Norwich bulletin., 1909-03-01
ANNUAL LENTEN VISITATION
or BISHOP BREWSTER.
Preached Eloquent Sermon at Christ
church-Many Confirmed.

Right Rev. Chauncey 3. Brewster,
d. D., bishop of this diocese. made his
annual Lenten visitation to the Epis-
copal churches of this vicinity on Sat-
urday and Sunday. preaching in each
of the churches and administering the
rite of confirmation to classes of good
size. At Grace church, Yantic, he was
the preacher Saturday at evening
prayer, but there was no confirmation
class. Sunday morning at the service
ity church, confirming a class of eleven,
and in the afternoon at 3 O'Clock he
was present at ST. Andrews church,
Greeneville, where a class of eight was
confirmed.
Sunday evening the churches held a
united service at Trinity church, which
was almost completely filled by the
congregation present, and q class of
fourteen was confirmed by the bishop
Rev. Nelson Poe Carey, the rector,
Archdeacon Brown Of Trinity church,
Rev. F. Johns Bohanan of st. Andrews
and Rev. W. c. Simpson Of Grace
church off1ciated in the service of
evening prayer.
The sermon was by the bishop, a
discourse of direct and practical appli-
cation, for which he took as his text
Psalms XII, IL: For innumerable evils
have compassed me about. mine iniqul-
ties have overtaken me, so that I am
not able to look up; they are more
than the hairs of mine head and my
heart hath failed me.
1t is possible thing. he said. to
have very difinite knowledge Of sin
and yet have very shallow conviction
Of ones own sin, and he invited his
hearers to consideration of what he
would call the arithmetic of sin, the
adding of one sin to another and the
multiplication of sins. Sin is like a
spreading branch, and the Multiplied
little sins are terrible as the locusts
in troops. Think of the little sins
againsti cheerfulness, the fiecks of un-
selfishness, the petulance, the i'll humor
that brings on the tempest and de-
struction to the home. Think of the
little meannesses that render at the
last character ignoble; of the weak
nesses and indulgenees that disinteg-
rate the fibre Of character and lead to
moral catastrophe. We speak of little
sins. but we do not see them in their
by the inward disposition. The meas
ure of the flood is not when it is safely
confined behind the dam, but with the
dam broken away and rushing head
long to its work do we see the true
measure Of the food. Thus it ia with
hate, covetousness. lust They are to
be measured according 90 their natura:
ness Of this measure Is seen in some
sudden fall from q great height. But
really all that is sudden Is the revela-
ton. The man wrong has been wrong
all the time. 1t is the current confined
but now finding the line of least resist
ance.
There is then the geometrical pro-
gression of sin by the law OF habit,
tending to benumbed sensfbilities and a
weakening of the will. OF the little
sins there maybe so many that one
finds himself fast and bound like GN-
liver in the land of the Lilliputians.
One kind. Of sin comes not alone, and
one sin may then involve in very
labyrinth of vice.
Sin tends to form false tissue of
character and propogates by germs
and we have to learn to beware of the
germs of moral evil, the little things.
We may well take some note Of the
little things and see which way we
are going. We may be headed to a
at moral catastrophe through these
little things in our lives, these little
things that are the beginnings of great
wrongs. Sin is a moral disease with
the possibility Of growing worse, but
there Is also the possibility of better
ment if we seek divine aid with the
will to receive Il. His help is prom
Used to all who ask, but having come
once to him we still have need to
watch and pray. always with our will
braced by his cross, always with our
soul filled with his love.
The collection taken was given to
the bishop for diocesan uses, as he
shah choose.