The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-02-18
UNITED LENlEN SERVICE.
ELOQUENT SERMON BY BISHOP BREWSTER.

spoke on Feelings and HsIpIsssnsss-
 The Grsatnsss of FAith-sIosives and
 Emotlons-A Thought for Lent
 "Rlght Action Promotes Right PeeI-
 ing"
 Yesterday. being Ash Wednesday, the first of the United Lenten services was held in Trinity church, at 7:45 last evening. The clergymen of the various Episcopal churches about the ctiy were present and took part in the services. The services consisted of the usual evening prayers and lessons, followed | by a splendid sermon delivered by the Right Rev. Chauncey Bunce Brewster, D. D., bishop of Connecticut Regard less of the cold weather, there was a large attendance, who listened with careful attention to the excellent dis course.
 Bishop Brewster took for his text the ninth chapter of St. Matthew, and sixth verse. Then saith He to the sick of the palsy. Arise. take up thy bed, and go unto thine house." The speaker re- ferred to the critical condition in which the sick man was and said that the command which came to him was about the last thing he felt like doing in his illness. He, however. felt the wish to be healed. He looked in his utter help less towards Christ as the Good Phy- sician and expected Him to do it all. It was an unexpected order to the suf- ferer, who was utterly devoid of the sense Of power which a healthy man has. Without any sense of feeling prompting him, except that of faith, came the command to walk.
 This epoch in our Lords life teaches us a practical lesson, the feeling for duty. The feeling of faith bridges many deep canyon, which abound in the paths of life and carries man success fully over. Emotions must be sponta- neous and not summoned at command; without volition other than self-volition. If they are marshaled out, they are ar tificial and not spontaneous.
 The speaker then referred to self-con- scientiousness, referring to this as a l transition or second state of having lost naturalness and resulting in morbid lf-conscientiousness.
 He then referred to the close connec- ton between mental and physical feel 1 ings. He said that feelings indicate one's physical health and that feelings cannot usurp the physical composition without danger. His next reference | was as to the danger of emotion over real life, saying a large part, If not three-fourths of it shapes our conduct The quality of an act is greatly due to motive. Motives and emotions should not be confused. Emotions are bodily commotions. while motives instruct us what to do and how to act. Right ac- l tion promotes right feeling. The para lytic did not consider whether he felt l like getting up or not, but obeyed the l command. So in life. It Is not whether we feel like doing a thing, but whether I it Is our duty to do 1t or not. If you lack courage, overcome the thing you fear by doing it. If you have not the right feeling, act as if you had. Never l pretend the feelings you have not, but if duty confronts you, do it without feeling. Let feelings take care of them selves.
 The speaker then asked who may es- tin1ate the importance of will. He spoke in reference to the clause in our Lord s Prayer, "Thy will be done," and said this should be the thought to prompt us at the beginning of Lent, that it should not he mechanical thought, that by Good Friday should constrain us, thta we should think less upon feel ings, but on the building up of our hu-
 man edifices and use Lent for the dis
 cipline of our wills in helping us to Il gain some control over our emotions,
 teaching us when to say yes and no. II is time to turn negatives into posi-
 lives. not to offer petty, feeble prayers
 but time for concentration of efforts Acting on the steel edge of necessity
 having genuine strength of quietness and confidence
 A collection was taken for ctiy mis- I sionary work