The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-02-22
THE OBSERVANCE or LEyy.
Abstract of n Sermon Preached, Last srnd.x
by Rev. A. N. l. evils ON the Theme of In a
"Uaily Cross"

by Rev. a. N. L. evils ON the Thetne of tI,a
"Daily Cross"
Some of our readers having expressed n
desire 20 see Rev. Mr.. Lewis sermon az last
SUNDAY ~ print we give portion OF It be-
low: q" III any man will come after me
let him deny himself, and take up bis cross
daily, and follow me-" Luke IN. "a
To come after " Christ is to follow in
his footsteps, that Is, to live az he would
have lived IL he had been placed in
our circumstances, We are to bear onr
daily trials, our crosses and our adversities
AZ he would have borne them, IL he were in
our places.
It is said that the preaching in the Church
of England pulpits during the seventeenth
and eighteenth centuries had no more ef-
feet upon the lives OF the people than the
signing OF the winter winds upon the homes
In the burying-ground! This may be nut,
ting II too strong; but Is it not true that
preaching should teach men how TO liver
Ought It not TO show them what Christ
would do IL he had goods or crops to sell.
and horses to drive?
think that much OF the preaching of to-
day paints the religious life In too rosv huas
Because our Lord said, "Cone unto mo and
| will give you rest" many Christians seern
to believe that the church Is only a resting.
place. Because the Wise Man declares that
Wisdom's ways are ways Of pleasantness +"
many lit we may judge from their lives) are
interpreting" pleasautness " az SYNONYMOUS
ingly.
L have no doubt that some of you think
that 1 clothe religion with forbiddiug
and melancholy aspect" That is not m9
fault ito use the words of anotherl-I cannot
help it. I deliver the message az have re-
ceived It. / have not made the Christian
life as holy, nor as difficult as that Book
makes II. have not set up an ideal Of INV
own. have taken his description who
used the language OF the text
Here does anV one ask. " HOw can arcb a
rough and rugged road be way OF pleas
antnessY must acknowledge 1 cannot
give you satisfactory answer. How do
you see2" said blind girl to me once
was obliged to answer, =" cannot tell YOU"
1t is impossible to explain to one who has
never tried cross-bearing and sef-deuial
how they bring rest and pleasantness to the
soul. AS Philip said to Nathaniel, "Come
and see.'
We have entered dear brethren. upon
the Lenten fast. We have prayed, Be ia
vOrable, o Lord, to thy people, who turn to
thee with weeping fasting and praying"
| we may have wept, we may have prayed
nut | doubt whether many of us have
tasted. Indeed | doubt if many Protest
ants fast from Ash-W ednesday to Easter.
The Roman church, every year, sets forth
! her rules for fasting during Lent, prescrib-
| ing what may and what may not be eaten.
Our own church points out our Savior's
| fasting, and commands us to fast but she
has not told us what fasting is and prob
ably most churchmen practically do not
know how TO fast. One says: Il never eat
| for my pleasure-I only eat TO live. How
can fast more at one time than another?
fast always" Another SAYS: Ct cannot
fast without getting sick. If go without
eating shall break down" Another saws:
g cannot see the merit or the use of fast
ing: God ordained that we should live by
eating. Why, then, should not eat?"
| What is fasfing9 In its literal sense, it is
abstaining from food and drink for whole
| day or mere. In the church's sense dit il
the bringing our minds into the habit OF
voluntarily giving up something that il
pleasant to us, for Christ's sake and the
habit of self denial"
| The church has commanded us TO fast
but she does not say hoo or in 1hdt She
leaves all that to each ones judgment and
conscience. All that she has ever said upon
the subject is found in the fore part of the
| PRAYER book, under the heading, " A Table
OF Fasts." or these she mentions two
Ash Wednesday and Good-Friday. Then
follow these words: "Other days of fasting
on which the church requires such a meas.
ure OF abstinence as is more especially
suited to extraordinary acts and exercises
Of devotion"
Under this head, Other DAYS of Fast
ing" she includes the following; The
| forty days OF Lent; the Ember days at the
| four seasons the three Rogation days, and
| pll 'ip a Alhdyh III NAlt year tACtUJ SuElSL-
mas day" But" says one, Does any
body, in our church, observe them? Afs
not these rules practically, a dead letter."
rms has nothing To do with the question.
Ii our Lord commanded US TO fast, unless
you can show that he has abrogated that
| command, IL is still binding upon all who
profess and call themselves Christians.
Fasting, in the church's sense, is absti-
| nence, not from food only, but from other
things: 1t is denying ourselves of luxures
III food and drink; it is giving up some OF
our time to Christ, in more frequent church
going, Bible study and prayer. It is inter
uniting for time, our card parties, dan
cling and theater-gong, to be present in " the
place where prayer is wont to be made"
There is another way, also, in which you
may fast, by giving up any evil passion, or
wicked habit. Lent is the time to fast from
quarrels and hates; or you may do little
acts of service, which you have not been
accustomed TO do. You may fast from ease.
The cross bearing which our Lord COM
mands in the text is not q Lenten. but
daily exercise. We are to "take up our
cross" daily. Every man has his own
cross, and ii is daily cross
1t was easier TO be martyr in the days
OF persecution, than it is TO be a true cross
bearing Christian in this pleasure loving
agel Your cross is " that peculiar difficulty
which you experience in doing and bearing
the will Of God" A hasty temper ieaI-
Gus disposition, distastefu trade or call
ing, an unhappy or ill-assoTted marriage
these are some OF the crosses we are called
upon to take up daily, and follow Christ"
To bring the matter home: Suppose there
was a social gathering in Nazareth at the
hour of the synagogue service; which would
Jesus have attended? He who is trying to
follow Christ f" will make some sacrifices,
IL need be, to attend the Lenten services.
II religious service and pessure-party
occur the same evening, he will not hesitate
which to attend. decent regard for the
usage and voice OF the church will lead
every COMMUNICATE to pay at least an out
ward respect to the proprieties OF this holy
season. know that this doctrine of fol
lowing Christ Is not popular. l know that
some OF you will go away, and ask, Who,
then, can be saved2" And God knows it
is about time some of us were asking this
question:
In some way or other-how it is not worth
inquiring-there has come to be an impress
sion, both within and without the church,
that being an Episcopalian, communicate
may live more carelessly and frivolously
than II he belonged to one of the Christian
denominations. There was never more
| mistaken ODiniOn. II Won will atudV thu