The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-03-23
F 0RT DAYS.
~ a4 ss 9s5ss3
The Origin Of Lent and its
Purpose. ,
How the Ancient Festival is
Kept, and Why.

AS early as the second century. and
probably IN the apostolic age. the three
festivals now known as Good FRIDAY.
Easter aud Whit Sunday, were annually
celebrated In commemoration of the death
and resurrection of Christ and of the out
pouring OF the holy spirit. In the coutro
versies OF the second century distinct men.
ton is made of period of fasting that
preceded the Easter festival. The dura
ton OF this preparatory fasting period has
varied much in different ages and coun
tries. But it seems pretty certain that it
was originally limited to the time inter
| vening between the anniversary ofChrist's
death and the ensuing Lords day. and
embraced a fast of forty hours. which
was afterwards, by invocations of
usage and ecclesiastical sanction. ex
tended to period of forty days. Before
the fourth century. the forty days before
Easter had come to be observed in fasting
and prayer, Sundays and Thursdays ex.
cepted, and the present mode of reckoning
was sanctioned and fixed at the end of the
sixth century By Gregory the Great. This
extension of the original forty hours fast 10
one of forty days seems to have for its
Scriptural basis our Lords period of forty
days temptation in the wilderness
The present lenten season is then an
ecclesiastical institution having for it's
basis an ancient and perhaps apostolic
usage which would comm end itself to oil
Christians. The present usage dates back
| as early as the fourth century, and perhaps
| earlier.
There can be no doubt that the
primary purpose of this fasting period
was TO commemorate the sorrow of the
Disciples while Jesus lay in the tomb, and
20 InLro ha afF
penitential sorrow for sin. AS Friday was
weekly observed in fasting and prayer, so
the natural prelude to the Easter joy at
Christ's resurrection would be minor
strain of sadness ia reviewing the suffer
ings and death of Christ. Thus the Dis
cipes aimed 10 enter into closer fellow
ship with Christ's sufferings They lived
over again. year by year, those weary.
dreadful days of desolation, that they
might the more fully and s~eetly enter
into the Easter Joy and triumph. No
other time could be more suitable for pur-
poses of humiliation. meditation, peni
tence and prayer, as that which was as
ISOLATED with the fact of Christ's death
for the si4 of mankind. 1t is not of arbit-
rary appointment. 1t does not stand IN
| related to some adequate cause of fasting.
1t emanatcs from no secular authority. 1t
rests upon no mere custom. 1t has it's
sufficient reasons in an i'm meoiate relation
TO the suffering and death of Christ. 1t
has the same kind of internal justification
and historic warrant that the Lords day
has. considered as a festival OF resurreo-
ton 1t appointed itssif, SO TO speak, at
the ontset. 1t annually Announces Itself.
It is haIlowed by the usages of centuries,
We speak now of the fast as it originally
stood for the period of few DAYS precaa-
ing Easter.
The obstacles in the way Of securing the
universal observance of the Lenten season
IS IL now exists consists partly in the
traditional prtjgdices of several Pro
tastant communions, and partly in
the fact that the dissenting churches re-
gard forty days iasr as ar bitrarily extend
ed and without sufficient Seriptural war
rant. Our Lords season of ten tation in
the wilderness seems to be somewhat
violently assumed as basis for it. What
is Known IS Holy Week would probably
commend itself for observance to all eom
munities after little while.
Bat il is deserving of consideration
that for fifteen centuries or more. the
great majority of the Christian church has
observed forty days Lenten season.
There is wider consent in its observance
now, and better observance, too, than
ever before. 1t furnishes the most natur-
al and conve nient occasion for Universal
season of humiliation and prayer. calling
attention to facts of supreme and pernan-
ent importance, and grouping II Chris
tiaBs in prayer about the ever attractive
cross.
It would be easy to satiriza the manner
in which many jealous persons observe
Lent. There is an odor of the kitchen 10
suDdry regulations issued By ecclesiastical
authorities. The precipitous descent from
the brilliant gaieties that precede Ash
Wednesday, to the gioo.1 aud asceiicism
OF Ash Wednesday itself, and the sudden
emereenee of society from the peDitential
garb and gloom of Holy Week into all the
bright Towering dress and exuherant hill
arity of EasteT-tide. may seem q little IN
reaI-but one might perhaps note sini-
lar unreality in the way that Sunday is
introduced by Saturday nights OF excess,
aud followed By Monday mornings of
wordliness. The old New England PRO
traeted meetings we're only Puritanic
way of making a Lenten season. The
Congregational preparatory lectures"
were originally the outgrowths of Lent.
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