4 ,the law1 having the shadow of good things to come1 and not the very image 7i4e41 reality7 of the things1 can never with these sacrifices which they offered year by year continually1 make the comers thereunto perfect4 ,for then would they not have ceased to be offered1 because that the worshippers once purged should have no more conscience of sin4 ,but in those sacrifices there is a remembrance 7or recapitulation7 again made of sins every year4 ,for it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins4 7,heb4 x4 #a-d47 ,illustration ,wednesday in ,holy ,week4 ,,the ,,sacrifice ,,of ,,christ4 #a4 ,as the sin of the world was infinite1 it was not possible that any sacrifice that man could offer could put away the guilt of sin4 ,therefore our ,lord ,jesus ,christ came down from ,heaven to make a full1 perfect1 and sufficient ,sacrifice for sin4 ,he died the ,just for the unjust1 the ,sinless for the guilty1 to reconcile us to ,god by the taking away of the guilt of our transgression4 #b4 ,christ sacrificed for this purpose everything that ,he had1 withholding nothing1 so that the oblation might be complete4 ,in the ,garden of ,olives ,he yielded up ,his ,soul to sorrow even unto death1 feeling the natural shrinking from death2 endured the revulsion and loathing that accompanied the sense of the vileness and hatefulness of the sins ,he took upon ,him2 and by the sense of pain that the presence of sin brings on the soul4 ,he suffered the bereavement of friends1 their cowardice and desertion2 the betrayal by ,judas1 the denial by ,peter4 ,he suffered the privation of ,his liberty1 for ,he was made fast1 and was dragged away by the soldiers and servants4 ,before ,his judges ,he suffered in ,his honour4 ,he was buffetted and mocked1 and smitten in the face1 and spit upon1 and exposed to the multitude as a criminal4 ,he suffered in ,his reputation4 ,the robber1 ,barabbas1 was chosen in ,his place4 ,he was publicly condemned as a criminal4 ,he was made to bear ,his ,cross1 and was crucified between two thieves4 ,he suffered in ,his ,body4 ,he was scourged4 ,he was crowned with thorns1 and then smitten over the head4 ,he was tormented by the driving of the nails through ,his hands and feet4 ,he was tortured by suspension on the ,cross2 by thirst and fever4 ,he was despoiled of ,his garments1 and exposed in nakedness to the derision of ,his enemies4 ,he was deprived of the succour of ,his mother1 and of ,his faithful friends in the agony of death4 ,finally1 ,he gave up ,his life1 when ,he had suffered in every way ,he could suffer1 and with a loud cry died4 #c4 ,our ,lord ,jesus ,christ on the ,cross by ,his suffering expiated our guilt4 ,our ,lord ,jesus ,christ on the ,cross died as a vicarious sacrifice for us4 ,illustration ,thursday in ,holy ,week4 ,,the ,,effects ,,of ,,christ',s ,,sacrifice4 ,we will consider ,christ's ,sacrifice in its relation to ,god and in its relation to man4 #a4 ,in relation to ,god1 it was a full and sufficient sacrifice satisfying the ,divine ,justice4 ,a satisfaction is1 in general1 the voluntary reparation made to one who has been injured or wronged4 ,it may be equivalent to the wrong1 when the reparation is equal in degree to the offence4 ,it may be suitable when it is proportioned to the powers of him who offers the atonement4 ,the satisfaction due to ,god from man could never have been equivalent to the injury or wrong done2 therefore ,christ made atonement1 and ,his ,sacrifice is equivalent1 for it is in proportion to the offence2 as the offence is infinitely great1 so is ,his satisfaction infinite in its greatness4 ,an offence is more or less grave according to the exaltation of the person offended4 ,and an expiation is more or less full and perfect according to the dignity of the person who offers expiation4 ,now ,god was offended by man's sin2 and it is the ,god-,man ,who makes atonement for that sin4 ,the distance between ,god and man was so great that no man could possibly1 even measurably1 have approached ,god and made satisfaction for his grave offence4 ,moreover1 the sum of offences was so great that nothing in the world could atone for it4 #b4 ,our ,lord ,jesus ,christ by ,his ,sacrifice for sins became our ,expiation4 ,when ,he cometh into the