The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-03-07
PULPIT EDITORIALS.
Church. Chicago. Presiding the Usual
Sermon. Sunday. March o, 1904
THE OBSERVATION OF LENT.
copyright. 1881

even. Victor and Irenaeus In the second
mention period OF fasting and praye
as a preparation for Easter as beinl
In vogue among many churches In thei
day. Laws enforcing what was once
voluntary exercise were afterward
passed and the season became a fixtur
in ecclesiastical life. Today 1t is no
only kept by Catholics but by tn,
Church OF England and it's daughter
the Protestant Episcopal church of tn,
United States, and also by many non
Episcopal Enthusiastically the
Lutheran-in Europe, and II seems e
be coming more into favor in Americs
among all churches.
Mans a pendulum that escapes from
one extreme only TO fly to the opposite
| Revolving from the Roman church the
tendency among Protestants has beer
to go even TO plainness, confusion and
ugliness to emphasize their separation
| from the old faith with its elaborate
| ritual and routine. The heat Of con-
| troversial days is dying out. Catho-
lie and anti-Catholic are beginning to
| look at one another in the clarified air
| or modern freedom and to recognize the
good in each other as we'll as to find
fault. The old church Is continuously
opening her doors to the ideas of democ-
racy while the Protestant denomina-
tions are taking up again some of that
lofty ritual and order they once threw
away so holly. In the presence of ma
terialism, the common foe, all spir-
itual organizations are seeking closer
union. And it seems to me that IT.
Soma modified form T doy n
most convenient and tender opportun-
ity for all who name the name Of our
Lord to reach out for a friendly hand
clasp of sympathy, even though the
days of unity of action be not yet. be-
cause of the hardness of our hearts.
Remembering the sufferings Of Him
whose groanings reused the conscience
Of all the earth let us for a space for
get our petty differences in contempla-
ton of our vital oneness In Him.
Whatever may be our ceremonies of
this season the true Lent consists In
three things, routine. self-denial and
quiet. And no other people so much
as Americans, and no other age so
much as our own, need these 80 en-
phatically. Laying such stress upon
the value Of genuineness and spontane-
ity in our emotions we are apt to
despise those feelings which appear at
stated times and by rule. Let us love
and pray, we say, only when we feel
moved to II. But we forget that IL we
are to have permanent emotions there
must be permanent channels Of habit
for them to run in. Acting only by i'm
pulse our heart-life will be fitful; act
ing by principle 1t will be rich and deep.
Routine If properly used tends to de-
velop real sensibility and not to destroy
1t. Our public worship is none the less
earnest because II comes regularly the
seventh day. Our prayers need not be
perfunctory because they rise with the
opening and closing of the day. In
fact our sentiments, spontaneous as
they be, are quite as much the creatures
OF habit as are our words and deeds.
The Creator intended men to form
righteous habits for they are the only
means fully capable of counteracting
evil habits. AS the drunkard feels the
lash of desire when the usual time for
his dram approaches, so the Christian
sings:
I'm seasons of distress and grief
My soul has often found relief,
And oft escaped the tempter's snare
BY thy return, sweet hour of prayer"
Man lives by rule, his days are meas
ured by the mathematic sun and his
years by the regular seasons; so also
there is force in the gentle coercion Of
"The Christian Year" with its recurring
festivals and holy days. Such regula-
ton is not an attempt to substitute out
ward ceremony for inward sentiment.
but II Is an endeavor to sink deep river
beds in the life through which that SEN
timent may flow, and lake reservoirs
that may retain 1t. There Is something,
too, in a general keeping of religious
season by all Christians that is pecul-
iarly helpful, just as the Fourth Of July
increases the patriotic feeling Of all by
mutual participation.
The keynote Of the Lenten season is
self-denial. How we shall practice
that Is immateral If so be we act
genuinely and not as hypocrites. The
great, dominating force of all sin, any
kind of sin, is self; the distinguishing
trait of the Christian Is unselfishness
But self is so subtle that 1t has crept
into much that is called religion; and
of all the grotesque caricatures the
worst are selfish churches, preachers,
Christians, prayers and charities. IT'S
the supreme craft of the evil one that
he can make even these things sordid
We keep Lent in deed and in truth when
we pray not for self but for others,
when we fast not to get credit for IL
in heaven but to render our selfish de-
sires less dominant, when we forego
our accustomed pastimes not to be in
style but that we may take the time
to help those In need, when we put the
bit in the mouth of all our ambitions
and pleasures not from ascetic pride but
that other lives may blossom with Joy
because ours lie fallow in grief.
There Is no virtue the American peo-
pie stand so sorely in need of as this.
We are born Incorporate. The wines
and brews OF the ancients we have filed
with poisons to produce quick intoxica-
ton. Our very atmosphere is cham
payne, our business and social life is
charged with stimulant We are rest
less, impatient, burning up like quick
tll.A "a ~