The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-03-05
THEORY OF FASTING
Bishop Halls Pastoral Has to Do
With Value Of Self Denial

With Value Of Self Denial
Ri Rev. Bishop Halls Eenten Pas
toral is devoted 10 the subject Of the
Lenten obligation. After stating that
fasting is prescribed by the Bible and
the church, the Pastoral goes on:
What do We mean by fasting?
Quite clearly fasting is not alb
staining from sin las people some
times say. This is a matter of per
petual obligation not of occasional
practice.
2-Nor is fasting las others try to
imaginel something to be done in
wardly. It is, or should be, the out
ward expression of an interior feel
ing or desire Fasting has to do with
the body; ii means hard treatment of
the body, more particularly in the
matter Of food and drink and also, in
a more general sense. with reference
to sleep and ease.
What is this for? What is the OBJ
iect of fasting? II has two great pur-
poses. First, it is that we may prac-
tice saying no, and so gain control
over bodily impulse and other passing
fancies. The VIII Is strengthened and
its freedom maintained by such ex-
ercises.
Second-Fasting is intended to ex-
press sorrow for past indulgence; it
is an Acknowledgement of our unwor-
thiness to partake freely of all Gods
gifts So close and intimate is the
relation between mind and matter,
soul and body, that were it not for
prejudice fasting would be recognized
as a natural instinct in the penitent.
Bishop Phillips Brooks expresses
this thought so we'll that | will again
quote his words, as | have done be-
fore:
"All bodily discipline Che says), all
voluntary abstinence from pleasure
Of whatever sort. must be of value
either as a symbol of something, or
a means of something. These two
functions belong to it as being con
nected with the body which is at
once the utterer and the educator Of
the soul within. Fasting, taken in it's
wider sense as the voluntary disuse
of anything innocent in itself with a
view to spiritual culture, is at once
an expression OF humility. and an
opening Of the life to higher inluen-
ces. First you give the emotion it's
true symbol and then the symbol in
its turn gives new strength back TO
the emotion"
Two cautions | would give:
One is this, that fasting is one ele-
ment of self denial. which means a
great deal more than discipline of the
body, while 1t certainly includes this.
We often hear the word self denial"
used for some petty abstinence. |
would not for a moment disparage any
such exercise, provided it stands for
and leads to something greater To
deny ourselves lin the Scripture
sensel is not to deny something TO
ourselves. but to cease TO make our
selves the object OF life and action. to
ignore our own selfish interests and
petty ambitions.
With this in mind let us be real
in any rule or discipline that we
adopt, regarding il always as a means
to a further end.
The second caution is this: Fast
ing is not intended in any way to in
iure our health 1t should not unfit
us for either work or prayer 1t
ought 20 enable us to perform both
duties better, as the body is kept UNI
der, and the higher powers of our ma
ture are set free for exercise. Some
discomfort we should not mind but
learn to rise above il. Many persons
would probably be physically better
for missing an occasional meal, and
many for restricting themselves for
while to plain food and strict
er mode of life. During his three
weeks fast Daniel ate no pleasant
food, neither came flesh nor wine
into his mouth"
In days Of growing luxury and
softness we surely cannot afford to
despise rules for bodily discipline.
The observance, according to the
churchs bidding, or particular days
and seasons for special abstinence
would tend TO form habit of gen
eral seif-control. One consequence
of the neglect of such reasonable
rules has been a fanatical and one
sided attempt by external repression
to do away with certain excuses
and dangers, which would be more
wisely dealt with by the incubation
OF selfrespect and self-restrain.
If we would obey st. Pauls injunc
ton to present our bodies a living
sacrifice, holy. acceptable to Cod
which is our reasonable service, We
must in some manner and degree
initiate his example, who kept under
| his body and brought 1t into sub
lection, lest that by any means, when
he had preached to others, he him
self should be a castaway.
date this on the Feast of oui
Lords Presentation and of Hi:
Mothers Publication, the 10Th an
niversary of my conservation as
your chief pastor, and beg of yot
to pray, in tho words Of the collec
for the festival, both for yourselves
and for me, that by Gods grace
and through our faithful use of al
appointed means, we may be pre-
scented unto God with pure and clear
hearts.
Faithfully and affectionately your
in Christ,
Arthur c. A. Hall,