The Jersey City news., 1899-02-13
L[NT[N PASTORAL.
DIR. Stoddard Tells His Par
ishioners What They OBJ
serve and How They
5 Should DO It.

Lent stands first for truth.
The truth is that Christ has redeemed
the body. To do this he took a'body, and
lived life in which the body was found
in It's proper place. subordinate to the
mind and to the spirit.
In a truly normal man, the body with
it's tremendous demands, its imperions
needs and its overwhelming passions is
the foundation of the whole nature, the
necessary animal substratum over which
the rest of the man is built, but a trained
animal.
Over that, ruling it, ordering it wisely,
we should find in the normal man, the
mind the intellect with all its forces.
But intellect uncontrolled becomes way
ward lawless, tyrannical. Mere knowledge
begets pride uncurbed ambition hurries
on to oppression, unrestrained wit or skill
leads into temptation.
And, therefore over the intellect is
placed the spirit, of man, the, image of God
in man. that part of man. which, filed
with the grace of God. orders the unruly
wills and affections of the creature, guides
sanctif1es and conseerates the intellectual
and bodily powers. Il
We see such manhood ip Jesus. and SO
Lent stands for the ftruth[that Christ has
redeemed the body and placed it's powers
in their proper relation to the mind and
the spirit. In most of u.s. however. the
body or the mind is supreme, and hence
the sinful disorder which reigns in us and
through the world. Lent comes with
declaration that the mind should rule the
body and the spirit rule the mind.
Second Lent having stated this truth
proceeds to utter a command. Put the
body, mind and spirit, it says, into their
rightful places. To do this you must get
control of your body, you must bring
it under the dominion of your spirit, en-
lightened and guided by God. But to
do this you must discipline that body
refuse some of its demands, curb some of
its restless desires, teach it obedience.
This is, indeed. the life work of the
Christian, but as there are appointed
times and seasons for everything in this
world, lent is the appointed time when,
year after year, we are set at this task
But you are also to bring your mind into
its proper position. The powers of your
intellect are to be sanctified, ordered by
Gods grace and set to serve Him and
His child, your brother. Remember that
neither the powers of your mind nor
your body are for yourself alone. They
are in part given you in trust for the
benefit of the great family of which you
are member. Only the spirit OF God
within you can teach you to use these
powers Alright.
Therefore, in lent, not only bring your
body into subsection, but your mind. Seek
with the powers of that mind to know
God better, and that you may do this bet
ter, obey Him as you know.
We see little in this pastoral about
penitence, good deeds, money saving and
the like. Not that all these things are
not for Lent, but they are really included
in those greater things to which we have
called your attention today Let man
set about getting his body under control,
and he will soon find himself penitent that
it had been for so long out of control.
Let him ask that Gods grace and wis
dom may illuminate his mind, and he
will soon see many right things left un-
done and be moved to do them
So we leave you this with these two
thoughts.
Christ has redeemed the body; therefore
seek His grace that He may redeem
yours Lent is not a Church fad. 1t is
not an arbitrary device for getting people
to do for six weeks disagreeable things.
1t is not even a pious custom. Lent be-
came necessary for man as soon as the
Son of God became incarnate, and by His
life here showed what principle ought to
animate our lives.
In following Christ it was inevitable that
the Church should have developed Lent as
a part of the necessary education OF
Christians.
In other years we have suggested rules
for Lenten conduct-things to be begun
or abandoned. 1t is easy to be told what
to do and what not to do, but this year
suppose we settle this between ourselves
and God?
Let us ask Him to tell us what to do
and make our plans for Lent.
Is this freedom dangerous?
Yes, all freedom is dangerous; but only
through freedom can we develop men,
And, after all, the great aim of Christian
ity is to get men to live so near. to God
that He shall direct their lives in happi-
ness and freedom, because in those lives
they are serving Him.
Let this be our aim in the Lent of 1899