world1 ,he saith1 ,sacrifice and offering ,thou wouldest not1 but a ,body hast ,thou prepared ,me4 ,in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin ,thou hast no pleasure3 ,then said ,i1 ,lo1 ,i come to do ,thy ,will 7to make a free-will offering71 ,o ,god4 ,above when ,he said1 ,sacrifice and offering 444 ,thou wouldest not 444 which was offered by the ,law2 then said ,i1 ,lo1 ,i come to do ,thy ,will 7to make a free-will offering71 ,o ,god4 ,he taketh away the first 7the symbolic ,sacrifice7 that ,he may establish the second 7the full1 perfect1 free-will ,sacrifice of ,christ74 7,heb4 x4 #e-i47 ,he became our ,substitute4 ,christ hath once suffered for sins1 the just for the unjust1 that ,he might bring us to ,god4 7#a ,pet4 iii4 #ah47 ,blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us--,he took it out of the way1 nailing it to ,his ,cross4 7,col4 i4 #ad47 ,he became our ,redemption4 ,ye were not redeemed with corruptible things1 as silver and gold--but with the precious blood of ,christ1 as of a lamb without blemish and without spot4 7#a ,pet4 i4 #ah1 #ai47 #c4 ,thus we see that ,christ1 by ,his full and voluntary ,sacrifice of ,himself1 by ,his incomparable sufferings and death1 made atonement to ,god for the transgressions we had committed against ,him1 thus removing the barrier that stood between the just and righteous ,god and man4 ,that ,he suffered in our place2 a vicarious victim enduring the wrath of ,god1 and the pains due to us for our transgression of ,god's law4 ,and that ,he paid the price whereby we were bought back out of servitude to evil1 and set at liberty to serve ,god in freedom4 ,illustration ,good ,friday4 ,,the ,,effects ,,of ,,the ,,passion4 7,,continued47 #a4 ,the satisfaction offered by our ,lord ,jesus ,christ was perfect4 ,his offering was a free will one4 ,he came down from ,heaven to redeem men4 ,therefore doth ,my ,father love ,me1 because ,i lay down ,my life that ,i might take it again4 ,no man taketh it from ,me1 but ,i lay it down of ,myself4 ,i have power to lay it down1 and ,i have power to take it again4 7,john x4 #ag1 #ah47 ,although ,his human will recoiled from the prospect of humiliation and death1 yet ,he submitted it to the ,divine ,will1 ,not ,mine1 but ,thine be done4 ,it was complete1 and fulfilled all the requirements of justice4 ,none but ,god ,himself could offer a complete and perfect atonement for the mass of transgressions committed against ,god4 #b4 ,by ,his ,sacrifice for sin1 our ,lord ,jesus ,christ has redeemed us from sin1 taken away from us the stain of sin4 ,jesus ,christ 444 ,who loved us1 and washed us from our sins in ,his own blood4 7,rev4 i4 #e47 ,consequently our sins are no more imputed to us4 ,they have been cancelled4 ,we are no more under wrath1 but are children of ,god4 ,he has delivered us from the power of sin4 ,he that committeth sin is the servant of sin4 7,john viii4 #cd47 ,he has delivered us from the power of sin4 ,sin hath no more dominion over us4 ,we are no longer under sin1 but under grace4 ,by nature we were in bondage to ,satan1 who held men in hard servitude1 with no power of escape from it1 but by ,christ's redemption we have been brought out of the ,egypt of bondage1 and set in the glorious liberty of the children of ,god4 ,we are1 as ,s4 ,paul says1 made free from sin4 ,we are1 by the merits of ,christ's atonement1 placed in the same position in which ,adam was before he fell4 ,and if we fall after we have been placed in a state of grace1 we fall by our own fault4 ,he has delivered us from the chastisement due for our sins4 ,all sin entails punishment4 ,but ,christ has not only taken from us the guilt of sin1 but also to a large extent the suffering due as a penalty for sin4 ,not indeed wholly1 as it is necessary for our education that we should still feel pain if we transgress a law1 but ,he has removed all save what is necessary for our discipline4 ,sin indeed deserved eternal separation from ,god1 as it was an alienation from ,god1 it must have led further and further away from ,him into outer darkness and eternal death4 ,but ,christ has delivered us from this4 ,he is always ready to restore us to our former position in the way of salvation4 #c4 ,by the ,sacrifice of ,christ's death1 the expiation is universal4 ,that is to say1 ,christ made atonement for the sins of the whole world4 ,he did all that was necessary to redeem the souls of those already dead1 of those then alive1 but also of all those who should live in ages to come4 ,he did not die for the ,jews only1 or for the ,gentiles only1 or for only a few elect1 but for all mankind1 that all mankind might be saved4 ,how is it then that some are lost8 ,it is because all will not accept ,his redemption2 they refuse the benefits ,he offers1 reject ,his precious blood1 and will have nothing to do with ,his salvation4 ,brought1 may be1 out of darkness into light1 they go back into thraldom to the ,evil ,one1 trample on ,god's mercy1 and wilfully resist ,him4 ,grace and pardon are offered to all1 but all will not receive4 ,no man1 not even the heathen1 is lost eternally1 except by wilful opposition to what he knows to be the truth4 ,some may have little light1 others have more1 but whosoever will follow his light as far as it shines1 he will not have his shortcomings imputed to him1 but through the abounding mercy and merits of ,jesus ,christ will be saved4 ,illustration ,easter ,eve4 ,,the ,,application ,,of ,,the ,,sacrifice ,,of ,,christ4 #a4 ,having seen how ,christ made a full1 perfect1 and sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the whole world1 we will now see how we can apply the merits of ,his ,sacrifice to our own souls1 to cleanse them from dead works1 and to strengthen them for obedience in ,his service4 #b4 ,the atoning blood of ,christ is applied in the ,sacraments4 ,first1 in the ,sacrament of ,baptism the blood of ,christ is the efficient cause of the neophyte passing out of the bondage of ,satan into the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,by that blood we obtain remission of original sin4 ,but we sin after ,baptism4 ,how is past baptismal sin to be effaced8 7a7 ,there must be a right disposition on our part4 ,we must come to a knowledge of our sinful state2 then we must bitterly grieve over our transgression1 and we must then resolve not to sin again2 in other words1 knowing our sin we must acknowledge it1 be contrite1 and have full purpose of amendment4 ,these three elements go to make up true repentance4 ,and without true repentance there can be no pardon accorded us4 7b7 ,when there is this right disposition1 then we must plead the ,sacrifice of ,christ's death4 ,this we do in the way ,christ ,himself appointed1 by the oblation of the ,holy ,eucharist4 ,in this we show forth the ,lord's death till ,he come4 ,in this we offer up before ,god the atoning blood of ,christ in expiation for our offences4 ,then we go before the ,throne of the ,eternal ,father1 and righteous ,judge2 we show that we are ourselves in the right disposition1 i4e41 truly repentant1 we acknowledge our offences1 show ,him that we bewail them1 earnestly entreat for grace to amend1 and then plead that all-prevailing ,sacrifice1 through which alone our repentance can be accepted4 7c7 ,but all prayer is an echo of the great ,eucharistic ,sacrifice1 for all prayer is offered through the name1 the merits1 and mediation of ,jesus ,christ4 ,prayer is availing1 because we have access to the ,father through ,christ4 #c4 ,the ,sacrifice of ,christ obtains for us strength1 and this is distributed to us in the ,sacraments4 ,at the ,lord's table we are strengthened and refreshed with the ,body and ,blood of ,christ1 enabled through ,him to resist temptation1 overcome natural weakness1 grow strong in ,his grace1 and attain to the likeness of ,christ4 ,we should have no help from above were it not that ,christ has won it for us by ,his ,sacrifice4 ,thus through ,jesus ,christ1 we who were sometime aliens are brought nigh to ,god1 made the children of ,god1 and perfected unto the ,day of the ,lord4 ,illustration 99 99 99 99 99 ,transcriber's ,notes3 ,italic text is denoted by underscores4 ,the illustrations indicated at the end of each chapter are small1 black ,maltese-style crosses4 ,obvious printer's errors corrected4 ,every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible1 including obsolete and variant spellings1 inconsistent hyphenation1 unclear grammatical usage1 and other inconsistencies4